All The Wild Ones | Wildfire Series

Epilogue

GRAYSON

S E N I O R Y E A R

Twenty seconds left in the fourth quarter in the division title game against UCLA, and I was sure we weren't gonna make it. But then Jonah threw a hail mary, and I hauled ass down that field, and by some stroke of luck, caught it.

Ah, screw it. Let's call it what it was. That wasn't luck. That was pure fucking skill.

Jonah ran up to me first, tossing his helmet off with a loud whoop. "Everett!" he bellowed. "I could fucking kiss you right now."

I laughed and returned the giant bear hug that he and the other guy were surrounding me with.

There was only one kiss I wanted right now, but it would have to wait. That catch didn't win the game, only tied it. And now we needed to step it up in overtime.

Breaking free from the guys, I jogged over to the refs, heeding their call for the captains to gather for the coin toss. Jonah trotted up next to me.

"Heads or tails?"

Easy choice.

"Tails."

The coin flicked into the air, and my eyes were matched with the UCLA captain as we watched it spin. And land.

Tails.

I grinned.

There was no skill involved in a coin toss. That I could blame on pure luck, and my lucky charm was in the stands tonight.

"We want to receive," I said, not even needing to glance at Jonah.

We wanted the ball in our hands so we could score as quickly as fucking possible.

The referees nodded, and I marched back onto the field, readying myself to end this game. And to end it fast. I had other shit I needed to do tonight.

We knew the defense would expect a run on the first play and anticipated they would send their safety on a blitz with the linebackers. A sell-out. A fucking gamble, but Nessa was in the stands tonight. Not only Nessa but my moms, too. Lucky charms, all of them.

I ran a post route, and Jonah hit me in stride right where their safety would have been, and then it was off to the races. When I crossed into the end zone, I'd never heard the stadium go off that fucking loud.

Chaos. Absolute chaos. My heart was pounding, but it felt good. Alive. Adrenaline and blood pumping through it just like it was supposed to. Fuck yes, this was the night. This right here was the night we were going to win it all.

The team had fire beneath their feet now. UCLA took possession of the ball, but they never stood a goddamn chance. Within seconds, the quarterback had thrown an interception, and the game was up. It was ours.

Whipping my helmet off, I looked around with what I knew was a ridiculous grin. Because there she was. Tearing away from Beau, Madie, Bren, Collins, and Jules—who had come back to watch my last game—Nessa was running down onto the field. My jersey—number 54–swallowed her whole, her dark hair flying out from beneath a beanie, her smile as big as mine.

I didn't need to beckon her to come greet me anymore. She just did it. Ever since I went back to playing my junior year, she was here. At the beginning of every game and the end of every game.

I loved it. In the year that I'd taken off, it was hard to be away from it all. From the rush of the game, from my friends on the field, from the roar of the crowds.

And admittedly, after Jasper was booted from the team and the campus for his misconduct, it was hard not to return sooner. I felt like I had a duty to the team to step up and fill that spot. But they'd been fine without me. And I was fine without them. Nessa was a big reason for that, for making it through sophomore year at all.