When it poured in Huntsville (BWWM)

17

Logan's POV

The stadium lights hit different tonight. Bright, blinding, and hot—they weren't just illuminating the field; they were burning straight through me. The crowd roared as we ran onto the field, but it all sounded like static in my ears.

Coach's words were still ringing in my head: "If you mess up, you're done."

I couldn't let this happen. Not tonight. Not with LSU's recruiter sitting somewhere in the stands, clipboard in hand, waiting to see if I was worth their time.

But I wasn't just playing for LSU. I was playing for my dad. For Jayde. For the kid I used to be, dreaming of this moment. The stakes couldn't be higher, and my nerves were shot.

Warm-ups flew by in a blur. Coach barely looked at me, which hurt more than I wanted to admit. Usually, he was in my ear, hyping me up, giving me last-minute advice. Tonight, he was cold, distant, and angry.

I glanced at the stands, scanning for Jayde. I spotted her sitting near the fifty-yard line, her arms crossed, her expression unreadable. My chest tightened. She was here, supporting me, but I could tell something was off. And it was my fault.

The whistle blew, and the game started.

Jayde's POV

From the stands, Logan looked like his usual self—confident, poised, and ready to win. But I knew better. His body language was stiff, his jaw set in a way that screamed tension.

I wanted to believe everything would be fine, but it wasn't just about the game. It was about what happened before, about how his mom had gone out of her way to tear us apart. And Logan hadn't even talked to me about it.

The crowd was electric, but I felt like I was sitting in a bubble. My mind was racing, replaying everything that had happened between us over the past few days. I was proud of him—I really was—but I couldn't shake the feeling that I didn't matter to him as much as this game did.

And maybe I didn't.

Logan's POV

The first quarter was rough. I missed a couple of easy throws, and Coach was already on my back. "Get your head in the game, Logan!" he barked after a failed third-down conversion.

I nodded, biting my tongue. I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of seeing me crack.

By the second quarter, I started to find my rhythm. A quick slant pass turned into a 30-yard gain, and the crowd erupted. For a moment, I let myself breathe. I could do this. I had to do this.

But every time I caught a glimpse of the stands, I saw Jayde. And every time I saw Jayde, I thought about her dad. And every time I thought about her dad, I heard his voice in my head, threatening to bench me.

It was a vicious cycle, and it was eating me alive.

Jayde's POV

By halftime, Logan was playing well, but something was missing. He wasn't playing with his usual fire. He looked... distracted.

I wanted to go down to the field, to tell him everything was going to be okay, but I couldn't. I wasn't sure I believed it myself.

Instead, I sat there, watching him jog off the field with his teammates. He didn't even glance up at the stands.

Logan's POV

In the locker room, Coach laid into us. "We're not playing to our potential!" he shouted, pacing back and forth. "We're better than this!"

When his eyes landed on me, I braced myself. "Logan," he said, his tone sharp. "You need to step up. I don't care about your personal drama or your excuses. You're the leader of this team. Start acting like it."

"Yes, sir," I muttered, my jaw clenched.

I kept my head down for the rest of his speech, but inside, I was boiling. How was I supposed to lead when everything in my life was falling apart?

Jayde's POV

The second half started, and Logan came out swinging. A deep pass for a touchdown. A perfectly timed scramble for a first down. He was finally playing like himself again.

The crowd was going wild, but I couldn't shake the knot in my stomach. He was playing for LSU, for his future, for his dad's memory. But was he playing for us?

Logan's POV

The fourth quarter was a blur. We were up by a touchdown, but the other team wasn't letting up. They drove down the field, scoring with two minutes left to tie the game.

Coach called a timeout, and we huddled on the sideline. "This is it," he said, his voice steady. "Two minutes. One drive. Let's finish this."

As we took the field, I felt the weight of the game, the recruiter, my mom, Coach, Jayde—all of it pressing down on me.

The first play was a run, but it didn't go far. Second down, I hit a quick out route for a gain of five. Third down, and the clock was ticking.

On fourth and three, Coach called for a pass. My heart was pounding as I lined up behind the center. The ball was snapped, and everything slowed down.

I saw my receiver break open across the middle and fired the ball. It was a perfect spiral, hitting him right in the numbers. He turned upfield, breaking a tackle, and sprinted into the end zone.

The crowd erupted as the final seconds ticked off the clock. We'd won.

Jayde's POV

The stadium was deafening, but I couldn't move. Logan had done it. He'd won the game, probably impressed the LSU recruiter, and solidified his place as the star quarterback.

But as he celebrated with his teammates, I couldn't help but feel like I was on the outside looking in.

Logan's POV

The locker room was pure chaos after the game. Guys were shouting, laughing, and spraying water everywhere. But all I could think about was finding Jayde.

I slipped out of the locker room, still in my uniform, and searched the stands. When I finally found her, she was sitting alone, her expression unreadable.

"Jayde," I called out, jogging over to her by the bleachers i looked up at her coming towards me until she leaned over the ramp

She looked down, her eyes meeting mine. "Good game," she said softly.

"Thanks," I said, breathing heavy.
"I couldn't have done it without you."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because it felt like I wasn't even on your mind tonight."

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. "Jayde, You're always on my mind."

"It sure doesn't seem like it"she pouted in tried to shoo that thought out of my brain

"What jayde your always on my mind. But that doesn't matter right now he knows and I admitted to" I sighed

"He knows? Whats that supposed to mean" she questioned me with a raised eyebrow

"Coach!... I mean your dad knows about us" her face almost dropped in a mix of fright and sorrow. She was obviously terrified of her dad but I didn't ever imagine her to realize like that.

"What?" I ripped off my glove and grasped her hand more rough than I meant to

"Look at me. I know I let you down the other night this is not the same. Im gonna be there don't be scared. Okay?" I reassured her grasping her hand also convinced myself

"Okay" and with that I let go and ran back

Where the hell is that boy?! I knew it was for me I walked in