Chapter 3

Rory's legbounced as Calvin inched his truck through the line of cars, trying—and failing—to find a place to park.

"Seriously, just park over there on the side," she said, pointing to an empty patch of dirt next to the lot. "No one cares right now."

"I could get a ticket," Calvin said, voice firm.

She rolled her eyes. "Is it physically impossible for you to break the rules?"

"Yes," Melanie said, a smile on her face.

"Of course you would like that," she mumbled. "The game starts in five minutes; we're going to miss kickoff."

Calvin stopped the car abruptly. "Get out and get us seats. I'll keep looking for a spot."

Blake threw open the door and hopped out of the truck, not needing to be told twice. Rory grabbed Melanie's arm and pulled her away from the unnecessarily long smooch Calvin was giving her.

In a small town like Haverport, there really wasn't much else to do this time of year. Here, everyone lived for the summer. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the town population practically tripled in size as all of the "summer people" inundated the Port for a vacation by the beach, renting out any available cottages and cramming the public beaches with coolers and beach chairs and plastic buckets. The townies call it their "busy season," given the profit turnover—Gabi's words, not hers—that small businesses made between May and September compared to the rest of the year. Some were even able to take an extended break during the off-season, or in the case of Scoops—and to Rory's dismay—the entire winter.

As the last of the summer people left and everything slowed down, the people of Haverport turned their attention to the next big thing: Friday night football games. It was a well-known fact that you would run into everyone you knew at a game; it was just the thing the townies did on Fridays, even if the team absolutely sucked.

Which, of course, wasn't the case this year. Everything felt different. The energy in the stadium tonight was electric; fans were buzzing with anticipation. Rory glanced up at the sea of navy, white, and hints of gold in the stands, everyone there to cheer on their boys to a promising victory. Haverport High hadn't been in the running for the state championship in over fifty years, and if they actually won, it would be their first championship win ever.

She linked arms with Melanie and Blake as they zigzagged their way through the crowd. The line at the concession stand was already astronomical—the heavenly smells of salty fries and sugary funnel cakes causing Blake to drift from Rory's grasp. She held on to him firmly, dragging him past that stand and the pop-up booth where students submitted last-minute votes for Homecoming King and Queen.

"Do you think there's a chance he'll win?" Melanie asked.

Rory sighed. "I really hope so."

She groaned when they came to another traffic jam. "We're never going to find a spot."

"Melanie! Blake! Rory!"

The three of them looked up toward the top of the stands and found Dan and Jan Fletcher waving furiously at them. Dan gestured toward some vacant seats at his side, as if they were waiting for them to show up. Rory followed Melanie and Blake as they climbed to the top, each of them getting barreled into a bear hug from Jan, who was matching Dan in Haverport crew-neck sweatshirts. They were dipped in blue tie-dye that matched the sea of navy in the stands flawlessly.

"Did you kids eat?" Jan asked, opening up a cooler next to her. It was stuffed with cream sodas and peanut butter and jam sandwiches, probably made with the coveted homemade jam the Fletchers sold at the farmer's market during summer.

"Wow, you guys came prepared," Rory said, taking the sandwich Jan handed her.

"We've been here for a couple of hours," Dan said proudly. "We're going to be state champs!"

The crowd around them cheered loudly as Dan fist-pumped the air.

Rory settled down next to Melanie, who was already unwrapping a sandwich on her lap. "Okay, I have to ask," Melanie started, pointing to Rory's head. "Why do you always wear that bright green bandana to the games?"

She touched it proudly, a smile creeping onto her face. The rest of her outfit matched the colors of their team—navy-blue Haverport crew neck, white jeans, and the number 17 painted obnoxiously on both cheeks. But the bandana stuck out like a sore thumb…which was kind of the point.

"So he can find me," said Rory. "I've worn it to every single one of his football games."

"But doesn't he know you're here?"

"Well, duh, I would never miss a game," she responded. "But there was this one game in eighth grade when they finally let him start as running back. He was really nervous, so I told him anytime he felt that way to look up in the stands and find my green bandana, and know that he's not alone."

"That's fucking cute," Blake said.

She grinned. "Blake, I love it when you swear."

He flushed. "Again, you're strange."

"That really is cute though," Melanie said. "It's almost like you guys were meant—"

Ding.

Rory swiped her phone from her back pocket at rocket speed, wondering if it was another text from him.

It was.

Jay had sent a picture of two plastic spoons on a table.

Come fight me!

"Oh, right. I almost forgot," Melanie whispered next to her. She leaned in, looking at the string of messages on Rory's screen. "Hold up, did he say he—?"

Rory flipped her phone over quickly. "You didn't see anything."

Melanie's mouth fell open. "He said he misses you."

"Who misses you?" Blake asked.

"No one," Rory said flatly, turning her attention to the team now spilling out across the field, the crowd screaming as the players jogged to the center for a quick huddle. Rory scanned the navy jerseys for number 17, but it didn't take long to find him. He was dead center, hyping the team up in a chant with a massive grin on his face, the whites of his teeth gleaming under the bright stadium lights.

"God, he's going to miss this," she said.

"I'm not done with you," Melanie said, tugging on her sleeve. "Want to tell me what's going on?"

Calvin came bounding up the metal stands, hugging Dan and Jan before tucking in between Melanie and Blake.

Saved by the bell, she thought. "We'll talk later," Rory murmured.

But truthfully, she hoped Melanie would just drop it. Apparently, Jay missed her. So much so that he was texting her constantly to get her attention. She…loved it. Loved that he was finally paying attention to her. And yet…she had no idea what to say.

* * *

The teams wereneck and neck by the time they reached halftime. Rory watched as Tyler kept encouraging his teammates in between plays, patting them on their backs and likely saying something inspiring that had his teammates nodding their heads and cheering along with him.

He was a good captain. A natural-born leader. If her peers couldn't see that, if they really wanted to vote for someone like Walker—who was currently stomping around on the sidelines and arguing with the assistant coach—to be their Homecoming King, then good riddance. Rory didn't want to associate with a town that couldn't see something good when it was right in front of them.

The referee blew the whistle, and the players sprung to action. She watched as Tyler jogged up to Walker as they headed back onto the field. He reached for Walker's shoulder, but Walker shoved him off, clearly still riled up from whatever conversation he just had with the coach.

Tyler's shoulders sagged. He then turned to the crowd, his gaze scanning the stands above them. She watched as he finally froze, his eyes set on where she sat. She stood up in her seat, just in case he couldn't see her properly.

If she wasn't mistaken, a grin pulled on the corner of those lips underneath his bulky helmet. Tyler lifted his arm and pointed in her direction, causing a few people in the stands to look over at her with curiosity painted plainly on their faces.

Rory turned slightly, her eyes still on him as she lifted her arms, holding an imaginary football. She "threw it" in his direction, watching as he jumped and caught the invisible ball in his gloved hands. A few people laughed and cheered at the gesture as Tyler returned to his team, setting himself up for their first play of the third quarter.

She plopped back down in her seat next to Melanie. "And that's why I wear the bandana."

The marching band blasted the school fight song, the crowd going wild as they sang along, pouring all their energy and hope to the field below and hoping beyond hope that it could give them a little luck. That the 14-14 score glowering down on them from the board across the field would miraculously change, that those numbers would look a lot more promising with just a few more dazzling plays.

The cheerleaders danced along with the song, their gold pom-poms glistening beneath the stadium lights. Zoe Clark stood at the center, her perfectly curled blonde ponytail bouncing with each peppy move.

Walker stood at the center as the boys lined up, yelling a few commands at the team. Tyler stepped a few paces back, bouncing slightly on his feet as he waited for Walker to finally scream "HIKE!"

Walker held the ball briefly, his gaze focused on Tyler who was sprinting to the right, dodging past a defenseman from Garrison before reaching the other side of the field. Walker pulled his arm back and threw the ball, and Tyler jumped and caught it with his left hand.

The crowd went nuts. Rory stood up and screamed as Tyler tucked the football under his arm, holding it tightly as he charged past the 30-yard line, then the 20-yard line, before getting tackled at the 15.

The band started blasting again, the cheerleaders chanting as the boys huddled together to chat through the next play. Rory sat back down, her leg bouncing at the anticipation of it all.

Melanie patted her knee. "He's got this, no question about it."

"I can't imagine how he's feeling right now," she said. "The pressure is killing me and I'm not even out there."

"Tyler is so chill though," Blake said. "He never loses his cool."

Rory's mind flashed to the night of the party that summer, at the fierce way Tyler had pulled her into his Jeep, shoving a water bottle at her chest. "I beg to differ," Rory mumbled.

She noticed Calvin studying her briefly, almost like he was trying to read her mind. She glared at him before turning her attention back to the field, watching as the boys lined up at the 15-yard mark. Tyler was now heading for the side of the field closest to the stands and the cheerleaders, setting up in a runner's position.

The cheerleaders were about finished with their cheer, briefly stepping into one of their stunts. Zoe was at the center again, bracing herself on the shoulders of her two squad mates before getting hoisted up into a hold. They held on to her ankles firmly as she stood at the top of the pyramid, waving her pom-poms and hyping up the crowd. She lifted a leg and turned into an arabesque. But before she could shift and stick the landing, one of her base's knees gave out, his body slowly crumbling to the ground.

Fans gasped as Zoe fell back. Tyler sprinted from his spot, the ref whistling furiously at his early start. Only he wasn't running down the field but a few feet off it as he bee-lined for the cheerleading squad, lifting his arms out and catching Zoe before she could hit the ground.

Rory watched in stunned silence as the crowd went absolutely apeshit. She stood alongside the other Scoopers to get a closer look, watching Tyler on his knees as he held Zoe. He was speaking to her as he got to his feet, Zoe still cradled tightly in his arms. She looked panicked for a moment as she glanced up at Tyler, but he gave her a reassuring smile, saying something else that had her visibly relaxing. Then she flashed a huge grin to the stands and waved, letting them all know that she was okay. Everyone was chanting "TY-LER CHAP-MAN" like he was their hero.

Rory realized how tightly she was holding her breath. Zoe fit perfectly in his arms, the two of them a shiny spectacle on the field.

"Well, there's no question about it now," Blake said. "We're about to lose him to royalty."