Atlas Grove, once a dancer with dreams of dancing under the stars, now lives petrified in the shadows of abuse. To escape her living nightmare she must keep her head down and work hard, being her senior year this is her last chance to get out. Altho...
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Music and the collective mumbles of chatter fill the tunnel that opens onto the open-topped football arena.
It's gameday and as I stretch out my hamstrings I can feel them retracting in fear.
It's the first game for the boys but the first time we're cheering as a new team in front of a crowd... a frigging massive crowd.
As a team, we've worked really well together and worked hard to be ready for tonight... well most of us. Hannah's been taking digs all week, 'accidentally' dropping stunts or making comments about how we're not doing something right- when I know for a fact that she's the one doing it wrong.
The two sides of the field chat back and forth making me tense, there are so many people are here tonight... I haven't performed in front of this many people in bloody ages.
"You good?" Carrie startles me, placing her red painted nails on my shoulder. I nod at her with a tensed jaw.
No, I am not good! I am seconds away from throwing up! I feel dizzy.
What if I fall?
Or seize up in a stunt?
It's been a struggle getting through practices, I've been getting better but I still get memories of my momma and my past.
"Right line up! I've got the job of paring you up with the boys!" Hannah calls flirtatiously, holding a clipboard, hand on her hip.
The football team come running into the end of the tunnel from the changing rooms, hollering and jumping on top of each other, chanting weird-ass chants to get them all hyped up.
Brady comes charging towards me and sweeps me up throwing me about in the air whilst I squeal, slightly petrified, slightly amused.
"We're going to thrash them!!" He screams spinning me around.
"Put her down!" Carrie giggles, "I don't need one of my flyers injured before we go on!"
"You'll do great! Chill!" Ethan says picking her up too, she's more resistant and starts thumping him on the back through fits of laughter.
"Alright, you sad fucks stop clowning around and line up!" Blaze shouts standing next to Hannah. Hannah twirls her auburn hair around her finger, batting her eyelashes at him.
Blaze looks... hot.
His number fourteen jersey bulges across his chest and stretches at the seams across his heavily tattoed arms, the contrast of the white and red uniform makes the black swirls stand out. His face is streaked with two black lines that show the depth of his ocean blue eyes. The veins on his forearm and hands stick out as he grabs his helmet from under his arm. His hair sticks up in strange directions having been ruffled by Brady but nevertheless, he still looks pretty danm fine. His muscular frame is dominant over the room and his cheekbones add the maturity to his face.
