Allyson Reed shapes her life to make her parents proud, but whenever she's with Daxson Winters, the star wide receiver with a troubled past, her perfectly-crafted existence crumbles at the seams.
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Excited fans gathered along the edge of the small road that lead from the football team's training facility to Bryant-Denny Stadium. Children clung to the metal rails and waved red-and-white pompoms to the ire of the security guards trying to provide crowd control. One of the guards couldn't hide his frown when a little girl beside him began screaming at the top of her lungs.
Apart from the game itself, the walk was the event of the day, and the anticipation was like electricity in the air. The walk to the stadium was an opportunity for the fans to get to know the team better. A lady beside me sloshed some beer from her cup onto the pavement.
I stepped away from her and glanced at Madison. "I'm surprised you wanted to show up to the walk since it's an early game today."
Madison pulled her sunglasses down to the edge of her nose. "Well, I didn't stay out late last night. Besides, we missed the first one. We're students, so we should fully partake in all game-day activities." She gave me a sweet smile before taking a sip of her coffee.
"Hm. I guess you have a point." I tucked a few strands of loose hair behind my ears.
Madison pushed her sunglasses back onto her face. "I know I've told you this a million times, but your hair looks fantastic, Allyson. Kristi did a great job."
The corners of my mouth pulled into a smile as I ran my fingers through the ends of my dark hair. "I agree. I really love it."
As happy as I was with how my hair turned out, I knew my mother would give me an ear full. I'd avoided our usual Saturday morning phone call because I didn't feel like starting my day off with an argument. I was done letting her ruin my days.
"They're coming!" A loud voice exclaimed over the crowd.
Cheers and claps filled the air as fans pressed against the rail to see the team. Madison and I were packed so tight she had to clutch her coffee against her chest with both hands to avoid spilling it. The members of the team wore red jerseys with no pads and carried matching backpacks. Some of the guys blasted music from their headphones as they walked while a few of them walked along the rail to give the children high-fives. Loud cheers erupted as Coach Saban passed with his posse of security guards in tow. He carried himself off the field the exact same way he did on the field; with a purpose.
My eyes locked onto Daxson when he came into view. There was a confident swagger in his step and bright smile on his face as he chatted to a familiar teammate with stringy-hair. Daxson appeared to be telling a story which earned a laugh from Adam. The pair walked along the rail, signing autographs for fans and snapping selfies.
He and Daxson paused to take a picture with a group of girls on the opposite side of the street. I held my breath behind pursed lips. One blonde girl's face lit up brighter than a toothpaste commercial when Daxson signed the sleeve of her jersey. They exchanged words, forcing a chuckle from Daxson. It made me want to hurl.
