Page 322 of Playing Dirty

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For a second, I didn’t move.

Then:

SELECTED – NEW YORK MEDIA INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

My stomach dropped slightly before catching itself.

Mia screamed.

Not metaphorically.

Actually screamed.

“Oh my GOD!”

The entire lab turned.

Bennett didn’t even react.

Just nodded once like she’d already known.

“Congratulations,” she said calmly.

That was it.

No celebration.

Just reality shifting slightly.

Mia hugged me immediately. “You did it!”

“I did it,” I repeated, still processing.

But my brain wasn’t fully there.

Because somewhere in the back of it—

New York wasn’t just mine anymore.

MASON

Practice after the announcement felt different.

Louder.

Looser.

Guys were hyped now.

Coach wasn’t.

“Same rules,” he said. “You haven’t earned anything yet.”

That shut most of them up.

We started scrimmage.

First play, I drove baseline and finished clean.

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