Page 43 of Catching Feelings

“All right, Hawks,” Coach Herman says, hands on his hips and a smile on his face. “Your last game was a thing of beauty. Just play another game today. Have fun out there.”

Then he nods to Will, who’s checking the plays taped to his forearm, and steps aside so we can all circle around our quarterback. Will nods. So much trust is communicated in that moment, it makes me ache. The connection they have, the strategy they’ve discussed, the faith Coach has in his QB…

And then Will’s leading us through a pregame pep talk. “Washington’s receivers don’t have anything on ours—I’m talking about you, Kai,” he says, pointing at the guy as he smears on his eye-black.

Kai thumps his chest in agreement. “Savvy, Cap’n Jack.”

Will adds, “But they win games with their defense. Gabe, you gotta find the gaps. Earn your nickname, Legs.”

“I’ll find so many holes, they’ll look like Swiss cheese!” he calls back.

“That’s my guy.” Will grins. “And Holloway, did Coach tell you there’s a scout from Michigan with his eye on you? Saw your work in the last game and came back for seconds. Keep doing what you’re doing, okay?”

My mouth goes dry, but I can’t keep the answering grin from my face. I’m half nerves, half excitement. “You got it.” And his faith in me must be going to my head, because I add, “Cap’n America.”

Kai whoops approvingly, so I must have pulled off the nickname thing okay.

Will nods. “All right, Hawks on three! One, two—”

“Go, Hawks!” we all cheer in unison. When we break away, I’m beaming and amped up on the vibes in the air. I’m ready to have fun.

Only Gabe’s jittery with tension, hopping from one foot to the other and cracking his knuckles before kickoff. I frown, watching him out of the corner of my eye. He’s often a little jumpy before practice or a game, but I’ve never seen him this bad.

Should I say something? That’s really Will’s job, but he’s busy talking to Coach. Probably about some last-minute plays and formations.

And I used to be good at this kind of thing…

When I notice Gabe’s breathing turning shallow, there’s no more thinking. Only the instinct to help the guys on my team. “Hey.” I nudge his shoulder, keeping my voice low. “You okay?”

“Fine, fine, totally fine, never been better, ready to rock and roll—”

I raise an eyebrow at him. “Try again.”

His eyes cut side to side, and he lets out a sigh. “Fine. As in, fine, I’m not fine. My dad’s watching this game, and, bro, he wants me to play in college so bad. So, I started visualizing playing a great game—finding holes in the defense, like Will said—but then I started overthinking the plays, and I’m not sure I remember them all? And did I eat right this morning, or will I burn out by the third quarter? And if I do, will I ruin my career forev—”

“Hey.” I face him, planting my hands on each shoulder. “Breathe. Breathe, okay?” I take a deep breath to model for him. “You got this. You always get nervous before you’re moving, and then when you are, you’re unstoppable. Your instincts know what to do. Just trust them. And whether you play or don’t play in college, your dad will figure it out. It’ll all work out, okay?”

I don’t know if I’ve reached him. Don’t know him well enough to give the kind of advice and perspective I’d want if I were him. Suddenly I regret holding myself apart from the rest of them. If I knew him better, I’d be able to help more.

But his breathing slows, and his arms hang loosely at his sides. “Yeah. Yeah, okay.” He nods, and eventually, smiles. “Trust our instincts. We got this.”

I nod. “We got this.”

He walks off to finish warming up and is immediately accosted by Marissa, holding out her phone as a recording device. “Gabe! Can I get a quote for the Herald write-up? Do you think anyone can catch you today?”

“Oh, hell no,” Gabe says, shaking his head mournfully. “Not these guys. Maybe not any guy. I’m feeling fast today!” He jogs in place, scything his arms by his side to demonstrate.

I can’t help my grin. That’s the Legs we need.

All Gabe’s nervous energy pays off in some of the most incredible catches I’ve ever seen—he’s finding the gaps in coverage before Will even knows they’re there, moving so fast, he may as well be teleporting. He somehow dodges right through a block in Washington’s defense, taking the ball an incredible thirty yards for a touchdown that has everyone in the bleachers on their feet, screaming themselves hoarse.

My job is to be sure they have a clear field to work their magic. It’s not as showy as Gabe and Will running touchdowns into the end zone, but I don’t mind. I’ve always been happy to set my team up for greatness.

I can’t help looking toward the merch table after a particularly critical block. Sabrina’s smiling my way like she hasn’t taken her eyes off me all night, and she raises one triumphant fist in the air. Naomi hops happily up and down beside her, and even the less expressive Priya is applauding.

I try to restrain my grin, to stay focused.

But it’s really hard when the queen of Hamilton Lakes is on the sidelines cheering for me. When I can’t stop thinking about the scouts in the stands and my chance this year to snag a scholarship to make college ball a reality.