Page 60 of Hometown Halftime

“We did it!” Paige shouts, throwing her arms around me.

I laugh, adrenaline still buzzing through my veins. “That’s what I’m talking about!”

From the bleachers, Evie’s voice cuts through the noise. “They won!”

Knox lets out a sharp whistle while Cam claps from the sidelines, and Brynn looks like she’s about two seconds away from storming the field herself.

The teams form a line and walk side by side, high fiving and giving ‘good match’ to each passing player. Then the girls settle into a loose circle around Riley and me, still flushed and glowing. I take a second to look at them and something tight and proud settles in my chest.

“Shit,” I say, smiling, “was a damn good start.”

The girls all laugh as I realize I said swear words. Oh, well, they were needed at this moment.

“You trusted each other out there,” I continue, letting my gaze move from one face to the next. “You kept pushing even when things got hard. That’s exactly what rugby looks like.”

I gesture back toward the field, where the grass is torn up from their effort. “And if that’s what you look like in a scrimmage, I can’t wait to see what you do in a real game.”

They break again, louder this time, grabbing water bottles and bags, laughter spilling across the sideline like they can’t be contained.

Brynn is the first to jog down from the bleachers. “That was amazing,” she says, practically glowing. “I had no idea rugby was that intense.”

Knox claps Riley on the back hard enough to rock him forward. “Hell of a first showing.”

Cam nods toward the field. “They’ve got real potential.”

Kate smiles warmly. “You should be proud.”

Evie tugs on my sleeve, serious as ever. “You were really loud.”

I laugh, reaching down to ruffle her hair. “That’s part of the job.”

The crowd slowly drifts toward the parking lot, the girls leaving in a loud cluster of excitement and post-game adrenaline. My friends all say goodbye. Bit by bit, the noise fades, the field emptying until it’s just Riley and me.

“Today was a really good day,” he says.

I glance over my shoulder. Riley’s a few yards away, a mesh bag of balls slung over one shoulder. I brush a stray strand of hair that escaped my ponytail out of my face.

“It was, wasn’t it? I feel so…proud,” I say, the word feeling strange.

Riley chuckles. “You should, that might have been just a scrimmage, but the team showed up, and you gave good direction.”

I gather our clipboards and we walk toward the clubhouse with Riley by my side.

I push the door open with my shoulder and step inside, flipping on the overhead light. It hums to life, illuminating the narrow space—benches, hooks, a couple of storage shelves along the back wall.

Riley follows me in, setting the bag of balls down with a dull thud while I grab our backpacks.

Riley throws his over his shoulder then steps toward me. “Kinsey?”

I look up as I’m stuffing my clipboard in my bag. “Yeah?”

He just watches me for a second, like he’s lining something up in his head. Then he exhales and says, “Go out with me.”

My brain stalls.

“Say what now?”

“I want to take you out.”