Page 15 of Campus Muscle

“Are you really going to start that game?” His fingers hadn’t loosened an inch.

“I grabbed a bag of Skittles. You’re the one who’s being a dick about it.”

Trace pulled, but there was no way I was going to lose anything to him, so I did the same. The flimsy plastic instantly gave way, and a rainbow of colors scattered across the floor. It looked like a ridiculously bright explosion had detonated in the store, and for a fraction of a second neither of us moved.

“Now look what you’ve done,” Trace said, throwing his hands up in the air.

My heart broke for the Skittles, but my fury flared. “What I’ve done? You’re the one who wouldn’t let go.”

“And you’re the one who’s gonna clean it up.”

I opened my mouth as indignation rose within me, but my words tangled before they could be fully formed. “You— This was—”

But he was already walking off, a few guys watching and snickering from the other side of the store. It triggered my automatic stress response, so I crouched down and angrily swiped up the Skittles.

As my hands made quick work of catching the colorful candies, a shadow passed over the window. I looked up and saw Trace standing outside with a few of the other guys. They were watching me and laughing among themselves. Lucas said something I couldn’t hear, and Trace let out this exaggerated, loud holler that made my blood boil.

My jaw tightened as I put the Skittles back into the torn wrapper, and then I got up. I brushed off my hands and locked my gaze onto his. If he thought this was funny or that he could just dismiss me, he had another thing coming. Dakota Hayes never backed down, and I was going to knock Trace Prescott’s ego right back into place if it was the last thing I did.

6

Trace

As I ran out of the tunnel and onto Curry’s field, the noise hit me harder than expected. Not really more than our home games, but for some reason it felt different. It was fuller and sharper than what I had gotten used to. The stands stretched higher and packed tighter as the waves of blue and gold stacked together, leaving no space for anyone else to hide.

This was what a real program looked like. I slowed down for a few minutes and allowed myself to take it in. The field was polished, and the lines were clean. It had the kind of presence that came from years of funding and expectation.

“Prescott!”

I turned and saw Frank Delaney standing just off the sideline. His hands were in his pockets and his back was straight as could be. It actually looked like he belonged where he was, and that weirded me out even more than the man himself.

“You made the trip?” I asked, trying to hide my dismay.

“There are certain things I like to see for myself,” Delaney said, clearly hinting at something. “Especially something like this. It’s worth watching.”

I adjusted my gloves. “It’s a big game for us.”

“It’s more than that.” Delaney stepped closer, making me feel even more uncomfortable. “There are people here tonight someone like you needs to impress.”

“What kind of people?”

My eyes moved over the stands automatically as I tried to find someone who stood out. Unfortunately, I saw nothing out of the ordinary, so once again I was left to wonder if he was being serious or not.

“The kind who usually don’t waste their time on developing programs. You know, like scouts, alumni, and even donors who know the difference between potential and performance.”

I felt something pull tight between us, and suddenly my mouth was drier than a desert. Delaney was starting to flex his muscle, and it looked like I was an ant going up against a giant boot.

“That matters to you, doesn’t it?” Delaney eventually asked.

I didn’t answer right away because I honestly didn’t know what to say.

Delaney gave me a faint smile. “I went to Trinity and played there too. I was on a different level and had different expectations, but the overall idea remains the same.”

“You still have all the connections,” I mumbled, glancing back at the field.

“I have access, and access opens doors, but that only means something if the right player walks through them.”

My jaw tightened slightly. “And you think I’m that guy?”