Sidelined: The QB and Me - Wattpad Books Edition

The sun beat down relentlessly on the Archwood High School football field, a familiar, unwelcome warmth that promised another grueling cheer practice. My blonde hair clung to my neck, and sweat already beaded on my forehead as I lay sprawled in the short grass, staring up at the vast, indifferent sky. Three months of summer, gone in a blink, replaced by the bitter reality of senior year.

"Dallas! You've had all summer to lay around, get up and do laps. Now!" Emily Raeken, our cheer captain and resident tyrant, shrieked, her voice cutting through the humid air. I sighed, rolling my eyes internally. One more year. One more year of this, and then I could finally escape to California, to a life beyond pom-poms and forced smiles.

Reluctantly, I pushed myself up, joining the endless parade of white sneakers pounding the emerald turf. The drills were relentless, a blur of agility rings, mini-hurdles, and wall sprints. I pushed through, driven by the burning desire for California Institute of the Arts, knowing that cheerleading was my only ticket. Just as practice ended, a football arced through the air, heading straight for my face. Instinctively, I snagged it, preventing a potential nosebleed and, more importantly, a mortifying public display of clumsiness.

From forty-five feet away, a familiar, infuriatingly handsome figure pulled off his helmet. Drayton Lahey. Archwood's golden boy, the star quarterback, now jogging towards me, his sweat-drenched hair somehow still perfect. "Sorry!" he called out, but I barely registered it. I just wanted to get to the locker room, to escape the oppressive heat and the even more oppressive presence of Archwood's most obnoxious jock. I threw the ball back with a force that surprised even me, then turned on my heel, oblivious to the surprised whistles and whispers from his teammates.