It was a crisp Friday night under the bright lights of Weastern Eagles High School. The crowd buzzed with energy, the marching band pounded out the fight song, and Noah—the school’s golden boy with curly hair and the kind of charm that had every girl wrapped around his finger—was warming up. He tossed flawless spirals downfield, soaking in the attention. Everyone at Weastern wanted him. But he didn’t care. None of them ever felt real to him.

Then there was Dallas.

The new girl. She had only been here a few weeks and already made it clear she didn’t buy into the hype. She was sharp, witty, and always had some sarcastic comment locked and loaded whenever Noah came around. It was almost like she hated him. But still—he noticed her, and maybe, just maybe, she noticed him too.

That night, Dallas was helping out as a ball girl, and as fate would have it, she tripped over a cord and dropped all the footballs just feet away from Noah.

“Oh, great,” she muttered, already annoyed with herself. “Of course this would happen in front of you.”

Noah smirked and knelt beside her. “You sure you didn’t do this just to get my attention?”

She shot him a look. “Please. I’ve got better things to do than flirt with a guy whose hair is shinier than mine.”

They both reached for the same ball at the same time, and their fingers brushed. For a second, their eyes met. And in that second—just the tiniest flicker of something broke through her icy front. She blushed. Barely. But he saw it.

She quickly looked away. “Just… go throw your touchdowns or whatever.”

But Noah couldn’t stop smiling as he jogged back onto the field. He knew what he saw in her eyes. Dallas could pretend all she wanted, but deep down? He was starting to get to her. And he was all in.