I REMEMBER TURNING twenty-three and beginning my first season as a starting quarterback. The powers that be considered twenty-three young for a starter. Now, three years later, I feel old. From the wear and tear on my body and my mental state from losing game after game, I don't have the same excitement as I've had in the past.As team captain, it's my job to pump up the players for the coming season. I'm hoping the new kicker the front office signed will help us out. The entire process has been shadowed in mystery for some ungodly reason. We have a player or two who are gay. They keep it on the down-low. I truly don't give a damn about who they have in their bed. Play your position, give it your heart, and screw anyone you want. With consent, that is.This doesn't mean all the players feel this way. By my thinking, the idiots need to get over it and move on. I haven't seen a sexual pass in the locker room or heard of one. Maybe the new kicker is openly gay and the organization expec

HEAD COACH BUCK Mitchel is speaking and he's pretending this is just another news conference and Jordan Givens is just another player. He's giving the opposite impression I got from him yesterday, and he now appears to agree that Jordan should be on the team.Kiss ass, I say beneath my breath.I'm in a piss-poor mood after losing valuable sleep the night before. I drank a bucketload of coffee this morning and the dark liquid did nothing to help the throbbing pain in my jaw from clenching my teeth throughout the torturous night.A few minutes ago, Mitchel informed me I have the pleasure of tagging along with Miss Givens' entourage after the news conference when she's officially introduced to the team. I spent the entire night trying to find a way out of what would happen today. I was also under strict orders to keep my mouth shut about our new kicker. The news hit the media less than an hour ago and half the team has texted or tried to call me. My phone is on silent mode because I ca

SHE'S AS COOL as a wide receiver on a Hail Mary pass into the end zone with no one around for miles. I just don't buy it. Before we entered the locker room and were waiting on Givens to come out of the ladies' room, her agent pulled me aside."I have something I want you to read. Keep it to yourself and take a look when you have time. Jordan tricked her way into my office. These are a copy of the papers she gave me," he said as he handed the folded sheets to me. "This is why I signed her as a client. Read them and give her a chance on the field." His jaw tightened. "She's earned it." He walked away and I stuffed the papers in my pocket.Right now I'm lifting weights and thinking about the pages he gave me. They're sitting in my locker unread. I'll look at them tonight."This is shit, you know that, right?" It's Randy Byer, one of the best fullbacks in the league. The problem is you wouldn't know it by the way he's played the past three years."I won't deny it," I answer after lower

The call ends and I actually sigh. "This isn't a date, this isn't a date," I recite as I head to the bathroom. If it was a date I couldn't go. The fact that Aiden's speaking to me in a civil voice could go down as the first miracle of the season. Yeah, I'm reading way too much into this and I need to stop.I take a run to work off my nervous energy and find myself at the stadium gym. I show my ID and the guard lets me inside. He also gives me directions. After a couple of wrong turns, I find the gym."Oh my heck," I whisper when I look around. It's amazing, and the athletic smell of sweat I expected in the locker room is alive and well here. It does something to my insides. The odor may be repugnant to others, but for me it's like coming home.A couple of players walk in while I'm lifting weights. They don't appear happy to see me. "Good morning," I offer. One grunts and the other gives a quick "Hey" and then they both ignore me. Really there isn't much that could destroy my good mo

I walk to the fridge and grab four beers. "Want one?" I ask while plotting a way to kill my sister when no one is looking."Sure," Jordan replies and winks at my sister."I'll take one too," Candice chimes in with her serious voice but she doesn't fool anyone."Over my dead body," I grumble and hand beers to Jordan, Steph, and Ty.My mom heads into the kitchen as she is more than accustomed to the ongoing verbal jousting between me and Candice. She pulls out a large bowl of homemade bread dough and begins making dinner rolls. "I won't ask the same questions as the media, so tell us about yourself, Jordan," Mom requests.Candice responds before Jordan speaks. "I couldn't find your college stats on the internet. It sucks that community colleges don't post like they should."Jordan wiggles a bit and slips her phone from her back pocket. She scrolls through a few things and hands the phone to my sister. "Here are my stats." Candice takes the phone, sits down at the table, and goes in