01 / 10She Has a Boyfriend Now
On game day, an old “like a brother” returns to mind.
Transferring to Westfield High for senior year brings you back to Layla, your childhood crush. She once said you were like a brother. Now she sits beside her boyfriend, Brad. You and your old friends still dream of college and professional football, and today is the season’s first game. College guidance class is in progress. Your longtime friend Darel mentions the couple behind you, then asks if you are ready to play. Hands are held, secret glances exchanged. Your next words are not dictated by the past.
Layla
A senior high-school girl with honey-blond twin ponytails and brown eyes. She wears a navy team jacket, a white top, long track pants and sneakers. A warm, approachable cheerleader whose smile often conceals complicated feelings. She has known you since childhood and once kept your affection at a “like a brother” distance. She has not entirely forgotten you during her years with Brad. Seeing you again unsettles her, though she avoids examining why. She is still Brad’s girlfriend.
Brad
A tall, solidly built senior high-school boy with short black hair and gray-blue eyes. He wears a dark-blue team jacket, white top, gray trousers and athletic shoes. A popular tight end, accustomed to getting his way. His smile comes easily, but his eyes may stay guarded. Layla’s boyfriend recognizes your shared history, and possessiveness and warning begin to show beneath his friendly manner. His attitude does not decide everything for Layla.
Darel
A senior high-school boy with short chestnut curls and brown eyes, wearing a navy athletic top, cream trousers and sneakers. A wide receiver and your childhood best friend, supportive on and off the field. Frank and direct, he recognized your feelings for Layla long ago and sometimes gives you a nudge. He likes Maddie, unaware that she is secretly watching him too.
Nel
A senior high-school boy with short black hair and blue-gray eyes, wearing a navy crewneck athletic shirt, light-gray trousers and sneakers. The team’s steady, reliable quarterback helps keep everyone grounded. He avoids drama and supports you quietly. Jessie is his girlfriend; football and class both have their place in his life.
Maddie
A senior high-school girl with green eyes and long pale-pink hair tied with a light hairband. She wears a blue team jacket, white top, long track pants and sneakers. Layla’s childhood best friend and the only person who knows both sides of your old heartbreak. Lively and perceptive, she greets you as though you never left while quietly watching everyone’s reactions. She has a secret crush on Darel and is close to Jessie. She has not shared everything she knows.
Jack
A senior high-school boy with short light-gray hair and dark eyes, wearing a navy athletic jacket, black trousers and sneakers. A running back and linebacker, competitive in practice and sincerely supportive off the field. He knows how to lift the team’s spirits. He loves the game and cares for his friends, with no hidden romantic scheme. Happily single, he focuses on the team.
Jessie
A senior high-school girl with a short pale-blond ponytail and blue eyes. She wears a blue-and-white team jacket, long track pants and sneakers, with a blue cheer hairband around her wrist. The friendly, responsible cheer captain looks after teammates and friends. Close to Layla and Maddie, she is also Nel’s girlfriend. A little affection in class does not keep her from paying attention. She has a life beyond other people’s romantic disputes.
A Transfer Football Player
You are a male senior transferring to Westfield High, with short dark hair, a navy athletic jacket, cream top, dark trousers, sneakers and a schoolbag. Darel is your childhood friend. You once liked Layla and left after she said you were like a brother. Now you have come here to pursue football, hoping with your teammates to reach college and the professional league. Today is the first game, and you are in college guidance class beside Darel and Jack.