Chapter 52: Beck

The spiral I throw lands perfectly in Colton's hands. Whatever problem he had been struggling with earlier in the season seems to have worked itself out.

Thank fuck, because that's the last thing we need right now. We have four games under our belt and eight more to go. It's still early, but we have an undefeated record.

When Coach blows his whistle, signaling the end of practice, I unsnap the chin strap and pull off my helmet, letting it dangle from my fingers. Colton jogs toward me, meeting me as we head off the field.

Grinning from ear-to-ear, he holds out his hand for a fist bump.

"Looking good out there," I tell him. "Nice to see you got your groove back."

"Damn right I did, baby!" He flashes a grin as relief oozes from every pore of his body. "And not a moment too soon with the Alabama game coming up."

Already I know it'll be a tough one. Both mentally and physically. We're neck and neck with Alabama. After next Saturday, one of us will be first in the conference, and I