Chapter 199

• Shelly immediately ran to Johnny Burris and threw herself around him in a hug. Jess greeted Bryce as he came through the door, and he pulled her in for a quick kiss. The other two players I didn't recognize from the Hooker House before, but I knew they were Mark and Zach, a backup linebacker and safety, respectively. Zach, in only his second-year, had made the interception in overtime that led to the winning field goal. Alix and Brittany, always the professionals, knew Zach had made a big play and immediately fawned over him in tandem.
• "That's what I'm talking about," Zach said, as he put his arms around both of them, a bottle of Champagne in each hand. "Let's get this party rolling."
• The crush at the front door thinned out. Jess had drawn the blackout curtains over the windows. Bryce had gone over to greet Kat, but he stepped aside and introduced himself to Sabrina when David Johnson walked up to my girlfriend with a welcoming smile. I couldn't take my eyes off them. Kat looked down at the floor and looked at him sheepishly. A few words passed between them that I couldn't hear.