The Nerd Who Stole The Quarterback (Astra and Zayne) novel Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Chapter 45

ZANE

The second half turned into war.

Not football.

War.

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Westbridge stormed back onto the field loud as hell, their student section stomping and screaming while the band blasted through the stadium speakers. Ryan jogged onto the turf with that same cocky grin, like he already knew/how the night would end.

I wanted to wipe it off his face.

The whistle blew.

The game turned brutal again.

Hit after hit.

Play after play.

Every drive became a fight.

Ryan was locked in tonight. I’d give the asshole that..

He threaded impossible passes through coverage like he was showing off. Their receivers moved fast, their offensive line held strong, and every time we scored…

they answered right back.

The crowd noise became deafening.

“ASHTON!”

“SINCLAIR!”

“HARRINGTON!”

“WESTBRIDGE!”

Back and forth.

Back and fucking forth.

Sweat dripped down my neck beneath the pads as I barked plays in the huddle.

“Trips right. Tyler, first read. Don’t mess up your route this time.

Tyler rolled his eyes behind his helmet. “Love you too, Captain.”

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Everything narrowed instantly.

Pressure crashed toward me from the defensive line. I sidestepped one tackle, planted hard, and launched the ball

The ball snapped.

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downfield.

Perfect spiral.

Touchdown.

The Harrington section exploded.

But when I looked across the field…

Ryan was already smirking at me.

Like he enjoyed this.

Like he’d been waiting for someone who could actually keep up with him.

Fucking psychopath.

By the fourth quarter, the score was tied again.

28-28.

The stadium was pure chaos now.

Everyone was on their feet.

Cheerleaders screaming.

Band blasting.

Players shoving after every tackle because both teams were sick of each other.

Final drive.

Thirty seconds left.

Coach called timeout.

We gathered near the sideline, breathing hard while the crowd screamed around us.

Coach Benson crouched in front of us, face red with intensity.

“Field goal range,” he barked. “We move twenty yards and we win this damn game. Ashton, smart decisions. No hero bullshit.”

I nodded once.

The final drive started.

I dropped back.

Pressure collapsed instantly.

One defender broke through the line too fast. I barely escaped the sack, sprinting sideways before launching the ball downfield.

Incomplete.

Ten seconds left.

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Chapter 45

One more play.

The stadium shook with noise.

The ball snapped again.

Westbridge blitzed hard this time.

Too fast.

I got the pass off at the last second, but it tipped off Tyler’s fingers.

The whistle blew.

Game over.

Tie.

28-28.

For one second, the entire field just stood there, breathing hard.

Then Westbridge’s side erupted like they’d won the fucking Super Bowl.

Green-and-white students screaming.

Their band blasting triumphantly.

Ryan ripped his helmet off, laughing while his teammates tackled him in celebration.

Meanwhile, Harrington’s side felt dead silent.

My jaw clenched so hard it hurt.

A tie.

Fucking pathetic.

Tyler jogged over beside me, breathing heavily.

“Relax, man. Could’ve been worse.”

“Wasn’t good enough.”

“It’s not a loss.”

“It’s not a win either.”

Nearby, Coach Benson looked irritated more than furious, clipboard tucked under one arm while he spoke sharply with the assistant coaches.

Realistically?

No coach liked a tie.

Especially against a rival school.

But it also wasn’t season-ending disaster territory.

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Just unfinished business.

Coach finally looked at us.

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“Locker room. Now,” he barked. “Defense got lazy in the second half, and offense missed opportunities. We’ll fix it before district playoffs.”

District playoffs.

That meant if both schools qualified…

there’d probably be a rematch later in the season.

Ryan caught my eye across the field again and smirked like he knew exactly what I was thinking.

Next time.

I’d bury him next time.

Jax bumped my shoulder as we headed toward the sideline.

“Chill, Captain. We’ll get them at playoffs.”

Tyler nodded.

“Yeah. Nobody died. You’re acting like we lost by forty.”

“We should’ve won.”

“Okay, psycho.”

I ignored them.

Because my eyes had already drifted toward the visitor sideline again.

Toward Astra.

She stood beside Elizabeth and Priya now, helping gather leftover supplies while students slowly started filing back toward the buses.

And even from this far away…

I could still remember exactly how she looked staring at me earlier.

Like she couldn’t stop herself.

My grip tightened around my helmet.

Tie game or not…

I suddenly wanted something else more than football.

The locker room smelled like sweat, grass, and disappointment.

We filed in silently after the final whistle. Helmets hit the floor, and pads were ripped off. Nobody talked much. Even Tyler and Jax, who usually never shut up, were quiet.

Coach Benson stood in front of the lockers, arms crossed, face tight with irritation.

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“Tie,” he said flatly. “Against a rival. On their field. That is not acceptable.”

He let the words hang in the air for a second.

“Listen up,” he continued once everyone settled. “We got sloppy after halftime. Defense missed assignments. Offense rushed plays under pressure.”

His eyes landed briefly on me.

“But it’s not the end of the world.”

I didn’t argue. I just nodded once.

Coach exhaled sharply.

“Shower up and change. We leave in thirty. Buses are waiting. No messing around.”

He walked out.

The second the door closed, the room loosened slightly.

Tyler dropped onto the bench beside me, peeling off his jersey.

“Man… a tie sucks, but we played our asses off. Ryan was on something tonight.”

Jax nodded from across the room.

“Yeah. We’ll get them next time. Playoffs are gonna be nasty.”

I didn’t respond.

I stripped off my gear in silence, muscles aching, mind somewhere else entirely. The cold water in the shower did nothing to cool the fire still burning under my skin.

A tie.

It felt like a loss.

But the thing bothering me more?

Astra.

I kept seeing her on the sideline.

The way she watched me during the game.

The way her cheeks flushed when I touched her wrist during the water break.

She was out there right now.

Doing her little president job like she belonged in my world.

I changed into a black hoodie and sweats quickly, slinging my bag over my shoulder.

“Yo, Captain,” Tyler called as I headed for the door. “You good? You’ve been weird as hell since halftime.”

“I’m fine.”

I didn’t wait for more questions.

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I pushed through the locker room doors and headed toward the buses.

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The parking lot was chaotic. Students loaded bags into compartments while cheerleaders stayed hyped, laughing loudly despite the late hour. The night air was cold, but I barely felt it.

My eyes scanned the crowd until I found her.

Astra.

She stood near the activity bus with her committee, clipboard still in hand even though the game had ended ages ago. She looked tired but focused, directing students as they packed away leftover glow sticks and banners.

Her oversized hoodie swallowed her curvy frame, but I still noticed the way her thighs pressed together when she bent to pick up a box.

Jason stood beside her again, carrying something heavy, smiling at her like he’d won the fucking lottery.

My jaw flexed.

I started walking straight toward the activity bus.

The team was already loading onto our buses, but I didn’t care.

I needed to see her up close.

Astra noticed me approaching.

Her whole body tensed.

She quickly looked down at her clipboard, pretending to be extremely busy while her cheeks turned that pretty shade of pink I was starting to crave.

I stopped a few feet away and just watched her.

She coordinated the final packing, checked names off her list, and reminded a couple of freshmen to be careful with the fragile banners.

Professional.

Focused.

Trying way too hard to act like I wasn’t standing there watching her every move.

I smirked.

She could ignore me all she wanted.

But I wasn’t done with her tonight.

Not even close.