Going Hard (Football Romance) Read Free

man," Rachelle said.
    "How can you be so sure?" Maureen asked.
    "The same hope that lets me believe there's a man out there for me too.  I mean look, odds are there has to be someone out there for us," Rachelle insisted.
    "So now we're letting math decide my love life?" Maureen groaned.  "I've always hated math."
    "I'm going to miss you Maureen.  You always know how to make me laugh," Rachelle said.
    "I'll miss you too," Maureen replied.
    ***
    Rachelle wasn't the only friend scheduled to leave that day.  Only Tyler was more than a just a friend.  Maureen hoped that he would be her love of her life.  As Maureen walked back from Rachelle's house to see Tyler waiting on Maureen's porch though, maybe Maureen thought maybe she'd get her wish after all.
    "Tyler, what a pleasant surprise," Maureen remarked.
    "Yeah.  I can never see you enough," Tyler replied.
    "So, what brings you here?" Maureen wondered.
    "I wanted to see if I could change your mind," Tyler insisted.
    "The only mind that needs changing is yours," Maureen said.
    "Look, I don't want things to end like this," Tyler replied. 
    "Then don't leave," Maureen said. 
    "Maureen, you don't get it.  I've been listening to everyone else's dreams for my life for too long," Tyler said.  "Right now I need to follow my heart."
    "Even though what you're doing breaks my heart?" Maureen argued.
    "It doesn't have to be that way.  You know I want you to come.  I just don't want to miss out on this great opportunity," Tyler said.
    "Have you ever thought that maybe staying here with me is the great opportunity you're be missing out on?" Maureen asked.
    "I'm going to ask you one more time to come with me," Tyler said.
    But it was clear neither one of them were going to get what they wanted.
     
    Chapter Five
     
    If there was ever a time for reinvention, it was freshman year of college.  So with the fall semester, Maureen looked to make a fresh start.  But with Tyler gone, life on the rebound was not easy.  It seemed like nothing could mend Maureen's broken heart.
    But Maureen's life was lacking across the board.  She loved her classes, had made a bunch of new friends, and she loved being at Texan U.  The only thing Maureen was missing was a love life.  But that didn't seem like it was going to get better anytime soon. 
    There were a lot of hot guys on campus.  Unfortunately, they all seemed to know exactly how hot they were and carried around that swagger.  An even bigger problem though was the fact that most of the guys Maureen met seemed to exist to binge drink and hook up.  Promiscuity was always on the menu.  But whereas one night stands were prevalent, long term relationships were not.  Maureen didn't want to just hook up with a guy.  She wanted to fall in love.  But in the not too distant future at least, that didn't seem likely. 
    Maureen sure knew how to keep herself busy though.  She poured herself into her school work.  She soaked up campus life.  She joined some extracurricular groups.  Mostly, she did everything she could to get Tyler off of her mind.  But the one problem with Juniper Flats was that the town was mad about college football.  On Saturdays, the whole place shut down.  And watching football just reminded Maureen of Tyler all the more.
    It didn't help Maureen's heart any that the Armadillos were having another down year while Tyler while leading the LAU Bearcats to all new heights.  On her lonelier nights, Maureen wondered if Tyler even thought about her at all anymore.
    ***
    Meanwhile in LA, Tyler Webster was living the kind of life he'd only ever dreamed about.  Los Angeles was a town built on stars.  Movie stars, sports stars, music stars.  And in one game, Tyler's star had risen to all new heights.  The LAU Bearcats had a storied history.  In the seventies, eighties, and nineties, they had won over six national championships.  But recently the football program had fallen on hard times.  With Tyler behind center though,