Heart Starter (Rebels of Rushmore #3)

Chapter 1

DANNY– A month later

My heart is about to burst from my chest when I skid to a halt in front of Coach Clarkson’s office. He called me in even though we don’t start preseason training for another week. I had a shift at Three Dudes Smoothies and ended up staying past my shift due to the crowd, so I had to race here.

I knock on the door, still breathing hard.

Shit. He’s going to think I’m out of shape.

“Come in,” he says.

“Hey, Coach. Sorry I’m late.”

He turns his gaze away from his computer screen and frowns. “What in God’s name happened to you?”

I remove my uniform hat and wipe the sweat off my forehead. “We were busy at work today, and then I had to ride my bike. My car is in the shop.”

He swivels around in his chair and bends over to retrieve a bottle of water from his mini fridge. “Here. I can’t have you passing out on me due to dehydration.”

“Thanks, Coach.”

I twist off the cap as I take a seat. Then I pretty much inhale the whole water bottle in the blink of an eye. I was parched.

“Do you need another one?” Coach asks with the hint of a smirk.

“I’m okay. Thanks.”

“All right, I won’t keep you waiting. You must be wondering why I asked you to see me before preseason training starts.”

“Yeah. I’m not in trouble, am I?”

Worry has been consuming me since I got his call. I’m on a sports scholarship, which is the only reason I can afford to attend Rushmore. If that went away, I don’t know what I’d do.

“No, of course not.”

“Nothing wrong with my grades?”

“Your grades are fine. You’re probably the best student on the team. Really, Danny, relax.”

I sink against the back of the chair as relief sweeps over me.

I had been obsessing about this meeting, much to Andy’s amusement.

He says I stress too much. I do, but only about things that matter.

My status on the team is one of the things I worry about.

It’s my ticket to a better life. He experienced what it was like to be in my shoes for a hot minute, and he almost lost his mind.

But I’ve lived in constant survival mode my whole life.

“Okay, so why am I here? Do you need something from me?”

“I want to talk about the NFL. Have you ever considered going pro?”

My heart suddenly speeds up, and my tongue gets stuck to the roof of my mouth. After a moment, I reply, “Yeah, of course. Isn’t every kid’s dream to play in the NFL?”

He chuckles. “True. But in your case, it could become a reality.”

“How so?”

He furrows his eyebrows again. “Danny, come on. Surely you know you’re one of the best quarterbacks we’ve ever had on the team.”

“Troy was pretty good too. Honestly, I’m only trying to fill his shoes and not mess up, sir.”

I’m not only saying that because Troy is one of my best friends. He legit kicked ass during his time as the Rushmore Rebels’ quarterback.

“Troy was good, but he lacked focus and ambition. I suspect his heart wasn’t one hundred percent in the game.

You, on the other hand, have a fire I haven’t seen in all my years of coaching.

When Troy got injured, you hit the ground running.

If it hadn’t been his senior year, I’d have benched him in favor of you. ”

I’m at a loss for words.

“Wow.”

Coach laughs. “Another great quality you have. Humbleness. You’re not cocky, and you always put the team above your own interests. I appreciate that. But, son, this year, I want to see you shine.”

“Yes, sir.”

“A buddy of mine is a scout for the NFL. He saw your tape, and he was impressed. He’s interested, which means other recruiters will soon be as well.

However, if you want to give the NFL a shot, you have to train harder than before, be focused solely on the game and your academics.

No excessive partying, no distractions.”

“I want to make the NFL happen, sir. I’ll do anything. No parties, no distractions. You tell me what I need to do, and I’ll do it.”

He nods. “That job of yours. I assume it’s only during the summer?”

It wasn’t, but I can’t tell Coach I was planning on keeping my job at Three Dudes Smoothies for as long as I could. I want him to know I’m committed to the goal. So what if I have to live on a tighter budget? I’ve made do with less before.

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. Well, that’s it for now. Enjoy the rest of your summer break.”

“Will do, sir. And thanks for the opportunity.”

He shakes his head. “Don’t thank me, Danny. You’ve earned it.”