Jack’s POV
The roar of the crowd hit me like a tidal wave, loud enough to rattle my bones. Mayfield Stadium was packed to the rafters—not a single seat empty, every inch alive with people who’d come to witness something bigger than a game. The air buzzed with an electric charge, thick with anticipation, pride, and something deeper—vindication. It crackled around me, sharp and wild, as I stood in the center of the field, the white jersey of my home team clinging to my sweat-soaked skin. Drops trickled down my back, cool against the heat of my body, as I took it all in. This wasn’t just a match. This was a statement—a battle I’d won, not just here on the grass, but out there in the messy, brutal chaos of life.
The lights overhead blazed down, flooding the field in a harsh glow that made th
