Rough Play by Anne Lange

Amid the throng of reporters vying for that elusive headline and industry recognition, I’m clinging to the heart of the action. With years of sports photography under my belt, I thought I’d seen it all, but nothing could prepare me for what unfolded before my lens today.
Drew Wylder, a star on the football field, collided in a brutal fashion that sent shockwaves through my camera. The kind of collision that could shatter dreams and halt a career in its tracks.
As the medical team whisks Drew away from the field, our eyes connect for a fleeting moment. His gaze holds mine, a perplexed look in his eyes.

“Who are you?” he asks, his face tight with pain.
I stammer, “I—”
“Pretty,” he interjects, before he passes out cold.

Amid the high-stakes world of sports, where careers teeter on the brink, and secrets from the past cast a sinister shadow, strangers become friends and discover that love has an agenda all its own, one they never anticipated.