Dillon, Texas. A tight-knit town, deeply rooted in tradition and devoted to its high school football team, the Dillon Panthers. It is a place where residents rally together every Friday night, filling the stadium with passion, pride, and unwavering...
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Thursday morning arrived, casting a dull cloud over Maisy as she contemplated her first day at Dillon High. The thought of starting from scratch, making new friends, was unappealing to her. And the prospect of unfamiliar classes loomed ominously, as she harbored little interest in them. In addition, Dillon itself seemed nothing more than a dreary town fixated on Friday night football, leaving Maisy desperate to find some excitement.
Desperate for guidance, she approached her slumbering father, gently rocking his body in an effort to rouse him. He had stumbled in at six in the morning, only to collapse onto the couch and succumb to sleep. Reluctantly, she decided to wake him, as she had no idea where the school was located.
He stirred but to no avail, Maisy was left finding the school on her own.
Closing the front door as quietly as possible, she stepped outside, embarking on her own once more.
Maisy's father had a habit of forgetting his parental responsibilities. A week before she left Dillon, he had left an eight-year-old Maisy home alone for several hours, oblivious to her presence. The memory of that incident left her feeling defeated. She threw her nearly empty backpack onto her shoulder, resigned to navigate the overgrown front yard walkway.
Exiting onto the sidewalk, she was greeted by the warm embrace of the morning sun and the sweet scent of dew-drenched grass. It was one of the few redeeming qualities of Dillon — the picturesque weather that graced the town nearly year-round. Maisy relished leaving behind the harsh winters of the Northeast.
Walking to the edge of the street, she scratched her head, unsure of where to go. Suddenly, her attention was drawn to a boy sitting in a worn-out pickup truck across the street, parked in front of Saracen's house. In a matter of seconds, Saracen emerged from his house, bidding farewell to his grandmother. Fixing his gaze upon the bewildered girl standing in the middle of the street, he called out, "Coleman!" while waving.
Maisy smiled and began crossing the street, catching the eye of the boy driving the truck, who leaned nonchalantly out of the window to exchange a glance with his friend before focusing his attention back on her. "Saracen, thanks for the burger last night., I must say, I was expecting mediocre at best," Maisy attempted to strike up a conversation, hoping to break the ice.
"No problem, but hate to break it to you, everything else around here is mediocre," Saracen responded, his tone indicating his lack of enthusiasm for small-town life. Turning to his friend, he added, "Do you want a ride? I was just about to hope in." Matt, without consulting Landry, stated, offered Maisy a ride. There was an unspoken tension between the two friends, with Landry protesting through a huffing noise, but Matt was determined to help Maisy.
