She Wore the Team Mascot Costume to Pay for College — Then the Star Quarterback Left His Cheerleader Girlfriend for Her

Chapter 1

At Westbridge University, football wasn’t just a sport.

It was a religion.

Every Saturday, thousands of students packed the stadium wearing blue and silver.

The players were treated like celebrities.

The cheerleaders were photographed between plays.

And the university’s mascot, a giant buffalo named Bruno, was arguably the most recognizable figure on campus.

Nobody knew who was inside the costume.

That was exactly how Emily Carter preferred it.

At twenty-two, Emily had two goals.

Graduate with honors.

And survive long enough to pay for it.

Her scholarship covered most of her tuition, but not everything.

So she worked mornings at the campus library.

She tutored students in the afternoon.

And every Saturday, she climbed into the absurd buffalo costume and spent four hours entertaining football fans for extra money.

The costume was hot, heavy, and smelled like the inside of a forgotten closet.

But it paid.

And Emily needed every dollar.

That afternoon, the football team came onto the field.

The crowd exploded.

At the center was Jackson Reed.

Starting quarterback.

Team captain.

Campus celebrity.

Tall.

Athletic.

Ridiculously handsome.

And dating Madison Vale, the head cheerleader.

Everyone knew them.

They were the couple in every campus photo.

Perfect.

Polished.

Untouchable.

Emily had never spoken to Jackson.

She had no reason to.

She was invisible inside the buffalo costume.

Then Jackson threw a touchdown pass.

The stadium erupted.

Without thinking, Emily sprinted across the sideline waving her giant buffalo arms.

Jackson turned.

He laughed.

For the first time, he noticed the mascot.

He didn’t know who was inside.

He only knew that the buffalo was dancing directly at him.

Emily danced harder.

Jackson laughed again.

And that was the first moment she entered his world.

He just didn’t know it yet.