Dallas and Drayton went from enemies to lovers in the first Sidelined — but does their romance survive the sequel?
Based on Tay Marley’s book of the same name, Sidelined: The QB and Me released on Tubi in 2024 and centers around popular high school jock Drayton (Noah Beck) and transfer cheerleader Dallas’ (Siena Agudong) senior year love story. Although the duo initially feel nothing but disdain for each other, they eventually fall in love. When they face a slew of relationship road blocks, their respective dreams threaten to take them in two different directions.
The film quickly became a viral sensation, leading Tubi to greenlight the sequel, Sidelined: Intercepted, which hit the streaming service on Thursday, November 27. The second movie catches up with Dallas and Drayton — still happily together and both attending their dream colleges in California. Problems arise, however, when their busy schedules, new faces and being on the opposite side of the same city cause more issues than they anticipated.
Director Justin Wu told Fandom Wire earlier this month that with no book plot to follow for the sequel, he tried to follow what he felt was true to the characters instead of what he felt viewers might want to see.
“When it comes to the second movie, I wanted to capture what people loved about the first. It really did mean scrolling through TikTok and reading thousands upon thousands of comments on Letterboxd and other review sources just to see what they connected with,” Wu explained. “Moving forward, I negated a lot of the fan theories and just asked the core narrative question: Where do I think they should go?”
So, do Dallas and Drayton make it through Intercepted unscathed? Keep scrolling to see where the fan favorite couple end up:
Where Are Dallas and Drayton at the Start of ‘Sidelined 2’?
Sidelined: Intercepted picks up with Dallas in the dance program at Cal Arts and Drayton playing first string quarterback for USC. They are living their best lives and happily in love, despite being on opposite sides of Los Angeles. The pair keep in contact through texts, voice memos and phone calls, but with their busy schedules — and Dallas without a car — the couple are barely seeing each other.
When they finally do get some in-person time, things are far from smooth. They’re interrupted by Dallas’ roommate when trying to get intimate, and Drayton accidentally oversleeps the next day, causing him to hit traffic and be late for practice.
Dallas also struggles to make it to Drayton’s first big game on time when her job interview runs late — more on that later — and she misses seeing Drayton get injured on the field. Drayton ends up hurting his ACL, forcing him to take a hiatus from football and putting even more strain on his relationship with Dallas.
Do Dallas and Drayton Break Up in ‘Sidelined 2’?
Despite tension between them, Dallas and Drayton try their best to stay together, but ultimately realize that calling it quits is inevitable. Dallas gets uncomfortable while attending a USC frat party — Drayton’s teammates are rude and girls are whispering about how hot he is in front of Dallas — which she didn’t even want to attend in the first place. Drayton misses Dallas’ big dance showcase.
Eventually the pair mutually agree that they need to split so that Drayton can focus on healing and Dallas can spend more time on dance. “You’re a dream but you’re not my only dream,” Dallas tells Drayton during the breakup.
Who Are Skylar and Charlotte in ‘Sidelined 2’?
Skylar (Charlie Gillespie) and Charlotte (Roan Curtis) are the two characters who almost come between Dallas and Drayton — but not quite. Truth is, Dallas and Drayton’s breakup is really all about them and where they are in life. They are, however, tempted by new faces who come into their lives and connect with them in ways they are craving.
Dallas meets Skylar when she goes for an interview at a local coffee shop, hoping to save enough money (on minimum wage) to pay for the $18,000 (plus living costs!) Cal Arts forgot to tell her she owes despite getting a ‘free ride” to the school. Dallas almost fumbles the opportunity by thinking Skylar is a woman and accidentally telling him that she “doesn’t want the job.” He forgives her when she’s honest about why she “needs” to work, though, and he hires her on the spot.
The duo quickly realize they have a lot in common — Skylar is a musician and artist hoping to cast someone in his upcoming music video and sets his eyes on casting Dallas. While Dallas deters at first, she eventually agrees and sparks quickly fly between them.
Skyler confesses during work one day that his last girlfriend strung him on for a year when she couldn’t decide between him and her ex, and vows he’ll never do it again. Still, he and Dallas continue to grow closer — even after she breaks up with Drayton — their connection is undeniable. After some awkward tension, Dallas promises Skylar he isn’t the reason she broke up with Dallas and they decide to just be friends. But from the longing looks, extended hugs and a sweet (very public with some not-so-subtle lyrics) serenade, Skylar is clearly still pining for Dallas at the end of the film.
Charlotte, meanwhile, is the physical therapist helping Drayton get his knee back in shape. The two bond over sports and get closer when Charlotte forces him to face the fact that he needs to be realistic about healing his injury. But when she makes a move and asks him to come into her dorm to spend the night, Drayton ultimately turns her down and tells her it would be too messy.
Do Dallas and Drayton Get Back Together in ‘Sidelined 2’?
While fans are surely hoping to hear their favorite quarterback and cheerleader reunite and walk off into the sunset, there’s unfortunately only bad news here: Dallas and Drayton decide to split for good in the movie’s final moments.
Yes, it has Us shook, too. It certainly seems like they’re headed toward a reconciliation: they clearly still love each other, and after teaming up and devising a plan to get their best friends Gabby (Asia Lizardo) and Josh (Jason Fernandes) back together on Halloween, things seem to be heating up again. Dallas even walks out on Skylar’s live performance (the one where he’s basically confessing his love to her in song) to take a phone call from Drayton, and the exes spend Thanksgiving together alone. While at Drayton’s L.A. home, they confess they think about each other “every day” and sleep together.
However, when Drayton wakes up, Dallas is gone and has left a note behind telling him that their distance issues aren’t going to go away any time soon. When Dallas gets cast in a show in New York City, she briefly hesitates — especially when she realizes that Drayton lied about having to stay in L.A. for practice on Thanksgiving just to spend time with her — but she ultimately chooses to move across the country to pursue her dreams.
In the final scene, Dallas shows up (on time) to Drayton’s big return game, where she watches him step up as first string and lead his team to victory. Afterwards, Dallas asks Drayton if he believes in “right person wrong time.” He isn’t sure, but tells her what’s meant to be will “find a way.” They share a kiss before walking in opposite directions.
Is There Going to Be a 3rd ‘Sidelined’ Movie?
No third film has been announced for the franchise, but the end of Intercepted leaves things open ended for Dallas and Drayton, who hint at finding their way back together once their dreams line up again down the road.
Sidelined 2: Intercepted is streaming on Tubi now.
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