Chapter Twenty-Two
Dev
Conference Championship Sunday
Clapping my hands, I walked into the locker room. “Hey, guys. Knock them on their asses.”
“Dev.”
“Yo, Devil.”
“How the hell are you doing?”
My teammates crowded around me, and Brody hung back, wide-eyed and confused. I hadn’t mentioned to him in our nightly phone call that I’d be coming, but with the game on our turf, I couldn’t stay away. Thanks to our amazing security guards, I’d managed to duck the press.
“I’m good. Feeling stronger than I did last week. No more headaches or dizziness.” Luke didn’t approach me, but I wanted him to know I wasn’t there to take the shine off his star. “Dude, you’re the bomb. I know you’re gonna kill it today.”
His smile was tentative. “Thanks, Dev. Are you gonna stay for the game?”
“Heck, yeah. I gotta cheer you on. Keep you all in line.” I put a hand on his shoulder and spoke directly to him. “Just keep your concentration. Don’t think about anything other than getting that ball to whomever you want. Focus on picking your receiver for passing, and if you’re handing off, make sure you don’t release the ball unless they’ve got their hands on it. Lemme tell you what I remember from regular season.”
He listened carefully as I went through what I perceived as the other team’s weaknesses. “I’ll remember. I appreciate it. I’d better go finish suiting up.”
From the corner of my eye, I spotted Coach Jackson walking over. “Dev.” He hugged me. “You feeling okay?”
God, I hated feeling like an invalid, and it was annoying as fuck to constantly reassure people that I wasn’t injured, but this was Coach.
“Yeah. I’m good. Just came by to make sure these bums don’t slack off.”
“You’re gonna sit with us. The fans will love it, and it’ll be great for morale.” It wasn’t a request, but I was glad he’d asked. Being away from the team for the first time since I’d started playing with them had left a gaping hole in my life, especially with Brody gone. Even if I wasn’t playing, being in the thick of the playoff race juiced me up, and I finally felt whole again.
“I’m ready.” I turned and waved my hands to everyone. “Go get ’em.” Before I left, I walked over to Brody and patted his shoulder. “Win it for us,” I murmured for only him to hear.
“Gonna do my best.”
“Dev, let’s go,” Coach called out. “You’re gonna walk out with us.”
With one final meeting of our eyes, I left Brody and joined Coach and the staff. When we jogged out from the tunnel to the field, the moment fans realized I was there, their roar was deafening. Cameras pointed in my direction, and I kept my grin on, knowing they were zooming in. Maybe I wasn’t able to be on the field, but this was the next best thing.
We won the coin toss and elected to receive. I swatted each player on their ass as they passed me, and then the game began. Yeah, I cheered and hollered, but man, it fucking sucked to be where I was. I itched to be the one behind the line. To call out the plays and throw the passes. This week wasn’t like the last. The Stars were on our asses, and Luke was showing his inexperience and nerves, getting sacked a few times and throwing incomplete passes.
Down 14-3 at halftime, I stood in the locker room and rallied the troops.
“Fuck that first half. Let’s do this. You got this.”
Coach went over the strategy, and I completely agreed with his plays. The halftime show was completed, and the teams readied to return to the field. I spoke to every one of them, saving Brody for last.
“We can still do this. I wanna make that trip with you to Orlando for the Super Bowl.”
Brody frowned. “You’re not supposed to fly.”
I winked. “You leave it to me. Fallon and Ezra will come too, and I’ll make them drive.”
His grin matched mine. “Got it all figured out, don’tcha?”
“I always do. Now go kick ass.” I lowered my voice. “And don’t let anyone put a mark on yours.”
He snorted and rolled his eyes, but I didn’t miss that cute blush. Suddenly the world looked brighter. If we won, it was only two more weeks until we could be together again. And if we lost—which we wouldn’t—I’d be with him tonight, in our bed.
