Held out in front of him was the playbook for all of us to see. One by one, he pointed to each player on the offense, telling them what to do for the next play. Jake and Perry stood on either side of me, breathing heavily but listening intently.
When Coach turned to me, I already knew what he was going to say. “Hook and ladder?” I asked.
“Hook and ladder.” He nodded in agreement. “Listen and execute.”
Which basically meant go out there and run the damn play. Not one to argue with Coach, I nodded.
“Ready!” Through my helmet, I looked at every player in the huddle, earning a grunt from them. We broke from the huddle on the sidelines. Coach slapped my shoulder pads as I followed my team out onto the field.
We were in the fourth quarter, two minutes left on the clock, plenty of time to make something happen. I took my spot behind my center, shaking my hands out. We had only four tries to get a touchdown and take the lead.
Down here on the field, the screaming of fans felt almost deafening. It echoed all around us, making it hard to communicate at times, which was obviously a design flaw of football stadiums.
With Jake and Perry on opposite sides of me, my offensive line was in front ready to protect me from the other team. I squatted down, hands out to receive the ball. Sweat dripped down my back, my hair sticking to my forehead under my helmet. A ball of anticipation lodged in my throat.
The feeling I got when I was on the field, seconds away from getting the ball, was one I couldn’t describe. Not even after all these years playing. It was a mix of anxiety, anticipation, excitement, and adrenaline all wrapped into one. It lit my blood on fire.
If no one ever played a sport they loved, they didn’t understand this feeling. But those that had, they did. That feeling was addictive. Addictive enough to keep coming out onto the field and play like it was the last game of the season.
Channeling all those emotions, I took a steady breath before yelling, “Hike!” The ball landed perfectly in my hands. Balancing on the balls of my feet, I darted back, taking in the field before me.
The opposing defense slammed against my offensive line, but not a single player got through. The Titans were the number one team for a reason. My eyes darted around, trying to find Perry.
There.In just a matter of seconds, he was already down the field, fending off an opposing player. Out of my peripheral, a hulking body barreled toward me, giving me no choice but to run and tuck the ball under my arm.
Not wanting to get tackled, I ran out of bounds into the opposing sideline a few feet before the first down. Ignoring the players around me, I tossed the ball back to the ref, jogging back to the field as the clock ticked down.
The team got back into position, not missing a beat and knowing we had very little time left. The defensive struggled to line up as I stomped my foot on the ground, the ball landing in my hands within seconds.
The sound of grunts filled the air as players slammed into each other. It only took me half a second to spot the small opening in the line and another to dart through it. As I ran forward, I kept my eyes open for Perry or Jake, ready to throw if needed.
I ran ten yards before I felt a presence behind me. Once again to avoid getting hit, I stepped out of bounds, stopping the play.
Above the scoreboard, the timer ticked down to fifty seconds. Now it truly was make or break. And to hell I was going to let us lose.
“POSITION!” I yelled, running to the line, signaling for my teammates. My offensive line barely had time to squat down. Jake and Perry all but ran to their spots before I was yelling hike.
It was a flurry of motion as both sides scrambled to hold each other off. I jogged back on my toes, arm cocked back, eyes down the field at Perry as he ran, arms pumping at his sides with his head turned over his shoulder to keep his own eyes on me.
Thanks to the scrambling of the other team, Perry was wide open—a huge mistake. I brought my arm back and threw the ball all the way down field. It soared in a perfect spiral and right into Perry’s waiting hand.
He didn’t even pause as he continued running, no one else in sight and crossing into the end zone. I let out a whop,yanking my helmet off as a few players met Perry to do a celebration dance.
With not enough time for the other team to even try and do anything, the clock ran down as both teams stepped onto the field to congratulate each other. Cameras were shoved in my face, snapping away, zero regard for any personal space.
Now that the same was over, I had something else important I needed to do.
Hands clapped my back as I tried to get through the mass of people. I needed to find Coach and then get to the locker room as quickly as I could. I offered praise to the other team's quarterback, ignoring the cameras and reporters trying to get my attention.
“Excuse me. Sorry,” I called out as I weaved through players and reporters until I caught sight of Coach. I pushed a bit more forcefully until I reached him.
“Emmie,” was all I needed to say.
“Go. I’ll take care of reporters here.” Coach patted my shoulder as I gave him a thankful nod. Things were a bit awkward between us since he found out about Emmie and me three weeks ago, but he knew where I was needed right then.
Didn’t have to tell me twice. I whipped around, nearly catching a camera to the face, and shoved through the crowd. I smacked Perry’s shoulder in passing, not even slowing before I broke free.
With my helmet in hand, I took off toward the guest locker room. I felt the stares, heard the fans calling my name, but none of it mattered. Running off the field immediately after a game was bound to be talked about, but I didn’t give a damn.
