Trevor stayed home on the next play, bolstering the line additionally, and that extra blocking was enough to boost Jaden free for a nice ten-yard run.
Next play, Aidan narrowly avoided a sack, tossing the ball away at the last second. There was a heart-stopping moment where they all thought that maybe the refs would call it intentional grounding. Aidan jogged over to where they were standing in a loose semicircle, debating it.
“Shit,” Levi said.
“Mo was sort of in the vicinity,” Jaden pointed out.
“Sort of,” Mo said wryly.
But whatever Aidan said to them must’ve convinced them, because a second later, they picked up the flag.
Dawson came over, yelling about it, but they held firm, and the Thunder offense lined up for another play.
Aidan looked over at Lane. “What do you think?” he asked.
The problem was that Aidan shouldn’t be asking Lane jack shit;Aidanwas the Super Bowl–winning, Pro Bowl quarterback. Not Lane. Not ever Lane. He was out here for pure brawn.
He’d come up with the plan, sure, but maybe they should go with what they were doing—
“Lane,” Trevor barked, interrupting his thought spiral.
“What?”
“You came up with the plan. It’s a good fucking plan. Stop overthinking it.”
“What about—”
“Lane,” Trevor interrupted again. “Fucking quit it. You’re good at this, okay?”
He didn’t think so. It was going to take more than a lucky guess in the perfect situation to change his mind onthatassessment, but he could at least own that yes, he’d come up with the plan. He could judge it, or at leasttryto judge it.
“Yeah, one more,” Lane said.
Aidan nodded.
Called out the play. Another run with Trevor on the line, blocking along with Lane.
And this time, itdidn’twork, as predicted, because the offense bit hard and came in hot, nearly tackling Jaden in the backfield. He managed to eke out a yard. Maybe two. But it was clearly time.
The jumbo run package wasn’t going to work.
They were going to need to try the play.
Trevor looked nervous. Terrified, actually. Lane got it. This was a huge moment, in the biggest game of his whole career up til this point. And on top of that, they’d barely practiced jet sweeps all year.
Hadn’t needed to try any real trick plays, because the offense had moved the ball so well it hadn’t been necessary.
But it was necessary now, if they wanted to beat the Piranhas and go to the AFC Championship.
“You got this,” Lane said, nudging Trevor, hoping he was saying with his eyes what he couldn’t say with his mouth. At least not here, and not yet.You’re good. You’re great, even. You’re fucking amazing, actually. And I love you.
“Yeah?”
Lane wanted to tell him so bad but hecouldn’tdo it here. Not right now. Not in a way that might distract all of them from what they needed to do.
“Yeah,” Lane said. “Nobody else I’d want to be doing it.”
Trevor smiled and then they lined up. Trevor, for the first time on Lane’s side.
