Page 175 of The Backup Plan

Instead, I step forward and point. “Hold the safety with your eyes. Slot’s late breaking—he’ll clear if you don’t rush it.”

Cole looks back at me, nods once, and lines up again.

The ball snaps.

He waits. Just half a beat longer.

The slot opens.

Completion.

The offense resets, a few guys slapping Cole on the helmet as they jog back to the huddle.

Cole jogs over to the sideline, breath steady, eyes bright. “You see that shit so fast,” he says, shaking his head. “Faster than anyone I’ve ever played with before.”

I swallow. I do, and it’s why they’ve kept me as a coach. “You did the work.”

“Yeah,” he says, smirking. “But you called it.”

He heads back out, and I stay where I am, staring at the field like it’s just revealed what I wasn’t ready to admit yet.

I didn’t lose the game. I just changed how I get to be a part of it.

The realization doesn’t fix everything, and it doesn’t make the grief disappear or erase the phantom itch in my throwing arm when a play breaks down just right.

But it fills the emptiness in my chest.

This still matters. I still matter here.

Practice winds down. The field clears. The noise fades.

I pull my phone from my pocket and stare at my brother’s name on the screen for a second longer than necessary before typing.

LUCAS: You were right. I’m okay.

I hit send before I can overthink it.

Then I tuck the phone away, lift my clipboard, and turn back toward the field—toward what comes next.

Not spiraling.

Not broken.

Just different.

And finally—ready.

Emery

I finish the last slide and clasp my hands together to hide their slight trembling.

“And that concludes the presentation,” I say. My heart’s pounding erratically. “I’m happy to answer any questions.”

The room is quiet, and that allows doubt to creep in despite knowing I did a damn good job.

Grant leans back in his chair and fingers steepled beneath his chin as he stares at me. “You’ve done exceptional work here, Dr. Porter,” he finally says, allowing my nerves to ease a bit. “Not just in outcomes, but in leadership. In judgment.”

Coach nods once beside him. “You’ve changed how we think about athlete longevity. About transparency. About accountability. And this program moving forward, once we implement many of these changes you proposed here, will be better because of it.”