As an exchange student from Scotland, a whole new world opens up to Darren Green when he moves to the United States. He'll live with a host family, start at a new school, and he'll have to make new friends. However, what won't be a part of this new...
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"YOU'RE IN THE STATES NOW! You have to watch at least one football game while you're here."
That's what Liam had said when he tried to convince Darren to see his football match.
"You can be my good luck charm," Liam had continued. "Don't they have this thing with four-leaf clovers in Scotland?"
"That's Ireland," Darren had mumbled.
"Well, those are minor differences," Liam had said. He had given Darren a big smile, and once again, Darren had noticed how white his teeth were. The guy could be a model for toothpaste commercials, for all he knew. "Can you come, please? It's the first game of the season, and I really need my good luck charm." He lowered his voice when he continued, "There are rumors that a scout from the Jaguars might watch the game."
And although Darren had no idea who the Jaguars were or why they were important, he had said yes. That's how he'd ended up here, watching a football match from the bleachers while Liam was running across the grass in a uniform that made him look even sportier than he already was. This was what Darren had always seen in those American high school movies: one school playing against the other, cheerleaders on the side, a cheering crowd, and guys who looked just like Liam on the field running after a weirdly shaped ball.
The only difference with those movies was that this seemed more fun in those movies. Now that Darren actually had to watch from the side without any knowledge of the sport or any friends to share the fun with, it was rather boring.
He sighed. So, this was the American life.
"With only five minutes until half-time, the Sharks will have to find a way to turn the tides if they still want to have a chance at winning the first game of the season against the Bulls," a reporter over the speaker announced, who wasn't as bothered by the deafening feedback squeal in the middle of his sentence as the crowd was. Everyone around Darren – Darren included – put their fingers to their ears at the same time.
The distraction caused Darren to lose sight of the ball for a second, but when a guy wearing a red shirt on the left side of the field jumped high in the air, his attention was immediately pulled towards the action, and he saw how the ball was caught by the guy. As soon as that happened, the same guy started running towards the other side, dodging opponents as he went. Darren wasn't sure if it was Liam, but the guy was wearing the right shirt, and through his helmet, Darren could see a hint of a dark complexion similar to Liam's, and for the sake of wanting to be proud of his host brother, he assumed it was.
A drone came whizzing past across the field, following Probably-Liam as he ran to the goal. Or the line. Darren wasn't sure, but he knew that Liam probably had a purpose for running this fast in a specific direction, and the purpose – like in any sports –-- was winning the game. Although so far, the Bulls didn't have any issues in that area: they were ahead of the other team with 18 points. Even to someone with minimal knowledge of American football – or no knowledge at all – that sounded like a lot.
