There was a new surge of energy as we warmed up after our few minutes in the locker room. The fans were on their feet as we entered the stadium again. The sharp clapping and crackling noise makers made my ears ring. The cheering and chants were still muffled as they tried to be heard over their neighbors own excited encouragement.
I thought that my brother's little speech was going to be enough to reignite our team. It hadn't been intended for the entire team to hear. He was working on firing up his defensive brothers. Inspiring them to give this second half their all. It had drawn the attention of the offensive players beside me and soon the locker room was filled with deep growls of agreements and promises of taking down any that stood in the way of that trophy.
Coach Gilly and Corey hadn't seemed phased by Lucas stealing us away from them. We hadn't finished going over the changes to the game plan when the roar of my brother's questions sent goosebumps rippling over my skin. I could see an exhausted grin working its way onto Shane's sweat coated face. Joseph's head was tilted back, a throaty response cutting off Corey. Finn looked down at me as he followed Joseph's booming answer.
Once a group of unruly boys, always a group of unruly boys.
My arm was stretched out across my chest as my other one trapped it and gently applied pressure to loosen the muscles. My waist twisted slightly with it as I tried to wake up my entire body. Shane dropped his arm on my shoulder pad and used me as a crutch as he studied the field. There had been a flicker of concern as he watched the team across the way doing their own warm ups.
"I need you to make me a promise, little Lester," he mumbled. He still hadn't bothered to look at me since we'd left the locker room.
"Is now really the best time for this?" I gestured lamely to the obvious surroundings and people. "Really?"
"Don't pull a Finn, or a Lucas, out there? If you get rocked, say something. You know they aren't holding back and they'll really be gunning for you now that you're in the pocket. We also don't need you going after anyone for saying something nasty."
"You make it sound like this is my first game."
"It might as well be, Laine." His serious stare was a strange sight on his otherwise perfect face. It was rare when Shane wasn't being a goof or flirting. Right now, he was making me more nervous than I had been in a while. "Those guys might have been playing fair on the surface and staying within the rules during the first half. They were in the lead then. They had control of the situation. That's not the case anymore."
"Do you really think they'll get that rough and dirty?"
I glanced back at the monsters who we had embarrassed countless times in the last quarter. One trick play after another. They bought every single one of them and even gave up their own blitz tactic. If I were two hundred pounds of pure muscle being yanked around by a girl, I'd be looking for that one play to end a season. Maybe even two if my ego was bruised enough. Judging by the hungry eyes honing in on me, I'd be lucky to get one pass in the air before I was laid out counting the stars circling my head.
"I think," he stated firmly, "That you never know what's going to come out after you rattle a cage. A scared little ball of fluff, or a wolf ready for blood."
"Wolves," I muttered through my gritted teeth. "Definitely wolves."
"Then make sure you're the alpha out there." He smacked my shoulder pad twice then stepped between me and the wall of beasts across the field. "Seriously, little Lester. Don't let them push you around out there. You got me?"
"Yeah," I forced out. "I got you."
Part of me did. I had to own that field. Accept every failure as mine and do better if I get another chance. My passes needed to be perfect. My hand-offs need to be seamless. My fake outs need to be believable. Getting hit had to have a reward waiting for me when I got up. Those down markers had to be moving. The siren over the scoreboard wailing. If I could make that happen, then maybe I could keep my word to Shane.
The shrill chirp from the ref's whistle signaled a minute left of half time. Sixty seconds to get my head back in the here and now. A tug on one of my braids and I looked over to see my trusty lineman flanking me. The soft brush of fingers against my forearm and I glanced to find Finn standing on my other side.
Before I knew it, our entire team had formed a circle that was three rings deep around us. A gap opened as Coach Gilly took his place in the center and the four of us stepped back to join our teammates. My brother's hand rested in the center of my back as I backed up toward him.
"I already made my speech." Gilly was grumbling and I couldn't help but wonder how far his words would actually reach. "And your captain made it clear what he expects from you this half. I heard you promise to give it everything you've got left. I better see it out there."
"Yes, Coach," we bellowed in unison.
Our fans erupted as we broke and started to menatally prepare for the second half of the longest game I had ever witnessed. Joseph's head was bowed while his eyes closed. One final prayer going up to the higher power. Lucas was swinging his arms around then rubbing his hands together. Finn took slow steady breaths as he juggled one of the practice balls in his hands. Shane wasn't going out there, but even he had knelt down to play with the turf just as he always did.
As for me, I glanced over my shoulder to the cheerleaders on the sideline in search of Heather. She blew me a kiss that had me rolling my eyes. My eyes would flick across the stands next. I'd count how many familiar faces I could make out in the time I had left. I avoided my dad until my last sweep. The faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth almost seemed proud. My grip tightened on the facemask of my helmet as I tried to decide if I was seeing things, or if he really did look proud.
"Lester," Gilly shouted. Spinning back around on my heel, I was greeted with confused and anxious faces. My teammates were looking to take the field, but waited on me. The sight made the nerves rear their ugly head for the first time since we'd shown up in Dekalb.
Finn had teased me about throwing up before kick off. He had claimed that Shane had done enough of that for the both of us. It must have been a lie, because I could feel the pizza from earlier working its way back up. I didn't let it stop me though.
Pulling my helmet on, I secured the strap and checked that my mouth guard was wedged between the bars of my facemask. The deep breath filling my lungs didn't hold that fresh cut grass scent that I loved. Instead, there was burnt popcorn and the stench of sweaty boys. A heavy hand tapped my shoulder pad and I glanced over to find Finn staring at me. I forced a smile and was rewarded with a subtle nod.
"What's the plan, QB," Joseph mused as I entered the semi circle.
"Bunker," I answered, my courage slowly replacing the nausea that had settled some.
"You sure," Allen asked. There was a flash of hesitation in his eyes as I looked in his direction. "I mean. Is that what Coach wants?"
"Coach wants us to prove we belong here. I want to prove it, too." My own ritual started as I glanced at each of my teammates. Starting with a terrified receiver I took each of them in. My receivers and lineman. For them to let me into their world, to have accepted me as a leader on the field, was an honor.
While my brother and his friends did their thing to appease the football gods, I did mine to silently thank my teammates. I owed just as much to them as I did to the dumbasses who encouraged me to try out. Verbalizing my gratitude to a bunch of guys would be impossible for them to hear. There was only one other way for me to tell them. For me to show them. That thought alone started to ease the delayed nerves.
"Bunker," I repeated. My eyes found Allen and I grinned at him. "You've got this."
The instant I clapped my hands we started to get into position. The linemen ready to protect whoever had the ball. The receivers ready to make their dangerous trek down the field. I looked at the wolves Shane had warned me about. Each of them hungrier than I had seen any of our opponents. They bared their guarded teeth as I called out for the snap. One hut. Then a second. Three more and the ball was in my hands.
Taking a few steps back, I waited for poor Greg to slide past me for the fake. The gap Joseph was working on making had slowly grown just in time. Greg's arms crossed over his chest as he pretended to take the ball. He found his way to the opening provided by our linemen and the defense started their attack. They fought against our muscled wall for the piece of fresh meat.
While their attention was on poor Allen, I dared to look at Finn. He hadn't been able to make it more than three yards down the field. The player acting as his shadow was mirroring him perfectly. Each spin was answered with two quick steps to where Finn had stopped in the hopes of taking off. He would dodge to the left and come face to face with the guy once again. Getting a pass off to him was a huge risk that I wasn't looking to take.
The pocket was shrinking around me as the defensive line pushed back. Our decoy was struggling to stay on his feet while keeping up the charade the best he could. Any minute now, our opponents would realize that he didn't actually have the ball. Then they'd look at me. I couldn't afford to be sacked. Not this deep into enemy territory. Not on the first drive out.
This couldn't be how things started for me. Headlines flashed through my brain as the mocking tone of a sportscaster read them aloud. High school coach loses state because of female player. Several firsts this weekend - a rural team made it to state, their female QB made her debut, she choked coming out of the gate. The only skirts that should be on the field are cheerleaders at half time.
My blood was beginning to boil as my own brain taunted me. The annoyance tightened my muscles as I mentally shouted back that I was good enough. I belonged on this field, and I didn't have to explain it to anyone. Not my parents, or Finn's. Not the old men who hogged the bar seating at Dillon's. Not even the damn voice in my head.
Dropping back, I blindly took off to the left. I snuck past two defenders, but hadn't crossed the line of scrimmage. My prayers for Finn's shadow to panic were answered as he slowed to decide his next move. The hesitation bought a few seconds for Finn to go wide to the center of the field. The familiar sensation of the ball rolling off of my fingertips was joined by the sudden release of a held breath.
The fresh air filling my lungs was a quick relief as it was knocked back out. The weight colliding with my body was painful, but well worth it. The excited hollering from our fans was the only sign that Finn had caught the ball. Joseph was at my side, shoving the brute who'd hit me back a few steps. I had gotten to my feet and caught sight of a flag near where I'd been tackled.
Finn was nearing the twenty yard line when he was forced to step out of bounds. Swinging his arms over his head, the line judge signaled an end to the play and a stop to the time clock. There was a chirp of a whistle and we turned our attention to the man picking up the yellow flag. He trotted over to the referee who had been announcing all the turnovers. The two spoke briefly before the one in the white hat stepped in line with the announcer's box.
"Unnecessary roughness," the voice bellowed over the speakers in the stadium as he crossed his arms at the wrist. "Defense. Number Seventy One. Fifteen yard penalty. The ball will be placed at the twenty yard line. First down."
The expected roars of disapproval and joy seemed to shake the stadium. We hadn't gained any additional yards from where Finn had gone out of bounds, since it had exceeded the fifteen yards. It would still be marked in the stats. They would have a turnover noted in the history books.
I grinned up at Joseph as he smacked the top of my helmet. We were so close to having control of the game. If we could get two touchdowns ahead, I would feel much better about the outcome of the game. Our defense was stronger than my brother gave his line credit for. They could hold off the drive it would take to let our opponents get the upper hand. While they did their job, it would be ours to get more points on the board.