Page 3 of Nobody But You

The Game

“Fuck!” I yelled as I threw my helmet on the side of the locker and sat in my designated cubby. I grabbed my head in my hands, took a deep breath, and tried to push out my frustration. It was halftime, and we were in the locker room. The coach was lighting into ourass because we were down by two touchdowns. I couldn’t even be mad at his lashing because I had dropped two passes before the half. I was fucking up. I knew the NFL recruiters in attendance were side-eyeing my subpar performance.

“You ready, Steph?” My quarterback, Fisher, asked.

“Yeah, you know I stay ready,” I calmly answered, even though I could’ve ripped a cubby from the walls minutes ago. I’d always been overly confident, and that wasn’t about to change because of a few dropped passes. I knew I wouldn’t go back out there on the same shit as before.

“Well, you’re not acting like it. Get your fucking head in the damn game. Don’t let that weak-ass corner get the step on you. Get the fuck open! It’s coming right to you.”

“I got you,” I said as I nodded to my QB. It wasn’t my head that wasn’t in the game…it was my body. I was tired as hell and playing sluggishly. I was slow off the play call, which caused me to be late getting to my spot on the field when running my routes.

I stood, picked up my discarded helmet, and joined the team as we chanted our mantra. Then, we left the locker room to return to the field. They were loud and amped, but I wasn’t because I wanted to center myself. Before I touched the green grass, I stopped, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. I wanted to erase the first half from my memory.

You got this, Steph. Just do what you’ve been doing your whole life. Go out there and kill this shit. You’re pro-bound, baby; act like it!

I ran onto the field renewed, running right into the huddle. I listened to my QB call the play, and then we clapped hands to break. I lined up in front of the cornerback, who had my number all afternoon. I scanned the field to determine if any other player would try to step over and interfere with my route. I determined that no one out there could fuck with me. The whistle blew, and I flew out of my start, leaving him in the dust. I turned just in time to see the ball flying in the air right towards me. It dropped right over my shoulder perfectly. There was no one around me. I ran it straight into the end zone, getting my team one score closer to tying the game.

“Yeah, Steph, that’s how you do that shit!” I heard my QB yell my way. I didn’t even celebrate. I ran straight off the field and sat at the end of the bench, away from my teammate’s premature celebration. I hadn’t even removed my helmet. Some of them walked by, tapping me on the head. They knew not to say shit to me because once I was in the zone, I didn’t want any outside noise in my head. Even though the crowd was screaming as loudly as they could, I blocked them out, too.

After the defense effectively held them scoreless on their last set of downs. It was the offense’s time to retake the field. Once again, I entered the huddle with my ‘I run this shit’ swagger. I listened as our QB called out the play call, and then I lined up. It was another play that would come directly to me.

“Yeah nigga, I bet your ass won’t catch shit on me again. I guarantee that!”

“Your ass can’t see me,” I said to the same cornerback I’d caught fifty yards on. He was talking and trying to get in my head. It wasn’t going to work. I knew I was better than him. He didn’t stand a chance once I broke. He was too small and slow, so I avoided saying more. I stood taller than the average receiver at six feet four inches and weighed two hundred and twenty-four pounds. I would let my game do all the talking.

His coach shouldn’t have put him on me, dumbass!

I broke out for the play and hit a juke move. He went down hard with grass flying from underneath his cleats. I’d lost his ass just like I knew I would. I was wide open once again. I looked back, realizing I had to slow up to catch the ball, so I did. As soon as it fell into my hands, I headed toward the end zone, holding the ball out as I jogged in. This time, I let the noise from the crowd filter in. I was hyped up, so I celebrated this time, spiking the ball and screaming at the top of my lungs.

“Let’s. Fucking. Go!” I yelled. I’d caught two back-to-back touchdowns, redeeming myself from my first-half drops.

With my adrenaline pumping, the coach noticed and decided not to kick the field goal for the extra point. He called a two-point conversion, leaving us on the field. I was winded, but I lined back up in the slot. I hated plays like this because the end zone would be packed with bodies, and there wouldn’t be enough room to move around quickly.

We broke the play-call huddle, and I scrambled past all the defensive players, finding myself open in the center of the end zone. My QB saw me and threw the ball, but it was too high. So, I jumpedto catch it. As I lifted into the air, I secured the ball in my grasp, but I didn’t see the two linemen who had appeared underneath me.

“Ahhhhhhhh Shit!” I screamed out. I felt the moment my knee was crushed between the two shoulder pads of the linemen as they sandwiched me. Then, I felt the crack. Next, the burning pain of flesh ripping away from my body. The pain was so intense I blacked out.

CHAPTER 1

Jourdan Washington

Present

Iglanced up to see the downtown skyline appear as I sat in the back of my ride-share. The driver was avidly trying to catch my attention by glancing over his shoulder, but I was too focused on my phone to care. I wanted to be sure of where it was taking me. I closely studied the dot as it moved on the tracking software. That dot represented a local councilman named Marcus Burks. I’d caught wind that he had some information I’d been searching for. I smiled because tonight, I would finally have him in my grasp.

Against the advice of my brother Brice and best friend Tayla Young, I continued my pursuit. Tayla had convinced my brother that I was on a dummy mission somewhere along the line. Brice wanted to move on from what brought me to this state of mind, but I couldn’t. They’d since thought they were both my handlers. She’d started meddling in my personal life instead of the job shewas supposed to be “handling.” Nothing would or could stop me from carrying out this one. I no longer cared because this was personal. So, I’d spent the week prior following Burks, gathering intel and watching his every move. He never even realized I was there, as I had followed closely behind him for the last few days. I loved a good challenge, but he’d been an easy target because Burks was a creature of habit.

Every weekday, he left his downtown condo at six-thirty AM and jogged to the local coffee shop, Cypress Brew. He always ordered a large black coffee before going to the Hard Rock Gym. Once there, he spent an hour working out, and I did the same alongside him. After I’d gotten enough information on his whereabouts, it had taken me only one day of mirroring his movements to place the tiny untraceable bug and tracking device on his belongings. A coat that I’d seen him wear every day since it’d gotten cold.

The downtown gym location had been full of patrons, but it made it much easier for me to complete the task. I blended in with the crowd seamlessly, completing two tasks: working out and planting that device. Staying in optimal shape was also a part of my job. He hadn’t even realized I’d been beside him as he ran his two miles on the treadmill. His routine was unchanging, and the next day, when he headed to the gym, I bugged his apartment. I spent the following days listening to him from when he woke up in the morning until he went to bed at night.

Longest two days of my damn life!

The man oozed overconfidence. He was entertaining women when he wasn’t posing as a councilman. Yeah, I said posing because he for sure didn’t know how to do his damn job. It appeared the only thing he had going for himself was his dick, and he’d used it for each of those two days. They’d seemed pleased with his bedroom performance or were damn good at acting, but hey, so was he. The truth was that he was fine, and he knew it. He didn’t entice me because he was a snake in the grass; I was about to mow. However, I would use his sexual appetite to my advantage.

After quickly realizing that he wouldn’t say any pertinent information at his residence or on the phone, I decided I needed to see him in person. Earlier this week, he’d spoken of a business dinner he needed to attend tonight. So, I was headed to him and his location.

I glanced up to see that we were getting off the downtown exit. Since I’d been in North Carolina, I’d often worked downtown when I wasn’t doing my other job. I was a freelance graphic and digital designer. I specialized in web design and illustration, frequently acting as a one-stop shop for new businesses and established ones that needed rebranding. How I still managed to get my degree in graphic design from SoCal University was a testament because, at the time, my life had changed drastically. Nonetheless, it was easy work, and downtown was bustling with work opportunities.

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