Page 20 of Why We Break

“Screw you, Will. I came over to bring this,” she says, holding out one of the armbands with our plays on it. “One of the players left it at the spirit line and I thought you might want it. But since I clearly think the world revolves around me, just forget it.”

“I don’t have time for this,” I growl, taking the damned band from her hand. “Get to your seat and stop distracting my staff.”

She opens her mouth to respond, but I’m already walking away, throwing the band at Kent. “Find out which one of your players can’t keep up with their shit.”

He just nods, before saying, “Listen, man, I didn’t?—”

Before he can finish, I cut him off, “It’s fine. Let’s win this thing.” It’s really not, but I can’t afford to lose this game because we can’t communicate.

He smiles tightly and nods, before turning to the field as we watch Bobby kick the ball off to the waiting Brookside receiver’s hands. He catches it, but only makes it a few yards before one of our players takes him down.

I clap once, trying to focus on the game, but after that encounter, I feel off-kilter. I spend the next few plays telling myself to focus, but it's clear when Theo and Marcus both ask me a question through the headset multiple times before I register what they’re saying that my head isn’t where it’s supposed to be.

I blow out a frustrated breath, willing myself to forget about whatever the fuck has my head in such a mess, but I know I’m just going through the motions. Thankfully, the team is executing all our plays pretty well, so there isn’t a ton for me to correct. Before I know it, the refs are signaling for halftime, and I motion for my assistant coaches to lead the speech. Theo gives me a look that clearly asks what the hell is wrong with me, but I ignore him.

This game can’t be over soon enough.

Thankfully,by the time the fourth quarter starts, I’ve managed to shake off whatever the hell had a hold of me, and I hold my breath as the offense lines up on the Brookside thirty-yard line. It’s third and two, and we need this one to make sure the drives we’ve made in the last few plays aren’t wasted.

Marcus looks at the sideline to check the play we’re running, and I pull in a tight breath, waiting to see if we can put this one away. We’re up by ten, and if we can score again, we’ll have a big enough lead that Brookside won’t have a chance of coming back in the last few minutes.

The ref blows his whistle signaling the start of the play, and the center snaps the ball into Blake’s waiting hands. I know it’s just in my head given the crowd we have tonight, but everything goes silent for a moment in anticipation while Blake takes a step back and pumps twice while looking for the receiver downfield. One of the Brookside players rushes him, and he throws the ball just as he’s tackled from behind.

The ball soars through the air and I’m pretty sure it’ll be incomplete when Stephen, one of the sophomores on the team, snatches it and runs toward the end zone. I start running down the sideline, desperate to see if he makes it until he scores. I pump my fist and let out a whoop of excitement as the stadium erupts in cheers and the band starts playing “Oh When the Saints Go Marching In.”

As special teams lines up for the extra point, I turn to say something to Theo when my eyes fall on the sideline where Hannah’s jumping up and down with Caroline in excitement. The smile on her face hits me like a punch to the gut, thinking about all the times she used to smile at me like that.

What the fuck’s wrong with you, man?my subconscious screams, and I struggle to figure out where that thought came from. I don’t know what’s gotten into me these last few weeks, but I need this shit to end.

Frustrated with myself, I turn back to the field just as the ball soars through the field goal, and Marcus jumps up beside me, slapping me on the back. “Looks like we’re playoff bound, huh, Coach?” he asks, and I try to match his enthusiasm, before just nodding as we get ready to kick off again.

After that, the last few minutes of the game pass quickly. Brookside fumbles during their next possession, and we send in some of the younger players to kill time off the clock until the buzzer sounds. The stadium erupts again, as the announcers declare that the Saints are officially playoff bound.

“Good game,” the Bulldog coach says, making his way over to shake my hand. “You have quite a team here.”

“You too,” I tell him honestly, before adding, “good luck this season,” as I turn back to the sideline. Mayor Brian and Huey are making their way over, and I feel the corners of my mouth tip up in a grin as they reach me.

“Hell of a game, son,” Huey says, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and patting my back hard.

“Yeah, great game, Will,” Mayor Brian says, reaching his hand out to shake mine.

We make small talk for a few minutes before Theo walks up beside us and shakes hands with both men.

“Well, Theo, I heard you had quite the experience with your first Homecoming this week,” Huey says with a wink, and Theo lets out a growl of frustration, causing Brian and I to chuckle.

“How in the hell do you assholes know about that?” he groans, rubbing his hand over his face.

“Well, one of the boys that took the video is Miss Ethel’s grandson,” Huey explains, referring to one of the town’s nosiest residents. “Pretty sure she put the video in an STS blast, so the whole town’s seen you bust your ass by now.”

At the mention of the STS, or Small Talk of Springside, Theo rolls his eyes. The email chain started as a place for one of the Sunday School groups to send prayer requests, but it quickly evolved into a town-wide gossip chain. Thanks to the controversy around Theo’s arrival into town earlier this year, he’s made quite a few appearances, and each time, he becomes a little more annoyed.

“Yeah, not sure that’s the strategy I would have used, but whatever works for you, man,” Brian adds with a laugh.

“Yeah, yeah. Enough of this shit. I’m going to find Caroline,” he says.

“See you and Caroline for dinner Sunday afternoon?” Huey asks, ignoring Theo’s usual grumpy demeanor.

He nods before responding, “You know we wouldn’t miss it. See you then, old man,” and turns to find Caroline in the crowd and pulling her into his arms.

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