Page 34 of A Play For The Heart
“I know I’m not Sawyer,” he winks at me, “but I figured knowing someone else is in your corner can’t hurt.”
He grabs my left hand, pulls back the glove then draws a big, wonky-looking smiley face on the top. I look down at my hand, then back up to Jack. I haven’t known him for very long, only since I moved to Seattle after I got drafted, but he is one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. Most of my other teammates wouldn’t understand the anxiety or attempt to help me with it. But Jack is different.
I shoot him a watery smile, my throat clogged full of emotion from his kind gesture. “Thank you,” I manage to choke out.
“Of course, man. Now let’s go kick Boston’s ass.” He pats me on the thigh, a very fatherly gesture, before heading back onto the field, continuing to stretch.
The second half of the game starts, and we play like someone lit a flame under our asses. One of our tight ends scored at the end of the third quarter, making it a tied game. The defense battles, keeping it a tied game toward the end of the fourth quarter. There’s only three minutes left in the fourth quarter, and we have the ball on Boston’s forty-yard line. If we can get a few first downs, we will be in the red zone with a great position to score before the game ends. One amazing run from our running back, Jayden, and a bullet of a pass from Deon to me in the center of the field, we’re on the twelve-yard line with fifty seconds left to play. Deon waits for the signal from the sideline and when he calls the play, my stomach drops. The pass is going to come to me. The same pass I dropped two weeks ago. I feel my palms beginning to sweat beneath my gloves and my vision starts to get spotty. The cheers from the crowd begin to get louder, the sound thundering in my ears.
I move to my position on the line of scrimmage and look over towards the offensive line. Jack makes eye contact with me, nods down at my hand, and smiles.You got thishe mouths to me. The heavy feeling in my chest dissolves a bit and I repeat what he said to me.
I’ve got this.
I take a deep breath and wait for Deon to call for the play to start. The ball is snapped, and I sprint toward the defender in front of me. The moment before I can run into him, I sharply change direction, heading toward the middle of the end zone. Deon spots me and launches the ball into the air. Time begins to move at a snail's speed as I watch the football spiral through the air towards me. I leap into the air, meet the ball, and snatch it before a defender can swat it away. I land and tumble onto the ground. For a moment, I freeze. I feel the ball pressed against my chest and I release a breath.
Suddenly, the crowd roars and Jack lifts me off the ground and into a choking hug. He spins me around in celebration, then drops me back onto the ground. Other players come around and slap my helmet as the kicker comes onto the field to score the extra point.
“Great catch,” Declan says as I pass him on the sideline.
I whip my head around, eyes wide in disbelief. Outside of what's necessary, I haven't spoken to Declan. The way he treated Sawyer pisses me off, and the fact he didn’t even seem ashamed of his actions only made it worse. Then there was his stunt in the locker room a few weeks ago. He’s been a dick but even if I think he’s an asshole, I'm not going to be rude.
“Uh, thanks,” I say, moving towards the table full of cups. I glance back at Declan, whose face is scrunched together, looking both embarrassed and guilty. I brush off the odd interaction and turn towards the field.
Twenty seconds later, the game ends, and the Seattle Maverick fans in the stands cheer as we make our way back to the locker room. Coach Barrett comes into the locker room, gives us a speech about comebacks, and then leaves us to get ready for the flight back to Seattle.
The entire way back to Seattle, I think about getting back to Sawyer. I silently urge the plane to fly faster. I’ve missed her, despite only being gone for two days.
I’m sitting on my sofa, enjoying my free afternoon when Jack texts the group chat he created after our breakfast, which is ceremoniously named ‘Seattle Super Spies’.
Jack:We're going out tonight.
Deon:You may be, but I’m not.
Me:I planned on asking Sawyer
to see if she wanted to do something,
so no.
Jack:Oh! Invite her out with us!
Tell her to bring her friends.
Deon:If Sawyer goes out, I’ll come.
I want to see how they interact.
Me:Fine, I’ll ask.
Even though this is a bad idea.
Jack:*good idea
Deon:^^^
Begrudgingly, I pull up my text message thread with Sawyer.
Me:Jack, Deon, and I are
