Page 268 of Steeling Her
We run the ball back and forth, only for it to be intercepted time after time. We know each other’s games a lot better than we thought, so in that case, it’s time to switch it up. I give one look to Chris before setting up to let him know that this one is for him.
“HIKE!” The ball is snatched to my right, and I run back to get it from the player and assess how well the decoy has done. I see Chris making a break for the end zone. I know I will make it to him. The guy on his tail won’t be able to match Chris’ speed. I launch it in the air and watch it travel down to his hands. He takes it with relative ease and runs further over the line to celebrate the first touchdown of the game.
The rest of the game went by slowly and meticulously. The Raiders like mind games and that’s what they’re giving us. There’s a lot of heat in the game. Some fights brewed throughout it, but they were resolved quickly with the threat of cards. Emotions were high, and so were the stakes for both teams right now.
A few words were had and a lot of risky plays happened, but we didn’t have much options and we were running low. So, we deceived the opposition and decided to switch it up a lot. That really caught them off guard but it doesn’t mean they didn’t adjust to us.
We have a 17–10 lead for us at the halftime and 30–27 for the full time score. It was close but we got there in the end. Not without blood, sweat, and tears.
I am tired and out of breath, so I lay on the grass on my back after shaking the opposing team’s hands like I always do, even if they didn’t want to. My mom raised me to be that way, and I will not change.
Laying there, I look at the sky and see TJ move next to me, laughing as he lays down. “Man, I think that has to be the best game you’ve actually played, Nick. The way you took charge of the game was amazing, man! Congrats! This win is all because of you!” TJ pats my chest as I lay amongst the greenery. I smile and remove my helmet. I could feel my body not thanking me the same way, and the beads of sweat drip down my face.
A shadow passes over my face, and I look over to my right to see Jason and Chris crouching down beside me, smiling happily because we won. I couldn’t bring myself to look out at the fans. I needed a moment to myself and to catch my breath. That moment stops thanks to what Chris says next. “Great game, Jackson! I think I’ve lost my own personal cheerleader!” He points to Taylor clapping for the team and waving her hands around in the air. I couldn’t help but laugh at her and her adorable ways.
“I think you actually lost all three of your cheerleaders.” Jason laughs loudly, slapping Chris’s chest. I see Danielle screaming with Taylor and Carter clapping. I sit up to see her cheer.
“I’m surprised he let her come to this game at all,” I say bitterly. I turn back to face Chris, who is staring right at the three of them. I couldn’t hide the sourness in my tone. I remove the towel tucked into my pants and lay it across my helmet in a huff, resting my hand on my head to block the sun from my eyes.
Chris’ head drops, drawing my attention back to him. He leans back, sits beside me, and sighs. Except he’s not looking at me, he’s looking at TJ. So, I turn my head around to face him. He’s wearing the exact same expression on his face. This can only mean one thing; they know something I don’t.
“What?” I ask as my head plays a game of tennis as it moves back and forth between the two of them. “What? Why are you looking at each other like that? You all of a sudden realized you’re both in love with each other?” Jason snorts and thinks it’s funny, but neither of them do the same. They look at one another, completely serious. “What?” I press for an answer. “What is it Chris?” I snap and he finally looks back at me.
“Ugh, she’s going to kill me for saying this.” Chris rubs his face harshly while looking at his sister. A few moments later, he turns to look at me. “Nick, she dumped Ted.” The next few seconds shakes me to my core so much that I actually thought I had died. I had to ask Chris to repeat himself because I do not believe him. “Yeah, she did,” he reiterates.
“Nah, you’re fucking with me, that’s not cool. Fuck both of y’all.” I lay back down, only to be dragged back up and stared at once more.
There is a serious and sympathetic look in their eyes, and I feel my heart sink into my stomach. “I think they’re serious, man.” Jason stares at Chris, who shuts his eyes and nods. He licks his bottom lip and looks off to the side. He rubs his chin in thought and stays quiet for a few more seconds, thinking about what he’s going to say next.
“Yeah, I am. She dumped him,” he confirms and returns to look at me dead in the eyes.
“Look at me here and say that again.” I grab hold of both his shoulders and point to both eyes to make sure we’re focused and I know they’re not messing with me or it’s not a dream.
“She dumped Ted,” he repeats slowly so I can catch every syllable. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for. My mouth begins to run dry, and I stare at the older Steel brother, trying to piece it all together and digest what he just dropped. I know he’s serious, I can see it in his face. My heart is thumping rapidly. I think I’m either going to collapse, puke, or die right here on the field. I hope it’s none of the above.
“When?” I ask, trying to get all the information I can. Instead of waiting for the answer, I snap my attention to her and see her smiling at Taylor and brushing back the little girl’s hair as she giggle at her beautiful aunt.
“About three weeks ago.” I blink, dumfounded at TJ, and begin to see fire.They kept this fucking thing quiet for three weeks?
“And you’re only fucking telling me now?” I reach for him, only to be pulled back by Chris to keep me from killing my best friend.
“We were warned not to tell you,” TJ exclaims because he knows how mad I am right now. But I also want to run towards her and kiss the life out of her. I want her back; I need her back. She is my absolute everything. It’s time to get the information and deal with these guys later. Now, I need to talk to her.
“By who?” I grunt out.
“By her. She wanted to tell you in her own time,” Chris speaks calmly to bring the tension down.
“Why? Why are you telling me now?”I ask after taking a deep breath.
“Because I can see the pain you’re both in. I love my sister to death, and I can’t see the hurt she has in her eyes any longer. I know you love her too, Nick.” I face Chris once he releases me from his arm that was wrapped around my neck to stop me from killing my future brother-in-law.
I sit there and go back to staring at her and notice she’s looking at me too. My heart is thumping so hard, I can hear it in my ears. I feel it’ll come loose from my chest cavity. I think I’m going to faint but the two slaps on my shoulder pulls me back to reality. I turn around to see a pair of legs standing beside me. I look upwards to see Chris’ hand is outstretched. I take it and he pulls me up but keeps hold of my hand in his, shaking it.
“Go get her.” He nods towards his sister standing amongst the fans but I notice she’s trying to go through the crowd. It looks like she’s about to leave. “Go. Before she leaves,” he says.
I race towards her. My legs are doing their thing. I run like it’s my last time on Earth. I have every intention to leap over the barrier to get to her. It feels like everything is in slow motion or I’m in one of those nightmares where no matter how fast you run, you won’t be able to catch up and she’s moving further away from me. I hate that feeling.
I have to dance around some team members to get to a place I know I can comfortable get to her.
