Forever Light(26)

We eat in silence lost in our own thoughts of the game. Declan joins us a few minutes later looking like shit.

“You alright, big guy?” Jet asks.

Declan nods and buries his head in his arms that are resting on the table.

I get up from the table without a word and toss the food I didn’t eat in the trash and go back to my room.

When I get back I pack up everything I need for the game. Something about the game today seems off. I don’t know what it is but something is just off. I try to shake it off on the way out to the bus.

I sit on the bus next to Colton who is snoring and every time we hit a bump his head smacks the window. He never even budges. I’m reviewing plays of the game from last year trying to find my game plan against them. We’re on a winning streak and I want to keep it up.

When we arrive we are escorted in by police. We don’t have many fans who travel the hours and miles to watch us play but we do have some diehard ones. They cheer for us as we step off the bus and walk into the stadium locker room.

Some of the guys are quiet in their zones while others are laughing and carrying on, pushing each other’s buttons to psyche them up for the game.

I don’t talk to anyone, I need my focus.

After we suit up we, as a team, walk out on to the field and get a feel for it. We walk up and down, feeling the weather and taking in the atmosphere. When we’re done we head back into the locker room where the dressing coaches and trainers wrap ankles, injuries and talk about other little job assignments.

Once everyone was suited up and taped up we went out onto the field and warmed up. When we were good and loose we jogged back to the locker room and lined up.

Cash and Saylor ran out for the coin toss.

Saylor runs back followed by Cash. We won the coin toss and we’re the receiving team so we get the ball back after half time.

Late in the third quarter we’re huddled. Cash calls the plays and we break.

“Hut, hut.” Cash yells.

The ball snaps and I take off down the field outrunning my opponent. I turn, my hands open waiting for the ball that I know will land there any second.

It never comes.

Cash gets sacked so hard his head bounces off the ground and his helmet flies off. I look for Colton wondering where the fuck Cash’s block was. He’s lying on the ground without a soul near him. He should have been there. I don’t take my eyes off of him.

He climbs to his feet and jogs off to the sidelines. I follow behind him because I want to know why he wasn’t there defending Cash in the pocket. I do get a glance in Cash’s direction. He’s telling the trainers that he’s fine, he’s not though. They put him on a stretcher and cart him off to go get checked out.

The number two backup quarterback, Brian, runs out onto the field and we all follow. I’ll have to deal with Colton after the game.

When we all got back to the locker room I went straight for Colton. That stupid fuck knew exactly what he was doing when Cash got rocked. He should have blocked that guy, it’s the only one he had to worry about.

Colton has his back turned away from me when I come up and shove his back. He turns around ready to fight. “You wanna finish this now?” he cocks an eyebrow. “Why are you so pissed? I thought you hated him. Who cares if he got rocked out there tonight? His cocky ass deserved to be roughed up a little.”

I get in his face and shove my finger into his chest, “He’s not cocky for one thing. He’s better than all of you cocksuckers combined. Better than any of us are and you just put his entire career in danger, asshole.”

Colton backs up a step, “Again, Landon, why do you care?”

He doesn’t understand, none of them do. “Because he’s worth it and that’s what matters.” I take a step back shaking my head. There is a crowd that has formed around us and everyone is just watching and waiting for the explosion. It’s not coming though. Colton isn’t worth it, none of them are.



October 15, 2013



Madison and I have a Statistics test that’s coming up. She calls and asks if I want to study with her. Of course I do. I’m falling behind in that class and can use any help I can get.

“Want to pick up a pizza and meet me in my dorm?” Madison asks as soon as I answer the phone.

Groaning I answer, “What time?” I don’t really want to go over there because I don’t want to run into Macy in the hallway but whatever.

“A half hour?”

I roll out of bed, “Yup.”

I quickly get a shower and leave to go pick up the pizzas and go to Madison’s.

I make one quick pit stop to pick up beer after I got a text from Madison reminding me to get some because what’s pizza without beer? I didn’t need a reminder because she never asked for the beer, she didn’t really need to though, I know she doesn’t have any money.