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The sound of the starting whistle perforated my thoughts and I settled in to watch the game.
The first quarter passed in a blur. It was hard not to be swept up in the buzz, but the anger swimming in my veins made it like watching the game through a misted lens.
The Raiders looked strong, gaining yards, pushing forward toward the end zone, until Monroe managed to get the ball to his wide receiver who scored a touchdown, the first of three. Marshall’s defense was sloppy, and our players quickly capitalized on that, leading 38-6 by the end of the first half.
Inside the locker room, the atmosphere was electric.
“Okay, listen up,” Coach said. “Keep pushing. We’ve got them right where we need to be. Now is not the time for any theatrics.” He glanced over at me and rubbed his jaw. “We stick to the same lineup and let’s see where we are going into the fourth quarter.”
My jaw clenched.
“Get a drink, focus your energy, and keep your eye on the clock. Now is not the time to get complacent. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” echoed off the walls.
“Okay, everyone get in here.” I hung at the back of the huddle, feeling less a part of the team than I had since arriving at Rixon High. “Raiders on three… one, two, three.”
“Raiders.”
Everyone broke apart, grabbing last minute refreshments and rechecking shoulder pads and cleats, and then began filing back out of the locker room.
“You good?” Gav asked me.
“Yeah,” I muttered.
But the truth was, I wasn’t. I’d been playing football since I could remember. There had been highs and lows, moments I would never forget for both good and bad reasons, but never once did I want to leave a game… except now.
I just wanted it to be over, and then I wanted to get the hell out of here and drown my sorrows in whatever liquor Lindsey had going at her party.
* * *
“You ready to get inthere, son?”
I glanced up at Coach and scowled. Was I supposed to be fucking grateful he was giving me game time when the team couldn’t lose?
Gav nudged me hard, and I stood up. “I’m ready.” The words couldn’t have sounded less enthusiastic if I’d tried.
“Listen, Kaiden.” He pressed his hand to my chest as I tried to walk past him. “I know this is difficult, for everyone, but I can’t just bench my star quarterback because on paper you’re better.”
My eyes widened at his admission. “So you’re admitting that I am?”
“Kaiden, come on… it isn’t that straightforward, and you know it.”
“Seems pretty straightforward to me.” I stalked off toward the sideline, waiting for him to call the change.
Monroe jogged toward me, grinning like the smug motherfucker he was. “They’re all yours, QB.” He tapped my chest, but I shoved his hand away. “You need to learn to rein it in, second-string. I’d hate for you to mess up your chances before you even get started.” He moved past me, laughing as if it was all a big joke.
“Okay, let’s go Raiders,” Coach yelled, coming up behind me. “Stick to the playbook and get the job done, son.”
“The job’s already done,” I grumbled, pulling on my helmet and jogging onto the field.
A couple of the players gave me a hard look, but most of them fell into line. If nothing else, Aaron and Cole would have my back.
“We run Blue Twenty-Two. Just like we practiced.”
“We know the play, asshole,” someone muttered.
My head whipped around to the couple of players it could have been, but Aaron caught my eye and shook his head.
