AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Nope, I’m calling time out, gentlemen. Time for lunch, and I ain’t making it for all your lazy asses. So, get up here and make your own.” He’s busy pulling all the cold meats, salads, and long subs out onto the counter as the vultures descend.
We might talk up the junk food, but the reality is we still eat mostly healthy because it’s what has been ingrained in us from the beginning. You get the quality of performance from your body that is equal to the fuel you put into it.
There isn’t much talking as the food gets consumed. It’s like a feeding trough for the animals.
As the eating slows down, the conversation picks up.
“What does everyone think of yesterday’s picks?” Levi asks us all. “Looks like we are getting a couple new rookies to try to merge into the team.”
“No different to any other year. They look okay to me,” Ramiro replies in between bites.
“Yeah, except this year we picked up the star college quarterback. How’s that feel, Mr. Can. Do. No. Wrong?” Rhett throws a cube of cheese at me.
I’m not going to lie to myself, it makes me nervous. Having someone breathing down your neck wanting your spot is never a good feeling. So far, we’ve had good backup quarterbacks, but this young guy, Dante Maddox, he is a gun and isn’t going to want to be warming the bench for too long. I know my age is going to start to become an issue going forward in any contract negotiations and is the very reason that the team selectors secured this kid. He has been targeted to take my spot.
Simple as that.
I try not to show any hesitation at all to my team who always look to me for direction both on and off the field.
“It feels the same as always. Like we have new kids to blood in the same way we were. Get them up to speed playing in the NFL. Because let’s face it… none of us really knew what a step it was from college to the big leagues, did we?” They’re all shaking their heads at me.
“I’ve got a lot to teach this kid so he’ll be ready, if needed. And knock a bit of that cockiness out of him.” I’d been watching Dante play for a few years in college ball. I knew he would be a good contender to take my spot eventually. And watching him, he reminds me of that confidence that is oozing out of you at twenty-two.
The roar goes up from the guys.
“Oh, whatever you say, sensei!” Tarek bellows across the table.
“Fuck off, you are the cockiest guy I know.” AJ nudges me on my shoulder.
“You’re kidding yourself if you think this kid cares about you,” Levi says as he takes a swig of his beer. “All he wants is your ass on the bench and his on the field. Watch your back, buddy.” He also has a new rookie breathing down his neck and he’s turning thirty this year, with his third kid on the way.
I have always gravitated to the older guys who aren’t as interested in getting themselves into trouble off the field.
Tarek and I started the same year, but he played with another team, then got swapped to us after a year in. We’re both twenty-eight and so similar. We are the babies of the group, with Rhett being the oldest at thirty-six. He has already told me on the side that he’s contemplating retiring after this season.
“Thanks for the support… not!” Which leads to an uproar of laughter. It’s all in jest, but my buddies here around this table are all in the same boat as me. Our time is running out and we need to make the most of it, while supporting each other through the next phase of our careers. We can all play for another ten years easily, but there are so many factors that start to come into it going forward, but mainly our bodies and what happens on the field from week to week.
The laughing settling down, a bit of seriousness creeps in.
“So, as we head toward another season, we watch each other’s backs both on and off the turf. Stay fit and healthy, keep away from the crap that happens off field, and aim for the Superbowl.” Everyone grunts, agreeing, and there are back slaps all around the room.
Same speech, different year.
Time to lighten the mood.
“Right, who’s ready to slay Tarek in the next game? We all know he’s shit at this!”
Faces change, smiles appearing across them, and a whole heap of verbal shit is thrown around about who’s playing and that nobody will beat them.
I hope I never lose this, no matter what this Dante kid has in mind.
Bring on this season!
Six Months Later - Current Day
NATALIE
I’ve run out of options, this is it.
