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I cringed as soon as he said it. “Merri.”
“Hell yeah, Merri,” Nero confirmed.
“He told you,” I realized, suddenly understanding why Cage had invited me.
It wasn’t because of pity or because I was finally building a life for myself here. It had once again been because of Merri. What was my life without him?
“Yeah, he told us,” Nero confirmed. “And why did he have to? You won three championships?”
“It’s not a big deal.”
“There’s an NFL scout who’s come to this shit-hole of a town to recruit you? I didn’t even get that and I almost went number one in the draft.”
“It’s not like that. He’s a friend. We have history.”
“I bet you do,” Nero said, looking at Merri. “He’s not bad on the eyes, either.”
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Uh-huh,” he said doubtfully. “Anyway, let’s see that amazing arm of yours. You’re quarterback for my team. Bro, you’re quarterbacking for your kids.”
“Look, I haven’t played football since…”
“Since winning the Division II national championship. We know. We heard,” Nero mocked.
I looked at Merri again.
“How did you guys even meet?”
“Don’t you worry about that. Just worry about getting the ball to one of the best running backs in the NFL. You think you can do that?” Nero asked, shoving the ball into my hands with a charismatic grin.
I didn’t respond. Instead, I noticed how the ball’s leather felt against my skin. I had forgotten the feeling. What had been the point of touching one if Merri hadn’t been there to see it?
I again looked at Merri sitting in the bleachers. He was watching me. Turning my attention downfield towards the players huddling around their quarterback, things began to feel familiar.
“Huddle up,” I called, as everything slowly came back to me.
Nero, Titus, Cali, and a few of Cage’s students joined me. Asking the strangers what positions they played, I set up a formation. Nero was a running back, but I’d use his speed as a wide receiver. Titus and two of the students would be my offensive line. And Cali, who was one of the best university kickers in the nation, I’d use as a floating receiver.
Staring across the line of scrimmage at Cage’s team, I saw his students were taking it as seriously as I was. It was likely that Cage had told them that there was an NFL scout watching. That was close enough to being true and would mean they would play like their careers were on the line. Great!
“Down. Set. Hut!” I called.
Grass and bodies flew everywhere. With Titus in front of me, I found the pocket. With my eyes bouncing between Cali and Nero, I waited until Nero had shaken his defender and launched the ball. Everyone stopped to watch. With Nero’s speed, it had to travel forty yards before finally hitting him in the hands.
“Touchdown!” Nero yelled, dancing in the end zone.
I turned to find Merri. He had stood to watch the pass. With Nero performing the most atrocious celebration dance I had ever seen, Merri looked at me and smiled. Something within me lit up. For the first time in years, I felt alive.
Switching to defense, Titus took the lead. Directing us where we needed to go, we got into position and fought as Cage’s well-organized offensive line held us back. As if performing a tit-for-tat, Cage’s wide receiver broke free of Nero’s defensive coverage and scored a touchdown.
“Stay on him,” I yelled.
“Not my job,” Nero yelled back.
“Stay on him!” I insisted, knowing that Cage was out to prove he was still as good as he had been.
That was when the real fun began. Locked into a one-on-one battle with Cage, I turned to Titus.
