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The last of the high schoolers wasn’t as easy. For them, we ran plays that inched us up the field five yards at a time. Now committed to the idea, a yard away from the end zone, we all blocked as the last of our players scored his touchdown.
My team screamed in victory. I couldn’t imagine them having more fun than they had today. I enjoyed it, too, though I didn’t show it. It was enough to know I had made it happen. And they were having a great time without me.
“Bro, it looks like he is better than you,” Nero taunted Cage. “Where was all of this when we needed it in high school?” he asked me.
“We had a quarterback,” I reminded him.
He gave me a look that was more annoyed than amused.
As Merri stepped up, Nero turned to him and said, “I guess you weren’t lying.”
“I was not,” Merri said, beaming.
Having Merri so close to me made me feel warm. I desperately wanted to ask if he had seen me. I didn’t, knowing he had.
“No, seriously, Claude,” Titus interjected, looking shell-shocked. “Why didn’t you ever try out for quarterback in high school?”
I looked at him and then at Nero and Merri.
“I guess I didn’t want to make waves.”
“So, you just let someone who isn’t as good as you have what you deserved?” Titus challenged.
“You say that like it would have been the first time. My life has been about dancing that line between being good enough and being too good. When you look like me, people can’t see you as a threat. Things can get dangerous,” I said with a forced smile.
“And by ‘look like you,’ you mean because you’re black,” Titus asked directly.
I looked around, not needing to acknowledge the truth of it.
“Shit!” Cali exclaimed. “That fuckin’ sucks.”
“You get used to it,” I said, downplaying how much it weighed on me.
“You shouldn’t have to,” Cali said angrily.
“Thanks,” I took a deep breath. “Do you mind if I head out?”
All the guys looked at each other.
Cage, who had joined us, responded, “Quin and the others are setting up an open bar at our place. We were hoping you would join us.”
“I’m actually pretty tired. It’s been a while since I’ve played. I’m not in the same shape as I used to be.”
“Oh, okay,” Cage said, disappointed. “If you change your mind, you know where we are.”
“Of course,” I said with a smile.
When everyone but Merri had left, he asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to join them? Cali invited me to game night last night. It was a good time. They’re a great group of guys.”
“You can go if you want,” I told him, unsure how he had met them.
“No, I was just thinking you might want to.”
“I’m good,” I told him, already feeling far more exposed than I felt comfortable.
“Where are you going?” Merri asked me.
“Not sure yet.”
