Wesley, Mickey, and Shane were the Titans' representatives. From the Red Raiders came three, fresh-faced, smiling captains. Only Shane returned the friendly smile.
The Titans got to call the toss, and Wesley selected tails. He grinned as the coin showed tails, and before anyone could state otherwise, he interjected and said they'd receive. 'We're scoring first against this Raider trash.'
The Raider captains said nothing. Their only responses were a shake of the head, and their smiles taking on a more amused tilt.
Wesley turned back to the bench, head held high, still grinning. Shane gave him a stern look as they walked back. Wesley acted like he didn't see it.
'Coach wanted us to defer, right?' Mickey said. 'I haven't slipped into an alternate reality where we HAVEN'T been choosing that option all year, right?'
'Come on,' Wesley said, not looking at him. 'Coach won't be mad when we strike first. It's better to set the tempo and control the game. When we're up by a tuddy after five plays, everything will be golden. Besides, you can just tell Coach we lost the toss.'
Mickey sighed, Shane shook his head. When they reached the bench, Shane went straight to Coach Otsen and told him what had happened, not excluding ANY detail.
Wesley, sitting nearby, rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath about how Shane was a snitch. Coach Otsen turned to him and he had to plead his case once again.
Though no matter how many stern looks Coach Otsen gave, he couldn't change the past. He hoped Wesley pulled through and got them that touchdown, for Wesley's sake.
The kickoff resulted in a touchback. The crowd welcomed the Titans warmly as their offence marched onto the field. Jasmine's cheers were amongst the loudest again.
It wasn't long before the supporters had something more to cheer about, as Shane caught a reception off a quick Post route and gained 14 yards.
'Woohoo! Let's go Titans!' Jasmine yelled, laughing afterwards. Some eyes turned to her, but she either didn't notice or ignored them.
Tommy chuckled. 'You're in for a real treat watching Shane play. He's a great Tight End.'
Jasmine shrugged. 'It was a good catch, I'll give him that. But I'd rather be watching Jackson play … Kenny too, of course.'
Tommy chuckled more as Jackson turned away, hiding his red face as he choked out a "thanks".
The next play, the defence shifted after the snap. They'd remained in the same formation, giving off the same Man coverage look they had for the first play, but when the Titans snapped the ball, they shifted into a Zone, and two defenders watched Shane closely.
Wesley wasn't dissuaded by the tighter defence, and still tried to squeeze the pass in to his favourite target. As one defender manned Shane closer, the other stepped in front of the pass and picked it off.
The Titans' side of the crowd deflated, the interception like a counter right on the chin just as they thought they'd had their opponent up against the ropes. In the opposite stands, the Red Raiders fans went wild.
'Oh shit,' Jasmine said.
'That idiot,' Kenny growled.
'That switch caught him off guard,' Tommy said.
Jackson shook his head, sinking further into his seat. 'He should've seen it,' he said. 'He DID see it, but he still tried it, anyway. At least throw it somewhere Shane can make something happen.'
The defender turned returner was stopped shortly after his pick, by Mickey, though the Red Raiders took over with excellent field position.
'So much for watching Shane,' Jasmine said, sulking as she leaned forward, elbows on knees and chin in hands.
'You can still watch him,' Tommy said. 'He's on defence too.'
'Yeah, but watching offence is more fun.'
'She's right about that,' Jackson said with a smile. When she turned and smiled at him, he quickly looked away.
The game was flipped on its head. The Red Raiders capitalised on the turnover and scored a quick touchdown after the turnover—though thankfully not after just five plays like Wesley had predicted for the Titans. Cheers continued to rain from the other side of the field. Jasmine tried to match them with boos, though the Titans' supporters had gone quiet after such a disastrous start.
The Titans remained on the back foot for the first quarter, always chasing. Though the Titans scored a field goal—giving their fans something to cheer about again—the lead was soon pushed back out to 7 points as the Red Raiders answered with a field goal of their own just before the end of the quarter.
Going into the first break, the score read 10–3 in the Red Raiders' favour.
Wesley threw his helmet onto the bench shortly before he sat down. 'These fuckers are so annoying,' he groaned.
'I bet they'd be a lot less annoying if you were winning,' Coach Otsen said. 'Maybe if we could've controlled the tempo, knowing we'd open the second half with the ball.'
Wesley glared at him. 'I'm frustrated enough as is, Coach. Don't make it worse.'
'YOU'RE FRUSTRATED?' Coach Otsen took a step towards Wesley before he pulled back and turned away. 'Get your head on straight, Wesley. Stop making the same mistakes or you won't see the second half.'
Coach Otsen moved away, going to see the defence. Wesley grumbled to himself. He was having a bad game, no doubt about it, but he didn't see how it was his fault. He was doing the best he could; that damn defence was too shifty.
Their usual Read Option hadn't worked so far in the first, nothing along the ground had worked well. The Red Raiders were stacking the box, begging Wesley to beat them with his arm, and he just couldn't do it. It wasn't because he wasn't talented enough, no, he told himself it was because they were putting a stupid puzzle in front of his face, a different fucking one every play, and to find the right Receiver he had to solve it in three seconds.
The defence was constantly shifting after the snap, always changing from the original look they gave him. If it looked like Man, they'd switch to Zone after the snap. If pressure looked like it was coming from the left, it really came from the right.
Then, just when he thought he'd figured it out and guessed the pressure would come from the opposite side, they wouldn't change anything and did exactly what it looked like they would do. It was bullshit.
But he still had to make something happen. He wouldn't be blamed for this loss. They had to win.
The Titans had the ball as the second quarter resumed. Warring cheers filled the air as both teams returned to the field.
Jackson looked around as the game got underway again. Rudy still wasn't anywhere he could see. He'd initially thought maybe Rudy was running late, but now it didn't seem like he was coming at all. Yet Kenny and Tommy hadn't noticed.
As the Titans finally put together a strong drive, Rudy soon faded from Jackson's mind as well.
The Titans started the quarter well. Shane worked around the soft double-teams they sent his way, opening a release valve for Wesley he could always throw to when he was under duress.
With Shane unleashed, the defence put more resources into shutting him and the passing game down, opening up more lanes for the Titans' run game.
Now the Red Raiders had to pick their poison. It was too late for them to figure out a way to stop the bleeding entirely, and it was Shane himself who landed in the end-zone with a touchdown reception to cap off the drive and tie the game.
That brought Jasmine out of her seat, screaming at the top of her lungs: 'YES!'
Jackson leapt to his feet as well. 'Way to go, Titans!'
'That's more like it,' Tommy said, clapping heavily.
Kenny breathed a sigh of relief. After the cheering calmed down, and when the Titans lined up for their extra point, he said: 'I hope he's figured it out and it wasn't just Shane doing all the heavy-lifting.'
'We'll have to wait and see,' Tommy said. 'Either way, it's good. The game has reset. It's like we're back at the start.'
Jasmine sat back down, breathless from her cheering. 'Whew. Huh? Oh yeah, haha, I guess it is like the scores are zero-zero again.'
Jackson lowered back onto the edge of his seat. 'Yeah, but now both teams know a lot more about each other. The question now is who'll adjust better?'
The Red Raiders submitted their answer on the next drive. Any momentum the Titans might've built from Shane's touchdown was squashed instantly when the lead jumped back at to 7 points.
The Red Raiders worked towards the end-zone by stretching the field, and the defence, then plunging through a weakened centre.
Jasmine groaned as the scoreboard ticked up to 17–10. 'They hate us having fun. Like, any time we're in a good mood, they have to shit on it.'
'Hahah, that is kind of the point of the game,' Tommy laughed.
'All that matters is if you shit on the other guy last,' Jackson said.
Jasmine snickered. 'Yeah … I guess that's one way of putting it.'
The second quarter dragged on, and the Red Raiders continued to rain on the Titans' parade, scoring another field goal.
Though the Titans had one more chance to cut the lead down in the first half, as their two-minute drill neared its conclusion. The Red Raiders looked to put a stop to them, as it came down to a crucial third down.
Needing 7 yards meant the Read Option or any run was out of the question, and Shane was being doubled much more heavily; he was taken out of the equation as well.
Wesley thought about scrambling for it himself, but the bastards had been watching him like a hawk. He looked Grant's way. Grant had found a crack in the Zone and was drifting right into it.
Wesley threw a bullet pass right into the gap. Grant planted his feet and got his hands to the ball, arms extended out in front of him. Before he could secure the catch, a DB rushed up and reached over his shoulder, slapping the ball from his grasp.
The Red Raiders dove on the loose ball, but it was ruled as an incompletion rather than a catch plus fumble. Still, the Titans' drive ended there, and they punted the ball away.
'Oh my god,' Jasmine said, shoulders sagging. 'Dude!' She looked at Jackson, then Kenny. 'You guys totally would've caught that, like, what the fuck is he doing?'
'At least SOMEONE knows we should be on the team,' Kenny said.
'Hey now,' Tommy said, frowning at Kenny. 'Don't get ahead of yourself, okay, Ken? That was a good play by the defence … he capitalised on the Receiver's mistake.' He turned to Jackson. 'What mistake was that?'
Jackson folded his hands in front of his face. He scanned the field, but didn't see the players currently on it, instead imposing his memory of the previous play over it in their place.
'Grant was waiting for the ball,' he finally said. 'He should've run towards it and attacked it. That way the defender couldn't have reached it. If he did that, he still could've whirled around and made a play for the first down.'
'Risky, but it had to be done,' Tommy said, agreeing with the answer.
'Whoa. Are you like a secret coach or something?' Jasmine asked Jackson. 'That was really smart. See? I told you one of you guys could've caught that.'
Jackson lowered his head, cheeks red again. He was sure blushing so much couldn't be healthy, but he couldn't stop it.
After the punt, the Red Raiders ran out what little remained of the clock. Both teams returned to their respective locker rooms. Heading into the major break, the scoreboard read: 20–10.
Tommy looked over the group, a small smile on his face as his eyes stopped at the other end of their little line. He reached into his wallet, then leaned across, arm outstretched, waving a twenty-dollar bill in Jackson's face.
'Hey Jackie, why don't you and Jasmine get us all a corn dog?' he suggested.
'Jackie?' Jasmine asked, a mirthful lilt in her voice.
Jackson shot a glare across the group at Tommy, though still kept his face low in a useless attempt to hide yet another blush. He snatched the money from his brother's fingers before joining the rush of people heading down the stairs.
He didn't look back to see if Jasmine was following, but she soon popped up by his side. 'For the record,' she said, 'I think Jackie is a cute nickname.'
Jackson felt the rush of blood even in his ears. 'He doesn't usually call me that. Only Mom does … and Chrissy.'
'And Chrissy is…?'
He looked at her, almost missing a step. Was that a tinge of jealousy in her voice? There certainly wasn't any in her expression. He must've imagined it. 'Uh, my little sister. Sorry, I guess I've never said before.'
'Oh nice. I hope she isn't too annoying haha. I know I was a brat to my older sister.'
'I didn't know you had a sister. Uh, and I bet you weren't THAT bad of a younger sibling, it's just … normal that sometimes we get on each other's nerves, but nobody ever really means it.'
'Mmm, nah. I'm pretty sure I meant it at least once or twice.' She laughed at that. They joined one of many lines before the various food trucks. 'And I guess I've never brought Layla up, either. Sorry. She's not around much since she's gone off to a college all the way across the country.'
'Oh.' Jackson didn't know what to say. His face eased into a frown. He couldn't imagine what it would've been like if Tommy had gone all the way to the University of Miami or somewhere else on that side of the country.
'Yeah.' Jasmine shrugged. She wasn't upset by the topic, she'd accepted it long ago. 'But it was the college of her dreams, and people have to chase their dreams. Like how you're gonna make it onto the varsity team. You meant that, right? You're gonna do it this year. I really hope the Titans win. You deserve that spot after everything you've been through, Jackson.'
Jackson scoffed. 'Yeah, but I'm the reason I had to struggle through all of that in the first place,' he said. 'I'll do my best, but I don't know if I can do it this year. Everyone says Coach Otsen doesn't allow freshman on the varsity team. Even Shane didn't make the team last year, apparently.'
'Shane … that big guy with the square head, right? The one who scored the touchdown … geez, is he a sophomore? I thought he was a senior! There's no way we're the same age. One of you's lying.'
'Hey, don't point at me,' Jackson laughed. 'That's just what I've been told. I'm surprised you haven't seen him in any of your classes.'
'Yeah, well, that's why I don't buy your story that he's really a sophomore.' She giggled and grinned. 'But if he wasn't on the team last year … geez, did he really get that much better in a year? He's like the star of the team, isn't he?'
'I don't know.' Jackson looked down. 'I mean, of course he's the star now. But … maybe he was this good last year too.'
'If he was, and he still didn't play, your coach's rule is pretty stupid. Like, why's he discriminating against freshman? If someone's good enough, they should be on the team! Do you think that's why you're not? We could report him for unfair treatment or something. Somebody would have to …' She trailed off after she noticed Jackson's grimace.
'Coach Otsen has his reasons, I'm sure. But even without them, I doubt either me or Kenny are good enough for the team right now. There's just so much of a gap between JV and varsity. Even in training. We've joined the varsity team there, but we're barely keeping up.'
'But that's still a big deal, isn't it? I mean, you're keeping up with them. Doesn't that mean you're on the same level? Like, you're being too hard on yourself.'
Jackson's grimace remained. 'I don't know about that. It's more out of necessity. Not enough members of the JV team show up for a full practice now that our season's over.'
'Oh… that's lame. Still, that doesn't take away from what you guys are doing. Don't think about the losers who don't show up. They're like … losers … and they won't get anywhere with that attitude. Not like you. You're gonna be a champion one day. One day real soon, I just know it.'
His heart thumped so loud in his chest he feared she'd hear it. Suddenly, the man in the food truck was giving them their corn dogs. It at least saved Jackson from his stunned silence, though he almost dropped his money, and almost dropped the change he got back.
Jasmine giggled, watching him. They took the corn dogs and started back to the others. Jackson kept his head down, but quietly said: 'Thank you. For believing in me. Even after everything.'
'Dude, don't mention it. You're totally gonna make it.'
He nodded, but stayed silent for the rest of the walk back. He resolved himself not to make her a liar. He made a promise not to let her down. He'd win that State championship no matter what.