I called a two-man option with Ty and me as we lined up in the shotgun.
“Down! Set! Hut, HUT!”
We worked our way to the right of the line, and I made my read. I tossed Ty the ball, and he cut upfield as I was tackled. He shrugged off a corner and cut inside where one of their linebackers tried to wrap him up. Ty was a man possessed. He fought for extra yardage, and I thought he might score. Then he was crushed by another linebacker. I saw the ball come loose and bounce into the end zone. One of Lakeview’s defensive backs scooped it up and ran it out.
I popped up to stop him from running it back for the score. I doubt the poor kid saw me, and I hit him harder than I’d ever hit anyone. All the negative feelings I’d been dealing with all week seemed to come to a head as I leveled the guy. The Lakeview fans who’d just been screaming for a victory became quiet as he dropped the ball. Ed had been chasing him, and he grabbed the football. I watched as he ran it in for the score. There was stunned silence for a moment, and then our fans cheered when they figured out that we’d just taken the lead.
I looked toward our bench, and there was a flag on the ground. I felt my heart get stuck in my throat for fear it was on us. The line judge indicated it was offsides on Lakeview and that the score counted. This time when we received an unsportsmanlike penalty for excessive celebration, I don’t think the coaches cared.
Derek shanked another extra point, and we now had a 12-7 lead. Ed intercepted a long pass to end the game. He was given the game ball for scoring the winning touchdown and the game-ending interception. It was nice to see he was playing much better than he had last year.
◊◊◊
After the game, I was summoned to meet the press. I took a quick shower and then found Coach Hope with Ed. As soon as we sat down, Jeff Delahey asked us a question.
“What went wrong today?”
Coach Hope started to answer, but I cut him off.
“This was on the team. Lakeview was a trap game. We didn’t give them the respect they deserved, and they showed today that they’re better than their record. It was obvious that some of our younger guys, especially, didn’t take Lakeview as seriously as they should have. The coaching staff did everything they could to get us to focus. They even sat me down and called me out about my lack of concentration during this week’s practices,” I admitted.
“What’s your take on this?” Jeff asked Coach Hope.
“We, meaning the coaching staff, were worried. This is the type of game teams lose. I’m still not sure how we won the game. I’ll have to watch the film to figure out what happened. All I know is if it hadn’t been for Ed Pine, we would’ve lost today.”
I slipped out because we had to get to the airport. I was happy to see Ed was getting the attention he deserved for saving us.
◊◊◊
When we arrived at the airport, Brook took charge. She walked in and found Roy, our flight instructor. He took Brook and Cassidy out to help him with his preflight checklist. Cathryn, his wife, was his copilot. She helped us get all our gear stored.
We were flying in a Cessna Caravan, which sat 11 passengers. It had four rows with one seat on each side, an aisle down the middle, and a bench seat in the back for three more passengers. Brook and Cassidy claimed the front two seats so that Roy could talk to them while he flew. Dad and I grabbed the bench seat in the back. Tim and Wolf were happy that Tami and Sarah were joining us.
I loved that we didn’t have to go through security and then sit and wait for a flight. As soon as they were done with the checklist, we taxied down the runway and were soon wheels-up. The Cessna Caravan had a single turboprop. It was louder than a commercial flight, but I would put up with that for the convenience.
I put in my earbuds and closed my eyes. About twenty minutes into the flight, I felt someone touch my arm. I discovered Tami smiling at me. She pointed at my earbuds, so I pulled one out in order to hear her.
“What are you listening to?”
I pulled the earbud jack out of my phone, so it would play on the speaker. I was listening to Stitches by Shawn Mendes and began to sing along. The lyrics talked about the singer moving on from their lover.
Tami’s expression was unreadable. Apparently, the song hit a little too close to home. I looked up the aisle, and everyone was looking back at me singing to her. I got a sheepish grin on my face and waved. Brook raised an eyebrow, but I winked at her, and she turned around.
“Did you plan for that song to be playing?”
“No, you just got lucky I knew the words.”
“Are you still mad at me?”
I knew what she was talking about. To be honest, I was still mad about what she and Tim had done.
“You mean for using my apartment as a love shack, trashing my bed and bathroom, and then making me tell my mom on you? Why would that irritate me?” I asked.
“That was like months ago. Are you turning into your mom?” she complained.
Those were fighting words, and she knew it. Before I told her what I really thought, she touched my arm.
“I’m sorry, that was uncalled for. I think I was just getting defensive because what I did was hurtful. At the time, I didn’t even think about it. I didn’t say anything back then because Tim was so worried he would lose you as a friend. I should have done a better job of apologizing right after it happened.”
“At the time, I looked at it as one last ‘screw you.’ I’ve moved on,” I said in a quiet voice.
“Oh, hell. That wasn’t what that was at all. It was me being immature and not thinking things through. I would never intentionally hurt you.”
I just shook my head. Intentionally or thoughtlessly, she’d kept on hurting me.
“David, no, seriously. I am sorry if that was what you thought.”
“Let’s just forget about it. I haven’t thought about it since I started dating Brook.”
“That’s why we never talk? You’re wrapped up with Brook?” she asked.
“No, it’s because you used my apartment as a love shack, trashed my bed and bathroom, and then made me tell my mom on you.” I said it with a straight face, showing no emotion.
“That really pissed you off, didn’t it?”
“Just leave me alone. You have your life, and I have mine. I’m happy for you and Tim. I guess that it’s like all my old best friends. We’ve just grown apart.”
“Dammit, David. I’ve put too much time into our friendship to allow one stupid act to tear us apart. I won’t allow it. We’ve gone through too much together and survived,” she said and then looked crestfallen. “Have I destroyed our ‘someday’?”
“I honestly don’t know. Right now, I can’t see it, but stranger things have happened.”
“Do I need to move back and follow you around 24/7?”
That got me to smile.
“Please, no. I don’t want to explain that to Brook, and I’m sure Tim might have some concerns.”
“Okay, fine. I think we need to talk about what’s bothering you, other than me using your apartment as a love shack,” she said.
“Everything’s great,” I tried.
“Then explain to me why you played like crap today. Tim tells me you haven’t been yourself since you came back from Oklahoma. Personally, I don’t think you’re as torn up about hurting that man as much as you’re acting. From what I heard, he had it coming to him,” Tami said.
I’d almost forgotten about her hidden superpower: the ability to read my mind. I looked around, and no one was paying us any attention. Well, this was cheaper than therapy, so why not tell her?
“It’s everything. I’ve been feeling like I’m missing out on a normal life. I’ve painted myself into a corner and don’t see a way out of it. Uncle John warned me that doing the movie would change my life. I think I realized I might’ve made a mistake last spring when I came back from auditioning for Star Wars. From that point on, I’ve had to be aware of my public image.