Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Chase
I dried off for the second time that day and started to dress. All around me, the guys were almost silent, lost in thought, focusing on the game.
No one ever set up any pranks on important game days like this. If any distractions cost us the game, it would cost the prankster their job, and any endorsements that came with it. No one would risk millions, and the animosity of the guys until the end of time, for a laugh. Not even me.
I nodded at Hawk as we passed each other in the locker room. His brow was lightly creased in a frown. I knew when the man was in the zone, and this was definitely it. There was no point in trying to talk to him right now. He'd respond with one word, if he replied at all.
That was fine, I wasn't much in the mood for talking either. For the most part, my thoughts were on the game. The back of my mind was on Ashley and whether or not she'd come.
Considering I broke rule one into a thousand tiny pieces, it was unlikely she'd ever speak to me again.
That might be just as well. She should get on with her life, with Kris or with some other guy.
An incredible, smart, gorgeous woman like her should have no trouble finding someone a million times better than me or Kris.
Someone who would treat her like a queen.
Strapped and dressed in everything but my helmet, I followed the other guys out for a quick warm up on the field.
The crowd responded with cheers and jeers. Mostly cheers, since this was our home turf.
I offered a vague wave toward the crowd, without really seeing them. I didn't look toward the private box. For my own good, and that of the game, I had to push Ashley out of my head.
I swallowed down a lump of pre-game nerves and concentrated on the feel of the grass under my boots, and the roar of the crowd. A dozen plays ran through my head at the same time.
We'd spent a large part of the week watching replays of our opponents and working out their strengths and… well, lesser strengths.
The Sydney Kookaburras, in spite of their cute name, were tough opponents.
If anything would be their downfall, it was their arrogance.
They'd creamed every team they'd played this season.
That would make them cocky. That said, we'd also won every game, if not by the same margin.
Most of us were cocky anyway, but we didn't strut like the Kookaburras did.
I saw a handful of them out ahead of me, also testing out the field. The way they waved at the crowd, anyone would think this was Kookaburra Stadium, instead of Humpbacks.
We didn't get here without being competitive.
I wanted nothing more right now than to wipe the smirks off their faces.
My blood got hotter and everything went out of my head except the game.
It couldn't start soon enough. When the coach ordered us off the field, I almost protested.
We were here now, couldn't we get right to smashing the crap out of the competition?
Of course, like any religion, we had our rituals. One included clearing the field. Only the gods who'd play in the first part of the game would come back out a few minutes later.
Thankfully, that included me. I didn't think I'd be able to stand and watch now. I'd probably chew a hole in the wall or something. Not literally, of course.
Maybe.
"Let's step on some chickens," Hawk said, by way of a pep talk.
"I don't think kookaburras are chickens," Bam remarked.
"Now they are." Hawk grinned.
"Let's go, " Coach Quinn grunted. He was a man of few words at the best of times. On game day, he had even fewer to say until afterward.
As you might expect, what he said after the game depended on how well we played. If we played badly, he'd let us know at length. If we played well, he'd still tell us where we could improve. His words of praise were rare at best.
We trotted out again, to an even bigger roar from the crowd.
I found my place on the line of scrimmage and waited, my posture loose, but ready.
The coin toss went in our favour, which I decided was a good sign for the day. The coach opted to have us start on the offensive. Great, all the better to jump straight in and whip some chicken ass.
Blood pounded in my ears.
I once read that men going into battle, sword in hand, had much the same feeling. The anticipation of the fight. The need to smash, thump, drive the opponents into the unyielding ground, face first, blade through their heart.
We weren't fighting for our lives, but we might as well have been. The need to win was greater than anything else right now. It encompassed the entirety of my thoughts. That and the whereabouts of the ball. Even when it wasn't in play, I kept my eyes on it.
Ollie snapped the ball to Hawk and the world, which had slowed for a few minutes, went into overdrive.
Hawk caught the ball. A nanosecond passed while I ran, searching for an opening in the field.
I found one, just as Hawk threw the ball to me. The opposition closed in on the other wide receiver, leaving me relatively open.
Their first mistake. I caught the ball and tucked it into the crook of my arm.
I ran three or four long, fast steps before I felt one of my opponents. His presence bore down on me.
I swerved, but his weight slammed me to the ground. I grunted with frustration as I lost the ball.
I got to my feet and we resumed our places before the ball was back in play.
This time, Hawk threw to the other receiver and all I could do was follow it forward, in case it came to me again.
We moved it ahead, bit by painful bit, before the Kookaburras took us down with the sixth tackle.
Coach gestured for me to swap out and I trotted to the sidelines.
All the guys had the same expression on their faces. No one wanted an easy game, but this was going to try us all. And it was going to hurt tomorrow. I'd been down twice already, both times hard.
I couldn't be happier. This was exactly what I loved to do, what I was born to do. Right here, right now, was everything I worked my whole life for. There was no bigger rush.
Still, watching sucked. Cheering the team on was a poor second to being out there, playing.
The Humpbacks delivered tackle after tackle to the Kookaburras, until finally the opposition scored a touchdown.
I groaned.
The crowd groaned.
The Kookaburras celebrated by strutting around as though they barely noticed their success.
It was short lived. We went back on the offensive and quickly scored a touchdown of our own.
High fives and the roar of the crowd and I was back off while we went on the defensive again.
Our blockers were on point. The Kookaburras couldn't scramble past for another touchdown.
The quarter ended with a draw.
The second quarter I was back on the field and we scored again in the first minute or two. The crowd went absolutely wild. They were all on their feet, shouting and chanting.
Neither side scored again until the third quarter, when the Kookaburras snuck one past us.
That was the worst. None of us wanted to feel like we hadn't done enough.
I knew what the coach would say, 'Let it go, focus on the game ahead, not the game behind you.'
That was good advice, so I took it. In the fourth quarter I grabbed the ball and bolted like I was trying to outrun a fire.
I swerved around arms and bodies like they weren't there.
With the screams of the crowd in my ears I ran until I was slammed hard into the turf, a foot from the touchdown line.
I swore to myself, but when we evened the score a minute later, I was grinning.
I glanced at the clock. If we were going to take this game, we'd have to do it quickly. Only two minutes remained.
I trotted off the field, only to have the coach wave me back on when we regained possession of the ball.
I barely got into place before the other wide receiver caught the ball and started away.
He made it two steps before he was tackled and passed the ball on. Another two steps and the Kookaburras tackled again.
They weren't going to let us win without a fight, that was for sure. That made my blood run even faster. I wanted this win so badly I could taste it. It mingled with the taste of blood and dirt in my mouth. I couldn't tell the sound of the crowd from the roar in my ears.
"Humpbacks. Humpbacks. Humpbacks." The crowd was behind us, willing us to victory.
I glanced at the clock. thirty seconds to go. The ball was ours. Every defensive player stood like an iron gate between us and the line.
We gritted our teeth, at least I did as best I could around a mouthguard.
Like a battering ram, we forced our way through the defensive line and slammed the ball down for a touchdown in the dying seconds of the game.
The crowd went nuts.
"Humpbacks win!" The voice over the loud speaker sounded as triumphant as I felt.
I pumped a fist in the air and drank in the cheers from the thousands of fans who had flocked to the stadium to watch their football gods claim victory over their enemy.
And what a sweet fucking victory it was.
Only when we left the field, and the adrenaline started to fade, did I let myself think about Ashley and my aches and pains. Reality crashed in a little, but it was held back somewhat by my grinning team mates.
"Hell yeah, I told you those chickens were going down," Bam said.
"When did you say that?" Hawk held his helmet under his arm.
"Just before we scored that last touchdown," Bam said. "I said it to myself. I said, 'Bam, we're gonna win this for sure. The Kookaburras will wish they stayed in their gumtree’."
I laughed along with everyone else.
"Good game." Hawk patted my shoulder before he headed for the shower.
"You too," I said. We'd have a few hard games between us and the Down Under Bowl, but we were that much closer now.
"How about my game, Hawk?" Bam asked as he followed the quarterback.
I shook my head and laughed.
"He'll never change," Ollie remarked.
"I hope not," I said. "Someone has to stick around and make us laugh. Speaking of that, did you get those stink bombs?"
Ollie glanced around, eyes wide, before he smiled. "I did. they're in my locker. But—"
"Save them for a practice day," I said. Everyone deserved a break today. And a hot shower, followed by a massage. Of course, after a win, the press would want to talk to us. I wondered if I could ditch them. I shouldn't be thinking about it, but I wanted to know if Ashley came.
I hit the showers for a quick rinse. Then I'd take a look in the private box. Just to satisfy my curiosity. Not for any other reason.
Maybe.