21. Rocky
twenty-one
Rocky
“Today’s the day, boys! It’s game time, baby! We’re going to go out there and show them that we are the ones to beat. We’ll show everyone what we’ve got. We’re going to bring this win home and bring back the victory to Stonebridge! Scorpions on three, baby. On Three. One. Two. Three .”
“Scorpions!” It’s a collective roar around the locker room. Everyone is cheering and getting ready to run out the tunnel.
The crowd’s going wild. After winning the coin toss, we’re on the field first. Talon catches the ball and runs like he’s being chased by Michael Meyers. We make it to the forty-five-yard line. After the snap, Dayton protects my blindside and I throw the ball to Xander, where he makes the touchdown. Alex, our kicker makes the field goal, and we get that extra point. We started with a bang and we’re ready for Nebraska.
I see my girl from where she’s sitting, and I wink at her. I know she doesn’t like attention. I grab the Gatorade from Rose and look up at the replay of the kick and then I see Monti and Autumn on the jumbotron.
My girl looks gorgeous, and so does my sister. They’re both smiling and laughing together, then I see red. Some fucker has spilled his drink on Monti, and as she’s cleaning it up, that fucker thinks he can ‘help’ her. I run over to the stands and I’m about to jump over when I see Monti punch him. Man, my girl has an amazing right hook.
Autumn’s looking at me and she says something, but I don’t hear it.
“ Keep your hands off my girl ,” I yell out, and point straight at him.
Montana turns around looking nervous, but she walks down toward me, and gives me a hug. She knows just what I need.
“Thank you, baby, but you need to go back out there and kick some ass. I took care of it,” she whispers in my ear.
“Yeah, you did, Killer,” I reply with a smile.
I jump down and head back to the sidelines but look up every so often to make sure she’s okay.
“Savage! Get your head back into the game!” Coach grunts.
“Yes, coach.”
“She’s stronger than you think, kid.” He slaps my shoulder and walks away.
It’s the fourth quarter. There’s five minutes left in the game and we’re down by three. I’m back on the field and the ball is snapped to me. I look around but the Nebraska defense has guys on Xander and Talon, so I run for it. I get a first down at the twenty-yard line before I’m tackled. I get back up and we run into a huddle.
In the huddle, the guys are looking tired waiting for me to call a play. “Alright, boys, we’re down by three but we’re not going to go out like that. We’re going to run the sweep pass play. We’re going to win this game! Just like we practiced. Let’s go, boys!”
The play starts and the ball is in my hands. I pretend to pass it over to Tyler, but then I throw it to Xander, who is to the left of me. He catches it and makes it to the ten-yard line before he’s tackled. Coach calls a time out.
“Alright, boys, we’re going to do a fumblerooski on them. Savage, do the play and Knox will get it,” Coach says with a smirk.
“Me, coach?” Knox looks nervous.
“Hell yeah, we have been practicing and what better team to do it to than the team who made it up?” Coach says, and everyone cheers.
Xander speaks up first. “Knox, you got this. Dayton will snap the ball to Rocky and then you scoop it up and run like hell.”
A collective “hell yeah” is shouted and we head back onto the field.
We line up and the ball is snapped to me. I put it on the ground, and it’s picked up by Knox, who runs like his life depends on it. He makes the touchdown, and everyone goes wild.
“Let’s fucking gooooooo!” I hear someone yelling as we all run into the end zone, and pile on top of Knox. Then, Alex comes onto the field and kicks the extra point.
I find Montana and my sister in the stands to see them giving me hand hearts, and Montana blows me a kiss. I smile at her.
When I walk back to the sideline, I see a man that I literally wouldn’t have minded never seeing in my life, standing next to my coach, chatting like they’re old friends. I roll my eyes.
No one knows I have a different father than Autumn. More like a sperm donor, if you ask me. He and my mom were together in their junior year of college. He got her pregnant but didn’t want me. I overheard my parents talking about it one night. You know the old song and dance. Boy meets girl. Girl gets pregnant. Boy walks away to go to the NFL.
After the game, I’m stopped by the local media for a game day interview. After that’s done, I'm heading to the locker room because the last thing I want is to be near him.
“Savage! Come here, please,” Coach yells at me, and I internally groan.
“Yes, coach?” I don't even pay him any mind.
“Rocky, I want you to meet Johnny Henry. Johnny, Rocky Savage,” he says, introducing us.
He holds his hand out, but I just look at him and say, “I would say it's nice to meet you, but it’s not.”
“Rocky!” Coach hisses at me. “Do you know who you are talking to?”
“Yup, I am very much aware.”
“Nice game. Do you think we can talk?” Johnny says, trying to make conversation.
“Not interested, so do what you have done for the last twenty-two years and fuck off. You’re good at that.”
“Savage, what the hell? I know your mama and daddy taught you better than this,” Coach yells.
I look Johnny in the eyes and say, “That's right, I am a Savage .”
I start to walk away then I hear, “Don't walk away from me, son.”
I turn around and say, “I'm not your son, you missed your chance to call me that.”
Johnny's eyes go wide. Coach looks between the two of us and I see the moment it clicks. The gray eyes and brown hair should have given it away. Even though people say that me and my dad, Christopher, could be twins. He’ll puff out his chest and say, “That’s my boy. Handsome like his daddy.”
I walk away from the man who was supposed to love me, but never did.
I'm so mad.
In the locker room, I’m throwing my shit around and punch the locker a few times. Everyone is staring at me when Xander and Talon pull me away. Coach walks in and sees that I am livid.
“Savage, my office, now. ”
I walk into his office and stand there waiting for him to yell at me. He gives me a hug and I break down crying.
“I didn’t know Rocky. I swear, I had no fucking clue. I should have seen the connection in the way you move. It’s so similar to him. I couldn’t tell because your dad also has gray eyes.” He pulls back to looks me in the eyes and even he has tears. “I have known your parents since college, and I thought you were Chris’s biological son. Chris is your dad. I’m so sorry.” He hasn’t let me go from our embrace.
I didn’t think I’ve ever needed a hug like this before. But I guess I do.
“My parents don't know that I know. I guess I need to talk to them, huh?”
“When do they get back from Puerto Rico?”
“In a couple of weeks. I’ll wait until they’re home and do it in person,” I say as I wipe my face. “I'm sorry, coach, for the locker room.”
“Kid, I probably would have done worse.” He gives me a small smile.
“Thanks, Coach.”
With that, I walk out and head to the showers.
As I'm walking out of the locker room with my gear, I see my girls.
Autumn runs to me and gives me a hug and says, “You okay, big bro? You played so well, why are you upset? The guys came out asking why you were mad…what’s going on?” She has worry written all over her face.
“It’s nothing. Don't worry about it, I promise.” I give her a fake smile. I know she sees that I’m lying through my teeth, but she doesn’t press me on it, and for that I’m thankful.
I turn to Monti and pull her into a hug. I breathe in her scent because it calms me down. I hold onto her a bit longer, and I think she knows I need this. I don't know how she does, it's like she can read me.
“Want to grab food and go home?” Montana asks.
“Yeah baby, home. That sounds amazing.”
Xander and Talon gave me a bro hug and we’re out of the stadium.
I know everyone has their own secrets, but if I want Montana to feel comfortable opening up to me, maybe it's time I open up to her.
After we eat, we’re snuggled up on the couch. Her head is in my lap and Fast Five is playing on the TV. It's Monti’s favorite one out of all of the Furious series. I tried to convince her that the first one is the most superior, but she just rolled her eyes at me in true Montana fashion.
“Montana.”
She sits up and looks at me like I'm about to pull the rug from under her. Doesn’t she already know I’m not going anywhere? I know that she feels like the other shoe will drop eventually. I want her to be so secure in us that one simple “ We need to talk ” won’t have her stomach drop to her ass.
“No, baby, it's just I have something serious to talk to you about. I haven’t even told anyone this. I need to open up to you because everyone has something they haven't told other people, right? But I don’t want secrets between us. I'm not saying that to for you open up with your deepest darkest secrets right this second, but this is me opening up to you. So, when you are ready to share yours—if there is anything you need to share—I’m here. I need to tell you why I’m so upset.” I blow out a breath.
“Baby, I'm here for whatever you want to tell me.” She caresses my face and I lean into her hand.
“About two years ago, I found out that my dad, Chris, isn’t my biological father.” I look up to see her eyes wide with shock and her hands over her mouth as she gasps.
“I came home early from practice, and I guess my parents didn’t realize. My mom was crying, and my dad was hugging her. She was saying that ‘he has some fucking nerve, and my dad said to her ‘Rocky won't ever find out about Johnny and that he will always be my dad. He also said that he didn’t give a fuck about what Johnny wanted, when he didn’t give a fuck about the two of you. Meaning, my mom and me.”
I swipe at my face. I didn’t even realize I’m crying again. Monti climbs into my lap, and I hold onto her tight because she's, my lifeline.
I continue. “I understand that they never wanted me to find out, but it sucks realizing that I didn’t get football from just loving the game. I always felt bad that I never got the hang of hockey because I wanted to be just like my dad. I almost quit playing; I didn’t want anything to do with it anymore. I called my mom’s best friend because she would have known the situation, and she had promised to never lie to me. She’s the only one who knows that I knew about Johnny. She talked me out of quitting football. She told me ‘Don't you dare give up on something you love for someone who doesn’t matter.’ She also explained to me that when I was little and loved football, my mom called her freaking out. She explained to my mom that it's okay for me to love something, even if I got it from my sperm donor. She told me that Chris will always be my father, no matter what I found out. I begged her to tell me about the relationship between my parents and Johnny. She told me that my parents were best friends, but they were both too chicken shit to tell one another how they really felt. I asked her how my sperm donor took it, and she said that he left for the draft and never looked back. When my mom told my dad Chris that she was pregnant, he said that no matter what he’d be there for me and her. Now, Johnny shows up to my game unannounced and unwanted. Asshole.” I shake my head, and Monti hugs me. I nuzzle my head into her neck and smell her sweet cotton candy scent that I love so much.
“Rocky, you are the most amazing man I have ever met. You are more than who your sperm donor is. Fuck that guy. Christopher Savage is your dad. He raised you and he did a damn good job. I think you should talk to your parents when they get back from their trip,” she says thoughtfully.
“Yeah, maybe it's time I talk to them.”
I pull my phone out to text my parents that I love them and can’t wait to see them.
Between the game and this conversation, I’m emotionally and physically drained, so we end up going to bed.
My girl in my arms. Where she always will be.