31. Rocky
thirty-one
Rocky
Since last week was a bye week, today we’re playing against the University of North Carolina. Ian Maye is both a friend and rival. We met in high school through the football camps we both attended. Everyone thought we would butt heads but he’s really down to earth and someone you can talk to when you need a friend. He comes from a great family, even though I know he’s under a lot of pressure from everyone around him.
When teams win, everyone is extremely happy for us, but when we lose, people can be really fucking ruthless. Obviously, they forget that we’re still young. Do people think we want to lose? Fuck, no. It sucks for us as much as it sucks for the fans. I’d like to know how people would feel if that was their kid being bullied online. Pissed.
Coach Mack has been tense this last week gearing up for this game. I know he wants this win as much as we do. This is one of our last home games this season.
Traveling sucks at times, but I’ll have to get used to it since I plan on going pro. Montana understands how it is, and I’m glad that she grew up around the game.
Last weekend was rough on all of us, but we made it through. I know that she’s scared of what people would think of who she is, and how she didn’t want me to ruin my chances at a pick of teams. But what she doesn’t realize is that I’ve always wanted to play for the Vikings.
90s hip hop is blasting through the speakers in the locker room—thanks to Xander— while everyone is getting ready for this rival game. I have my headphones on but is nothing playing; I’m just trying to drown out the noise in front of me and in my head.
Get your head in the game .
I have my head down when Talon sits next to me.
“You good, man?”
I uncover one ear and say, “Yeah, just getting in the zone.”
He nods in understanding and sits there for a moment looking straight ahead. We’re sitting in a comfortable silence, vibing to ‘This D.J.’ by Warren G.
“Alright, listen up! I have something to say! Quiet ,” Xander yells as everyone goes quiet.
“Regulators.”
Talon and I start to chuckle.
“We regulate any stealin’ of his property. We're damn good too. But you can't be any geek off the street. You gotta be handy with the steel, if you know what I mean. Earn your keep. Regulators, mount up! Who are we ?!”
“You love quoting Warren G.” Kellen laughs.
Xander rolls his eyes and puts his hand on his hips and says, “Yes, the fuck I do, he was right. I said, who are we ?”
“ Scorpions !” everyone yells in unison.
“ We ready ,” Xander yells.
“ For y’all ,” everyone shouts.
We’re all standing around the locker room and starting to get rowdy.
Coach comes in, says his speech and ends it with, “Let’s go take this W and keep our undefeated streak going.”
Xander, Talon and I are in the front of the team about to run through the tunnel and the crowd is going wild. We run to our benches as “We Ready” by Archie Eversole is blasting through the stadium.
I look up in the stands and see Montana with my family and she looks like she fits right in. She’s looking right back at me. She points at me and makes a heart with her hands and then blows me a kiss. I shoot her a wink in return.
I turn back to get my head in the game.
We win the coin toss, and we receive first. Their kicker kicks the ball, and our receiver Eli catches it and runs towards the end zone. Talon tackles one of their defensemen so Eli can keep going when he gets tackled at the forty-yard line.
The O line moves to the field.
“Blue 32, Blue 32. Hike.”
Everyone breaks off to where they are supposed to go. Xander crosses over to the left and dodges the player in blue. He turns to make sure I’m looking at him, and I throw the ball towards him. He catches it and makes it to the twenty-yard line before being tackled by two of the defensive players.
At the half, we’re tied 20-20. I’m pissed because I saw Johnny on the sidelines. I know better. I know better than to let him get in my head, and I let him. I don’t want him to think that he has me in a chokehold. I don’t want to know why or what his excuses were, but I’m still angry as fuck.
Coach calls me into his office, and I expect him to chew me out, tell me to get my head in the game, but when he opens the door, I walk in, and he walks out. When I look at his retreating head behind the door, I turn back, and my brows furrow.
I don’t see the other person in the room until she clears her throat.
Montana.
“What’s going on?”
“I came to ask you the same thing, Savage,” she says with a lifted brow.
I lick my lips, and in a couple of strides I’m right in front of her. I give her a hug and nuzzle my head into the crook of her neck, breathing her in. The scent of cotton candy hits my senses like a feeling of serenity. Home .
“He’s here again.” I whisper, and she stiffens at my words.
She pulls away just a bit to look up at me, and then pulls my face between her small hands and says, “You are Rocky Christopher Savage. You are a great man, boyfriend, and player. He did nothing. He gets nothing from you, not even your headspace. You’ve done all of this without him. He doesn’t get to come here and think he can take credit for any of it. If he thinks he can, then he has another thing coming. You go back out there and win this game because this is everything you worked hard for. Fuck him.”
I’m looking at her in awe. I crush my lips to hers and lift her as she wraps her legs around my waist, as I taste the cotton candy lip balm she loves to wear. She moans into my mouth and another throat clears from the side of us.
My dad.
“Hey, pops.”
“Put me down, please,” Montana whispers, and I chuckle.
“I’m going to go back out there but remember what I said.” She smiles up at me, and then slips past my dad to leave the room.
My dad closes the door as he chuckles, and he comes and gives me a hug.
“What’s going on in that head of yours, son? You know, I can read you like a book, even when you were little and trying to sneak a cupcake from the cupboard.” He chuckles.
“It’s him. He’s here again, and I let him get to my head even though I know I shouldn’t give him headspace. Like, why now? He doesn’t get to try and come and have a relationship with me now that I’m going somewhere in life. You know?” I say, shaking my head.
“You know, the best thing he did for you was leave. Even though I don’t like what he did, I’m glad I never had to share you with him. He did you a favor and although I wish you didn’t find out the way you did, I’m thankful that he didn’t get the chance to hurt you when you were little. Imagine if you had known him all your life, and he was an absent parent who made promises of seeing you and leaving you waiting for him to pick you up? I would’ve gone to jail because he would have had one time to hurt you physically or emotionally and I would have made sure he never played another game of football again,” he says with full emotion before adding, “Rocky, you are mine. I’m the one on your birth certificate, not him. I raised you, and I will forever be in your corner. I’ve loved you since the moment your mom told me she was pregnant. Nothing and no one will ever change that. Get back out there and kick some ass, son.”
When the second half of the game starts, I feel more determined to keep this winning streak alive. We haven’t been undefeated in the years I’ve been here. Even when I was a red shirt freshman.
Coach Mack looks at me with a face that tells me to show Johnny everything that he missed out on. I don’t know why he’s here. He knows I want nothing to do with him. Why can’t he see that he’s not welcomed?
And that’s exactly what I do.
Thanks to my dad and my girl, I get my head in the game, and we end up winning 44-37.