41. Fight Club
FORTY-ONE
Cameron dughis teeth into his lip as he paced the hospital waiting room, sick laughter buzzing in his ears, as poisonous as any bee.
One down. Nice work, boys.
Rage pulsed in his veins as he fought back the replay. His body ached not from sacks, but from stiff-arming his own teammates away from a brawl. Maybe he should have let them do it. The opponent’s team might have been happy to join them and converge on their own quarterback for his treason.
Nice work,like they were in on it. Their faces said otherwise. One down, like it was a game or a goal. Cam should have just taken his place in line to land a hit on Justin’s behalf. And Ethan’s, and Cory’s, and everyone who heard It was a joke over the last year—about girls, drugs, reputations, leadership—one too many times to turn their heads any longer about the kind of person Hayden Hamilton was.
Curled sideways on a couch across the room, Avery tossed and turned, trying to sleep off her shock. He paused in front of her and touched a fingertip to her chilled arm, then pulled off his sweatshirt. Her jacket might have been left in the ambulance. The strain of the last three hours gathered under her eyes in dark circles, and her lashes fluttered as he tucked the sweatshirt around her.
He kissed her forehead. Thumbs shaking, he opened the app.
Cameron
Paging @group-active, either Hammy’s out of this group, or I am.
Hayden
I vote to stay. God, you’re a sore winner. AGAIN.
Cory
What happened? Cam, is your guy okay? Luke and Eli Fields told me it was gruesome and Isaac’s freaking out. I couldn’t even watch the replay.
Cameron
Justin will be okay, no thanks to this sorry shitbag.
Dale
Hold up. We don’t talk head-to-head in here, remember?
Cameron
Did you see what happened to my linebacker?
Dale
Yeah, man, it looked awful, but Hammy didn’t do it.
Hayden
I didn’t even get my handshake on the fifty. Who’s crying this year? You ran after the whistle.
Cameron
You are LUCKY I left at the whistle and didn’t see you on the fifty.
Every man on your offense came over to our bench and sent well wishes for Justin. Every man except one.
Hayden
I didn’t hit him. What do you want me to apologize for?
Cameron
For telling your O-line “One down, nice work” when my brother is on his back with his leg broken clean across. I heard you. Half the bench heard you.
Your own guys looked ready to punch you.
Cory
Are you fucking kidding me?
Hayden
It was a joke, okay? And it was an accident.
Ethan
That’s not a joke. It’s a violent game, but it should not be a dirty one. You basically called your own linemen dirty players.
Cory
You seriously fucking said that? IN FRONT OF YOUR TEAM?
Dale
Oh boy, that’s two and the caps lock. Paging @MarshallNorth.
Cameron
He said it. I’ll listen to the jokes about what he does in his free time, but this is not a joke. I want him out.
Either we stand for integrity, or we don’t.
Cory
What sick bastard says that during an injury time out? IN FRONT OF YOUR TEAM? I cannot fucking believe this.
Ethan
With you, brother.
Dale
Three. I didn’t know Thatcher got this hot.
Hayden
I’m sooooo sorry, Cam. I’ll send a card. We good?
Cameron
No. I am the only reason we didn’t clear the bench while my brother was laid out on the turf and they were ruling out spinal damage.
I’m done blocking for you, Hamster. You’re on your own.
Hayden
That was the future brother-in-law? I’m happy for you, you know. She’s hot. I wouldn’t mind coming home to that.
Dale
You engaged, Cam?
Cory
Please be good news, please be good news.
Cameron
He is Avery’s older brother.
Cory
Yeah, that’s not good news.
Hayden
She was looking awfully cozy with one of your boys while you were out there with brother dearest. Watch your back.
Cameron
Isaac Fields is one of my best friends, and hers.
Hayden
Maybe his little brother will be my new bestie. Did you hear I got the last Fields brother? You lost two to UM, and one to me next year. What’s wrong with your program that they didn’t want to follow your guy?
Cameron
Personally, I wouldn’t turn my back on Caleb Fields. He turned on us. He might turn on you.
Hayden
Caleb’s solid. He and Ackerman dumped you for a reason.
Cameron
Jordan gave me this team. He gave up his last chance at his dreams to keep this program alive. If you think that’s a betrayal, that says more about you than I ever can.
Dale
Hold up. Jordan did what now? You knew?
Cory
Ethan? Should we get Fish?
Ethan
Paging @TheoFisher
Cameron
You just paged THEO FISHER? The Fish?!
Ethan
Give him a minute. He goes to bed early before game days.
Cam resumed pacing and bit the inside of his cheek so hard he tasted blood. Theo Fisher, one of Hayden’s predecessors from almost a decade back, was a consensus All-American, two-time Heisman Trophy winner, the number-one pick of his draft class, the league rookie of the year, a five-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro, and fiercely protective of his university legacy.
Hayden
WTF is Fish doing in here?
Dale
Admins can tag the inactives. brB, popcorn.
Theo Fisher has entered the chat.
Theo
Hamilton, you are sick.
Hayden
My dude.
Theo
I am your nothing. You boys are going to have a seat and take a few deep breaths while I read all this again and try not to burst a blood vessel.
Cam flopped into an uncomfortable chair across the room from Avery, inhaling and exhaling heavily until he felt his throat relax. His arms prickled with goosebumps in the drafty waiting room, adding an interesting texture to the fluffy bumble bee lounging on a life preserver in the middle of his right bicep. The harsh chill in the air opened his lungs.
Theo
Paging @group-all-big10 @group-all-acc
Cory Thatcher has disabled screenshots.
Cory Thatcher has enabled auto-destruct on all messages.
Marshall
You can page a whole conference? Cam, you know what happened to Jordy? WHAT DID I MISS?
Cameron
Looks like Theo Fisher can page a whole conference if he wants to. Two, even.
Theo
You can page one conference for every Heisman Trophy you win.
Kidding.
I can do whatever the hell I want.
Jordan Ackerman has joined the chat.
Hayden
Jordan Ackerman, at last. I heard you were doing mushrooms on a beach in Fiji with James Franco.
Marshall
WHAT.
Dale
Cory F-bombed three times and hit the caps lock, and here comes the man of mystery himself. Get comfortable.
Cameron
What the hell, Jordan?
Jordan
Quit playing dumb, Camshaft. You obviously know what’s going on.
Cameron
I guess I know enough to be dangerous.
Hayden
You were playing dumb this whole time?
Cameron
Better than being an actual goddamn imbecile.
Dale
Camshaft? Why did I never think of that?
TomIsTheGOAT, GeauxMalik, CJ4MVP, RunJustinRun, ChadGot2Rings, Brreaux, and 12 others have joined the chat.
Cory Thatcher has disabled incognito mode.
Tom B.
Why do I have to pick a screen name if I can’t use it?
goat emoji>
Cory T.
Tom, we talked about this.
Ethan E.
Gentlemen, thanks for taking some time on a Saturday night. I know it’s inconvenient.
Tom B.
Not like I have a game tomorrow. Or ever.
Chad H.
Cheers to retirement, brother.
Tom B.
Thanks, I hate it.
Theo F.
Malik, they left you in the Big Ten group? Buddy. How’s LSU?
Malik W.
Fish! I lurk on here for the gossip. SEC rep in this chat is trash. No disrespect, Ethan.
Joe B.
I stayed for the same reason, but the best migrate south, Malik.
Malik W.
You know I learned it from the greatest. That ring looks good on you, my man.
Cameron’s mouth hung open as he scrolled back to the check-in full of screen names. Malik, benched by meningitis at the start of last season, was in top form in Louisiana and poised to follow Joe as another number-one pick out of LSU. Chad, the starter-turned-backup who came in clutch to save his team’s national championships twice, would drink free in Kansas City for the rest of his life. And Tom, the sixth-round pick from UM who… no.
Theo F.
On behalf of the QB1 chat, welcome back, everyone. For those of you not in the know, your bouncers tonight are Ethan Engel and Cory Thatcher.
In the ring are Cameron Porter, UND, and Hayden Hamilton, doing an extreme dishonor to my beloved alma mater.
Hayden H.
See, I said on Day One that this was Fight Club.
Cameron P.
Your brilliance and foresight truly know no bounds.
Theo F.
Hayden, you also said “One down, nice work, boys” to your offense tonight during an injury time-out when a member of Cam’s defense was on the ground with his leg broken in two places.
And you said it pretty loudly, accusing them of playing dirty while you had a laugh.
Tom B.
You don’t belong in a group that’s about the integrity of this position if you can’t just take a knee and shut up during an injury time out. That’s literally the easiest thing we do.
Theo F.
Cam, anything you want to add?
Cameron P.
Hayden has an incredibly talented team. It is always a privilege to play guys of that caliber. They looked disgusted by what he said.
This isn’t about a rivalry or a game. That team deserves better.
Justin F.
Aw thanks.
CJ S.
Go Bucks.
Tom B.
Go Blue.
Cory T.
Cool it, Tom. Hammy, do you have anything to say in your defense?
Hayden H.
What am I defending myself for? The right to stay in this shitty chat?
Ethan E.
Have you noticed yet that this group is not just about dumb jokes and bitching about sadistic P.R. crews?
Hayden H.
Uh, no. That’s what we do.
Ethan E.
That’s what YOU do. And like Tom said, you don’t belong here anymore.
Hayden H.
Some dude named Tom makes the rules now?
Cory T.
By all means, argue the point with him.
Tom B.
Let’s do it in person. I’ll call Fox Sports, and we’ll ask Urban Meyer to referee. He hates this kid. Ratings through the roof.
“Some dude,” LOL, this idiot.
seven ring emojis>
Hayden H.
Coach Meyer doesn’t even know me.
Theo F.
He would have decapitated you with his laser eyes if he was still coaching when you got there.
Ethan E.
Hammy, you’ve made yourself a liability to your program and a disgrace to this game. It’s not a joke anymore.
Leave now if you want, and we’ll do the rest without you.
Hayden H.
The rest?
Theo F.
You’re a junior playing second-year eligibility, so we’ll address what sponsorships we have the connections to influence, your potential in the transfer portal, the likelihood that we can kill you and call it an accident, and then wrap up with a sanctimonious lecture on the brotherhood of our glorious game.
And we’ll draft an outline for my phone call to your head coach tomorrow.
Tom B.
Can I do the lecture?
Cory T.
Seriously, Tom?
Tom B.
I’m just so bored.
Cam’s phone rang with an incoming video call. He saw his own face on the camera preview for a split-second before he answered, and looked about as low as he felt—disgruntled, discombobulated, and dirty. He’d left his gear in a pile in the locker room and ran as soon as he could get into regular pants. Justin had gone straight into surgery.
A familiar face filled the screen. Cam slouched and closed his eyes. “Okay,” he said in greeting. “So we’re doing this.”