Irwin Pristine

The Driver Boy stepped forward and tried to grab after the Savalamander player, but the opposing player swerved and barreled towards me.

This was my chance.

I stepped forward and whirled, while he veered from me. The ball, I hopped off my toes and reached. Grabbing his jersey arm, He stumbled and pulled my feet off the ground.

I hit the ground head first, for the catalytic shock blacked me out briefly.

The whistle blew, and the ache of the hit had me shuddering. I rolled, looked up, and accepted the pain as part of what happened. I stopped him.

Yes.

I could not let Driver Boy show me up. The Driver Boy appeared over me. He turned his head to someone else and said, “He is okay to me.”

Leon came over me now and asked, “How many fingers am I holding up?”

“Four?”

Leon replied, “Now?”

“Two. Me no blind.”

Leon smirked. “Got to check, last thing we need is for you to get a concussion.”

I leaned up. “Hey, I’m working, so, it’s all good.”

Leon and the driver boy traded a look before Leon said, “You got a holding call.”

“A who?”

“Holding, you grabbed his jersey, that is an extra five yards for the penalty.”

I moaned in dismay and shook my head.

Driver Boy snorted. “Better than letting him get a touchdown.”

Leon sighed. “Don’t worry I will try to blitz their quarterback better. He is good, so we have to keep him under pressure to rattle him.”

Two minutes later, the next play got them a touchdown, so that blitz did not work. We were under pressure to get as many touchdowns as possible as fast as possible.

Donavan ran me and the Driver Boy in the same play style again. Him in front plowing through the players rushing at me, while I swerved and bobbed just behind him, we got at least twenty yards on each play.

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Donavan, on one play, made a fake throw and handed the ball to Driver Boy. Driver Boy cut in between Leon and rushed down the center. He was crashed into by two players, but Driver Boy merely brushed them aside.

Grabbed at the back by one, but Driver Boy dragged him.

Their safety rushed him, Driver Boy sidestepped and pushed back, falling torso first in front of the end zone.

Jake got the catch on the next play sealing it.

“Touchdoooooooown!”

I slowed and breathed hard. The crowd went ballistic. I sighed and grit my frustration. Donavan could have given me that ball.

Whatever.

I resolved to get another touchdown for no one was showing me up.

“Yeah, they got no defense against us now,” Leon said as he came next to me.

Modric shook his head. “It is their attack we should fear not their defense.”

Their offense, our defense, Cleary was their quarterback and he started running the ball. Donavan and my other teammates had pissed faces.

After they ran the ball a fourth time, Donavan called me and the Driver Boy over during the break. He said, “Cleary is wasting time. Leon and me going to blitz, so you two come closer to the linebackers.”

The ball was snapped and Cleary ran wide of their dismal attempts and sped forward cutting through the left of the field. Cleary was closer to getting a touchdown.

He was heading towards me. I planted my feet, he charged, I tensed, and he stared me down with a vicious resolution.

He dropped his feet within a foot of me and I jumped. Cleary spun and my hand grabbed nothing, but lone air.

He passed me for a sixty-yard touchdown.

Cheers galore, I looked back and saw Jake throwing his helmet on the ground. The faces of my teammates, and the defeat wore on it like bad makeup. It was clear, heavy, and definite then.

The game continued, but the spark was gone at that point. I got two more touchdowns, while Jake got himself one. It did not matter, we lost either way for we could not stop their attack once.

The whistle was blown for the final time and a sense of calm fell upon me. Then again it had been a dreadful one. We gathered together at the sidelines. Donavan said after looking up in the sky for a second. “We have been knocked out of the Gridiron Trials Cup. So getting to the league won’t be possible until next year.”

I saw the dejected stares. Some held their heads down. Jake merely shrugged and said, “We got the JF Championship.”

Right, I could still play again. This was not over.

Not yet.

Donavan averted his gaze. “You will be available for that considering the transfer?”

“The end of December, I got you. Beyond that, you're on your own,” Jake replied.

Modric said, “Man, I swear, thought we would make it. We have to get Savalamander so rahtid soon.”

Leon waved his hands up. “Whatever. Let’s just give them hell.”

“They ain’t so tough. With Prix and Jake we can definitely beat them,” Modric said.

I fidgeted hearing my name. Well, that was expected, for I was a pivotal member of the team. My eyes shot at the Driver Boy. He probably would not play. Driver Boy was a placeholder because someone else had not come. In a way, it was his fault those players got through in the first place.

It was best he didn't play next time. He was useless.

“Yooo!” The boys turned to my sister’s voice. Behind her were Vanessa and Phillip.

Donavan frowned and said, “Yeah, let’s go home.”