That was amazing, but Irwin was always going to be amazing. I could tell when I first saw him.

“Do I have to wear that?” Irwin asked.

He was talking about the pads on the ground of the patchwork grassy field we were playing in.

I raised my brow at him. Leon started to laugh, but he was restraining it.

“We are almost done with training today, so let’s just do a light…initiation to see if you are worth applying for the team.”

He scrunched up his face at me. “You were begging me to join a while ago, what’s with this?” Irwin complained.

“I still need to see the rest of your physique to know what we should train. You know, your less rewarding qualities. I can obviously see from your skinny arms, putting you in the line would be suicide. But I… we already have a place for you. Running back, but let us see how you run, and then we can take it from there. Because in this sport how you run is very important, almost like track running.”

“Eh?” He sighed. Turning he walked off, some distance later he said. “Let’s get this over with.”

Irwin walked up to the others who stared at him with curious and wide glares.

“Are you sure about this man?” Leon asked with a smile.

Not really, Irwin was hard to read, and I was not sure what he wanted. I was honestly shocked he jumped at joining, but it was obvious it was the talk of payment that got him even interested in the first place.

That was actually the problem. We were not a big team. We were pretty much at bottom of the pile. The best we could do right now to make money was playing official matches that happened on the Maticull Field in Portmore, St. Catherine.

We got a share of the pot if we played there. It was not much, but it was something. But honestly, we needed a sponsor.

Paying this uninspired recruit would be a pain. There were players who we owed two matches' wages. All this was under my supervision now for Hill was leaving the team.

I watched Irwin looking like some angry little troll. Maybe he was a walking mistake waiting to happen. Irwin looked young, so there was much for him to grow into.

“Come on, it will be fine,” I said as I went over. After introductions, we split the team up. I looked at Irwin who gave me a blank stare. “How old are you?”

“Seventeen, old man.”

I frowned. “Ain’t old, am twenty-three.”

“Look old to me.”

I popped the ball in the air and caught it in the other hand. His eyebrow raised as he chanced a glance at the ball.

“Football is easy to understand, hard to master. What I need for you to do is simple, when you get the ball run all the way down this field. Get a touchdown, simple enough yes?” He nodded. I placed my right hand over the left hand, just over my stomach. With my fingers close to each other, it was a close fit. “This is how you will receive the ball, ok? When Cidric gives me the ball, come from behind me and go over to my right. I will be turning and placing the ball in your clasped hands.”

“Hey Leon, it sounds like it is going to be a run,” Hill shouted, suddenly.

“Yeah, I think it is going to be a run.” They both nodded with sneaky smiles on their faces.

“Shuddup!” I retorted, loudly. They probably were planning to skewer the newbie on his first day. They were all smiling from ear to ear. It was funny for them, but they were going to be in for a surprise.

“Mason block for Irwin a little bit.” Mason gave me a disgusted look. I gave him back a ‘just do it’ look before he sighed, shaking his head.

I tapped Irwin’s chest with the ball in hand. “Ready?”

He snorted and smiled. “Yeah.”

I said as I took position, “Position yourself directly behind me….don’t give me that look either….not that far brah! Yeah….yeah right there, perfect.” I gave Cidric the ball and bent our bodies at the ready.

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“Hut!”

I got the ball. Leon ran over one player and rushed at me. Crap, I twirled and hoped he was there. The ball was ripped out of my hands as Irwin shot off. Mason widened his legs and planted them. Leon swung right and pushed Mason easily aside as he chased Irwin.

Hill jumped in his path, but Irwin jumped back and left Mikey flatfooted and reaching after Irwin’s dust in his wake. Leon gave chase, but the distance was stretching between them. Ember moved cautiously in the outer field trying to measure how fast Irwin ran. The moment Ember broke from his status and tried to tackle, Irwin ran wide as Ember barely missed him.

Wait, Irwin just ran off the field.

A lesson on the rules was in order for later, but it was over. Leon had not caught him, and actually, he was way behind him running in vain.

“Touchdown…” Hill said then he looked back at me. “Where you find this speed star?”

I shrug and I promised not to utter a word.

“Bloodfire my youth, we really are looking good for the next match. We affi win!” Hill shouted.

True that would be Hill’s last match, plus we really had to win to get further in the Jamaican Gridiron Trials Cup. Losing was not an option.

So here we were, that was training, this was the real deal.

White House team was on twenty-one points, while we were on nineteen points. It was the fourth quarter, less than five minutes left. The field opened out like I was looking at a deep fall.

Nauseous, I felt burnt out as usual. Hopefully, my limbs held their power whether through my disease-fighting steroids or God's will. With seventy yards to a touchdown, we could not rely on the NFL rules concerning time. This was Jamaican Gridiron they had different rules for time management and the only way the clock stopped was on the first down of twenty yards.

"Hut...!" The White House Quarterback shouted.

The bastards from the White House team wasted the time on purpose and then punted for maximum pain to our pride. At least they were using their heads, we had no such luck with resources at hand. Since we still lacked team members, I had to line up as a receiver, for the first time in my life. I took a position as the right receiver, Ember on the left, Irwin was looking around weirdly?

Irwin was an odd duck to some extent. He seemed quiet when no one did not test his patience. Simply a quiet guy, but if he kept flexing his body like that he would draw too much attention to himself.

He started moving.

"...Hut!" Hill said.

He was in motion? Well, we never taught him what it was, but it mattered not as long as he was the only one moving and the White House players were getting shaky as if they were itching to scratch something. Hill turned his head towards Irwin. I saw the linebackers moving their eyes as well toward Irwin. Irwin started jumping from side to side.

Hill kept going. "Hut!"

Blast it, the ball got snapped. I cut into the center as the ball soared into Ember's hand, just barely. He was bashed to the ground by two players. Ember rolled up and dropped his chest on the ball. The White House players eyed him silently as they left him there.

I went and grabbed him up.

He breathed out after fixing his helmet. The time kept ticking. We looked at each other and knew.

Hill walked up to us while Irwin slowed next to another player. Irwin's helmet grill was grabbed by Hill and drawn close.

"Don't do that again," Hill said with a smile.

"Wha...what did I do?" Irwin asked innocently.

"Prix a flight risk, he almost ran back to his spot behind Hill and got a call..." Ember said.

Leon interjected, "That flight risk put us up two touchdowns. Even the White House getting antsy about Prix."

"That was why I moved, they keep hitting me and stuff, I thought if I moved to the side maybe I can get a nice road to just run to the endzone," Irwin said with a smirk.

Leon shrugged, "They watching him on every play."

"Exactly, we can't pass long, they know we need to use Prix if we plan to win with the time left. They literally brought their Linebackers closer, because of it. That's why we are passing long," Hill said. We looked at him like he lost his Goddamn mind.

"I thought you said we can't pass long?" I asked.

"I did, they know we suck at that, that is why we will do it. If it works they won't be able to stop it the way they are positioned right now. Prix I am going to need you to take some more hits to win this match."

Irwin groaned as his arms flapped to the side.

"We are going for a fake run, Irwin will pretend to run with the ball. Everybody else will protect him like we are putting all our chips on him. Ember, sure you can run clear?"

Ember snickered and punched his gloved hand into the other. "What you take me fa', I got this, just slant me."

We got into place, Leon and I stood beside each other. Such a risky play, it was our first down, so I can't say it was a bad idea right now. We had a lot of yards to run. Can we pull it off? No point worrying about that.

"Hut!" Hill shouted.

I got pushed back, this player grabbed my shoulders and was lifting me. Turning, I ripped away from his grasp. Corner of my eye I saw Irwin coming.

Leon planted his foot and fended off a tackle, then he swiftly moved to the side and let the fool fall forward. I rushed forward and hit down one player, pushed the other. Irwin jumped forward, while I rushed into a steady stride beside him with Leon in front.

It's three of us, now, let's do this!

Mini-Glossary

Bloodfire - used alone or as a noun or verb in various phrases to express surprise, disbelief or shock.