What Once Was

(10) As It Was

"As it was
You know it's not the same as it was
As it was, as it was."
-Harry Styles

Friday night rolled around and I already knew I was going to be benched the whole night. No matter how hard I tried in practice, I still sucked. I knew it was because I was jealous of Ainsley and Carew as they were getting closer each day, it seemed. I just need to make sure to be there for Ainsley when he moves on to his next girl because that's how he is.

He never sees a girl for how amazing she is and it drives me insane that he gets so many. Ainsley does not deserve what he does to girls. None of them do.

As Coach announced the starting lineup, I kept an eye on Ainsley, who was joining us on the sidelines once again. We had an away game so it was cool of her to travel with us, except I knew she would be paying attention to Carew all night because he was playing QB.

Soon, the team had taken their places on the field and the ball was snapped. Carew threw the ball to Jackson, but Jackson fumbled because the throw was too low.

Ainsley stood nearby and she began talking into her headset to Carew. "You need to follow through with your throw," she said.

When the ball was snapped again, Carew tried to hand the ball off to Ethan, but a linebacker on the other team tackled Carew before he could even hand the ball off.

Ainsley threw her hands up in frustration. "Carew, seriously. You're smarter than that. I told you to watch out for number 50 because he charges the second the ball is snapped!"

On the third down, Carew threw the ball, but it got intercepted. The other team started running for the end zone while my team tried to stop them. However, they made it without a problem, scoring a touchdown.

Carew jogged off the field to Ainsley who was livid. "I have never seen someone play so badly! All you have to do is throw the damn ball! Why the hell would you throw it to someone who was marked up?"

"He wasn't marked up when I went to throw the ball!" he cried.

I watched as Ainsley rolled her eyes and focused back on the game. Maybe if I was in, things would be different.

-

By the time half-time rolled around, we were losing . . . 27-0. Ainsley was obviously pissed off and I overheard the conversation she was having with her dad.

"Dad, someone else needs to go in. Carew plays way better as a Wide Receiver."

"Who else is there to put in? James is not in the right mindset to play this week for whatever reason and none of our other backup QBs have been playing well either."

"You put in Ryder, obviously. Just let him play the third quarter and see how he does. It can't get any worse than it is now," Ainsley argued.

Coach Sloane glanced up at me and rolled his eyes. He waved me over and I jogged over to where he stood with Ainsley.

"Are you feeling good enough to go in?" he asked me.

I nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Great. Make sure your arm is warm. Go throw a few balls around with Jackson."

A while later, I took my position on the field, and I immediately felt the stress from the week fall away. The field is my happy place.

"Alright, James," I heard Ainsley say in my ear, "Pull a reverse. Hand the ball off to Carew. Make sure to act fast because 50 will charge you."

I nodded and called the play. The ball was snapped and 50 came running at me. I dodged him and he ended up taking down Carew instead. Knowing not to panic, I looked at my options and saw a hole open. I took off, sprinting through it and juking the defenders that were coming after me. I made it quite far before getting tackled. The crowd went wild but I barely heard them because I was listening to Ainsley.

"Good save. This time, look wide. Ethan is open out there without a defender in sight."

The ball was snapped once more and I threw the ball quickly to Ethan, who caught it without an issue. He sprinted down the line and right into the end zone. I looked to the side lines to see Ainsley nodding with a smile.

When I came off the field she gave me a high five. "Nice job. Looks like you're playing back to normal," she said.

"And it looks like you're finally acting normal," I bit.

"What's that supposed to mean, James?" she questioned.

I rolled my eyes. "You've been avoiding me all week and you finally talk to me."

"I'm just trying to put everything aside so you can have a good game," she said. "You have potential and I don't want to ruin that for you."

"Seriously? You're avoiding me for no reason."

She stayed silent and kept her eyes firmly on the field.

"Ah, so you're just going to go right back to Carew the second the timer runs down," I mumbled. "He's not a good guy and I don't think he had good intentions the night of the party," I mumbled as I walked away.

As I stood on the lines, I could see her peering at me constantly for whatever reason, but if she wants to avoid me, then I can avoid her.

-

I went onto the field for the final time that night. We had no shot at winning because the other team managed to rack up more points, but we still put up a fight as we managed to get four touchdowns this half.

"Okay. Their defense is slowly falling apart. I think you should be safe to run the ball on this play. If that doesn't work out though, look deep," said Ainsley through the ear piece.

As the ball was snapped, a hole opened up in the other team's defense, just like Ainsley had predicted. I ran through it as my blockers created a broader path for me that led all the way to the end zone. Not a single player from the other team was around and I managed to reach the end zone, adding another six points to the score.

"Nice run!" cried Coach Sloane.

"I did not think he would be able to run it all the way," Ainsley chuckled through the ear piece as she spoke to her dad.

I ran off the field and the final few minutes of the game went by quickly. Even though we lost, I was still happy with how I played and was grateful that I managed to humble Carew.

Later, as I left the locker room after changing out of my gear, I, of course, saw Ainsley and Carew talking.

"Maybe you can help me improve my throws," he said. "I think with your help, I could be great."

"Yeah, I can see what I can do, but I think you should leave that spot open for Ryder. He really has some talent and you're an incredible Wide Receiver. In fact, you have so much talent in that position that you could probably go pro."

I could hear him scoff as I kept walking, but I didn't bother listening to his response.