A Second Chance

Chapter 3

"Pick up the pace, Jones! You're my starting receiver for fucks sake and you can't out run Dalton?" Coach yelled from the sideline as he roughly threw his clipboard on the bench.

I stood a few feet away from him, carefully watching the boys practice that occurred after school. The sun was setting, the beautiful colors fading in the background until it was completely dark. A small breeze was flowing through my chestnut hair as I frequently had to tuck a few stray hairs back behind my ears.

There were about twenty boys standing on the sideline, some cursing at Ethan, while the others paced up and down the side of the turf. I was wedged in between the middle of them, standing quietly as I watched our star players run down the field. My notepad gently rested against my chest as I could easily hear the loud breathing that came from the exhausted football players around me.

When I heard our team line up to run again, my head subconsciously whipped towards the 50 yard line, watching the center snap the ball as Weston easily caught it and glanced around the field. Our team was scrimmaging against each other, so the defense was wearing a different color practice jersey to separate the two sides.

I watched Weston effortlessly throw the ball to Ethan, our wide receiver, who was wide open. Ethan was a fast runner, so when he ran down the field, he made it seem so effortless. I let a smile crawl onto my lips when I watched him catch the ball and ran towards the end zone. Of course, Weston threw a perfect pass.

I heard the boys on the sideline cheer for Ethan, encouraging him to push through our defense. Our defense was incredible, so he didn't make it far, but ended up getting the first down nonetheless. I cheered for Ethan as I glanced down at the notepad I once held against my chest. I rested it on my forearm, taking notes on who was our best offensive and defensive players. We needed to figure out who should be our starting players before our first game in a few weeks.

My head was still pounding, but it was more bearable than last night. I just had to squeeze my pillow, folding it over my ears so I could block out their yelling before they finally went to sleep. It amazed me how they could go for so long without breaks. They both must be miserable, not only physically but also emotionally.

"Violet! What the hell are you doing?" I heard Coach Woods abruptly yell, breaking me away from my thoughts as I sharply turned my head to meet his fiery eyes. He glared at me, his nostrils flaring as he took a few steps towards me.

"What?" I asked, raising one of my eyebrows as I took a small step back. I tightly gripped my notepad as a few of the players next to me gave Coach a weird look.

"Get out there!" He yelled, his jaw rigid as he pointed towards the field.

My head snapped towards the field, my eyes going wide when I saw a few boys roughly pushing each other. That was fast. I rolled my eyes, annoyed that he expected me to go out there when he obviously should. This is why they need my help, because this coach can't do shit.

"For fucks sake," I mumbled under my breath as I threw the notepad I carried in my hand on the turf before running towards the boys that were huddled together.

My feet lightly pounded against the turf, small breaths filling my chest as I made my way towards the group of boys. A few were standing on the outside, watching with their arms crossed over their chests as a few took their helmets off.

They frequently ran a hand through their damp hair in frustration as they watched the scene unfold in front of them. My eyes narrowed at a few boys that were trying to get in between the argument, forcing their bodies in front of them so they could help separate the players.

When I finally made it towards the group, the sound of yelling immediately hit my ears. Some boys were shouting at them to stop, while others were cursing at how immature they were acting. I released an annoyed breath as I shoved my way through the broad football players until I was able to see what was going on.