Joe Burreaux is on top of the world—cautiously. It's the end of the third quarter of the 2022 Super Bowl and his team, the Bengals, are (so far) in the lead. He doesn't want to jinx it, but he's feeling great about their odds. Maybe his reckless optimism is what makes him a successful quarterback. Joe doesn't know. The only thing he knows for sure is that he needs to get his team in the same positive headspace he's in.
His boys are weary, tired, and looking forward to the brief reprieve that a quarter ending will bring. Bullshit. Joe thinks. We need to push to the end with a fucking smile on our faces.
"All right boys, bring it in." He shouts. The Bengals huddle around him as he outlines the next play as fast as he can. "And remember, team," he breathes. "You have to risk it to get the biscuit." This earns a somber nod from most of his teammates, and a few half smiles.
They break and get in formation on the thirty yard-line. The whistle blows and all sound is drowned out from Joe's ears the second the pebbly flesh of the football is securely in his hands, waiting for flight.
Joe looks for Ja'Marr Chase, his closest friend and best receiver down towards the fifteen yard line, where he is supposed to be.
Nothing.
Joe begins to feel uneasy: the play started six seconds ago, and he has to pivot now that Ja'Marr is nowhere to be found.
He'll have to run it.
Joe heaves a breath and lunges forward to ma—
His shoulder is thrown back as the air is ripped from his lungs. He's been hit.
The ball is precarious in his hands; he can calculate the exact moment it hits the ground and is stolen by the other team. A fumble would ruin the Bengals' moral.
As he's falling, Joe makes a desperate gamble and twists his legs to throw the ball out of bounds. He succeeds, but is only allowed a split-second of satisfaction before he realizes what that final throw has cost him.
Joe hits the ground in agony. His knee is screaming in the one place he knows there is no coming back from. No, no, no, no. He thinks. This is happening to someone else, not me. This isn't real.
Joe pushes up to his feet and nearly blacks out from the excruciating fire emanating from the side of his knee. He buckles and collapses back to the ground.
The next few moments are a blur: the paramedics come out and wheel him back to the med room. The doctor speaks, but all he hears is "career," "end," and "good run." Joe doesn't say a word, his usual sunny disposition in tough times has dissolved, dissipated into the ether.
Joe wordlessly accepts the sedatives they offer him and closes his eyes. The only thought running through his mind is that he did it: he threw the ball to safety. This thought carries him into the sweet oblivion of sleep.
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Project Snap Decision
RomanceWhen Joe Burreaux put down his football helmet, he never thought he'd pick up another again. However, when NASA DMs him asking him to join Project Snap Decision, he couldn't resist fulfilling another dream of his. What he didn't expect, was Camden...
