Last Friday Night (ManxMan) ✔️

Chapter 5

It was a small misstep. But with Hunter running at full speed and that corner of the field needing a few holes filled, his foot slipped. No amount of twisting or wriggling could prevent his body from thumping harshly against the ground. He gave himself a moment of stillness, just breathing in the Saturday morning air and feeling the cool earth beneath him. His quiet was interrupted by Kian, jogging to stand over Hunter's body. Once he got close enough to see Hunter clearly, the man winced.

"You okay, man?" Kian had his hands against his knees, still trying to rest even as he checked up on Hunter. The man was visibly tired, his dirty blond quiff having turned into damp bangs during the games, so his pity on Hunter felt especially embarrassing.

"I'm fine," Hunter grunted, the frown emerging on his face naturally. "Foot just slipped."

Silently, Kian reached out and their hands clapped loudly together as Hunter got pulled up. Kian's arms were not large, but wiry with muscles accumulated from the numerous sports he played. Which made it easy for him to help lift his larger friend.

"That looked like a rough fall," Audrey commented as she watched Hunter stand up gingerly. She shoved some loose wisps of bleached blond hair behind her ears but the strands stubbornly flew back out. "That kid got you pretty good."

"It was one of those fucking holes in the ground," he snapped. "I could have caught TJ."

Vaguely, he understood that he sounded like a child but his ego was bruised and wouldn't let this go.

"Sure you can, old man," the young buck in question grinned, running backwards with the football in hand and his flag still firmly attached. Judging by the wide smile on his face, TJ made the touchdown, a nice bit of salt to throw in Hunter's wound.

A whistle rang across the field and twenty or so heads turned to one short woman standing off to the side. By most definitions of the word, Cindy was small, but her voice rang loudly when she told them to take a 5 minute break.

It was Cindy who'd created this flag football club a few years back. It was small and local, used more for exercise among those who'd never been able to pursue their football dreams, but still fun in its own right. Skill levels varied almost as much as the ages did since some were fresh out of college at 23 while others were sending their kids off to college at 54.

It was Sean who'd told Hunter about this place. He just saw a paper ad posted on a stop light and decided to give it a shot, quickly getting Hunter, Audrey, and Kian to join as well. Speak of the devil, Sean was already coming to meet Hunter, holding the latter's water bottle and a towel. Maybe Hunter should get injured more often, it definitely got him better treatment.

"How are you feeling?" Sean eagerly pushed the items into Hunter's hands, watching him intently as he gulped down half of the bottle. "You were down there for a good second."

"Just enjoying the break," Hunter muttered through clenched teeth, unsure of whether to enjoy or despise all of the attention. It was comforting, but it also made him feel weak. The urge to wallow grew stronger with so many comforting hands on his shoulders or rubbing his back. And wallowing clashed hard with the anger Hunter was trying to maintain.

To be clear, it wasn't the fall that had him so mad. Or anything in the game leading up to it. Less than twelve hours earlier, Hunter was sitting through what he assumed to be a rejection. He was confused, a little sad, but mostly annoyed. Which, after hours of going over the interaction again and again, turned into anger. Football helped him burn off some steam, but the wound was still fresh and now everything seemed to be bubbling to the surface.

"Actually, can I have a minute?"

Hunter didn't wait for a reply, instead breaking off from the group to stand on the sidelines. There was no privacy here in the middle of an open field, but with his back facing the group, this was the best he would get.