Deviant

Chapter 16~ Show Me

Sorry for the wait, I had to clean up some details.
I hate myself for doing this but it's all part of the plan
He still bae tho

* * * * *

The Monday morning before the game at the end of the week, Alex was up early.

When I slipped into the kitchen to eat breakfast, I saw him sitting at the table with a phone to his ear. A frown was etched into his face as he listened intently.

"I understand, sir." He said grimly, pursing his lips.

I raised my eyebrows as I opened the refrigerator door, eavesdropping inconspicuously.

"Two days and a wake up. Zero dark thirty?"

Taking out a yogurt, I poised myself against the counter and blinked at him, confused by all the strange talk. He didn't notice me and continued talking as I popped open my yogurt, eating it quietly.

"I will be there. Have them waiting for me."

Alex hung up the phone and put his head in his hands, sighing deeply. He clasped his hands in front of him, pursing his lips as his eyes stared down aimlessly.

I cleared my throat and shuffled my feet. He diverted his eyes quickly and saw it was just me, so he relaxed.

He forced a smile. "Hey, Nat."

"Hey." I furrowed my brows again. "What was the call about?"

He bit his lip."It's nothing yet. " He shook his head. "I meant to ask you something."

I looked at him funny, noticing that he was acting weird. I didn't like the word yet but I didn't point it out.

"What is it?"

Alex ran a hand through his hair. "I was wondering if I could come see you practice today." He stood up and stuffed his hands in his pocket, his brown eyes warm.

I shrugged. "Coach wouldn't have a problem with it. Besides, we're playing scrimmage again today but this time, against freshman team so you'll get to see me in action." I winked and grinned but then returned serious. "Why?"

He smiled again. "It's nothing I just haven't gotten to see you play yet. I don't want to miss something big."

I heard a car beep outside and I glanced at the window, seeing Zach's familiar black matte convertible parked on the side of the road.

"Oh okay." I gave him a suspicious look and finished my yogurt. "If you say so." I tossed it into the trash and slid past him to the door.

I slung my backpack over my shoulder and hurried into my slip ons. "See you there, Alex."

* * *

There were only 3 minutes left in the scrimmage game but it was pretty clear that we had won.

Alex was suited fully in his uniform, sitting on a bench along our sideline. Whenever defense was sent out and offense retreated, he'd look at me with a slight smile on his face as I walked over.

But behind the smile was a frown and I knew that but I didn't know why.

I had only made a single touchdown the whole time, giving Gingham a chance to make plays but I was still making excellent yardage.

When I began heading back out on the field for probably the last time that game, Alex had grabbed my arm.  

"Do me a favor Natalie?"

I looked at him. "Yeah?

"Show me that I was right about you."

He let me go and leaned back in his bench, hands behind his head.

With his words in mind, I jogged out on field. Snapping my straps closed, I looked up towards the freshman punter situating the ball between his hands.

Show me that I was right about you .

I slipped on my gloves and looked at Alex, nodding my head.

He advocated for me when no one else in my family would.

I need to make him proud.

The freshman kicker threw the ball and it hit his foot with a snap, making its way down the field towards me. It was a surprisingly good kick. As a result, I had to run back a little bit. It wasn't very forceful so I caught it easily.

I took off, the defense seeming so far away. As I was sprinting downfield, I caught a glimpse of Alex leaning forward, hands clasped.

I had a sudden burst of energy and I charged even faster, my cleats hitting the ground in a quick rhythm.

The defense was only about 10 yards away and my eyes scurried to find a gap. I found one instantly, right in the middle of the field. I charged towards them and they dived after me, each one barely missing me.

Someone grabbed my shoulder and I spun out of their grip, knocking them to the ground. I was storming downfield as the yelling of coaches and players became a blur. The end zone came into focus and seemed to sharpen as I neared it even faster.

I felt someone else grab at me, but instead my helmet flew off. I disregarded this and continue running, my hair flowing behind me.

I crossed the final white line and slowed to a stop, the noise coming back to me. I jumped up and danced triumphantly as each of my teammates cheered downfield. I smiled, the ball poised in one hand as I aimed to throw it towards the floor.

Show me that I was right about you.

I looked downfield and saw the faint figure of Alex in the distance. He was now standing up, the shadow of his hat at his side as the sun set behind him.

One of the boys who had reached me handed me my helmet, chattering endlessly as others joined him. I took the helmet wordlessly, the noise fading out again as I pushed through the mass of football players from each team. I walked slowly downfield, watching Alex still gaze at me. My helmet was poised under my arm, my hair flowing freely behind me.

Something about the way the air blew into my face and cooled me down despite the sweat trickling down every inch of my body had me at ease.

My entirety was currently ablaze and I could easily rejoice in all the praise I was receiving. But as I saw Alex turn around and walk away-hat still in his hand-the world stood still.

I lived for moments like this but my brother? He was willing to die for others to experience moments like this.

And suddenly, I understood.

He asked me to show him that he was right about me because he knew he wouldn't actually see me prove it to the world publicly for the first time.

He was leaving before he got to see my first game.

He was breaking his promise to me in order to fulfill his promise to the country.

He was leaving again too early and there was nothing I could do about it.

He was leaving again and as I watched him walk into the sunset, I wondered if that would be the last time I would see him do so.