54'
Early second half in Manville...
I hate Jordan.
The ball slices up the middle after McRae sends it flying. Vaughn is right there to wrangle it in.
I hate Tyler.
Vaughn breaks into the middle of the Bears' defense and—
I hate Coach!
Ooh! It ricochets off the foot for a throw.
My screamer gets sidelined by Jordan, who cuts into the line of fire instead of into me.
Vaughn eyes his team.
I nod. Brandon, Henry and...Tyler. I flick it to Henry. One kick later and it goes flying toward the crowd.
Off the head of number two. Rolls to Tyler.
In!
Tyler kicks it out.
Idiot! Just time it and spray-and-pray it! Don't get fancy with it!
...When we talked with Coach, Coach disagreed with taking Tyler out of the game. Even when we pitched it as a joint decision.
"I don't think so."
This is how it's go...wait.
Cycled around. Back to Tyler. Tyler shoots the cross in.
...Frack!
Ooh! What a nasty lick...but, oh! What a knee! It clips off Henry's knee and slips by the bar! ...And suddenly, we've got a knot to untie.
...But, at the cost of Brandon.
Put the celebration on pause, however. McRae...it looks like McRae collided with Spencer in the crowd.
"Brandon..."
Brandon's shaken up. I'm fearing the worst. I'm staring at myself in an out-of-body experience because...
"Please don't get hurt again."
"...I won't."
"Promise?"
"...I'll be okay. ...I promise."
...I know what it's like.
Goal stands. But, a malfunction at the junction.
Brandon.
No foul given. Ref will let it go on accidental contact.
"You alright?" I ask.
McRae is a little slow to get up. You hope he's okay. Already injured once this season. It must've flashed by.
"Yeah," he says, catching his breath.
I offer him a hand. He takes it.
"Don't scare me again, idiot!" I say.
"Heh! Who's the idiot?" he asks, pointing to the board.
The board says we're tied after Brandon's fight in that cross.
New question...who's up to untying the knot?
Jordan. He shakes it off like it's nothing. Brandon walks it off and play resumes. I don't think he cares if he just took one for the team. We scored. Henry's happy. As long as his leg is intact, it's back to work to break this tie.
YOU ARE READING
Earhart & Noonan: An "Us Club" Novel (#1)(NaNoWriMo15)
Teen FictionFor the first twelve years of Stephen Vaughn's life, just trying to get others around him to pronounce his first name the right way ("Stee-vehn Vawn") has felt like the hardest task he's had to try and cope with. That is, until his perfect life with...
