Number 12

Chapter 7

Jake’s POV

Once a season we have an out of State game. This year we got drawn to play the Johnsonville Jaguars. Sam looked really happy to play her old team. As it was an out of State game we had to miss school on Friday to get there. We were standing in the tunnel waiting for the official to let us on to start the game.

‘I’m sorry but there is a problem with the field so you will have to wait here for half an hour’ the official told us when we were in the tunnel. The Jaguars were beside us waiting too.

‘Sam, is that you?’ one of them asked and Sam turned around and smiled.

‘Andrew, Matt and Liam’ she smiled and walked over to them.

‘How is football? I hear you aren’t playing quarterback’ Andrew said.

‘I am a line backer as he is the star quarterback’ Sam smirked indicating to me.

‘How are the bullets…?’ Liam started to ask but Sam shhhed him.

‘They don’t know and I’d rather it stayed that way’ Sam said as someone tapped her on her shoulder. She turned around and hugged the figure. It was Michael of course. He hadn’t been at training the last few days.

‘You’re here’ Sam smile brighten even more.

‘I spoke to Coach and he is letting me play’ Michael smiled and turned to the other boys.

‘I heard about your Mom” Matt said.

‘I wouldn’t have come but she wanted to see me play one more time’ Michael smiled. The other three boys must have been Sam’s best friends. Most of the other boys had turned around to talk to Sam. She was probably the captain as everyone seemed to listen to her.

‘Who replaced me?’ she smirks.

‘Richie’ someone said and a boy was pushed forward who was probably a senior. He smiled and Sam laughed. She nudged him with her shoulder but he didn’t move which seemed to please Sam which was strange but I don’t understand her.

‘Well you should know that I am a line backer so watch out’ she smiles. Richie looks nervous at that.

‘You should know that Richie has improved so you won’t be able to beat us’ Liam taunted. Then the official came back and ushered us onto the field. Sam gathered us up to talk to us. Even though I am the captain and it is my job I let her talk.

‘The Jaguars are players like us. Don’t bow down to them because they haven’t lost a game in five years. They should respect us as we won our first game in ten years. We have the players and plays to knock them down so go out there and do your job without worrying who we are playing’ she speaks and as she finishes we are called onto the field.

We were kicking-off so I wasn’t on the field. They got it around their thirty yard line. Their quarterback looks nervous. I would guess that it is because he is playing against the girl he was second-string for. Sam gets an amazing sack and manages to force a fumble.

I walk onto the field read to start. We don’t start well. We at three and ten and I am in the shotgun position. I get the ball and try to pass it to Cody but he isn’t there. I see their line backer running towards me.

I wake up on the ground with everyone around me. I am on a stretcher off the field and all the team is around me except Sam who is fiddling with her straps. I sit up and the medic asks me a few questions. He tells me that I can’t play the rest of the game due to concussion but I should be fine for the next one. I sit there and watch Jack run onto the field. He is a junior who is good but hasn’t started before.