Vulneratis: The Stories of Christian Vanover

look at me!

Life is a crazy thing. But what's even crazier is our minds. Think right now, what'd you eat for dinner two weeks ago on Monday? Now think about the most embarrassing memory you have. Which one do you remember?Joining the football team was a golden halo that had fallen from the sky for me. I needed to prove that I was strong, strong enough at best. Most of my friends were playing that year anyway and seemed really excited to play. The most I'd ever done was a year or two of flag football. Suffered from a concussion. IN FLAG FOOTBALL. This was tackle, which didn't phase me and against popular belief running didn't phase me either. Yeah, yeah the classic "I'm fat but I can run" story. It was true I didn't mind running. Why? Think something different?Of course everyone told me no or doubted me and warned me.
Christian:So I'm gonna do football?!??
Jorden: No ur not.
Christian: Meaning?
Jorden: Meaning you don't do sports like dat
Jorden: But do what u wish
Christian:See u first day of conditioning.

Shocker! Jorden doubted me, but he was still my best friend. I needed someone to believe in me so I called Aaliyah. "So I'm gonna do football" I said nervously "No you're not you're gonna die, literally die" she says shouting. "Since I signed up like 30 minutes ago" I say laughing. "Whatever!" she says hanging up in my face. Shocker, Just as my faith started to waiver, my phone ringed. Deja Vu. You'll get it later."If it isn't the one the only Peyton Beckham" I say to the phone. "It's me your queen" she says smiling. "So I saw your snapchat story, you're doing football?!!?" she says. "Yeah Yeah, and I know you're going to say I can't and I'm gonna die and all that but Jorden and Aal--" she cuts me off. "And they're right you're going to die out there" she says boastfully. "Hanging up now" I say clicking the screen. "Wait, but if you want to do this do it." she says. "Thank you and Goodbye" I say clicking her away. I know I know what makes her any better than Jorden? They said the same thing. The difference is Peyton meant it, Jorden didn't.After a day of receiving texts from Avery Bryants and Jordan Johnsons either saying "You got this" or "Stop now" I got a text from the one person who made my decision for me. Gio Serra.Gio: Look I wanna do football, but my mom says its too dangerous and I dont wanna make her mad by asking. Christian:Just do it, it's gonna be fun
Gio: I don't want her mad at me
Christian: Bet money she won't be
Gio: And ur for sure doing it?
Christian: Yes I signed up and everything Christian:It's gonna be fun ash

Gio truly did believe that I could do but no one else really did. So I tricked myself into thinking I could. Before I knew it I was at MC Sports buying training uniforms. But all of the hype and doubt stopped when I set my first foot on the rough hard grass of Grand Blanc Middle School. And when that loud whistle blew followed by screaming. I regretted what I signed up for. Horribly.
Back and Forth and Back and Forth. All we did that day. We ran and ran and than ran some more. What else could you expect though. I knew that. What I didn't know was football, every kid grows up watching basketball and football with their Dad. Not me. That was my little sister Taiya. Yeah Yeah I was my Dads son, but the shoe fit her way better than it did me. Naturally I did watch a game or two with my Dad but it never really stuck out to me. So when the coaches yelled out things like Code Red and Code Blue it felt like I was learning Pre-Calculus.The first day of conditioning which I liked to think of as training was great and truly set the mood for what I was in for. I hated it. I hated being screamed at cussed at. But that was the nature of the game. I had my mind set on quitting and thought it to be easy. But those last five minutes changed it all for me."Three point stance!" The buck toothed coach yelled. "LOWER!" the voice said. I got lower. "LOWER CHRIS" the voice said again. I kept on. "Lower" I thought to myself. "Three...Two..One..AND HUT!. I ran faster than I thought I could. Well than I usually did. Of course there were people faster. That's the thing about living. You can try to be the fastest and the best. But there will always be someone faster than you and better than you. Once I reached the end of the line I stood up and realized I was the third one there out of my group. But I still wasn't fast enough. "Pick up the pace Vanover" the orange haired Kaden Baker yelled at me cockily."Don't listen to him" the voiced said through a deep breath. "You were good" he says again. "Thanks Ricky, but I wasn't fast enough" I say watching the other group run. Jorden was first. Obviously. As I walked off the field ready to get in my car and never return as a football player. I saw my parents smile. It was out of pure happiness. Of course your parents say that they are proud of you. But the look on their faces meant they actually were. "How'd it go?" my Dad says. "Great Dad, it went great." I lied on.
That night everyone posted how easy that day was and how tomorrow they wanted to do more. I joined. Jorden and I facetimed that night as he tried to explain the rules to me. I nodded along like I knew what I was doing. I was more focused on the girl who had just made me my angriest. "You play football?" she texted. "Yea?" I respond back. "Crazy" she texted back. "Do I know you?" I text "We went to McGrath together" she replied. "My name is Lindsey. Lindsey Angliss"
The last day was the definition of hell for me. I skipped a day to contemplate quitting. But the next day I woke up and decided I had to go, not for my parents not for my friends but for me, Jorden picked me up mostly because everyone from my house was gone and he had to go there anyways. That was a good thing though. Had it been my parents I would've not wanted to go and probably wouldn't have, with them I had no choice. If I finished conditioning today, I got my jersey and I was on the team. That was the goal. After that I'd be stuck right? We arrived and it was literally a sign from God for me to turn back. It was pouring down rain not a little sprinkling here and there full fledge raining. Since we had arrived late we had to run around the track three times. Once again not hard. Jorden finished first out of the group that ran the soaked track. Ryan McKenzie a guy whom I had known since fourth grade as well were right alongside each other. As I said before running wasn't the problem, it was my glasses this time. They were soaking wet and I couldn't see anything, and that's when I stopped, not because I couldn't do it but because I couldn't see. Why hear something else?"VANOVER!MCKENZIE! "the coach bellows. "GET THE HELL OVER HERE" he screams. We run like there is no tomorrow. "SO YOU THINK YOU CAN WALK ON MY FIELD AND EXPECT TO PLAY!" we shook our heads profusely. "UP DOWNS NOW! I assume the push up position and listen out for the call to spring back up. "UP" he screams. This wasn't the hell of football that comes much later. While I continued with my "Up Downs" I realized something as the cold mud hit my nose. I wanted to do football. This was the golden halo. And I wasn't passing it up."Okay, Okay" the angry coach says calmly. "Just don't walk again when I tell you to run" we sprint back with the group. After a few laps and drills we come to an end, than suddenly. The rain stops slowly than all at once. The sun comes out and the coaches tell us to huddle up. In a sea of kids we find our water bottles and run over to the three coaches standing in a lined formation. After a series of congratulations and pep talks they walk us inside the school. A plethora of jersey's, helmets and other padding fills the usual cafeteria.