ONE YEAR AGO
Fourth down.
I was gonna make a fucking run for it.
I glanced at Mack, our wide receiver who was a whiny bitch most of the time but he was good on the field, and gave him a nod. Then, I turned to our running back, Holden. He was no Oz, who was a monster and broke state records, but he was pretty awesome in his own way.
Holden gave me a brief thumbs up, telling me he understood. He was going to clear the path for me.
Game on.
"Hut!"
I caught the ball and stepped back, acting like I was gonna make a long pass. When most of the linebackers' attention was on Mack, I fucking ducked and ran. It didn't take long before they were onto me, though. I quickened my pace when I noticed they started chasing after me.
Fuck, I needed this touchdown.
Some dickwad managed to catch up with me, but Holden lowered his pace to intercept the player. Shit. Now I was all alone.
Thanks to that dickwad.
Only twenty more yards...
I heard someone running behind me, getting closer and closer. I looked over my shoulder and thought I saw a bull for a second. I mean, with the dude's build, it was easy to mistake him for a raging wild animal.
You know what's funny, though? I was wearing red.
Ten yards...
I watched his body and waited for the right timing.
Come on, just fucking do it already.
The second I saw the dumbass lower his shoulders, I got ready. And when he finally bended his knees, I moved sideways and dodged his sorry ass tackle.
"TOUCHDOWN!"
HELL TO THE FUCKING YEAH!
I stopped running and dropped the ball in the endzone. Looking at the sky, I raised my head upwards and tried to catch my breath. A wide grin made its way to my lips and I felt like it was gonna stay there all night.
I was back in my fucking game.
People cheered my name, some started chanting my number, my teammates slapped my back (and my ass), and Coach gave a firm nod in my direction. I felt so goddamn proud of myself. I closed my eyes and relished this moment.
I was fucking living again.
When I arrived in Cambridge last year, I never thought I'd ever play football again. I was burnt out, from all the pressure and the expectations. I was burnt out from all the shit that happened in Florida.
I just needed a goddamn break.
But then Coach Saxon found out I got into Harvard and reached out to me. He didn't kiss my ass and sugarcoat what he wanted from me. He told me head on that I'd be benched on my first year with the team.
After that big 'incident' in Florida, nobody wanted to recruit me anymore. I thought I'd quit the game for good. Coach Saxon was the only one who gave me another shot. He was the only one who believed that beneath all the mess, I was capable of rising to the occasion.
He wanted me to play for him, but he needed me to prove myself first. But his expectations of me were different from what I experienced before. I never felt the pressure from him. He gave me room to breathe and grow on my own.
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Tainted Me
Mystery / ThrillerMOUNT VALLEY SERIES #3 As the star quarterback of the Harvard football team, Alfie O'neal reformed his bad boy ways and started anew. Just when he's getting a hang of his new life (and playing cat-and-mouse with a certain sassy MIT girl), the ghost...