Colt's Game : A Playing for Keeps Story

And I'm A Winner

Colt

The both of us walk into the locker room right as the coach is in the middle of his speech, as soon as he sees me, the attention shifts.

"I asked for your best, Colt. This team, this school, I, deserve your best. You're not showing me anything out there besides fucking failure," Coach snarls at me, and I want to snap back at him. I don't, I know he's right. "I'd be better putting in a fucking running back to take your place at this point."

I don't even want him to think that. I don't want a second-rate quarterback to take my position because I was too scared to seize the chance. I glance over to Maddox, and he nods at me once. I'm not usually in the business of trusting people, I've been through too much to be vulnerable with anyone, but I'm hoping that Maddox is going to be good to his word.

"Give me the next half, coach. I got it together now."

"Get out of here with that bullshit. If you were ready, we wouldn't be in this position. I second coach's call to sit your ass back on the bench," Leo barks from where he is sitting.

"I said I'm fucking ready! Now you want to play ball, then get your hands ready. I've made enough mistakes for the entire team tonight, so we give them no more. From here on out, we play this game how I know we can. You drop one pass I'm targeting someone else the rest of the game." I stare Leo down, waiting for him to say something else. When he doesn't, I switch my attention over to Coach Mike. "Coach, give me the rest of the game to put this in the bag for us. I got it together." I feel a large presence behind me, and when I look, I see Maddox, black painted lines along his face, ready for battle.

"Prove that shit to me, Colt. You got the rest of the game. You fuck it up, you're gone, no more second chances." Coach stares me down for a second before he walks out of the locker room, leaving all of us in there to wait for the second half to start.

I grab a seat and drape a towel over my head, blocking everyone out. I need to get my head all the way into the game. It's now or never.

***

The other team managed to hold onto the ball for eight out of the fifteen minutes of the third quarter. Between the penalties and the short game, it felt like the offense would never get on the field.

The whistle blows, and finally, it's my turn to get out on the field.

I get behind the line and look at what the defense has for me. They are going to blitz.

Fuck, I'm not going to get enough time to get the ball off.

"Running back, pick up! Max protect!" I hear Maddox yell out, and the entire offensive line shifts slightly. He changed up my protection to give me more time to throw.

Maddox turns to make sure I'm set and nods once before he faces forward. If he was going to stay true to his word, then so was I.

I ready myself, make sure the line is set and hike the ball.

The second the football touches my skin, I have no other thoughts in the world, nothing besides playing the game. I hear the crack of my imaginary slapstick and release the ball perfectly. It spirals through the air and hits the receiver right in the chest as he is breaking out of his route.

Thirty-six yards in the bank in less than ten seconds.

The second half of the game flies by, the entire team working together and connecting seamlessly. By the end of it all, I had thrown for a hundred and seventy-five yards with three touchdowns.

Suddenly it seems like the thousand yard bet isn't so unattainable.