We Come Alive 4

"Don't downgrade her pain."

Monday morning, after once again not going to his 5th period class, Diego was sitting in the trainer's room of the athletic building. He was swinging his legs back and forth as he listened to Danny fill out the chart from the test he just did.

Diego sighed as he felt the rush of worry take over his body. He didn't bother to look up at Danny when he walked up to him, he just kept his head down.

"Alright." Danny breathed. "Between the accident and now, you've improved greatly. But you're not what you were before the accident. Compared to your former 100%, you're at a late 60's%. Around 67, 68%. Your new goal I need you to work towards in the first playoff game. Okay? Homecoming is Friday, so keep out for the playoffs."

Diego put his hands to his eyes as he tried to hold back his emotions. "After that? What happens after that final play? The final touchdown? The final goal? The final score?"

Danny closed his eyes as he tried to hold back his own tears, knowing it would break both of their hearts. The second the words left Danny's lips, Diego bursted into tears and sobbed out. Danny put his hand on Diego's back and rubbed it as the young boy saw all of his dreams for the future, shatter.

Danny looked towards the doorway and saw Ricky standing there. Danny backed away and left the room to let the boys be alone. Ricky dragged his feet across the floor as he walked up to Diego. He grabbed his arm to make him sit up. The second Diego saw who it was, he pressed his forehead against Ricky's chest and sobbed.

"What'd he say?"

"If we make it to state....it'll be my final game. He doesn't think my neck would hold up to play a full season." Diego sobbed out. "I'm never gonna play again."

Ricky comforted Diego to the best of his ability, but there was nothing to say to a kid who's only dream growing up was to make it to the NFL and to play college ball, but was going to get neither. Ricky wrapped a tight arm around Diego as he hated to see someone who he loved like a brother, be forced to see his entire future crumble in his hands.

~**~

At the end of the day, Ethan held onto Christin's hand as they walked side by side. Ethan looked over at the shorter Mexican girl as she walked in her off the shoulder orange long sleeve belly shirt, black jeans, and black shoes. She had been wearing one of Ethan's jackets all day so she didn't get dress coded, but since the day was over, she was free.

Ethan pulled her hand so she fell into him and held onto her shoulders. He kissed the top of her head before kissing her lips. "Who you going to homecoming with?" He mumbled against her lips.

Christin giggled as she place one hand on his chest and the other arm around his back. "No one. Just some friends for now. You're not going, so I don't have a date."

"Well," Ethan smirked. "I have three out for the whole day passes for good behavior. I'm using two of them for our, hopeful, state game. And I'm using one for homecoming. So I can have the prettiest Belle of the ball by my side."

Christin giggled and stopped at the halfway point between the school and the field so she could head to her car. "Well than, I should plan on looking the best I can before than, right?"

Ethan smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow. Also, spread the word to make Stephen and Jessica homecoming king and queen."

Christin gave him a thumbs up as she walked off back towards the school student parking lot so she could go home. Ethan turned around and ran off to the field so he wasn't late for practice.

~

20 minutes later, Jose was sitting on the field stretching his legs when he saw Colby walking over to him in his practice jersey. He smiled while sitting down in front of Jose and wrapping his arms around his knees that were brought up to his chest.

"Hey." Colby smiled. "I was just wondering something."

Jose gave him a hesitate look but closed his legs and kept them lazily out in front of his body. "About?"

Colby chuckled at Jose's expression. "Homecoming. You got a date?"

Jose laughed loudly. He was about to give his response when Colby jumped up and walked off behind Jose. Jose scoffed while turning around but smiled brightly when he saw Colby holding up a sign. Ethan was holding a stuffed frog and Diego on the other side of Colby filming Jose's reaction. Jose couldn't help but laugh when he read Colby's sign.

You're first ranked, I'm not ranked, let's be top ranked at hoco!!

Jose got up, rolled his eyes, and gave Colby a kiss. "Yeah, I'll go with ya." He smirked.

"I told him to write, I'm hella gay, you're hella gayer, let's be gay at homecoming together. But no one wanted to do that." Ethan sighed, handing Jose the stuffed frog. "I chose the frog."

Jose took the frog and smirked. "Thanks, Eth. Always a joy to have around."

Ethan shrugged as him and Diego walked off to the sidelines to get their helmets so they could start practice. When they got to the benches, they saw Manny talking to Clover, but she wasn't talking back.

"Hey, Lucky Charms." Diego smiled, kneeling down in front of her. "How you holding up?"

Clover shrugged her shoulders and looked down at her hands. Diego put his hands on her thighs and looked her in the eyes. "How about me and you go to homecoming together? I'll treat you like a true queen. I'll decorate my truck for you."

Clover just shrugged again and gently moved his hands away before picking up her helmet and going onto the field. Diego picked up his helmet so he could do the drills and glanced over at Manny.

"How she been?" He wondered, feeling Ethan leaning his forearm on the top of his back.

Manny sighed as she ran her fingers through her kinky wavy natural hair. "She cried all morning Sunday, stayed in the room all afternoon, and when he called her that night she sobbed when he had to hang up after a three minute conversation."

"Clover's a tough girl. She'll be fine." Ethan shrugged, biting his thumb nail before spitting it out.

Manny rolled her eyes and stood up so she only had to look up a small bit to look Ethan in the eyes. "Yeah, she can get punched in the face, take a hard tackle, or get hit so hard she's spitting up blood. There's no denying that. Clover got shot than played her state game before she was fully healed, she's a fighter alright. But her boyfriend, at only 19, was shipped off to a third world country with no communication back to her when she's use to seeing him everyday. Her one escape from this constant football talk, constant having to fight to prove herself, constant having to be on her A game or she's not a good player. They'll say she must've been shit. Dante doesn't treat her as the starting quarterback or the girl who has to fix all of y'all's bullshit issues. He sees her as just...Clover. An 18 year old black girl who loves to watch The Dark Knight and eat Ice cream all day. And he's gone. He left. He went across the world. But she's a tough girl right? Last time I checked you can't last a week of pain without popping pills, hence why you live in an addiction facility at 18. Don't downgrade her pain."

Manny bumped Ethan's shoulder as she walked off to go inside the athletic building and away from them. Diego chuckled under his breath after walking off from the sidelines and starting the drills with Ethan, who was dumbfounded, not to far behind.