The Running Back

Chapter 6

It was Rachel's first game, and a home game. The crowd was roaring, or at least part of it was. The McKinley Titans were well known for being the worst team in the state, or at least they would be if people cared enough to learn about the worst team in the state. As such, it was quite understandable why Rachel's fellow schoolmates were pretty quiet. They all had reasons for coming; most were there to watch the Cheerios. Rachel was much the same during the past few years. Yes, she also attended games to support Noah, but she'd be lying if she that had paid attention to even half the game. Mostly she was distracted by Quinn.

But now things were different and Rachel's heart was racing. Her senses were on overdrive. It was a feeling similar to any of her big musical performances, but this was different because she was actually nervous. She looked calm, but she was shaking on the inside. It was do or die time, and she was really hoping that she wouldn't die. On the bright side though, if she did die, then at least she wouldn't have to face Quinn's rejection.

But that thought didn't actually make her feel any better.

She took a deep breath. The team captains for each team jogged out onto the field for the coin toss. Finn and Noah were two of them. Together they made a lucky guess and opted to receive. They came back to the sidelines and special teams took position. Rachel watched as the game started. The opposing team kicked the ball. It soared through the sky, landing in the hands of Mike Chang. He ran forward, his teammates trying to form a defensive wall around him as he advanced down the field.

They held off the opposing team as best they could and Mike managed to just get past the twenty yard line before being taken down. With the kickoff over it was now Rachel's time to hit the field. She double checked to make sure that her helmet was strapped on tightly and started to head out. After a few steps though, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Quinn. "Hey," she said, waving a pom-pom at her. "Be careful out there, okay? It would make me sad to see you get hurt." Rachel only nodded.

The last time that she had gotten hurt was because she was distracted, by Quinn no less. There was a bit of irony in that, she supposed, but there was no time to think about that. She got into the huddle where Finn told her that they'd start off with a running play. She nodded her understanding and they got into formation. As Finn got set, Rachel scanned the defense. Some of them were bigger than what she was accustomed to during practice. Despite that, she would hold firm. As she took a breath she heard Finn utter those words. "Hut. Hut. Hike!"

In an instant he handed her the ball. Rachel darted to the left where the offensive line had managed to hold back the defenders. She went to the outside and gained eight yards before being tackled by one of the cornerbacks. She quickly got back up and they ran another running play. Once more she ran to the left, but instead of going outside there opened a hole for her to get through. Rachel didn't get as far as she did initially, but she was able to get enough yardage to get the first down.

So far, so good. On their third play they continued to keep to the ground. Rachel gained five yards and she seemed to aggravate the opposing team. They blitzed the following play, fully expecting Finn to hand her the ball once more. That decision cost them dearly and left Mike wide open for a long pass that moved the Titans down close to the fifty yard line. Their next pass ended in failure though and once more they were counting on Rachel to help them get down the field. The Titans got into a shotgun formation to give off the impression that they were going for a pass. "Hut. Hut. Hike!" Rachel darted towards Finn immediately. He quickly placed the ball in her hands and she was off. Not a second later though, Rachel was on the ground.

The defender who tackled her got to his feet and yelled in her face. "Woo! Stay down!" Rachel considered doing just that but she couldn't. Noah came over and reached out a hand to help her up. He pulled her up to her feet and then checked to see if she was okay.