Running The Miles

Chapter 12

        Everyone was tense. No one talked except for the coach, and the occassional player who asked questions. On the other side of the field, the opponents were doing push-ups and their drills. We'd already done everything, so we just talked. 

        When the time came, the referee called the players to the middle of the field. It was their ball. The whistle blew. It started. The quarterback recieved the ball, I tackled the dude in front of me and started running for him, but he'd already thrown it, and someone had already catched it. They would've gotten an immediate touchdown if one of our guys hadn't tackled him. Wake up call.

        Next time, I didn't bother to tackle, I just ran straight for the quarterback. I pumped my arms to run faster. When I reached him, I tackled him, ball still in hand. The guys slapped my helemet as we set up again. Throughout the game, there were many fails, many average plays, and there were some friggin' badass plays made by some of our guys. 

        I didn't score all of them. I only scored three. One of our guys had the ball, they were running up the field, when someone came running straight at them from the other team, ready to tackle. But he still kept running for him, and when he was right there, he jumped as high as he could, did a no-hand-cartwheel over the guy, and scored a touch down when he landed. It was awesome. 

        Another guy was also being persued in the same way, but instead, when he was right in fornt of him, he threw the ball in the air, slid underneath between his legs, and then got up, and recaught the ball, and ran all the way. It amazed me, and confused me how they were able o pull them off. These opponents might have bad reflexes. 

        At the end of the game, the score was 18-18. It wasn't an easy game, at all. Yes we had out moments of victory, but these guys were fast, skilled, patient, strategizing, and collected. It was a fun game, but a game that also made someone experience anxiety. 

        We were pretty much at th end of the game, and it was our ball. The referee blew the whistle, and then everything went fastforward. I was thrown the ball, I was holding it with both of my hands in front of my chest, searching for an open pass, a good pass, a minorly good pass, but there was none. Everyone was either wrestling with an opponent, or being tackled. 

        I saw a path that I could take, and so I took it. I wound through people, jumped over the fallen, and I ran as fast as I could over the upturned dirt. And then I was pounded from the side and I fell to the ground. Someone stood over me. "You thought you could do it," he chuckled to himself. 

        Now that pissed me off. 

        I still had the ball clutched to my chest when I got up. We went into formation again, and then I was passed the ball again. I looked, and I kept looking, but there was absolutely no one. This time, I had no choice but to run. Everyone was either on the ground, or completely occupied. 

        So I ran. And I kept running.

        Some of the opponents were following me, but I wouldn't let them catch me, they were too slow. I looked to my side to see if anyone was coming from the sides, but then I was pounded from the other side, and I fell to the ground. He stood over me again. "Just stop trying, you know it's over, newb." 

        We went into fomation again. In the span of three seconds before the ball was thrown back to me, I thouht about his words. He is most likely provoking me, but the point of just messing with me? I had no idea. And then the ball was thrown to me, and I didn't wait, I already knew there was no one to throw to, and sure enough, there wasn't. I was so close to the end zone, and then I was tackled, except this time, he didn't say anything, he just laughed. 

        He laughed. Not knidly, but mockingly. 

        That's what got me going. We went into formation the last time. My energy was flowing like a waterfall down the edge of a rock cliff. Just surging, and relentless. The ball was passed back to me, and then I stopped. I looked. I was about three yards from the end zone. I could simply just run, but that's what I've been doing, and no matter what, I was taken down, so instead, I walked. No one was stopping me. And it also gave me a chance to see my surroundings. 

        I was a yard from the end zone. And then, we won.

        Once it was known that the touchdown wa made, the crowd roared, and our players jumped and dog piled. I went up to the dude who repetatively tackled me, took off my helmet, and looked him in his eyes that were now golf balls, and laughed. Not mockingly, but proudly.