Can The Player PLAY The Player?

Point 23.

A.M

"What's going on with you?"

I couldn't even look my coach in the eye properly as he called me to his office, claiming that he wanted to go over some new plays with me. I should've known it was a ruse. 

"Your teammates are worried about you. They came to see if I knew anything about it, but I don't. Didn't I tell that if something was wrong, you'd talk to me about it, Moore?" The big man frowned as I nodded, understanding his words. 

It wasn't like I could just come out and say, 'I just realized that I have feelings for my best friend and I don't know how to deal with them. Besides, I think he's in love with someone else,' Like that would go over real well. "If your teammates are concerned, then I know that it's more than something, but you got to let it out because your feelings and emotions impact the whole team," He murmured, turning to look out the window in thought.

"You know why I made you captain?" He asked out of the blue and I sat there, finally meeting his eyes as he turned back to me, a familiar smirk on his face. "Hm?"

He rubbed his tan face, pointing to the wall of the plaques of the previous and current captains of the team. "I made you captain for a reason, Moore. You are the strong pillar that pulls the team up. How can they look for guidance when their pillar is down?" Coach Johnson shrugged, causing me to look away sadly.

I remember the day I was given the title as captain of the Northvale Lions towards the end of my freshman year.

"I recall asking you all to vote in who you think should be captain since James is graduating, and if I disagreed, I would pick for myself," The coach paced back and forth, looking us all in the eye as all 12 players on the team stood in a line. "This captain will have shown how caring, courageous, and consistent they are with each game. He will have a good relationship with each player, regardless if they're benched or not. He will have shown how he looks out for other players, helping them enhance their skills," He went on and on, but I wasn't listening because I knew that none of the players would've voted for me. They would probably want one of the juniors since they had more experience. 

As they should. 

"We need a captain that's going to hold this team up through thick and thin, no matter what. They need to be able to motivate and push each player forward, even through a loss. This person will wear the #1 jersey," I sighed, knowing that I wasn't even a candidate because I was brash and rude towards people. I wasn't nice and smiley like Akito, or easygoing like Omari. I was just me and I was content with that. Besides, I was a freshman. No upperclassmen were going to bow down to that.

I clicked my teeth as the coach stopped in his steps, opening an envelope. I stifled a yawn as I looked at the ground, bending my legs over and over. He pulled out a card and began relaying information to us about who our next captain would be.

"That is why your new captain will be Aaron Moore."

Claps resounded the air as I stood like a dummy, blinking back and forth as the words registered within my brain. "Huh?" I sputtered, pointing a finger at the coach. "Hey man, you shouldn't have picked me out of the other people that were voted in!" I groaned, thinking that I probably robbed a great player of the chance to be a captain.

"Sorry, kid, but the vote was unanimous." I was frozen to the spot once he said that, pointing to myself slowly so that I could grasp the true reality. "I guess they like how much you pay attention to them and help them, even if your tone is all angry and whatnot," He rolled his eyes with a smirk as Akito wrapped an arm around my shoulder, poking my cheek. "So you'll be hyping us up, huh captain?" He teased and I blushed, nodding fervently as everyone laughed, crowding me into a hug.