Adam pondered for a few seconds then finally gave in. “OK, OK. I’ll see you at 7 pm,” he said reluctantly.
“Nice,” replied Andrew. “See you at 7 pm!”
It was around 6 pm as Andrew walked back to get changed. His phone went off with a text. It read:
Meet me at the locker room. Josh.
Andrew quickly hurried back to the gym, grabbed his stuff and proceeded to meet up with Josh. He decided to keep the afternoon’s events to himself until a more appropriate time came up. But he did, however, feel a lot more confident going into the game with his new found strength. The only thing worrying him now though was could he control the voices in his head? Just long enough to stay focused in the game tonight. Or would they have a costly effect on his performance? Only time would tell.
CHAPTER 4
Anticipation...the immense anticipation of the event to come could be felt in the air. Early stirrings of fever pitch were beginning to be felt all over the college grounds. The campus was awash in a sea of gold and black, the proud colours that represented Whittaker University. Streamers and banners were present wherever you looked. The bubbling feeling of butterflies, questionable doubts of the unknown, undeniable campus legacy and audacious pride, formed a cocktail of emotions; which seemed to have everyone drunk with excitement.
Normally the eerie silence of the football field was a usual occurrence at this time of the evening. However, tonight was all but normal. Tonight was a night of redemption. A night of triumph. A night for a year’s accumulation of blood, sweat and tears to all pay off. This was the night Whittaker University would take its rightful place back at the pinnacle of college football. And a long, gruelling hiatus it had been.
The town of Whittaker Falls was no stranger to the world of college football. The Whittaker Warlords had a truly impressive history of performance, defeating some of the best teams the country had to offer. Unlike any team in their league, they had achieved an awe-inspiring championship winning streak of 4 consecutive years. Undoubtedly an incredible feat all of its own. These, however, were days of old. Days long passed and the Whittaker Warlords had fallen into a state of mediocrity. A lack of talent, coupled with a slothful attitude had seen the team’s performance declined in recent years and they had become an average, run-of-the-mill, mid-table squad.
That was...until this year.
And the man behind the change…Mr. Stevens.
Mr. Stevens was an ex-military veteran turned trainer. Once retired, he took his skills and channelled them into fitness and healthcare. Although in his early 50’s, he was an actively fit man. Intensity penetrated from his hazel eyes, and the sharpness of his buzz cut was a dead giveaway that he had served his country. Around 6’5 and a solid, muscular 263 pounds, he was no slouch. He was a man of honour and true grit. His experiences over the many years in service had forged him into a stalwart, no-nonsense, intimidating man, with an eye for clean-cut precision and an unmatched attention to detail. Renowned for his physically debilitating training regimes, he was a master at building mental and physical specimens, ready for deployment into the field of war.
When he first joined the college as the new football coach, there were many conspiracies floating around his persona. Some say he trained Black-Ops contingents of the government, which were considered non-existent. Some said he was the result of a super soldier experiment. Others went as far as to say that he knew too many war secrets and was targeted by the CIA and FBI. So he faked his own death, had re-constructive surgery and moved out into the suburbs with a new identity; to start fresh
One thing was for sure though. He knew how to turn average men into focused machines. Machines that would turn a team into an inscrutable force; a force to be feared and reckoned with. That is exactly what he did when he joined Whittaker.
Crowds began to slowly appear all over the grounds. Big foam hands could be seen in the distance, whistles and horns could be heard blaring in the evening sky. Painted faces now equalled in amount to normal ones. Student’s eyes filled with excitement as they darted around, matching gazes with their peers, with identical simultaneous thoughts. They all knew they were headed in the same direction. An ocean of Whittaker Warlords fans began to accumulate. This then narrowed off into a river of bodies as people lined up to take their seats in the bleachers.
The jocks were already in the locker rooms, getting ready for the game. Andrew and Josh were partially dressed when Andrew’s phone went off.
I’m at row 5E. Jai
They both read the text and looked at each other in unison. Half-dressed they hurried for the locker room exit...only to be stopped by a booming roar!
“Where do you think you’re going,” said a chalky, robotic voice.
“You do know we have a game to play in a few minutes right?”
The boys looked back to find the authoritative figure of Coach Stevens staring dead at them. Both bulking, vascular arms were in a crossed position and his legs were solidly planted shoulder width apart. He didn’t look impressed.
“Coach, we are literally gonna be 5 minutes. We just gotta take care of something. I swear 5 minutes that’s it,” Andrew pleaded.
Josh gave a comical smile with his thumbs up in an effort to back up Andrew’s claim and somewhat ease the tension in the room.
Coach looked at them both, eyebrow raised, jaw firmly clenched. After a few seconds, he gave a vexed exhalation through his nostrils, rolled his eyes and replied concisely but begrudgingly.
“You have two minutes. Two.”
They smiled ecstatically. “Thanks, Coach.” Both boys darted out towards the stands.
“Hey, is there space there for one more?” Jaime gave a cheeky smile as he asked a group of girls for a seat.
“Sure.” They giddily cackled in agreement as they scooted up to make room for him. He sat back with a calm demeanour, awaiting the arrival of Andrew and Josh. He slowly searched the bleachers for them until his vision was suddenly diverted to a barrage of banter, aimed thoroughly at him.
“YO bighead!” The crude statement made the entire row of 5E look over, each student wondering who was being called out so brazenly. This included Jaime too. However once he realised who the insults were coming from, his expression panned from one of anxious curiosity to a relieved embarrassment.
“Who you calling bighead, you asshole”. His response drowned out by the trio’s laughter as he embraced his friends. “You two ready for the game?”
Now Josh being josh could only reply in a fashion that was only accustomed to him.
“Of course I’m ready, do you know who I am?”
Jaime’s eye rolled, followed by a smile. He then turned his attention to Andrew.
“And you? How you feeling bro?” His voice deepened and filled with concern. “Any more episodes from the twilight zone happen?” He tried to lighten the conversation. Andrew playfully hit him.
“Na man, I’m cool for now. Hopefully, it stays that way through the game.” Josh and Jaime looked at each other sheepishly then back at Andrew. He picked up on their woefulness and tried to reassure them, placing both hands on each of their shoulders, firmly
“Trust me, I got this.” He smiled, confidently. “You might even be surprised tonight.” Both friends now had a puzzled look on their faces and just as Jaime was about to address this mysterious remark, a voice interrupted them.
“Andrew?” The voice was shaky and unsteady but loud enough to be heard.
Andrew turned and a grin formed on his face. Jaime and Josh also followed suit, their gazes staring at the direction the voice was coming from. As Andrew hurried down the bleacher steps, Jaime leant into Josh, and discreetly asked, “Errrm, who is that? Josh gave a shrug of uninformed innocence. They both looked on.
“Hey bro, glad you could make it.” said Andrew, delighted. Adam smiled nervously whilst searching his surroundings. His eyes moved from Andrew to the football field, to the packed stands of screaming fans then back to Andrew.
�
��N-No problem,” he replied skittishly. Andrew seemed to pick up on his body language. He could tell he wasn’t confident in his new found settings and his edgy behaviour made it clear.
“Hey, why don’t you go sit with my boy Jai over there,” he signalled to him. Jaime reluctantly signalled back, having no clue as to what was being said between the two. “He’ll keep you company during the game.”
Andrew escorted him up to row 5E. “Jai, this is Adam. Adam, Jai.”
They both stared, deciphering each other before Jaime stuck out a hand. “Hey, nice to meet ya.”
Adam was still in a state of wonder. He had never left his room other than to attend classes, let alone been to a game before. Never interacted socially with anyone since he had been on campus. Now someone was reaching out to him. It made him feel like a somebody. It made him feel like he wasn’t some geeky weirdo that was constantly overlooked, constantly ridiculed and teased. He finally felt like just a normal kid.
He shook his head sharply into focus and caught himself. Jaime’s hand was still extended. He hesitated, and then slowly reciprocated with a hand shake.
“Ni-Nice to meet you too.” he sat down next to him.
Andrew looked on, proud of himself. Jaime returned his gaze with a look that could only be described as WHAT THE HELL?!
Before Andrew could speak though he was interrupted by Josh. “Come on bro, we gotta go, coach is gonna have our asses if we don’t hurry up.”
They abruptly said their goodbyes and sprinted back to the locker room, followed by a chorus of cheers from the home fans.
“So,” Jaime started awkwardly in an attempt to break the ice with his newly gifted acquaintance, “How did you and Andrew meet then?”
Adam turned to him with ecstatic glee. “Well, in a nutshell, he saved me.”
Jaime’s eyebrow rose keenly. This summary wasn’t enough for him and he immediately questioned him with intrigued intent.
“Wait, wait, saved you-How?”
Adam’s expression was one of enthusiasm. This was probably the longest social interaction he had ever experienced since being at college. Nobody took any interest in him. Explaining the afternoon’s events to Jaime, who sat avidly and listened aptly, he went into thorough detail of the incident that changed his life forever, even going as far as to say Andrew was a hero.
Once finished, Jaime sat back and gathered his thoughts. He knew he had to speak with his best friend but timing wasn’t right at present and it would only distract Andrew. He sat back up and gave Adam a gentle dig in the shoulder.
“Well, he never ceases to amaze me...I'll tell you that. They shared a laugh. “But hey, as long as he’s cool with you then you’re cool with me bro.”
Adam looked over in astonishment. He still couldn’t believe someone was actually listening to him. They both acknowledged each other in a new found mutual respect with a head nod and then turned their focus towards the field.
Back in the locker room, the entire team was ready to go. Each player was in the full Warlord gear, minus the helmet. They all huddled together; attention locked firmly on their leader, their chief, their coach. Anticipation mixed with anxiety could be felt all around the packed room. This was the quiet before the storm. This was the pre-fight feel, the final pep talk of a general to his troops. A hush fell on the room. All eyes were now staring intently at the inspiration that was...Coach Stevens!
Pacing up and down in small steps, hands in his pockets he took a deep breath. Then paused and faced his men. He adjusted his Warlord cap and took up a thinking man’s pose. His voice, deeply, slowly cracked as he began his address.
“Today is the day boys. This is the final hour of our reckoning. We have come too far to be defeated and I’ll be damned if we do not lift that trophy after the end of this game! Now, now I understand your shoulders feel heavier than normal tonight, I really do. I understand the weight of what you’re bearing is a significant factor tonight...hell some of ya'll probably didn’t think we’d make it this far, but you did. YOU did, nobody but else but YOU!” He pointed at each player individually. A sense of pride filled their hearts as grunts of appreciation rang out amongst them. He resumed, “The College has had its good times, and it’s had its bad times. We’ve had our days in the sunshine and we’ve also been cast aside, forgotten kings of this league. Well, TODAY is the day we re-take the crown that rightfully belongs to US! The legacy we have built will not go to waste today gentleman. This team of men, this team of BROTHERS will go down in the record books as the champions that brought glory back to Whittaker Falls.” His voice increased gradually in aggression and purpose until he was booming in volume, his expression exuding intensity and righteous anger as his speech neared its finale.
“SO MEN, ARE YOU READY TO TAKE BACK WHAT’S YOURS?!”
“YES SIR!”
“ARE YOU READY TO BE KINGS AGAIN?!”
“YES SIR!”
The entire team was now hyped up. They had been worked into a frenzy of unfiltered masculinity. They stomped their feet rhythmically, banged on their chests like gorillas and fist pumped in accordance to their coaches words of encouragement. The feeling of victory coursing through their veins. Pumped and ready to unleash hell.
Coach extended his hand towards his players in an act of comradery. They reciprocated accordingly, until each players hand was atop one another. The team spirit was at its peak, about to burst and boil over. He concluded his speech with a chant that every team member was all too familiar with; something he had etched in their minds from day one of his arrival. He started off,
“ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL!”
In a mighty uproar, the team replied,
“WE BRING THE PAIN, WE BRING THE WAR!”
“WARLORDS! WARLORDS! WARLORDS!”
They broke hands, threw on their helmets and headed for the entrance tunnel in a blitz of gold and black energy. As Andrew jogged towards the exit with his fellow comrades, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked back to find Coach Stevens, who discreetly signalled him aside as the team formed a single file in the tunnel, awaiting their introduction.
“I heard what happened today in gym class, Andrew.” Coach looked at him sternly.
Andrew instantly panicked, “I know coach but it’s nothing I promise, I’m fine.”
“Look, I’m not gonna remove you from playing tonight.” Andrew looked at coach with relief and sighed in joy. Coach continued. “That would be stupid. You’re my star quarterback and we need you out there. Protocol would have me worry about your current mental state right now, but the campus nurse did clear you to play, so count yourself lucky. But don’t make me regret this Andrew because it won’t be me you’ll have to deal with. You got a whole team counting on you son. Do them proud. If anything do yourself and this college proud. And remember what I told you.” Before he could finish, Andrew interrupted him.
“Stay Focused.” he said with a smile as he ran towards the tunnel.
Josh welcomed his arrival with inquisitiveness. “What was all that about man?”
“Ahh you know coach, he’s just making sure I’m 100 percent.”
Josh patted him on the chest, “He’s got nothing to worry about because we got this. THE DYNAMIC DUO IS IN THE BUILDING!” he shouted as they both high fived and chest bumped.
Beginning his introductions, the announcers voice rang out over the speakers. One by one he introduced the away team players of Kingston Tech. A mixed reaction of boos and cheers awaited their entrance as the home crowd drowned out the away fans.
Andrew turned to Josh one last time and they embraced. Swiftly, their gesture was interrupted by the abrupt sound of fireworks that lit up the sky. The illumination irradiated the tunnel. The players began to prep themselves. Some were jumping up and down; others were stretching while some shook their body parts loose in an effort to get rid of nerves. They were growing more and more anxious. This was then followed by the echo of speakers as the announcers voice came over the PA system.
To the left, the home colours of gold and black showered the bleachers as The Warlords chant could be heard reverberating throughout the seats all the way down to the pitch.
And to the right, the opposing shades of purple and red belonging to the Kingston Tech Knights.
Both teams had a long running history of rivalry, and this game wasn’t any different. It was going to be a dynamic collision of pride, egos and sportsmanship.
The crowd gave a tremendous yes, as they replied to the announcer.
He then pushed them into a frenzy as he repeated again,
“ARRRRE YOOOUUU REEEEAAAADDDY?” A massive yes could be heard flooding the entire ground. The fans wanted to see their campus heroes. It was time for the players to emerge in all their glory. The announcer began his invigorating prelude of each player to the field. Each player left the tunnel-beckoned out by the identification of their names, accompanied by the sound of admiration and applause. The queue of players got shorter and shorter until it was only Josh and Andrew left. The voice on the speaker rung out again.
“Please welcome next, your record-breaking...girlfriend taking...Touchdown making wide receiver: Josh 'pretty boy' PAAAARKER.”
Josh quickly turned to Andrew as his name came over the PA.
He smiled.
“Showtime baby.” He ran out to a glorious welcome. The sounds of female screams could be predominantly heard as the surrounding volume of the stands went up in adoration.
Andrew laughed and shook his head unsurprised. He then gathered his thoughts. Alone, he lowered his head and said a quick prayer.
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