The Season’s End

Jackson stared at the scoreboard, unable to comprehend what he saw.

Pete sat on the bench, head in his hands. Kenny was stuck to the field, looking to the scoreboard as well, Freddy clung to himself and was looking for anywhere to get out of the spotlight, and Rudy ambled back and forth at centre field struggling to come to grips with his first loss in almost a year. The rest of the team drifted from place to place for a little while.

'That was a hell of a game,' Tommy said.

'…I can't believe they lost,' Jackson mumbled.

'They gave their all. Sometimes that just isn't enough.'

Eventually, the teams gathered together and the players shook hands. Kevin paused at Kenny, pulling him close. 'I told you I'd clamp you,' Kevin said.

Kenny shook his hand forcefully and shoved him away, moving on to the next Wildcat. Similarly, Aaron pulled Rudy aside. 'Thanks for the easy dub,' Aaron said.

Rudy yanked him close. 'Enjoy it, next time I see you—'

'What? What are you gonna do?' The boys stared at one another until staff members stepped in and gently pried them apart.

The Titans soon filed into their locker room, the room quiet aside from the clattering of cleats on concrete and the closing of lockers.

'Feels like shit, doesn't it?' Coach Otsen said, looking around the room. 'This loss is different to all the others. It hurts more. Remember this feeling, etch it into your hearts and minds, and USE it. This isn't the end. We're still qualified for Regionals next week. Take this as motivation and make sure it doesn't happen again.'

The boys barely acknowledged Coach Otsen's speech; it did little to raise the dreadful mood in the room. It was like a morgue.

'You all played well. There's room for improvement,' Coach Knight said.

'Defensively we'll need some big adjustments,' Coach Carson said. 'But that's a problem for practice. You should all rest up.'

Coach Vasquez approached Rudy, patting him on the back. 'Your catches were super amazing today! The game was so close because of how your awesome skill inspired the offence.'

The nasty look Rudy gave Coach Vasquez, told him Rudy didn't buy that bullshit, but it didn't faze Coach Vasquez's smile.

As the JV team was packing up their stuff, the varsity players came into the room to set up and prepare as well. Nick was there, though he didn't suit up for the game. He wore a moon boot to support his sprained ankle as he went around the locker room slowly, comforting his friends and expressing how he wished he could've helped them.

Freddy scratched his hands. If Nick was playing instead of him, the Titans would've won. If they'd scored all the points from the kicks he missed, they would've won. He kept this truth to himself.

Meanwhile, Grant and his friends made their way over to Rudy.

'Nice job out there, Rudolph,' Grant said. 'You know, I think my grandma could've played better defence, and she can't even walk on her own anymore.'

'Fuck off. I don't have time for your shit.'

'I always knew you didn't have it in you to be varsity material. Shit, I'm glad we've got that cripple on our team this week instead of you. He'll still be more useful as a benchwarmer.'

The snickering laughter of Grant's goons stabbed through Rudy's mind like needles. He slammed his locker closed and turned to Grant. 'Like you're any better. You're just lucky you get to share the field with someone like Shane. He's there to carry all the load and hide how pitiful you are. You'd be nothing without him.'

'Bullshit. You're nothing. You're just a worthless bottom-feeder. We're nothing alike.'

'You're right about that, at least. I'm not a little pussy like you, who ain't shit without his bitches backing him up.' Rudy clenched his fist.

'The fuck you say?' Grant's goons stepped forward, but before it became physical, a hand grabbed Rudy's shoulder firmly. He turned and saw Shane standing over him.

'You played great today,' Shane said. 'It's a shame you didn't get the win.'

Rudy's anger was instantly diffused. 'Uh … thanks.'

'I can't wait to see how you guys do in Regionals.' He smiled brightly then turned to Grant. 'First, we have to focus on today's game. Let's do our best.'

Grant frowned. 'Yeah, whatever. Everyone already knows we'll win.' The trio walked off, leaving Shane and Rudy.

Shane laughed. 'Of course, we'll win, we have to avenge our juniors' loss, after all.'

Rudy picked up his things and left the room with a sigh. He couldn't help but think if he had already done more to help the varsity team simply by being motivation for revenge, than he had when he was actually on the team.

Kenny shuffled out of the room. His body ached like it was the first day of training camp. He was as tired as if he'd just finished a week of cramming. "If I just came back for that last pass… ugh, fuck it. I can't change shit now. Just have to worry about Regionals."

He shuffled over to his parents, said his goodbyes as they told him how proudly he'd played, then sat with Jackson and Tommy.

'There he is. You played another great game, Kenny,' Tommy said.

'Thanks, but it doesn't feel like it.'

'Ah, you can't win them all, you guys will bounce back next week.'

'I hope so.' Kenny looked at Jackson.

Jackson steeled himself before locking eyes with Kenny. 'We will, I promise.' He extended a fist to Kenny. 'We'll win Regionals, win State, and prove why we're varsity material.'

Kenny grinned, bumping fists with Jackson. 'I like the sound of that. It'll be even better if we run into these pussycats along the way, we need to crush them for good.'

'Next one's the rubber match, right? Both games so far have been super close. I wonder who'll win on neutral ground,' Tommy said before going on to correct himself. 'Well, I mean, I wonder how much you guys will win by.' He cleared his throat. 'But, before that, you guys gotta focus on next week.'

'Will you be able to play next week?' Kenny asked.

'I'm … not sure. I'll have to check with the doctor, and with Coach too.'

Tommy eyed Jackson's bad leg. He smiled faintly. 'Just keep doing your best, little bro. You'll get there, I know it.'

'Thanks.' Jackson lowered his head. He didn't have to struggle through being the centre of attention for long, as the varsity game got underway, to modest fanfare; most of the crowd was still recovering from the exhilarating finish to the previous game.

The Titans lost the coin toss, and started with the ball. They came out swinging for the fences. They made an early statement with their first drive, hammering home a touchdown in only five plays. They didn't look back afterwards.

Shane made good on his promise to Rudy to avenge the JV team's loss. He led from the front like always, and the Titans fearlessly followed his lead. It was a rout from beginning to end.

The high-powered offence was too much for the Wildcats. Shane was the star, of course, but he was backed up by Redd's strong runs. Wesley got in for his own rushing touchdown and made sure to take his fair share of yards from the defence that way as well. Even Grant got into the endzone, he had his best game of the season—to the chagrin Rudy who was watching on—playing like he had a point to prove.

The varsity team wouldn't be outdone by any of the JV teams that day, and put up 60 points before the game's end. Whilst the Wildcats managed three touchdowns of their own, they had no hope of standing up to the Titans' heavy-powered barrage.

The Titans ended their season the way they started it, kept their unbeaten streak alive, and went into Regionals with as much momentum as they could hope for.

Tommy, Jackson, and Kenny watched on in amazement, though for the latter pair, the game was another reinforcement of just how hard they'd have to work to crack into that varsity team.

"Rudy got dropped from that … I can play better defence. I can make it," Kenny told himself.

"They'll win State without us. They could even win Nationals if they play like that," Jackson thought. He bit down on his cheeks. "We can't fall behind. We have to win too."

'No matter how many times I watch, it's always impressive,' Tommy said. 'We might be looking at the State champions.'

Jackson stood up, fire in his eyes. 'We'll be State champions too!' He looked down at Kenny who was staring up at him, bewildered. 'I promise. I'll make it back in time for next week, and we'll win not just Regionals, but State too!'

'Dude.' Kenny couldn't contain his grin. He hopped up. 'That's what I'm talking about! State champions! If they can do it, so can we.'

Kenny and Jackson clasped hands, eyes blazing with promise and determination. Tommy laughed. 'I'll be there to cheer for you guys every step of the way.'

The brothers took Kenny home. When Kenny hopped out of the car, he turned to Jackson. 'I'll see you at practice. You better be ready to get that vest back on.'

'I'll be there. That vest won't slow me down either, you'll see.'

The two bumped fists again before Kenny went inside.

Tommy pulled back out of the driveway, glancing at Jackson. 'You seem pretty serious about getting back and winning State.'

'Of course. I need to pull my weight. Everyone else has worked too hard to lose now. I can't keep letting them down.'

'You're not letting anyone down, Jackson. But, it's good you're serious about getting back and helping your team win. I'm glad. Though I guess that means we'll need to see the doc again and hope they clear you up to return, huh?'

'Yeah.' Jackson would be lying if he said he wasn't a little worried about what the doctor would think. But… even if they said no, he didn't have to tell Coach Otsen that, right? He sighed. "No. I can't lie like that. Tommy wouldn't let me. Coach Otsen would probably know, anyway."

He bit down on his cheeks again. He had to be ready. He was out of time. Next week was all or nothing, win or go home. He had to make it back.

His legs shook. He reached down, scratching his injured leg, but the itch didn't go away. It came from INSIDE his leg. It was that same itch he had that night a couple of weeks ago; the itch that only went away after he ran. But it hadn't really disappeared, and it wouldn't leave him, not until he was out there on the field again.

Jackson knew he was ready to play football again. He hoped his body would be too.