Chapter 197: Sports - Baptism by Fire (4-F)

[General POV]

Seahawks team captain, Terry, faced off with the team's coach and snapped at him, "We should be aggressive! Why in the hell should we let them catch up with us?! You ALWAY DO THIS! That's why we kept losing in every match!"

The coach tried to calm Tyler down with a gesture, "I get that you're frustrated, but imagine the sponsorship we will have after this. This whole match is being recorded–"

"SHUT UP!" Terry yelled at the coach. "If we lose to a high school team, then our whole football career will be over! It doesn't matter if we have sponsorship! We will become a JOKE to everyone!" He dug his finger into the coach's chest to stress his point.

The coach was irritated and slapped his hand away, "You either do what I say, or you're off the team."

Terry gritted his teeth in frustration, at the same time clenching his fist. His argument with the coach was seen by Edward who was getting ready to start the game. Edward had a thoughtful look on his face, and then the referee called both teams to the field. 

"Ready!! SET!! HUTTT!!!" Edward shouted. The centre snapped the ball back, and Edward caught it. Jacob, Tyrone and Kyle ran in front of Edward as the linebackers held the defence.

"It's a sweep!" Jay shouted in excitement. The defenders protected the quarterback as he ran his route. However, the opposing team reacted quickly. Tyrone and Kyle each held back one tackler, leaving only Jacob with Edward running past the line of scrimmage. 

In front of them were Terry and one other blocker. Jacob's eyes shook, and then his gaze turned into that of determination. 

Previously when Edward told them to persevere for miracles to happen, Jacob's internal belief was greatly shaken. 

'Have I really given my best here on the field?' He self reflected. He looked down on his hand, and he clenched them tight. "If I want to continue playing the game with Ed, then…I need to become what he needs me to be."

Back to the attack, Terry was startled when number 20, which was labeled as the timid but strong wide receiver, took the initiative to take the fight to Terry instead of facing off the blocker intended to stop him. 

"What the–" Terry was aiming to stop Edward's attack, but was stopped a foot away before he could touch Edward's clothes. Jacob, Terry, and the other blockers all fall together because of Jacob's attack.

Edward dashed into the endzone unobstructed, and scored a touchdown! The crowd cheered thunderously, with air horns and whistles filling the air.

"TIME OUT!" Cam shouted quickly as he rushed towards Jacob. Edward saw that Jacob wasn't getting up, so he rushed back to the 80 yards line. Cam kneeled beside Jacob and slapped his face, "Hey..Hey.. You're alright?"

Jacob's eyes were still dazed and he kept staring at the sky. Edward finally got towards him and then smiled, "Jacob. You did really well."

Jacob's eyes finally regained his clarity and he turned to look at Edward. He sat up quickly and said, "I…I tackled someone."

"Yeah. You did. How's that feel?" Edward asked teasingly.

"It felt awful." Jacob replied. "But, I know that I need to do it." He added.

"Yeah, the first time is always the hardest. Thanks to you, I got off pretty easily." Edward said as he grabbed Jacob's hand and pulled him to stand up. "Look, Elsa's going crazy over there."

Jacob turned towards the crowd and saw Elsa blowing kisses at him while screaming his name. His cheeks blushed a little, and he waved back shyly. But, as he was smiling at Elsa, suddenly, one of his front teeth was chipped. It cracked at a 45 degree angle, and parts of the tooth fell down on the grass. 

Edward widened his eyes, and Cam shrieked in surprise.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Jacob asked in confusion. During the collision before, his mouth was hit with Terry's elbow on accident. 

"Umm…" Edward held Jacob's shoulder and said with a sympathetic tone, "Thank you for your sacrifice."

"???" Jacob was confused, and then he finally realized it when Cam pointed it out for him. "MY TEETH!!"

"Time-out, over. Both teams to the 2 yard's line." The referee instructed. 

Terry punched the grass as he stood back up from the tackle and he looked at his coach with a burning hatred on his face. 

Suddenly, Edward talked to him, "That guy's an insufferable dumbass."

Terry was a bit startled but he answered anyway, "Yeah."

"Hey, you remember when you fought off the Lancers, and you made a comeback after the third quarter? I became your fan after that."

Terry looked a bit dejected and said, "Yeah. That was the Semi-final of the intercollege match. Our Captain- He…He decided to take a gamble, and stop listening to the coach. Although we won the match, he was fired from the team."

Edward grinned and teased, "So…I guess we will win this one, right? After all, you can only listen to him, and not make any decisions for yourself."

Terry gritted his teeth in humiliation, and Edward turned his back. "Do what you want already. This kind of match…it's embarrassing for both of us."

The Seahawk's newbie captain fell into contemplation. As Edward went back to regroup with his team, Tyrone asked him with disbelief, "Now why in the hell did you taunt that guy? Our chances are slim enough already."

Edward just smirked and didn't say anything. Tyrone shook his head, and then said, "Alright. I'm sure whatever it is, it's sinister, so I'll just pretend not to see anything."

Edward chuckled and said, "See what?"

"Exactly." Tyrone played along with a laugh.

Their laughter brought immense pressure to the Seahawks defensive line. The game resumed, and when the center snapped the ball, Edward made a short pass to Tyrone who took a few steps backward from the line, dashed left to make the breakthrough from the side. Kyle and Edward protected him, and he managed to score the extra point as he entered the end zone!

The score is now 44-43 with only two minutes left on the clock. The Dolphin's were still behind!

The Seahawks coach celebrated as the offense fell to them again. He clapped his hand and ordered, "GOOD! Just drag the time! Keep the ball! Don't do anything else!"

Terry had a solemn look on his face. Then, he asked the team to huddle up. "Listen…"

The match continued. However, this time, the Seahawks ignored the coach's words and they made an intense offense. They also did a sweep, and managed to score a touchdown in the final minute. 

For the extra point, they did a kick, which they scored. The score is now 51-43, and the audience's mood has become depressed.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS DOING!?" The Seahawks team coach shouted at his team. However, Terry's challenging eyes were focused on Edward.

"They'll lose huh." Luke's voice was filled with pity. Jay, Claire, and Mitch agreed with him. 

Alex said, "Yeah. But they–"

Haley and Phil said at the same time, "No. It's not over yet."

Gloria said with an annoyed tone while glaring at Jay, "They will win!"

Jay was taken aback and said, "Well if you think about it realistically-"

"Miracles don't count on logic!" Phil said, "Ed is a dreamer! They will turn this around."

Claire tried to calm Phil down. "But Honey-"

"Shhh- Just watch," Gloria said before she and Phil high fived each other under the dumbfounded gazes of the Pritchetts. 

Back to the game. Edward chuckled in self-depreciation when he saw the determined expression on the opposing team's face. Suddenly, he tapped his thigh and he hummed.

Tyler returned to the team after getting some rest. "What's wrong with him?" He asked Jacob while pointing at Edward.

Jacob shrugged and said, "I don't know. Hyping himself up I guess."

"Swinging like Ali, Knocking out Bodies, Standing on top like a champion." Edward mumbled. Then, he stopped and looked at Tyler.

"Listen…" He whispered something to his team.

The whistle was blown, and the match resumed. Edward's team has the offense. "READY! SET! HUT!!!" Edward shouted. However, Edward didn't run instantly as the defense couldn't open up a gap for him. 

"Listen…All you need to do…Is stop Newgate from running," was what Terry said to his team before this. 

Terry lunged at him as he was sure that Edward would keep the ball during the last play. Edward's face turned ashen, making Terry more confident in his guess.

"Shit–" Edward cursed as Terry was already in front of him. However, Terry's eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat when he saw Edward's condescending smirk.

"Gotcha." Edward muttered to himself. 

Tyler had already passed the defensive line and was ready to receive the ball 30 yards away. Edward twisted his upper body, planted his foot into the ground, and then threw the ball through the tiny gap in the defensive line, just between Jacob and the center player.

Edward was tackled without any chance to defend himself and fall into the ground the second the ball left his hand. 

The ball flew while spiraling in a high speed, in a straight line. The ball flew into Tyler's arm, and it was still rotating even when Tyler had captured it. Then, Tyler rushed into the end zone with Tyrone protecting him.

He made a left, and then, another left, and he kept going left in his route. (Phil's play in the series). 

"TOUCH DOWN!!!" The referee blew the whistle. As the audience cheered, Cam shouted instantly, "TIME OUT!!"

The last timeout was called to stop the clock. The countdown froze with 6 seconds remaining. The audience held their breath as both teams faced off in the 2 yards line again.

"Listen. They will target only me. That's why I pulled the agro. So you guys can move easier." was what Edward said to his team before the play began.

Both of the team moved to the 2 yards line for the extra point match. Terry thought nervously, 'Will he come from the left? Or from the right? Who will he give the ball to?'

"Edward's trying to push the game into overtime." Claire said in a nervous tone.

"Can they even handle it?" Jay muttered with a slight sarcasm. "His team is already on their last leg."

The match began during the father daughter conversation. "SET! HUT!!" Edward shouted and the ball was snapped towards him. Terry went to the left while the other blockers went to the right. However, no one expected that Edward would step on Jacob's shoulder pad, and dove right through the defense line from the air!

The other team's defense tried to grab him, but they were occupied with the opponent's linebackers. Edward fell inside the end zone, and the whole crowd cheered!!!

The clock strikes zero, and the score is tied up at 51-51, and the game falls into overtime.

Terry panted heavily as he flopped on the grass, his eyes filled with disbelief. "Did I fall into his mind games? That kid's terrifying." He muttered before he started to laugh.

After a short break, Edward said to Terry, "Let's do sudden death."

"Sure." Terry replied easily. "I mean, we can play more, but your team can't." He teased.

One of his team members grabbed Terry and whispered to him, "Why are you smiling? We can lose the match!"

" I might get kicked out of the team after this, so I might as well enjoy my last game." Terry said in a casual manner before turning to the rest of his team, "ONE LAST PLAY! Are you guys ready!"

"WE'RE READY!" The team shouted back at him.

Edward asked his team, "ONE LAST PLAY! ARE YOU READY KIDS!?"

"AY AY CAPTAIN!" The team replied to him. Tyler froze in his spot, "HEY I'M THE CAPTAIN YOU BASTARDS!!!"

"Why are all of them laughing?" Haley asked as she was confused about what was happening inside the field. As the only former football player there, Jay sighed and replied, " To soothe their nerves… if they were too high strung, they won't be able to focus on the last chance."

The referee called both of the team captains for the coin toss. The sudden death game rules are simple, and can be divided into 5 parts. 

Coin Toss: A coin toss determines which team gets the first possession or which end zone they will attack. The visiting team captain usually calls the coin toss.

Possession: The team that wins the coin toss gets the first possession in overtime. They have an opportunity to possess the ball and attempt to score. If they score a touchdown on their possession, the game ends, and they are declared the winner. If they kick a field goal, the opposing team gets a chance to possess the ball and respond.

Possession Switch: If the team that starts with the first possession in overtime does not score, or only scores a field goal, the opposing team gets the ball. They then have an opportunity to possess the ball and attempt to score. If they score a touchdown, they win the game. If they only score a field goal, the game continues, and the possession switches back to the other team.

Alternating Possessions: If neither team scores on their first possession in sudden death, the format switches to alternating possessions. Each team takes turns starting at the opponent's 25-yard line and tries to score a touchdown or field goal. The order of possessions continues to alternate until there is a winner.

Sudden Death: The game ends as soon as one team scores and the other team fails to match or surpass their score. For example, if Team A scores a touchdown, and Team B subsequently fails to score or only scores a field goal, Team A wins the game.

The referee tossed the coin into the air. Terry called it, "Heads." The coin then falls back down into the referee's hand. "It's tails."

Tyler cheered, "ALRIGHT!"

Terry chuckled and muttered in self-depreciation, "I can't even call the last coin toss right."

The game started at the opponent's 25 yards line. Edward readied himself and then muttered, "This is it guys."

"READY…." The audience's nerves tightened. Everyone held their breath.

"SETT…"

Phil made sure to record everything on his camera. Gloria prayed for Edward. Haley saw that and also did a small prayer of her own.

"HUTT!!" Edward shouted and received the ball. Just like in the previous match, he was targeted by the opponent's team. This time, Edward dashed towards the end zone.

He managed to pass the line of scrimmage, and 2 yards before the end zone, he was tackled by the opponent's linebacker.

"Oooh!" The crowd gasped. However, everyone was in shock when they saw Edward's hand.

"It's…empty." Phil muttered with disbelief. Haley shouted in excitement, "IT'S EMPTY! That means-"

Tyler rushed into the end zone, and the team managed to score a touchdown to win the game! The crowd exploded into cheer till the bleachers shook from their excitement.

…

After the referee announced the winner, the college team went back to their bench while the Dolphin's celebrated. They were throwing Jacob and Edward into the air, before everyone received kisses from the cheerleaders.

"Coach-" Terry called out, but was interrupted by the coach's hand gestures.

"You know what will happen now, right?" The coach asked while crossing his arms together.

"I know. I will quit the team–"

"NO! You can't do that! Or…I will quit the team too!" One of the linebackers spoke up.

Terry was startled and he turned to his friend, "James, no-"

"I will quit too." The running back spoke up and stood beside Tyler.

"I will follow the captain."

"Yeah. If he quits, then I will stop playing." 

The entire team spoke up on behalf of the captain. The coach kept his silence as he faced the group of college students. He narrowed his eyes at them, making them feel pressured.

"Someone needs to take responsibility for this. We could've won this game if you'd just listen." The coach said in a cold tone. The group lowered their heads, but then the coach's next words made them look up again, "For losing to a high school team…Everyone here will take responsibility. Training will be doubled when we get back! Do you have any objections to this?!"

The team smiled and replied, "NO COACH!"

…

[Edward POV]

I smiled as I watched the 'Spartacus' scene going on in the other team. During my research on the opponent team before, I found something surprising. 

The other team's captain, who everyone said was forced to quit the team by their current coach because he didn't listen to him, was actually involved in drug abuse. The coach found out about it, and that was why he was out of the team.

The coach took the blame for everything as he didn't want to report the kid as he believed that he could change in the future. 

The scandal implicated the funds for the team, that's why he agreed to the match today. As long as the team got some exposure, he could attract new sponsors for the team. What else could be better for exposure than facing off against a team with an extremely popular celebrity in it? They would win… even if they lose the match today.

"Let's go eat!" I shouted to the team members while everyone was celebrating. Taylor clapped her hands while the cheerleaders cheered for the team. We went to clean ourselves up before going to the hotel's restaurant that I had booked to celebrate the victory.

Before I left the school, I was suddenly pulled into a dark corner while I was walking down the hallway.

"Aunt Camila? You were there?" I asked in shock when I saw she was hiding her hair with a scarf and wearing huge sunglasses.

"Yes. I was there the whole time. But I can't let anyone see me, so I was under the bleacher."

I rolled my eyes at her and said angrily, "If you don't tell me what exactly you did that you need to hide from the cops, don't blame me when I figure it out on my own."

She chuckled and teased, "If you can really do that, then I will get in the hot tub with you naked."

"That's a bet. Alright. Join me for my team dinner?" I asked her simply.

"Sure. Wait- What about your dad? Where is he?" She asked with concern.

I shrugged and said, "Banging Frankie…Hopefully."

"Nah. He's too cowardly to make a move." My aunt replied sarcastically."I need to get a ride, so let your girl ride with her friend." She said, referring to Taylor and Selena.

I nodded in agreement and said, "I'm going to meet Haley and Phil first. Here, you can pull the car up front."

She grabbed the keys from me and left. I met with the entire Haley's family when I went to meet her. Gloria kissed my cheek multiple times to applaud me for my winning.

"Manny, good luck with your match. I want to go see it, but I have to go to the team dinner." I said while rubbing Manny's head.

Manny suddenly said, "It's okay Ed. I won't go to the finals."

Gloria and Jay were shocked. Jay exclaimed, "What?"

Manny added, "Defeating a woman will be a mark on my honor. I want it to be a fair game, like what Edward faced."

Both of the parents were speechless. Before Jay could say anything, I held Manny's shoulder and said, "And why do you think that it's not fair? Do you think that you are sure to win the game? That's mighty condescending of you."

Manny was stunned, "What? No-"

"Really? Because it seems like that."

"I just don't want to fight a girl. It's not being a gentleman." He confessed.

"It doesn't matter in a competition. Not giving your opponent your 100% is an insult. Remember this Manny, when you work hard to win, your opponent is doing the same thing too."

"Can you imagine what you're going to feel if you finally got to the final match, and you're so close to finally proving to yourself that your efforts are worth it, but your opponent doesn't even take you seriously and quit, never even giving you a chance?"

Manny fell into contemplation before he answered, "I'd be frustrated."

I nodded to him and said, "That's why you have the obligation to do your best until the very end. That's…what being a gentleman is all about. No matter if your opponent is a girl or not. "

"Okay. I got it. I will not quit my match." Manny replied after thinking for a while. Gloria and Jay cheered and said urgently, "Let's go. We need to get to the venue right now."

"Alright." Manny replied.

"Dad. I will wait for Cam. Go on without me." Mitchell replied.

While the family was getting ready, Haley pulled me to the side and asked, "Are you okay? You got tackled pretty hard."

"Yeah. It's bruising." I said as I raised my shirt slightly, revealing a patchwork of bruises scattered across my stomach. Haley gasped in shock and said, "You need to get that checked out!"

I shook my head dismissively and said, "It's fine. It doesn't hurt much. Jacob had to go to the dentist though." 

She wasn't amused by my joke. With a concerned expression, she said, "Wait. You, Jacob, and who else?"

"Basically everyone in the team. We were in a David and Goliath kinda match. College boys are very strong." I said. "If you're worried, why don't you come with me to dinner to keep an eye on me?"

She rolled her eyes, but then her gaze went to her family, "Well, I promised my mom I would support Manny. Wait–" Haley suddenly realized something, "Mom! Alex is ditching again!"

Claire realized it too and said, "Ah. right. Haley, go and fetch your sister."

I chuckled and said, "Too bad. Everyone is going to the dinner party, except her."

(Sorry. My overly hectic schedule this week make it impossible for me to take a break. I'm releasing the chaps I am supposed to post this week, and will come back on Friday next week.)