Unfocused

The alarm blared at 5:00 AM, jarring DJ awake from a restless sleep. He groaned, feeling the soreness in his muscles from yesterday's brutal practice. 'This can't be real life,and if it is please kill me' he thought, dragging himself out of bed.

————-

The weight room was alive with activity, the clanking of weights and grunts of effort filling the air. DJ joined Malik and Travis, who were already deep into their workouts. Today's session was grueling, involving sled pushes, push presses, and lunges across the weight room all while carrying the 45 pound metal plates used to load bench presses and squat bar.

DJ gritted his teeth as he pushed a heavily loaded sled across the floor, his legs burning with each agonizing step his legs were literally twitching at this point almost as if he had a muscle spasm. Sweat poured down his face, stinging his eyes, if somebody saw him they'd think he took a shower or came out of the rain. Beside him, Malik struggled with push presses, his face contorted with effort, dudes arms were so sore after he couldn't even close his hands all the way, his veins looked like they were literally about to explode. Travis, usually the Superman of the group, was exhausted, his breaths coming in ragged gasps.

"Come on, DJ, push harder!" Coach Simmons voice cut through the noise, pushing them to their limits. DJ's legs trembled as he pushed the sled one last time, collapsing onto the floor as soon as he finished.

Nearby, a freshman threw up in a trash can, while others looked on the verge of passing out. "This is insane," DJ muttered to Malik as they both lay on the floor, trying to catch their breath.

"Yeah, but it's gonna be worth it," Malik panted, his face drenched in sweat

———

After their life shortening workout they all went home to get changed and shower, DJ, Malik, and Travis piled into DJ's Audi for the

ride to school. "Buckle up, boys," he said with a grin. "Let's hit the road."

"DJ, man, you drive like a maniac," Malik said from the back seat as DJ sped out of the neighborhood . "I'd like to make it to school in one piece."

Travis, sitting shotgun, laughed. "Yeah, I

don't want to end up as an ornament, pasted onto a wall."

DJ smirked, weaving through traffic with ease. "Relax, I've got this. Besides, it's more fun this way."

Malik rummaged through his gym bag, pulling out a half-eaten protein bar. "Anyone else starving? Because I could eat a horse right now."

"No drive-thru detours today," DJ said, glancing at the clock. "We'll be late if we stop."

"Come on, just a quick one,even a gas station will work" Malik pleaded, his stomach growling audibly.

Travis shook his head. "Dude, you're always

hungry. How do you eat so much and not gain a pound?"

"It's a gift," Malik replied, taking a big bite of his protein bar. "And a curse." he said sounding defeated

The banter continued as they sped towards school, the tension from the morning workout easing as they joked and laughed.

———

Brianna's day was off to a rough start. She

couldn't shake the image of DJ and Jordan hugging from her head. 'Why can't I stop thinking about it?' she wondered, her stomach in knots.

In her first class, she tried to focus on the

lecture, but her mind kept drifting. Lily noticed her distraction. "Hey, you okay?" she whispered.

"I just can't stop thinking about DJ and that

girl," Brianna admitted, her voice low. "I know he said she's just a friend, but it's hard to believe."

"Maybe you should talk to him again," Lily suggested. "Clear the air."

Brianna nodded, but her doubt lingered. 'Why

didn't he tell me more about her?' she thought, feeling a knot of jealousy.

———

Between classes, Brianna spotted DJ in the hallway, chatting with Jordan. Jordan's curly black hair bounced as she laughed at

something DJ said. Brianna's stomach churned as she watched them.

'Why is she always around him?' she thought, her chest tightening with a mix of anger and hurt.

As she walked by, DJ caught her eye and waved. "Hey, Brianna!"

She forced a smile and waved back, but inside, she felt like screaming. 'Why doesn't he understand how this looks?'

———

That afternoon, DJ was on the field, but his mind was elsewhere. As they ran through offensive drills, his usual sharpness was

missing. He struggled with his routes, his catches sloppy while thinking about Brianna's

unusual behavior.

Coach Carter noticed immediately. "DJ, what

the hell is going on with you today?" he barked. "Get your head out of your ass!"

DJ flinched at the harsh words, trying to shake off the distractions. He lined up for another play, but his focus wavered again. He missed a crucial block during a special teams drill, causing Coach Carter to explode. "You're killing us out here, DJ! Get it together, if you're not here to practice go home!"

DJ nodded, feeling the weight of the criticism. 'I need to focus I'll worry about other things later,' he told himself, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Brianna forced smile and Jordan. His wake-up call hit hard. He took a deep breath, his face set with focus. 'Enough

distractions. Time to get serious.'

DJ lined up against, one of the team's best

corners, for a one-on-one drill. He took a moment to center himself, focusing on the task at hand. His eyes narrowed, locking onto the ball as the quarterback prepared to snap it.

At the snap, DJ exploded off the line, his feet

moving with a burst of speed. He executed a quick stutter step, his body making a move to the inside before cutting sharply to the outside as he hit the brakes once he felt the corner leaning his weight on him.  Aaron reacted, his hips shifting to follow DJ's movement, but DJ was already a step ahead.

His eyes stayed glued to the ball as it soared

through the air. DJ's hands extended, fingers spread wide, ready to secure the catch. He felt Aarons' hand brush his arm, but DJ's concentration never wavered. He jumped off two, his body contorting in mid-air to snag the ball just out of Aaron' reach.

As he landed, the impact jarred his body, but DJ held on tight, crashing to the turf with the ball secured against his chest. The grass stained his white jersey practice jersey, but he didn't care. 'That's more like it,' he thought, getting up and dusting himself off.

Coach Carter watched, impressed. "That's more like it DJ. Let's keep it going everybody"

DJ nodded remaining silent, focused. 'Just get the job done,' he thought, set to block out everything but the game.

———-

Thursday rolled around DJ's routine was consistent. He started with a light jog, followed by stretching exercises to loosen his

muscles. He reviewed the game plan, visualizing each play and his role in them.

'I need to be at my best tomorrow,' he reminded himself.

After school, the team gathered for a walkthrough of the game plan. DJ paid close attention, making mental notes of Westfield

Academy's weaknesses. 'I can exploit their secondary, although they're good, they won't be able to shut me down' he thought, feeling the need to lock in.

As the walkthrough ended, DJ went home to prepare for the game. He carefully laid out his outfit: two leg sleeves and two forearm sleeves, all in white, with teal accents on his jersey from the three shark gills on his shoulders that looked like bear claw marks. His jersey number, 1, stood out boldly. 'Gotta stay ready,' he thought, inspecting his gear.

——-

Brianna's turmoil had only deepened since Tuesday. She felt isolated, unable to shake the nagging doubts. 'Why doesn't he talk to

me about her?' she wondered, her mind racing with possibilities.

At lunch, she confided in Lily again. "I just

feel like there's something he's not telling me."

"Maybe he's just focused on the game,"

Lily suggested. "It's a big deal for him."

"Maybe," Brianna conceded, but the uncertainty gnawed at her. 'I just want him to be honest with me.'