with that girl, Britany. And if you were ever my friend, you’d know that. You’d want me happy and tell her the fucking truth.”
“I’m sorry about what happened, but I’m not talking to that Amazon. She’ll kick my ass.”
“She’s not like that. She’s special.”
“What we had was pretty special, wasn’t it? At least I thought so.”
“At the time, yes. But she’s special in a different way.” Coach Carr blew his whistle. “I’ve got to go take the field and get ready to play. Think about it.”
She shook her head. “I’ll talk to you at the party.” She walked away, and I felt as if it was never going to be resolved. I’d never get Avery back.
But as I took the field, I noticed her watching me. I had to win this game, and maybe if I brought home a victory, she would at least take time to congratulate me. If that was all I could earn from her, I had to put my all into the game.
When the game finally began, I played my best. I scored six points right out of the gate, and the crowd was going nuts. Including Avery, who I had only taken a second to take a peek at.
“That’s the way to do it,” said Paul. “Good pass! Good goal!”
I took a deep breath and focused on the game, and when the ball was passed to me, I knew only Motor was going to be in a position to score. I passed him the ball, hoping he was going to make the goal, and he dropped and kicked, sending it shooting to the goal.
Motor grinned ear to ear, which didn’t do much to improve his face, but he walked by and gave me a high-five. “Way to play!”
Carver looked like he had just sucked a lemon, but we were all playing for glory and the championship title.
I had a foul on the next play, but I didn’t let it get my temper up. Instead, I passed it to Paul, who scored, putting us one play away from a win.
As the other team huddled up on the other side of the field, getting one last pep talk from their coach, Coach Carr let us rest. We knew what we had to do, and I had a feeling he didn’t want to psych us out. We got in our positions, and Paul threw an unexpected lateral pass to me, which I swiftly caught. I found myself with only one option for the try zone. I dropped the ball and kicked it into the only open spot. I held my breath as the ball made its way through the opponents and between the goalposts.
I was still processing what just happened when the crowd went wild. And all of a sudden, Paul rushed over to congratulate me, and we shared a happy moment of victory. “I knew you could do it, man.”
“Thanks.” I knew I had recommended the right guy for my replacement as captain.
Everyone rushed the field, and there was confetti shooting in all directions. But something was missing. I looked up in the stands, and Avery was already gone. I saw her and Clara walking out with Dillon.
Coach Carr came over and congratulated me. He had a trophy in his hand, and the rest of the team crowded around. “Great game, son.” He passed the MVP trophy to me. “You earned it.”
The rest of the guys congratulated me, even Motor and Carver. I had not ended the season as captain, but going home with the MVP trophy made it all worth it.
As the rest of the guys went back to planning their after-party fun, I hung back with Coach Carr. “Are you sure you want me to have this? I mean, I didn’t exactly show sportsmanship when I hit you.”
“No, you didn’t. But I wasn’t acting like a good coach. I provoked you, and for that, I’m sorry. I’m not always my best at this. My old man was about as loving as yours back in the day, and I guess I’ve got a streak of him in me somewhere.”
“We all end up taking something from our fathers,” I said. “Even if we don’t want to.” I had taken scars and a strong survival instinct. That was why I lashed out at Avery and drew my fist.
Coach shook his head. “That, we do. But for my part, I’m sorry.” He patted me on the back and walked away.
If Coach Carr could forgive me and even apologize for