crazy couple of weeks with twists and turns but I finally feel like I’m starting to make sense of things.
I’m a senior at Bragan and I really thought I could make it all four years without ever having to come to one of these games. I guess at the end of the day, if you didn’t go watch a football game, did you really go to Bragan University?
I watch as the cheerleaders move about, trying to get the crowd excited. I watch my sister as her ponytail bounces back and forth. She’s got a smile plastered on her face and, while I always thought cheerleaders’ smiles were just for show, I know my sister’s is genuine. She’s really happy to be a part of this. Part of the cheerleading team. She loves it. So much so that I can tell that even when she gets home she’ll be smiling from ear to ear for a few more hours.
It’s like a high for her.
I hope law makes me as happy as cheerleading makes her.
The announcer announces the other team that’s playing, but amidst the noise, I can barely catch their name. They run through the field to a mixture of noise. The people around me are booing, but I can also hear some cheers. It must feel crappy to walk out onto the field and have people yelling at you. But I guess that’s what happens in sports.
Maybe they use it to fuel them. I wouldn’t know. I never did any team sports.
The moment the Bragan Lions are introduced, the people next to me stand from their seats and begin shouting. I’m sure some people are booing, but I can’t hear any of it, not with how loud the praise from the crowd is.
I look around and decide to join in on the fun. I may not understand football, but the buzzing in this environment and the million things that have happened in the last week make me want to get up and scream. So I do. I mean, when else would I be able to just yell and have no one look at me like there’s something wrong with me?
Elia got me a good enough seat that I can see everything on the field. I look behind me and see the masses of people. Having driven to the parking lot and never gone inside, I never imagined this to be as large as it is. The sheer number of people in this stadium confirms the one thing I’ve always known yet never truly grasped, the magnitude of football at Bragan University.
I look back at the field, my eyes searching for Nick, until I spot his number. I realize that this is his element. That out there on the field, to all these people, he is larger than life.
And yet he’s with me.
NICK
It’s the fourth quarter. The game is tied and we just got back from the timeout following the two-minute warning.
I jog from one end of the line to another and watch who follows me. When I have him in my sights, I smile. There’s no way he’s going to keep up with me. No way.
I wait for Lincoln to make the call and, the moment the ball is snapped, I run. I fake left and go right, leaving the guy who was supposed to cover me in the dust.
Running the route, I turn to look at Lincoln, hoping he finds me. He does and sends a bullet my way. I catch it and just as quickly turn back around and begin to run. I’m on their forty-yard line as I see two defenders running up toward me. I lower my shoulder and run straight into the first guy, taking him down.
Losing my balance a little, it takes me a few seconds to regain my footing. I ensure that the football is held tightly in my hands, as I can’t afford to lose it. I’m on their 30-yard line now and the sounds from the crowd keep propelling me forward.
This is where football is played. In the last few minutes. I keep running and dodge another defender before I’m taken down by two others.
As I lie on top of them I realize something, I haven’t touched the floor yet and the refs haven’t whistled, so the play is not dead. The moment the thought comes to mind, I get up and keep running.
It takes the rest of the players a moment to realize what’s happening, but by that point, it’s