Jamdown

Chapter 36

Irwin Pristine

The grass crunched under my feet as bones creaked. I breathed out and I tried to ease the numbing ache. Leon hit me pretty hard back there. His seriousness threw me off, but deterred I was not. Vanessa clapped and cheered me on. Great, that alleviated my shame, but Leon was not someone that I was likely to beat. 

Leon was good at his job. In defense, he stole the ball often. He was our best defensive player. I was the best offensive player, so this felt like the final challenge I needed. 

Driver Boy, yeah, he was only talk. Beating him was easy. Nodelyn was a traitor, while she supported this useless backup bastard and I'm her brother! She was like the Eve to my Adam, and Driver Boy was the snake.

I breathed out. The crowd around us stood with bated breath and heat travelled along my naked back adding to my discomfort.

Leon smiled, while Driver Boy posed himself down in front of me. Funny, his stance was lower now. That gave me an height advantage. I was going to take that, so I slotted the football into my armpit and planted my hand further ahead of me. 

My weight shifted forward, so I tensed my muscles, breathing in to calm my nerves. I sped forward off my back leg. Running smooth, I closed the distance better. 

I cut, so Driver Boy crushed into me. A pain ruptured through me, then I twirled backward as he pulled me airborne and dropped me hard on my side. A stiff silence rested in the air. 

A player called out, "God damn, Terry you never have to mash up the man..."

I groaned and rolled on the grass.

Don said, "Militant! Terry, a whe you say, short man strength!"

I got on my knees just before Nodelyn slid to my side. "Bro, you good?" 

My lips curled, and I turned away from her. "I'm fine."

Nodelyn called after Driver Boy, "A whe that?! A training, what kind of tackle that?"

Leon kissed his teeth. "Woman, a American football we play, not softball."

The boys laughed. Nodelyn shot them a look and they shut up. 

I got up and tried to push my sister off me. Donavan said, "He was wearing no gear and I do not want no injuries, no tackles like that, you hear, Terry?"

Driver Boy shrugged. "Yeah yeah."

I took up the ball and breathed though my nose with my throat contracting hard. Nodelyn backed away. 

Leon shouted with a giggle. "Two-zero!"

Losing.

I hated it.

Especially to people that were not on my level, that made it worse. 

There was no way I was losing.

Not to Driver Boy.

I swiftly slotted the football and sped forward, running wide, but Driver Boy tracked me. We were about to clash, then I saw him lean forward. 

I turned on one leg, but he leaned up and reached for me. We breathed on each other when I twirled again, leaving Driver Boy falling behind my black sweat-glistening back.

Leon jumped, grabbing my legs. I pushed my legs out, almost stumbling, yet he slid off like butter as I rounded him and ran to the end of the field to a flurry of cheers. 

Okay, one for me in this sweat-drenched evening. We lined up and I went again. I passed Driver Boy with a double cut, but Leon jammed me and pulled me into the ground. Okay three to one, my lost seemed imminent.