Chapter 1 - And Down Goes Frederick
Colt
Watch the backside! Where is the damn block!
I sit in my designated spot at the very end of the bench. Internally it feels like I’m having a fucking heart attack, but on the outside, I’m as cool as I’ve ever been.
I’m not worried about winning the game. In fact, we could lose and it would still work out just fine for me. As long as Frederick threw for over one hundred ten yards tonight.
The Bobcats ran a solid nickel defense, but there were holes. Our all-star quarterback would be able to capitalize on that. I put money on it.
I had three to one odds he was going to have a good night. If there is one thing I know, it’s football.
As the third-string quarterback, I may not be able to use that to my advantage on the playing field, but I sure as fuck can use that when it came to gambling. I had yet to lose a bet when it came to what I knew my team was able to do.
I bet the rest of the money I had leftover on this game, and it would be enough to get my mother and I caught up on the bills. We’ve already received three notices from the water company that they were going to shut our water off.
“Frederick, take what they fucking give you! Ram that shit down their throat!” Coach Mike screams out as Frederick steps up to the line of scrimmage right behind the center.
No!
I can see the trap before the ball is snapped. Frederick is cocky as hell, he’s big and agile, but he’s not as fast as he thinks he is. The defense is intentionally leaving open field knowing that he is going to try and run for it. The second he tucks the ball and takes off, the entire secondary of the opposing team closes in on him, and the much larger safety bulldozes Frederick to the ground.
My heart drops to my cleats when I hear the blood-curdling scream over the roar of the crowd. A loud gasp rolls over the team and the entire sideline jumps up to see if the worst-case scenario has come true.
The worst case for the team and the worst case for me. I put everything I had on Frederick. In fact, I put more than what I had on him playing well in this game.
When the pile moves away and my team is the one to go down to the knee, Coach Mike and the rest of the coaching staff run over to where Frederick is lying on the ground crying in agony.
