Chapter 16 Jaxon

We were going to win.
I predicted it going into the game, but I wasn’t one to gloat. At least not yet. Our rival school, the Falcons, weren’t as good as we first thought, so by the second quarter, we were kicking their ass and had taken the lead by sixteen points. While I felt appropriately stoked over the fact we were going to win homecoming, I was slightly bummed that taking the Falcons down had been so easy. I didn’t mind a challenge and wanted to impress my fans; and Grayce, of course, since she was the one reporting on it.
“Watch your back, Tate!” Tyler shouted at me.
I ran as hard as I could towards the end-zone, but suddenly I was rushed. Three defensive players were on my tail rapidly, veering me off my path. I wheeled around just in time to heave the ball downfield to Tyler, my running back, who caught it flawlessly. In mere seconds the defensive players were on him instead, and Tyler was running, dodging bodies left and right. I ran, too, taking this opportunity to make my way down the field without the Falcons on my ass. Both offensive guards on our team were blocking Tyler, but he was fast approaching a cornerback on the defensive team, and we all knew he wouldn’t make it to the end zone to score the touchdown we needed to finish the game.
The students and supporters in the stands were going crazy. People were screaming and chanting, and the drill team was doing their final number as Tyler heaved the ball with everything he had in him in my direction. Someone took him down, but it was too late; he’d already passed the ball back to me.
“Go, Jaxon!” someone screamed from the stands, and I was almost certain it was Grayce’s voice egging me on. As if on cue, a burst of newfound energy enveloped me, and I dove into the end zone, hitting the dirt and grass with excessive force as my body slid over the goal line, football in hand.
We won.
When you hear the phrase, “the crowd went wild,” it’s hard to imagine precisely how insane it is until you see it and hear it yourself, but there it was. I was tackled by my team, cheered on, and applauded. Coach was shouting compliments in my ear, and onlookers were still squealing. Everything was a blur as we marched back to the infield and shook the hands of the other team. Sometime during the flurry of activity, a hand clapped me on the back. I turned around, expecting one of my teammates.
“Good game, son,” my dad said, shaking my hand as if we were strangers. I stopped and stared at him, caught off guard but not all that surprised. I hadn’t heard from either of my parents in a couple of weeks, and now here they were with no warning.
“Thanks.” Behind my father, my mom stepped up. Dressed in a conservative ankle-length dress with a shawl draped over her shoulders, she stepped forward to hug me. She was smiling, but as usual, it was all face and no eyes. Her eyes, once alive with joy, were bleak and dejected, hiding a secret nobody really knew.
“You played very well today,” she said in my ear, standing on her tiptoes to reach. I held her for a few seconds longer than expected, but she didn’t seem to mind.
“I didn’t know you guys were coming today.” I released her from my hold. “You should have told me.”
“You know your father,” mom said. “He couldn’t miss one of your games.”
“Don’t tell me I have to start texting when we want to see you,” my dad said. “Are you embarrassed to find me at one of your games?”
“Of course not,” I said. “I just would have planned dinner or something for us.”
“No need,” my dad said. “We can’t stay. Your mother and I were just in the city for an appointment and figured we’d stop by and watch you play.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Thanks for coming.” I stepped forward to hug my dad while he held out his hand again to shake mine. I stopped before I ran into him and took his hand. He shook it briskly, then dropped it and stepped aside so I could hug my mom again. I tried not to make a face or roll my eyes at my dad as Mom hugged me again.
“Don’t be afraid to call me sometimes,” I said to Mom as she held me. I knew damn well my father frowned upon the constant mother/son interaction, and he never missed an opportunity to tell my mom that thanks to her love and devotion, she’d raised a sissy who’d grown to be half the quarterback he had been in his time. It didn’t seem to matter if she believed him or not because whatever my dad said or did was right, even if it was wrong.
“It’s time to go, Marilyn,” my dad said after she lingered for a few seconds too long. She released me, raising her hand to touch my cheek as she smiled a slight upturn of her lips at me.
“I love you,” she said. “And I’m so proud of you.”
“I love you, too.”
“Keep up the work,” my dad said. He clapped me on the shoulder again in what he considered an intimate family touch. Then he nodded at my mother, and they walked away, vanishing into the crowd until they’d randomly pop up without notice the next time.
“Party at Jaxon’s house!” Tyler bellowed, slapping me on the back, jostling me from my thoughts. There was a cheer from our team, and I scanned the bleachers for familiar faces. One face in particular, and I didn’t even realize I was doing it until I spotted her with her friend Alex looking like they were getting ready to leave.
“Nice play out there, Tate,” Coach said. He socked me in the arm. “I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks, Coach,” I said, but I was only vaguely paying attention. Tyler was saying something to me about the beer keg now on its way to my apartment, but I barely heard him.
“Hold on.” I pushed my way through the celebratory crowd to find Grayce. I was glad I did because Alex and that kid Shawn had already distanced themselves from the crowd, and Grayce was well on her way to joining them.
“Hey,” I called, and Grayce turned to look at me. She smiled when she saw me, and for some reason that made me all proud and giddy inside.
“Good job,” she said. “That will be a fun game to write about.”
“And dream about,” Shawn muttered next to her. Alex elbowed him, landing a blow in his rib cage. He grimaced and muttered something inappropriate, but I didn’t hear what.
“I’m glad you came,” I said to Grayce, making it a point to ignore Shawn. “Where are you guys going?”
“Home,” Grayce said. “I have a lot of studying to do.”
“You said you’d come to the party,” I reminded her, my tone slightly whiny as a knot of sulkiness welled in my chest. “We even won, so now you have to.”
“She doesn’t have to do anything,” Shawn said, and I wasn’t sure who wanted to hit him more: Alex or me.
“I don’t know ….”
I looked at Alex for backup, knowing if she decided to go, Grayce would, too. However, I shouldn’t have expected much because I felt that Alex wasn’t my biggest fan.
“I know it’s not your scene, but it will be a lot of fun,” I promised them. “Free drinks and good music.” I looked at Shawn. “You can come, too, if you want.”
“Like I don’t have anything better to do than hang out at some stupid party,” he mumbled, looking at the ground when he said this.
“There will be lots of cute, drunk girls,” I told him. The truth was, I wasn’t interested in whether Shawn decided to go, but I knew that I had to be polite to the guy if I was going to get on Grayce’s safe side. For some reason that I couldn’t quite place, they were friends, maybe something more, and it would do well not to tread on that thin ice … yet.
“We’ll stop by and have some drinks,” Alex said and looked at Grayce, who nodded.
“Yeah, sure,” she said. “But we can’t stay long.”
I knew it was pointless to argue because some time was better than none, and I was still trying to figure out why I gave a shit as I backed away, grinning like an idiot.
“See you then,” I said and flashed the million-dollar smile that made women drop their panties on the spot. Grayce, however, didn’t drop her panties. She just smiled and shrugged her shoulders.
“I hope you have vodka.”