Bella's tongue ran over Ty's lips, seeking entrance within, but they were sealed shut, unmoving. Ty hadn't moved since the moment Bella kissed him, a shock that felt as long ago as the beginning of the game. A shock that felt like it lasted as long as the game had. In truth it was over in a few seconds. Ty thought that was still a long time for a first kiss … his first kiss.
Bella pulled away, only then noticing how many people were staring at them. Some of the players, Coach Hoang, namely her father, Coach Long.
The skin on the back of Ty's neck prickled. He whirled around. Some of the crowd were pointing, others trying to act like they hadn't been looking, but most were too busy with their own celebrations. Nothing stood out to him; he saw no sign of Meg amongst the masses.
Father and daughter stared at one another, Bella and Coach Long stood as if they were frozen amongst all the fervor. Coach Long was perfectly distracted, and Zayden and Deshaun took full advantage, dumping a barrel of icy Gatorade over him before rushing off onto the field, yelling and laughing as they joined the bulk of the Dons' celebrations.
As those who were on the bench got swept up into the surge, Ty was pulled along with them, turning away from the crowd as he was pushed towards the field. Bella and Coach Long were closer together, locked in conversation now, but Ty couldn't hear anything over the rush of the crowd. He passed Coach Hoang, the Defensive Coordinator looking up at him with a quirked brow.
But there was no time to stop, no time for him to talk, barely even time to breath. It was a party on the field, and Ty somehow found himself at the centre of it. Everything was a blur, and it felt like it'd never end.
Thankfully it did only a couple of minutes later, when the officials and coaches worked together to organise the teams and have them line up to shake each other's hands.
The Trailblazers were still downtrodden, even Coach Heenan, at the front of the line, looked like he'd rather be anywhere else doing anything else. To his credit, the Trailblazers' Head Coach swallowed his hurt pride and strode towards Coach Long, head held high as they shook hands. Even then Coach Heenan looked like his temper was hanging by the thinnest thread.
JJ was the first player after the coaches on the Dons' side, and he led by example, keeping the team respectful and humble in victory. Mason, not wanting to be outdone, led the Trailblazers. He looked ahead, stone-faced, staring just beyond the Dons' line.
The two met, shaking hands firmly. 'Good luck in Nationals,' Mason said.
'Mucho gracias, cabron,' JJ said, patting him on the back.
Spike was near the front of the Trailblazers' line, and he paused when shaking JJ's hand. He looked up at JJ, a sad smile on his face. 'I can see why you stopped Denzel.'
JJ mumbled his thanks for the compliment, but as he moved on through the rest of the line, his thoughts drifted to Denzel and the Bears. He was grateful to them. Without the struggle and challenge of overcoming them, he doubted they would've had the resolve or strength to beat the Trailblazers.
Lennox was near the back of the Trailblazers, it was a surprise he lined up at all. It wasn't a surprise that he didn't meet anyone's eyes. He shook their hands, limply, but he shook them. Even when Stephen grinned down at him, eyes full of mocking, Lennox didn't react. That changed, of course, when Lennox reached Ty.
They were both the last in their respective lines. Lennox came alive when they stood side by side, his hand squeezed around Ty's roughly before yanking him close. Lennox stared deeply into his eyes, and a grin spread upon Ty's face.
'You're never gonna beat me again,' Lennox whispered, leaning against Ty. 'I promise you.'
'Enjoy watching from your couch,' Ty responded. 'This is just the beginning. You were nothing but a stepping stone.'
Lennox lashed out, but officials and coaches were between he and Ty, pulling them apart in a flash. Lennox clawed at Ty, frothing at the mouth as he screamed at him. 'YOU'RE NOTHING! JUST A WORTHLESS BITCH THAT HAD ONE LUCKY DAY!'
Ty backed off, fists raised, shaking, but ready to defend himself. They slowly lowered as he watched Lennox get hauled off the field and towards the Trailblazers' locker room.
The officials stayed between the teams after that, separating them further, though with the shows of "sportsmanship" over, the Trailblazers didn't linger on the field and soon followed Lennox.
The Dons weren't done yet, and the moment wasn't soured for long, as the officials called them over for the trophy presentation. The team lined up for the photo, organising themselves with the shortest in the front and the tallest at the back, though JJ was front and centre right next to Coach Long.
The trophy—a golden football three times its normal size, sitting on a black pedestal that was rimmed with a crown—was presented to Coach Long, though before they could even get one photo with it in his grasp, he turned, pushing it towards JJ. 'This is yours,' he said. He found Jay in the back, beckoning him over. 'You worked for it, I just enjoyed the show you boys put on.'
JJ grinned at his reflection. Jay stared at the trophy, tentatively reaching out to it, like it'd crumble if one held it too tightly. The moment felt like a dream until his fingers graced that gleaming gold-painted surface.
JJ put one arm around the trophy, the other around Coach Long. 'We couldn't have done this without you, Coach, and I couldn't have done this without mi hermanos.' JJ looked across the rest of the team, calling them over.
They crowded closer, each stretching to get a hand, even just their fingertips on the trophy. Ty had been near the front, had one of the firmest grasps on the trophy. He couldn't take his eyes off it. It was the proof that they were the best, that HE was the best.
"Only in the state. The next step is Nationals."
The team hoisted the trohpy together, raising it high, hands above their head all clustered together, just like their pregame huddles.
'FAMILY!' they cried. It was the most fitting thing to say, and the picture captured the moment for eternity. Family had been the reason they got to the championship, and family was the reason they could carry it.
In the locker room, the celebrations were renewed. Music blared from multiple synced up speakers. A circle formed around the room, people jumping into the centre of it, dancing. Most of the moves were awkward, ill-fitting for the moment or the music, but it didn't matter, no one cared, they hyped up everyone and cheered wildly no matter who went in.
They were their loudest after Coach Hoang entered the circle. When he first appeared they stopped, anticipation heavy in the air, but when he leaned back on his large back wheels, balancing perfectly as he shuffled around the circle, they started howling.
The circle collapsed in on him once all his wheels touched back down, jostling him in his seat. Multiple people at once questioned him about when he learned that and where he'd been hiding that side all this time.
Ty sat apart from the group, watching the room. He noted Bella was absent. Probably because a lot of the players had started whirling their shirts about their head the moment they entered the room.
Coach Long could barely control the excitement to make a small statement. He started off by saying that there wasn't any sole player of the game because the win was a team effort, and this championship was a culmination of EVERYONE'S efforts throughout the year, and the trophy would always serve as a reminder of that. The cheering and celebrations restarted, someone put the music back on, but Coach Long wasn't finished.
'Not yet, not yet. Turn that music back off, please. It won't be long, but there's one more thing I've got to say to you boys.' He waited for them to quiet back down and settle back into place. 'We should stay in the moment and appreciate the present, but I just want to remind you all that this win means we're officially qualified for the National tournament. Having said that, that's something to worry about in the new year, for now, everyone should take the week off, enjoy Christmas—or whatever holiday you celebrate—with your families, and have a Happy New Year!'
Only then did it hit Ty that it was so late in the year. Christmas was a week away, New Year's a week after that, and school was out for its winter break. As the team packed up, readying themselves for the bus trip back, he found Coach Hoang.
'Do you know when Nationals start?' Ty asked.
'I don't, unfortunately,' Coach Hoang said. 'Though it'll probably be three weeks from now, they wouldn't start during the holidays, and they probably still need time to set it all up.
'Are we not going to practice until then?'
'As a team? Probably not until the new year. But obviously you're not gonna wait that long.' Coach Hoang didn't even need to see Ty shake his head. 'Be sure to take at least a day or two off, Samuels, you deserve it, and you need it.'
Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, there was a faint ache in Ty's knee, the leg he'd come down on awkwardly when he and Lennox got tangled up. He pushed it to the back of his mind; it'd be fine after a good night's sleep. 'I'll rest when I'm retired.'
Coach Hoang could only laugh.
When Ty reached the bus, the parking lot was almost empty; of course, the Trailblazers were assumed to be long gone. But Coach Long was waiting beside the bus, waiting specifically for Ty it seemed.
'I don't have the words to express how incredible that game was, Tyrese,' Coach Long said, 'or how proud I am of all you boys.'
'You did a pretty good job back in the locker room,' Ty said.
Coach Long chuckled, though his smile faded, his mouth forming a tight line across his face. 'We need to talk inside.'
Ty's brow furrowed, confusion marring his face, but he followed Coach Long into the bus. Bella was waiting in the row second from the front. She looked nervous, fidgeting, biting her lip, but she brightened and smiled upon seeing Ty, her heart doing little flips in her chest.
Coach Long gestured for Ty to sit with her and she slid over to make more room for him. Ty sat, he probably would've sat with her even without Coach Long prompting; the back of the bus was loud, spirits high, the noise flowed down to them. Coach Long stood over Ty and Bella, his presence as commanding as it'd ever been; looking at him, the noise fell out of focus and became muffled.
Ty felt Bella's fingers snake between his. He looked down at their hands, fingers now entwined. Coach Long looked too and cleared his throat. Bella squeezed.
'So uh … how long has THIS been a thing,' Coach Long said, gesturing to their clasped hands.
More confusion washed over Ty. "This?" Slowly the kiss came drifting back, the feeling of her lips on his, amidst all the chaos of the victory and that initial rush of joy. It was all a blur, all mixing together into one strange, confusion, euphoric blob. But Meg was absent from that jumbled memory. Ty leaned over, peering beyond Bella and out of the window. A few parents were hugging their newly crowned champion by their car, or gossiping together, but Meg wasn't there.
Under Coach Long's stern gaze, Bella almost released Ty's hand. Her fingers started to slip away from his, but then she strengthened her grip and swallowed her nerves. 'T-Today. I-I mean, I can't really say how long I've had these feelings, b-but … THIS'—she raised their conjoined hands—'…only started today.' Her face grew redder with each word.
'Feelings? What feelings?'
It was Coach Long who spoke, but Ty felt as if the man had plucked the words straight from his mind.
'I lo… I really like Ty, and I want to be his girlfriend,' Bella said. Her face was still red, but she held great determination. Her voice hadn't wavered, even after her initial stumble; THAT L word would've been a fatal mistake. It was too early.
Coach Long took a deep breath. From his expression, you could've thought Bella had just told him she wanted to quit the team. He turned his attention to Ty. The boy was lost, staring mouth agape. 'Well Ty?' Coach Hoang said. 'Do you share those feelings?'
Share those feelings? Rewinding from that, Bella wanted to be his girlfriend? She acted like she couldn't stand him half the time, even so, he liked her and they were friends of course but … girlfriend and boyfriend was a whole lot different than just friends, even Ty knew that.
He unclasped his hand from Bella's. She let him go, but looked down at her empty hand, shocked as if he'd just broken something that was meant to be unbreakable.
Ty wet his lips. His mouth was incredibly dry all of a sudden. '…I just want to play football. … I don't want to be anyone's boyfriend.'
Bella flinched as if he'd slapped her. She looked just as hurt. How could his words hurt her so? They were the truth! He didn't know anything about this boyfriend-girlfriend dating shit, and he didn't have time for it. He liked Bella, as annoying as she could be at times. She was a useful coach, a clever mind that could see things from a different perspective, like Coach Hoang. Most importantly she believed in him and the team, but that didn't translate to love, at least not for Ty. He just didn't love her. The only thing he loved was football.
He took a deep breath, turning to Bella. He put those thoughts into words, letting them flow from his brain out of his mouth in an unbroken stream. The longer he went on, the more her hurt deepened. It didn't take long for her to be on the verge of tears, it wasn't the first time she had been that day, but for once they weren't happy tears, not anymore. By the time he was done, the dam had broken and the tears were streaming down her face.
She looked past him to her dad, his face an unreadable blank slate. 'I-I need to get out,' she said, voice trembling.
Coach Long shook his head, the bus was already moving, and they were already behind schedule.
'Please, Dad,' she sobbed, 'please stop the bus. I just, I need to get out, I need fresh air. Just for five seconds, please. Please! Please just stop the bus!'
The bus slowed but didn't stop. Ty squeezed out from the seat, her sobbing shrieks like daggers in his ear. Coach Long sat next to his daughter, giving her a sturdy shoulder to cry on. Her body trembled with each sob that wracked it as leaned against her dad. Ty walked away, slinking towards the back of the bus.
People were looking. They'd been watching. Their heads turned and they continued watching as he fled the scene, escaping towards the back of the bus. They weren't looking at the back of the bus, they were still caught up in their celebrations. They didn't know. Ty hoped they didn't learn about what had happened—what he'd done—at the front of the bus until they were back home.
Deshaun, and Donte reached out as he passed, trying to pull him into their celebrations—they were freestyling over instrumentals found off YouTube, wanting him to take a turn, laughing at the thought.
He slid into a half-occupied row, squeezing through to the window seat and sank down, pushing his earphones in. Deshaun groaned, but said he told Donte a buzzkill freshy like Ty wouldn't go for it. Ty turned his own music on, turning the volume all the way up, drowning out the rest of the world.
He leaned back in his seat, staring out at the scenery zooming by. It wasn't fair. Why was she even crying? Why were people looking at him like that, like he'd done something wrong? He hadn't done ANYTHING wrong, he'd only told her the truth. The truth was there wasn't any room in his heart or mind for anything other than football. It'd been that way for as long as Ty could remember, and he was content with that.
He sighed, sinking further in his seat. Football was so much simpler. He closed his eyes. So much simpler than the rest of life.
It wasn't fair that football was taking a break. Just when he'd reached his highest peak. Who cared about Christmas or New Year's? Certainly not the Samuels family. Why couldn't Nationals start tomorrow? Why'd Ty have to wait and struggle through the complexities of life instead?
Football was so much simpler.