When Ty came home from his day out with Luke, he snuck through the yard and placed the shopping bag into his room through the window. It wasn't a guarantee Father would notice his missing cash that day—or ever, hopefully, he'd think he'd spent it on booze—but it was best to avoid him for a while.
So Ty went for a run, racing to the park. Once there, high-branched trees became targets for his vertical leap. Those with low, thick branches provided a sturdy pull-up bar, though that didn't last long with how the bark cut at his hands.
He ran back home after a century of pushups and situps each. It was dark when he arrived, and thankfully, Father was gone.
Before Ty knew it, it was New Year's Eve. He had to leave early in the morning, gliding through the sleepy streets on his bike. The town was quiet, preparing for the explosive festivities later.
The bus was already waiting in the school carpark when Ty arrived. Coach Long and Mrs Long were waiting too. Bella—absent—was almost the spitting image of her mother, but from just the first interaction, Ty knew Mrs Long was a hell of a lot nicer.
'Ohh, you must be Tyrese.' Her cheeks rose with a smile as she and Ty shook hands. Her large eyes soaked him in. 'I've heard so much about you. … I like your chain, that's unique.'
Ty couldn't stop the smile creeping across his lips. 'Thanks.' Ty found it easy to believe Coach Long rambled about his prowess at home. Mrs Long watched him swagger onto the bus.
It was quieter than on game days, though there was still a low buzz of chatter, most of it to do with what the gala would entail. There was a bit of an argument about whether it'd be a good party—flash and expensive with models and celebrities—or if it'd be as lame as a low-tier school function with crappy old music and punch.
Ty didn't get pulled into the pointless arguments, letting Stephen and Deshaun spearhead the debate for either side. Ty didn't care about the party; it wasn't important. The important bit was the people who'd show up. A glimpse of their future rivals like this was unprecedented. How much information could they gather? How much mental warfare could they wage? Strike enough fear into enough hearts and they could win the National championship that night.
Coach Long double and triple checked everyone was on board before letting the bus leave the carpark and begin their journey. It didn't take long for them to reach the airport, though once there they were subject to another round of checks, making sure everyone had their luggage and tickets. And of course, Coach had arranged everything, so they arrived an hour early. At least they were the first ones on the plane.
Coach directed them through to their seats, and the Dons crammed into the plane. As Ty moved through the rows, he overheard muttered complaints about how their tickets weren't for first class. He didn't mind; it wouldn't be that long, and not too different from their bus rides … even when he ended up getting a middle seat, he still kept his mouth shut.
'Freshy in the middle,' Cole said to Ty before taking the window seat.
'I can take the middle if that's easier,' Donte said.
'No way. You're too big for the middle. You've got the aisle. I'd like my armrests, thanks.'
'You're giving a lot of orders for someone who gets locked up every practice,' Ty said.
Cole shifted around in his seat, brow raised. He frowned and looked forward. 'I'm still the senior here. You might be the star, but you're still a freshy. It's nothing personal, just what everyone's gotta go through.'
'You could be carrying everyone's bags. That's what Deshaun, Stephen, and Ronnie made me do,' Donte said.
'Who the fuck is Ronnie?' Ty asked, sitting in the middle seat.
'Hah! You'd have loved him, Ty. He'd give a freshy like you hell for the whole year.'
Donte sat. He knew he was the largest in their little section, and kept as narrow as he could so Ty wasn't that squished. 'I'm glad the freshy hazing hasn't been that bad this year.'
Ty shook his head, settling in for the flight. The worst part was the beginning. As the attendant marched down their aisle, Donte leaned away from the cart so as not to get clipped by it, though that meant pushing into Ty's space.
'Sorry,' he muttered. Though he still did it the next time the cart rolled by.
Other than that, the flight wasn't bad. That it only lasted a little over an hour helped a lot. Cole and Donte didn't pester Ty much—Cole was enraptured by some game on his phone, and Donte was pretty absorbed by the book he was reading. Though Donte caught Ty looking once and grinned at him. 'Do you read Sanderson too?' Donte asked, grinning.
'Uhh… no. I think my sister might?'
Donte opened his mouth to ask something more, but Ty avoided further conversation by pulling his headphones on. Having downloaded the deluxe of good kid m.A.A.d city, his music was sorted for the flight. It went by quickly and uneventfully after that.
As they came in to land, Cole leaned into his window, drawing Ty's attention. He couldn't see much, and from the little he did see, he wasn't impressed. There was a reason most movies only showed Vegas at night.
Though as they circled over the city, Ty scowled, feeling a twinge of disgust. Vegas, home of the traitorous Raiders.
Getting off the plane was another chore and ended up being the worst part of the flight. Even for a morning arrival, the plane was decently filled, which meant a lot of people filing out into the rows, fiddling with their luggage, clogging up the aisles, and making getting off twice as long as getting on.
Once all the Dons were off the plane, there were more rounds of checks to make sure everyone and their luggage were accounted for.
Then they were packed into another shuttle, squished together again before driving off through the streets towards their hotel. The daytime sights of Vegas weren't any better from a street-level view, and the chatter was much more muted; all the sitting around was more of a drain than it should've been.
Thankfully, when they arrived at the hotel, there was a touch of excitement, as their arrival lined up with that of another team. There was no other explanation for the dozens of kids their age, all sporting matching tracksuits. An eagle flying before a cross was etched in front of every heart.
A huge Samoan kid led them, and though he was almost through the doors of the hotel when the Dons rounded the corner, he stopped and stared. He scanned the team, then settled on JJ.
The adults supervising both sides moved quickly but calmly, stepping between each group. They were all friendly smiles even as the athletes sized each other up. Would they face each other in the coming days? Ty hoped not. They didn't look fun. The Samoan was the only one who piqued his interest, but he was more of a rival for JJ, and Ty already knew JJ would crush whoever foolishly stepped up to him.
The other side vanished inside the hotel without a word, and after they did, a murmur overtook the Dons. "Who were they?" "Were they strong or weak?" "Would we have to face them?" "I hope so." "I hope not."
Coach Long stood at the front of the pack and calmed the voices. It was masterful. He was as calm as anything, not even sweating under the too-warm-for-winter sun. All he did was explain how the rooms would be arranged, connected side-by-side, four boys to each room. But Ty saw the real purpose of the explanation—Coach Long was giving the other team time to get their keys and leave the lobby.
When they finally started moving again, Ty heard Zayden talk, sure his "whisper" was loud enough to carry to the back of the pack. 'That was the Desert Christian Eagles. They're the Arizona state champs.'
Ty sneered, surprised to see such a school had made it this far. 'They should pray so they don't have to face us.' A few quiet laughs rippled away from him.
Once inside, it was another chore separating the team into enough groups for the rooms. Ty didn't care who he was put with; it'd only be for a night, and they weren't here for a sleepover.
The rooms were cramped, with not much space around the beds. One wall was nothing but glass, showcasing the strip in all its splendour. Ty gave it a cursory glance, but that was all. He couldn't wait for the sun to set.
The others sharing Ty's room were Deshaun, the senior tasked with looking after them all; Amon, a Receiver Ty had never really interacted with, who worked hard in practice but had clear reasons to be behind Cole in the depth chart; and last was Zayden.
Everyone kept mostly to themselves, and nobody took too long getting ready for the gala, which Deshaun was thankful for; he didn't have to do much enforcing to keep everyone orderly.
Ty sat on his bed, chain around his neck, suit donned. He fiddled with his lock, his leg bouncing. It was ridiculous that he was nervous, more so than he had been for some games that year. He tried to tell himself there was nothing to be nervous or excited about; it was just some stupid party, but his leg wouldn't listen.
"What if no one cares that I'm there? What if no one knows who I am? What if I get there, and it's full of monsters that make Sierra Canyon look like trash?" Maybe the rest of the teams would be like the Eagles … but Ty couldn't help but wonder if the Dons had looked the same. Who really stood out from their team apart from him and JJ?
He snarled at himself. It didn't matter if no-one else stood out but him and JJ. He'd shine so bright that nobody else stood out on ANY team. "I'm the greatest. Everyone will see that, and if they don't, it doesn't matter. I'll destroy them no matter what."
There was a firm knock at the door before Coach Long popped his head inside. 'You boys ready? It's time to go.'
Ty stood, nose turning up. He'd only just realised how much the room stank with the mixture of colognes and deodorants that had been sprayed around, his own flavour indistinguishable amongst that cloud.
The Dons filled the hallway. Mrs Long went down the line, checking over each boy, fixing a crooked tie here or doing up a button there, making sure everyone was pristine before they headed down to the lobby.
The Eagles were there again, gathered together on their knees, heads down in prayer. "Pray all you like, it won't save you," Ty thought, striding past them and out onto the street.
Despite the sun having set, Vegas was almost as bright as it had been at noon. The neon lights were in full force, a dazzling beacon in the middle of the desert.
Waiting for the Dons were a couple of stretch limos, which would ferry them to the Convention Center. Ty heard ooo's and ahh's behind him. 'That's more like it, fuck yeah,' Stephen said.
'Language, Stephen,' Coach Long said. Laughter spread through the group.
Mrs Long went in one limo, Coach Long in the other as the team split in half. The limos were spacious and luxurious within, and most importantly they were comfortable. However, there was some disappointment that the mini-fridges were stocked with soda instead of alcohol. Still, excitement had returned to the team, and the limos were thrumming with chatter.
The short, slow drive through the streets was much more dazzling at night with the bright lights sparkling down on them, replacing the stars. Ty sat back, eyes closed, leg still bouncing. He struggled to imagine how the night would be a good one, if the limo ride was anything to go by. The noise was irritating, and the conflicting smells of thickly applied colognes and deodorants were dizzying, and that was just from half a team, not fifty of them all packed into one room.
Thankfully, they arrived at the Convention Center shortly, and with their arrival came fresh air, probably the last Ty would get for hours yet, so he sucked it down greedily.
The building was a grand, expansive disc of extravagance and decadence, the kind of place that was probably never intended to play host to hundreds of rowdy, roughneck high-school athletes. It was big enough you could get lost in it, but using foresight, plenty of signs pointing the way had been laid out so everyone could find the gala easily enough.
Coach Long led the team upstairs and through halls. They came to a set of large double-doors. Ty could hear the buzz of voices and clatter of footsteps from within, even if the party had only just begun. Outside the doors were a few attendants, and multiple tables all lined with nametags.
Ty found his tag and stuck it on his lapel. His heart pounded hard enough to fill his head with its drumbeat. He took a deep breath. Once everyone had gathered their nametags, Coach Long led the way through the doors. The noise hit Ty like a wall, but he pushed through, following Coach Long into the ballroom.