"He knows he's going to lose. That's all it is." But the answer rang hollow in Ty's head.
More names were announced, and more athletes took the stage. Ty didn't notice. His eyes were locked on Kentavious. They'd said he was the best defender, but it wasn't enough. He needed to be THE BEST, the only star left in the night sky.
Once the eleven best defenders were gathered, more pictures were taken. Still, Ty didn't face the cameras, even as he stood at the forefront.
'We've got some intense young individuals here,' the announcer said. 'Why don't we group them together and take a picture of the twenty-two best players in the country to commemorate this fine evening?'
Photographers motioned for the boys to bunch together. People shuffled across, closing the gap. Glares were exchanged, but so were as many friendly smiles and fist bumps. There was an equal mix of potential rivals and teammates in both groups.
Ty pushed through the crowd. Others saw his goal, but none stopped him. Kentavious didn't shy back, or lunge forward like Ty. He stood his ground, sighing when Ty planted himself before him.
Ty saw a brief flicker of hope and intrigue in Kentavious's golden eyes. They sized each other up. Electricity settled in the air, but there wasn't any malice between the two. It wasn't like a meeting of two rival alphas at the edge of their territories, more like two beasts who were both encountering a new species for the first time. There was only curiosity.
Lights flashed, but both boys ignored them; they were merely stars twinkling in Ty's black eyes, and glints of gold in Kentavious's.
Kentavious moved first, extending a hand to Ty. Ty looked at it as if deciphering whether it was a threat or challenge. 'I'm Kentavious Rice Junior. Some people call me Skywalker.'
The voice was disarming. It was soft, but still easily discernible in that chaotic environment. The unusual thing was that it was entirely devoid of smugness.
Ty took his hand. The fingers were long, wrapping around him tightly, and there was an almost scary, casual strength in Kentavious's grip. Despite his much slimmer build, he might've rivalled even JJ in grip strength.
Refusing to back down or be intimidated, Ty shook his hand calmy. He watched Kentavious like he was a wild animal that could strike at any moment. 'Tyrese Samuels.'
Kentavious smiled, though it never came close to his eyes. 'I've heard a lot about you,' he said. 'I like the Black Hole nickname better than Supernova.'
Ty's eyes narrowed. 'I've not heard much about you,' he responded. 'Skywalker's weird. You supposed to be the chosen one or something?'
Kentavious's smile quirked, did he suppress a laugh? Or was Ty reading too much into it? 'You don't go on social media, do you?'
'Maybe you're just not as big outside of Texas as you think you are.'
'And maybe you believe your own hype.' Kentavious pulled him closer, voice lowering. 'Can you make me believe?'
Ty's brow furrowed. This guy was crazy. Not crazy like Lennox, or Marshall, or even that guy who'd got in a fight with Stephen. 'I believe it because I back it up. Let me tell you now, I'm better than they say.'
'I hope so … I'd even settle for you living up to your hype. But I'm scared.'
Ty wouldn't pull away, he wouldn't back down, no matter what mind games Kentavious pulled. 'You should be. I'm—'
'No, I'm not scared OF you, I'm scared FOR you.'
'What the fuck are you talking about? I won't lose to some creepy shit like you.'
'They like that fire. Makes you believable. Of course, you are good. I've seen your film … but are you special?'
'What?'
Ty stepped back, though their grip remained unbroken. He stared into Kentavious's eyes, and for once they were filled with emotion. Not joy—even if he was still smiling—but a painful sadness that chilled Ty's bones.
'Of course I'm special!' Ty growled. 'I'm the best. Not just the best Corner, or the best defender, but the fucking best in the world.'
There was a twinkle in Kentavious's eye again, a brief flicker of joy, but it was quickly snuffed out. 'I hope you are. Maybe you can prove them wrong.'
Ty's head hurt. Kentavious wasn't making sense. 'They called me the best. They know!'
Kentavious shook his head. 'They don't believe that … can you make them believe?'
'What…?'
Instead of responding, Kentavious slipped away and walked offstage into a sea of questions, leaving Ty confused. Other people jostled him and pulled him back. The two other CBs were there, arguing that they were the best. Jeremiah was in the background, gloating, trying to convince him he was the best Receiver and the biggest threat—pun surely intended—that everyone should be worried about. Ty barely heard them, still puzzled over what Kentavious had meant.
With Kentavious and the Longhorns' arrival, Jackson had lost his chance to confront Tyrese. No, that was an excuse, one Jackson wouldn't succumb to, even if he was the one thinking of it. In truth, he'd lost his chance because he'd hesitated, because he'd been scared. And it was eating him up.
"Why am I still scared?" He thought he'd left those fears behind long ago, had bested them … but when they came back stronger than ever, it was like catching a hook with your jaw after you thought the fight was over.
There had still been time to reach Ty after the Longhorns arrived, but Jackson's fear had held him back until the surge of players overwhelmed the buffet table and swallowed Ty, blocking him off. Jackson was still disgusted at how relieved that made him.
After that he'd finally reunited with his dad, however, there wasn't much to tell. He'd barely talked to any other athletes, and hadn't got a word in with any scout. Dad's night was going well, even if he hadn't spoken with either Kentavious yet. It was a real eye-opener he said, and he even mentioned that he'd been telling the other scouts and such about an emerging star at Arcadia to look out for next year.
When he told Jackson about that, he tapped his own nose, as if he was being subtle about his "secret tip". Jackson thanked him all the same and promised not to let him down.
When the All-American teams were announced, Jackson could only stomach it until Ty got on stage. After that, he had to step out onto the balcony for fresh air. Thankfully, it was much quieter out there, and he was all alone.
The city sprawled across the desert below him. The Convention Center offered an expansive view from its hilltop. It made everything look so small, but didn't help Jackson stop feeling just as small.
He stared at the horizon, obscured by the bright lights and fading into a multicoloured haze. A field was out there somewhere. A football field. And Jackson was trapped on it again. He shivered, feeling that stare on him. A stare without recognition.
His leg ached. He reached down, stroking his healed bones, taking deep breaths. There was nothing he could do that night. Confronting Tyrese wouldn't accomplish anything. What was he supposed to say? You embarrassed me in the summer. I ran away and broke my leg so I missed this season, and my team lost their State championship game, so we can't face you now, but next year, just you wait, I'll win next year and I'll get my revenge.
He laughed at the thought of it. How lame. People weren't even that cringe in anime. Next year … His jaw tightened. He wasn't just pushing the confrontation back because he was scared. He couldn't do anything now. Next year's gala, he'd get in Tyrese's face, he'd stand on stage with him, on equal footing, and tell him he's going to beat him. Not just beat him, but embarrass him.
'It's an ugly city, don't you think?'
Jackson almost jumped over the railing. He stared at the boy next to him, shock only growing once he saw who it was. He hadn't even heard Kentavious Rice Jr. approach. The shock was so great Jackson couldn't even remember what he'd said.
'S-Sorry?'
Kentavious looked him over, focusing on the lack of nametag. 'Why are you here?'
'Me? I'm with my dad, I…'
Jackson swallowed. The cameras had followed Kentavious, though they'd stayed inside, behind the glass windows. Jackson suddenly found himself at the centre of a zoo exhibit. He stared up at Kentavious. He couldn't believe they were the same age. Kentavious carried himself as if he were twice as old, and like he'd been living in such circumstances since childhood—he probably had.
'My name's Jackson Woods. I was injured this year,' Jackson continued, 'but I'm here to let the world know the new year's mine. I'll show them I'm the greatest.'
'Ahh. Everyone wants to be the greatest, don't they? But there can only be one. What makes you think YOU should be that one?'
'Because … because …'
Jackson frowned. He turned back to the city. Why did he have the arrogance to believe he not only could but WOULD be the best? Because he worked hard? As if others didn't do the same. So why him? He'd never asked himself that most perplexing question. Eventually he settled on an answer, and whilst he didn't know if it was right, it was what he believed to be the truth.
'Because I have my family and friends. Everyone believes in me. I can't let them down. They don't care if I'm the best or the worst, as long as I'm happy … but how can I fail with that kind of support? I know, as long as I do my best and give it my all, they'll always be there for me. So I'm gonna be the greatest and show them the heights their support and love pushed me to. I'm gonna be the greatest because I told them so … and I'd rather never play football again than lie to them.'
Jackson looked at Kentavious again, tension melting off him after his speech. His breath caught when he saw tears glistening in Kentavious's eyes.
Kentavious turned to regard the city, not blocking his eyes, or wiping them. 'Family are the greatest motivator, aren't they? Do you really think they'd love us the same if we rode the bench, versus winning MVP every year?'
Jackson stared, mouth agape. He watched a tear roll down Kentavious's cheek; the lights reflected in it looked like a rainbow trapped in a bottle. He opened his mouth to say something—what, even he wasn't sure—but a deep voice like rocks slapping together cut him off.
'Junior.'
Kentavious Rice Sr. stood in the doorway. Jackson froze, as if hoping if he was still enough, the man wouldn't notice him. He didn't know why, just that the man seemed like the type where only bad things could come from being on his radar.
Junior ran his hands across his face and through his hair, then turned to face his father. 'I can't hold our friends back much longer,' Senior said. 'I'm not sure why I would at this point. We're here so you can talk with them, so they can see how perfect you are. So they can see it's a farce that that Jenkins boy is still ranked number one.'
Junior said nothing as he strode past his father and back into the party, like swimming right into a shark's throat. He didn't even glance Jackson's way. Senior did, however. His eyes darted across Jackson, and then he scoffed.
'Even if yours was the last school in this country. I'd start my own before Junior touched an ASU uniform.'
Jackson glared as Senior turned his back and stepped into the party, once more leaving Jackson alone on the balcony.
HE was Junior's motivation for being the greatest? Jackson couldn't imagine that nightmare.
Ty had eventually broken free of the small fry that had attached themselves to him after his extended stare down with Kentavious, though once offstage, he wasn't surrounded by scouts or reporters, but his teammates. They welcomed him like he'd just survived three minutes with prime Tyson; he was crazy, he was too arrogant for his own good, he was starting fights the others would have to finish for him, he was the quintessential Don.
Eventually they calmed, drifting through the room before finding their own home. Something had drawn all the focus over to the balcony, and some started complaining about the lack of attention they were getting compared to other teams and players.
'How the fuck does this freshy get called on stage, and all this shit about being the best and whatever, but JJ gets snubbed?' Stephen asked no-one in particular.
'JJ wasn't up there?' Ty asked.
'Dude… are you high?' Jay asked, though he sounded less scandalised, and more like he was asking because he wanted a hit of whatever Ty had smuggled across state lines.
'The freshy was too busy eye-fuckin' his new boyfriend up there,' Deshaun said, drawing a few laughs.
'Fuck off, Dee. Who was up there instead of JJ?'
'A guy called Orion Warner,' Donte answered. 'He didn't look that impressive.'
'Appearances can't be used to measure someone's skill,' JJ said.
'Duh, look at Ty,' Stephen said.
'He was from Nevada,' Chris said. 'I reckon they just felt bad since none of their homeboys had made either side yet.'
'The Samoan guy sharing our hotel, Joseph Fale, made the defensive team,' Donte added.
'You like … jealous he took your spot, bro?' Jay asked.
'I never said that…'
Ty frowned, scanning the crowd, which turned out to be an impossible task. Why did everyone have to be taller than him? Joseph Fale … he looked a match for JJ, but this Orion, the Nevada representative … bullshit. No MLB could be stronger than JJ. The organisers had to be wrong. If not … He shook his head. It didn't matter. Even if a team had a better MLB than JJ, it didn't matter; he'd still crush them.
'Uh, may I have everyone's attention, please?'
It was the announcer. Ty wondered why he'd been chosen as speaker for this event. A practical joke? He looked so uncomfortable on stage.
Whatever had been happening on the balcony was over, and the room's focus was slowly drawn back to the stage as something tall, wide, and very thin was wheeled up behind the announcer, a black sheet draped over it.
The announcer paid the mystery object no mind as cleared his throat, dabbing at his never-ending stream of sweat. 'Now for the SECOND most important announcement of the evening. With great pleasure, I would like to reveal to you the bracket for the National tournament.'
Everything else faded from Ty's focus. He homed in on the announcer, blocking out all other distractions. Forget the All-American teams, THIS was the greater revelation. Curiously, part of him was hoping to meet the Longhorns in the first round. For some reason, a matchup against Kentavious seemed more exciting than the championship itself.