Jackson's nightmares had returned. At least he remembered who ruled them, but they seemed more inescapable than ever. A black sun loomed in the sky, sucking away all light and colour. Instead of encompassing only Jackson's field, the darkness had grown large enough to shroud the world.
Tyrese Samuels promised to be the greatest. If that happened, how many hearts would he rip out? How many dreams would he devour? The nightmare showed the answer.
Jackson awoke damp with sweat, cold even with the heating working overtime. His leg ached, and no amount of massaging soothed the pain in his bones. Eventually, when the pain was bearable, he stood and staggered to the bathroom. He felt sick, like he was melting and freezing.
Staring at himself in the mirror, anger bubbled to the surface. He wasn't cold anymore at least, but disgust wasn't far behind. He'd thought he'd left the nightmares behind, yet all it took was one confrontation, hardly even a word from the boy in his nightmares, and he was an uncontrollable mess.
Jackson's reflection contorted until Tyrese was staring back at him, face twisted with silent laughter. Jackson's knuckles turned white as he gripped the basin. He wanted to lash out, smash the mirror, punch that mocking grin right off Ty's face. He didn't know if fear or anger drove him harder.
Neither fear nor anger would control him. He was in control. Jackson steadied himself with a breath, then splashed water over his face. He dried off before he left the bathroom.
The house was silent; even the hum of the heating system was barely perceivable. Jackson hadn't checked the time, though with how deep the gloom had settled, he knew it was still the middle of the night. Sleep was out of the question unless exhaustion took hold. Still, he returned to his room and dropped to the floor.
'One, two, three …'
The numbers echoed off the walls, bouncing back into Jackson's head. He stared at the floor, watching it rise and fall with every pushup. It didn't take long for another sheen of sweat to build on his body, but this one was good; it was earned. He didn't stop, even when his chest tightened and his muscles burned. Nor when his panting replaced his count, and the tally moved to his head.
Shortly after crossing five-hundred he thudded to the ground, arms jelly, unable to push through even once more. With nothing to count, there was nothing to distract his mind. No strain, no struggle to overcome. The nightmares soon filled the void.
Situps were next. His body was taut and tensed as hard as it could be, and his count started over from zero. Another distraction, another obstacle, offered mental reprieve. Again the count climbed beyond five-hundred, though stopped soon after, the pain too much to push through.
The house didn't stir apart from Jackson, darkness was ever-present. So he went on. He squatted until he fell on his ass, planked until it felt like the world stopped turning, did calf raises until he couldn't stand, and even did bench dips using his bed until finally birds were chirping outside.
He hadn't slept, but at least light was creeping in around the edges of his blinds and pushing back the dark; the dull glow of dawn had never looked so bright. It felt like he'd survived.
Breakfast continued as normal for most of the Woods household. There wasn't a fancy menu that day, just cereal or toast. Jackson picked at his food, slowly scooping up a mouthful of cereal. If the rest of the family noticed, Tommy was the only one to say anything.
He waited until the rest of the family hurried off to get ready for their days before asking: 'Couldn't sleep last night?'
Jackson let his spoon drop back into his bowl, shaking his head. He wondered how deep the bags under his eyes had to be for Tommy to notice.
'Did a new Fortnite season come out or something?'
'Pff… I don't play that anymore. Not since chapter two.'
'Then what kept you up?'
Jackson stirred the dregs of his cereal before scooping up another mouthful. He left Tommy's question unanswered.
'You never really said anything about that trip you and Dad took,' Tommy said. 'What was that about? Dad seemed pretty upset when he got back.'
Dad had been, and probably still was. Two of the biggest young prospects, both of them yet to announce which college they'd attend, started a brawl and—in Dad's eyes—ruined their chances. 'No team wants to deal with attitude problems like THAT' he'd said. The funny thing was, Dad also seemed pretty upset with Colby Jenkins too. The South Miami QB had stayed out of the Don v Cobra fight, which Dad complained showed a lack of camaraderie. It was bad to start fights, but if your teammates did, you had to jump in to help them.
'Dad said it was some young kids who started the fight,' Tommy said. 'People your age. Did you talk to them?'
Jackson sighed. The silence dragged on, but Tommy waited expectantly. Even when Mom and Dad came back through the kitchen, and he had to assure them he only had afternoon classes, and that he'd get Jackson to school on time, he never took his eyes away from his little brother.
Soon enough, it was just the two brothers left in the house, both still sitting at the table, empty bowls forgotten in front of them.
'Richaun Howard—the Cobra who threw the first punch—I talked with him. He had a crazy look in his eyes. It's not that surprising he fought someone. He was jealous; that was the biggest thing about him. Jealous of his teammate, jealous of Skywalker, jealous of Tyrese …'
'Tyrese, that's the boy who was on stage, right?'
Jackson nodded.
'You talk to him, too?'
Jackson's chest tightened again, and it had nothing to do with his early morning exercises. He sucked air in through his teeth. Why was he like this? Just because of one experience, because of one loss. "Because he showed you how worthless you are." Jackson shook his head.
'That's a shame, guy's a total character. His rant has been going viral. Mixtapes too. He's got some crazy highlights, and better hands than a lot of Receivers I've seen.'
It wasn't right. Tyrese got to climb on that stage, had the universe at his feet, even though he was such an ass. Couldn't they see his arrogance? "They do, but he's earned it. You heard them. He's the best Corner in the country."
'It's getting late, little bro. You should finish getting ready.' Tommy's chair scraped across the floor as he stood.
'I've met him before,' Jackson finally said.
Tommy stopped, both bowls in his hands. 'Tyrese?'
'Yeah.'
'When?'
'Last summer, he was at that training camp I went to. Before… you know.'
Tommy frowned, sitting back down, putting the bowls aside for the moment. 'Did he have something to do with that?'
Jackson's brow knitted together. It was a tough question to answer, and the struggle to find the right answer was clear on his face. Tommy was patient.
'I can't blame him. I'm the one responsible. But … I couldn't handle what happened. I still can't deal with what he did.'
'Did he hit—'
'No!' Jackson cut in quickly. 'No, nothing like that, it wasn't… he didn't do anything … I …' Jackson's head hurt as he pushed through the fog and darkness, sinking into the nightmare to get to the heart of the problem, to put himself back in that memory. 'I lost. We did a one-on-one, and I lost.'
Tommy sat back, trying to keep his face impassive, though his eyes wrinkled with concern.
'I'd never lost like that before,' Jackson continued. 'It was like … he was toying with me. I tried my best, gave it my all, I wanted to impress everyone, show them I was gonna be the next big thing … and here was this kid, the same age as me, smaller than me, but … I was nothing next to him. Being next to him, it was like I couldn't breathe, like something was wrapped around my chest, squeezing tighter every second, and like I was all alone, stranded nowhere. He was so much better than me, how could I even think I was gonna make it to the NFL if this kid was in a different universe compared to me?'
Jackson's breaths came out shakily, rasping through lungs that felt half their normal size. Tommy was out of his chair so fast it clattered to the floor, and by Jackson's side before it stopped rocking.
'Hey, one setback doesn't mean you'll never reach your goals.'
'But—'
'But nothing, Jackson. You shouldn't even be worrying about making the NFL yet. You just need to worry about yourself; how you can get better, how you can have more fun.'
'It's…It's not the same. You weren't there. You didn't … you haven't seen him.'
'But I've seen YOU. I know how strong YOU are. So what if you lost once? And don't act like you lost to a random kid. You saw it yourself, right? He's the best Corner in high school. You went toe-to-toe with him; that's an invaluable lesson. You know the bar you have to overcome.'
'I don't know if I can do that. It's like I'm standing at the foot of Everest; I can't even see how far up I have to go to get over it.'
Tommy put an arm around Jackson's shoulders. 'You don't have to leap over it in a single bound like Superman. Just take it step by step, little bro. One foot higher than the other, and pull yourself up until you've made it to the top.'
What Tommy said made sense. Perhaps Jackson had been doing that ever since his recovery. Each day he'd reached another foothold just a little higher. But meeting Tyrese was like an avalanche that had sent him tumbling back down to the ground.
'I gotta get to school,' Jackson mumbled.
'Alright. Get dressed, and I'll drop you in.'
The school day was frustrating, almost reminiscent of when Jackson still had the cast and crutches. Except there was an ironic twist now.
Throughout Jackson's circles, the fight between the Dons and the Cobras was the most prominent happening over New Year's. It was on everyone's mind and lips. He was surprised when Eddie brought it up, even more so when Sachin said it was wild. Marcus muttered he was glad shit like that didn't happen in the sprinting community.
Thankfully, none of them knew Jackson had been right there when it all went down. Though Eddie gave him a look when he only mumbled agreement that it was "wild". Eventually the comments ceased, but at lunch Jackson had another surprise.
Even JASMINE brought up the fight, speculating whether those teams would be kicked out. Jackson knew they weren't, even if no official statement had been made public yet; Dad had learnt disciplinary actions would be left to each team.
Jasmine's comments got the other boys talking about it again, though Jackson zoned it out while he ate. He wasn't looking forward to the talks between the boys at practice.
Everyone there couldn't stop talking about it either. Once again, Jackson was thankful it wasn't common knowledge he'd attended the event. Though he noticed Kenny was stone-faced throughout. He didn't join the other boys' banter either, and the longer it went on, the blacker Kenny's mood became; Isaac thought Kenny and Rudy must've switched bodies.
Practice itself was as hard as always, even if it was quieter. Fewer people showed up; a lot of seniors were missing, their high school football days done. However, some—like Mickey—stayed behind, happy to help prepare the team for the future.
The focus was on the issues the varsity squad had against Desert Christian. There was a lot of tackling, with the general concern being the team's struggles to stop the run. But the latter half of practice shifted into positional groups and had the Secondary training against Shane.
Another problem the Eagles exposed was how ineffective the team was against a larger Receiving target like a bulldozing TE—like Joseph Fale. Whilst Shane was more a bit more nimble and his game rarely relied on strength and explosiveness—though he had both in bounds—he made a good fill-in for Fale, and was more than a match skill wise.
Shane won his duels nine out of ten times, no matter who faced him. And by the time practice was over, Jackson felt as if he'd been trying to stop a bear from scoring.
With the sun on its final descent, and practice finished, Jackson was in for one more surprise that day. Tommy arrived, bringing with him Eddie, Marcus, and Sachin. Kenny strode over to meet the boys as if he'd expected them.
'What's this about?' Jackson asked, fearing he wouldn't like the answer. It's not like he was going to do something stupid just because he met the boy of his nightmares, so why did it feel like he was walking into an intervention.
'Just a little something I thought I could do for you boys now that your season's over,' Tommy answered.
Jackson gave his three friends a questioning look.
'Chill, man,' Marcus said. 'This'll help us too. It ain't nothing weird.'
'What are they talking about, Kenny?' Jackson asked.
'I'd like to hear that answer too, amigo.'
Jackson turned, seeing Pete and Freddy … and trailing behind was Rudy. Tommy grinned, a welcome outcome that wasn't planned, but one he'd act like was.
'The more the merrier,' he said. 'Right, guys?' Everyone's attention settled on Tommy. Most looks were curious, some already knowing, Jackson's was full of worry. 'I know you guys lost; you're part of the team too, even if you're not varsity yet. And that's exactly what I want to help you with. This season might be done, but your journey has just started. We need to be thinking about next season already, and that's what we're gonna do starting right now. Today's the day, and we're gonna start things with a run. Whoever wants to join is welcome to tag along.'
'I hope the invitation extends to those already on varsity,' Shane said. He was the only varsity player who took more notice of the group than a passing glance.
Tommy grinned. 'As long as you can keep up. That's the only rule; we won't be stopping for any slowpokes. But if you're with us, and you're ready, we can get started.'
Most of them left their bags in Tommy's car, and then he led them on a run through town. Definitely not a sprint, but still a quick jog. And though the group stayed together, it stretched apart the further the run went. Freddy, Pete, and Sachin lingered at the back, whilst Rudy and Marcus glued the middle together, and Jackson, Kenny, and Eddie pushed to keep up with Shane and Tommy at the front.
Tommy pushed them hard, and despite his warning, he never lost sight of Freddy and Pete. For half an hour they ran, not stopping until they reached their destination, which Jackson pulled up short of—it was the hill of his crash.
Tommy led the others onward, but Eddie looked back, slowing down before returning to Jackson's side. Marcus caught them, and then Sachin, huffing like he was trying to blow a house down.
'You good, bro?' Eddie asked.
'Why are we here?' Jackson said, backing up a step.
Marcus put a steadying hand on his shoulder and said: 'I think you know why we here, man.'
'And if you made me run all the way here for nothing … imma drag you up there,' Sachin wheezed.
The others gathered at the base of the hill, finally catching their breath. Tommy walked towards Jackson, smiling. 'The first step to climbing Everest is overcoming a smaller challenge.'
Jackson stared past his brother, looking up at the hill. It loomed as large as Everest that day, and the memory of his crash came flooding back—the hair whipping at his face, the tears stinging his eyes, the depth of his despair … the fact he wanted to… He shut them out, clutching at his leg, it was like his bones were stabbing into themselves.
'We're with you, bro,' Eddie said.
Each boy slapped him on the back. Even Tommy did. 'You have to do this if you want to move forward, little bro,' Tommy said before turning away and heading back to the others.
Jackson watched them start up the hill, sprinting now. Marcus shot to the front of the pack, with Shane not too far behind. They were scaling Everest. His body shook. They were leaving him behind. He was LETTING THEM. Steeling himself, he took a step forward.
One foot in front of the other—that was all it took. Soon he was running, chasing after them, overtaking Sachin, who cursed but put his head down and pushed harder. Jackson did too. The hill smoothed out, seeming smaller with every step, shrinking down from Everest.
And then he was at the peak. Those at the top congratulated and cheered for everyone who came after them, and Jackson was no exception. They gathered around him, breathless but smiling from ear to ear.
They moved on to Sachin when he finally made it up, the last to do so. He flexed, bathing in the adoration for a moment, before finding a soft spot of grass to lie down.
Tommy bade everyone drink in the view. The city was beautiful in its twilight, with the sun just dipping below the horizon, bathing the world in a reddish pink glow.
'Amigos,' Pete said, looking around at each of the JV boys. 'Let's make a pact. This time next year, we'll all come back here, except next time, we'll all be varsity teammates instead, ready to tear through Nationals.'
They grinned, putting their fists together like they were back in a huddle. It broke with disjointed cheers, some crying "Varsity", others "Nationals", but the spirit was there and that was the important part. A promise had been made, and it was up to them all to keep it.
'Good luck,' Shane said. 'I can't wait to play alongside you all.'
Even Tommy wished them luck before he draped an arm around Jackson's shoulders. 'I can't tell you how proud I am of you, little bro. You're already on your way up that mountain. One step at a time, you remember that.'
Jackson nodded, leaning against his brother. 'Thank you. I know I can do it with all of you by my side.'
'Of course, little bro. Remember that, too. You're never alone. Never.'
After Tommy left Jackson's side, Kenny took his place, staring out across the town. His expression was still made of steel, as cold and blank as ever Jackson had seen on him. He opened his mouth to ask what Kenny was thinking, but Kenny answered as if he'd read Jackson's mind.
'We're gonna make it this year, Jackson. We're gonna win State, then destroy Tyrese Samuels.' His eyes met Jackson's. A fire burned within him, fuelled by an anger without end. 'For every dream he's destroyed, we'll destroy him.'