Bella waited for them outside, looking both Ty and her dad over. 'Is everything alright?' she asked.
'Go back to the locker room,' Coach Long said, moving swiftly as he led the way back.
Bella shot Ty a worried look, though his focus was still on the room they'd left. Circus freaks. That's who he had to contend with? Another statement had to be made. People were worried about South Miami who waiting for the victor of this contest? He'd give them a message to be scared of.
They returned to the locker room in silence. Coach Long let Ty walk in ahead of him, Bella waiting out in the hall. She flinched when her dad slammed the door shut. Ty glanced over his shoulder, the scowl on Coach Long's usually cheery face hit him like a slap.
The rest of the room fell silent, staring at Coach Long in surprise. Ty took his seat, head down. Maybe he'd gone too far. Taunting on the field was different, at least it was in the heat of the game … thinking about it, Coach Long couldn't hear those interactions, and had too much else to worry about anyway.
"I'm sorry, Coach, but that's what you have to do to win." Ty sat before his locker, a few cursory glances sent his way from those nearby, Coach Hoang included.
'I want everyone focused on the game plan,' Coach Long said, voice heated and booming. 'Focus on yourselves, and keep your heads up. I don't want anyone starting crap with the other team. Even if they try to get a rise out of you; protect your brothers but don't retaliate.'
Whispers spread through the room like crackling static but Coach Long squashed them immediately.
'Have I made myself understood!?'
'Yes, Coach!' was the collective response, JJ's voice loudest amongst all, Ty's the quietest.
'Good. Let's get out there and get warmed up. You know you just need to play your own game.'
Coach Long pulled the door back open, holding it for the boys as they filed through. Bella put on a brave face as she greeted them all. Ty was one of the last to step out of the door, Coach Hoang close behind him.
'Something you need to share, Samuels?'
'Is there something you want to know?' Ty responded. Bella fell in beside him, keeping enough distance so as to give them space, but still staying within earshot.
'Maybe you could start by telling me what you did to put Coach Long in such a foul mood.'
'You automatically assume that's my fault, do you?'
Coach Hoang looked at him as if that was the obvious conclusion. Ty's lip curled up, revealing his gritted teeth. It wasn't necessarily his fault. Coach Long could've been pissed off by all that talk about football gods bullshit too. Wasn't he catholic or something? He looked like your typical god-fearing black man. Ty sighed.
'The media wanted me for an interview,' Ty said. 'The Tigers were there too.'
'What did you do?' Coach Hoang's voice carried more accusation as the conversation went.
'Why's it have to…' Ty trailed off with a growl. 'I was just doing what we were there for, to talk shit and intimidate the foe before the battle. That's the only reason there's ever any interactions between two gladiators before their bout.'
'I really wanna facepalm right now, Samuels.'
'Did you at least keep it respectful?' Bella cut in.
'There's no such thing as respectful trash-talk! I didn't even go that hard. You should both know how much shit gets said on the field during EVERY game.'
'And you should know that's not the Don way,' Coach Hoang said.
'My dad doesn't stand for stuff like that. Especially if you're the aggressor which I KNOW you would be.'
Ty shook his head. He was just giving Dumbo a taste of the reality check he was walking into. 'Whatever. I'm sorry, but can we save the lecture for later? I have a game to win, and I need you both planning how to keep the rest of the team afloat while I dominate.'
Bella almost tripped over her own feet, her cheeks darkening. 'You better win!' She huffed, watching him and the others fade into the light at the end of the tunnel.
Heavy boos rained upon the Dons as they ran onto the field. Ty grinned, bringing up the back of the pack. He looked around at the near-capacity crowd. A lot of hicks from Louisiana must've made the trip to Sin City. Just to watch their team get smashed to bits. The silence of so many voices would be so sweet.
He soaked in the atmosphere, noticing the other Dons bristling under the hostility. JJ was still all smiles, waving at a crowd that would prefer nothing more than seeing him heartbroken and defeated, but many other faces were grim in the shadows of their helmets. They might not've deserved their villainous identity, but if that's how the crowd saw them, they'd give them exactly what they wanted.
The Dons finished their lap, still showered with boos which only lessened once their warm-ups started. Ty scanned the crowd, looking for one face in particular. After their previous encounters, Kentavious Junior jumped out to him as if he was five times larger than the rest of the spectators.
He was front row, just beyond what was to be the Dons' sideline, and he was alone. Evidently Senior was fed up with watching from the stands with the peasants. A grin split Junior's face when he locked eyes with Ty. He waved, and was answered by a middle finger. The boos intensified as the crowd took the gesture as a slight against them. As if Ty cared enough about those losers who could do nothing but watch to flip them off.
The boos faded as across the field, as the Tigers emerged, and a roar of cheers announced them.
Ty glanced over. Their entrance was much more solemn and restrained, unlike any team he'd seen before. Even the Eagles hadn't come out in such a procession.
Dumbo was at their head, striding slowly onto the field, hands still together in front of his face, as if they were fused together and he was stuck in that gesture and the prayer beads were stitched into his skin. His teammates prowled behind him, the big cats of the circus—performative and submissive.
With their solid black uniforms, shoulders and helmets bearing yellow stripes, Ty could tell the look they were going for was something toxic, maybe a creeping death. He knew the only funeral they were edging towards was their own.
The warm-ups were soon finished, and after one final pregame speech—another warning from Coach Long not to get riled up or let the Tigers pull them into a mudfight—it was time for the coin toss. Ty, predictably after his pregame theatrics, was relegated to the sideline as Jay, Deshaun, and JJ went in his place to meet the Tigers.
Of course, Elliot was out there representing the Tigers; he greeted the Dons with a slight bow to each of them. Alongside him was the QB for the Tigers—Travis White was a tall, broad shouldered junior with a pinched face and eyes that never stayed fixed upon one place for long. Bright eyes stood out from dark skin, and waves rippled through his short hair.
The third captain representing the defence was an OLB—Drake Tyson was the shortest of the three, though still nearing six feet as a sophomore. Like Tyrese, his long arms made up for any gap his short height might've left. A soft yet tanned babyface hid a killer mentality. If anyone represented a tiger most, it was Drake with a physique that was solid and lithe at the same time with sleek yet dense and powerful muscles. His explosivity on the edge was something Jay and the offence would have to be mindful of.
'May the blessings of the football gods be upon you,' Elliot said. The other Tigers bowed their heads with him.
Deshaun looked at his teammates, hoping to see his confusion mirrored in their expressions. Jay looked like he was about to fall asleep on his feet, meanwhile JJ was still grinning. He might've been masking how freaked out he was with that smile, or maybe Deshaun really was the only one who thought these Tigers were weirdos.
'Good luck to you as well,' JJ said. 'Let's have a great game.'
'A clean one at least,' the head official said. 'The call is yours, Tigers.' He flipped the coin through the air.
Elliot closed his eyes, relaxing as an enlightened smile spread across his features. '…Heads…' He didn't need to open his eyes to know his call was correct.
After another moment of silence he answered the next question, telling the official's that the Tigers would receive the opening kickoff. Hands were shook before the captains parted and went back to their respective benches.
Ty laughed when he heard what had happened. All that pious bullshit yet Elliot was as arrogant as any opponent he'd faced. Deferring was the smart choice, so by electing to receive, it was obvious he meant to make a statement. Ty would use that opportunity for his own advantage. He could see it already, a perfect mirror to the Warriors' game. It'd be over after the first offensive play. The only difference would be he'd make sure to return the interception for a touchdown.
Both sides prepared for the kickoff. A swirl of boos and cheers met as Dons and Tigers lined up opposite one another. Ty's eyes narrowed as he watched Dumbo take the field, lining up in the last line of defence for the returner, number 20.
The noise swelled as the Dons' Kicker charged in, the crowd booing as if they could force the ball astray with the sound alone. The ball sailed into the air, clearly falling short of the end-zone.
Elliot followed the ball, then turned and addressed the returner, cautioning them. It was close to the end-zone, would probably bounce into it for a touchback, Ty thought. Maybe Elliot wanted a level playing field for their duel. Not that it mattered. The Tigers could be right at the goal-line and Ty would still have the advantage.
The ball spiked into the turf, untouched by any Tiger, and bounced wildly, shooting off at an almost ninety degree angle as it rushed towards the sideline where it spilled out without crossing the goal-line.
Ty blinked. The entire Dons team did as the flag fluttered through the air. 'What the hell?' Bella exclaimed.
Stephen looked around, confused at the reaction. 'What happened, why's there a flag?'
'Don't you pay attention to anythin'?' Deshaun asked. 'You can't kick the ball out-of-bounds on the kickoff, dumbass. It's a penalty.'
'Don't worry about it, Banks,' Coach Hoang said. 'Worry about stopping their offence. They'll have some tricks up their sleeves, we'll deal with them when they try them, so just keep to the game plan and shut them down like we've practised!'
It was a freak bounce. Shit happens. Ty shook it from his thoughts as he and the Dons' defence took the field. It was indeed a penalty, and a costly one that moved the Tigers up to the 40-yard line.
"It doesn't matter. They won't move an inch closer."
The Dons lined up opposite the Tigers again, cheers welcoming the Louisiana offence onto the field. Ty found Elliot, standing across from him. The prayer beads lay around Elliot's neck. Ty's eye twitched. He'd snatch that shit right off the fucker's neck before the game was over. He just needed to find the right moment, the perfect time that'd get under Elliot's skin the most and make him fuck up.
Ty hunkered into his stance, staring Elliot dead in the eyes. 'I'm going to snatch your shit,' he said.
Elliot closed his eyes, breathing as if in meditation, ignoring Ty's trash-talk. Of course. No matter. Ty would chip away at him.
Cheers faded into silence. The calm before the storm. There was a cry of "HUT!" and the game had truly begun.
Elliot shot forward and inside. Ty followed suite, went to press. Two heavy palms met his chest and shoved him back. Travis was turning back to hand the ball off—it was a run.
A narrow hole opened in the Line as the Tigers' short and slight RB took the ball, hands and feet twitching as he squeezed through and up the middle. He was out on the other side of the Line rapidly, and that's where he ran into JJ.
Ty heard the collision even with all the crowd noise and clatter of the many other battles on the field. JJ slammed into the RB, fist rocketing forward. He punched the ball out and it bounced off numerous legs, heading towards Donte.
'FUMBLE!'
Donte lunged. The ball bounced and veered away from him, taking another wild turn. He swiped at it and only batted it aside. Tigers dove on it, securing the ball.
The crowd breathed a sigh of relief, the Dons a groan of dejection. The Tigers shrugged off the mistake, and the Dons had to as well. It was fine. They stopped the run, that was the important thing. They'd get another chance.
Ty took his position again. 'You should know you can't run on us,' he told Elliot. 'This is about you and me. We decide the game.'
'Our fate is not in our hands, Tyrese. The sooner you realise that, the better.'
'Bullshit!'
Ty's exclamation masked the cry of hut, and he was slow out of the blocks. Elliot passed by on the inside, but Ty recovered quickly, tailing him, connected to his hip. They went 8 yards deep then Elliot shot in. A rapid, clean cut, but one that Ty was all over. His eyes flickered to Travis, seeing his arm draw back for the throw. He undercut the route. This was it. A pick for sure, and even though he was in the middle of the field, he could turn it into a touchdown with some deft feet. The game was over.
The ball left Travis's hand, Ty watching the last finger lose contact. "IT'S MINE!"
A hand shot up in between his vision of the ball, catching it on the way past. A Lineman had deflected it. Ty tracked it as more shouts arose from the field and crowd. It was spinning away from them but he chased after it, Elliot right beside him.
Neither of them reached it. They could only watch as it fell into the hands of a lumbering, heavy-set Tiger wearing number 84.
More Dons and Tigers converged, a scrum forming as the Tigers shoved the player and ball forward. Ty lunged, diving into the pile, pulling at anything and anyone he got his hands on.
The pile collapsed, though not before the Tigers had crossed the first-down marker. Ty shoved off the body that fell atop him, not caring if it was a Tiger or Don. JJ was there, offering him a hand. He took it, snarling as he stood.
Elliot was a few yards removed from the carnage, looking skyward with his hands pressed together again. Ty glared at him, frustration bubbling to the surface. That was his moment! And it had been ripped away because of a deflection at the Line? Who the fuck was that even? And why did it have to fall right into the TE's hands? Why was it always falling the Tigers' way? What the fuck was happening?!