Chapter 170: Half-Time Talk
November 13th, 2010
At halftime, the locker room felt like a completely different world compared to the roaring stadium outside. It was quiet almost too quiet.
The air hung heavy with the smell of sweat, muscle cream, and the dampness of the field clinging to their gear.
The players dropped onto the benches, shoulders sagging, breathing hard.
Their jerseys were smeared with mud, their faces drained of color and energy.
No one said a word.
You could hear the soft drip of sweat hitting the floor and the occasional creak of the old wooden benches beneath them.
They had poured everything into that first half every tackle, every sprint, every ounce of fight.
But the scoreboard didn't show it.
And that silence?
It wasn't just exhaustion.
It was frustration.
They had battled for 45 minutes, and yet... it felt like they had nothing to show for it.
