by Mettey, Tim
I cut her off. “No, no, that’s fine.” My lack of control amused her, making her grin from ear to ear.
“Good. I wasn’t going to leave anyway. I am determined to be your friend. You’re stuck with me, Mr. Nicholas Keller.” I loved the way my name rolled off her tongue. It made me feel important, like someone special.
“So what’s forcing you under the stairs? Being private is one thing, but this is . . .” She shrugged her shoulders as if to tell me I was mental.
“Well, I just don’t like all the attention, you know, with all the football stuff.”
“What did you expect? You are the first underclassman to start varsity—heck, to be on varsity. Not to mention you’re a great player!”
I looked down hoping she didn’t see my red cheeks. “I didn’t know that I was good before I came here. Well, actually, I never thought I would play.”
“Why? You must have been the star player at your last school.”
“Elle, I had never played in an actual game before, not even a scrimmage. I only played football because my dad did.”
“What does your dad think now with you being the big time varsity star?”
I didn’t look up to answer. “My dad died some time ago.”
“Oh, Nicholas, I’m so sorry.” She took my hand and her warmth flowed through my body, making me feel comforted. Elle looked horrified that she had asked such a hurtful question, but how could she have known?
“Elle, it’s okay. He’s been gone for a while now.”
Her eyes watered up.
“Please, Elle, it’s okay.” I grabbed her other hand to comfort her. I couldn’t bear to see her sad.
“I really stuck my foot in my mouth, and here you are trying to make me feel better about it. I was right, you are something special, Nicholas.”
I let go of her hands and sat back.
“Nicholas, do you mind if I eat with you tomorrow?”
I smiled. “I would like that very much.”
“Well, great! It’s a date! We better get going.”
We walked back to class together. It was the first time I had walked through the halls without looking over my shoulder. With her around, all my worries vanished.
THE VISIT
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The rest of the week was peaceful. With Elle at my side, the occasional uncomfortable situations were muted. She was very calming. I ate lunch with Elle everyday. I don’t know what she said to her friends about why she was gone at lunch, but I didn’t care, just as long as she was with me. Friday was no different than the last couple of days, but it was game day so I did get a little more attention than normal with people wishing me good game and such.
I was going to make a couple of key plays just to keep us from losing. That was my game plan from now on. I figured if I just did that, I would still be able to start but not bring attention to myself so I could stay on the team.
I walked home from the bus stop. Cora was in the kitchen.
“Hey, Nicholas, what do you want to eat before tonight’s big game?”
I walked into the kitchen. Cora was wearing a green and gold jersey that had a white “32” on the back, my number.
“Cora, where did you get that?”
“Well, I wanted to show support. The moms of the varsity team got these made, so I threw caution to the wind and bought one to support the Boosters. Do you like it?”
“Of course! It just caught me off guard.”
By Cora doing this, she would bring attention to herself and inevitably to me. With her playing the part of my mom, I was sure people in the stands would treat her the same way I was treated at school—like a celebrity.
“So what do you want for dinner before the game?”
“I will take a mushroom burger.”
“Okay, coming right up.”
Just then the doorbell rang.
“Nicholas, are you expecting someone?” She didn’t look too concerned.
“It’s probably Eric seeing if I need a ride to the game tonight. I didn’t get to talk to him today.”
“Okay, then will you get the door?” Her hands were already covered in raw meat. I walked to the door and opened it. A man and a woman stood outside the door. They were dressed like most of the wealthy older couples that lived around here. He was wearing loafers with pressed khaki shorts and a green polo shirt. She was wearing matching shorts, a gold shirt, and a large white derby hat.
The lady spoke, “Is Cora home?” I stood there. Something about her made me feel uneasy. I wanted to slam the door on the two of them. “Nick, is Cora home?” the lady asked again. Cora was suddenly standing next to me.
“Hello, Cora,” the lady said.
Cora stood frozen, staring at the pair of them. Her mouth was wide open. Something was wrong. I glanced outside to see if they were driving the sea green truck.
“You aren’t the people who have been following me, are you?” I blurted out.
The couple looked at me and then looked back at Cora. My paranoia was getting the best of me.
“What do you want? I told you I had nothing more to say to you at the scrimmage,” Cora said.
“I would like to have a word with you in private, dear.”
“Do we have to do this now? We are getting ready for the game tonight.”
“Yes, I know you are, but this can’t wait,” the lady responded firmly. Cora looked concerned. She was trying to tell me something, but I didn’t know what it was. Cora’s look went from concerned to scared, but that had to be a mistake because Cora was never scared of anything, especially not an old woman in some crazy, big hat.
“Now, now, dear. There is no reason to fret. Mr. Theasing can talk to Nick while you and I talk.”
Cora snapped at her, “His name is Nicholas.”
“Oh, yes indeed, I am so sorry dear. Cora, just a word, please. It will only take a moment.”
The couple walked in the front door without waiting to be invited. Cora did nothing to stop them. My muscles began to tense up. I could feel my heart starting to pound and the fire erupting. I was ready for whatever happened next. Cora grabbed my arm, sensing I was getting ready for a fight.
“Nicholas,” she looked into my eyes, “Ester and I are going to talk in the kitchen. Show Mr. Theasing to the family room. Talk about football.” She spoke very slowly in a calm tone.
“Oh yes, Henry loves his Winsor Cougar football,” Mrs. Theasing responded.
Mr. Theasing followed me into the family room. He sat down opposite me. I avoided making eye contact, trying to listen to Cora and Mrs. Theasing in the kitchen, making sure Cora was okay.
“So, Nicholas, you had one hell of a game last week.”
I didn’t look his way, hoping this would convince him to stop talking to me.
“Nicholas, you are the best player out there, even better than Oliver Rails.”
“Thank you.”
“Are you ready for tonight’s game against the Millville Eagles? They have a soft defense, so Oliver should play better.”
Cora’s conversation was growing louder. Something was wrong. I looked over at Mr. Theasing. He too was staring at the kitchen door, concerned or scared; it was hard to make out which. He began to look as white as a ghost. From the look of his reaction, he must not have known what his wife was planning to talk to Cora about. He caught me looking at him. He coughed, clearing his throat loudly enough that they could hear him in the kitchen. The heated debate silenced.
He turned his attention back to me. “You’ve been playing football for a while?”
“Well, sort of.”
“What? You had to have been a star before, right?”
“Well, I’ve been on teams for the past four years, but never played.”
“Surely you’ve played in some games before this year.”
“No, this is my first year of getting into games.”
He looked like someone had just punched him in the stomach, winding him. “Woo, a player of your
caliber is a rare find. We are sure lucky to get you. You are the first underclassman—”
“I know,” I interrupted, “the first underclassman to play varsity. I know.”
Cora walked through the swinging kitchen doors completely expressionless. “Well, thanks for stopping by,” she said to Mrs. Theasing, sounding completely composed.
I got up and Mr. Theasing walked over to his wife, who was wearing a fake smile.
“Cora, thank you for your time, and good luck tonight in the game, Nick.” She smiled like she had made a joke. “Nicholas, I mean. We will be watching you with great anticipation.”
Cora’s solemn face didn’t change after she shut the door.
“So what was that all about? How do they know you? Were they the same people that you were talking to during my scrimmage?”
Cora turned toward me and said, “Nicholas, I will tell you everything, but not now. You have to do something for me, no questions asked.” Cora never kept anything from me so this must be serious.
“Okay, whatever you want,” I told her. I was looking into her brown eyes. She looked like a little lost kid not sure what was going to happen next.
“Quit football now,” she said.
“What?”
“Listen, you did a good job, but if you don’t quit, we will have to move or something worse may happen.”
“Okay, I will tonight.”
“You have to Nicholas,” she said.
“I will tonight, but I will do it my way.”
HOPE
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
I concentrated on Elle while in the tunnel waiting to run onto the field. The fireworks went off. We ran up the tunnel and through the banner, splitting the cheerleaders.
I couldn’t quit football. Who would want to be friends with a quitter? Not Elle. I couldn’t do that. I had to fake an injury. That was the only reasonable way to stop playing and not look like I was abandoning the team.
“Okay, men! Get out there and stop them. Nobody will score on us tonight,” Coach Miller roared over the cheers of the crowd.
Oliver continued to struggle horribly. Every chance we had to score, he either messed it up or missed out on the opportunity.
“Set, hike.”
I ran past everyone right to the quarterback, knocking him back several yards.
“Keller, keep it up,” Chad said, hitting me on the helmet. “Without you, Oliver would have already lost this game for us.” With every play I made, I felt the pressure of not wanting to let my team down with a fake injury.
Time after time, Oliver could do nothing on the field. After Coach Miller’s screaming at halftime, I figured Oliver would wake up, but the second half was the same.
“Set, blue 44, hike,” Oliver yelled. He went to throw the ball and threw it right to the other team for an interception.
The score was 0-0 with 45 seconds left now. The crowd was eerily silent. Thanks to Oliver, the Eagles only needed five more yards, and they would be in field goal range.
Coach Miller was yelling at me, “Let’s go, Keller! We need a big play!”
The Eagles’ quarterback hiked the ball and dropped back like he was going to throw it. Chad and I hit him right when he scrambled out of bounds to stop the clock. He had gained a yard. There were only 38 seconds left on the clock. Back in the huddle no one was talking. Everyone was panting, out of breath. We had been out on the field most of the game.
“33 fire. Nicholas, just go get whoever has the ball,” Chad barked.
“Set, hike!”
The quarterback ran the ball away from me toward the sideline. It was like the coach on the other side told him to get the ball and run away from me and try to get a yard or two. I caught him and pushed him out of bounds after he gained a couple more yards. There were only 30 seconds left. Their kicker was warming up on the sideline. They were close enough to send him in to attempt a field goal.
The quarterback ran up and hiked the ball quickly. We were not ready, and he ran toward the sideline, but without as much speed as before. This time he was purposely not going out of bounds. He was taking time off the clock. Right before a group of us hit him, he went out of bounds. Ten seconds were taken off the clock, which now read “20” in bright neon yellow numbers that seemed to taunt us with every second that went by.
“Time out!” Coach Miller ran out to us in the middle of the field. “Listen, they have taken Keller out of the game these last couple of plays. We need to block this kick so we can give Oliver and the offense a chance to at least win it in overtime.”
I glanced into the stands, which were motionless. I saw Elle in the crowd standing in the front row. She had her hands folded like she was praying. She was praying for a miracle. I would have to be that miracle.
My muscles on cue began to pulse and tighten. My heart began to pound. My surroundings slowed as the Eagles set up to kick the game-winning field goal. I was focused on Elle, who started to cheer. I could see her face and how alive and radiant she looked, full of hope. She was triggering something inside of me; the fire that normally was ignited by rage was now being unleashed.
I turned from Elle and focused on the kicker. The ball was snapped back to the holder. I ran around the grasp of the other team’s players with ease just as the ball went hurtling toward the holder, who was waiting to put the ball down for the kicker. He caught the ball, and I dove in front of them to block the kick. In midair, I focused harder and everything slowed even more. The kicker’s leg was blurred from his forward motion to kick the ball. His leg created a wake behind it. I couldn’t just block the ball, because it would give Oliver the chance to be the hero. I would have to do something that would guarantee a win right now for Elle. Not by Oliver’s doing, but by mine.
The kicker’s leg went forward, connecting with the ball. The ball hit right into my midsection. In midair, with my left hand, I caught the ball and threw it to the only player from our team that was close enough to catch it, Chad. To everyone else it would look like it deflected into his arms off of my block. When I hit the ground I saw him catch the ball and run. No one was near him as he sprinted down the field. A couple of the big linemen from the other team had stumbled back onto me. I couldn’t see if he scored, but then the crowd roared. The horn sounded that the game was over. Chad had scored the winning touchdown.
The crowd’s cheering was deafening. Fireworks were going off. I closed my eyes and realized this was my only chance to end everything my way. I closed my eyes and lay perfectly still. I could feel the players all around me getting up. I didn’t want to give any indication that I was conscious, so I continued to lay motionless.
“Keller! Hey, Keller! Can you hear me?” One of our guys was yelling at me. Then he yelled to the sideline, “Coach, Keller is hurt!”
The chain of events that followed went so fast. The trainers were trying to wake me up. They used smelling salts, but right when they put it under my nose I held my breath so I wouldn’t react.
The coaches were also trying to get me to open my eyes. “Keller, can you hear us?”
I had to make this a serious injury so I wouldn’t be allowed to play again. They must have summoned the paramedics because I was being strapped to a board and loaded onto a gurney. The crowd’s cheers had gone quiet. I was being rushed across the field. The paramedics were taking my vitals and then I heard Cora’s voice.
“Is he okay? Please, Lord, let him be okay. Is he okay? Can someone answer me?” Cora sounded so scared. I wanted to reach out to her and grab her hand to tell her I was okay. Instead I opened my eyes. “His eyes are open! Nicholas, can you hear me?” she said with her eyes full of tears.
A bunch of unfamiliar faces surrounded me. The trainers were replaced with paramedics and some other people in plain street clothes. I guessed they were doctors who had been in the stands, because the paramedics were listening to them. Then Cora pushed into the crowd of faces around me.
“Nicholas, can you hear me?” she asked me again.
&
nbsp; “Yes,” I whispered.
Immediately everyone around me quieted. One of the doctors said, “Do you know where you are?”
“At the football stadium, I think. Did we win?” I said. Relief passed over the faces around me, but Cora still looked upset.
“Nicholas, can you move your feet and arms?”
I wiggled all of them one at a time. I had to do it slowly to keep up the charade.
“He should be all right,” someone yelled from out of view. The paramedics continued to talk to me, asking me all types of questions.
Then, over the stadium intercom, I heard, “Nicholas Keller is going to be all right.” The crowd erupted with loud cheers.
“Let’s get him into the ambulance,” said the paramedic closest to Cora. Cora began to talk to him while they loaded me into the ambulance, and right next to her Elle was listening. Her back was turned to me, but her black hair was all I needed to see to know it was her.
“Keller, you okay?” Coach Miller was in the ambulance with me.
“Yes, sir. Did we win?”
“Yes, we did, son, thanks to you.” He patted me on the arm and got out.
The trip in the ambulance was extremely bumpy. Cora continued to talk to the paramedics about me. I was grateful it was a short trip because with all of those bumps I might have ended up actually being hurt. The short trip meant we had arrived at Bethesda South, the closest hospital to the school. Then I thought of something that I hadn’t thought of before. They were going to run tests on me that would show that nothing was wrong. They would say I had a slight concussion or something, and that would be it. They would clear me to play again in a couple of weeks. Then I would have to quit for sure. This plan seemed better when I was lying on the ground. But even though I hadn’t planned on this, it still felt like the right thing to do.
They unloaded me. Several doctors were waiting for me. The paramedics and doctors were talking about me as I was being rushed inside. I couldn’t hear what they were saying. They rushed me into a room. The room was buzzing. Nurses and doctors were hurrying in and out. They began to ask me all of the same questions I had been asked previously on the way here. They slowly removed my helmet, and I could feel them cutting through my jersey and removing my pads. Luckily enough, I had on a t-shirt and boxers.
