“Come on, D,” she hollered, encouraging the defense.
The first play out, Lawson did a running play, which got them ten yards and moved the chains. They kept pressing forward until, at last, throwing a pass into the end zone for the first score of the game.
Payton tugged on her helmet and waited for the special teams to return the kickoff. They got creamed, only managing to make it out to the thirteen-yard line, which meant Payton and her offense would be deep in their own territory.
“Huddle up.” She brought her offense in. “Montgomery, I want you to run a quick out. Visser, give me a post route.” She shoved her mouthpiece in. “Gray, on two.”
Payton lined up. “Gray forty-eight, gray forty-eight, hut-hut.” She dropped back, finding Chance up about seven yards. She released the ball with ease, hitting him right in the numbers before he was forced out of bounds.
“And that’s a quick seven-yard pick-up for the Tigers,” the announcer stated.
“Arizona deep out,” she told both Visser and Montgomery. “On one.”
“I heard Aller Falls likes their girls on their backs. Is that true, Carter?” the nose tackle called out.
Matt was getting antsy, and Carter had to talk him back into the play. “Just brush it off, big guy. He’s a giant asshole—bet we could fit a football up there,” she said softly.
“Arizona sixty-two, hut.” The ball was snapped, and she fell back. Payton saw the blitz too late and wrapped her arms around the ball as she was laid out.
Fuck. Why hadn’t she seen it sooner? Payton sat there for a second.
“How was that?” The Lawson left-side linebacker got in her face. “Nothing like a sack to start off the game.”
“Kind of weak.” She stood, shaking it off. “I’ve been hit harder by my grandma.”
He raised his hands as if ready to push her, but Chance stepped in front of him. “What’s wrong, Parkins? Have to beat up on a girl?”
“Traitor.” He nudged passed Chance.
“Sorry, guys,” Payton said when she got back in the huddle. “I should have seen it coming.”
“No, we should’ve picked it up.” Matt scowled. “It’s the line’s fault. But we’ve got this. We won’t let it happen again.”
“We’ll go with the same routes. I’ll roll out of the pocket.”
This time Payton escaped any hard hits and ended up hitting Chance deep for a forty-five-yard gain after his twenty-yard scramble.
Payton called two running plays, and another pass play to Chance, and they finally made their way into the end zone, answering with a touchdown of their own.
The crowd went wild, as did the Carter family air horn and cowbells. “That’s what I’m talking about—a little bit of teamwork here!”
The celebrating didn’t last long, though. Lawson ended up running the kickoff back for a touchdown, which threw Payton and her offense right back onto the field in need of coming up with something of their own.
Payton called for a slant route and moved up to the line of scrimmage behind Atkinson. “Red thirty-six, hut-hut-hut.” She dropped back and did a quick release. After the ball had been thrown, the same linebacker who had sacked her earlier charged forward, driving her into the ground.
“Ugh … ” she gasped, feeling the contact through her whole body. Damn. It felt like her rib cage had been shoved through her chest. She bit down hard on her mouthguard to keep from screaming.
“You gonna cry now?” The player bent over her face.
“No. Are you?”
“That was a late hit!” Coach Youngman screamed from the sideline, tossing his clipboard on the ground, trying to get the referee’s attention. “The ball was long gone! Come on, call it!”
The ref ignored him, and the Aller Falls fans booed. Payton stared up at the sky for a minute, until Matt came over to give her a hand up.
“Are you okay?” Neal rushed over, tapping her on the helmet.
“Yeah—I’m fine.” She tilted her neck back and forth then peered up field to see what kind of yardage they’d managed to pull off. “Six yards.” She could work with that.
“Welcome to Lawson,” the announcer called, receiving several more boos from the Aller Falls crowd. Payton glanced over to see her dad trying to calm Bradshaw down.
“Payton, you all right?” the coach yelled.
She gave a quick nod and a thumbs-up. “Okay, let’s show these assholes how the game of football is really played,” she snarled, gearing up for another passing play.
The ball was snapped, and Payton faked the handoff, throwing the defense off and allowing her to go deep to Chance again. He got down to the twenty-yard line before being hit hard.
“It looks like the former Lawson player, Chance Montgomery, got a little shaken up on that play,” the commentator said.
“You okay?” Payton patted him on the back, knowing exactly how he felt. Shit, if they kept it up, they’d both be in body casts by the end of the night.
“I’ll live. Besides, we need the points … ”
The Tigers did a reverse running play, which got them down to the four-yard line, and on the next play, Chance caught his second touchdown pass of the game. With the extra point, they tied the game back up again.
“Carter, you’re taking some hits out there, you holding up okay?” Assistant Coach Martin came up alongside her with a bottle of water.
“I’m just trying to get my rib cage back in place.” She grinned, squeezing some water between the spokes of her face mask.
“Hold ’em! Go big D! Stop ’em, S-T-O-P!” the cheerleaders shouted, stomping and clapping out the beat.
Payton watched with dismay as the Lawson Lions’ running back burned their middle linebacker and raced down the field. “Come on, stop him!” she yelled. But it was no use. He ran way too fast for them to catch up.
Aller Falls went into the locker room at halftime down 21–14.
“They’re killing us out there. Some of it is because of bad calls, but come on, boys, you’re playing sloppy. Do you want this game or not?” Coach Youngman growled. “Do you want to beat Lawson? Or do you want them to keep our trophy for another year?”
“We want it, Coach,” Payton said, holding her helmet up.
“What about the rest of you? Do you want it?”
“Yes!” they shouted.
“Then play like you do! We’ve got too many weapons to fall like this … Now we’ve got to do something, because they’re marking up on Montgomery and Visser, which means, Chesler, you and Destin need to step up.”
Neal leaned over and put his head on Payton’s shoulder. “If I hear one more of those guys say something to you I might punch them in the damn face.”
“No. Then you’ll only end up getting thrown out of the game,” she told him.
“Well, it might be worth it.” He grinned.
She rolled her eyes. “No, because I need you on the field.”
Halftime went by too fast, and soon, they were rushing back out onto the field. The one benefit was that this time out, Aller Falls would receive first, giving them the opportunity to try and come back.
But the Lions’ defense was quick to shut them down, causing a three and out. So the Tigers had to punt the ball away.
As the minutes ticked off the clock, Payton felt the heat. She was good, but she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to bring her team back. However, when her defense was able to turn around and get the ball back for them, not allowing Lawson to get past the twenty-yard line, she knew they might still have a shot. Yet, once again, the Lions put a stop to any play Payton tried to run, which meant if they were lucky enough to get the ball back, she’d have to come up with something good.
“Payton, they’re killing us out there! We need a big play.” Coach came over with his book. “Can you get me one, girl?” He stared up at the scoreboard. There were four minutes left on the clock, and the Tigers’ defense had just stopped Lawson on third down, bringing up fourth and five. The punting team rushed onto the field a
nd kicked a high, deep ball. Johnson downed it at the twenty-yard line, giving Payton a lot of yards to cover.
“Okay, Chesler, you better be ready to catch some balls, man.” She grinned. She had him run a streak route straight up the middle, giving them a fifteen-yard gain and a first down. “Give me another one of those, Chesler, and I have a feeling we might be able to loosen up some of the coverage on Visser and Montgomery.”
Since the play worked so well, Payton decided to run it one more time, which ended up getting them another ten yards and another first down. Payton glanced over at the clock, which was still running. They had two minutes and fifteen seconds left to play.
“Blue sixty-three, blue sixty-three—hut-hut.” The defense blitzed, and Payton took off running, nearly cheering as Matt threw a block. She rushed for the sideline, needing to get out of bounds to stop the clock. Payton felt the hit as one of the Lions’ players crushed her.
Pain shot through her arm. Son of a bitch. It hurt. But at least she’d managed to get out of bounds and stop the clock. As she headed back out onto the field, the ref stopped her and pointed at the bloody gash on her arm.
“Payton, get over here!” her coach screamed after calling a time out.
“It looks like Carter took quite a hit out there and is bleeding. I think the coach may be ready to pull her.”
“I want to play, Coach,” she said as their medical assistant rushed over to look at it.
“I think you’re going to need stitches.”
“Can’t they wait? Can’t we just bandage it for now? There’s hardly any time left. I need to win this,” she said.
“Okay, I’ll wrap it, but you’ll need to go as soon as this game’s done,” the medical guy said. He whipped some gel-like substance out, which he assured her would not only keep the bandages from sticking to the wound but also keep it from getting infected.
Payton’s arm throbbed, but as she looked around at the other team and their smirks, she knew she wasn’t going to let them win. Once her arm was covered in bandages, she dashed back out onto the field.
“Okay, boys, we’ve got time for one big play. If we’re going to win this, we need to do it now.” She caught Visser’s gaze. “I think it’s time for our play.” She gave him a nod. “The rest of you, listen up. Chesler and Montgomery, I want you each to stay close to the sideline. If I can get this play off, I want them to think we’re trying to move the ball up to conserve the clock. Visser is going all the way.” She smiled and patted Matt on the shoulder. “I’m going to need time, buddy, as much as you can give me. On two, boys.”
Payton lined back up and heard the crowd yelling for her. The Lawson defense had their eyes focused on her, and she knew they wanted to nail her to the ground. But she had no intention of letting them. Payton moved back into the shotgun and waited for the ball to be hiked.
As soon as it hit her hands, she watched the play unfold in front of her, stepping back to find the receiver she wanted. Visser was right on track, and she let the pass go, watching it spiral through the air. Neal leapt up and caught it, coming down at the corner of the end zone for a touchdown.
“Yes!” She raced down the field, feeling the blood seeping through her bandages. “Oh my God, you’re freaking awesome!” She hugged Neal tightly and gave the rest of the team high fives.
“What a play for Carter! She’s had a stellar season. And now the Tigers are right back in this. They can tie with the extra point, or win if they decide to go for two,” the announcer stated as the spectators clamored to their feet.
Payton kneeled in the huddle and stared each of her teammates in the eye. “Do you want the win?” she asked.
“Damn straight.” Matt grinned.
“Then let’s do it. Fake the handoff, quarterback sneak.” Payton shoved her mouthpiece back in. “We haven’t used this play all season, and with as much as Coach has been making us practice it, I think it’s about time to put it to the test.”
The Tigers moved to the line, and Payton nodded to her guys, before counting out. “Red twenty-one, hut-hut-hut.” She turned and faked the handoff to Destin, then, as everyone leapt up to block him, she rolled around the outside, dashing over the line into the end zone. As soon as the ball crossed the plane, she was hit again. She heard a crack and felt a searing pain shoot through her already injured arm. But the cheers of her comrades made her ignore it for the moment, as they all rushed her and hefted her up onto their shoulders.
“This is unbelievable, folks! The Tigers came back from behind to beat the Lions, with a score of 22–21.”
Payton followed her team back toward the coach, and Neal came up and caught hold of her jersey.
“We did it!” she shouted at him.
“It was you, Payton, you did it.” He pulled her into an embrace, and she winced.
The pain overwhelmed her, and she felt as if she were going to be sick. Her gaze drifted down to her arm. It was then that she saw the thin shard of bone sticking out. And the blood dripping down her arm.
“Neal, promise not to let me go … ” she said before everything went black.
When Payton began to come to, she was lying on the football field surrounded by her teammates and the paramedics. “She needs to get to the emergency room,” she heard one of them say.
From somewhere nearby, she heard Chance’s Dad talking. “See? This is why girls shouldn’t be allowed to play.” After that, there was shouting.
“Neal,” she whispered.
“I’m right here, Payton … I didn’t let you go.” He cradled her head and smoothed her hair back as they moved her up onto a stretcher.
“Payton,” her dad’s worried voice sounded next to her.
“Daddy, we won.” She tried to smile but felt another wave of pain claim her.
“I know, honey.” He touched her cheek then turned to Brad. “Listen, you and your brothers stay here and watch Elway. I’ll call you later and let you know what’s going on.” He spun to look at Mrs. Visser and Neal. “Do you want me to have my boys bring you home?”
“We’re coming with you,” the old woman answered.
Payton heard something about surgery and pins in her arm, then all went dark once more.
Payton awoke, feeling warmth on her cheek. She fought to open her eyes, letting the fuzzy room come into focus. She recognized the smell of disinfectant and realized she was in the hospital. The pale-blue room had bright-white floors, and the sun was shining through the drapes next to her bed. She shifted uncomfortably and saw the cast that encased her arm.
“Hey, you’re awake.” Elway yawned and peered over at his younger sister. “Dad and Neal left a little while ago. They’ll be back later on.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be in school?” she teased, swallowing several times to try to get the nasty, cotton-like taste out of her mouth.
“I figured I could afford to skip a day, especially since I didn’t want any of the others to miss their varsity game tonight.” He stretched and moved his chair closer to her bed. “It’s already noon.”
“Geez, I’ve been asleep forever.” Her stomach rumbled. When was the last time she’d eaten? She groaned, remembering it’d been lunch the day before.
“Miss Carter, you’re awake.” The nurse came in carrying a bouquet of flowers “You’re one of our most popular patients today.” She pointed to a pile of flowers and teddy bears.
Payton’s cheeks heated, and she allowed the nurse to take her vitals.
“You’ve got a bit of a fever, but everything else seems to be fine. How’s your arm? Any pain?”
“Not at the moment.” She shrugged, eyeing the giant teddy bear wearing a jersey sporting the number three.
“I’ll have them send some lunch up for you in a few minutes. For now, though, just lay back and take it easy.”
“Who sent me all this stuff?” she asked her brother.
“The team, your boyfriend, your brothers, Coach Youngman, Neal and his grandma … Pretty much all of Aller Falls,”
he teased. “The big bear, though, is from your team.”
Payton started to tear up. “Well, the good news is that it wasn’t my throwing arm that got hurt. By the way, did you guys win?”
“Naw, we lost by a field goal.”
“Sorry, that sucks.”
A moment later, her dad waltzed into the room, relief washing over his face when he saw Payton sitting up.
“Honey, you had us worried.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “You’re one tough cookie.”
“I just wanted to win the game … ”
“So I noticed. I thought the coach was going to pull you the last thirty seconds when you had blood gushing all over.”
“Sorry about that. I told him I was fine. I had to win it.” She wasn’t sure anyone would understand how much pressure she was feeling to pull this off—to show everyone that she was more than some one-hit wonder.
“Neal stayed here all night—I couldn’t get that boy to leave your side for anything.” He chuckled. “He’s a good kid and a great friend … He kept rattling on that he’d promised not to leave you.”
Payton pretended to study the curtain, not mentioning the fact that she’d told him to stay with her.
“You’re going to go watch the boys play tonight, aren’t you?” She glanced at her dad. “Tonight’s a big night for Marino.”
“I know. He’s pretty nervous, especially since he wants to make a good showing for the scouts. If they win tonight, they go on to the playoffs.”
Of course Payton knew this, it was all she’d heard for the last week. Being a freshman, she didn’t have to worry about that just yet.
The nurse entered the room once more, this time carrying Payton’s lunch. There was mashed potatoes and gravy along with ham, corn, and cottage cheese. She scarfed it down, not caring how she looked. They even brought her ice water and a carton of chocolate milk, and she chugged that too.
Elway left to go down to the hospital cafeteria for his lunch, leaving her alone with her father.
“So what did you think of the game last night? I mean, other than my arm?”
“You played great. If it hadn’t have been for those bad calls, I think you guys would’ve won by more than two points.” He ran a hand through his graying brown hair.
French Fries with a Side of Guys Page 20
