The half ended and we went back into the locker room. The coach reminded us what happened the previous week and urged us not to get cocky. We were excited, but we kept it under control. It was time to let the defense do its job.
At the second half, our rivals got the ball. They looked renewed and determined to get a touchdown. They drove us down the field and right to the goal line. It was time to kick a field goal or go for it. It was fourth down. They made an easy, if uninspired field goal, so we were still up by over two touchdowns.
The coach urged caution and I went back to handoffs for a while. It made it less likely that we’d lose the ball and it would run time off the clock. I took a chance. I threw a screen pass that got batted away by a lucky defender, but I didn’t let it rile me. I messed up once, but I wasn’t going to let that ruin my game.
Sticking to the plan, we grinded our way all the way to within ten yards. I went back to pass, it was supposed to be a fake out and then a handoff, but I saw an opening. I ran it in for ten yards. I had never scored a touchdown before!
“Jesus, Cooper!” said coach Randal as I ran back in. “If we had another quarterback, I’d take you out to save your arm! Let someone else play the game, huh?”
Our rivals finally managed to score a touchdown, but it was too little too late. They were demoralized. We came back and scored again. It seemed like everyone on the team was in the zone!
Chapter 20
Mason
By the end of the fourth quarter, we had destroyed the other team. In the end, there was nothing left for them to do but run down the clock and shake our hand. Our defense had them boxed up and I had put enough touchdowns on the scoreboard that they weren’t going to catch up. The other team’s quarterback came up to me and shook my hand.
“Hey, man. Great game,” he said. “You really brought it out here.”
“Thanks. You too.”
“Ah, no,” he shrugged. “I was off, but you--- That was almost a perfect game. See you next year.”
It was weird. I had never had that conversation before on a football field. I guess I had never had a game like this. “Almost a perfect game”. The phrase rang in my head. The rest of the team, who had avoided even looking at me last week, they now slapped me on the back, hugged me and told me how great I was. I was suddenly, like Logan, one of the guys.
Logan came out of the crowd with his helmet in his hand.
“Mas!” he cheered, jumping onto me. “You did it! Holy shit! You did it! That was fucking incredible! I knew you had it in you, but that?! Holy shit, Mas! You fucking obliterated it! Woo! We’re going to the top!”
He picked out Faith in the crowd and we waved.
“Guess she must of really relaxed you, huh?” he whispered.
“You sent her?”
“I may have made a suggestion,” he admitted, slapping me on the back. “You have to admit, you were finally relaxed.”
“Yeah, I was just--- Well, that and the phone call with dad.”
“What phone call with dad?” He pulled back and glared at me.
“Oh, I called dad and asked him for money again,” I dismissed. “But he’s an asshole. Forget it.”
“What?! Now he knows?! God dammit, Mason!”
“What?” I said innocently.
“He knows now! Now we have to get the money!” said Logan.
“We have to get the money anyway!” I snapped.
“Yeah, but now we really have to get the money!” he insisted, as if that somehow changed things.
“Maybe we should just cut our losses,” I suggested. “I’m sure dad would loan you the money.”
“Loan?! He wasn’t even here for your big night. I wouldn’t take it. He owes us! He owes all of us!” insisted Logan. “And he’s either going to pay up or I’m going to figure this shit out and rub it in his face when I see him!”
“Bro, calm down,” I said. “You’re freaking out.”
“No! I’m fucking doing this! I’m winning the poker game! We will get even and save Faith’s house!”
Logan marched off the field looking determined and wild-eyed. I guess my brother had been so used to everything going his way, he couldn’t consider any other option. I just wished my dad had done him one last favor. I looked up at the stands towards Faith. She looked worried. I shrugged at her.
Inside the locker room, you would’ve thought we won a bowl game. The coach thanked me for the umpteenth time.
“Nice game, Cooper, nice game,” he said. “I want you to go out tonight and celebrate, huh?”
“Yeah, sure coach,” I answered.
“Hey, seriously, you worked hard and you deserve it. I’m sure the rest of the team will be buying you drinks all night,” he laughed.
I hit the showers, but by the time I got out and got dressed, Logan was nowhere to be seen.
“Hey, Dinkins,” I said. “Where’s my brother?”
“Oh, he rolled out of here quick,” he noted. “You ready to go out? It’ll be interesting to go drinking with the other brother for once. Your brother still owes me for last time.”
“I can’t, I gotta find him,” I said.
“Is he going where I think he’s going?” asked Dinkins.
“Yeah, probably,” I said.
“Look, you’re brother’s a good guy, but he’s wild. Crazy. You’re not. You got a head on your shoulders and talent. If your brother throws his talent away, don’t throw yours away with it. You feel me?”
“He’s my brother, Dink.”
“A’ight,” said Dinkins reluctantly. “I’ll get the team. We’ll back you up.”
“You don’t have to do that man,” I said. “No sense in all of us getting kicked off the team.”
“Hey, bro,” he said, patting my shoulder. “We are a team to the end. Logan’s not your only brother.”
I got out of the locker room. Faith was standing outside waiting for me.
“Where’s Logan?” I asked her.
“I thought he’d be with you,” she said.
“C’mon, he must’ve gone to the frat house poker game already,” I said taking her hand. “Maybe we can talk him out of it together.”
When we got to the frat house, it was too late. The game had already started and Logan was inside. The good news, however, he was in the tournament and winning. They had twenty tables of players and they were already down to ten tables. They were playing a Texas Hold ‘em Style tournament where only the top player would get the pot. There was no sense in walking away with chips, once you bought in the chips didn’t matter, you had to be the last man standing. Logan had to win. It was the only way he could break even.
“Hey, guys.” greeted Logan. “Sit tight. This’ll all be over in a few hours.”
It turns out, Logan is pretty good at poker. For one thing, he was amazingly lucky. Always had been. But poker isn’t all about luck, it’s also about reading your opponents. That was something Logan was mildly good at, but it was almost impossible to read him.
Logan was naturally unpredictable from moment to moment, the other players couldn’t figure out if he had a good hand or bad hand. Sometimes he’d bluffed, sometimes he bluffed the bluff and actually had good cards. Most the players he eliminated left the table in frustration.
Meanwhile, the frat house was still holding a kegger. I kept Logan from drinking too much, as Kyle was already sending him drinks and beers. The rest of the team showed up to lend their support. Kyle shifted nervously when they arrived. If he planned on intimidating us somehow, forget it. The whole team would crush him.
After several hours of play, the group got down to one table. Logan had the most chips, but Kyle was right behind him. And now, they were playing at the same table. I could feel the air in the room shift. This wasn’t a good sign.
“Can’t he just leave with the chips he has?” asked Faith, as we watched from the corner of the room.
“It’s not that kind of poker game,” I explained. “If he quits now, all he gets is fift
h place which is worth nothing. Only the top player gets anything from the pot.”
“Hey, Logan,” taunted Kyle as the shuffling commenced. “I see your girlfriend’s here or is she your girlfriend? Heard you and your brother were both double teaming her. Nice!”
“Just deal, douchebag,” said Logan, clearly annoyed.
“What? I know that slut’s worth banging,” he said. “She can suck a golf ball through a garden hose!”
Some of the other brothers laughed and Logan bristled. Kyle was clearly psyching him out.
“I see she has a dress on,” noticed Kyle. “That’s good for easy access. She’s like that. Easy access!”
Logan made a few plays and tried to bluff, but lost.
“Tough loss, bro,” teased Kyle. “Hey, but don’t worry. While she’s banging your brother, it’s easy to cheat on her. She’s so dumb! Believes anything you tell her!”
Faith walked over to Logan and leaned over his shoulder.
“Ignore him, Logan,” said Faith. “He doesn’t matter. I love you, okay? That’s all that matters.”
“Didn’t you say that to me?” laughed Kyle. “How many guys are you going to say it to? Maybe just say it to the whole campus and save us some time.”
Kyle had the home field advantage despite the presence of the football team. The frat brothers laughed at every one of his stupid jokes and it made Logan feel small. I could see the desperate look in his eyes and I’m sure the other poker players could too. This was bad. Really bad. Logan started to steadily lose.
“I can’t watch this any more,” I whispered to Faith. “I have to go for a walk.”
“No, you have to stay here and show support,” she insisted, grabbing my arm.
“You do it,” I said. “I can’t.”
I walked out a side door to the frat house lawn.
“Later, Mason or Logan or whichever one of you is not losing all his money,” laughed Kyle with an arrogant wave.
Outside I walked past some other frat houses and found myself in a parking lot. Gregory was loading up his gear and heading home for the night.
“Hey, Mason,” he said. “Or Logan? You know I’m not sure.”
“Mason,” I said. “Logan is inside the frat house losing all his money.”
“Then why are you out here?”
“I told him not to do it and he didn’t listen to me. He never listens to me,” I complained.
“So? That’s not his way,” said Gregory. “But he’s family. You have to support him.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t. He makes bad decisions.”
We leaned against his work truck.
“You boys are always complaining about your folks not coming to see you. Aren’t you making the same bad decision?”
“Oh, my God,” I said in revelation. “Here I am backing out on Logan when he needs my support.”
“Your father may not have been there for your football games, but I bet Logan was. Am I right?”
“God damn, you’re right!”
I started running back to the frat house.
“Thanks Gregory.”
“Anytime. Good game today, by the way. Heard it on the radio!”
“Thanks!”
I rushed back into the frat house. Things had gotten steadily worse. They were down to three players and Kyle’s chip lead was massive.
“Tell you what, Logan,” offered Kyle. “Back out now and I will give you a third of the pot. Of course, it gets applied to that outstanding debt of yours.”
“No way,” said Logan. “I’m here to wipe out all the debt.”
“C’mon, man, you can’t come back from that,” said Kyle pointing at Logan’s chips. “It’s late. I want to get drunk. Let’s end this.”
“Deal the cards, Kyle,” insisted Logan, tapping the table top with his fingers.
“Okay, okay,” Kyle finally said. “Look, I didn’t really expect you to pay that huge bet you made. You back out now, call it a day and I’ll wipe your slate clean. You’re even.”
“No,” said Logan. “I need all that money.”
“This kid is nuts!” laughed Kyle.
“Hold on one second, Kyle,” said Faith. She walked over to Logan and leaned over his shoulder.
“Hey, Faith,” greeted Logan.
“Baby, what are you doing? Wipe out your debt! Take the deal!” she whispered. “I can’t! I have to save your house!” he whispered back.
“You can’t beat him! Forget the house! My family will find a way,” she whispered, putting a hand on his shoulder.
“Is Faith telling you to take the deal? Maybe she’s not so stupid. Maybe you are,” laughed Kyle. He flipped a poker chip into his hands and made it walk across his knuckles.
I walked over to the table and joined Faith at Logan’s side. I made eye contact with Logan.
“You okay, Logan?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he said nervously.
“You got this,” I told him.
Logan sat up in his chair. The cards were dealt again. Logan had three Kings, but lost. It nearly wiped out the rest of his chips. He had almost nothing left to come back with. Logan got up from his chair and slammed his hands into the table. The chips and drinks rattled. Without a word, he stormed off. Kyle was laughing at him.
“Well, I guess that’s it,” said Kyle. “Split his chips.”
“No,” I said confidently. “I’ll play the rest of his chips.”
Faith squeezed my hand and ran after Logan.
“Sorry, you didn’t pay to play,” said Kyle, reaching towards Logan’s chips.
I grabbed his hand and pinned it to the table.
“I’ve played this game twice and watched it on TV,” I informed him. “Are you really afraid of me beating you?”
“Aw, man,” said Kyle, shaking my hand off his. “I can’t resist a long shot bet from you Coopers.”
Kyle laughed and dealt the cards. I just hoped I could keep the seat warm until Logan changed his mind. My poker skills were not so great. I’ve actually only seen it on TV.
Chapter 21
Logan
I was fucked. I totally fucked it up! My God! I was up five thousand chips and I just blew it. Mason’s not the failure. I am! I led us down this path. I’ve ruined us! I’m so stupid, I couldn’t even take a good deal when Kyle offered it to me.
“Bro, what happened in there?” asked Dinkins standing by the kegs, sipping a beer.
“Nothing. I have to leave,” I said, pushing past him.
“Yo, I think your girl is trying to get at ya,” he gestured.
Faith came charging out of the frat house. I tried to walk away, but she followed me to the edge of the quad.
“Hey! Hey! Logan!” she demanded. “Stop!”
“Forget it, Faith,” I said as I continued walking. “I should’ve just step aside for my brother. I’ve ruined everything. You should go be with him.”
“Stop this. Hey. Stop!” she insisted and grabbed my arm.
“I-I-I can’t get you the money, Faith,” I said. “I screwed up.”
“I don’t care about the money,” she said. “I’ve never cared about the money. I love you and your brother for you! You tried to help me, and you didn’t have to do that, but you have to let me and your brother help you sometimes.”
She looked up into my eyes, her light-brown eyes glowing. I couldn’t take her gaze. I was a failure. I would just end up disappointing her.
“I wish I could be the man you think I am,” I said sadly, looking away. “But I’m not. Who knows? Maybe I have a problem. Maybe it’s good that this happened. I’ll be kicked off the team and forced to face my issues.”
I took her hand off my arm and started to walk away. She grabbed my arm again and pulled me back to face her.
“Logan, you are the man I know you are,” Faith insisted, staring up into my eyes, her face determined. “Your kind and noble and sweet. You wanted to help me and you help your brother. You took this all upon yourself.”
&nb
sp; “I’m sorry,” I said.
“You don’t have to apologize, you just have to listen once in a while,” she said. “It’s not a crime to consult with people you trust.”
“I guess I have trust problems because of my relationship with my dad,” I admitted. “I guess deep down, I expect everyone to abandon me like he did.”
“I won’t abandon you,” she promised. She reached up and ran her hand over my cheek. “I love you and your brother! I couldn’t live without the both of you now. It’s like I almost don’t remember what my life was like before you and he entered it.”
“How are we going to save your house?”
“We’ll figure something out,” she said, pulling me down and kissing me lightly. “Together.”
“What am I going to do if I can’t play football? It’s all I know,” I panicked. “Business majors are a dime a dozen.”
“You’re smart, you’re handsome--- You’ll figure it out,” she assured me. “I believe in you and Mason. Look at him! A week ago he was curled up in a ball on his bed because of football. Now he’s King Shit Touchdown!”
“That would be an awesome nickname for him,” I laughed. “I’m going to suggest that to the team. See if it sticks.”
“Just don’t tell him I came up with it, okay?” she laughed. “I’m sure your parents wouldn’t approve of it.”
“Oh, God, my parents,” I said, suddenly remembering. I pulled away from her and collapsed on a nearby park bench. “They’re gonna freak when they find out about this. That I kept just spiraling deeper and deeper into debt! They’ll put me in a rehab place for gambling!”
“Logan! Will you calm down?!” insisted Faith, as she sat down next to me. “I’m here for you. We’ll solve this!”
“I have too many problems! I can’t fix them all! What if I end up dragging down Mason just as you solved his problems?! I couldn’t handle that! I couldn’t face the responsibility!”
“We will fix it!” she insisted. She put her hand on my back and started rubbing lightly. Her touch felt soothing.
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