Fiction/Relationships/Football
O.N.C.E.—Chapter Two
One night changes everything
The party, the one with Marissa, happened almost three months ago. I never heard from her again, which was all right in my book, and her cousin, Ericka, never said anything else about her. I remember Ericka saying something about Marissa living out of state, but really, I didn’t care.
Summer football practice went well. We had scouts come from all over to question us, well, mainly me in particular, about what I was doing after high school.
Did I have colleges in mind where I wanted to go?
What was my goal after I graduated?
I told everyone, including universities like Ohio State, the University of Florida, and Alabama State, that my primary objective in life was to see a college through to the playoffs every year, and then go professional whenever the chance was given.
I guess they liked most of my responses because they kept in contact with my coaches, and wanted them to send tapes over from all of my past and present games.
I still hadn’t received anything from USC. I’d sent them video clips, as did my head coach. They knew all about my football achievements because the past four years of national headline news articles were sent to them. I just had to wait and keep positive on the matter.
“Who’s that?” Bran, the quarterback on our team, did a quick head nod toward the group of kids walking down the hallway.
I looked over at who he was referencing and saw that one of them was Ericka. She was dressed in black baggy pants, a long sleeve, black t-shirt, and black army boots. Her midnight black dyed hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she had a Roll Tide baseball cap thrown on. Her eyes were directed at me, I was on her hit list for something.
Why? I had no clue.
I hadn’t spoken to her since the morning of her party. I’d seen her at a couple of other get-togethers that happened, the ones everyone was invited to and not only my group of people, but it was usually a casual ‘hey, what’s up,’ talk. That was about the extent of our conversation.
“Hey, Trent, can I talk to you.” Ericka slid in between two of the linesmen and stood before me. With her stature of maybe a little over five feet and no more than one hundred pounds, she looked like a miniature doll compared to my six-foot-five, two-hundred-and-eighty-pound D-line.
The guys looked at her like she had just invaded the group of ten personal spaces. No one who wasn’t part of our crowd ever came directly up to us to start a conversation.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Um,” Ericka looked around at the group surrounding us. “Can we talk alone?”
The guys snickered, and some let out a soft ‘uh, oh,’ as they waited for my response.
“You can say whatever in front of these guys.” I never kept anything secret. The guys were aware of all my bad romances.
“It’s about Marissa.” Ericka gave me a look, which signaled that’s all she was going to say about the matter in front of everyone.
“Hey, if she wants to hook up again, have her come to the party next weekend.” I gave Ericka a wink and smile, one that got most of the girls to blush. I put my arm around her shoulder. “I should have an open spot to throw both you and Marissa in for the night. Maybe do a threesome.”
The guys chuckled, and Ericka elbowed me in the stomach.
“You know what,” Ericka stepped away from our group. “Nevermind. Forget it. You’re a total douche.” She walked away, disappearing into the sea of students flooding the hallway.
“Dude,” Bran slapped my arm. “What the fuck was that all about?”
I looked back down the hall. Ericka’s head was bobbing around as she weaved out and around the people walking too slowly. “I have no fucking clue.”
The bell rang, signaling for all of us to return to our classrooms.
By the end of the year, our team had won all of the regular games and all of the playoffs, and we were named Alabama State Champs in Football for the fourth year in a row.
Can you guess who was named Player of the Year?
Did you say, Trent Mackenzie?
If you did, well, fuckin A, you would be right.
It was a great week when I was named MVP of the state Superbowl. I finally got the letter I’d been waiting for from USC.
They wanted me. I was going to be a Trojan!
It was contingent on me staying healthy, keeping my grades up past a ‘B’ average, and not having any other circumstances that would interfere with me giving the team a one hundred and ten percent commitment.
No problems there.
I was physically fit and still kept up with my seven-day-a-week workout curriculum.
I was passing all my courses in school, with a little help from some people who were contracted by the team to make sure all of us passed. The people there to help us write papers and such.
And, with only my mom and me at home, no serious girlfriends as baggage, I was home free to give the team everything that I had.
Three more months of school, graduation, a little more partying, and I was off to CAL…I…FORN…I…A for some sun, fun, waves, and babes.
Life was good, and it was about to get great.
