Chapter 6: improvise, adapt and overcome

Sunday afternoon, minutes before the game starts and Lauren is talking to the team.

I know this game is soon guys, just focus on doing your part and execute to the best of your abilities. Zach, anything you want to say?

This situation is not what we hoped for, but see this as a chance to prove ourselves. If we come out with a win when everything is against us, then they'll have no choice but to stop doubting us. So let's go out there and play our butts off!

Marcus jumps up from his seat.

Hell yeah, ECU on three! One, two, three.

ECU!!!

As he's waiting in the tunnel to go onto the field Zach is greeted by a familiar voice.

Good to see you again Zach.

Adam, Matt! You guys came all the way to California for me?

Me and Adam got a promotion. Now we get sent all around the country to the most exciting games in college football.

When we heard that you were already playing a game, we immediately asked our boss if we could come. And here we are.

It's nice to see familiar faces, wish me luck!

Matt scoffs and pats Zach on the shoulder.

A bonafide stud like you doesn't need luck!

Thanks for the confidence boost Matt.

Anytime, see you after the game!

The team take to the field under loud cheers from their home crowd. Zach and Marcus make their way to the middle of the field for the coin toss since they're team captains. When they get back Lauren is visibly nervous.

Take a deep breath coach. Analyze their defense and find their weakness, we'll do the rest.

Right, divide and conquer.

We have the ball at the beginning of the second half.

Lauren turns around to face the rest of the players.

Kicking team, let's go!

Zach walks over to the bench to grab his helmet and notices that Rebecca is sitting in the front row right behind them. He walks over to her and gives her a kiss on the lips without hesitation.

You didn't think I forgot about our deal, did you?

She blushes and shyly shakes her head as plenty of girls give her jealous looks.

The opposing team goes down the field but the ECU defense manages to hold them to a field goal.

As the defense makes their way back to the sideline, Zach makes sure to hand out a couple high fives to motivate them and boost their morale.

Good job defense!

The offense makes their way onto the field and they huddle up around Zach.

Alright guys, first play is convoy right halfback toss.

The running back manages to get five yards and they huddle up again.

Time to catch them off guard. Convoy right, QB pass variation one.

The ball is snapped and Zach runs in the opposite direction of his blockers while hiding that he still has the ball. The opposing defense collapses on the convoy of blockers assuming that ECU gave the ball to the running back again. In their greed they lost sight of Marcus who snuck behind every single defender and is wide open. Zach plants his feet and launches the ball as deep as he can. Marcus runs underneath the pass and catches it with ease since there is no defender even remotely close to him, scoring a touchdown in the process.

The entire stadium erupts in deafening cheers as the opposing defenders all look at each other in shock while trying to figure out what just happened.

Zach runs towards Marcus and they meet in the endzone.

First of many!

They return to the sideline and he pats Lauren on the back.

Worked like a charm.

They don't know what hit them! now we have to make sure that we keep this "mystery" going.

Both teams manage to score one more time before it's finally halftime.

Meanwhile Adam and Mat are enjoying themselves in the commentary box.

And that concludes the first half, the score is 14 to 10 in favor of ECU. What do you think of the game so far Matt?

I'm having a great time! Zachary Gray looks as good as advertised, if not better!

You've been on the Zachary Gray bandwagon from the start.

I sure was, he has so much of his father in him.

He really does. I have to say, the ECU coach has prepared a good gameplan on offense.

Absolutely, coach Lauren Turner was thinking outside the box with her play design, I love it! I would also like to shoutout to number 81 for ECU, wide receiver Marcus Jackson. He has three catches for 75 yards and a touchdown so far.

He's also done his part when it comes to blacking in the run game, not averse to doing the "dirty" work. Could the senior have a breakout season?

I wouldn't be surprised now that he has a bonafide stud playing QB for him.

Let's hope he has a good season and gets selected in the NFL draft.

Agreed. Looks like the players are ready to get going again, so back to the game.

After a solid kick return Zach and the offense get in a huddle to get the second half started.

Let's keep things going like in the first half. Convoy left, half back screen.

Zach rolls out to the right, making it look like he's about to take off on a run. Instead, he throws the ball back across the field where his running back Damien catches it behind a horde of blockers. Thanks to Zach's decoy run, several defenders followed him to that side of the field, leaving less resistance for Damien and his blockers.

The deception results in another big play and they huddle up again.

Good job guys. Be ready for the ball Daquan, the guy who's been covering you tends to want to jump routes. Let's take advantage of that, act as if you're stopping and then go deep once he takes the bait.

Got it!

Zach drops back and fakes the short pass to Daquan, the opposing cornerback eagerly jumps in front of him as expected. Daquan doesn't waste a second and takes off behind him. Zach lobs the ball right over the defends head who can only look away in horror as Daquan casually walks into the endzone for a touchdown.

Unfortunately, the ECU defense can't stop the other team from scoring, making the score 21 to 17 going into the fourth quarter in favor of ECU.

Alright guys, one more score and the game should be ours. Convoy right QB run.

They give the idea that Zach is going to throw again. But this time he follows his blockers and comfortably runs for a first down. He celebrates elaborately and the frustration is clear to see on the face of the opposing coach. As Zach and the others huddle up for the next play, the coach can be heard screaming at his defense.

He's making a fool out of us, do something about it!

Zach fakes a handoff to the running back. When he turns around, he notices that the defense has called an all-out blitz. One of the defenders quickly makes it to Zach and grabs hold of him before he can even react. As he's trying to break free, another defender comes flying in from the other side and hits Zach in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

As he's trying to get up Zach feels a sharp pain on the right side of his torso. Since Zach is struggling, Marcus rushes over to help him get to the sideline where Lauren is completely freaking out.

Are you ok?! Please tell me that you're fine!

Give him some space to breathe coach.

Zach takes a couple second to recover.

I just need a minute, I got the wind knocked out of me. The game isn't over yet coach, can't stop just because I'm out.

Right... Marcus, take over at QB for now.

Sure... I'll do what I can.

Without Zach at QB the team doesn't make much progress and they have to punt the ball away. Because of Zach's injury the teams' moral waivers and the defense fails to stop the opposing offense, making the score 24 to 21.

Lisa makes her way over to Zach to see how he's doing.

Are you ok?! How bad is it?

I'm fine, I just got the wind knocked out of me.

She gives him a pensive look.

Don't put yourself in danger, I know you.

I'm fine, don't worry so much. You look great in your cheer uniform by the way!

Don't change the subject.

Before she can say anything else, Zach slowly starts getting up and puts on his helmet.

Sorry, time to get back out there.

Wait! Why do you always try to act so tough...?

Zach walks up to Lauren.

I'm ready to go.

Are you sure? You don't have to go back in if you're hurt.

I'll be fine, let's go win this.

Alright, we only have three minutes left so call these plays in sequence. I'll handle the time outs to stop the clock if necessary.

He jogs back onto the field and into the huddle.

We're short on time so either get out of bounds or hustle back to the line.

On the first play Zach manages to get the ball to Daquan near the sideline, making it easy for him to step out of bounds.

As he gets into position for the second play, Zach notices on of the linebackers slowly creeping forward. He turns to Damien.

The linebacker is going to blitz me. Get open to the left side of the field, Daquan is going deep and should draw the defenders away from you.

Gotcha!

When the ball is snapped, Zach does his best to draw the blitzing linebacker towards him and throws the ball over his head to Damien. He manages to catch it and run for twenty yards before stepping out of bounds.

We need a touchdown to win guys... and we have less than a minute left.

He looks to the sideline where Lauren is giving him a hand gesture indicating what play to call. He nods and gets back in the huddle.

This is it guys, we're going for the endzone. Daquan, you run deep and drag the defenders with you. Marcus runs underneath from the opposing side to take advantage of the space that Daquan made. Let's win this!

The offensive line breaks down shortly after the ball is snapped and Zach starts running to the left. He manages to extend the play until Marcus gets open enough and throws him the ball with only one man left in front of him. Marcus lowers his shoulder, making the defender glance off of him. He tries to hold on for dear life and Marcus sees no other choice except diving for the endzone. He stretches as far as he can and manages to barely reach the ball onto the goal line. He turns to the referee who waits for a couple agonizing seconds.

Touchdown!

Celebration erupts throughout the entire stadium as the team hoists Marcus on their shoulders.

Zach points up at him in an affirming way and Marcus nods back. No further communication is needed, the mutual appreciation is obvious.

When Zach makes it back to the sideline, he calmly places his hand on Lauren's shoulder.

Your job is secure.

A tear rolls down her cheek. She quickly wipes it away, not wanting to show her emotions in front of the rest of the team.

Thank you.

You're very welcome.

Zach is ambushed by Lisa and Rebecca who immediately hug him tightly. Luckily, he still has his helmet on so he can hide the look of pain he has on his face from the hit he took earlier.

Congratulations!

You were amazing!

Thanks girls. If you don't mind, I'm going to hit the showers. We'll celebrate when I get back.

Sure, we'll wait for you here.

Adam and Matt are waiting for him at the door to the locker room.

Do you have time for some questions?

Sure, I can spare a couple minutes for you guys.

Adam takes the initiative.

First of all, congratulations on the win. It seemed like you came into this game with a well thought out plan on offense.

We did, coach Turner and I worked the entire week on an offensive formation. Seeing it come to fruition with such success is very rewarding.

Matt puts his arm around Zach's shoulder in a casual way.

As the president of your fan club, I had no doubt that you'd pull out a win.

Zach can't help but laugh.

Thanks Matt, I didn't know I had a fan club.

Just kidding of course. On a more serious note, how does a hard-fought win against your rival school feel?

I haven't been here for long enough to truly know how much this rivalry means to ECU, but seeing the crowd's reaction is very satisfying of course. And having to work for a win is how I prefer it, toughens you up for future games. Plus, its more exciting for the spectators.

You can say that again! One last question Adam?

I wanted to talk about the other standout player, tell us about Marcus Jackson.

He's a great guy and a hard worker, as dedicated to football as I am. I'm very happy for him that he scored the game winner, he deserves the attention and praise.

Thank you for indulging our questions. See you at the next game!

Always a pleasure.

Most of the team has already left the locker room to go celebrate when Zach finally makes it inside himself. He walks by a mirror as he's leaving the shower and notices that he has a large dark bruise on the right side of his torso.

That's not good...

Afterwards he meets up with Lisa and Rebecca in the stadium where a bit of a party has started. They hang out and enjoy the celebrations a bit, but because of his injury he's not feeling too well and he makes up an excuse to leave early.

Rebecca, I'm tired... I think I'm going to head back.

I'm going to join you, parties aren't really my thing anyway.

Great. Lisa, we're heading back.

Already?

I'm a bit tired after the game, are you staying?

Yeah, I'm going to hang out with Elle a bit longer. See you tomorrow?

Zach waves goodbye to Marcus who gives him a thumbs up from the rowdier section of the celebrations.

They stop at Rebecca's room first.

Did you walk me over to my room for a good night kiss?

I'm certainly not turning that down.

He leans in close and Rebecca grows more confident as their kiss goes on. Temperatures rise as her tongue makes its way to Zach's, and in passion she places her hand on his chest... right where the bruise is. Zach cringes and lets out a groan.

What's wrong?! Wait... are you hurt? Is it from that hit during the game?!

It's not a big deal...

Come inside.

Rebecca isn't giving Zach any choice in the matter and drags him into her room.

Sit down and take your shirt off.

This is not how I expected this to go...

You and me both, let me take a look.

She kneels down, looks closely at his bruise and gets very quiet.

You're not saying much.

Because I'm in shock...this bruise is massive. How did you manage to throw with this?

Adrenaline maybe? It hurt, that much I can tell you.

Obviously, you should have never gone back into the game.

The team needed me.

That may have been true, but if you have broken ribs and got hit there again... those ribs could have perforated your lung. It would have been the end of your season.

Suddenly reality starts to sink in and Zach starts to panic.

If they're actually broken... how long will I be out?

Three to six weeks.

I'll miss the beginning of the season!

We don't know if they're broken yet, they could just be bruised.

How long would that be?

Depends on the severity, a week or two probably.

Then I would be able to get back just in time for the next game.

We'll go get an x-ray early tomorrow morning before we go to class, no use in jumping to conclusions now.

The tough guy act fades away and some tears well up in Zach's eyes. He quickly wipes them away, hoping that Rebecca didn't notice them. But of course she did.

Hey, it's going to be fine.

I can't afford to miss any games, there's too much at stake.

Rebecca puts a stop to Zach's attempt to hide his emotions again. She places her hand on his cheek and forces him to make eye contact with her.

Look at me, you told me that I should come to you when the pressure becomes too much. That goes both ways, talk to me.

Have you heard about what happened to my dad?

Lisa told me that he passed away when you were young.

A drunk driver ran a red light and hit him on the drives side, he died instantly.

I'm so sorry.

It's ok, it can't be changed anyway. Because of that my mom had to take care of me by herself. As if that wasn't enough, she has a disease that causes problems with her muscles making it so she gets tired quicker than normal. She's been suffering through that for years.

Sounds like a strong woman.

She most certainly is. She never lost her smile, not even after ten years.

Vulnerability fades and Zach balls his fist.

I have to make it to the NFL, I have to make sure that she never has to work ever again.

Rebecca hugs him.

Shh, stay calm. You are such a good person, so selfless.

That's why I can't miss any games.

We don't know if that's going to be the case yet. Why don't you stay here with me tonight? We're going to the same place in the morning anyway.

Real smooth of you, luring me into your bed like that.

She doesn't reply and instead just gives him a playful wink.

As Rebecca starts taking her jeans off and notices that Zach's eyes are glued to her behind.

Are you just going to keep staring at my butt?

Yes, why wouldn't I? You have a really nice one.

She chuckles and shakes her head.

Then I guess its your lucky day, but my shirt stays on.

No complaints from me, mine won't though.

Her eyes are in turn glued to his abs.

Looks like you're enjoying yourself as much as I am.

Yes I am, a good relationship is in balance. Come on, time for bed.

As Zach crawls into the small one-person bed next to Rebecca, they spoon and he puts his arm around her.

Is it me or is your heart beating really fast?

Don't tease me, you know well enough why that is.

He leans in close and softly whispers into her ear.

Is it because of our kiss earlier? I can't blame you. Are you sure you don't want me to listen to your heart? Do you have a stethoscope here? Maybe we should get it checked out tomorrow, just to be safe.

She bites he lip and takes a deep breath.

If you don't stop teasing me like this, I'm going to climb on top of you... and you're in no condition for that right now.

I think I could hold it together for that.

Zach, for the love of God stop! There's only so much a girl can take!

Ok, I'll stop... for now.

He gives her one last kiss on the cheek.

Goodnight.

You are unbelievable, goodnight.