Well I hate to break it to myself, but I’m stuck playing football now. The walk to Click’s backyard is more hellish than Gary Runt, and the best part is I didn’t know that was even possible. Alright. How hard can this be?
Melody, Jordan, and Andre versus me, Jackie, and Click. I was a receiver because I knew I couldn’t throw. “Laces or spaces, Liam” Jordan asked, holding the ball. I didn’t know why it mattered but I just chose at random and said, “Laces.” Jordan then flipped the ball off his fingers in an unusual way and it landed with the laces down. “Hah, our ball” Jordan sneered. “Dude what the hell, you’re always supposed to pick spaces” Jackie said to me in an annoyed tone. Now how was I supposed to know that?
I'm now guarding Melody, let's see how this goes. “Wait actually guys, let’s do a kickoff” Jordan suddenly says and prepares to kick the ball with Andre holding it down for him. I once again have no idea what this is. “Liam, you can be safety” Jackie orders. “Just catch the ball when he kicks it” Click whispers to me. Finally some instructions I can follow.
I stand all the way at the back of Click’s yard while Jordan gets ready to kick. Andre then calls “hike” and it's off. The ball is soaring at me while Melody is violently sprinting in my direction and Jackie and Click are about to trail her. I open up my hands to catch the ball and before I knew it, it was less than a few inches from my hands. I got this. Well, do I?
The ball falls into my hands, but for some reason after I grasp it, it somehow bounces out and I scramble to get ahold of it again. I was a second away from securing it when suddenly Melody rams into me and I fall down, meanwhile she catches it and runs off.
“TOUCHDOWN!” Jordan is over the moon and Andre is clapping. This means Jackie is furious.
“Liam are you kidding me, first of all you can’t catch a perfect kick and on the other hand Melody of all people took it from you?”
I had no idea what to say. With a quiver I managed to reply, “Sorry bro, I won’t do that again.” “Yeah dude, he just needs to warm up” Click says. But I know that I wouldn’t catch that even if I had 5 practice passes.
Jackie lets it go and it’s our ball now. As soon as he calls hike I run for my life around Melody who’s just standing still. When Jackie doesn’t find Andre for a pass I somehow pop around and give Jackie a target for a really short pass. Thankfully, I catch it and we move up. “Thank god Imai I thought you would drop that too.” I roll my eyes with the tiniest bit of confidence I’m holding onto from what just happened.
Jackie calls hike again and this time throws it long to Click, we move up to nearly the touchdown.
“Let’s go boys better defense” Jordan says sternly, “Oh Jackie no first downs by the way this yard got smaller.”
“I think you just got older, smart guy” Click replied, visibly annoyed.
Jackie calls hike and for some reason I bolt to the left and hold out a target, and Melody is sprinting behind me now. Jackie hurls the ball at me and somehow I catch it perfectly. The touchdown is also only a few feet ahead of me, I can make it. As I leap forward, I’m suddenly slammed to the ground, yes, by Melody. “Let’s gooooooooo!” Andre and Jordan cheer. I look up and I see Click’s jaw dropped and Jackie shaking his head.
Everyone except Jackie is either jeering or cheering. Jackie takes a moment to process his disappointment, and then says “Imai, you just got tackled by a girl half your size. Pathetic.”
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To be continued...
