Out Straight

As I looked up at the clock, the game was tight. Down two with thirty seconds left. We needed the touchdown to win. I knew what I had to do. I could hear everything, and the stadium lights seemed so bright. After getting the play, I look to the referee gesturing,  am I on the line? He nodded his head,  then  I braced for one of the biggest moments of my life. “ Down, set, go”  As I run out towards the end of the field I see the QB waiting to make the pass, his eyes fierce and locked on me. Up ahead there were three guys waiting to tackle me for the ball. They needed that ball as much as I did. The QB threw me the ball and I heard it spiraling through the air. There was a slim opening, but the three opposing teammates jumped for the ball, but I jumped higher. My feet nearly nicked the tops of their helmets when they reached the ground. I caught the ball. All I had to do next was run to the end zone and get the touchdown. As my cleats slammed into the ground I spun around the remaining player and started to run. All I could hear now was my breath, and I ran as hard as I could. You know when you have those moments that you feel like you are being chased.  Well, I certainly was.  I could barely feel the last player on my tail, next I heard the crowd counting down. 3...2...1…and the  timer ran out. I could hear the buzzer sound. I had only a few yards to go. TOUCHDOWN!! As I took a huge gulp of air I could hear the crowd going wild, everyone screaming my name. But all I could think about was my mouth guard which had fallen off of the strap and onto the ground.As I turned around to look for it, I looked over to the middle of the field to see the team running my way all screaming and jumping for joy. As I kept looking to the ground for my mouthguard I found it sitting peacefully on the muddy grass. Just as I bent to pick it up my teammates trampled over and started slapping my helmet and chanting my name. 

I looked to the ground one more time to find my mouthguard and saw it covered in mud and grass while under the running back’s cleat. I looked over into the crowd to see my parents jumping up and down and waving while screaming of happiness, but as I looked over to the coaches I saw a strange man talking to them. Who could that strange man be? I thought to myself. Why weren’t they celebrating, we had just won the game after all?  By the time I made it over to the coaches the man was gone. 

The next day was spent icing and recovering from yesterday. Good thing it was a Saturday because I was in a lot of pain.Beyond the joy of the victory and the pain in my body, all I could think about was that strange man. Who could he have been? There were so many ideas. Could he have been a scout since I am senior and I have been needing to do some research on colleges? He could have also been an excited parent or a newspaper reporter, who knows. Did the coach get in trouble for something? 

Being an athlete is a tough job. Every day after a game is spent inside recovering. It's not a job for most people, waking up earlier than normal to go to the gym, and taking extra time out of your day to go to practices and watch film. You also can't work a job because you have little to no free time. That's the one thing I regret about this whole thing, but hopefully my athletics can pay my way through college.

Sunday we have family dinner. This is when my family talks about the games and everything. My uncle was a football coach so he knows a lot. It's mostly advice or compliments from him. I'm hoping he can get me a scholarship, because he has a lot of connections with college coaches. I feel like at this point it's go big or go home, like if I dont get money back for college I'm gonna be screwed and I will have wasted my high school career by playing sports instead of working. I always hear kids complain at school about how they have to work. “At least you make money,” I always say. Being an athlete is a rewardless job that tends to be harder than a normal everyday job. It comes with a lot of risk, and not a lot of reward. That is, if you don’t get a scholarship. That is where it all is worth it. Imagine skipping out on a hundred thousand dollar bill, or more? Most people pay that debt for most of their lives! You would be so much better off in life if you had a headstart like that. 

Monday comes along hard. Everybody hates Monday, and for good reason. School for everyone, and practice for me. Three hours after school that is…. Every day except Saturday and Sunday. And I'm also not mentioning the hour and a half earlier I have to wake up to go lift weights in the morning. This morning I got up extra early and went to my car as I usually do. It is cold outside that early in the morning, but my car heats up quickly. I drive down to the end of my street in a dazed like state because I am not a morning person. I look left, look right and as I begin to pull out of my road, there is that man again. I do a double take. Was he really there or am I just exhausted? 

 Like I said, being an athlete is a tough job, but I'm the kind of person that likes tough jobs. Passing through the hallway I get all kinds of praise from everyone at the game Friday. Even though I should have expected it, I really didn't. Even some of the teachers were saying things to me.“Nice catch kid!” said my Business teacher. I told him thanks and continued my notes for the day. All I was really thinking about was the next game, where I could do the same thing and win the game for my team. I hear him say, “Mutual funds are the best way to make money…” I look out the window thinking about my future and I see him again.  

I say out loud “NO WAY!”  

Mr. Jones says, “ Troy, do you need something?” I turned to look at him and I  looked back out the window and he was gone. 

 “ No, I guess not,” I say. 

As the class bell rings I feel like I have to get out of this building. I’m losing my mind I think. How could this man be all over the place and who was he?  I ran into my girlfriend, Abigail and she asked if I was ready for lunch?  We walked through the hallway and she was talking about her car and how she wants to paint her rims. I am half listening to her and I answer, “whenever you want to.”  That seemed like the right answer and she happily held the door to the cafeteria for me. 

I stopped by my house to get my equipment for practice and to let out my puppies. Cash and Claire jumped wildly and moaned when they saw me. “Hi girl, whatcha been up to?” I say to Claire as she wags her tail violently. Cash waited patiently for his turn for hugs and he always licks my face in appreciation. I drove down the road to the end of the street and looked specifically for the man. I must have starred for 3 minutes on a dead end street thinking he was hiding in the bushes. My neighbors must have thought I was wacked and I laughed out loud at myself. 

Practice was the same every day. Defense, offense, and then special teams.  I am able to lose myself there, not think about that man and what he wants. It’s so awesome that I forgot all about him until the next day. 

At school Mrs. Franklin, my guidance counselor, ran into me in the hallway.  “Oh, Troy, I was looking for you.  Do you have time today to come to my office to look at some colleges?” 

“No, sorry I am out straight today! Maybe another day.” I said. That is so weird that this new guidance counselor would search me out. Doesn’t she have something else to do? I got on the bus to the Huot Center for my carpentry class and was talking to another football player from another town. He told me about their loss and I shared our victory with him.  

Just then, the phone rang. Mr. Suarez answered it and said, “ Ok, he will be right there. Troy, the office wants you.”

“Ok” I said. This is bizarre, why would the office of a different school be calling me down?  I weaved my way through the hallway, not really sure where I was going. I stood in the line for the secretary's window and tried to act cool.  She asked me what I needed and I said I was called down to the office. She said, Oh, there was a man here looking for you, but he said he couldn’t wait.”  I walked back to class and got back on the bus to my school. 

“I have to tell my parents,” I said out loud. This is ridiculous.” When my mom got home from work I told her that I needed to speak to both her and dad. They sat in the living room and began to listen. I told them about the man at the game and seeing him in the woods, out the window of the school and apparently he was asking for me at the other school. 

My mother asked me if  I had eaten. That drives me nuts. Whenever I am a little cranky or stressed she asks if I need to eat something. My dad just sat and shook his head at me. “What is wrong with you people?” I yelled at them.  The dogs started to bark at the window at the front of my house. I said, “ That is probably him, and you’ll be sorry you didn’t take it seriously!”  I ran upstairs and jumped onto my bed. This was just so overwhelming, I don’t think I can take it anymore.

“Troy, Troy wake up! Are you ok? My mother was saying to me.  I was dazed but sat up. 

“What’s going on?” I said.

“You yelled that we would be sorry that we didn’t listen to you and I came into your room and you were sound asleep on your bed!” 

“So, was this all a dream? The touchdown? The man?”

“No, you did score the winning touchdown. That was for sure reality.  As for the man you keep talking about, was it the football scout?”

“Football scout?”

“ Yes, the coach called and said that this scout was interested in talking to you. He’s tried a few times to reach you, even when he was visiting another school he asked to speak to you.” 

Being an athlete is hard. The stress that you feel sometimes can play out in many ways. I’ve been avoiding the college search because I still don’t know what I want to study. If sports were a major, I’d be all set. Maybe this is my unconscious mind pushing me to make a decision. As I drive to my girlfriend’s house the car in front of me slows down. The car stopped and the man got out. As I floor the car into reverse I yell 

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?”  I decide he will never leave me alone unless I confront him. I stop the car in the middle of the street and I get out too. As we walk towards each other my palms are sweaty and I am shaking with fear. Keep walking Troy I say to myself. 

The man yells out my name, “Troy!”  How does he know me?  Serial killers don’t call you by name do they? 

“What do you want?” I yell. “ Stop following me!” 

The man reached into his pocket and I froze. He is going to shoot me!  But, he pulled out his wallet and took out a business card. “Man, relax. My name is Ron Johnson and I am a football scout for Clemson. You are a hard guy to get hold of.” 

He gave me his card and asked if he could follow me home to talk with my parents.  We went into my house and my parents asked him plenty of questions. I don’t remember most of this meeting because I was in shock about how ridiculous I had been. I spent more time avoiding him than I spent looking at colleges. Fear and anxiety are crafty fellows and avoiding things can only cause you more stress in the long run. In order to follow your dreams you must be willing to put in the work. Fame does not fall into your lap.