“Get on the line.” Coach Palace screamed after slacking off at practice.
This phrase is the most feared saying in sports. When a coach says that, you know you’re in trouble. The last 5 years of my uneventful teenage years were full of that saying. The sport that captured my heart 5 years ago is called football. Now I understand getting up at 5:00 A.M. is not ideal, but standing out there in the morning with just you and your thoughts can be the most pleasing and calming thing in the world. I am up before the world is up, playing the game I love to play. The wet dew from the early morning sitting on the turf covers the green making the field almost look white. I can see every step I take, It’s almost as though the field shines.
     “Kessman!” Coach yells
I start running to where the voice came from.
“Yeah coach?!” I say a little timid
“You're in!” He yells yet again, blowing my ear out.
It was my time! My first Field goal as a Varsity Kicker. 28 yards. I inhale slowly making sure I don't pass out, heart racing, i was nervous, very nervous. I take my steps back repeating “you've done this before, relax!” now for my steps over, 2 steps. I get ready to kick as i look at Joe, nodding my head, signaling I am ready to go. I take another deep breath in. Talking to myself like an insane person. The ball is snapped to Joe puts it down, good hold, good kick and ITS GOOD! I give Joe and high five as I run off the field. My first career Field goal. I was shaking. so nervous and my adrenaline was at its max. The Locker room was loud and everyone was all pumped up, but I had no choice to be scared and sick to my stomach. 
After that game I received the worst news of my life. It went from a great night to an awful night. My grandma called and said that My grandpa had about 3 days to live. I rushed out of the locker room to find my mom sitting in her car crying over the news. I followed her home and sprinted inside, quickly packing a backpack full of clothes I ran down the stairs and found my mom halfway out of the door.
“ Are we goin’ there now? who's all going? is he dying tonight?”
Questions raced through my mind as panic was in the air. We ran out to the car and started our 3-hour journey to St. Joe. It was an unpleasant and uncomfortable 3-hours. We got there we rushed to the room where we saw him laying there sleeping. We sat and talked with my grandma for about 30 minutes until you could just barely hear a small voice.
“Alex, Alex” My grandpa said in a soft voice.
I went to his bed, heart beating fast and I am frightened for his life.
“Yeah Grandpa?” I responded holding back the tears
“Im sorry. Im sorry I can come watch you play anymore. I’m sorry that I can't have more time with you. Never give up on your dreams, Ever. You, my son, will make it.” he whispered,
I cried with every little tear I had. Balled. He was my role model, My one person that I could go to to talk about anything with, the one person that believed that I would make it as a kicker and grow up to be a fantastic person. I prayed that night. All I could think about is living without my grandpa. I wanted to be back on the field where I felt safe and alone. When I returned to school my family (football teammates) were right there to support me. I had 70 shoulders to cry on and I knew I had brothers that had my back. Football is more than just a sport. It’s a bond. It’s a bond that you make with your teammates,your brothers, no matter what the cause, good or bad, you had there back and you better know that they have yours. I knew that.These men had my back and would support me and my family. My grandpa died 4 days after I got home.