Ty turned and was met by a wave of Dons. They knocked him to the grass and washed over him, the pile stacking high and wide as thunderous cheers poured over him.
The game wasn't over, but with only three minutes left, it felt like victory.
Eventually, the pile dispersed. Ty was helped to his feet by JJ and pulled into a dap. 'You're a miracle, Tyrese, juró por Dios.'
Ty couldn't keep the smile off his face. 'Nothing miraculous about me doing what I do.'
The defence bounded off the field, overflowing with adrenaline and emotion. They were bouncing up and down, and they fanned the crowd's cheers which were only now beginning to quieten.
Coach Hoang wiped the smile from his face as he moved over to address the defence and their triumphant return. 'The game's not over yet. You can celebrate after one more stop.'
'Hah,' Ty laughed. 'Even if I haven't snatched their soul away, they can't break through. They won't score again.'
'Alright, David Goggins, calm down. And it didn't look like they struggled that hard last drive, you just got one lucky play right when they were on the precipice of a touchdown.'
'Lucky?' Ty growled. Coach Hoang already had his back turned to Ty, smiling again as he rolled away.
The Dons' extra point was successful, and they took a 17–20 lead in the dying moments of the game. But, the Cats' soul had definitely not been snatched. If anything, falling behind at such a late stage after leading all game had only lit a fire under them.
Archie came out for the kick-off and was only stopped at the final line of defence for the Dons, reaching the 42-yard line before he was taken down.
'One more stop! That's all that stands between you and victory!' Coach Hoang shouted as the defence took the field once more, for what would most likely be the last time, whether they succeeded or not.
A war of cheering had started in the stands, walls of noise met over the field as both sides cried for their team to win, like the louder they shouted the better the boys would do. Everyone on the field was silent.
Ty didn't have time for trash talk, he needed to lock in, and everyone else shared his sentiment. Archie was still on the field, but Ty didn't expect him to get any touches; the Cats would only be passing from here on out.
The game was exactly where Ty wanted it, and he wasn't going to let it out of his grasp. The ball was snapped, Vance rushed forward. Ty was there. He shifted outside, Ty was there, even when he jumped back to the inside Ty was still following him, still smothering him, without ever getting close enough for Vance to push away.
Ty watched the QB's eyes, whenever the QB looked towards Vance, he was frightened. Ty grinned. The ball wouldn't come his way again, not until the Cats were desperate, and then he'd remind them why they can't throw at him.
Turning to the opposite side of the field, Deshaun was more closely guarding his man. The Dons—outside of Ty—were running Zone, but it didn't feel like that anymore, Deshaun may as well have been playing Man.
His man ran forward, Deshaun backpedalled. When the Receiver stuttered to a stop, Deshaun hesitated, taking another step back. The Receiver spun back to the outside, heading back as the ball came their way. Deshaun sprinted forward.
He lunged, stretching around the Receiver, and knocked the ball from his arms just as he caught it, dislodging the pass as they tumbled out of bounds. It was incomplete! The Cats were pushed to second down.
The Cats didn't linger long on their failure, they moved to the next play, and the Dons were there to meet them with utmost intensity. The two sides clashed again as the QB dropped back to pass once more.
It was Vance's turn to run a Curl, but Ty sat right on top of it, waiting for the ball, baiting the QB. The QB looked past them again.
On the other side, an Out was undercut by Deshaun, and the TE's Post route was covered too. Another WR snuck across the field on a deep Slant, targeting the open field beyond Ty and Vance.
Zayden saw him just before the QB threw the ball. When it left his hand, Zayden twisted and darted towards the Receiver, eyes focused on the ball. He launched into the air as the Receiver did, but his hand reached it first. Zayden slammed into the Cat, and the two crashed to the ground, the ball deflected into the sidelines.
Another incompletion, the Cats were pushed to third down, half their lives already lost.
The Cats' stoicism was completely shattered. Desperate faces looked out from behind every face-mask, even on the sideline their defence either paced nervously or watched with gritted teeth; Jahsiah looked like he'd pop a blood vessel at any moment.
The Dons' defence was tested again, but no matter which way the Cats' Receivers ran, there was a Don draped over them. Ty shepherded Vance to the sideline, Zayden helped blanket everything deep, Deshaun roamed the other sideline like a guard dog, and JJ covered the middle of the field.
The QB had nowhere to throw, no one was open no matter how many times he checked. The O-Line was starting to crumble at the edges. Archie stepped up as Donte broke through. Archie charged forward, ready to drive Donte back, but Donte spun away from the head-down battering ram that Archie had turned into.
There was nothing between Donte and the QB, and even as the QB tried to step away from the rampaging LB, Donte wrapped him up and wrestled him to the ground for the sack.
Donte scrambled up, beating on his chest and screaming. JJ was one of the first to rush over, he and Donte leapt at one another, chest-bumping in mid-air.
The Cats looked all but defeated. Vance stepped over and helped his QB back onto his feet. They still had one chance, and the Cats took a timeout to give themselves more time to come up with their crucial plan.
The entire game rested upon one play. Ty knew exactly where the ball was going; he couldn't be more excited. He stood right on the edge of the sideline, not even a yard off the field. He didn't have to hear the coaches' final words, he already knew what he had to do. He stared across at the Cats, stared at Vance. Vance didn't meet his gaze.
When Ty and Vance came face to face again, they were as isolated as they had been all game, but this time, it felt like they—and the QB—were the only players on the field. Even the crowd faded away. It was just the two of them.
'The whole game is on YOUR shoulders,' Ty said. 'Isn't it perfect?'
Vance looked across at him, suddenly, Ty and he could see eye-to-eye, no longer was he looking down on someone smaller than him.
The ball was snapped, Ty's spear shot forward and knocked the wind out of Vance's lungs as it pierced his heart. Vance pushed through, gritting his teeth as he shoved Ty aside and forced his way to the outside.
Ty bumped into him and stuck to his inside hip, the two ran together down the sideline. Ty stared holes through Vance, only when Vance looked back, and Ty saw the ball reflected in his eyes, did Ty turn his head and locate the ball as well.
If they kept their pace, the ball would reach them perfectly, right on Vance's outside shoulder. But Ty was there as well, and his long arms could reach it first.
They both twisted as the ball neared, taking their final steps as they turned back to the ball. Ty reached out but stumbled forward, flailing at the ball as it crept past him over his hand. As Ty fell onto his face, Vance fell backwards out of bounds, arms retracting as he caught the ball against his body.
Ty pushed himself up, shaking the grass and dirt off his helmet. He looked around, and honed in on the yellow flag only a few yards away.
Vance sat up, not looking at the flag, guilt plain on his face. Ty stood, clapping loudly as the officials announced the completed pass was nullified by the penalty of Offensive Pass Interference, and the Cats were pushed back a further 10 yards and forced to replay the down.
Ty sighed, watching Vance get up and trudge towards his team. 'Just because you can't handle the pressure doesn't mean you can cheat.'
Vance paused mid-step. He didn't turn, he didn't even say anything, he had no remark or comeback. He continued back to his huddle, his head hung towards the ground.
The Cats at least had one more chance, but they needed over 25 yards just to get a first down now. The Dons weren't even about to let them have the time to run that far.
When the ball was snapped, over half of the Dons rushed forward. They didn't break the Cats' wall down, they surged OVER it. Archie stepping up to protect the QB did little to slow the veritable horde that came at the QB, and it was JJ who reached him first, slamming him into the ground for the sack.
It was a turnover on downs, the Dons took the ball, and with it, they ran the clock out until the game was over. Victory was theirs, and the true celebration began.
The Dons and Cats couldn't be further from one another after the game. Whilst one side rose to the greatest heights, the other sunk to unimaginable depths.
The Dons had a screaming match with their fans, their families that had made the trip, who had witnessed their glory. The Cats sat in silence, heads in their hands as their side of the stands were as quiet as a graveyard.
Having to line up and shake your enemy's hand, right after they'd just taken everything from you, was insult to injury for the Cats, but they did line up, following their coaches' and Vance's lead. Coach Long and JJ were the first Dons to rally their side for the show of sportsmanship.
There was no love lost between either side, but there was no enmity either now the game was over. Ty was near the back end of the Dons' line, so even with Vance being in the front for the Cats, it took a while for the two to cross paths.
Vance stopped when he saw Ty. Ty had his hand out, looking up at Vance as if he expected Vance to dismiss him. But Vance gripped his hand firmly and they both shook.
'Good luck in Regionals,' Vance said. 'You were too good today, but I'll get you next year.'
Ty laughed, enticed by the promise. 'You won't be the only one getting stronger next year. Try to catch up.'
Jahsiah was near the back of the Cats' tail, so the proceedings were almost over when he and Ty met. Jahsiah had been going through the line, not even looking at whoever was in front of him, shaking their hand limply and quickly before moving on, but Ty stopped him.
Ty didn't let him go after they shook. He squeezed Jahsiah's hand and yanked him close. He leaned in, venom on his tongue. 'Have fun watching the REAL number one defence conquer the nation. Maybe you'll learn something from your couch.'
Jahsiah shoved Ty away. 'You ain't the number one of SHIT!'
Teammates of both Jahsiah and Ty moved in, getting between the two and pulling them apart as Ty cackled. No other handshakes happened after that, and both teams were shown to their locker rooms.
'Tch. That stupid animal.' Bella shook her head. 'He just has to go and ruin everything.'
Ty was scolded by all coaches, but even so, they didn't let his "thuggish actions" put a damper on the team's mood.
'You all played great today,' Coach Long said. 'That's the exact kind of resiliency I need from you all, and you need to keep performing like that if we want to win Regionals and move on to State. With such a beautiful team performance, I can't give the game ball to just any ONE individual. This goes to all of you today. You ALL deserve it.'
'This one's for the coaches, yo!' Donte shouted. Others cheered and echoed his cry. Coach Long hid his smile with a hand and quickly wiped the beginnings of tears from his eyes.
'Hey, don't celebrate too hard, alright? Get changed, we're leaving in fifteen minutes, and if you ain't on the bus we're leaving you behind.'
Ty started to pack his things away. He was crashing from his high, and a nap on the ride home sounded perfect.
He climbed up to the top deck and slumped into the nearest seat. He closed his eyes, but opened them when he heard someone else sit down. Bella sat next to him.
'Why do you have to be an asshole, EVERY time?' she said.
'He deserved it. That's what happens when you talk shit and can't back it up.'
'Isn't beating them enough?'
'Aren't you a coach? At least you're pretending to be one.' Her fists clenched and her eyes turned cold. 'Football's a psychological game. I won't ever lose to that fucker … Vance on the other hand, he's different.'
'I AM a coach,' she mumbled, looking away. There was a pause before she turned to him again. 'Vance? Is that number seven? Awfully friendly of you to be on a first-name basis, what is he, your boyfriend?'
'He's better than a "friend", he was a good test.' She rolled her eyes. 'He was practice, a warm-up for next week. I'll have to play better next week.'
'You guys will have to play better if you wanna beat the Vikings next week, yeah.'
'Vikings… Marshall.' Images of Marshall and his bullshit finger-tip catches flashed through Ty's mind. Their last encounter, his defeat.
'Is that another "friend" of yours.'
Ty grunted. 'No. He's a stain. Someone to be made an example of. Someone who needs to be crushed on our path to the top of the nation.'
Bella shivered. She watched Ty turn towards the window. He curled up on his seat slightly, and as the bus rocked into motion, she saw his eyes close in the reflection of the glass. 'You don't have to be so edgy about it… everyone wants to make up for the loss.'
He didn't respond. She bit her lip but she didn't push him. Even if he was an asshole, he needed his rest, and she let him have it.
As the Dons rode back home, victorious, Ty was already looking forward to their next battle, dreaming of the next time he'd enter the coliseum known as the gridiron.