"Set! Hut!" shouted Andrew, and the new ball landed in his hands. Since there were almost sixteen kids, he decided to organize a game: 8 vs. 8. Well, technically, it was 8 vs. 7—his team was short one player.
The backyard was a bit small, but it was better than nothing for a little fun. Better this than playing boring six-year-old games, he thought.
A boy named Ralph, who was quite stocky, charged at Andrew, but Andrew dodged him effortlessly. If he wanted to, he could run past everyone and score with ease. It would be like a walk in the park. But that wasn't the point.
He wanted these kids to enjoy football. To feel the thrill of playing, the excitement of scoring a touchdown, the joy of catching a pass, and the pride of making their first tackle.
"Catch it, Archie!" Andrew shouted, throwing the ball to a red-haired boy.
He adjusted the force so Archie could catch it. The distance wasn't far, and the others weren't marking properly, so the pass was perfect. The real challenge was whether Archie could hold on to the ball and not let it slip.
"I got it!" said Archie, catching the ball with both hands. It almost slipped, but he managed to hold on and started running toward the goal line, scoring a touchdown.
"Touchdown!" Archie yelled, throwing the ball onto the grass with excitement.
"Well done! Now it's your turn, Reggie!" Andrew said as he began organizing his team. It was harder than it seemed to get six-year-olds with endless energy running at 150% to follow instructions.
Reggie, a six-year-old boy who was tall for his age and wore a confident expression, took the ball with determination.
"I won't lose…" he murmured, frowning. He wasn't going to lose to Andrew again—at least, in his mind, he thought they had a rivalry.
"You'll beat him, Reggie," said a short, nervous-looking boy with outdated glasses. His name was Peter, and he was Reggie's loyal follower.
"Of course. Just pass me the ball when I tell you," Reggie said, handing the ball to Peter and positioning himself behind him. Unlike Andrew's team, his team was scattered and poorly organized.
"Set! Hut!" Reggie shouted. The moment the ball was in his hands, he started running. He had no intention of passing it. He wanted to show off in front of the girls and everyone else.
He dodged two boys and smiled confidently; the goal line was getting closer. He had always been the best at sports—his dad constantly reminded him of that. But everything changed when Andrew showed up.
Before Reggie could reach the goal, he was tackled by Andrew.
'Is this the sky?' Reggie thought in confusion. He hadn't even noticed when Andrew got close enough to bring him down. Seconds later, the pain of his first tackle started to sink in.
"Don't cry," Andrew said, noticing Reggie's eyes beginning to glisten. He knew he had just tackled a six-year-old—he was one too. He had adjusted his strength accordingly.
"You did great dodging Archie and Kevin. I almost couldn't catch you," Andrew added with a kind smile, extending his hand to help Reggie up.
"Huh? Thanks…" Reggie said, accepting Andrew's help and wiping his eyes with his other hand. Crying now would be way too embarrassing.
Andrew widened his smile and gave a thumbs-up. "I know a tackle hurts, but we have to get used to it to become stronger."
"Really?" Reggie asked, still in some pain but with growing admiration.
"Of course! The more tackles you take, the tougher you'll become. You're the first to take a real tackle," Andrew said.
"That's right! I was the first," Reggie replied with a proud smile. No one had experienced a real tackle before. They usually played with flags or just tagged the opponent like a game of tag.
"Reggie, that was awesome!"
"What does it feel like to be tackled?"
"I want to be tackled too!"
The other kids were buzzing with excitement over Reggie's tackle. They didn't want to miss out and were eager to experience their own first tackle.
'Relax, your time will come,' Andrew thought with a slight smile. This way, everyone would be happy to be tackled, and there'd be no crying to their moms, avoiding any trouble for him.
"I'm switching teams. Switch me, David," Reggie said. Poor David had no choice but to agree.
Andrew wasn't sure why Reggie suddenly switched teams, but he didn't think much of it and restarted the game.
'I'll protect you, Quarterback,' Reggie thought, a new enthusiasm shining in his eyes.
...
"So, Andrew's the one tackling all the kids?" asked a large man with little hair and a few wrinkles.
"Yes, Dad, that's him…" Mitchell replied with an odd look on his face.
Jay watched the boy with jet-black hair and green eyes tackling left and right. Then he made very precise passes and every so often ran, dodging everyone with perfection.
For some strange reason, no boy cried from being tackled. They even got up with big smiles after Andrew said a few words to them and offered his hand to help them up.
Jay didn't know what words Andrew was saying, but they worked. The kids' tears disappeared and were replaced by big, enthusiastic smiles full of energy.
"Aren't they being too rough?" DeDe asked disapprovingly.
"Rough? That's how boys should play. Back in my day, we were more violent," Jay said with a slight smile, watching the game unfold before him.
Mitchell was surprised by Jay's smile. "Let me go tell him you're here."
"No, no. Let him play with his friends. When they get tired, they'll come for something to drink and I'll give him my gift…" Jay said leisurely.
'A great gift,' everyone thought, seeing a bike wrapped in gift paper. It was obvious from the shape that it was a bicycle.
"Look, in the end, your dad seems to be accepting Andrew," Cameron commented in a low tone to Mitchell, who only made a slight grimace and said nothing.
Almost an hour passed, and all the kids, except Andrew, were sweaty and out of energy.
"Time to eat, guys!" Andrew shouted, and everyone cheered happily as they headed to the tables with food and cold drinks.
"Andrew, you have to play with us!"
Andrew, who was sipping a refreshing drink, turned his head and noticed six girls his age standing in a row with their arms crossed, looking at him. The one in the middle, and the one who had spoken, was his cousin Haley.
'Oh no… Babysitting again and having tea with the dolls,' thought Andrew, making a grimace internally. Luckily, at that moment, Mitchell called him, and he ran toward the adult table without looking back, despite Haley's shouts.
"What's up, Father?" Andrew asked with a smile, relieved to have escaped playing with Haley and her friends.
"I told you to call me Dad, Andrew," Cameron said in a serious tone. "Father" was too formal for his taste.
"Oh, that's right, sorry... Father," Andrew said with a slight smile.
Cameron raised an eyebrow, and without warning, exclaimed: "You little rascal!" In one swift movement, he grabbed Andrew and lifted him off the ground effortlessly.
With a smile, Cameron began tickling Andrew, who started laughing uncontrollably, trying to break free.
"No... I can't take it anymore!" Andrew said through his laughter, his arms flailing in the air.
"So you call me Dad!" Cameron said, intensifying the tickling.
"Okay, Dad, I get it!" Andrew finally said, and Cameron set him down.
"That's better," Cameron replied with a smile.
Phil, Claire, and the others watched the father-son play with smiles. Mitchell couldn't deny that he felt a little jealous of how naturally Cameron interacted with Andrew.
Jay nudged Mitchell's shoulder. He had waited long enough and bought an expensive bike. He didn't want to be forgotten.
"Oh, that's right... Andrew, come here. This is your grandfather, Jay. Introduce yourself," said Mitchell, introducing Jay, who for the first time made eye contact with Andrew's green eyes.
"Hello, my name is Andrew Tucker-Pritchett. I'm six years old. Nice to meet you," Andrew said, introducing himself politely as Mitchell had taught him. Manners make the man.
"Hello, kid. You have great manners. Here's your gift," Jay said, lifting the bicycle from behind the table and placing it in front of Andrew, who instantly knew what it was.
'He seems much friendlier than DeDe,' thought Andrew, a bit surprised by Jay's attitude, although he always had good intentions. He just had trouble expressing them.
Andrew opened the gift, and his eyes sparkled with excitement upon seeing the awesome new red and black bicycle. "Cool!" exclaimed Andrew with a smile.
Jay smiled slightly when he saw that the gift pleased his new grandson. Andrew's friends began to crowd around him, gazing at the bike with envious eyes.
"Try it, Andrew!" shouted Archie.
"Let me try it next!"
"Why the face, kid?" Jay asked when he noticed the strange expression on Andrew's face.
"The training wheels are too much," Andrew replied, noticing the small wheels supporting the bike.
"It's your first time riding a bike. It will be dangerous if you do it without support," Mitchell said, disagreeing with his son's risky idea.
"Oh, come on. They're just training wheels. I learned to ride a bike with trial and error. We didn't have those wheels in my time," Jay said, supporting Andrew. The wheels came with the bike. He wouldn't have bought them himself.
"No, it's dangerous," Mitchell said firmly, standing his ground.
"Please, Dad," Andrew said, clasping his hands together.
Mitchell hesitated at Andrew's tender green eyes. "Considering your skill in all sports, I think you'll be fine..." Mitchell said, giving in.
"Thanks!" Andrew said with a smile.
"Look how low you'll go just to get me to call you dad," Cameron murmured near Mitchell, who said nothing.
Jay went to get a screwdriver and removed the training wheels. Andrew climbed onto the bike.
It would be a good accessory to train his quadriceps and most of his legs. He would gain a lot more power. Bodyweight squats were already becoming insufficient; he had to do many repetitions, and it was impossible to get weights due to his young age. No one would give him dumbbells or a barbell with discs.
Andrew had to act as if it was his first time riding a bike, so he needed help from an adult.
It would be strange if he rode perfectly on his first try. More than talented, it would be odd. Besides, he was an expert at riding bikes. In his past life, his bike was indispensable for his day-to-day life.
He was helped by Jay. It felt strange that the man wanted to help him, but he accepted. After all, he gave him the bike.
"Okay, okay... that's it... You've got it!" Jay said with a smile, letting go of Andrew. By his fifth attempt, he managed to balance and ride without falling.
"My turn now!" Archie asked.
"Mine!"
"Let me try, Andrew!"
"I'll do it on my third try!" Reggie said, his competitive spirit ignited.
"You'll have to tackle me if you want to use the bike! Catch me if you can!" Andrew yelled, turning his head to look at his friends, who immediately began chasing him.
"Is this safe?" Mitchell asked, watching all the kids run after Andrew like moths chasing the light.
"I doubt it," Cameron replied with a sigh.
Twenty minutes later, Reggie, Archie, and all the other kids were lying on the grass, exhausted. They couldn't tackle Andrew. Even though he had to circle around, they couldn't catch him because he dodged them flawlessly.
"That was a good workout," Andrew commented, stopping and getting off the bike.
"Teach me how to ride a bike," Haley asked, coming up to him and standing in front of him. With no other option, Andrew tried to help Haley ride the bike with Phil's assistance.
His birthday ended. It had been a good birthday. He got a very useful bike for his training. He met Jay, and their relationship improved quite a bit for just the first meeting.
After his friends left, he played passes with Jay, who was surprised by Andrew's precise throws. Even though he had seen them, it was different receiving them.
Andrew was out of energy. He had worked hard today. Training before his birthday, playing football with his friends, and later with Jay. Riding the bike and then teaching Haley. He said goodbye to everyone and went to his room, exhausted.
In the living room, only Mitchell, Cameron, and Jay remained. Phil, Claire, and the kids had left, and Grandma DeDe had gone a while ago.
Cameron was washing the plates and glasses. Mitchell went to open the door for his father. "Thanks for coming today. Your gift made Andrew very happy," Mitchell thanked him.
'Although it took you a year to meet him,' Mitchell thought, but didn't say anything.
"It's nothing. Sorry it took me so long to come meet him. You know I'm old-fashioned when it comes to adopted kids. You never know if they could be a serial killer..." Jay began, then quickly backtracked when he saw Mitchell's expression.
"I'm not talking about Andrew. He's an excellent kid. His friends see him as a leader. Plus, he's a genius at football. I'm surprised he's your son," Jay said, realizing he had put his foot in his mouth again.
"I'm not referring to—"
"Dad, enough. I get your point," Mitchell interrupted. It's good that Jay liked Andrew. He might have a good grandfather if their relationship keeps improving.
"Alright. Since we lost time as grandfather and grandson, I was thinking of going to see a San Francisco 49ers game. They'll play a friendly match next Friday. Ask Andrew if he wants to go. Only if he wants to, it's not a commitment," Jay suggested, somewhat hesitantly.
"Oh, that's great. He's a fan of the San Francisco 49ers. I'm surprised..." Mitchell stopped, surprised by his father's willingness.
"I mean, it's no big deal. Just a game. But, well, if he likes football, we could have a good time," Jay added, downplaying it.
Mitchell smiled slightly, realizing his father's efforts to form a good relationship with Andrew. "I'll tell him. I'm sure he'll be thrilled."
"Fine, fine," Jay said, shaking his head as if minimizing the gesture. He said goodbye, and Mitchell went back into the house.
---------------------------------------------------
You can read 15 chapters in advance on my patreon.
Link: https://www.p@treon.com/Nathe07