Jasmine hurried out to Tommy's car, waving wildly. Her smile could've been seen from a mile away. Jackson stood by the car, holding the back door open for her. She practically dove in, laughing. Jackson scrambled in after her.
She wore a loose shirt, black with gold stars, her shoulder exposed where one sleeve hung low. Black leggings covered her legs under her shorts, but most eye-catching was the black "T" painted onto her cheek.
She drummed on the back of Tommy's seat. 'Let's get outta here!' she said, still giggling.
Tommy frowned, looking back at Jackson, who shrugged, smiling nervously. Kenny was already in the front seat, though twisted around to watch Jasmine. 'You know. I really think if I just talked to—'
'Trust me, Tommy Gun, you DON'T want to do that,' Jasmine said. 'It's better for everyone to avoid that, so just drive. Please?'
'Tommy Gun?' Tommy mumbled, pulling back out onto the road.
The other boys chuckled, settling into their seats as everyone strapped in. Jackson turned to Jasmine. 'What's with the…?' He pointed at his cheek.
'Do you like it?' When she grinned, her raised cheek squashed the "T". 'It's for the Titans.'
'How'd you do that?' Kenny asked, turning around in his seat again.
'It's not that hard, just a bit of makeup stuff.'
'Did you have to steal your mom's makeup?' Kenny asked, snickering.
'I have my own.'
'Really? Doesn't seem that metal of you.'
Jasmine couldn't help laughing. 'What do you think metal is? Of course, makeup is metal. It's rebellious, just like any form of expression can be. Plus, if makeup wasn't metal, Glam Metal wouldn't exist.'
'Sounds lame.'
Jasmine stretched out a leg, kicking Kenny's seat. 'You're lame.'
'HEY!' the shout came from Kenny and Tommy simultaneously.
Jasmine's leg came back to rest on Jackson's lap. He tensed, staring down at it like it was a snake draped over him. She acted as if she didn't even notice, like her leg had ended up there randomly. She was still looking at Kenny. 'I should've brought some, I could've painted a nice big "T" on your cheek too.'
Kenny shook his head. 'Nah, I'll pass.'
'Next time then, right Jackson?'
'Huh?' He jumped, looking at her.
'Next game, I'll give you a "T" too.' She tapped the mark on her cheek.
'Oh, uh, yeah, sure.' He nodded. Her smile was so captivating. He thought he'd explode with all the nerves building inside him.
It was only after he said it—and she finally looked away—that he realised what he had agreed to. "I mean, it wouldn't be that bad, but that wasn't the concerning part. Next game. What if there wasn't a next game? At least not for another year."
Every game was do or die. Jackson knew about the National tournament for all the state champions this year, but what if the Titans didn't make it that far? Every game could be their last. He'd been worrying about it all morning. He was probably more nervous than any of the players, which was dumb, but he just couldn't help it. His heart was beating against his ribs like they owed it money.
Seeing Jasmine and the butterflies she always gave him didn't help ease his nerves in the slightest. But now it was confirmed that she looked forward to these outings as much as him … okay maybe not that much but she still looked forward to them, and this one might be the last chance they had.
"The Titans just have to win. They can do it." He hoped they would. It was hard to imagine Shane losing, but football was a team sport.
'What even is glam metal?' Kenny asked.
'I think that's stuff like KISS?' Tommy said. 'Real old school.' His eyes met Jackson's in the rear-view mirror. 'The stuff Dad likes.'
'Oh yeah…' Jackson shuddered, remembering the times when he'd come home to find Dad alone in the house, singing—more like screeching—along to his blaring music.
'True, but I'd say it's more like Poison,' Jasmine added. 'But then again, everyone was trend chasing glam metal when it became big back in the eighties.'
'Nerd,' Kenny muttered, earning him another kick to the back of his seat.
'How about I put some of it on?' Tommy suggested, trying to distract from the chair-kicking.
'No thanks,' all three kids said at once before erupting into laughter.
Quiet eventually replaced the laughter, and Tommy stuck with Architects for their music. Eventually, Jackson's nerves returned as well. He sat back, trying to tell himself, trying to convince himself that everything would be alright, and the Titans would win.
Though by the time that Jackson and company were halfway to the coliseum of the day, the Titans were just arriving at the field, trudging off the bus one by one.
Coach Otsen watched the players come off the bus. Backs stiffened as they saw him, shoulders pushed back as more urgency was put in their steps. Coach Carson stood beside him, though her attention was fixed on the tablet in her hands.
Coach Vasquez and Coach Knight were by the undercarriage, Vasquez nearly crawling into the storage to retrieve the deeper bags, tossing them out to Knight who caught them and passed them over to every boy that approached, his eyes boring holes into them. They thanked him—some, like Grant, muttering; some, like Shane, shouting; others, like Dion, simply nodding; Wesley was the only one not to thank Coach Knight at all—as they took their bags and moved on.
The carpark was empty aside from their bus. Coach Otsen always prided himself and his teams on arriving early so they could be better prepared for the upcoming battle.
Shane led the way towards the field, the stands stretching high above them, surrounding the field, though still leaving narrow gaps and walkways at the corners. But as Shane crossed the threshold, they heard another bus pulling into the carpark.
Shane paused, Coach Otsen overtaking him. He had to look back. The Desert Christian Eagles would be their strongest challenge yet. To be expected in the championship game. But Shane wondered if the Eagles would be the team to snatch away the Titans' zero and break their unbeaten streak.
"I can't let that happen. The team's riding on me." Shane turned away from the opposing bus, a garish design of an eagle in front of a cross splayed across the sides. He could feel eyes on him from the bus, but he didn't look back again. He followed Coach Otsen's back, striding onto the field.
Wesley watched the bus, walking backwards amongst the pack of Titans as they marched towards the field. 'Ain't no way I'm losing to a shitty preppy Christian school.' His eyes sparkled as he looked at the ugly bird painted across the side of the bus, flipping up his own birds.
'Dude, stop that,' Micky said, walking beside him. He swatted Wesley's nearest arm, not looking back at the bus. 'Have some respect, would ya?'
Wesley laughed, dropping his hands. 'Fuck them. Private school motherfuckers are the worst.' He turned away.
Joseph Fale led the Eagles off their bus. The large boy watched the last of the Titans disappear beyond the gap in the stands that led to the field. At the back of the Titans' trail had been a coach, a rather short but energetic man screaming: 'Let's go, Titans' repeatedly. His voice had been so piercing Joseph heard it as they were pulling into their park.
Shane Spearhead was a striking figure. Even from a distance, he stood out amongst the pack of Titans, though he wasn't the only one.
"A disrespectful team, even if most of them don't mean to be." He knew he'd seen Wesley Walker within the pack as well. That boy stood out because he WANTED to stand out, middle fingers waving in the air. It wasn't just disrespect to Joseph, or even the Eagles, it was a slight upon the Lord.
Joseph shook his head. They couldn't let such a gesture go unpunished. He retrieved his bag, gripping the strap so hard his knuckles turned white. 'Lord, give me strength, and please let my mama forgive me for what I have to do.'
He stomped toward the field. He never went into a game intending to hurt anyone, but he also knew that accidents happened and injuries were bound to occur in a game such as football. It was up to God who came out injured. But Joseph couldn't refute that there was a nasty devil on his shoulder, wishing that he could hurt Wesley just a little today. Surely he deserved it, and that little devil was trying to tell Joseph that he'd simply be acting as an instrument of God's judgement.
By the time Tommy pulled into a parking space, the lot was about half full. Sleep Token was blaring from Tommy's speakers when he finally shut them off and the group exited the car, stretching after the long drive.
There was already a buzz of chatter and movement from the nearby field, an atmosphere forming, spilling from the stands, sending goosebumps up all their arms.
'Ooh man, I'm excited!' Jasmine squealed, jumping against Jackson, clinging to his arm.
He gasped, clenching up, walking stiffly as she leaned against him. Kenny exhaled loudly as they walked towards the field. 'Those assholes better not let the team down.'
No one needed clarification about who he meant. There were a few assholes on the team, but the ones who annoyed Kenny that much had to be Grant and his jackals Daniel and Demetrius, the ones holding him and Jackson back from joining the varsity team.
Normally Kenny hoped for a poor performance from one—or all—of the three, but even he knew that for today's game, the Titans needed strong performances from EVERYBODY if they wanted to win.
'They'll do their best,' Tommy said.
'I'm worried their best isn't good enough,' Jackson said; Kenny nodded his agreement.
'If you guys were playing, I know you'd win,' Jasmine said, head leaning on Jackson's shoulder.
'Yeah…' Jackson wasn't as sure. Even if he and Kenny gave it their all, it wasn't certain that even THEIR best would be enough. From what he'd heard, the Eagles were strong, and they'd reached the championship game for a reason. Both teams were undefeated this season, but only one would remain that way after this game.
They found their seats as the teams were warming up, sitting a couple of rows back from the Titans bench like usual. Tommy sat at one end, flanking Jackson; Jasmine squished up against Jackson's other side; and Kenny at the other end, sitting on Jasmine's other side.
'WOO! Come on, Titans!' Jasmine yelled. 'You can do it!'
Jackson smiled, cheering with her. He looked around; some of the crowd had turned back to look at them. He didn't spot any familiar faces, though he suspected that every member of the JV team would show up eventually; no way could they miss the championship game.
More fans were filling the seats, and soon enough the teams were meeting for the coin toss to decide who started with the ball.
The captains from both sides walked out to centerfield, officials already waiting for them. Shane led the Titans, flanked by Wesley and Micky as usual.
Joseph, of course, led the Eagles. With him he brought a short, sharp-eyed hawk of a boy, with a thin, angular face. Everything about him seemed sharp. He started stretching the moment they arrived at centerfield, showcasing a flexibility and fluidity that looked odd with all his jutting parts and angles. Despite his twists and lunges, his amber-coloured eyes never left Wesley.
The third boy representing the Eagles was stockier, almost as wide as he was tall. His beady eyes were set deeply into his pudgy-face that looked almost swollen. His stance was wide too, and despite his flabby look, there was a solidness about him, like all of his added weight was built around an iron core.
Joseph offered each Titan a handshake. Wesley scoffed at it, whilst Micky accepted it happily, smiling and wishing the Eagles luck. Joseph returned the gesture. Shane shook hands with him, each tightening their grip slightly, testing.
Joseph's eyes drifted to Wesley, still gripping Shane. 'Good luck today. I wish you all well, may the Lord watch over you … but know that I have to do what I must.'
Shane squeezed, leaning in Joseph's way of Wesley, capturing his attention fully. 'I understand better than most. I wish you well too. Just because we're opponents doesn't make us enemies. But be assured, I'M your opponent for today.'
Joseph met his gaze; fires raged in their eyes. He grinned. 'Of course. May the best man win.'
Their hands creaked as their grips tightened on one another, only letting up after the head official cleared his throat.
'Desert Christian, it's your call,' the official said.
Joseph turned his gaze skyward even as he closed his eyes, leaning his head back. His lips moved soundlessly for a moment, then he looked at the official, eyes bright and clear. 'Tails.'
The coin flicked through the air, spinning rapidly. Joseph didn't watch it, eyes locked on Shane. Still, he knew what it landed on before the official announced it was tails.
'We'll defer,' Joseph said.
Shane merely pointed to the side the Titans would attack in the first half. Then both sides drifted away, returning to their sidelines to report the news.
As the start of the game drew near, the crowd grew more lively; the buzz grew louder not just because of the larger numbers, but because of the increasing excitement.
One question dominated everyone's lips—who would triumph? The Titans? Or the Eagles?