Two weeks had passed since the National Championship. A fateful day. One in which Jackson's birthday was almost overshadowed in his own thoughts let alone his household.
Accidents happened, but Jackson never suspected… it was different seeing it happen to someone his own age. Something so drastic; something that could be a death sentence for a career.
Everything had been kept quiet regarding Tyrese Samuels since then—a child deserved his privacy—but that didn't stop everyone and their nan from speculating.
"His leg snapped in five different places." "He'll never play football again." "He'll never even walk again."
Others thought it was an ACL tear, some said it was only an MCL, then there were those who combined the two. Whatever it was, Jackson knew it was life-changing. Yet even with spring break, he had no time to spare thinking about if Ty would recover, and even then, would he be the same.
Jackson's own training—which was part of his own grand recovery from half a year ago—was still chugging along. Tommy had something special planned for today. Something which had Jackson and Kenny waiting in a local gymnasium, standing alone on the basketball court.
'He really didn't tell you?' Kenny asked.
Jackson sighed. 'My brother does like his surprises… my whole family does. Probably got it from Dad, but he might've got it from Mom, so who knows.'
Kenny groaned. 'Waiting around in some crusty gym for one of your brother's "training sessions" wasn't how I imagined I'd be spending spring break.'
Jackson doubted anyone thought that's how they'd be spending spring break. The gym wasn't dusty, but it was stuffy and windowless. It was old without smelling rotten… more like the stench of sweat and BO had soaked into the hardwood floors no matter how many times they'd been waxed. The quiet heightened this smell; it was always strange being in a silent gym.
'Where did you think you'd be?' Jackson asked. 'No-one forced you to be here.'
'Yeah, well… spring break's more about chasing after girls and enjoying the beach, isn't it? Or a pool party at least!'
Jackson side-eyed Kenny, frowning. 'You watch too many stupid college movies.'
'You're only saying that because you already GOT the girl,' Kenny huffed. 'How is she, anyway?'
'Jasmine's great, of course. But she's gone off on vacation with her parents, so I DON'T have the girl currently, actually.'
'Yeah but you went on a date with her just the other day. Some concert, wasn't it? Thanks for the invite by the way, pal.'
'I didn't…' Jackson sighed. 'It was just supposed to be a thing for me and her and I…'
'You didn't want me third-wheeling? I could've found somebody else.'
'Yeah like its that simple. There wasn't exactly a plethora of other people our age around… but maybe you're right—'
'I'm always right.'
'—I'll invite you to the next one.'
'Thanks, dude.' Kenny grinned and the two bumped fists. Then a mischievous, curious glint entered Kenny's eye. 'Have you touched her boobs, yet?'
Jackson flinched as if scolded, then shoved Kenny. 'Dude! What kind of question is that?'
'Hey! C'mon, I'm just asking. You guys have been going out for like two months.'
'Yeah but you still can't just ask that!'
'Right, so you haven't.'
Jackson stalked closer, though Kenny backed away. 'Kenny I swear to God, I'm gonna hit you if you don't shut up.'
'Oh man, let me hold him down for you!' Marcus shouted.
Jackson and Kenny turned. Marcus wasn't alone. Eddie and Sachin had also entered the gym, standing in the doorway, looking confused at what they'd walked into.
'Alright, bruh, why are we beating him up?' Sachin asked.
'Nothing. It's nothing.' Jackson said, face flushed.
Thankfully, Kenny dropped it, too. Instead, he moved on to asking the three newcomers if they had any idea what Tommy was planning. Though they needn't answer, as Tommy himself soon walked through the door, and trailing after him was Rudy, Shane, Freddy, and Pete. By then, Kenny's question was unnecessary, because Tommy carried a mesh sack, full of large, red, rubber balls.
Jackson laughed, looking at his brother. 'Seriously?'
'What You got a problem with dodgeball?' Tommy asked, grinning.
Rudy sighed loudly. 'Yeah… I'm beginning to regret my decision to come here with you. But if I'm already here.' He shrugged, walking further into the gym.
'Does it have to be dodgeball?' Freddy asked, adjusting his glasses. He stared at the evil red balls, knowing their feel much too familiarly thanks to his time throughout middle school. Hell, even the beginning of his high school life hadn't been much better.
'Don't be like that, Freddy,' Kenny said. 'You're cool now you're not a nerd… well not THAT much of a nerd anymore.'
For some reason, Kenny's words didn't make Freddy feel any better.
'It'll be alright,' Shane said, clapping Freddy on the back. The unexpected gesture almost knocked Freddy off his feet. 'Sorry. But I'm sure there's a good reason why we're doing this today.'
Tommy nodded. 'Right, right. This is still part of your training, though with a fun twist. Think about it for a second—what does dodgeball require? You've gotta be quick on your feet so you can dodge the ball, and if you can dodge a ball that's thrown at you, you can dodge some clumsy defender on the football field, right? Plus, after you dodge you have to be steady enough to stay on your feet, there's that balance again. Even for Pete it's gonna help his arm, but ultimately, the key to winning dodgeball is by catching the ball. It's much better than simply dodging, because you not only eliminate who threw the ball, but you bring back one of your eliminated teammates. And if you can catch one of these rubber monstrosities, catching a football is gonna be so much easier.'
'Interesting,' Shane said. 'This should be fun.'
Tommy grinned, glad someone else was eagerly on board. He looked around. 'Any other questions, or can we get started?'
'What are the teams?' Eddie asked.
'Excellent question, and one that's easily answered. So over here, we've got the football team.' Tommy gestured to Freddy, Pete, Rudy, Kenny, Shane, and Jackson. 'Then we've got you track stars.' He gestured to Sachin, Marcus, and Eddie. 'We can just pluck my little brother from that team, add him to you guys, and with me that makes it an even five-on-five.'
'We have to go against you?' Kenny asked, looking at Tommy. 'That doesn't seem fair.'
Rudy agreed, reluctantly, and Freddy mumbled something about never being on the same side as the best player. Even Jackson was a little hesitant of the teams, though that was more to do about wanting to test himself against his brother. But Tommy just tilted his head.
'You guys have Shane,' he said. 'That makes up for it, right?'
'Yeah, stop being pussies,' Sachin said, drawing glares even from his teammates.
'We're all hitting that guy first, right?' Pete asked.
'Thanks for being the distraction, bro,' Eddie said, grinning.
'Yeah, man. When they get all the balls, we'll just hide behind your fat head.'
'Bruh… it's just banter. You guys don't have to take it so serious.'
'Before we begin,' Tommy said, 'I will say we should try to avoid headshots. But if everyone's okay with that and there are no other complaints or questions…? Let's begin!'
When nobody else raised their voice, Tommy started setting out the balls—five in total so one team could be fully armed at a time. They cut the court in half vertically, starting on opposing sidelines. The playing field was kept to just between the three-point-lines. It was a tight box, though there wasn't many players; a fast, frantic game would be better than a drawn-out siege.
Tommy counted down the sides once everyone was lined up, and at his call everyone rushed forward. The football team had to make a quick retreat, as Marcus easily reached the line first, securing four of the balls for his side, though Kenny managed to snag one, and when Marcus hurriedly flicked a ball at him, he dove aside.
Once everyone reset, the football team had two balls—with Kenny and Rudy claiming one each—and the track stars had three—in possession of Sachin, Eddie, and Tommy.
Those without a ball kept to the backline, wary and watchful. Though even those who were armed on the football team's side remained cautious. Sachin swaggered to the front, uncaring that his opposition wasn't completely helpless; his eyes were locked on Shane. Take out the biggest guy, and they were destined to win.
Eddie, knowing how much of an idiot his good friend was, charged in to support him and keep the others focused on defence. He flung his ball hard at Rudy, who swayed back and deflected it with his own ball. Freddy scrambled after the ricochet, but had to dive aside as Tommy suddenly unleashed a fastball at him.
That's when Sachin made his move. Loading up, he rushed forwards and launched his ball towards Shane, yelling "YEET!" as he did so.
Shane, however, saw the attack coming, and though the ball was thrown with plenty of heat and strength, it came right at his chest, where he easily caught it. Sachin gaped at him, and the others laughed, his teammates face-palming.
'Bruh!'
Sachin's shoulders slumped, but he trudged over to the side of the field, waiting by the right-side three-point-line.
The football team had survived the initial barrage, and now controlled every ball in the game. The track team and brothers backed up, watching their foes closely. Most of the football team's focus shifted to Tommy.
Pete led the charge, hurling the first ball. He aimed low for Tommy's knees, but the older boy still scooped the ball from the air, catching it, eliminating Pete and bringing Sachin back all at once. However, the barrage didn't end there. Tommy deflected Rudy's ball, but Kenny's snuck in, hitting him in the side. Shane's ball bounced before taking Tommy in the thigh in what ended up being overkill. Freddy had taken a different target, though Jackson easily avoided his throw.
However, even with Sachin joining the fray again—evening the sides when Pete had to step away—the track team remained on the back foot. Their next barrage found no targets, simply giving over ammunition to the football team, who continued their assault.
It was chaos as red flashed back and forth across the gym. Jackson watched closely, though the first ball to come his way flew by his head. He ducked out of the way, and that was when Kenny nailed him in the ankle.
The track team was down to just its three track stars, but at least they'd have the balls back to maybe take out a few of their enemies.
Jackson rubbed his ankle before standing and walking to the sideline. It only stung a bit, which he told his brother when he asked. Watching from the sideline, he saw the track team struggle to get anyone else out, though at least no-one was caught again, so the brothers remained the only two eliminated from their team.
'Do you think it comes down to just who's faster and stronger?' Tommy asked, watching the game.
Jackson shook his head. It couldn't be that simple, even if it was looking that way. Eddie, Sachin, and Marcus were no slouches, but they were struggling to pin the football players down. The difference in lateral quickness was evident, but there had to be more to the game then just that.
Watching the others gave Jackson time to think, though his thoughts didn't stick to just how and why one side could win the game… they drifted to what side he really belonged to. Even after reconnecting with Eddie, Sachin, and Marcus, he still didn't feel as close to them as he had been in middle school. It made sense. They chose track, he chose football. Yet, it wasn't like he was fully part of the football team, either. He hadn't even played an actual game with them yet.
Maybe he was more suited to the sidelines. He'd been on them for a year already.
'Jackie, you're up,' Tommy said, nudging Jackson forward. 'Go get Kenny back.'
Jackson blinked. 'Huh?'
Eddie had caught a ball thrown at him, and was beckoning to the brothers. Tommy gave Jackson a harder push, sending him back into the fray, even as he was still questioning his position.
But there was no time for that. Sachin was caught out again, bringing Pete back into the game even as Freddy took a seat. Then the football team was back on the counter-attack and Jackson had to dance through a red storm. It was a lot harder than trying to stay out of a defender's reach, more like having to remain untouched rather than stay on your feet. Marcus was the next to fall.
Jackson's attempted retaliation was fruitless, as Kenny and Rudy dove out of the way from his two throws, and Eddie's was caught by Pete.
Jackson was all alone against the whole football team… and he realised that was the perfect spot for him.
While he was a part of the football team now, he was still against them, even if they were his teammates. They all wanted the same thing, and this game of dodgeball reinforced the ideal that the only way to get it was to go through his friends. If Jackson wanted to be the best in the world, it started by being better than everyone on his team.
Kenny unleashed the first cannonball, and Jackson caught it on his chest, using it as a shield to deflect the rest of the wave. Tommy rushed to his side, and the brothers started their comeback.
Balls were flying back and forth across the gym, and while Jackson's next throw missed, Tommy hit home, taking out Freddy. The football team's retaliation came in, and as Jackson weaved past one, he was hit on the shoulder by Pete. The ball popped into the air, and Jackson dove after it, avoiding a third ball as he corralled the one which had hit him, catching it before it could touch the ground, saving himself, and eliminating Pete.
Sachin hurried back in, just as Tommy was beamed in the gut by Shane, keeping the game at two-on-two.
Jackson and Sachin squared off with Shane and Rudy, both sides having balls—Sachin carried two whilst everyone else had one. Sachin wasted no time and charged forward. He'd struggled all game to get Shane, though it looked like he wasn't giving up anytime soon. But he swerved at the last second, yeeting his first ball towards Rudy instead, who blocked it. Sachin followed through with a spin, and hurled his second ball even faster, yet Rudy blocked that one as well.
Everyone moved then, as Rudy answered back with a shot of his own, taking Sachin on the arm as he failed to catch it. Though the moment after Rudy fired off his own ball, Jackson's struck him in the side. Shane's ball was in the air too, flashing towards Jackson.
There was little time to react, and less to recover. Jackson turned further, following the rotation of his throw. Shane's ball slammed into him, but he latched onto it, and though he was at such an awkward, off-balance position the ball knocked him over, he still held onto it and eliminated the final member of the football team.
###
They played a few more rounds after that, keeping the sides as they were. Both teams traded wins, and even Freddy got into the flow of the game, having some heroics in the sixth round to even it up at three wins a piece before the track team ultimately won the decider in the seventh.
It was great fun, just how Tommy hoped it would be. Most if not all would've forgotten they were supposed to be training, and just enjoyed themselves, which he thought was always the best way to train.
Afterwards, once Tommy had helped run everyone back home, he returned to his own home, finding Jackson in his room.
'What's up, little bro?'
Jackson glanced up from his phone, cheeks reddened slightly, a clear sign he was just talking with Jasmine. 'Uh, not much, I just wanted to ask you something.'
'You know you can always ask me anything, even if it's to do with girl troubles.'
'Wh-What? No it's not that. It's about today's practice and why you picked dodgeball.'
Tommy laughed, joining Jackson on the bed. He shrugged. 'I meant what I said when it would be a good way to practice a lot of different things. Games like that are great at helping your footwork, hands, and elusiveness in ways that simple training just can't emulate… but I also thought it'd be nice and FUN. We've been needing some lighthearted fun after that championship game.'
Jackson frowned. Of course. It had been good to forget all else in the world and just enjoy some time with all his friends for a bit.
'Hey, don't worry about it, okay?' Tommy said, rubbing Jackson's shoulder. 'Injuries are a part of the game, and everyone needs to be aware of that fact whenever they step foot on the field, but you can't let them control your decisions. You can't play with any fear clouding your mind. Nobody ever reaches their full potential that way.'
'Hah. Don't worry, I know all about that.'
He knew better than most. Fear was the mind-killer and all that. It had certainly almost killed Jackson's chances of playing football. But he hadn't stepped on a proper gridiron for so long. One hand reached down past his knee, rubbing at his shin as if it could itch the scars running through the bone.
He still had so long to wait until he'd get his first chance to step into the coliseum again. Would there be any fear when he did so? He wanted to say no, that he'd conquered his fears. Yet how would he know until he faced the real thing?
Tommy saw the turmoil on his little brother's face, and found the perfect distraction. 'How is that girlfriend of yours?'
Jackson's blush returned full force. 'Why the hell do you wanna know?'
'Because I'm your big brother and it's my duty to make sure you're being a proper gentleman.'
'What the hell's that supposed to mean?'
Tommy laughed. Jackson soon swerved from the topic by bringing up Mortal Kombat, and the brothers spent the rest of the night—playing into the early hours of next morning, and having to suppress laughter, taunts, and shouts so as not to disrupt their sleeping family—trading wins back and forth as Scorpion and Sub-Zero.