"Aye, turn that music up!" Cameron yelled from the front of the bus as we rolled through Los Angeles traffic toward Gardena.
The whole bus was hyped. We'd been preparing for this scrimmage against Serra for two weeks, and everyone knew this was our first real test against elite competition. Serra was ranked third in the state for a reason.
I was sitting in the middle of the bus next to Tyler, but before I looked over my route sheet, I had some calls to make. These big moments always made me think about the people who got me here.
I pulled out my phone and called Maya first.
"There's my baby brother!" Maya answered on the second ring. "You nervous?"
"Nah, just ready," I said, smiling at her voice. "How's baby Tayanna doing?"
"Girl's been sleeping better, thank God. Two months old and already got more personality than most grown folks I know."
My goddaughter. Still just a little baby, but that girl's got my heart already.
"Tell her Uncle Jakari's gonna bring her something nice when I come home," I said. "How you doing though? Work treating you good?"
"I'm good, baby brother. Been working double shifts to save up for nursing school, but it's worth it. Marcus, Dre, and Rico are all coming over to hang out while you play."
"How they doing?"
"Good. Marcus been training his ass off for soccer season. Dre's youth program is going crazy - his kids love him. And Rico... man, Rico's been different since he started playing baseball again. Like, really different."
"That's good," I said. "Tell them I said what's good."
"You know I will. Now go show these California boys what Chicago bred looks like."
"Love you, sis."
"Love you too. Make us proud."
Next, I called my grandparents.
"Jakari!" Grandma answered immediately. "Baby, we've been waiting by the phone! How you feeling?"
"I'm good, Grandma. Ready to play."
"Put him on speaker, woman," I heard Grandpa say in the background.
"You on speaker now, baby," Grandma said.
"Jakari," Grandpa's voice came through clearly. "You remember what I told you about big moments?"
"Yes sir. Stay calm, trust my preparation, and let my talent show."
"That's right. And son?"
"Yes sir?"
"You already made us proud just by getting this far. Now go out there and show them what Williams family excellence looks like."
"I will, Grandpa. I love y'all."
"We love you too, baby," Grandma said. "We'll be rooting for you from here."
Then I took a deep breath and called my mom. I'd been avoiding this one because I knew it would be the hardest.
"Jakari?" Mom's voice was weaker than usual, and I could hear it immediately.
"Hey, Mom. How you feeling today?"
"I'm okay, baby. Just tired. But I been thinking about you all morning."
She sounds worse than last week. The chemo's really taking a toll.
"Mom, you need to rest," I said quietly.
"Boy, don't you worry about me," she said, and even though her voice was weak, I could hear that familiar strength underneath. "You just focus on playing your game out there."
"Okay, Mom."
"Jakari, listen to me," she said, her voice getting serious. "I know this is a big game. I know there's scouts and rankings and all that. But baby, you just play your game. Play with joy. That's all I ever wanted for you."
Don't cry on this bus. Don't cry on this bus.
"I will, Mom. I love you."
"I love you too, baby. More than you'll ever know. Now go catch some touchdowns for your mama."
I hung up and had to stare out the window for a minute to get my emotions together. Tyler noticed.
"You good, bro?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah, just called my people back home," I said. "My mom's been going through some health stuff."
"Damn, man. She gonna be alright?"
"I hope so," I said. "But she's strong. Strongest person I know."
Time to focus. Play for her. Play for all of them.
Tyler pulled out his phone and showed me something that made me stop thinking about everything else for a minute.
"Yo, check this out," he said. "ESPN dropped their preseason Heisman watch list for this year."
I looked at his screen and saw the headline: 2021 College Football Heisman Trophy Watch List - Top 25 Candidates
"That's wild," I said, scrolling through the names. "All these dudes are about to be seniors in college."
Spencer Rattler from Oklahoma was number one. D.J. Uiagalelei from Clemson was second. Bryce Young from Alabama was in the top five.
"Damn, imagine being on that list," Tyler said. "Like, being one of the best players in all of college football."
I kept scrolling, reading about all these elite college players, and my mind started wandering to where I wanted to be in a few years.
What school do I even want to go to?
I'd gotten a few letters from colleges, but nothing serious yet. Coach Rivera said that would come if I kept playing well. But I hadn't really thought about where I actually wanted to be.
But what was my dream school?
Alabama would be crazy. Playing for Nick Saban, wearing that crimson jersey. But they got so many receivers already.
Georgia's always been good. Playing in the SEC, competing for championships.
USC is right here in California. Could stay close to Isabella, close to this life I'm building here.
But what about somewhere completely different? What about Ohio State? Michigan? Texas?
I realized I didn't even know what I wanted most - staying close to home, playing for a championship program, or going somewhere I could make an immediate impact.
That's a good problem to think about though. First I gotta prove I belong at this level.
"What school you dreaming about?" Tyler asked, like he could read my thoughts.
"I don't even know, man," I said honestly. "Part of me wants to stay in California, but part of me thinks about going somewhere completely different. Like, what if I could play at Alabama or Georgia? What if I could be part of something legendary?"
"You got time to figure it out," Tyler said. "But bro, you keep playing like you been playing, you gonna have options."
From ranked 238th to maybe having options. That's wild when you think about it.
I pulled out my route sheet and started going over the plays one more time, but I kept thinking about those Heisman candidates. Four years from now, could I be on that list?
One step at a time. First, show Serra what I can do. Then worry about getting recruited.
Behind us, the freshmen were trying to act calm but I could tell they were all dealing with nerves differently.
Joey was bouncing in his seat, talking nonstop. "Man, I can't wait to show these California dudes some Florida speed!"
Mason was sitting quietly, going over plays in his head, his lips moving as he ran through routes.
Brady was staring out the window with that intense focus. "Only person who can beat me is me," he muttered.
Antonio was checking himself out in his phone camera. "Y'all see how good I look in this uniform? Serra's defense gonna be distracted by all this excellence."
Owen had somehow managed to sneak snacks onto the bus and was working through a bag of trail mix.
Latrell looked like he might throw up. "What if I mess up? What if I let everyone down?"
"Bro, you gonna be fine," I called back to him. "Just play your game."
Cameron stood up in the front of the bus, holding onto the seats for balance.
"Alright, listen up!" he yelled. "We been working for this moment all summer. Serra thinks they're better than us just 'cause they ranked higher. But rankings don't mean shit on the field!"
"Facts!" Derek yelled from the back.
"We got the best receiver in the state," Cameron continued, pointing at me. "We got the best defense in SoCal. And we got the hungriest team in California!"
The whole bus erupted in cheers.
Coach Rivera stood up from his seat near the front. "Alright, settle down. I know y'all are excited, but let's talk about what we're walking into."
The bus got quiet immediately.
"Serra has been elite for years," Coach said. "They got Division 1 talent at every position. Their quarterback is committed to USC. Their defense has three kids with offers from Alabama. This ain't gonna be easy."
"But," he continued, "we didn't come this far to just participate. We came to compete. We came to show the state that Malibu Prep belongs in the conversation with the elite programs."
He looked directly at me. "Williams, they gonna test you early. Their corners are physical and they talk a lot of trash. Stay focused."
"Yes sir," I said. "I'm ready."
For Mom. For Maya and baby Tayanna. For Grandma and Grandpa. For the boys back home. Time to show them what all that love and support built.
Tyler pulled out his phone and started playing our hype playlist. The bus immediately filled with energy as "Till I Collapse" by Eminem started playing.
I looked out the window as we passed the exit for Serra High School. In about ten minutes, we'd be walking into their house, onto their field, against their crowd.
Time to show California what the kid from Chicago can really do. Time to start building toward maybe being on that Heisman watch list one day.
My phone buzzed with a text from Isabella: Good luck baby. Go show them why you're ranked higher than 238 ๐
I smiled and texted back: About to cook. Watch me work.
Another text came in from the Better Men group chat:
Marcus: We all waiting bro. Time to show out
Dre: Chicago in the building. Let's go
Rico: About to watch my boy get busy. Cook them
The bus pulled into Serra's parking lot, and I could see their massive stadium in the distance. This place was serious - real grass, huge stands, probably held 8,000 people.
"Damn," Joey said, pressing his face against the window. "This place is nice as hell."
"Stay focused," Brady said quietly. "Excellence isn't intimidated by facilities."
As we grabbed our gear and started filing off the bus, I thought about those Heisman candidates Tyler had shown me. All of them had probably stood where I was standing now - on the edge of something big, about to prove they belonged.
This is where it starts. This is where I show everyone that I can compete with anybody.
Time to make some noise.