Jeff Locke's hands were clenched into fists as he stood up excitedly. The bucket of popcorn on his knees flew to the ground, its contents scattering everywhere. He frantically tried to save it, but he was a half-second too slow and could only watch the mess in front of him, standing there in a state of frustration, anger, and depression.
He looked up at the Bruins' offense, who were like headless chickens on the field, looking so dejected that it seemed they had given up without a fight. Jeff tried to hold it in, but he couldn't. He shouted, "Snap out of it! You damned guys! The game's not over, snap out of it!"
Across the stadium, USC students were holding hands and singing loudly. The scene of a victory party made Jeff's blood boil. He waved his fists at them. "Get out! This is our home field! Go back to your hick town!" He roared, the veins on his neck bulging as if he were about to explode.
"Excuse me," a voice from the side interrupted Jeff's angry rant. Jeff spun around and glared at the person, who said impatiently, "This game is already lost. Staying here is just more embarrassing." He waved his hand as if shooing a fly, motioning for Jeff to move.
This wasn't a rival supporter; it was a Bruins fan. Jeff was even more furious. "Who says so! Anything is possible until the game is over!"
Danny Rees was also filled with anger. He couldn't believe the football season would end this way, with a terrible loss to USC. Just thinking about it made him feel like he would explode, and now he was witnessing it firsthand. If he stayed any longer, Danny wasn't sure what he would do, but he was certain someone would bleed.
To avoid that, Danny chose to leave.
Looking at the young man blocking the aisle, who was wearing a Bruins jersey and had a red face, looking like a rabid fan, Danny said, "Then go tell the others!"
Jeff followed Danny's gaze and saw the stands behind him. A large number of spectators were leaving their seats like a tide. The once-full stadium was now mostly empty, with only a quarter of the seats still occupied—or standing. The vast emptiness was jarring.
"How could…" Jeff tried to say something, but his anger got stuck in his throat. Then he felt a great force hit his shoulder. "Are you moving or not? If not, then get out of the way. This isn't your home!"
Jeff instinctively moved. Danny sidled past him and walked straight ahead, followed by a bunch of friends. He was complaining, "What a joke. That quarterback was bad enough, and now he's injured. It's a total disaster, a complete disaster. The season is finally over! Damn it!"
Just then, a low cheer came from the field. It was especially jarring amid the singing from the other side and the departing crowd from this side. Jeff immediately turned to look. On instinct, Danny also stopped and turned around, and they saw this:
A tall, skinny player stumbled onto the field. He seemed a little lost, looking up and taking in the chaotic stands. He had a bewildered and naive look, like a total rookie. When they thought about it, Kevin Prince was a rookie, and the other substitute quarterbacks on the team were nobodies with no game or passing experience.
"Oh my god!" Danny couldn't help but curse again. "They're sending in a little guy? Did he even graduate high school? This isn't a video game; it's a real game." Danny shouted the last part directly at the field, then muttered in frustration, "Another rookie, another beginner. There's no hope. A nightmare, a real nightmare. If I keep watching a game like this, I'm going to have a heart attack. Jesus-freaking-Christ."
"If you don't like it, then leave!" Jeff couldn't help but lash out at the stranger. "Have some faith in our team! If we don't support them, what hope do they have?"
"You can support them," Danny said, spitting on the ground and cursing without looking back. "Dumbass. You'd better pray this game isn't a worse loss than the Stanford game."
"You!" Jeff was about to roll up his sleeves and charge at him, but his friend Nate Chandler grabbed him in time. "Calm down, calm down, don't mind them!" Nate held onto Jeff's shoulders tightly. "If they don't support them, we will. The Bruins still have us!"
Nate pushed Jeff back into his seat and then looked at the field with a worried expression. He looked back at the empty seats. "Jeff, is that guy any good?" Nate had lost all confidence now. His only thought was to not let the score get any worse. Losing to USC was already a disgrace. It didn't need to become a milestone of shame, a constant reminder at the Rose Bowl year after year.
Jeff ignored the group of people leaving and looked at the field. The young man who had just come on had the number "11" on his jersey, but there was no name. There was only one explanation for this: he was a substitute, a substitute who didn't even have his name printed on his jersey. Even freshman Darius Bell's jersey had his name on it, but this player's didn't.
A disaster, a complete disaster.
Jeff felt a lump in his throat. He wanted to ask, "Why didn't they put in Darius Bell?" But after thinking about it, Darius wasn't a quarterback to get excited about, so the words stopped there and eventually faded away. His shoulders slumped, and he said in despair, "Do we have a choice?"
They were trailing 7-28. The number one quarterback was suspended before the season started, the number two was injured in training camp, and the number three just got injured on the field. The number four quarterback was a freshman, and the number five was a nobody. Maybe that big guy was right; this was a nightmare.
Jeff didn't leave, but he slumped in his chair, letting out a long sigh, his eyes a little lost.
Lu Ke walked onto the field, his steps a little floaty, as if he were walking on cotton. The reality hadn't yet sunk in. He hadn't even had time to react before he was on the field. He started to wonder if this was a dream or reality.
He stopped, looked up, and saw the chaos on the field. On the left side, USC students were singing loudly, seemingly celebrating their victory early. On the right, UCLA students were leaving, as if they had already raised a white flag and admitted defeat.
This was the Rose Bowl, the stadium with the largest spectator capacity in the United States. A hundred thousand people. Lu Ke had seen the stadium full, but it wasn't as shocking as this moment. Standing in the middle of the field, it felt so empty. The wind was whipping from all directions, and he could barely stand steady. The world was so big, and he was so small. The stark contrast made his palms and back start to sweat. A vague sense of nervousness, accompanied by the secretion of lactic acid, gently floated in his chest, with nowhere to settle.
"Bambi!"
A voice suddenly exploded in his ear without warning. His heart, which had been floating in the air, was yanked to the ground, free-falling without time to catch its breath. Lu Ke spun around and saw Logan's familiar face with a bright smile. This made Lu Ke's mouth turn up into a smile as well.
Even in such a difficult time, Logan was still smiling.
Then, Lu Ke saw the other players come up to him, surrounding him in the center. They bent down in a huddle, forming a fan-like shape, with Lu Ke at the center.
They might not have liked Lu Ke, and they might have even hated him, but at this moment, Lu Ke was their quarterback; he was their brain. This was a college field, without the professional field's conflicts of interest and deception. Everything was much simpler. Besides, from practice player to substitute, Lu Ke had always been so diligent and friendly. Many of the starters got along with him quite well.
At this moment, they were willing to show their support for Lu Ke with their actions. And, of course, to avoid being a laughingstock and being put on a pillar of shame.
Lu Ke looked away. He didn't have time to be emotional, to sigh, or to be a thinker. He had to focus on the game. Tick-tock, tick-tock, time was running out.
Lu Ke knew he wasn't here to lose the game, nor was he here to be a disgrace.
He took a deep breath, calmed his heart, and steadied his blood pressure. Then Lu Ke knelt on one knee, hidden in the center of the huddle. All the players naturally took a half-step forward, surrounding him. "Third down, 15 yards. I just came on, and my hands aren't even warm. Everyone thinks this is just a simple play for a better punt position. The truth is, my hands are freezing, but I don't think this is a play for a punt. I need your help. Guys!"
Lu Ke looked up at his teammates. For the first time, they were on the same level, fighting side-by-side. Then, Lu Ke proposed his boldest and most incredible idea. Everyone was dumbfounded.
Logan couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head in awe. "Bambi, I knew you were a reckless bastard! But I like a bastard like that! I'm with Bambi, who else?"
"I am!" one voice after another said, and everyone's hands were placed on top of each other. Then, they heard Lu Ke's voice from underneath. "Guys, can you take your hands off my head? This head still needs to think, and your hands are a little heavy."
NOTE:
New chapters drop three times a day, every Monday through Saturday! Plus, you have the power to unlock more: we'll release three bonus chapters for every 100 votes! Let's get this story moving together.