The atmosphere on the training field was a bit heavy and chaotic. The players who were warming up seemed distracted, their eyes wandering around. No one was talking, just the sound of rustling was floating in the air. This made everyone feel restless and unable to focus.
"This is not fair!" John thought to himself again, still unable to swallow his frustration.
From a practice player to a backup, and then to a fourth-string wide receiver, he had slowly made his way back into the starting lineup over the past five months. Although he was not the first-string wide receiver and wouldn't play every offensive down, he did have a place on the team. Without Lu Ke, none of this would have been possible.
The sweat and effort Lu Ke had put in on this training field were not just from the past five months, but from a year and a half, consistently. John knew this, and everyone on the team knew this. That's why the starters were willing to trust a quarterback they had never played with or seen on the field before during the game against the Trojans. In training, he had already won over every teammate.
But now, Kevin Prince was still the starting quarterback? This was absurd! Kevin Prince was no Andrew Luck.
"This is bullsh*t!" Logan was even more furious than John. He immediately started cussing. "Things shouldn't be this way. No, this is wrong! Jesus Christ, what is going on? Was I the only one on the field that night? Was I the only one who witnessed a miracle at the Rose Bowl?"
Silence, a complete silence.
Logan's words made everyone lower their heads and avoid eye contact. No one spoke, and no one responded. It was as if they hadn't realized it, but sighs of frustration involuntarily escaped their lips.
Marcus couldn't help but ask, "Will he... will he come back?" After he asked, Marcus looked around. "He's always the first one here. Now... it feels a little strange."
Training. Lu Ke was absent from today's training. Today, they felt an unprecedented void, a huge void like a black hole that they couldn't ignore. They now realized that in the past two seasons, Lu Ke's influence on the entire team had seeped into their bones. They never knew that a practice player could have such a powerful influence.
It was incredible, but it was really happening.
"God! You guys are a bunch of pussies!" Kevin, who was standing nearby, had been holding it in, but he couldn't anymore.
Kevin was injured in the last game, but a post-game check showed it was just a knee contusion, and it wasn't serious. After a few days of rest, he was back in training.
He knew Lu Ke had led the Bruins to an incredible comeback. He also knew that Lu Ke's performance in the last quarter was outstanding. But that didn't mean anything. It was just one quarter of a game, and it was mostly luck, just luck!
He believed that he was the most suitable starting quarterback for the team! The entire season's games had proven it! If it weren't for him, the team wouldn't have had a 6-5 record, and even if they had won the game against the Trojans, they still wouldn't have made it to the Rose Bowl. So, he had absolute confidence in himself.
The coaching staff had made the right choice! Kevin thought so. But these guys on the team were like those big inflatable dolls at the entrance of a supermarket—you couldn't get them to stand up. They all had a look like it was the end of the world, and they were distracted during their warm-up. This was a total disgrace!
"The team needs our cooperation, our firm and skilled cooperation!" Kevin noticed the glances everyone was giving him, but he pretended not to see them and continued to complain. "Not a flash-in-the-pan chemistry. That kind of chemistry disappears in a blink of an eye. No one cares about winning or losing one game. We need to have skilled tactical cooperation! Snap out of it! We have a lot of work to do today!"
Damn Lu Ke. Kevin couldn't help but grind his teeth in his heart, clenching his right fist to cheer himself on. Those meaningful glances made him feel very uncomfortable. This sense of shame was just too much! It was terrible! His only thought right now was to punch Lu Ke hard and tell that damn guy to get out of the galaxy.
He glanced around, but he found that everyone was still not in the mood. Anger burned in his chest. "Jesus-f**king-Christ, I'm the starting quarterback of this team! Why do you all look like your wives cheated on you? Focus! We don't have much time left. We need to start practicing our tactics now! If you want to embarrass yourselves at the Rose Bowl, don't drag me down with you!"
After venting his anger, Kevin finally felt a little better. He turned around and walked toward the center of the training field. Gradually, the other players also started moving forward, following him, ready for the next training session.
As the starting quarterback of the team for the past five months, Kevin had always been the offensive captain. Regardless of Kevin's abilities or contributions, it was an undeniable fact that he had led the team to the final game.
In competitive sports, this was one of the most important rules. Emotionally, they supported Lu Ke, but rationally, they had to obey their captain. Furthermore, it was a fact confirmed by the coaching staff.
Most people snapped out of it and started walking with heavy, uncoordinated steps, getting ready to line up and begin the new tactical training. The atmosphere was a bit heavy, but they were starting to move.
Only a few people were still standing in place, motionless, their eyes filled with a hard-to-read look. They seemed to have not heard a word of Kevin's nonsense and were looking around for Lu Ke. After looking left and right, Marcus finally turned to John and gave him a questioning look. "Do you think Lu Ke will..." give up? This was Marcus's worry, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.
"No, don't you know Lu Ke?" Logan was the first to object, his face full of disapproval. But when his eyes met the gazes of his other friends, Logan's firm gaze wavered a little. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't get them out. The next moment, he suddenly shouted in surprise, "Bambi!"
"Yeah, yeah, Logan, we know you miss Bambi..." Marcus's sarcastic words were cut short. Logan shook his head and pointed forward. "I mean, Bambi!"
Marcus turned around and saw Lu Ke jogging toward them with his helmet in his hand. This made Logan break into a big smile. "I told you! He wouldn't give up so easily. He's not that type of guy." As he spoke, Logan started whistling and clapping his hands, showing his welcome in a simple and direct way.
First, it was Logan, then John and Marcus, then the offensive players, and finally everyone. Everyone stopped what they were doing and applauded, their eyes filled with similar excitement and emotion.
This scene was completely unexpected for Lu Ke. His eyes showed surprise, but a smile naturally appeared on his face. As he jogged, he put on his helmet, showing that he was ready to get into training immediately. He then ran into the lively crowd, and the players automatically made a path for him, cheering him on.
He passed the defensive team and the special teams, and then he saw the offensive team. He jogged up, and almost everyone raised their hand and patted Lu Ke's helmet, shouting, "Welcome back! Dude! Let's go!"
Everyone except Kevin. In the middle of all the excitement, he seemed out of place, as if he existed in another dimension.
Logan took a step and blocked Lu Ke's path, then bumped his shoulder hard into Lu Ke's. A smile returned to his face. "Dude, you finally showed up. If you had stayed gone any longer, John probably would have started crying."
This jab immediately drew a retort from John. "As for a certain someone, he was about to explode just now. I don't know what he ate last night, but if he did explode, it wouldn't be a pretty sight." His serious tone of voice created a funny contrast, and everyone around them burst into laughter.
Kevin glanced at Lu Ke uncomfortably, then raised his chin and looked at Lu Ke through the gap in his eyes. His high-and-mighty posture was filled with arrogance and disdain. In the end, he simply turned around and ignored Lu Ke, preparing to start today's training.
Unfortunately, Kevin's efforts were in vain. Lu Ke didn't notice Kevin at all, and neither did the other offensive players. Everyone was gathered around Lu Ke, creating a lively scene. Kevin's pretense was quite lonely.
Lu Ke's steps finally stopped, and he stood in front of assistant coach Anthony. Anthony showed a look of relief, patted Lu Ke on the shoulder, and chuckled. "I thought you weren't going to continue and was wondering where I was going to have to go to drag you out."
"The game isn't over yet. My senior year isn't over yet! How could I be absent?" The simple sentence felt heavy with meaning in Lu Ke's words, and at the same time, it was full of youthful vitality.
Anthony nodded in satisfaction, then raised his chin, signaling for Lu Ke to get back in line for training. Then, he blew his whistle. Today's training officially began.
With only one week left until the Rose Bowl, the basic training had to maintain its frequency and intensity, and tactical training would become their top priority. Not only Kevin, but Lu Ke and Darius, the two backup quarterbacks, also had to train with the team to ensure the team could still function well in case of any accidents.
The busy time flew by in an instant. Before they could even react, January 1, 2011, had arrived. Today, the annual Rose Bowl would be held, putting a real end to the 2010 NCAA season!
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