"This is such a boring city. I'm already starting to miss Los Angeles. God, even the bars are this boring. Isn't there anything interesting to do here?"
"Try walking down the streets here as an Asian person, and you'll change your mind."
"Welcome to the club!"
...
The first voice was Logan Newman, the second was Lu Ke, and the third was Marcus Lynch. At this moment, the three of them were sitting in a cowboy bar in Indianapolis, but instead of alcohol, they had lemonade in front of them. The rookie training camp was officially starting tomorrow, and they had to be ready.
Indianapolis was the capital of Indiana, located in the Midwest. It was a transportation hub connecting the coasts and major cities in the middle of the country, with well-developed railways and highways. It was known as the "Crossroads of America" and was the fourth-largest state capital in the country, one of the most prosperous big cities in the region.
It was a typical Midwestern city. White people and Catholicism were dominant, making it conservative, stubborn, introverted, and dull. This also meant that racism was particularly severe here. After the famous civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, there were riots in every city in North America, except for Indianapolis, because white people were in absolute control here.
The jokes Lu Ke and Marcus just made came from this. One was Asian, and one was African American.
Indianapolis was indeed a boring city with not many entertainment options or a vibrant nightlife. People worked from sunrise to sunset, and the city had a simple and comfortable country feel. All the city's craziness and passion were dedicated to one activity and one team: the Indianapolis Colts.
This football team, after arriving in Indianapolis in 1984, immediately became the pride of the entire city. After the new millennium, led by the legendary Peyton Manning, they made the playoffs for eight consecutive years and won the Super Bowl in the 2006 season. It was no exaggeration to say that the Colts were the soul and spirit of this city. On every game day, the entire city was watching!
The rookie training camp was held at Lucas Oil Stadium, the Colts' home field, every year, and this year was no exception. The rookie training camp started on February 18th and lasted until the 22nd. After the camp, the 32 teams would formulate their draft strategies based on the rookies' abilities and their team's needs. The draft would officially be held on April 28th.
A month ago, the state tryouts officially began, and eight players from the Bruins participated in the basic tests. In the end, five of the eight players received invitations to the rookie training camp: Logan, Lu Ke, Marcus, and defensive linebacker Rahim Moore, as well as the surprise addition of David Carter.
For this rookie training camp, Lu Ke chose to go with Logan. The two of them drove from Los Angeles, enjoying the scenery on the road and the last bit of leisure time before the rookie training camp.
Just before they arrived in Indianapolis, Lu Ke got a call from Marcus, who had arrived a day early. He was complaining about being bored, lonely, and monotonous, so they agreed to meet at a bar to relax. Even if they couldn't drink, they could at least play some darts, chat about women, and kill some time.
But they were disappointed. The bar was almost empty, and they didn't even see any drunk homeless people. It was so boring it was depressing.
"How about we just go back to the hotel?" Lu Ke raised his glass and looked at the milky-white liquid inside. A bitter smile appeared on his face. Sitting in a bar and drinking lemonade felt so lame, like a sixteen-year-old kid sneaking into a bar but being too obedient to order alcohol, revealing his "good kid" nature. This... was so embarrassing that he wanted to facepalm.
Logan didn't answer. He just looked unwilling, and his eyes lingered on the bar. "Let's stay for a bit longer?" After he said it, he felt like he was being weak and added, "Five minutes, just five minutes."
Marcus and Lu Ke exchanged glances, and a smile appeared in their eyes. Just as Marcus was about to say something, a wind chime rang at the door. All three of them instinctively looked over because it meant a customer had just walked in.
Sure enough, a burst of laughter came from the door, and then they saw a group of tall young men. There seemed to be four of them. Each of them had a bright smile on their face, their steps were light, their voices were cheerful, and even the sway of their shoulders seemed to bring in a breeze. Their confident and triumphant demeanor seemed unstoppable.
"Do you think they're like us?" Logan's spirits lifted. He had been sitting there for over twenty minutes, and he was starting to grow moss. Now, seeing a group of vibrant young people, he couldn't hold back his excitement.
Lu Ke's eyes briefly rested on the newcomers, and he nodded slightly. "I think so." Just like them, they were football players participating in the rookie training camp. Their walking style and clothing made it obvious.
Marcus was also eager. "Should we go over and say hello?" He suggested enthusiastically. "We can introduce ourselves and be friendly. Maybe we'll be teammates in the future?" Teammates in the future, that meant playing together in the professional league. Just talking about it got Marcus excited, and he wasn't the only one.
Marcus and Logan high-fived across Lu Ke.
"Look, there are a few country bumpkins drinking lemonade at a bar!" A sharp, mocking voice suddenly rang out, followed by a burst of laughter. Everyone burst into laughter, and another voice added, "Even women don't drink lemonade now. They must be little kids who haven't even gone through puberty yet."
"Little babies, go home quickly. There's no milk here for you!" A rough, harsh voice boomed like a bell, rumbling through the bar and causing another round of laughter.
This was completely uncalled for!
Logan and Marcus, with their hot tempers, immediately stood up. But Lu Ke was one step ahead of them. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of your mother." The hidden meaning was, "I'm having an affair with your mother, so... call me 'daddy'."
"F***!" The big guy standing in the front rolled up his sleeves and charged forward without a word. But Marcus and Logan weren't to be trifled with. They had already stood up, so they took a big step forward and blocked his way. The atmosphere in the bar immediately became tense.
"Hey! Hey! Cowboys!" The bartender, who was standing behind the bar, shouted sharply, banging on the table several times to get everyone's attention. Then, the owner was seen tapping the counter with a shotgun, chewing his gum nonchalantly. "If you have a problem, take it outside. In my bar, everyone shut up!"
The threat of the shotgun was clear, and the young men on both sides took half a step back. The tense atmosphere immediately eased, but both sides were still glaring at each other, unwilling to back down.
Lu Ke, who was sitting on the side, calmly picked up his lemonade, took a small sip, and added nonchalantly, "I still prefer milk."
The faces of the four men on the opposite side changed again. Just as they were about to make a move, the bartender threw the shotgun on the table with a "thud," and their rising aggression was extinguished once more.
One of the young men kicked a chair next to the bar, making a loud clanging sound. "All talk, no action. On the field, you'll all be little kittens."
Lu Ke shook his glass of lemonade, and the clinking of the ice cubes was especially clear. "Logan, do you hear someone talking?"
Logan was also a smart guy and immediately understood what Lu Ke meant. The other person was mocking Lu Ke for being all talk and no action, but the other person was doing the same thing. It was a pot-kettle situation, and he was just humiliating himself. So, Logan replied, "Meow, meow."
Marcus didn't hold back and burst out laughing.
Without looking back, they knew that the faces of the four men must have been dark enough to drip water, but their faces were already dark, so you couldn't tell. The young man couldn't hold his temper. The one standing behind the big guy patted the young man who had kicked the chair, who was also the one who had started the whole thing. "Don't you know who he is?" He said with a face full of pride and a condescending tone.
The three of them exchanged glances, and the smiles on their faces became harder to hold back. This was truly an immature thing to say, like something high schoolers would say. Then Lu Ke said loudly, "I'm sorry, Peyton, we shouldn't be so rude."
The implication was, "You're not Peyton Manning, so what gives you the right to say that?" And "What makes you worthy of saying that?" The main point was that Peyton Manning was white, while the young man was black. With just a simple sentence, Lu Ke ridiculed his opponent to the point of utter humiliation. The confident and arrogant young man had been hit hard and was now flustered.
When it came to his verbal skills, Lu Ke, who was a journalism major, was not afraid of anyone.
Logan and Marcus were already laughing uncontrollably, and the young man who had started the whole thing couldn't take it anymore. He pushed the hand on his shoulder away and stood up with a "ho." "What, is being the latest Heisman winner not enough?"
The Heisman Trophy was the highest honor in the NCAA! The latest winner was Auburn University's quarterback, Cam Newton. So, was the arrogant young man who was looking down on them with his nose, Cam Newton?
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