The car ride was quiet and worry-free until they arrived at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, two hours before Wyatt's flight to Florida was scheduled to depart.
"And we're here," Ed said, parking the car and unbuckling his seatbelt to open the trunk and take out the suitcases in the back.
"I think your mother exaggerated a bit with the suitcases," Ed finally said, unloading the last one while Wyatt returned with a cart ready to move the luggage more comfortably toward the counter.
"Everything is essential according to her," Wyatt said, also a bit overwhelmed by the number of suitcases; while he only had one with clothes, the others were filled with other things like mementos, blankets, and various items his mom said he would need for his room.
Without wasting any more time, both men entered through the sliding doors of the airport, looking for the airline counter to check in the bags and put them in the plane's cargo hold.
"And I think that's all," Ed said once the suitcases were placed on the conveyor belt and heading toward the belly of the plane. "So it seems," Wyatt responded, not knowing what else to say, both men standing in silence.
"Take care of yourself out there, okay," Ed broke the silence, revealing the worries he felt now that his son was going to play almost on the other side of the country and would be away for a long time. "I will," Wyatt replied, extending his hand in front of him for a handshake.
Ed didn't keep him waiting long and shook Wyatt's hand firmly, both knowing that for them, this was the best way to express themselves without the need for words.
Once that was done, Wyatt adjusted the backpack on his shoulders containing basic things he would need for the flight and headed toward the security checkpoint to enter the airport's boarding area.
45 minutes later
Wyatt had finally passed all security and screening checks and was searching for the terminal from which his flight would depart on the giant screen detailing every upcoming flight.
"Florida, Florida," Wyatt murmured under his breath, his eyes scanning each flight on the screen for his own. "E15," he said upon finding his flight, and checking it against his boarding pass, he immediately headed toward Terminal E.
Arriving at the waiting area near his gate, Wyatt took a seat in a row of empty chairs, leaving his bag at his side while he took out his phone and browsed social media, waiting for the flight attendant to call for boarding.
While his gaze was fixed on the screen, he couldn't help but notice a murmur of voices a few rows ahead of him. "It's him," he heard a child's voice murmur in front of him, someone who seemed to be looking in his direction as Wyatt felt a pair of eyes on him.
"I think so," another voice whispered back to the child. "Go on, go over," the other voice encouraged the boy, who, gathering all the courage he had, began to approach with hesitant steps in the direction where Wyatt was sitting.
"Excuse me, are you Wyatt Sterling?" the boy asked hesitantly, expectant of Wyatt's answer.
"Well, that's been my name since I was born," Wyatt replied with a friendly smile, trying to calm the small boy, no more than 8 years old, who stood beside him.
The boy's face transformed when he saw that it truly was him. "I'm your fan!" he said quickly. "That 15-yard pass you made in the game against the Longhorns was great!" he continued, doing his best to replicate the throwing motion Wyatt had made in that moment.
"Thanks, friend," Wyatt said with a smile. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a group of people approaching, consisting of a man, a woman, and a teenage girl; seeing their features, he assumed they were the boy's family.
"Zack, we told you not to separate from the group," the man said to the boy, who simply shrugged and stuck his tongue out at his parents. "I hope he didn't bother you," Zack's father said toward Wyatt, who brushed the matter aside.
"No problem, I like meeting a fan," Wyatt said with a smile, causing Zack's excitement to increase even more in the presence of his idol. "He is your biggest fan," Zack's mother said. "Him and Zoey," she added, pointing to the 15-year-old teenager beside them, who was staring at Wyatt; but as soon as he fixed his gaze on her, she looked away as a blush settled on her cheeks.
"I remember one day he tried one of your plays from your game against La Porte and ended up breaking a window in the house," the mother shared with a giggle, while Zack's face turned pale seeing his mom reveal one of his most humiliating moments.
"Mom!" Zack said, giving his mother a pleading look, hoping she wouldn't keep telling embarrassing stories in front of his idol.
"Can we take a photo, please?" Zack pleaded quickly in an attempt to change the subject. "Sure," Wyatt responded, crouching down a bit so he could be at the level of the little boy, who was thrilled to see he had accepted. "Zoey, join us," Zack said to his older sister.
The moment Zoey heard her little brother say that, her face—which had recently been slightly flushed—turned as red as a tomato at hearing him say to get next to Wyatt.
Her gaze, which she couldn't help, scanned Wyatt's muscular and toned physique before finally settling on his face, which gave her a friendly smile upon feeling her gaze, causing her to look down quickly as she nervously played with her hands.
"Come on, honey, get in the photo," her mother encouraged with a smile, giving encouragement to her daughter who, with hesitant steps, placed herself right next to Wyatt, stiff as a robot.
Perceiving this, Wyatt simply placed a hand on her shoulder, causing Zoey to startle and look up at him. "Just relax," he told her as he leaned down slightly to be at the level of both siblings and smiled toward the camera.
"Say cheese!" the mother said with the phone in hand and took several photos.
"Thank you," Zoey said in a low voice once she moved away from Wyatt and returned to where she was before with her parents. "Good luck at Clemson!" Zack said quickly.
"I hope to see you in the NFL soon," the father said as he gestured for his wife and children to move along, leaving Wyatt alone again minutes before his boarding began.
"You already look like a total superstar," said a voice behind Wyatt. Turning around, he saw Laquivonte Gonzales, the wide receiver from the Cedar Hill Longhorns, whom they had played against in the finals.
"Gonzales, what brings you here?" Wyatt asked. "The same as you, I imagine. I was also invited to play in the Under Armour All-America game," Gonzales said with a smug tone, puffing out his chest with pride.
"I see," Wyatt responded, not knowing what else to say since he didn't know Gonzales well. "I saw your interview; looks like you're going to play in the ACC," Gonzales continued, sitting down next to Wyatt with total confidence.
"And I heard you're going to Texas A&M," was Wyatt's next comment, remembering the report he had seen about the top prospects and their college choices for the coming season.
"Yup. The surprise for everyone was that the top prospect didn't choose to go to a Texas university," Gonzales continued, wanting to know the reasons why Wyatt had chosen to leave Texas.
"What can I tell you? Dabo Swinney convinced me," was Wyatt's sincere response toward Gonzales regarding his choice of a university outside of Texas.
"But the Clemson team doesn't play in the SEC," Gonzales commented, gesturing with his hands to show his main doubt.
For all of Texas and football fans in general, the SEC was by excellence the premier college football conference in the country, with traditional powerhouses like Alabama and Georgia—who have had historical dynasties—and new powers like LSU. For any player, receiving an offer from any program playing there was an honor they couldn't refuse.
One could imagine the stir created by the fact that the top prospect in the country, and from Texas no less, had chosen a program far from the SEC when everyone imagined him with the Longhorns or the Aggies.
There were even some extremist fans who called him a traitor and a coward for leaving Texas, so much so that Wyatt had to turn off the notifications on his Instagram profile, avoiding at all costs that his mother would notice the messages he was receiving.
"The ACC is also one of the top four conferences," Wyatt quickly rebutted, defending his choice and his conference. "Plus, Miami and Florida State are also there," Wyatt cited, naming two teams just as iconic in the history of American football.
"You've got a point there," Gonzales said, not wanting to continue debating the matter at that moment.
"Do you know which team you'll be on for the game?" Gonzales quickly changed the subject, wanting to know if he'd have the chance to play with Wyatt and receive one of his passes this time.
"White team," responded Wyatt, who looked confused as he saw Gonzales' expression change at the answer.
"Black team. I guess fate doesn't want us to play together," Gonzales murmured, not wanting to suffer another massacre like the one he had experienced against the Katy Tigers a few weeks ago.
"The Black team is the team with the best defense in the tournament," Wyatt mentioned quickly, recalling past editions of the game. "Nkemdiche will be playing there, from what I was told," Wyatt added, remembering what one of the game organizers had mentioned to him.
Wyatt was talking about Robert Nkemdiche, the number 2 player in the country right behind Wyatt, and the best defensive end of this generation. He was a solid 5-star player with the physical presence and strength to take down any player on the field.
That meant Wyatt would have to focus on quick series to avoid being sacked by him.
"Well, I guess I wouldn't want to be in your shoes then," Gonzales said with a laugh, already imagining the defensive pressure the White team would face.
"That also means you won't have a good QB to pass you the ball," Wyatt retorted with an eye roll, causing Gonzales' smile to slowly vanish as he hadn't considered that aspect before.
"Attention to passengers at boarding gate E15 bound for Florida: we inform you that the gate is now open; please approach with your ticket in hand," a voice said over the airport PA system, prompting both men to stand up.
"I'll see you in Florida then," Wyatt said, not wasting time and raising his hand in farewell as he moved away from Gonzales, who was still processing the words he had told him.
"Ticket, please," a flight attendant said with a cordial smile. Wyatt showed her his ticket, and she let him through. "Please enjoy your flight," she finished with a smile.
Next, Wyatt boarded the plane, looking for his seat and feeling grateful once he found it by the window, meaning he could see the landscape without any problems.
Once seated and buckled in, Wyatt opened the backpack he had with him and took out his headphones, then connected them to his phone and hit play on his music.
As that happened, the plane slowly began to move until the speed increased and the aircraft soared toward the beaches of Florida.
With the headphones over his head, Wyatt couldn't help but think about tomorrow's game and that he would face possibly the best high school players in the entire country, but instead of being scared by that, Wyatt was excited and ready to show everyone why he was the best prospect of this entire generation.
Authors thought's
What did you think of today's chapter? Give me your opinions and thoughts.
Sorry for the delay! I've been busy with my university midterms and some complications at work, so I didn't have time to write. But things are back to normal now!
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