I head out the door and begin walking. A lot of kids are also outside, some are walking in the same direction as me, some are in a car, some in a bus, but they are all heading home though.
While I’m walking, a thought pops in my head and immediately I remember.
I don’t even have my football gear.
I need my cleats, football jersey and pants with my shoulder pads. All of those I left at home and didn’t bring them. Usually when I have practice after school I would walk home and get all my gear, and the oldhead or my mom would drop me back off. But I didn’t really feel like walking back all the way home. Even though I knew that my mom and dad were home and they could drop me back off. But it’s just the simple fact of walking home that I didn’t feel like doing.
I quickly turn around and began heading back to the school. I walked through the front door and entered the lobby, then I walked to the Academic Building and in the gym. Then I knocked at Darwin’s door in the locker room.
“Yeah, come in.” He said.
I opened the door and walked in. Darwin is knelt on the floor while putting some small plastic cones into a small leather orange bag.
“Yo Darwin, I left my cleats at the crib and the rest of my gear. I don’t feel like waking back home, you got any that I can use for today?” I asked him.
“Yeah.” Darwin then gets up off the floor and walks over to the small locker in his room and he opens it up.
“What size you wear?” He asked me.
“14 for cleats, large jersey.” I said.
I didn’t have to tell him the size for the pants because they only came in one size, they were elastic and could fit all.
Darwin pulls out a pair of gray cleats and then he hands it over to me, along with a jersey and the football pants with the hip and thighbone pads.
“Ard thanks.” I say as I grab them.
“I’ll be up there in a little bit. Tell everybody to start warming up, we’re just gonna be doing some hitting drills today.” He said.
“Got you!” I reply. Then I opened his door and walked out.
I then walked out of the building and up the street to the Football field. Everybody was already at the field when I got there, all my teammates. There were a total of eleven members in my team, including me. They were all dressed up and on the field spread out, waiting to get started. One of the coaches was already there. Coach Hill, he was the defensive line coach. He stood to the side and talked to one of the team members. I went on the green pasturized field, I sat on one of the benches and began to get dressed.
The last thing that I put on was the Football shirt, I threw it on and then I got up and started clapping my hands as I ran to where the rest of my team members were at. As soon as I approached I began clapping my hands louder so that everybody in the team could hear me. They all crowded around me and made a big circle, I stood in the middle.
“HIGH KNEES YA’LL!” I shouted out.
I began to lift my knees, alternating between the right and left. My team members followed me. Every time that I lifted one knee up I shouted out the number we was on.
“ONE! TWO! THREE!…” I shouted all the way up to 50.
Then I stopped and dropped my hands to the side.
“LEG PULLS YA’LL!” I shouted out.
I then lifted up my leg and began to pull on it, alternating between one and the other. The rest of the team members followed me as I did this. These were our regular warm up exercises and how we got started. We had to make sure that we do these everyday at practice, they were extremely vital. So as to avoid any injuries or cramps. I remember once I came to Football practice about 25 minutes late. Everybody had started by the time I got there. We were doing passing drills. I decided to skip stretching and warming up. I threw on my gear and went to the field to join everybody else. I got in the line and I was next up. I had to run all the way down field, while jumping over and crossing some cones while one of the teammates threw me the ball from all the way on the other end of the field.
I started clapping my hands. “LET’S GOO!!” I said out loud.
Then I started running down the field, once I got there I had to cross over some cones and dodge them, not a split second later I fell down on the field and lifted up my legs and started holding my thighs.
“CRAAMMPPPP!” I yelled out loud while holding my leg up.
Coach Hill then walks to me where my head is laid down on the field.
“YOU WANNA GO HOME TO YOUR MOTHER BOY!?” He asked me.
“No sir.” I weakly replied while holding back tears.
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“43!… 44!… 45!” I began to say as we were doing push-ups. Darwin then walks in the center to where I’m at. We all get up from the floor and crowd around him. He pulls out his pen and starts writing down something on his clipboard.
“Alright. We’re just gonna be doing some hitting drills today. In the last few games you guys been playing kinda scared, like you don’t wanna get hit.” Darwin said.
“I myself have also been noticing that Darwin.” I said.
“We’ve been playing like little girls afraid to get hit!” I add.
Darwin looks at me. “Yes, Jason is right.” He says.
“I want everybody to line up and we’re gonna start by hitting Jason, we’re gonna give a full on tackle.” Darwin says, then he blew his whistle.
Everybody went and stood behind the yellow line. My legs begin to tremble.
“Mommy.” I think to myself.
Coach Hill sees my legs trembling and begins laughing, then he walks up to me.
“Don’t pee on your panties Jason.” He said.
Darwin then walks up and puts a red pop up blocking dummy at the center of the field, close to my proximity.
“Just grab this and they’re gonna run into it, don’t fall over.” Darwin said.
Then he walked back over to the side of the field where the rest of the team members are at.
We had done this drill before, we did it a lot at the beginning of the season. A member of the team will stand behind a blocking dummy and he would hold himself up with it as other members of the team would run up and tackle it. The purpose of the exercise is to get the players accustomed to being hit and to build more upper body strength. I stood behind the dummy and held it.
“LEETT’SS GOO!!” I yelled out.
The team members all lined up behind the yellow line a little bit farther ahead of where I was at. The first up in line was Kenneth. A tall skinny kid with a box haircut. Though he didn’t really have a lot of muscles or fat in his body. He could sure hit. Kenneth was among the strongest members in the team.
I held on to the blocking dummy and gripped it.
“YOU’RE SCARED OF ME!” I yelled out to Kenneth.
He doesn’t say anything. He bends down and places his fingers on the turf as he gets ready. Darwin blew his whistle. Kenneth immediately starts sprinting and heads towards me.
“I OWN YOU!” I yell out.
“YOU’RE SCARED OF…”
Kenneth then runs full force against the dummy and I go flying back, my head hits the grassy turf.
Kenneth then runs up to me where I’m laying down at. He reaches down with his hand and draws me up. Then he begins to lightly tap my back.
“You good bro?” He said to me while smiling.
“Yeah. Good hit.” I said.
“Thanks broski.” Kenneth says, then he runs back to the line.
Next up was a tall over-weight Caucasian kid named Steve. He was our defensive line-backer. He could maybe hit the hardest in the whole team. Steve definitely was strong… but not because he had muscles or anything like that.
“COME ON FAT BOY!” I yelled out to Steve as I stood behind the blocking dummy.
“You tackle this jawn down I’ma take you to Popeyes after practice!” I said.
Darwin blew his whistle and Steve slowly began to run towards me.
“YOU LOOK LIKE MAJIN BUU OFF DRAGON BALL-Z!”
“YOU LOOK LIKE GABRIEL IGLESGIAS!”
“YOU LOOK LIKE A FAT TYPEWRITER!”
“YOU LOOK LIKE…”
Steve ran against the blocking dummy and I immediately went flying back. My head flew back and hit the turf. I just wanted to lay there and close my eyes and go to sleep. Steve then runs up and reaches down with his hand and lifts me up.
“You still gon take me to Popeyes right?” He said.
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Next we did a passing drill. In which there were some cones and agility dummies placed down near the field goal. Our job was to jump through the agility dummies and dodge the cones while Coach Hill throws us the ball from down the end of the field.
My team members all line up behind me.
Darwin blew his whistle and immediately I run down to the field goal and jump over the agility dummies and dodge the cones, then Coach Hill throws the ball.
I continue to dodge more cones then I jump up to the side. I caught the ball as I landed on the grass.
“GOOD JOB! NEXT.” Darwin said out loud.
I get up and run back down to the line.
I begin to hear clapping sounds at the back of me. I think it’s one of my teammates, I turn around and see Christy standing there. She has on a long purple hoodie with blue jeans. Her hair is not tied up in a pony-tail anymore. Now it’s hanging down her shoulders, it’s curly so I knew that she just got out the shower.
I walk up and lifted my arms to hug and kiss her.
“Eeeww Jason. You’re sweaty and smelly!” She said.
I ignored her comment and puckered up my lips, I wrapped my hands around her and began to kiss her head.
She tried to push me away with her hand but I hold on tight to her head.
“EEEEEWWWW!”
“Jason… YOU STIINKK!” She said.
I continue to hug her head and began to kiss the side of her face. Christy starts laughing and tries to push me away, Christy continues to laugh then we both fall down on the field.
“I love you, and I miss you sooo muucchh!” I said as I kissed her lips.
Christy kissed back. “I misssed you too bae.”
Coach Hill then walked up to where I’m on the floor with Christy.
“ARE YOU GONNA GET BACK IN THE FIELD ANYTIME SOON BOY!?”Said Mr. Hill.
“Yes sir!” I said.
“I’m sorry.” I added.
I then got up off the floor. Christy put her hand over her mouth and began to snicker. I then ran back to the field where everybody was at. The last drill we did was just a simple running drill. In which we ran adjacent to some cones and dodged them as they were laid down on the field. The purpose of the drill is to increase our agility and stamina.
After the drill, practice was over. All the players dispersed across the field and went to the bench on the side of the field and took off their gear and went to a big water dispenser at the center of the field. I followed them as they walked to the water dispenser.
“Jason don’t drink that!” Christy said as she walked behind me.
She then handed me a red Gatorade bottle. I took it and downed it all in one gulp. Afterwards I wiped my mouth with the back of my hands and burped out loud. Then I gave her back the empty Gatorade bottle.
“Thanks bae.” I said.
Christy began to pout her lip while she held the empty bottle up against her chest.
“Can we go now?” She asked me.
“Yeah bae, come on we out.” I said to her then I held her hand in mines and began to walk the opposite way.
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I lifted up my right arm and sniffed my armpit.
“This jawn stinkk!!” I said as I crunched my nose.
“Eeeeeewwww!” Christy said.
“Bae I need to take a shower at your crib cause I STINK!” I said.
Christy erupted in laughter and began to smile.
“Yeah bae you definitely stink.” She said while still smiling.
“Yeah… I smell straight up like your breath.” I said.
Christy stopped laughing and punched me in my arm.
I barely even feel the punch. I then reached in my pocket to pull out my Samsung Galaxy Note III, then I dialed my dad’s number. The phone rang three times and then he picked up.
“Jason… are you leaving football practice now?” He said.
“Yeah, I’m leaving now. I’m going to Christy’s house. Could you come scoop me and Christy up from there, I wanna take her to the house and show her to Cecilia and mom.” I said.
He gave a short pause.“Yes, yes. Definitely! When would you like me to come?” He asked me.
“You can come now.” I told him.
“Okay, I’m on my way.” He said.
I tell my father okay and then I hang up the phone.
I turn to Christy and smile.
“Bae you’re gonna love my mom, I’ve told her so much about you.” I said to her.
“You think so?” She asked me.
“I KNOW so!” I told her.
“I was gonna take a shower at your crib but I’ma just do that jawn when I get to the crib. I just have to put up with the horrible stench for now.” I said.
I then lifted my arm up and sniffed my armpit again.
“LAAWWWDD!” I said out loud.
Christy fell back in laughter and started to hold her stomach.
“Did you tell your mom that you’re coming over?” I asked her.
“Yeah, she’s cool with it. She’s at home but she’s going to work tonight around 10:30.” She said.
“That’s around the same time that my dad is going to work, he’ll drop you back off when he’s leaving okay.” I said to her.
“Okay.” She said.
We began to approach her house, I can see my father’s car parked outside.
Wow, that was quick. I thought to myself.
“Bae can I ask you a question right quick?” I turned to Christy and asked her.
She had her phone out and was doing something on it.
“Yeah.” She said.
“I’m just curious…”
“Which armpit do you think has the more deadly stench?” I said to her.
Then I lifted both of my armpits to her face.