Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 111685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 558(@200wpm)___ 447(@250wpm)___ 372(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 558(@200wpm)___ 447(@250wpm)___ 372(@300wpm)
“Yo.” A hand appeared in front of me.
I reached up, meeting it with mine, and Colby was there, pulling me up to my feet.
We were in this together.
This game. Him and me. There’s nothing like the dynamic between the guy who throws the ball and the guy who can catch it, especially when no one else can catch him. That was me. That was what I got paid to do. We were going to go show everyone again, because you know, they all needed reminding.
His eyes were ready.
He was amped up.
So was I.
We go out and we win. We got paid to do this shit, and after the coach had his say, after we ran to the field, after the anthem, the coin toss, the kickoff—it was my turn.
Colby came up to me on the field. His fist to mine. “You ready?”
I gave him a nod back. Fuck yeah, I was ready. I was salivating over getting out there, doing my thing.
He grinned, reading me right. “You’re in a mood today.”
Another cocky smirk from me. Fuck yes, I was. I was gonna score here. I was gonna win here. Then I was going home to get my woman. But all I did was tell him, “Throw it to me. They won’t expect a long throw to me on the first play. And trust me, they won’t be able to catch me tonight.”
He studied me a second longer, then nodding. “Okay. Yeah. I’m seeing that. Let’s do this.”
He called the play as we were lining up. Everyone knew. I didn’t have the headphones any longer, but that music was with me. It was in my head and I tuned into it, remembering it, and I envisioned how this play would go.
Ball was snapped and I was off.
Pumping.
Running.
Lighting up the field.
Then I was right there, right on target, and Colby had already seen it all. The ball was in the air, and holding back, reading that—yes, yes, yes. It was right on point. I kicked off more speed, saw three players heading for me. Saw two of mine coming to cover, and with a quick spin, I was around one guy and going full force.
The ball sailed, so pretty, and it was a perfect play.
A perfect throw.
I didn’t have to jump, move, none of that shit. I just ran and that ball fell into my arms. I was cradling it like a baby as my foot came down in the end zone.
That was our first score.
There was no celebration. I was doing my job.
I tossed the ball to the ref, ran to the side and pointed at Colby, who was running diagonally with me. “That was the first one.”
He dipped his head. He knew my mood. He knew what to be prepared for this game. It was the first of many. He said, “Got it. My arm’s ready. You be ready.”
There wasn’t even a question. I’d been born to do this shit.
All night long, I be scoring. All night long, I be winning. All night long, because I was Stone The Rampage Reeves.
Tonight was a Rampage Game.
DUSTY
“Stone Reeves is on a Rampage tonight.” The announcer was excited, smiling wide, turned to the other announcer with him. Both in their suits, with the crowd cheering behind and beneath them. “I love these nights. We don’t get them all the time, but every now and then…”
The other announcer finished for him, smiling just as big, “Every now and then we get a treat to watch Stone The Rampage Reeves perform, because that’s what he’s doing tonight. He’s performing. He’s giving us a show.”
“He is, indeed, and it’s a pleasure to watch.”
They kept on, moving to talk about Colby and how the two together were magic, but we were at halftime and my stomach was growling.
Nicole heard, sitting next to me. “You know, we did order pizza.”
It wasn’t the first hint she gave me that night, but I couldn’t eat. Everyone was being so nice. They hadn’t invited anyone extra for the game, saying it was just the roommates and the guys, which translated into Dent, Nacho, Wyatt, and Noel. They hadn’t asked me to cook, but I almost wished they had.
My stomach was in knots. All I could feel was dread.
What would I do if they talked about me during the game? It was so unlikely, but that article got traction and it’d been building. Every now and then, they might gossip a bit about the player’s personal lives, and especially if it spread into the legal aspects of the law. I didn’t think they would, but you just never knew. And because of that, I hadn’t wanted to watch the game, but I also couldn’t not watch the game. Stone came over. I didn’t even know if he slept after I finally passed out, but last night had been different. I felt it.