Explosions of Grandeur.
-
Captain Canada
- Posts: 2186
- Joined: 01 Dec 2018, 00:15
Explosions of Grandeur.
We snatching jobs now huh
Explosions of Grandeur.
“It was basically the same paper,” Mr. Mason said as he slapped the ten-page stack of papers in front of James.
“You said to keep the same topic from our first paper,” James shrugged.
“Same topic,” he reiterated, “Not the same paper, Mr. Jackson. I really liked your first paper too, what a shame.”
James let the professor take a few steps away from him before he slipped his earbuds back in. He had busted his ass and got enough of a high grade early in the semester that he was now all but guaranteed to pass the course and in turn stay eligible.
He alternated between Twitter and Instagram to pass the time as the last twenty minutes of class went away. He was having a good week of practice and for once was looking forward to it as the school day was almost coming to a close.
“It’s still a month away,” Mr. Mason told the class as they started packing up, “But I’d suggest you lot start working on that third paper. It’s going to get here before you know it.”
James remain seated as the rest of the classroom emptied out. He wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted to listen to on his walk to his next class. He decided to give Hitta J3 a few more spins as he stood up, music blasting out of his headphones.
He didn’t get a single verse in before the music cut out, “It’s bad enough you’re getting CTE every day, you want to go deaf too?”
“If my brain is fried,” James snatched the earbud from Mya’s hands, “What good is my hearing going to be?”
“Negative Nancy,” she scoffed as she walked along him, “If you needed help with that paper, why didn’t you ask me?”
“Unless you were writing it for me,” James scoffed, “I wasn’t going to spend more than thirty minutes it took me to write it.”
“What happened to straight As?”
James ignored Mya’s comments as he continued his walk across campus. He had tried his best to forget about their previous encounter that night but was failing while she was passing with flying colors. Maybe it was just a drunken conversation, at least that’s how Mya was treating it by simply ignoring it.
“Yo,” Ricky nodded, forming a threesome as he dapped James up and hugged Mya, “Where y’all headed to right now?”
“I got Conceptual Physics,” Mya replied, “He’s got...”
“World Religion,” James took his earbuds out.
“Schultz?” Mya asked which James nodded, “I had him during the summer, he ain’t too bad.”
“Let’s roll,” Ricky scratched his nose, “Come with me to bust something down real quick.”
“Nope,” Mya placed her hand on James’ arm as if to pull him away from Ricky, “I just saw him flunk a paper so he’s not going to ruin his other A by skipping classes.”
“He don’t gotta worry about that shit,” Ricky laughed, “He’s starting now, he don’t need classes.”
“For real?” James’ eyes lit up.
“Coach ain’t said nothing yet,” Ricky explained, “But by my math, you getting most of the snaps in practice now and you saw him stop all that running back shit, right? Two and two, my nigga.”
“Say less,” James smiled.
“Even more reason to get good grades,” Mya insisted, “You’re a lost cause Ricky but he ain’t. Besides, if you need a car that badly, I’ll ride with you somewhere.”
“Nah, I need slime with me.”
“For what?”
“Don’t worry about it,” he gave her a peck on the cheek and wrapped his arms around James’ neck, “He a starter now, he don’t gotta play school no more.”
....
James couldn’t believe it but his World Religions class would have been more exciting than this as they still were in the parking lot outside the Hilton Hotel. James’ phone was out of juice and he had grown tired of the songs coming from Ricky’s phone.
“Here they come,” Ricky pointed to the two girls that were coming out of the hotel lobby door, each with a bag in hand.
Asia got into the passenger side backseat while Aria hurried herself into the other one. They both sat down and took deep breaths as Ricky turned around to address them.
“Fuck took y’all so long?!”
“Start the damn car,” Aria said as she patted down her hair.
James obliged, starting the car and peeled out of the parking lot, heading towards the direction of the girls’ apartment complex.
“The shit ain’t a fucking exact science,” Asia said defensively, “Some take longer than others to get down.”
“The fuck y’all football players be eating? Shit! Motherfucker took an hour to knock out.”
“What’d y’all bitches get, man?” Ricky took the bag from one of the girls and went scurrying through it.
James tried to take a look while also keeping his eyes on the road. As far as he was told, he was just going to pick them up from some hotel. This seemed far more complex than that.
“Jimmy, you white, this shit real?” Ricky asked as he plopped an apparent Rolex down on the dashboard.
“I don’t know,” James laughed nervously.
The girls continued to converse in the back, getting in detail with each other about how big certain appendages were and how did this or that felt.. If the powdery substance residue on their dresses weren’t a giveaway, their rapid style of speech certainly were.
They pulled up to their apartment and the girls got out while Ricky and James stayed in the car. Ricky kept the Rolex and a few other jewelry pieces but gave them back the bag.
“We’re leaving Saturday morning so Sunday, imma holla at y’all. Be safe,” he told them as they disappeared into the apartment building.
“What the fuck was that?” James asked, turning the car off.
“Come on,” Ricky tapped the dashboard, “We’re going to be late for practice.”
“Rick.”
“Don’t bug out,” Ricky started off, “They just needed us to pick them up, that’s it.”
“From what?”
“What do you think? Need me to spell this shit out?”
“This some bullshit,” James shook his head, “Why you ain’t tell me?”
“It ain’t nothing,” Ricky sucked his teeth, “I wouldn’t involve you in some fuck shit if I thought it’d get you caught up. They just hit some dumbass jits from time to time, the fuck they gonna do, call the police and then what?”
“You got stolen fucking property in my fucking car,” James kept at it, “You don’t see the issue with that?”
“I thought you’d be down after you saw how easy it was,” Ricky defended himself, “But you right, G, I should have told you straight up.”
They sat there in quiet as James started the car and raced off back to campus, hoping to get there before practice began.
“Dumbass jits don’t have Rolexes,” James commented as the shiny watch sat there on the dashboard.
“Big dumb football players do,” Ricky laughed, “Some motherfucker on the Colts linked up with them a few days ago.”
“From where? How?”
“Tinder man,” Ricky explained, “Niggas be horny when they’re out of town. They make bank off that shit and every once in a while, someone gets unlucky, kid.”
“How much do you make?”
“You asking the right questions now,” Ricky smiled, “It depends. Depending on the lick, I might just keep a watch or pawn the jewelry off with my boy, get money that way. They don’t know how to move a stolen chain with the motherfucker’s name on it, I do. They keep all the cash though.”
“You still haven’t answered.”
“A few hundred,” Ricky shrugged, “Don’t worry, you’ll get your bread.”
“Believe that,” James let out a dry chuckle, “That Rollie looking nice too.”
“Here you go,” Ricky tossed the watch into James’ lap with a laugh.
....
“Looking good, Ricky!”
“That shit icier than a motherfucker!”
James couldn’t help but shake his head as Ricky walked across the field shirtless, a piece of stolen jewelry laid out on his chest. To his credit, he waited at least until the next day to break it out during the team’s final practice before traveling to Santa Rosa.
The coaching staff eventually joined the players after the stretching portion of practice was over with. Coach Haag and coach Beam were huddled up with coach Rob eventually completing the circle while the first team defense went through their walk-through.
“Jordon!”
James couldn’t help but hang his head as he saw Jordon jog over to the huddle of coaches. Ricky’s words and his play over the week made him confident that he’d be starting this week despite it being Jordon’s revenge game over his former team.
“Jackson!”
James snapped out of his own mind and headed over there as well, opting to walk instead. It was never an open competition so it was his own fault that he had gotten his hopes up but nevertheless, he felt betrayed by the coaching staff.
“Jackson, you’re starting this week. Jordon is the number two.”
“You said to keep the same topic from our first paper,” James shrugged.
“Same topic,” he reiterated, “Not the same paper, Mr. Jackson. I really liked your first paper too, what a shame.”
James let the professor take a few steps away from him before he slipped his earbuds back in. He had busted his ass and got enough of a high grade early in the semester that he was now all but guaranteed to pass the course and in turn stay eligible.
He alternated between Twitter and Instagram to pass the time as the last twenty minutes of class went away. He was having a good week of practice and for once was looking forward to it as the school day was almost coming to a close.
“It’s still a month away,” Mr. Mason told the class as they started packing up, “But I’d suggest you lot start working on that third paper. It’s going to get here before you know it.”
James remain seated as the rest of the classroom emptied out. He wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted to listen to on his walk to his next class. He decided to give Hitta J3 a few more spins as he stood up, music blasting out of his headphones.
He didn’t get a single verse in before the music cut out, “It’s bad enough you’re getting CTE every day, you want to go deaf too?”
“If my brain is fried,” James snatched the earbud from Mya’s hands, “What good is my hearing going to be?”
“Negative Nancy,” she scoffed as she walked along him, “If you needed help with that paper, why didn’t you ask me?”
“Unless you were writing it for me,” James scoffed, “I wasn’t going to spend more than thirty minutes it took me to write it.”
“What happened to straight As?”
James ignored Mya’s comments as he continued his walk across campus. He had tried his best to forget about their previous encounter that night but was failing while she was passing with flying colors. Maybe it was just a drunken conversation, at least that’s how Mya was treating it by simply ignoring it.
“Yo,” Ricky nodded, forming a threesome as he dapped James up and hugged Mya, “Where y’all headed to right now?”
“I got Conceptual Physics,” Mya replied, “He’s got...”
“World Religion,” James took his earbuds out.
“Schultz?” Mya asked which James nodded, “I had him during the summer, he ain’t too bad.”
“Let’s roll,” Ricky scratched his nose, “Come with me to bust something down real quick.”
“Nope,” Mya placed her hand on James’ arm as if to pull him away from Ricky, “I just saw him flunk a paper so he’s not going to ruin his other A by skipping classes.”
“He don’t gotta worry about that shit,” Ricky laughed, “He’s starting now, he don’t need classes.”
“For real?” James’ eyes lit up.
“Coach ain’t said nothing yet,” Ricky explained, “But by my math, you getting most of the snaps in practice now and you saw him stop all that running back shit, right? Two and two, my nigga.”
“Say less,” James smiled.
“Even more reason to get good grades,” Mya insisted, “You’re a lost cause Ricky but he ain’t. Besides, if you need a car that badly, I’ll ride with you somewhere.”
“Nah, I need slime with me.”
“For what?”
“Don’t worry about it,” he gave her a peck on the cheek and wrapped his arms around James’ neck, “He a starter now, he don’t gotta play school no more.”
....
James couldn’t believe it but his World Religions class would have been more exciting than this as they still were in the parking lot outside the Hilton Hotel. James’ phone was out of juice and he had grown tired of the songs coming from Ricky’s phone.
“Here they come,” Ricky pointed to the two girls that were coming out of the hotel lobby door, each with a bag in hand.
Asia got into the passenger side backseat while Aria hurried herself into the other one. They both sat down and took deep breaths as Ricky turned around to address them.
“Fuck took y’all so long?!”
“Start the damn car,” Aria said as she patted down her hair.
James obliged, starting the car and peeled out of the parking lot, heading towards the direction of the girls’ apartment complex.
“The shit ain’t a fucking exact science,” Asia said defensively, “Some take longer than others to get down.”
“The fuck y’all football players be eating? Shit! Motherfucker took an hour to knock out.”
“What’d y’all bitches get, man?” Ricky took the bag from one of the girls and went scurrying through it.
James tried to take a look while also keeping his eyes on the road. As far as he was told, he was just going to pick them up from some hotel. This seemed far more complex than that.
“Jimmy, you white, this shit real?” Ricky asked as he plopped an apparent Rolex down on the dashboard.
“I don’t know,” James laughed nervously.
The girls continued to converse in the back, getting in detail with each other about how big certain appendages were and how did this or that felt.. If the powdery substance residue on their dresses weren’t a giveaway, their rapid style of speech certainly were.
They pulled up to their apartment and the girls got out while Ricky and James stayed in the car. Ricky kept the Rolex and a few other jewelry pieces but gave them back the bag.
“We’re leaving Saturday morning so Sunday, imma holla at y’all. Be safe,” he told them as they disappeared into the apartment building.
“What the fuck was that?” James asked, turning the car off.
“Come on,” Ricky tapped the dashboard, “We’re going to be late for practice.”
“Rick.”
“Don’t bug out,” Ricky started off, “They just needed us to pick them up, that’s it.”
“From what?”
“What do you think? Need me to spell this shit out?”
“This some bullshit,” James shook his head, “Why you ain’t tell me?”
“It ain’t nothing,” Ricky sucked his teeth, “I wouldn’t involve you in some fuck shit if I thought it’d get you caught up. They just hit some dumbass jits from time to time, the fuck they gonna do, call the police and then what?”
“You got stolen fucking property in my fucking car,” James kept at it, “You don’t see the issue with that?”
“I thought you’d be down after you saw how easy it was,” Ricky defended himself, “But you right, G, I should have told you straight up.”
They sat there in quiet as James started the car and raced off back to campus, hoping to get there before practice began.
“Dumbass jits don’t have Rolexes,” James commented as the shiny watch sat there on the dashboard.
“Big dumb football players do,” Ricky laughed, “Some motherfucker on the Colts linked up with them a few days ago.”
“From where? How?”
“Tinder man,” Ricky explained, “Niggas be horny when they’re out of town. They make bank off that shit and every once in a while, someone gets unlucky, kid.”
“How much do you make?”
“You asking the right questions now,” Ricky smiled, “It depends. Depending on the lick, I might just keep a watch or pawn the jewelry off with my boy, get money that way. They don’t know how to move a stolen chain with the motherfucker’s name on it, I do. They keep all the cash though.”
“You still haven’t answered.”
“A few hundred,” Ricky shrugged, “Don’t worry, you’ll get your bread.”
“Believe that,” James let out a dry chuckle, “That Rollie looking nice too.”
“Here you go,” Ricky tossed the watch into James’ lap with a laugh.
....
“Looking good, Ricky!”
“That shit icier than a motherfucker!”
James couldn’t help but shake his head as Ricky walked across the field shirtless, a piece of stolen jewelry laid out on his chest. To his credit, he waited at least until the next day to break it out during the team’s final practice before traveling to Santa Rosa.
The coaching staff eventually joined the players after the stretching portion of practice was over with. Coach Haag and coach Beam were huddled up with coach Rob eventually completing the circle while the first team defense went through their walk-through.
“Jordon!”
James couldn’t help but hang his head as he saw Jordon jog over to the huddle of coaches. Ricky’s words and his play over the week made him confident that he’d be starting this week despite it being Jordon’s revenge game over his former team.
“Jackson!”
James snapped out of his own mind and headed over there as well, opting to walk instead. It was never an open competition so it was his own fault that he had gotten his hopes up but nevertheless, he felt betrayed by the coaching staff.
“Jackson, you’re starting this week. Jordon is the number two.”
-
Captain Canada
- Posts: 2186
- Joined: 01 Dec 2018, 00:15
Explosions of Grandeur.
Job snatched. Go forth and prosper, brother.
Explosions of Grandeur.
James knows white privilege will save his white ass if he gets caught hitting them licks with Ricky and them thots.
Explosions of Grandeur.
time to explode.
he's off-white.
Explosions of Grandeur.
James kept tugging at his jersey which only caused him to sweat even more, keeping him uneasy. He grabbed a towel from one of the equipment assistants and wiped his brow. His hair had grown to unfashionable lengths, perhaps the longest it had ever been.
He had played in five games this season already, practically started the West Hills game but this felt different, this felt uncomfortable.
The sudden thump on his chest snapped him back to his reality as he faced a smiling Popeye.
“Let’s get this work,” Popeye nodded, piercing James’ eyes with an intense look.
....
“Ricky Jean-Francois back to return the punt after that first drive, fielded at the five and he drops it....Santa Rosa has it!”
....
“Murray gets his feet in and that’s a touchdown for the Bear Cubs!”
....
“Can’t think of a worse situation for a first-time starter in James Jackson then down seven points and this ruckus crowd!”
“Jackson drops back, finds Angelo Byrd on the outside for a gain of fifteen after he slips the first tackle!”
....
“Jean-Francois on the quick slant who picks up seven yards.”
....
“McDonald gets the first down and some after that run to keep the Eagles moving.”
....
“Jackson goes deep to Jean-Francois and it’s going to sail over his head....there’s a flag! Looks like pass interference on that play and tack on fifteen yards.”
....
“McDonald motions out of the backfield....empty look....Jackson gets the snap, pushes forward....touchdown!”
....
“McDonald picks up a few yards to get the first down.”
....
“McDonald stuffed behind the line of scrimmage, loss of five.”
....
“Jackson gets four on that quarterback keeper.”
....
“Jackson evades the rush, sacked on third down!”
....
“Jean-Francois pushed out of bounds at the 41-yard line and Laney finding success again with that passing game.”
....
“Jackson scrambles, throws across the middle and Byrd brings it down for a pick up of eleven yards on that play.”
....
“Jackson rolls right, looks right....intercepted!”
....
“Monahan is going to walk into the endzone and give Santa Rosa the lead here in the second quarter”
....
“Tidwell says he got under it......referees gather up...interception! He caught it! He caught it! A diving interception by the second-year safety is going to give the Bear Cubs their second pick of the night and set them up for some points before the end of the half.”
....
James was the first man inside of the locker as he sat down on his seat. The volume in the locker room slowly increased with each passing seconds with conversations becoming heated discussions.
James wiped his face with the back of his left hand, running his right hand through his hair before laying back up against the locker. His reprieve was short lived as coach Haag, coach Rob and Jordon were soon in front of him.
“You have to look that safety off!” coach Rob barked, “He was sitting on that play the whole fucking time!”
James simply nodded, motioning one of the trainers to come over with a water bottle.
“Look up! You’ve got Angelo on that go route so before rolling out, hold him there!” coach Rob pressed on with Jordon in the background smirking.
“You’re doing fine,” coach Haag almost literally shoved coach Rob to the side, “What do you like?”
“What do you mean?” James asked.
“Play wise,” coach Haag shrugged, “Which plays are you liking right now?”
“I like shallow,” James muttered, “I like stick, cross, bench is working good too.”
“Mesh?”
“Not really,” James shook his head, “I don’t know when they’re going to sit or go.”
“It’s simple,” coach Rob scoffed, “If it’s..”
“Fine,” coach Haag jumped back in, “We’ll scrap mesh, everything else good?”
“Yeah,” James nodded, “Yes, coach. I don’t like under center either, I don’t feel comfortable with my back to the defense on those play actions.”
“Got it,” coach Haag pulled out a pen and started writing, “Ready for tempo?”
“Yes, sir.”
....
“Byrd pushed out of bounds at the 46-yard line and the Eagles are rolling!”
....
“Jackson scrambles, looks right, looks left, goes back right and Byrd catches it for the touchdown!”
....
“Jackson throws it outside and Jasper is stopped after a gain of two and they’re right back on the ball and he hands it off this time as McDonald picks up nine. They’re not stopping, they’re lining up again and McDonald is off to the races this time! Touchdown!”
....
“Jackson keeps it, tucks it and dives forward....he’s in! Laney takes the lead!”
....
Simmons completes the pass to Triplett whose got some room in front of him and he’s in for the touchdown!”
....
“Jackson fires across the middle, touchdown! Jean-Francois with a tough catch in the endzone!”
....
“Laney says they have it and they do! What a badly timed fumble for Santa Rosa on that kickoff to give Laney the ball on the 26-yard line!”
....
“Jackson over the top....touchdown! The ball is loose but the officials say he crossed the goal-line before losing the football as the Eagles take the 41-26 lead, extra point pending.”
....
“Laney is going to recover the onside kick and that’s it, folks.”
....
The conversations about the post-game activities continued as the team made their way from the facilities and started the trek back to the dorms under the moon. It was well past midnight but the same players that were exhausted a few hours during the fourth quarter all of sudden had a pep in their step.
Winning had that impact on people.
“I’m going home,” James said as soon as Ricky had finally caught up to him with Christian and Popeye not too far behind.
“We still got time to slide on them,” Ricky begged.
“Please,” Christian asked as he put a hand around James’ shoulder with his weight almost causing James to fall down to the ground, “Damn, jit. They wore your ass out, huh?”
“Relax,” James replied, “It’s just your big ass on my shoulder and shit. What the fuck are you going to do over there, Chris?”
“I don’t know,” he sucked his teeth, “Maybe my tongue game will work on her this time. I’m a slow burn on bitches, kid.”
“Slow like pot roast,” Ricky scoffed, “You QB1 now, no need to go home and just stroke your chicken nugget till you fall asleep.”
As luck would have it, Jordon happened to be walking by with his giant headphones hanging from his neck.
“Jordon gonna be doing that now,” Ricky teased loud enough for Jordon and his usual entourage of John and Angelo to hear.
“Fuck you say, bitch?” Jordon dropped his bag and turned around to face Ricky but Angelo got in between them two.
“Chill the fuck out,” Angelo tapped Jordon on the chest before looking over at Ricky and then James, “Y’all boys good, man. Ain’t none of us trying to hear that shit right now, right?”
John nodded in agreement, James followed suit while Ricky and Jordon remained quiet. Jordon shook his head as he bent down, picked his bag up and went on his way. Angelo reached across to dap James and Ricky up but Ricky simply stared at his fellow receiver’s hands.
Angelo smiled and turned around, catching up with Jordon and John.
“So like I was saying,” Ricky flipped the switch back to his old jovial self, “We need to get on some shones tonight, jit.”
He had played in five games this season already, practically started the West Hills game but this felt different, this felt uncomfortable.
The sudden thump on his chest snapped him back to his reality as he faced a smiling Popeye.
“Let’s get this work,” Popeye nodded, piercing James’ eyes with an intense look.
....
“Ricky Jean-Francois back to return the punt after that first drive, fielded at the five and he drops it....Santa Rosa has it!”
....
“Murray gets his feet in and that’s a touchdown for the Bear Cubs!”
....
“Can’t think of a worse situation for a first-time starter in James Jackson then down seven points and this ruckus crowd!”
“Jackson drops back, finds Angelo Byrd on the outside for a gain of fifteen after he slips the first tackle!”
....
“Jean-Francois on the quick slant who picks up seven yards.”
....
“McDonald gets the first down and some after that run to keep the Eagles moving.”
....
“Jackson goes deep to Jean-Francois and it’s going to sail over his head....there’s a flag! Looks like pass interference on that play and tack on fifteen yards.”
....
“McDonald motions out of the backfield....empty look....Jackson gets the snap, pushes forward....touchdown!”
....
“McDonald picks up a few yards to get the first down.”
....
“McDonald stuffed behind the line of scrimmage, loss of five.”
....
“Jackson gets four on that quarterback keeper.”
....
“Jackson evades the rush, sacked on third down!”
....
“Jean-Francois pushed out of bounds at the 41-yard line and Laney finding success again with that passing game.”
....
“Jackson scrambles, throws across the middle and Byrd brings it down for a pick up of eleven yards on that play.”
....
“Jackson rolls right, looks right....intercepted!”
....
“Monahan is going to walk into the endzone and give Santa Rosa the lead here in the second quarter”
....
“Tidwell says he got under it......referees gather up...interception! He caught it! He caught it! A diving interception by the second-year safety is going to give the Bear Cubs their second pick of the night and set them up for some points before the end of the half.”
....
James was the first man inside of the locker as he sat down on his seat. The volume in the locker room slowly increased with each passing seconds with conversations becoming heated discussions.
James wiped his face with the back of his left hand, running his right hand through his hair before laying back up against the locker. His reprieve was short lived as coach Haag, coach Rob and Jordon were soon in front of him.
“You have to look that safety off!” coach Rob barked, “He was sitting on that play the whole fucking time!”
James simply nodded, motioning one of the trainers to come over with a water bottle.
“Look up! You’ve got Angelo on that go route so before rolling out, hold him there!” coach Rob pressed on with Jordon in the background smirking.
“You’re doing fine,” coach Haag almost literally shoved coach Rob to the side, “What do you like?”
“What do you mean?” James asked.
“Play wise,” coach Haag shrugged, “Which plays are you liking right now?”
“I like shallow,” James muttered, “I like stick, cross, bench is working good too.”
“Mesh?”
“Not really,” James shook his head, “I don’t know when they’re going to sit or go.”
“It’s simple,” coach Rob scoffed, “If it’s..”
“Fine,” coach Haag jumped back in, “We’ll scrap mesh, everything else good?”
“Yeah,” James nodded, “Yes, coach. I don’t like under center either, I don’t feel comfortable with my back to the defense on those play actions.”
“Got it,” coach Haag pulled out a pen and started writing, “Ready for tempo?”
“Yes, sir.”
....
“Byrd pushed out of bounds at the 46-yard line and the Eagles are rolling!”
....
“Jackson scrambles, looks right, looks left, goes back right and Byrd catches it for the touchdown!”
....
“Jackson throws it outside and Jasper is stopped after a gain of two and they’re right back on the ball and he hands it off this time as McDonald picks up nine. They’re not stopping, they’re lining up again and McDonald is off to the races this time! Touchdown!”
....
“Jackson keeps it, tucks it and dives forward....he’s in! Laney takes the lead!”
....
Simmons completes the pass to Triplett whose got some room in front of him and he’s in for the touchdown!”
....
“Jackson fires across the middle, touchdown! Jean-Francois with a tough catch in the endzone!”
....
“Laney says they have it and they do! What a badly timed fumble for Santa Rosa on that kickoff to give Laney the ball on the 26-yard line!”
....
“Jackson over the top....touchdown! The ball is loose but the officials say he crossed the goal-line before losing the football as the Eagles take the 41-26 lead, extra point pending.”
....
“Laney is going to recover the onside kick and that’s it, folks.”
....
The conversations about the post-game activities continued as the team made their way from the facilities and started the trek back to the dorms under the moon. It was well past midnight but the same players that were exhausted a few hours during the fourth quarter all of sudden had a pep in their step.
Winning had that impact on people.
“I’m going home,” James said as soon as Ricky had finally caught up to him with Christian and Popeye not too far behind.
“We still got time to slide on them,” Ricky begged.
“Please,” Christian asked as he put a hand around James’ shoulder with his weight almost causing James to fall down to the ground, “Damn, jit. They wore your ass out, huh?”
“Relax,” James replied, “It’s just your big ass on my shoulder and shit. What the fuck are you going to do over there, Chris?”
“I don’t know,” he sucked his teeth, “Maybe my tongue game will work on her this time. I’m a slow burn on bitches, kid.”
“Slow like pot roast,” Ricky scoffed, “You QB1 now, no need to go home and just stroke your chicken nugget till you fall asleep.”
As luck would have it, Jordon happened to be walking by with his giant headphones hanging from his neck.
“Jordon gonna be doing that now,” Ricky teased loud enough for Jordon and his usual entourage of John and Angelo to hear.
“Fuck you say, bitch?” Jordon dropped his bag and turned around to face Ricky but Angelo got in between them two.
“Chill the fuck out,” Angelo tapped Jordon on the chest before looking over at Ricky and then James, “Y’all boys good, man. Ain’t none of us trying to hear that shit right now, right?”
John nodded in agreement, James followed suit while Ricky and Jordon remained quiet. Jordon shook his head as he bent down, picked his bag up and went on his way. Angelo reached across to dap James and Ricky up but Ricky simply stared at his fellow receiver’s hands.
Angelo smiled and turned around, catching up with Jordon and John.
“So like I was saying,” Ricky flipped the switch back to his old jovial self, “We need to get on some shones tonight, jit.”
Explosions of Grandeur.
James splashed the water onto his face, hoping it would wash off the sleep from his eyes. He tousled his hair as he sniff tested a few shirts before finding one that was acceptable, throwing it on and heading for the door. He stopped halfway out the door and went back in to grab his bookbag. He had missed his two morning classes but the coaches didn’t need to know that.
....
“Six-five?”
“Closer to six-four,” James nodded.
“He looks about six-five to me,” the middle-aged black man decked out in blue smiled towards his younger, pigmentally challenged partner, “You’re not trying to get moved to tight end, that’s what it’s about, ain’t it?”
“A few coaches have tried,” James admitted. It was true. After his sophomore season, coach Butler considered moving James to tight end but an afternoon practice full of drops -- perhaps on purpose -- quickly changed his tune.
“After the way he was running Alonzo,” coach Haag interjected, “We thought of playing him at running back. I kid you not, he can play running back at the next level, tight end, shit, he keeps losing weight and I’ll put his ass at receiver too.”
James was taken aback by coach Haag’s statement. He knew he had turned coach Haag into a fan but he wasn’t one to hyperbole or get too up about anything. If you had a 40-point game, he’d ask why the offense ‘ain’t score 50 on their candy ass’.
“He’s mine,” said coach Gunderson, “You can forget about putting him at running back. We see you as a quarterback, son. Coach Carter here is our recruiting coordinator but trust me, he won’t be coaching you with the running backs, I will.”
“I don’t mind either,” James lied. Brandon had coached him over the years to be easy-going with the coaches during visits such as this one.
“How tall your daddy?” asked coach Carter, who James instantly liked his laid back way of talking.
“About six-feet,” James guessed, he wasn’t sure but he did remember the day he surpassed his so-called father in terms of height and he was about six-feet then.
“Your momma?”
James paused, “I don’t know, about five-foot-something from what I remember.”
“Either of them in the picture?”
“Not really,” James shrugged. He had stopped lying about his parents a while ago.
“Coach said you slimed down a bit,” coach Gunderson changed the topic of conversation, “I watched your tape at Poly, what were you playing at then?”
“About 225, close to 230. I’m down to 208 now,” James explained.
“We’d love to have you at San Jose State,” coach Gunderson grinned.
....
“The funny shit is they were there to see the Simmons kid,” James chomped down on his burrito, “He was balling too.”
“They taking two?” Ricky raised his brow, “Don’t go anywhere with another Q in the class, kid. I’m telling you. I know, I know, trust me.....I know you better than that nigga but you just setting yourself up.”
“I don’t exactly get to be picky,” James responded, finishing up his meal.
“You have like six offers since the game,” Popeye scoffed, “You do get to be picky. On God, I hate you tall ass motherfuckers. Nigga plays one game, looks tall and there you go, offers out the ass.”
“You got to look the part,” Christian shrugged, yielding a few offers himself despite only being a situational player.
“I told you to come with me to Mississippi,” Ricky jokingly punched Popeye in the arm, “But your ass wanna be boujee and shit.”
“I’m not going to be your plus-one,” Popeye spat back, “I’m getting that shit on my own.”
“Your loss,” Ricky ate his fry, “Who else you got this weekend?”
“Sacramento said they were sending one, San Diego, San Jose, New Mexico....UNLV sent me some shit but I don’t think it was an offer and Fresno’s coach hit me up but I ain’t pick up.”
“You went there right?” Ricky asked.
“Not really,” James answered, “I signed and everything but some shit happened, ended up not going.”
“Some shit happened should be the slogan for this fucking school,” Popeye muttered before getting up, “I’ll catch y’all boys later.”
“The fuck is his problem?” Ricky asked as soon as the defensive back wasn’t within hearing distance.
“He running out of games bro,” Christian explained, “Shit, we all are. Not everybody lucky like you two motherfuckers.”
“I just started playing,” James said in his defense, “He’s been getting snaps the whole damn season.”
“I’m just saying,” Christian got up, “He probably ain’t tryna hear that offer shit right now.”
“Fuck that shit,” Ricky sucked his teeth, “Motherfucker got two touches on him and wanna complain about not getting offers. Lock a nigga down, get offers, simple.”
“To you,” Christian shook his head as he walked away as well.
....
“Six-five?”
“Closer to six-four,” James nodded.
“He looks about six-five to me,” the middle-aged black man decked out in blue smiled towards his younger, pigmentally challenged partner, “You’re not trying to get moved to tight end, that’s what it’s about, ain’t it?”
“A few coaches have tried,” James admitted. It was true. After his sophomore season, coach Butler considered moving James to tight end but an afternoon practice full of drops -- perhaps on purpose -- quickly changed his tune.
“After the way he was running Alonzo,” coach Haag interjected, “We thought of playing him at running back. I kid you not, he can play running back at the next level, tight end, shit, he keeps losing weight and I’ll put his ass at receiver too.”
James was taken aback by coach Haag’s statement. He knew he had turned coach Haag into a fan but he wasn’t one to hyperbole or get too up about anything. If you had a 40-point game, he’d ask why the offense ‘ain’t score 50 on their candy ass’.
“He’s mine,” said coach Gunderson, “You can forget about putting him at running back. We see you as a quarterback, son. Coach Carter here is our recruiting coordinator but trust me, he won’t be coaching you with the running backs, I will.”
“I don’t mind either,” James lied. Brandon had coached him over the years to be easy-going with the coaches during visits such as this one.
“How tall your daddy?” asked coach Carter, who James instantly liked his laid back way of talking.
“About six-feet,” James guessed, he wasn’t sure but he did remember the day he surpassed his so-called father in terms of height and he was about six-feet then.
“Your momma?”
James paused, “I don’t know, about five-foot-something from what I remember.”
“Either of them in the picture?”
“Not really,” James shrugged. He had stopped lying about his parents a while ago.
“Coach said you slimed down a bit,” coach Gunderson changed the topic of conversation, “I watched your tape at Poly, what were you playing at then?”
“About 225, close to 230. I’m down to 208 now,” James explained.
“We’d love to have you at San Jose State,” coach Gunderson grinned.
....
“The funny shit is they were there to see the Simmons kid,” James chomped down on his burrito, “He was balling too.”
“They taking two?” Ricky raised his brow, “Don’t go anywhere with another Q in the class, kid. I’m telling you. I know, I know, trust me.....I know you better than that nigga but you just setting yourself up.”
“I don’t exactly get to be picky,” James responded, finishing up his meal.
“You have like six offers since the game,” Popeye scoffed, “You do get to be picky. On God, I hate you tall ass motherfuckers. Nigga plays one game, looks tall and there you go, offers out the ass.”
“You got to look the part,” Christian shrugged, yielding a few offers himself despite only being a situational player.
“I told you to come with me to Mississippi,” Ricky jokingly punched Popeye in the arm, “But your ass wanna be boujee and shit.”
“I’m not going to be your plus-one,” Popeye spat back, “I’m getting that shit on my own.”
“Your loss,” Ricky ate his fry, “Who else you got this weekend?”
“Sacramento said they were sending one, San Diego, San Jose, New Mexico....UNLV sent me some shit but I don’t think it was an offer and Fresno’s coach hit me up but I ain’t pick up.”
“You went there right?” Ricky asked.
“Not really,” James answered, “I signed and everything but some shit happened, ended up not going.”
“Some shit happened should be the slogan for this fucking school,” Popeye muttered before getting up, “I’ll catch y’all boys later.”
“The fuck is his problem?” Ricky asked as soon as the defensive back wasn’t within hearing distance.
“He running out of games bro,” Christian explained, “Shit, we all are. Not everybody lucky like you two motherfuckers.”
“I just started playing,” James said in his defense, “He’s been getting snaps the whole damn season.”
“I’m just saying,” Christian got up, “He probably ain’t tryna hear that offer shit right now.”
“Fuck that shit,” Ricky sucked his teeth, “Motherfucker got two touches on him and wanna complain about not getting offers. Lock a nigga down, get offers, simple.”
“To you,” Christian shook his head as he walked away as well.
Last edited by Soapy on 27 Aug 2020, 11:08, edited 1 time in total.
-
Captain Canada
- Posts: 2186
- Joined: 01 Dec 2018, 00:15
Explosions of Grandeur.
Double updates are lit. Keep that shit coming, bruv.
Explosions of Grandeur.
“Third and ten, Jackson drops back....feels the rush...checks it down to Jean-Francois who makes a man miss, gets to the outside...picks up a block...gets to the edge and he’s going to sprint into the endzone for the 47 yard score!”
....
“Ball! Ball! Laney says they have it and they do!”
....
“.....Jean-Francois comes down with it and just like that, Laney is up 14-0!”
....
“Jackson rolls right...looks back to his left and it’s a throwback pass to Jean-Francois who has blockers! The 50....the 40....the 30.....oh no, folks! That’s another touchdown and we’re just four minutes in!”
....
James broke more of a sweat running down the field to celebrate with Ricky than he did during the game. Diablo Valley were a two win team and it showed as they simply didn’t have the speed to keep up with an SEC receiver like Ricky.
Ricky had started to jog bag to the sidelines when James jumped on his back, causing Ricky to stumble forward before finding his footing.
“I’m tired than a bih,” Ricky said between tired breaths and a huge smile.
....
“Jackson hands it off to McDonald...no, he still has it! Fooled everyone, even us upstairs and he’s got nothing but green grass in front of him! He scoots his way into the ten yard line before he’s...no, he’s still going! He’s going to drag three defenders into the endzone, touchdown!”
....
“Finally, a stop by Diablo Valley here at the goal-line but it looks like Laney is going for it!”
“The defense’s not set, they have no idea what’s going on.”
“Ball is snapped and Jackson powers through from the two-yard line!”
....
Trying to find a place to get their alcohol proved to their toughest opponent of the night. James and Ricky found themselves on the bench before halftime even came and given that it was a 56-10 blowout, the second half went by quickly which allowed for the team to be back on campus before midnight struck.
A quick shower and after raiding through Ricky’s closet, they found themselves hitting the streets of Oakland with nothing particular in mind except for a good time which seemed to be escaping them.
“I’m not hitting Terry up,” Popeye insisted, “He gon’ ask what we are doing and then he is going to want to come.”
“So? Better than sitting here with our dick in our hands in a fucking parking lot,” Christian complained.
“I’m not driving around, wasting gas while you guys figure this shit out. They haven’t hit you back yet?” James asked Ricky, whose head was buried in his phone, “Rick?”
“Nah,” Ricky shook his head, “They probably working or something tonight.”
Ricky’s answer raised James’ eyebrows but for everyone else, it went unnoticed as they continued to scroll through their phones.
“Mya just hit me,” Ricky broke the silent, “Drop me off there, kid.”
“What you mean?” Popeye asked, “She don’t got no homegirls or nothing?”
“Just drop me off,” Ricky laughed, “Y’all niggas can worry about about getting your dick wet some other way.”
“This some bullshit,” Popeye shook his head, “Drop his ass right here, James.”
James was more so upset at who Ricky was leaving them for rather than the why. James didn’t say much as he started the car and headed towards Mya’s apartment. He knew they were involved or at least figured as much but this was as much confirmation that he would ever get that Ricky and Mya were a thing.
“Appreciate y’all,” Ricky said as he hopped out of the car, “Catch y’all boys tomorrow.”
“Don’t forget to pull out,” Popeyes teased as he got out of the backseat and joined James up front, “Drop me off on campus.”
“This ain’t reverse Driving Ms. Daisy,” James scoffed, “Shit, we might as well just head back to campus.”
The excitement of the night quickly went away as the boys found themselves back in the dorm that Christian and Popeye shared. They played video games, ordered pizza, argued over how much they should tip the guy and finally caved in, inviting Terry to the sausage fest which meant adult beverages now entered the picture.
“I heard Jordon’s committing tomorrow,” Terry said as he took a sip from the red Solo cup.
The comment went largely unnoticed as Christian and Popeyes were focused in on their game. James raised his head as he was laying down on the floor, “Where to?”
“San Diego State,” Terry replied, “I heard from John and them that he’s probably going to sit out the year, that’s why he didn’t play tonight.”
“Ain’t they offer you?” Christian chimed in as Popeye had called a timeout to stop the run he was on with the Golden State Warriors.
“Yeah,” James replied as he took out his phone and went through his text messages. Almost every single school that had offered him up to that point -- San Jose State, New Mexico State, UNLV and Sacramento State -- had texted him since his game except for one.
Looks like he wasn’t going to San Diego after all.
....
“Ball! Ball! Laney says they have it and they do!”
....
“.....Jean-Francois comes down with it and just like that, Laney is up 14-0!”
....
“Jackson rolls right...looks back to his left and it’s a throwback pass to Jean-Francois who has blockers! The 50....the 40....the 30.....oh no, folks! That’s another touchdown and we’re just four minutes in!”
....
James broke more of a sweat running down the field to celebrate with Ricky than he did during the game. Diablo Valley were a two win team and it showed as they simply didn’t have the speed to keep up with an SEC receiver like Ricky.
Ricky had started to jog bag to the sidelines when James jumped on his back, causing Ricky to stumble forward before finding his footing.
“I’m tired than a bih,” Ricky said between tired breaths and a huge smile.
....
“Jackson hands it off to McDonald...no, he still has it! Fooled everyone, even us upstairs and he’s got nothing but green grass in front of him! He scoots his way into the ten yard line before he’s...no, he’s still going! He’s going to drag three defenders into the endzone, touchdown!”
....
“Finally, a stop by Diablo Valley here at the goal-line but it looks like Laney is going for it!”
“The defense’s not set, they have no idea what’s going on.”
“Ball is snapped and Jackson powers through from the two-yard line!”
....
Trying to find a place to get their alcohol proved to their toughest opponent of the night. James and Ricky found themselves on the bench before halftime even came and given that it was a 56-10 blowout, the second half went by quickly which allowed for the team to be back on campus before midnight struck.
A quick shower and after raiding through Ricky’s closet, they found themselves hitting the streets of Oakland with nothing particular in mind except for a good time which seemed to be escaping them.
“I’m not hitting Terry up,” Popeye insisted, “He gon’ ask what we are doing and then he is going to want to come.”
“So? Better than sitting here with our dick in our hands in a fucking parking lot,” Christian complained.
“I’m not driving around, wasting gas while you guys figure this shit out. They haven’t hit you back yet?” James asked Ricky, whose head was buried in his phone, “Rick?”
“Nah,” Ricky shook his head, “They probably working or something tonight.”
Ricky’s answer raised James’ eyebrows but for everyone else, it went unnoticed as they continued to scroll through their phones.
“Mya just hit me,” Ricky broke the silent, “Drop me off there, kid.”
“What you mean?” Popeye asked, “She don’t got no homegirls or nothing?”
“Just drop me off,” Ricky laughed, “Y’all niggas can worry about about getting your dick wet some other way.”
“This some bullshit,” Popeye shook his head, “Drop his ass right here, James.”
James was more so upset at who Ricky was leaving them for rather than the why. James didn’t say much as he started the car and headed towards Mya’s apartment. He knew they were involved or at least figured as much but this was as much confirmation that he would ever get that Ricky and Mya were a thing.
“Appreciate y’all,” Ricky said as he hopped out of the car, “Catch y’all boys tomorrow.”
“Don’t forget to pull out,” Popeyes teased as he got out of the backseat and joined James up front, “Drop me off on campus.”
“This ain’t reverse Driving Ms. Daisy,” James scoffed, “Shit, we might as well just head back to campus.”
The excitement of the night quickly went away as the boys found themselves back in the dorm that Christian and Popeye shared. They played video games, ordered pizza, argued over how much they should tip the guy and finally caved in, inviting Terry to the sausage fest which meant adult beverages now entered the picture.
“I heard Jordon’s committing tomorrow,” Terry said as he took a sip from the red Solo cup.
The comment went largely unnoticed as Christian and Popeyes were focused in on their game. James raised his head as he was laying down on the floor, “Where to?”
“San Diego State,” Terry replied, “I heard from John and them that he’s probably going to sit out the year, that’s why he didn’t play tonight.”
“Ain’t they offer you?” Christian chimed in as Popeye had called a timeout to stop the run he was on with the Golden State Warriors.
“Yeah,” James replied as he took out his phone and went through his text messages. Almost every single school that had offered him up to that point -- San Jose State, New Mexico State, UNLV and Sacramento State -- had texted him since his game except for one.
Looks like he wasn’t going to San Diego after all.
-
Captain Canada
- Posts: 2186
- Joined: 01 Dec 2018, 00:15
Explosions of Grandeur.
Power Five, let's get brazy.