the art of peer pressure.Captain Canada wrote: ↑29 Jun 2024, 10:10This dude just keeps fumbling a good thing he got going playing with these street dudes. Damn shame. I foresee it biting him in the ass.
thanks brudda, glad to have you along
Requiem for a Broken Dream.
Requiem for a Broken Dream.
Requiem for a Broken Dream.
“Ka…. Kamaldeen Sei…. Seidu-Harris?”
“It’s just Kam,” Kam raised his hand, already tired of this exercise just two classes in.
While he was ashamed to admit that it took the release of the movie Black Panther for him to no longer be embarrassed of his full given name, listening to people butcher or stuttering through it still grinded his gears.
He scanned the classroom and realized that similar to his first period, almost every student had something attached to their ear and he did the same, scrolling through his favorite podcasts for an episode.
His scrolling was interrupted by a notification that flashed across the top of his screen.
“Work for the day you want to have!” read the message from Dr. Bracco.
Kam sucked his teeth as he closed his phone and put away the ear buds, heeding her advice.
…
It tasted better than it presented but Kam couldn’t help but shake his head as he never thought he would miss Pascack High School’s lunches as he finished off the rest of chicken sandwich. The bun was stale while the ‘fried’ chicken was overcooked yet simultaneously soggy.
His father had offered to pack him a lunch, but Kam had grown tired of his calorically conscious meals and with a morning lift on the docket followed by afternoon practices, Kam needed all the energy he could consume.
“They sell Chinese food and shit outside,” Danny told the newcomer as he took a seat next to Kam, dapping him up.
“The chicken sandwiches not bad though,” Mike remarked as he too sat down, as did a few other players who Kam hadn’t bothered to remember their names.
Kam thought better of his fat joke as he had packed on a few pounds throughout the summer and instead nodded towards both Mike and Danny as they began unwrapping their food which looked a lot more appetizing.
“We’re good for now,” Danny took a reprieve from his fried rice, “But once the season starts, you should stop by coaches’ office during lunch to watch some film.”
“Fucking kiss ass,” Mike shook his head in disagreement, “They’re trying to make this shit a full-time job with no pay.”
“I’m just saying,” Danny continued to advise Kam, “We know they ass likes playing favorites so why not make yourself a favorite? Look, Jeremy is my dawg and all but if I come out the game 2nd and 5 and it’s now third and seven because of his ass, I ain’t getting the ball if we end up punting. With Kam big ass in there, that’s a first down when I’m back in the game, you feel me?”
“The team we are playing, they’re any good?” Kam asked, eager to switch the subject as he did not see himself spending his free time watching film.
“Fuck no,” Mike answered for Danny, “I played in that game, that should tell you all you need to know.”
“We spanked them boys,” Danny laughed, “I might have scored like half of my touchdowns in that game.”
Kam nodded as he internalized his excitement, wishing Friday could come quicker.
“Oh shit, there goes your girl,” Mike elbowed Danny to get his attention.
“The bitch be tripping,” Danny scoffed once he saw who it was, “Her ass must be a virgin or something.”
“Ravie ain’t no fucking virgin,” Mike replied, “Cyril ain’t dating no girl for a year and not fucking.”
“The glaze is crazy,” someone else from the table chimed in.
“Cyril would fuck an alley cat so he ain’t dating a girl and not fucking her,” Mike defended his stance.
Kam tilted his head as the girl in question came into view, quickly recognizing her and her purple hair. She looked different than the other times he had hung out with her, a bit more put together and preppy. She had never mentioned that she was still in high school, and Kam had assumed, given the crowd that she hung around with, that she had already graduated. Although she could have said the same about Kam.
He looked away, careful not to make eye contact with her and draw attention to himself. They had never crossed that barrier outside of the occasional flirting and playful touch on the arm here and there and he was now glad of it.
The table got quiet, waiting until she walked by before resuming conversation.
“She is some pressure,” Danny broke the silence, “I’m closing the deal before homecoming, believe that.”
“Cheating ass nigga,” Mike waved him off, “This nigga will not bag a bitch off his own game, always got to lean on the football shit.”
“We all lean on what we got,” Danny shrugged, “You quick to take a bitch on a trip or on a boat.”
“Nigga, you wasn’t complaining when we was flipping that hoe,” Mike’s retort drew a big laugh from the rest of the table as they began sharing their whore stories from the summer.
…
“Fuck is you taking that for?”
“You never know,” Johnny responded as he ensured that one was in the chamber.
“Ain’t nobody in the house,” Andre pleaded, “Put that shit away.”
“Hell, nah. That’s how you get caught slipping.”
“Just don’t shoot my ass,” Marcus interrupted their conversation as he got out of the car, pulling on his shiesty to cover his face.
The two other men followed him down the alley, jumping over the low fence and walking across the backyard until they reached the covered patio.
“The bitch came through,” Marcus muttered to himself as the backdoor had been left open, as instructed.
He quickly spotted the indoor camera that was situated at an angle to monitor the living room but not the entrance from the backdoor. Keeping himself close to the wall, he walked over to the camera, standing on the arm of one the couches to reach it before pushing the camera upwards until it was now facing the ceiling.
“That’s the only one?” Johnny asked as they joined Marcus inside the house.
“Yeah but look alive,” Marcus never relied sole on the intel but instead on his instincts as it was too nice of a house for just one camera.
“It’s just Kam,” Kam raised his hand, already tired of this exercise just two classes in.
While he was ashamed to admit that it took the release of the movie Black Panther for him to no longer be embarrassed of his full given name, listening to people butcher or stuttering through it still grinded his gears.
He scanned the classroom and realized that similar to his first period, almost every student had something attached to their ear and he did the same, scrolling through his favorite podcasts for an episode.
His scrolling was interrupted by a notification that flashed across the top of his screen.
“Work for the day you want to have!” read the message from Dr. Bracco.
Kam sucked his teeth as he closed his phone and put away the ear buds, heeding her advice.
…
It tasted better than it presented but Kam couldn’t help but shake his head as he never thought he would miss Pascack High School’s lunches as he finished off the rest of chicken sandwich. The bun was stale while the ‘fried’ chicken was overcooked yet simultaneously soggy.
His father had offered to pack him a lunch, but Kam had grown tired of his calorically conscious meals and with a morning lift on the docket followed by afternoon practices, Kam needed all the energy he could consume.
“They sell Chinese food and shit outside,” Danny told the newcomer as he took a seat next to Kam, dapping him up.
“The chicken sandwiches not bad though,” Mike remarked as he too sat down, as did a few other players who Kam hadn’t bothered to remember their names.
Kam thought better of his fat joke as he had packed on a few pounds throughout the summer and instead nodded towards both Mike and Danny as they began unwrapping their food which looked a lot more appetizing.
“We’re good for now,” Danny took a reprieve from his fried rice, “But once the season starts, you should stop by coaches’ office during lunch to watch some film.”
“Fucking kiss ass,” Mike shook his head in disagreement, “They’re trying to make this shit a full-time job with no pay.”
“I’m just saying,” Danny continued to advise Kam, “We know they ass likes playing favorites so why not make yourself a favorite? Look, Jeremy is my dawg and all but if I come out the game 2nd and 5 and it’s now third and seven because of his ass, I ain’t getting the ball if we end up punting. With Kam big ass in there, that’s a first down when I’m back in the game, you feel me?”
“The team we are playing, they’re any good?” Kam asked, eager to switch the subject as he did not see himself spending his free time watching film.
“Fuck no,” Mike answered for Danny, “I played in that game, that should tell you all you need to know.”
“We spanked them boys,” Danny laughed, “I might have scored like half of my touchdowns in that game.”
Kam nodded as he internalized his excitement, wishing Friday could come quicker.
“Oh shit, there goes your girl,” Mike elbowed Danny to get his attention.
“The bitch be tripping,” Danny scoffed once he saw who it was, “Her ass must be a virgin or something.”
“Ravie ain’t no fucking virgin,” Mike replied, “Cyril ain’t dating no girl for a year and not fucking.”
“The glaze is crazy,” someone else from the table chimed in.
“Cyril would fuck an alley cat so he ain’t dating a girl and not fucking her,” Mike defended his stance.
Kam tilted his head as the girl in question came into view, quickly recognizing her and her purple hair. She looked different than the other times he had hung out with her, a bit more put together and preppy. She had never mentioned that she was still in high school, and Kam had assumed, given the crowd that she hung around with, that she had already graduated. Although she could have said the same about Kam.
He looked away, careful not to make eye contact with her and draw attention to himself. They had never crossed that barrier outside of the occasional flirting and playful touch on the arm here and there and he was now glad of it.
The table got quiet, waiting until she walked by before resuming conversation.
“She is some pressure,” Danny broke the silence, “I’m closing the deal before homecoming, believe that.”
“Cheating ass nigga,” Mike waved him off, “This nigga will not bag a bitch off his own game, always got to lean on the football shit.”
“We all lean on what we got,” Danny shrugged, “You quick to take a bitch on a trip or on a boat.”
“Nigga, you wasn’t complaining when we was flipping that hoe,” Mike’s retort drew a big laugh from the rest of the table as they began sharing their whore stories from the summer.
…
“Fuck is you taking that for?”
“You never know,” Johnny responded as he ensured that one was in the chamber.
“Ain’t nobody in the house,” Andre pleaded, “Put that shit away.”
“Hell, nah. That’s how you get caught slipping.”
“Just don’t shoot my ass,” Marcus interrupted their conversation as he got out of the car, pulling on his shiesty to cover his face.
The two other men followed him down the alley, jumping over the low fence and walking across the backyard until they reached the covered patio.
“The bitch came through,” Marcus muttered to himself as the backdoor had been left open, as instructed.
He quickly spotted the indoor camera that was situated at an angle to monitor the living room but not the entrance from the backdoor. Keeping himself close to the wall, he walked over to the camera, standing on the arm of one the couches to reach it before pushing the camera upwards until it was now facing the ceiling.
“That’s the only one?” Johnny asked as they joined Marcus inside the house.
“Yeah but look alive,” Marcus never relied sole on the intel but instead on his instincts as it was too nice of a house for just one camera.
Requiem for a Broken Dream.
Kam finna be at Blinn
Requiem for a Broken Dream.
Season 2, Episode 1
Kam was quick to put his phone away – and his smile – as the coaches finished patrolling the locker room.
He would never admit it, and certainly not to Lana, but her texts before games were always something he had been looking forward to. This was especially true this time around as his school schedule had made it virtually impossible to hang out with Marcus and Co. and despite Dr. Bracco’s best attempts, Kam didn’t see the value in making any new friends.
They hadn’t spoken since their recent spat and with her extending the olive branch by wishing him well in the opener, it was all he needed to once again crack it back open.
His desires, from thousands of miles away, would need to be placed on hold however as the captains, led by Danny, started addressing the team.
“We ain’t building no more, we dominating!” yelled Danny to a sea of applause.
Kam remained unmoved, more focused on making sure his socks were at the right height.
…
“Stay on my hip!” Coach Howell barked to Kam, who adjusted his helmet as he continued to stretch his neck, “Go get Jeremy!”
Kam nodded before jogging on the football field, pointing towards the senior running back who sprinted past him and towards the sideline with Jeremy somehow reaching the white lines before Kam had even stepped inside the huddle.
He looked past his own teammates once in the huddle and instead was sizing up the defense as they began lining up on the ball.
“Deuces Right, Y Motion, 35 Base on one, on one, ready!”
“Break!”
Kam continued to play around with his helmet as he lined up next to Zach, always keeping his eyes on the defense as the short and stocky linebacker began barking his orders. Kam eventually settled into his stance, pressing his palm against the top of his kneecaps.
With the receiver going in motion, the defense frantically tried to bump their linebackers over the offense’s right side, leaving the left practically vacant past the first level.
The ball was snapped, and Zach was quick to hand it off to Kam who fumbled with the ball for a stride or two before tucking it in his left armpit. The team’s left tackle, Lewis Berry, struggled to seal off his defender on his reach block, causing Kam to bounce the run out a bit more than he wanted to. He was finally able to get vertical with the endzone in sight only to be pulled down from behind.
Kam quickly got up and was surprised to see that he had only gained a few yards despite the heavy pounding in his chest. He tossed the ball to the referee and began a much more animated jog to the huddle only to be greeted by Danny and being sent to the sideline.
…
“Hernandez isn’t going to get much going there either and that brings up third and long. Not much room for the senior running back as he taps his helmet and is going to be replaced by the New Jersey transfer, Kam Seidu-Harris on a likely passing down.”
…
Kam gingerly peeled himself off the turf before being aided by Zach, who tapped him on the helmet.
“Good fucking block!” the quarterback congratulated him as they jogged to join the offense, having completed a long pass to keep the drive alive.
Kam had the physical traits to be an effective pass blocker and he displayed it by blowing up the blitzing linebacker, allowing Zach to find an open receiver on third down to get inside the red zone.
“Kam out!” Kam overheard from the sideline as Danny came back onto the field.
…
“Hernandez is in, touchdown! That’s his twentieth career touchdown for the Yellow Jackets and many more to go this season for the talented senior!”
…
“Some tough running from the New Jersey transfer on second and long to get the Yellow Jackets to a manageable third down situation here, looking like 3rd and four.”
…
“Do something about it,” Kam muttered to the defenders as he walked past them, not bothering to adjust his path as they bumped shoulders.
“Keep it clean!” yelled one of the officials.
Kam looked towards the sideline, expecting to get pulled as he had been on the field for the past two plays, but Danny and Jeremy remained by coach Howell’s side. He fastened his gloves as he got back into the huddle.
“Twins Right, Ride 33, first sound, first sound, re….”
“Fuck reading that bitch,” Kam told Ron, the athletic tight end, and Lewis. The play called for them to double team the play-side end and based on how the strongside linebacker reacted, would determine which one of them would come off the double-team to block the linebacker.
“He’s going to shoot that bitch,” Kam instructed Lewis, having learned his lesson with the slow-footed left tackle having a hard time getting around the defensive end, “Just go straight to the backer!”
“You’ve got ten seconds!” the official warned them, taking a step towards the huddle.
“Come on, come on, on the line!” Zach hurried them
Kam lined up behind the quarterback and kept reminding himself to be patient as he knew the safety would see the same hole open and come crashing down. He’d need to wait for the safety to commit to it first, which would be a difference between a modest gain and a potential touchdown.
“Go!”
In all their discussions, Kam had forgotten the cadence and was caught off guard when the ball was snapped, and Zach was now heading towards him. Kam stumbled out of his stance before receiving the handoff and looking up to see the hole open up the way he had anticipated.
“Wait…. wait…. wait,” he thought to himself as the safety finally flashed and came crashing down.
Kam jumped cut out of the wide-open hole and instead ran outside of Ron’s block, who had held up well against the defensive end. He planted his outside foot once he got to the edge and turned up field.
…
“What a play by Kam Seidu-Harris and if not for the great effort of Ronnell Bruton with the tackle inside the five, that’s probably a touchdown!”
…
Kam slammed the ball into his hand in both frustration and excitement as he had felt the defender’s presence but had decided to rely on his speed, what little was left at the end of the long run. He soon locked eyes with Ron and Lewis, who were jumping in excitement as they joined him near the endzone.
“I told your ass,” Kam congratulated them both, “Fuck all this slow-play shit.”
“I can’t believe you bounced that,” Zach joined in on the fun, “Coach was going to fry your ass if that shit ain’t work.”
“But it did,” Kam shrugged before turning around to the tap on his shoulder.
“Good shit,” Danny congratulated him as he replaced him in the huddle.
…
“Danny Hernandez is going to walk in for his second touchdown of the day!”
…
“They cannot tackle Seidu-Harris as he picks another up first down!”
…
“What a run from the New Jersey transfer who is just a man among boys on those inside runs tonight!”
…
“Hernandez has his arms up……and yes, it’s another touchdown!”
…
“You’re probably done for the night,” coach Howell told Danny as he walked over to the group of running backs as the defense continued to pitch a shutout and was on the verge of another turnover-on-downs.
Kam grabbed his helmet, keeping an eye on the action on the field as both teams lined up.
“Let the young boys play,” Danny was quick to suggest, putting his arm around some of the JV call-ups that hadn’t played.
Coach Howell didn’t mull it over for long before pointing towards one of the sophomore running backs, “Alright, you’re up. Ball protection is everything right now!”
Kam put his helmet away, resigning in being a spectator for the rest of the night.
…
The sight of his father, Taylour and Katy waiting for him in the school parking lot couldn’t help but remind Kam of what he had lost. He used the cover of darkness to quickly wipe the tears before joining them, sharing a hug with his dad.
“You were running the hell out of that ball!” Kwame congratulated him, “Wasn’t he, Katy?”
She smiled as she continued to hide behind Kwame’s leg, eventually tugging on him to pick her up which he obliged.
“We’re so proud of you,” Taylour told him, offering him a hug.
“I didn’t really do much,” Kam played it down, only being able to recall a few carries.
“You would have scored if they kept you in the game,” Kwame pointed out, “It’s the first game and you still did your thing, man. Everyone in the stands was like ‘who the hell is that’, I’m telling you.”
“For real?” Kam smiled, “They small down here.”
“Relax,” Coach Justin surprised him from behind, shaking his hand before greeting his sister, “They hawked your behind down, though.”
“Y’all are pretty fast down here,” Kam readily admitted, “I’ll give y’all that.”
“Can y’all give him a touchdown?” Kwame teased Justin as they dapped up, “He deserved that one, man, after that long ass run.”
“You know that’s their golden boy,” Justin replied, “He’ll get his though, I’m sure of it. Good running tonight, Kamal.”
“Thanks,” Kam replied, wishing he could bottle up this exact feeling after a game and use it whenever he needed it.
“I know it’s Friday night and you got some little tail you probably want to chase after, but we got to do a family dinner,” Kwame insisted, “At least for the first game I’ve seen my boy play in god knows how long.”
Kam had made plans to meet up with the guys later but even he knew this was bigger than that, “I’m not eating no vegetables or nothing though.”
“You deserve it,” Kwame held his hands up as the group broke out in laughter.
Kam was quick to put his phone away – and his smile – as the coaches finished patrolling the locker room.
He would never admit it, and certainly not to Lana, but her texts before games were always something he had been looking forward to. This was especially true this time around as his school schedule had made it virtually impossible to hang out with Marcus and Co. and despite Dr. Bracco’s best attempts, Kam didn’t see the value in making any new friends.
They hadn’t spoken since their recent spat and with her extending the olive branch by wishing him well in the opener, it was all he needed to once again crack it back open.
His desires, from thousands of miles away, would need to be placed on hold however as the captains, led by Danny, started addressing the team.
“We ain’t building no more, we dominating!” yelled Danny to a sea of applause.
Kam remained unmoved, more focused on making sure his socks were at the right height.
…
“Stay on my hip!” Coach Howell barked to Kam, who adjusted his helmet as he continued to stretch his neck, “Go get Jeremy!”
Kam nodded before jogging on the football field, pointing towards the senior running back who sprinted past him and towards the sideline with Jeremy somehow reaching the white lines before Kam had even stepped inside the huddle.
He looked past his own teammates once in the huddle and instead was sizing up the defense as they began lining up on the ball.
“Deuces Right, Y Motion, 35 Base on one, on one, ready!”
“Break!”
Kam continued to play around with his helmet as he lined up next to Zach, always keeping his eyes on the defense as the short and stocky linebacker began barking his orders. Kam eventually settled into his stance, pressing his palm against the top of his kneecaps.
With the receiver going in motion, the defense frantically tried to bump their linebackers over the offense’s right side, leaving the left practically vacant past the first level.
The ball was snapped, and Zach was quick to hand it off to Kam who fumbled with the ball for a stride or two before tucking it in his left armpit. The team’s left tackle, Lewis Berry, struggled to seal off his defender on his reach block, causing Kam to bounce the run out a bit more than he wanted to. He was finally able to get vertical with the endzone in sight only to be pulled down from behind.
Kam quickly got up and was surprised to see that he had only gained a few yards despite the heavy pounding in his chest. He tossed the ball to the referee and began a much more animated jog to the huddle only to be greeted by Danny and being sent to the sideline.
…
“Hernandez isn’t going to get much going there either and that brings up third and long. Not much room for the senior running back as he taps his helmet and is going to be replaced by the New Jersey transfer, Kam Seidu-Harris on a likely passing down.”
…
Kam gingerly peeled himself off the turf before being aided by Zach, who tapped him on the helmet.
“Good fucking block!” the quarterback congratulated him as they jogged to join the offense, having completed a long pass to keep the drive alive.
Kam had the physical traits to be an effective pass blocker and he displayed it by blowing up the blitzing linebacker, allowing Zach to find an open receiver on third down to get inside the red zone.
“Kam out!” Kam overheard from the sideline as Danny came back onto the field.
…
“Hernandez is in, touchdown! That’s his twentieth career touchdown for the Yellow Jackets and many more to go this season for the talented senior!”
…
“Some tough running from the New Jersey transfer on second and long to get the Yellow Jackets to a manageable third down situation here, looking like 3rd and four.”
…
“Do something about it,” Kam muttered to the defenders as he walked past them, not bothering to adjust his path as they bumped shoulders.
“Keep it clean!” yelled one of the officials.
Kam looked towards the sideline, expecting to get pulled as he had been on the field for the past two plays, but Danny and Jeremy remained by coach Howell’s side. He fastened his gloves as he got back into the huddle.
“Twins Right, Ride 33, first sound, first sound, re….”
“Fuck reading that bitch,” Kam told Ron, the athletic tight end, and Lewis. The play called for them to double team the play-side end and based on how the strongside linebacker reacted, would determine which one of them would come off the double-team to block the linebacker.
“He’s going to shoot that bitch,” Kam instructed Lewis, having learned his lesson with the slow-footed left tackle having a hard time getting around the defensive end, “Just go straight to the backer!”
“You’ve got ten seconds!” the official warned them, taking a step towards the huddle.
“Come on, come on, on the line!” Zach hurried them
Kam lined up behind the quarterback and kept reminding himself to be patient as he knew the safety would see the same hole open and come crashing down. He’d need to wait for the safety to commit to it first, which would be a difference between a modest gain and a potential touchdown.
“Go!”
In all their discussions, Kam had forgotten the cadence and was caught off guard when the ball was snapped, and Zach was now heading towards him. Kam stumbled out of his stance before receiving the handoff and looking up to see the hole open up the way he had anticipated.
“Wait…. wait…. wait,” he thought to himself as the safety finally flashed and came crashing down.
Kam jumped cut out of the wide-open hole and instead ran outside of Ron’s block, who had held up well against the defensive end. He planted his outside foot once he got to the edge and turned up field.
…
“What a play by Kam Seidu-Harris and if not for the great effort of Ronnell Bruton with the tackle inside the five, that’s probably a touchdown!”
…
Kam slammed the ball into his hand in both frustration and excitement as he had felt the defender’s presence but had decided to rely on his speed, what little was left at the end of the long run. He soon locked eyes with Ron and Lewis, who were jumping in excitement as they joined him near the endzone.
“I told your ass,” Kam congratulated them both, “Fuck all this slow-play shit.”
“I can’t believe you bounced that,” Zach joined in on the fun, “Coach was going to fry your ass if that shit ain’t work.”
“But it did,” Kam shrugged before turning around to the tap on his shoulder.
“Good shit,” Danny congratulated him as he replaced him in the huddle.
…
“Danny Hernandez is going to walk in for his second touchdown of the day!”
…
“They cannot tackle Seidu-Harris as he picks another up first down!”
…
“What a run from the New Jersey transfer who is just a man among boys on those inside runs tonight!”
…
“Hernandez has his arms up……and yes, it’s another touchdown!”
…
“You’re probably done for the night,” coach Howell told Danny as he walked over to the group of running backs as the defense continued to pitch a shutout and was on the verge of another turnover-on-downs.
Kam grabbed his helmet, keeping an eye on the action on the field as both teams lined up.
“Let the young boys play,” Danny was quick to suggest, putting his arm around some of the JV call-ups that hadn’t played.
Coach Howell didn’t mull it over for long before pointing towards one of the sophomore running backs, “Alright, you’re up. Ball protection is everything right now!”
Kam put his helmet away, resigning in being a spectator for the rest of the night.
…
The sight of his father, Taylour and Katy waiting for him in the school parking lot couldn’t help but remind Kam of what he had lost. He used the cover of darkness to quickly wipe the tears before joining them, sharing a hug with his dad.
“You were running the hell out of that ball!” Kwame congratulated him, “Wasn’t he, Katy?”
She smiled as she continued to hide behind Kwame’s leg, eventually tugging on him to pick her up which he obliged.
“We’re so proud of you,” Taylour told him, offering him a hug.
“I didn’t really do much,” Kam played it down, only being able to recall a few carries.
“You would have scored if they kept you in the game,” Kwame pointed out, “It’s the first game and you still did your thing, man. Everyone in the stands was like ‘who the hell is that’, I’m telling you.”
“For real?” Kam smiled, “They small down here.”
“Relax,” Coach Justin surprised him from behind, shaking his hand before greeting his sister, “They hawked your behind down, though.”
“Y’all are pretty fast down here,” Kam readily admitted, “I’ll give y’all that.”
“Can y’all give him a touchdown?” Kwame teased Justin as they dapped up, “He deserved that one, man, after that long ass run.”
“You know that’s their golden boy,” Justin replied, “He’ll get his though, I’m sure of it. Good running tonight, Kamal.”
“Thanks,” Kam replied, wishing he could bottle up this exact feeling after a game and use it whenever he needed it.
“I know it’s Friday night and you got some little tail you probably want to chase after, but we got to do a family dinner,” Kwame insisted, “At least for the first game I’ve seen my boy play in god knows how long.”
Kam had made plans to meet up with the guys later but even he knew this was bigger than that, “I’m not eating no vegetables or nothing though.”
“You deserve it,” Kwame held his hands up as the group broke out in laughter.
Requiem for a Broken Dream.
Pound that mf rock 
Requiem for a Broken Dream.
Season 2, Episode 2
While the intimate ballroom was no MGM Grand or Madison Square Garden, it felt all the same to its participants as Kam watched with bated breath.
The young Dominican looked a lot sharper than the last time Kam had laid eyes on him, relying on his jab to keep his opponent at the end of his punches. Kwame would occasionally mutter a few commands but not loud enough for the actual recipient to hear them as he left that task to their actual coaches whose heads peaked through the bottom rope from time to time.
“Pick up the pace!” yelled one of his coaches, echoing Kwame’s muttering words just a few moments prior.
“I think he won that one,” Kam told his dad as they both leaned back into their seat, almost in unison, at the sound of the bell.
“He’s letting him win too many moments,” Kwame’s eyes remained fixated on Armando’s corner, trying to decipher what they were communicating to him, “Those little lulls in action can end you with the judges.”
Kwame had learned that the hard way.
“That big right hand is there,” Kam had seen it live in person against his own father which nearly stumbled him despite the size advantage.
“He ain’t going to throw it though.”
Kwame’s assessment was brutal but rang true as the last finishing rounds were relatively uneventful with the prospect, as expected, still managing to get his hand raised.
Kam finished up the last of his Diet Coke – a concession his father allowed him to have after his first game yesterday – before following him into the winner’s ‘locker room’ which was nothing more than a small meeting room outfitted with some chairs and a cooler filled with water and now celebratory beers and a bottle of champagne which they uncorked just as Kwame and Kam made their entrance.
“He looked a lot better,” Kwame told one of the trainers as they shared a quick hug, “Y’all turning him around quickly?”
“Only way to keep the weight off,” he replied plainly with a shrug.
“He’s not going to be at one-forty-seven for much longer,” Kwame explained, “He’s damn near my size out of camp, you only got so many weight cuts before it takes a toll on you.”
Kam didn’t think it was befitting to be celebrating the win in such fashion and instead quietly migrated towards Hector.
“Yankee,” Hector greeted him with only a cut on his bottom lip and some light swelling on the corner of his right eye, “Appreciate you coming out, bro.”
“Thanks for the tickets,” Kam dapped him up, getting some sweat on his polo shirt, “I know your ass hungry.”
“I might eat four burgers tonight,” Hector held up the half-eaten burger wrapped in foil, “Two whole pizzas and a shit ton of cervezas, you feel me?”
“I got hungry just watching y’all fight for that long,” Kam joked, garnering a small chuckle from Hector as he bit into his burger.
“A few more minutes guys,” said a hotel employee as they popped their head into the meeting room.
“You coming to the after party?” Hector asked Kam who looked over to his father who was still enthralled in his discussions with now the entire coaching staff.
“I don’t see why not.”
…
“You probably like wine coolers and shit.”
“Don’t play with me,” Kam scoffed, “This lowkey a set up because if I say anything, I’m going to be in trouble.”
“You were coming in at one, two in the morning all summer. You think I don’t know?” Kwame shook his head as he finished off yet another bottle of water.
“I dabble,” Kam confessed, “Nothing crazy, nothing every other high school kid isn’t doing.”
The ‘after-party’ wasn’t much of a party after all with it primarily being Hector’s family and friends meeting up at one of the coaches’ houses. The 23-year-old was already engaged with two kids and another on the way, all with his high school sweetheart which had just recently joined him from their hometown of Puerto Plata. So, his idea of an after-party was just food, a few beers and Reggaeton blaring from the speakers which Kam and Kwame were escaping by hanging out in the driveway.
“Doesn’t mean you have to,” Kwame suggested, “I’m not trying to come down on you or nothing. Lord knows I dabbled in my fair share too, even when I was younger than you. I just can’t recall a single time waking up, wishing I had drank the night before. I bet your ass wished a few times you hadn’t, though.”
“True,” Kam had grown to appreciate Kwame’s parenting style, despite not always heeding it.
“You need it to talk to girls or something?”
“No,” Kam quickly refuted, “You’re making me sound like a fiend or something.”
“Just don’t get too drunk to wrap it up,” Kwame shook his head, “How you think you ended up here?”
“Something’s wrong with you,” Kam looked at the ground, shaking his head while trying to stifle his smile.
While the intimate ballroom was no MGM Grand or Madison Square Garden, it felt all the same to its participants as Kam watched with bated breath.
The young Dominican looked a lot sharper than the last time Kam had laid eyes on him, relying on his jab to keep his opponent at the end of his punches. Kwame would occasionally mutter a few commands but not loud enough for the actual recipient to hear them as he left that task to their actual coaches whose heads peaked through the bottom rope from time to time.
“Pick up the pace!” yelled one of his coaches, echoing Kwame’s muttering words just a few moments prior.
“I think he won that one,” Kam told his dad as they both leaned back into their seat, almost in unison, at the sound of the bell.
“He’s letting him win too many moments,” Kwame’s eyes remained fixated on Armando’s corner, trying to decipher what they were communicating to him, “Those little lulls in action can end you with the judges.”
Kwame had learned that the hard way.
“That big right hand is there,” Kam had seen it live in person against his own father which nearly stumbled him despite the size advantage.
“He ain’t going to throw it though.”
Kwame’s assessment was brutal but rang true as the last finishing rounds were relatively uneventful with the prospect, as expected, still managing to get his hand raised.
Kam finished up the last of his Diet Coke – a concession his father allowed him to have after his first game yesterday – before following him into the winner’s ‘locker room’ which was nothing more than a small meeting room outfitted with some chairs and a cooler filled with water and now celebratory beers and a bottle of champagne which they uncorked just as Kwame and Kam made their entrance.
“He looked a lot better,” Kwame told one of the trainers as they shared a quick hug, “Y’all turning him around quickly?”
“Only way to keep the weight off,” he replied plainly with a shrug.
“He’s not going to be at one-forty-seven for much longer,” Kwame explained, “He’s damn near my size out of camp, you only got so many weight cuts before it takes a toll on you.”
Kam didn’t think it was befitting to be celebrating the win in such fashion and instead quietly migrated towards Hector.
“Yankee,” Hector greeted him with only a cut on his bottom lip and some light swelling on the corner of his right eye, “Appreciate you coming out, bro.”
“Thanks for the tickets,” Kam dapped him up, getting some sweat on his polo shirt, “I know your ass hungry.”
“I might eat four burgers tonight,” Hector held up the half-eaten burger wrapped in foil, “Two whole pizzas and a shit ton of cervezas, you feel me?”
“I got hungry just watching y’all fight for that long,” Kam joked, garnering a small chuckle from Hector as he bit into his burger.
“A few more minutes guys,” said a hotel employee as they popped their head into the meeting room.
“You coming to the after party?” Hector asked Kam who looked over to his father who was still enthralled in his discussions with now the entire coaching staff.
“I don’t see why not.”
…
“You probably like wine coolers and shit.”
“Don’t play with me,” Kam scoffed, “This lowkey a set up because if I say anything, I’m going to be in trouble.”
“You were coming in at one, two in the morning all summer. You think I don’t know?” Kwame shook his head as he finished off yet another bottle of water.
“I dabble,” Kam confessed, “Nothing crazy, nothing every other high school kid isn’t doing.”
The ‘after-party’ wasn’t much of a party after all with it primarily being Hector’s family and friends meeting up at one of the coaches’ houses. The 23-year-old was already engaged with two kids and another on the way, all with his high school sweetheart which had just recently joined him from their hometown of Puerto Plata. So, his idea of an after-party was just food, a few beers and Reggaeton blaring from the speakers which Kam and Kwame were escaping by hanging out in the driveway.
“Doesn’t mean you have to,” Kwame suggested, “I’m not trying to come down on you or nothing. Lord knows I dabbled in my fair share too, even when I was younger than you. I just can’t recall a single time waking up, wishing I had drank the night before. I bet your ass wished a few times you hadn’t, though.”
“True,” Kam had grown to appreciate Kwame’s parenting style, despite not always heeding it.
“You need it to talk to girls or something?”
“No,” Kam quickly refuted, “You’re making me sound like a fiend or something.”
“Just don’t get too drunk to wrap it up,” Kwame shook his head, “How you think you ended up here?”
“Something’s wrong with you,” Kam looked at the ground, shaking his head while trying to stifle his smile.
Requiem for a Broken Dream.
Season 2, Episode 3
“It ain’t no fucking hole to run through,” Danny nearly spat out his mouthpiece in frustration as Coach Howell had to physically restraint the senior from throwing his helmet.
…
“Not a lot of room for Seidu-Harris but he does manage to pick up a first down, pushing the pile to the Alonso 46-yard line.”
…
“Justin Austin with the nice grab near the sideline and you can see why he was listed as one of Hillsborough County’s top rising juniors! His connection with Zach Moreno should only improve as the season rolls on. It’s going to be first and goal from the seven-yard line after that nice pitch and catch!”
…
Kam slowly jogged off the field despite the encouragement from the sidelines, receiving pats on his helmet that were soon interrupted with the celebration of Danny’s touchdown.
“Way to loosen up that defense,” Coach Howell told Kam, making a concerted effort to acknowledge the dirty work that Kam had done against Alonso’s much bigger defense which earlier on had no problems swallowing up the diminutive Danny.
Kam nodded his helmet in acknowledgement as he took a seat on the bench, preparing himself for a long night of hard running.
…
“Nowhere to go for Hernandez and it looks like the field goal unit is coming out for Blake.”
…
“Beach has his hands up and with good reason as that’s a touchdown for Alonso High School!”
…
“Hernandez tries to bounce it outside and he’s going to be pushed out of bounds.”
…
“What a stiff-arm from Seidu-Harris who stays in bounds and picks up another first down for the Yellow Jackets.”
…
“Play action…. Moreno looks deep…. touchdown to Justin Austin who is balling tonight!”
…
“What a kick from the Ravens punter as the ball rolls out of bound at the two-yard line, surprised Hernandez didn’t field that punt on that punt return. He returned two punts for touchdowns last year and is certainly dynamic in the return game in what has been a tough night for him in the backfield.”
…
“Let’s go heavy personnel here,” Coach Sutton tried to adjust in real time as the offense came onto the field, having previously prepared for a solid return.
“Army! Army!” his coaching staff barked on the sidelines as Kam quickly grabbed his helmet and ran out onto the field.
He only made it a few steps before Danny waved him off, entering himself into the huddle instead. Kam looked back towards the sideline to Coach Howell now also motioning for him to get off the field.
“Y’all called for Army personnel,” Kam held his hands up.
“You’re good,” Coach Howell assured him, “Stay on my hip.”
…
“Moreno under center, hands it off to Hernandez off to the right…he’s losing ground…. he tries to reverse field and he’s going to be tackled near the endzone and…. the referees are huddling together because this just might be…and it is! It’s a safety!”
…
It took nearly the entire offensive line to calm Danny down as he got to the sideline. He was usually the calming voice for the team but on this night, he was the fire that needed kindling.
“Ain’t nobody blocking shit!” Danny complained to the offensive line coach, “I don’t know what the fuck y’all want from me!”
“Don’t run ten yards backward!” Coach Washington barked back, never one to avoid confrontation.
“Chill out bruh,” Jerome, the team’s starting left guard, tried to reason with Danny, “We’re going to get this shit, right. We got you, bruh.”
“Fuck all that,” Danny sucked his teeth as he pulled his arm from Jerome’s grasp, “Y’all ain’t the one getting killed out there.”
The conversation had grown boring to Kam as these were the type of holes he had grown accustomed to running through at Pascack, especially when playing any of the private schools with defensive lines heading to the Big Ten.
The argument was finally interrupted by the cheers from the opposing sideline as they reached the endzone for the second time.
…
“It’s a quick completion from Moreno who keeps the chains moving.”
…
“The New Jersey transfer continues to impress with his tough running as it’s taking at least two, three defenders to bring him down on every carry.”
…
“Hernandez is once again bottled up in the backfield and that’s going to be third and twelve from the Alonso 37-yard line as this promising drive is stalling out.”
…
Danny’s frustration had started to grow into apathy as he tapped his helmet a few times, indicating he was ready to be subbed out. He didn’t wait for Coach Howell to return the signal as he started his walk to the sideline, unbuckling his helmet and taking it off before reaching those white lines.
“This is Nike,” Coach Sutton shouted to Coach Howell upon realizing that Kam was in the game, “Where’s Danny?”
“He took himself out,” Coach Howell shrugged as the senior had already gone and sat on the bench away from the team.
“Get me Jeremy then!”
Coach Howell frantically looked to his side, only to see two wide-eyed JV call-ups starting back at him. He searched the sideline only to find that Jeremy had joined Danny on the sideline.
“Fuck it!” Coach Sutton returned his attention to the quarterback standing in front of him, “Just run the fucking play.”
…
“Moreno drops back…pressure gets home immediately and it’s a screen pass to Seidu-Harris who turns up field and he’s got some blockers! He’s at the 35…30….25…. cuts inside….15….back outside…stiff arms a defender and he’s going to tumble and rumble his way into the endzone for a touchdown!”
…
Kam struggled to get to his feet, stumbling down a few times before finally getting vertical where he was mobbed by the team and brought right back to the ground.
“I see you Jersey!” he could hear among the celebration before eventually being helped up from the ground.
He tossed the ball to the official, nearly forgetting to do his planned celebration. He paused and looked to the skies, pounding his chest three times before kissing his hand and pointing it to the heavens.
Danny was one of the first to congratulate him on the sidelines, nearly jumping into his arms in celebration.
“Big man running!” Danny cackled with joy, “That’s a bad motherfucker right there!”
…
“Blake gets the ball to open the second half and it’s going to be returned by Danny Hernandez who is a dangerous man back there and he’s going to wiggle his way through the 25-yard line…. ball is out! Ball is out! An Alonso defender is heading back towards the endzone with the ball, and it doesn’t look like the refs are blowing it!”
…
“Moreno rolls out of the pocket and it’s a dump off pass to Hernandez who is quickly tackled behind the line to gain and it’s punting time for the Yellow Jackets.”
…
“Owen Beach is running strong, and no one is going to catch him as Alonso High School is starting to run away with this thing.”
…
A needle drop could be heard on Blake’s sideline as coach Sutton started pacing back and forth between positional coaches, needing a drastic rebrand of their original gameplan.
“We’re going hurry up,” coach Sutton told each position group, “Don’t put no motherfucker in there that can’t run it.”
…
Kam’s eyes kept revering back to the scoreboard, noticing the time dwindling away and the fewer and fewer opportunities he would have to get back into the game. All the no-huddle offense had accomplished was shorten the time between when the offense would take the field and leave it, with no points having been scored. It also coincided with Kam not getting on the field at all throughout the third quarter and his looming presence was being felt by coach Howell.
“I got you, I got you,” he would occasionally tell Kam, “Just get ready, stay on my hip.”
…
“Hernandez with a decent gain but I’m not sure he got to the line to gain. The officials aren’t even going to measure it and they’re going to call it fourth down. It doesn’t look like Blake’s coaching staff is going to ask for a measurement either as they are getting ready to line up.”
…
“Danny out! Danny! Danny!” Coach Howell barked from the sidelines as he pushed Kam onto the field, nearly knocking him over.
Kam got his balance just in time to look up to see Danny still lined up behind Zach, not even looking towards the sideline.
“What are we doing?!” Zach yelled towards the sideline, holding his palm towards Kam to get him to stop as they were at risk of a penalty.
“Run the play!” Coach Sutton barked back to his quarterback, “Get out, Kam!”
Kam threw his head back in frustration before turning around and jogging back towards the sideline, taking his helmet off and slamming it on the ground, “Bruh, what the fuck?!”
“I don’t need him out there if he can’t run no huddle,” Coach Sutton reprimanded his assistant, “I already told y’all asses!”
The situation was only exacerbated by the offense nearly being called for delay of game, only to hand it off to Danny who was stuffed in the backfield for a turnover on downs.
“Fourth down and you hand it off to a little ass nigga when you got me!” Kam continued to bark from the sidelines, not caring who heard him, “Make that shit make sense, dawg!”
“Come on bro!” yelled one of the players towards his direction, “We got to stay locked in!”
“Ain’t nobody trying to hear that shit! The fuck I’m here for if you ain’t going to give a nigga the rock on fucking fourth down! Nigga sorrier then a bitch!”
“It ain’t no fucking hole to run through,” Danny nearly spat out his mouthpiece in frustration as Coach Howell had to physically restraint the senior from throwing his helmet.
…
“Not a lot of room for Seidu-Harris but he does manage to pick up a first down, pushing the pile to the Alonso 46-yard line.”
…
“Justin Austin with the nice grab near the sideline and you can see why he was listed as one of Hillsborough County’s top rising juniors! His connection with Zach Moreno should only improve as the season rolls on. It’s going to be first and goal from the seven-yard line after that nice pitch and catch!”
…
Kam slowly jogged off the field despite the encouragement from the sidelines, receiving pats on his helmet that were soon interrupted with the celebration of Danny’s touchdown.
“Way to loosen up that defense,” Coach Howell told Kam, making a concerted effort to acknowledge the dirty work that Kam had done against Alonso’s much bigger defense which earlier on had no problems swallowing up the diminutive Danny.
Kam nodded his helmet in acknowledgement as he took a seat on the bench, preparing himself for a long night of hard running.
…
“Nowhere to go for Hernandez and it looks like the field goal unit is coming out for Blake.”
…
“Beach has his hands up and with good reason as that’s a touchdown for Alonso High School!”
…
“Hernandez tries to bounce it outside and he’s going to be pushed out of bounds.”
…
“What a stiff-arm from Seidu-Harris who stays in bounds and picks up another first down for the Yellow Jackets.”
…
“Play action…. Moreno looks deep…. touchdown to Justin Austin who is balling tonight!”
…
“What a kick from the Ravens punter as the ball rolls out of bound at the two-yard line, surprised Hernandez didn’t field that punt on that punt return. He returned two punts for touchdowns last year and is certainly dynamic in the return game in what has been a tough night for him in the backfield.”
…
“Let’s go heavy personnel here,” Coach Sutton tried to adjust in real time as the offense came onto the field, having previously prepared for a solid return.
“Army! Army!” his coaching staff barked on the sidelines as Kam quickly grabbed his helmet and ran out onto the field.
He only made it a few steps before Danny waved him off, entering himself into the huddle instead. Kam looked back towards the sideline to Coach Howell now also motioning for him to get off the field.
“Y’all called for Army personnel,” Kam held his hands up.
“You’re good,” Coach Howell assured him, “Stay on my hip.”
…
“Moreno under center, hands it off to Hernandez off to the right…he’s losing ground…. he tries to reverse field and he’s going to be tackled near the endzone and…. the referees are huddling together because this just might be…and it is! It’s a safety!”
…
It took nearly the entire offensive line to calm Danny down as he got to the sideline. He was usually the calming voice for the team but on this night, he was the fire that needed kindling.
“Ain’t nobody blocking shit!” Danny complained to the offensive line coach, “I don’t know what the fuck y’all want from me!”
“Don’t run ten yards backward!” Coach Washington barked back, never one to avoid confrontation.
“Chill out bruh,” Jerome, the team’s starting left guard, tried to reason with Danny, “We’re going to get this shit, right. We got you, bruh.”
“Fuck all that,” Danny sucked his teeth as he pulled his arm from Jerome’s grasp, “Y’all ain’t the one getting killed out there.”
The conversation had grown boring to Kam as these were the type of holes he had grown accustomed to running through at Pascack, especially when playing any of the private schools with defensive lines heading to the Big Ten.
The argument was finally interrupted by the cheers from the opposing sideline as they reached the endzone for the second time.
…
“It’s a quick completion from Moreno who keeps the chains moving.”
…
“The New Jersey transfer continues to impress with his tough running as it’s taking at least two, three defenders to bring him down on every carry.”
…
“Hernandez is once again bottled up in the backfield and that’s going to be third and twelve from the Alonso 37-yard line as this promising drive is stalling out.”
…
Danny’s frustration had started to grow into apathy as he tapped his helmet a few times, indicating he was ready to be subbed out. He didn’t wait for Coach Howell to return the signal as he started his walk to the sideline, unbuckling his helmet and taking it off before reaching those white lines.
“This is Nike,” Coach Sutton shouted to Coach Howell upon realizing that Kam was in the game, “Where’s Danny?”
“He took himself out,” Coach Howell shrugged as the senior had already gone and sat on the bench away from the team.
“Get me Jeremy then!”
Coach Howell frantically looked to his side, only to see two wide-eyed JV call-ups starting back at him. He searched the sideline only to find that Jeremy had joined Danny on the sideline.
“Fuck it!” Coach Sutton returned his attention to the quarterback standing in front of him, “Just run the fucking play.”
…
“Moreno drops back…pressure gets home immediately and it’s a screen pass to Seidu-Harris who turns up field and he’s got some blockers! He’s at the 35…30….25…. cuts inside….15….back outside…stiff arms a defender and he’s going to tumble and rumble his way into the endzone for a touchdown!”
…
Kam struggled to get to his feet, stumbling down a few times before finally getting vertical where he was mobbed by the team and brought right back to the ground.
“I see you Jersey!” he could hear among the celebration before eventually being helped up from the ground.
He tossed the ball to the official, nearly forgetting to do his planned celebration. He paused and looked to the skies, pounding his chest three times before kissing his hand and pointing it to the heavens.
Danny was one of the first to congratulate him on the sidelines, nearly jumping into his arms in celebration.
“Big man running!” Danny cackled with joy, “That’s a bad motherfucker right there!”
…
“Blake gets the ball to open the second half and it’s going to be returned by Danny Hernandez who is a dangerous man back there and he’s going to wiggle his way through the 25-yard line…. ball is out! Ball is out! An Alonso defender is heading back towards the endzone with the ball, and it doesn’t look like the refs are blowing it!”
…
“Moreno rolls out of the pocket and it’s a dump off pass to Hernandez who is quickly tackled behind the line to gain and it’s punting time for the Yellow Jackets.”
…
“Owen Beach is running strong, and no one is going to catch him as Alonso High School is starting to run away with this thing.”
…
A needle drop could be heard on Blake’s sideline as coach Sutton started pacing back and forth between positional coaches, needing a drastic rebrand of their original gameplan.
“We’re going hurry up,” coach Sutton told each position group, “Don’t put no motherfucker in there that can’t run it.”
…
Kam’s eyes kept revering back to the scoreboard, noticing the time dwindling away and the fewer and fewer opportunities he would have to get back into the game. All the no-huddle offense had accomplished was shorten the time between when the offense would take the field and leave it, with no points having been scored. It also coincided with Kam not getting on the field at all throughout the third quarter and his looming presence was being felt by coach Howell.
“I got you, I got you,” he would occasionally tell Kam, “Just get ready, stay on my hip.”
…
“Hernandez with a decent gain but I’m not sure he got to the line to gain. The officials aren’t even going to measure it and they’re going to call it fourth down. It doesn’t look like Blake’s coaching staff is going to ask for a measurement either as they are getting ready to line up.”
…
“Danny out! Danny! Danny!” Coach Howell barked from the sidelines as he pushed Kam onto the field, nearly knocking him over.
Kam got his balance just in time to look up to see Danny still lined up behind Zach, not even looking towards the sideline.
“What are we doing?!” Zach yelled towards the sideline, holding his palm towards Kam to get him to stop as they were at risk of a penalty.
“Run the play!” Coach Sutton barked back to his quarterback, “Get out, Kam!”
Kam threw his head back in frustration before turning around and jogging back towards the sideline, taking his helmet off and slamming it on the ground, “Bruh, what the fuck?!”
“I don’t need him out there if he can’t run no huddle,” Coach Sutton reprimanded his assistant, “I already told y’all asses!”
The situation was only exacerbated by the offense nearly being called for delay of game, only to hand it off to Danny who was stuffed in the backfield for a turnover on downs.
“Fourth down and you hand it off to a little ass nigga when you got me!” Kam continued to bark from the sidelines, not caring who heard him, “Make that shit make sense, dawg!”
“Come on bro!” yelled one of the players towards his direction, “We got to stay locked in!”
“Ain’t nobody trying to hear that shit! The fuck I’m here for if you ain’t going to give a nigga the rock on fucking fourth down! Nigga sorrier then a bitch!”
Requiem for a Broken Dream.
“If you already know where he going, what’s the point of watching this shit?”
“Let the little nigga support his homie,” Marcus interjected, biting into his pizza, “Maybe if niggas supported you and your hoop dreams, you wouldn’t be a washed-up bum talking about coach didn’t like you.”
“You know he ain’t give my ass the green light,” Johnny shook his head.
Kam’s eyes remained glued to the TV screen as the cameras finally panned to Jamal, standing in front of a table with an assortment of hats. He recognized Jamal’s family in the back, as well as an unfamiliar blonde who Kam assumed was his flavor of the month.
They had always spoken about potentially playing together at the next level but Kam, being the bigger body, got a lot more attention and letters from colleges earlier on in the process. By the time Jamal became the more sought-after recruit, talks of playing together had already dissipated and neither party seemed interested in rekindling them as they had grown tired of taking turns in each other’s shadows, despite being the best of friends.
“Like J-Cole said, I’m going up I-95 and I’ll be attending Boston College!”
Kam clapped his hands, almost startling the rest of the onlookers as he watched with pride from Marcus’ living room. Marcus joined in the celebration, at first mockingly but then in earnest, sharing a dap with Kam.
“You better shout us out nigga when you announce,” Marcus teased him, “Strap up, mask up…”
“Kick the fucking door in,” Johnny finished with a smirk, “Enough of this football shit, let’s get some motherfucking action going on.”
…
“I’m going to get you right, just setting some shit up right now.”
“I ain’t worried about that,” Snow waved him off as he carefully plotted out every inch of the room, arranging it to his liking, “I know they ass gonna be on my shit for a little bit so I ain’t in no rush, them motherfuckers ain’t even gonna know I got out.”
“You know word travels fast,” Curtis warned him, leaning on the dresser that had been in the family for literal generations.
“I know it do,” Snow slowly nodded, “That’s how I know you was handling shit out here, cuzzo. That was some real stepper shit you did for a real nigga.”
“Just trying to hold shit down for you,” Curtis shrugged, taking off the gold ring on his index finger.
“That’s yours,” Snow replied to him, “You earned that shit, man. Besides, I’m about to get some iced out shit once I’m back up, straight snowman shit.”
“How do you want to play it?”
“Just keep running things and doing you,” Snow had no issues with his cousin now being the face of their operation, “Once I get this heat off me, we’ll run that bitch like a co-op.”
Curtis wasn’t sure of the meaning of the word but agreed, nonetheless.
“You got any more problems with the young boys?”
“They’ve been straight, you know, just regular young nigga shit from time to time.”
“And who been handling that?”
“If it rises to that, Dacorius straightens it out.”
“And does he?”
“Does he what?” Marcus asked, a bit confused.
“Does he straighten the shit out? Word on the block was the young boys felt like they were running their own shit and just kicking up whatever they felt like.”
“They ain’t never been light,” Marcus answered, “I mean, besides that one time that we already spoke about and rectified that situation.”
“B-Wood bitch ass still they OG?”
“I can’t tell you if that nigga is they OG or not, but they still fuck with him, best I can tell.”
“When the times calls for it, we’ll handle that,” Snow took his tank top off and laid on the bed, staring straight into the ceiling.
“You’re going to be good here? I already told you I got a spot out the jungle, real lowkey shit.”
“I still need the niggas that need to know that I’m home to know that I’m home,” Snow closed his eyes, “Roaches scatter when you turn on the light.”
…
Kam’s face felt flush as he finished off his shot, letting the sting of alcohol linger for a moment before drowning it out with a lukewarm beer. He let the beer rest in between his fingertips as he looked through his eyebrows across the backyard towards the familiar and shapely figure.
He had caught her gaze a few times but never for more than a moment as she would look away, resuming conversation with her friends.
They were celebrating, for a lack of better term, Andre’s last day out as he had violated the terms of his parole by (allegedly) assaulting his long-time girlfriend, Monique. The undertaking made no sense to Kam for several reasons, chief among them was that Monique was friends with nearly all the girls that were in attendance. Not to mention, Andre had already gone through bookings and was not even an attendee of his own party. Alas, it was just another excuse to do a copious number of drugs, overdrink and cross intimate boundaries that weren’t mean to be crossed.
“Are you just going to baby that drink?”
Kam looked up to see the subject of his thoughts standing in front of him, snapping him out of whatever drunken haze he was beginning to fall into.
“I just took a shot,” he defended himself, holding up the empty cup, “I don’t see you getting active.”
“I’m a lady, I don’t get active,” Ravyn took a next to him, practically laying the end of her leg on his.
They had done this delicate dance since the night they first met, crossing the touch barrier while avoiding others. Kam was partly to blame, as was Marcus, as the night most likely for it to happen was interrupted by Kam getting way too high off Marcus’ laced blunt.
“I’ve seen you get active now,” Kam raised his eyebrows, drawing a light chuckle from Ravyn who playfully hit him on the shoulder, letting her hand lingered there long enough for a quick rub.
Kam’s discovery that Danny had been interested in barking up that same tree had cooled off his advances towards Ravyn but that was of no concern to him anymore, not after last night’s debacle.
He placed his hand on her thigh, slowly inching towards nirvana until he could feel her warmth. He fully expected her to pull back or at least mention their shared friend, but she never did, only further widening their legs as if it was just the two of them.
It would soon be as they made their way to the back of Marcus’ car, accomplishing what had long been overdue.
…
“He’s got a G5 arm.”
“Come on, now. You see a plane around here or something?” Coach Patrick continued to watch the quarterback go through his throws, looking for the Group of 5 arm that Coach Sutton was speaking of.
“We don’t really have the guys to push it down the field,” Coach Sutton defended his third-year starter, “But it ain’t a throw he can’t make, just don’t always got zip on it is all.”
“What about the big boy at running back?” Coach Patrick’s eyes had been wandering over to the running backs since they first came out, even though the school wasn’t necessarily on the market for a senior running back, “You said he’s a senior, yeah?”
“Late transfer from Jersey,” Coach Sutton shrugged, “You know me, I shoot it to you straight. I don’t know jackshit about the kid myself to even tell you.”
Coach Sutton’s words had little effect on Coach Patrick as he continued to watch Kam gracefully go through the cones with little to no wasted movement. It was the perfect drill to highlight his balance and suddenness while also masking his lack of top end speed.
“Any defense?”
“Not that I know of,” Coach Sutton replied earnestly, “Seems like an offensive guy to me, mentally at least.”
“He doesn’t run hard?”
“I mean, yeah, he does but, I don’t know. I just don’t want any coaches calling my phone in six months telling me I sold them a lemon. If y’all looking for a running back, you know about Danny.”
“We’re good,” Coach Patrick quickly shut him down, having heard the sales pitch for the past eighteen months, “We’re only taking one high school running back this cycle and coach Merritt all wrapped up with this kid from Georgia so was just curious on big boy is all.”
Last edited by Soapy on 15 Jul 2024, 14:04, edited 2 times in total.