Free Web NovelChapter 49: Chapter 44: Marching Forward Resolutely
The atmosphere on the practice field was oppressive and chaotic. The players warming up seemed distracted, their eyes wandering aimlessly. No one spoke. Only the faint rustling of their movements drifted through the air, making everyone antsy and unable to focus.
"This isn’t fair!" After thinking it over and over, John still couldn’t stomach it.
From the practice squad to a backup, and then to the fourth Wide Receiver—over the past five months, he had clawed his way back onto the main roster, step by step. Although he still wasn’t the number one Wide Receiver and wouldn’t play every offensive down, he had genuinely carved out a place for himself on the team. Without Lu Ke, none of it would have been possible.
Lu Ke’s sweat and effort on this practice field hadn’t been just for the past five months, but for the last year and a half, day in and day out. He knew it, and so did everyone else on the team. That was why, during the game against the Trojans Team, the starters had been willing to trust a quarterback who’d never run plays with them, who’d never even stepped onto the field in a game. Through his dedication in practice, he had already earned the respect of every single teammate.
But now, Kevin Price was still the starting quarterback? It was absurd! Kevin Price was no Andrew Luck.
"This is bullshit!" Logan was even more furious than John, cursing outright. "It shouldn’t be like this! No, this is wrong! Jesus Christ, what the hell is going on? Was I the only one on the field that night? Was I the only one in the Rose Bowl who witnessed that miracle?"
Silence. A heavy silence.
Logan’s words made everyone lower their heads and avoid eye contact. No one spoke or replied. Before they even realized it, quiet sighs began to escape from the group.
Marcus couldn’t help but ask, "Is he... is he still coming back?" After the words left his mouth, Marcus glanced around again. "He’s usually the first one here. Now... it feels strange not having him."
Practice. Lu Ke was absent from practice today. For the first time, they felt a void—a huge void, like a black hole that was impossible to ignore. They were only now realizing that over the past two seasons, Lu Ke’s influence on the team had seeped deep into its very bones. They never knew a practice squad player could have such a powerful impact.
It was incredible, but it was happening.
"God! You’re all a bunch of pussies!" Kevin, who had been standing nearby, tried to hold his tongue, but finally couldn’t take it anymore.
Kevin had been taken out of the last game with an injury, but the post-game checkup revealed only a minor knee contusion. After resting for a few days, he was quickly back at practice.
He knew Lu Ke had led the Brown Bear Team to a stunning comeback. He also knew Lu Ke’s performance in the final quarter had been exceptional. ’But that doesn’t mean anything. It can’t mean anything. It was just one quarter. It was mostly luck—nothing but pure luck!’
’I’m the best starting quarterback for this team!’ he believed. ’The entire season proves it! If it weren’t for me, the team wouldn’t have gotten its six-and-five record. Even with the win against the Trojans, we wouldn’t have made it to the Rose Bowl without that. So, I have absolute confidence in myself.’
’The coaching staff made the right choice!’ Kevin thought. But this bunch of guys on the team were like those inflatable tube men in front of a supermarket—completely spineless. Every one of them looked like it was the end of the world, and they were sleepwalking through their warm-ups. It was an absolute disgrace!
"This team needs our coordination—solid, practiced coordination!" Kevin felt everyone’s eyes on him, but he pretended not to notice, rambling on. "Not some flash-in-the-pan chemistry that disappears in the blink of an eye. No one cares about one win or loss. What we need is practiced tactical execution! Snap out of it! We have a lot of work to do today!"
’Dammit, Lu Ke.’ Kevin started grinding his teeth, clenching his right fist to psych himself up. All those meaningful stares had him on pins and needles. This feeling of shame was awful! Absolutely awful! His only thought was to punch Lu Ke square in the face and send the bastard to the other side of the Milky Way Galaxy.
He scanned the group and saw they were still completely listless. Fury burned in his chest. "Jesus Fucking Christ, I’m the starting quarterback of this team! Why do you all look like your dog just died? Focus! We’re running out of time, and we need to start running plays! If you want to embarrass yourselves at the Rose Bowl, don’t you dare drag me down with you!"
Having vented his anger, Kevin finally felt some relief. He turned and strode toward the center of the field. One by one, the other players started to move, following him to get ready for practice.
As the team’s starting quarterback for the past five months, Kevin had also been the captain of the offense. Regardless of his abilities or contributions, it was an undeniable fact that he had led the team to its final game.
In competitive sports, that was one of the most important rules. Emotionally, they supported Lu Ke; but rationally, they had to follow their captain’s lead. Besides, the coaching staff had already made their decision.
Most of the players snapped out of it. With heavy, shuffling steps, they got ready to line up and begin the new tactical drills. The atmosphere was still oppressive, but at least things were moving. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
A few players remained in place, motionless, their expressions unreadable. They hadn’t seemed to hear a word of Kevin’s rant, their eyes still wistfully scanning the area for Lu Ke. After looking left and right, Marcus finally turned to John with a questioning look. "Do you think Lu Ke will just..." ’Give up?’ That was Marcus’s fear, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
"No way. Don’t you know Lu Ke?" Logan immediately shot back, his face filled with disapproval. But as his eyes met those of his teammates, his own conviction wavered. The words caught on the tip of his tongue. The next second, he suddenly yelled in delighted surprise, "Bambi!"
"Yeah, yeah, Logan, we know you miss Bambi..." Marcus didn’t get to finish his snarky comment before Logan shook his head and pointed. "I mean, Bambi!"
Marcus looked over his shoulder and saw Lu Ke jogging toward them, helmet in hand. Logan broke into a huge grin. "See? I told you! He wouldn’t give up that easily. He’s not the type." As he spoke, Logan started whistling and clapping his hands loudly, a simple, boisterous welcome.
First Logan, then John and Marcus, then the other members of the offense, and finally everyone else—they all stopped what they were doing and began to applaud, the same excited thrill in all their eyes.
Lu Ke clearly hadn’t expected such a scene. Surprise flickered in his eyes, but a smile still involuntarily graced his lips. He put on his helmet as he jogged, signaling that he was ready to jump right into practice, and then ran into the boisterous crowd. The players instinctively parted, forming a welcoming path for him.
He passed the defense, then special teams, and finally reached the offense. As he jogged past, nearly everyone reached out to pat his helmet, shouting things like, "Welcome back, man! Let’s go!"
Everyone except Kevin. Amid the boisterous, surging atmosphere, he stood alone, completely out of place, as if he existed in another dimension.
Logan stepped into Lu Ke’s path, bumping him hard with his shoulder. A smile returned to his face. "Man, you finally showed up. Any longer and John here was about to start crying."
The teasing remark immediately earned a rebuttal from John. "And as for a certain someone," he said, nodding toward Logan, "he was about to explode a minute ago. I don’t know what he ate last night, but it wouldn’t have been a pretty sight." His deadpan delivery created a funny contrast that made everyone around them roar with laughter.
Kevin shot an uncomfortable glance at Lu Ke, tilting his chin up and sizing him up through narrowed eyes, his posture radiating arrogance and contempt. Finally, he simply turned his back, ignoring Lu Ke completely, and got ready to start practice.
Unfortunately for Kevin, his dramatic gesture was a complete waste of effort. Lu Ke hadn’t noticed him at all. Neither had any of the other offensive players. They were all still crowded boisterously around Lu Ke. Kevin’s posturing was met with nothing but indifference.
Lu Ke finally came to a stop in front of assistant coach Anthony. The coach broke into a relieved smile, patting Lu Ke’s shoulder and letting out a small laugh. "I was starting to think you weren’t coming back. I was just wondering where I was going to have to go to drag you out of."
"The game’s not over yet. And my senior year isn’t over either! How could I miss this?" The simple words were weighty, yet they brimmed with vibrant energy.
Anthony gave a satisfied nod, then jerked his chin, signaling Lu Ke to fall in for practice. Then he blew his whistle. Today’s practice had officially begun.
With only a week left until the Rose Bowl, they had to maintain the frequency and intensity of their fundamental drills, but tactical training would become the top priority. It wasn’t just Kevin; the two backup quarterbacks, Lu Ke and Darius, also had to get reps with the team to ensure that, should the unexpected happen, the team could still operate smoothly.
The busy week flew by in a flash. Before they knew it, January 1, 2011, had arrived. Today, the annual Rose Bowl was about to be held, bringing the 2010 NCAA season to its true conclusion!
