Page 60 of Game Plan
Back in the direction of the locker room, a whistle sounded. We turned back and trotted that way. The game would start in a matter of minutes.
The stadium was almost full. Fans still poured in and hurried to their seats. Food vendors wandered amongst the stands, as did people selling those huge hands with a pointing finger.
"Hawk! Hawk!" a young voice shouted. I slowed and looked up to see a boy of about ten, wearing a Humpbacks jersey. His eyes were huge, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Beside him stood a girl a couple of years younger, also in a teamjersey. She seemed a little less awed, but she waved just as hard as her brother.
I broke off from the guys and trotted over to give the pair a fist bump each. Their father beamed and took photos.
"Are we gonna win?" the boy asked eagerly.
I grinned. "Absolutely we are. We're gonna try really hard. If you cheer us on, we'll try even harder. Okay?"
The boy nodded vigorously. "Okay."
"We'll cheerloud!" the girl said.
"Really loud," their dad agreed with a tired edge in his voice, as if he'd be plugging his ears soon.
"Great." I grinned. "I gotta go. Enjoy the game."
"We will!" they all said.
That, right there, was a huge reason why I did this. The cheers, the smiles, the kids, their parents. Everyone had a good time and cheered us on, then went home happy to have watched and absorbed the atmosphere.
That made every injury, every long day, every tired muscle, worthwhile.
Another total cliche here, but this game was bigger than all of us, bigger than the players, the coaches, the team's owners, the people who threw money at us all. It was all about the fans, we were just along to make sure they had the best experience they could have.
Okay, and to kick some Boars' asses.
A smile on my lips, I jogged back to the locker room and made a beeline for my water bottle.
The stadium thrummed with music and cheering, the smell of sweat, hotdogs and anticipation.
Coach Quinn and his team sorted the started lineup and the rest of us dropped back to let them through. I would start after half time, unless I was needed sooner.
I itched to get out here. No, not jock itch, just regular old eagerness to play the game I loved and listen to the fans cheering my name. If there's a bigger rush on the face of the planet, I didn't know what it was.
Okay, maybe I did. The idea of seeing her, touching her, being near her. Her laugh, her smile, the way she tilted her head when she listened to other people talk.
That rush would have to wait until after the game. I need to concentrate onthisrush first.
The guys headed out to the field. They were greeted by the deafening roar of the crowds.
"Humpbacks! Humpbacks! Humpbacks!" The chant was loud and infectious. It echoed through the whole stadium, maybe the whole city and sang in my blood.
A voice spoke over the loudspeaker.
"Welcome the Lowball Bay Humpbacks to the field."
If I thought the crowd was loud before, it was nothing compared to the sound which greeted that announcement.
"Welcome the Bilbi Cove Boars." The cheering wasn't quite so loud, but it was still one hell of a sound.
I paced around the locker room, one eye on the screen on the wall that would show us the game's play. Both teams got into position. I spotted Chase, Bam, Tucker and the rest and wanted to cheer as well.
The whistle sounded.
