Page 1 of Studs Up
Holden
Nightmares and dreams are twisted lovers. Entwined in a cruel web, one could not live without the other. To tolerate my nightmares, I have given up everything. I told myself it would be worth it if I got the trophy. But I was pretty good at lying to myself.
…
Someone once said the most dangerous lead in soccer is two to one. That was where I found myself in the dying minutes of the Western Conference Final, down by one, with the ball alone and racing toward the goal. The Seattle Guardian fanbase was loud and strong, and they weren’t fucking around.
Behind their goal, giant flags waved, a drum beat, and their songs reverberated for blocks around the city.
One of my few pleasures in life was silencing them with a ball to the back of the net.
A celebration in front of the home supporters section was especially sweet.
Marcel was the weakest point of the Guardian backline, and beating him was easy. The next part was the hardest, and it wasn’t the keeper making himself big in front of the goal. It was Nolan Fucking Reed.
I could feel him closing in on me. I wasn’t the fastest, but my endurance was unmatched. I still had power in the ninety-third minute, and he was a quarter step slower.
I had to take my shot before he caught up to me, or we were fucking done.
The stadium got louder and louder the closer I got to the goal. Luis Diaz came out to cut off my angles, and Reed was close enough that I could feel the pounding of his sprint. It was now or never. I took my shot.
The stadium fell silent for exactly one half second, and the sound of the ball hitting the net resonated. The sweet sound of sixty thousand fans groaning rang in my ears.
I screamed and leapt into the air. It was game on.
Like the dick I was, I celebrated right in front of them with my hands to my ears, mocking their quiet section.
Alex Prince got to me first and barreled me into the ground.
“You fucking asshole,” he shouted at me with a wild grin. The rest of the team landed on top of us.
The ref blew the whistle, and we went into extra time.
Alex pulled me up, and I brushed off the rubber bits from the turf.
I turned and thanked the Guardian fans with a little bow to a chorus of boos and a whole lot of fuck you. Sweet, sweet sounds.
The next thirty minutes were brutal. Guardian Captain Quinn Taylor scored with a header in a scramble after a corner kick. It was an ugly goal, but a goal.
The pressure mounted. I couldn’t lose this game. My career was teetering on the edge as it was. I had to win. I had to score. It had to be me.
No amount of drives down the sides, no matter how many crosses I received, I couldn’t get it in the fucking net.
Going to a shootout was not ideal, but it was what we had if I could level.
My body ached, and I was drenched in rain and sweat, but it wasn’t enough to stop me. I had to win.
Reed stalked close to me, a predator in the grass. He was big and mean and a powerhouse in his own right. He was brilliant as fuck and difficult to beat. Two time defender of the year and just signed another five-year contract with the Guardians. I read his contract and saw he got a nice little pay bump to just over three million. The highest paid defender in the league. Objectively, yeah, he was that fucking good. Privately I hoped he would just fucking die and let me have my goal percentage.
Some even speculated that he was being considered for MVP. However, I had my doubts with the season Morales was having. I hated both of them for it. My name wasn’t even on the list.
He was Nolan The Wall Reed. Nolan The Beast Reed. Nolan The Mother Fucking Asshole Reed.
They even had a fucking chant for him.
The whispers about my career had already started on the talk shows and with irritated fans on social media. When would I be the player I had been billed to be? It was said I’d be the next great MLS striker. My first two years, I was that striker. I signed for another four. I needed to prove I was worth the money, and in those four years, I hadn’t quite been able to do it. No matter how hard I worked and tried.
I was going to win the fucking game tonight and shut everyone up. Currently, the only thing in my way is Reed.
