Page 75 of Savage for You
“You good, man?”
I uncover one ear and say, “Yeah, just getting in the zone.”
He nods in understanding and sits there for a moment looking straight ahead. We’re sitting in a comfortable silence, vibing to ‘This D.J.’ by Warren G.
“Alright, listen up! I have something to say! Quiet,” Xander yells as everyone goes quiet.
“Regulators.”
Talon and I start to chuckle.
“We regulate any stealin’ of his property. We're damn good too. But you can't be any geek off the street. You gotta be handy with the steel, if you know what I mean. Earn your keep. Regulators, mount up! Who are we?!”
“You love quoting Warren G.” Kellen laughs.
Xander rolls his eyes and puts his hand on his hips and says, “Yes, the fuck I do, he was right. I said, who are we?”
“Scorpions!” everyone yells in unison.
“We ready,” Xander yells.
“For y’all,” everyone shouts.
We’re all standing around the locker room and starting to get rowdy.
Coach comes in, says his speech and ends it with, “Let’s go take this W and keep our undefeated streak going.”
Xander, Talon and I are in the front of the team about to run through the tunnel and the crowd is going wild. We run to our benches as “We Ready” by Archie Eversole is blasting through the stadium.
I look up in the stands and see Montana with my family and she looks like she fits right in. She’s looking right back at me. She points at me and makes a heart with her hands and then blows me a kiss. I shoot her a wink in return.
I turn back to get my head in the game.
We win the coin toss, and we receive first. Their kicker kicks the ball, and our receiver Eli catches it and runs towards the end zone. Talon tackles one of their defensemen so Eli can keep going when he gets tackled at the forty-yard line.
The O line moves to the field.
“Blue 32, Blue 32. Hike.”
Everyone breaks off to where they are supposed to go. Xander crosses over to the left and dodges the player in blue. He turns to make sure I’m looking at him, and I throw the ball towards him. He catches it and makes it to the twenty-yard line before being tackled by two of the defensive players.
At the half, we’re tied 20-20. I’m pissed because I saw Johnny on the sidelines. I know better. I know better than to let him get in my head, and I let him. I don’t want him to think that he has me in a chokehold. I don’t want to know why or what his excuses were, but I’m still angry as fuck.
Coach calls me into his office, and I expect him to chew me out, tell me to get my head in the game, but when he opens the door, I walk in, and he walks out. When I look at his retreating head behind the door, I turn back, and my brows furrow.
I don’t see the other person in the room until she clears her throat.
Montana.
“What’s going on?”
“I came to ask you the same thing, Savage,” she says with a lifted brow.
I lick my lips, and in a couple of strides I’m right in front of her. I give her a hug and nuzzle my head into the crook of her neck, breathing her in. The scent of cotton candy hits my senses like a feeling of serenity. Home.
“He’s here again.” I whisper, and she stiffens at my words.
She pulls away just a bit to look up at me, and then pulls my face between her small hands and says, “You are Rocky Christopher Savage. You are a great man, boyfriend, and player. He did nothing. He gets nothing from you, not even your headspace. You’ve done all of this without him. He doesn’t get to come here and think he can take credit for any of it. If he thinks he can, then he has another thing coming. You go back out there and win this game because this is everything you worked hard for. Fuck him.”