The Infamous Day

This is now the SECOND short story I've ever written. Hope you enjoy it!

Kyle was sound asleep, dreaming he had become the next Bill Gates and was the richest man in the world, enjoying more money than he could ever spend, along with a beautiful wife and three wonderful kids. He was about to give a speech in front of the entire nation, announcing he would run for President of the United States, when suddenly, he woke up to the sound of his irksome alarm. " It couldn't be 5:30 already," he thought.

He strolled to the bathroom, rubbing his eyes and bumping into the wall along the way. He showered, and then headed to the kitchen to eat breakfast.

Kyle's mom, Rosie, was very particular about her cooking. She had gone to culinary school, and from that she learned that cooking was an art that could never be done quickly. Therefore, everyday as Kyle arose at 5:30, Rosie was there with him to cook breakfast.

Kyle greeted his mom as he sat down at the dinner table, She poured him a glass of orange juice, and gave him a plate of bacon and eggs that looked so appetizing Kyle had finished it in under 10 minutes.

Rosie asked Kyle, "are you nervous about your big game today?" Kyle, gathering his thoughts, responded that he was very nervous, but he had the confidence that he and his team would be ready, and whatever the outcome, he would give his entire effort. His mom gave him a smile.

At school, Kyle ran into Joe, his teammate and best friend. Kyle had known Joe since they were in Kindergarten with Mrs. Jones, who's husband happened to also be the head coach of their team. They had been introduced to the sport they loved so much through her husband, and later that day they would be playing in the biggest game of their lives.

Kyle told Joe, "I feel anxious about the game tonight. But at the same time, I also feel confident. I think we can win." Joe responded, "Of course we can win. When we believe in ourselves and put forth our best effort, good things will always happen." Kyle always admired Joe's positive outlook.

Kyle had biology first period, which was taught by Coach Paterson, who was a very demanding man, but also fair. He was the type that pushed you past the limits you believed you had. Biology was not an easy subject for Kyle to begin with, but with Coach Paterson, it was always going to take his entire effort.

Coach Paterson lectured that morning on photosynthesis, but Kyle paid very little attention, for his mind wandered constantly to the game he would be playing that night. He visualized himself in the game, with all of the emotions and anxiety, and what steps he would be taking to help his team succeed.

Next was algebra. Mr. Anderson was not an overly difficult teacher, but algebra by it's nature involves attention to very small details, and Kyle never had the drive to put forth his full effort when it came to this subject, instead doing just enough to get by.

Kyle paid less attention in algebra that he had in biology. Before he knew it, the bell rang and it was time for lunch.

Everyday as Kyle went to the cafeteria, he was bombarded with throngs of adoring students, telling him how special he was and how much they loved him for what he had done for the school. The year before, Kyle's junior year, the Redhawks had won the national championship over a nationally respected team, and Kyle had gained the attention of ESPN and Fox with his amazing performance.

These encounters with fellow students always made Kyle feel uneasy. He would think to himself, "These people do not love me. They love what I have done." Today, the anxiety was magnified, because the national championship would be on the line in a few short hours. Kyle could not shake the thoughts that continually crept into his head that if he were to fail, all the adoring fans would soon disappear.

Third hour came, which just happened to be English, taught by Mrs. Scott. She was a famous writer, publishing multiple novels and gaining international fame. However, her fame had not gone to her head the way it would in a lesser person, and she met every student on the specific level they were at.

Kyle very much enjoyed her class, and it also didn't hurt that Joe was in there with him. They would use the skills attained in English class to craft important speeches to their team, and Mrs. Scott appreciated students who actually saw value in learning outside of the classroom.

Kyle's final period, history, was taught by Mr. Gordan, a former Vietnam veteran that was a very animated lecturer. He would show so much excitement when talking about historical events, his students could not help but soak up his enthusiasm. He inspired many students to go onto college and major in some sort of history.

Today, Mr. Gordan was the only lecture Kyle paid attention to, and it was because something Mr. Gordan said had knocked him out of his daydream. Mr. Gordan was speaking of people who had achieved great things throughout history, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Benjamin Franklin. He claimed that success was simply a matter of experience, where the ones who learned from it corrected mistakes they made, and those that did not were doomed to repeat it. And this was a good metaphor for why history should be studied.

Mr. Gordan, looking in the direction of where Kyle was sitting, said "And this experience will effect us all in our lives. We cannot always succeed at everything we do, but with time and perseverance, we all can learn to become infinitely better than we currently are." The bell rang, and Kyle ran home.

His mother worked, and his two siblings, Brandon and Ryan, were both in elementary school, and therefore would not be home until later. His dad had been killed by a drunk driver two days after his youngest sibling Ryan was born.

Kyle packed his uniform, and went back to school.

Mr. Jones, head coach of the Redhawks, required all players to be ready to go for home games well in advance of the actual scheduled starting times, just in case any unexpected emergencies were to occur. This policy had served him well through the years, forcing all the players to get themselves ready to play, and avoid any last minute rushing.

Kyle sat, as trainers put his uniform on and taped him up. He suddenly remembered the first time he had ever picked up a football.

He was in Mrs. Jones Kindergarten glass, and she had to leave to go see her mom, who the doctors said was near death. Mr. Jones had stepped in to cover his wife's classes that day, and during recess he brought out a football for the kids to play with. Kyle was very fascinated by this, and enjoyed playing catch with the coach.

Kyle did not forget this day, and as soon as he was old enough, he begged his mom to let him sign up for a Pop-Warner league for young kids. She was hesitant, due to the violent nature of the game, but Kyle's unceasing persistence paid off, and she allowed him to play.

Kyle excelled at the quarterback position, leading his Pop Warner teams to 3 undefeated seasons. When he got to middle school, his 8th grade year, his team won the national championship. And in high school, Kyle's freshman year the Redhawks made the playoffs, his Sophomore they were eliminated in the qualifying game for the national championship, and his Junior year they had won it all.

Everyone expected the Redhawks to repeat. They were going to be playing a team that was undersized, and due to injuries, did not have many reserve players if something were to happen. Nobody gave the Lions a chance.

It was 10 minutes until game time. The team had warmed up, and Coach Jones stepped up to speak. The room became silent, the way it does when a respected figure steps up to speak, and everyone becomes vastly intrigued with what they have to say.

Coach Jones began by congratulating the team on making it this far. The Redhawks were number one in offense and defense. They had also set a record with twenty special team kickoff returns for touchdowns. However, the celebratory remarks did not last.

Coach Jones surveyed the room, saying nothing for an entire minute, and then spoke with such a resilience in his voice, his team erupted in cheers. After looking at every player, Coach Jones said "Tonight is a night that you will never forget. For many of you, this will be your last football game ever. For a fortunate few, you will go on to college, and for even fewer, you may make it to the NFL. Make this game matter. Play it in such a way that you will be proud to tell your kids about it, and they will be proud to tell their kids about it. Give it everything you have."

"Giving it everything you have" was Coach Jones motto, and when he ended his speech with that, his team had a look in their eyes that appeared to signal they would be repeat national champions.

Coach Jones led his team out of the gates, as the crowd erupted. The Redhawks were a Texas team, and the Lions a California one. The game would be played at a neutral site in Nebraska.

The Lions came out of the gate with the same look of determination that the Redhawks had. They were led by a quarterback who had been playing in the playoffs with a strained throwing shoulder. With only a two week layoff between the last playoff game and the national championship, the Redhawks coaches did not have much confidence in the Lions quarterback Zach to make many plays against them.

The coin toss was won by the Redhawks, and they chose to receive. Kyle was nervous, for it would be merely seconds before he would be on the field for the national championship. The kickoff reached the end zone, so the Redhawks did not get a return.

In the huddle, Kyle gave his offensive unit a quick pep talk, reminding them of the importance of the game, and then called the play. It would be a rollout, where the quarterback fakes to the running back, and then rolls out to hopefully find a tight end or wide receiver open on the opposite side of the field.

Kyle walked up to the line of scrimmage, his heart racing. He examined the defense. They were showing a blitz. The offensive line recognized it, and adjusted their blocking scheme. With sweaty palms and an anxious mind, Kyle snapped the ball, rolled out, and threw a pass directed towards his tight end.

After Kyle had thrown the ball, he knew he had made a mistake. As he was rolling out, the right side linebacker had faked a blitz, thus fooling Kyle into thinking his man would be wide open. Kyle knew the roll out play was designed to happen quickly, so he could waste no time.

The ball fell into the arms of the waiting linebacker, who jumped the pass and ran it all the way back for a touchdown. Kyle felt helpless.

Coach Jones talked to him on the sideline, and attempted to calm him down. He said it was simply a mistake, and that Kyle should not beat himself up too much over it. There was ample time to win the game.

The Lions kicked off, and the Redhawks' freshmen kick returner fumbled the ball. The Lions recovered, and ran the ball into the end zone for a touchdown. The score was now 14-0, with less than three minutes gone off the clock. This would be the last score for the next two and a half quarters.

Entering the 4th quarter, the Lions were ahead 14-0, and had held the Redhawks offense to a paltry three first downs. The Lions punted, and the freshmen returner who had fumbled in the first quarter, weaved through a maze of Lion defenders, hurling one and juking another, as he raced into the end zone for a touchdown. At 14-7, the Redhawks suddenly had life.

The Redhawk's defense played ferociously, sacking the Lions quarterback Zach three straight games, forcing another punt. Nothing exciting happened with this one, and the Lions were pinned inside of their own ten yard line.

Kyle would not be denied. The drive began with a twenty yard completion, followed by two massive runs. The Redhawks had reached the Lions twenty-five yard line. The Lions defense began to stiffen, as the Redhawks ran two straight times for no gain. third down and ten to go would not be easy to convert. And the long drive had eaten away much of the clock. If the Redhawks had to settle for a field goal in this situation, they may not have enough time to score again.

Kyle dropped back to pass, and suddenly, the Lions defense had collapsed, and a wide receiver had broken wide open. Kyle threw the pass, and the receiver walked in the end zone untouched. The score was now 14-14.

The Redhawks kicked off, and the Lions made a great return, getting all the way to the fifty yard line. However, the Redhawks defense continued their pass rush, and sacked the Lions quarterback again three straight times. They were forced to punt, and the ball would be played on the Redhawks own twenty.

Coach Paterson approached Kyle, and told him that he had no reason to be anxious. He had practiced and prepared for this moment his entire football career, and he had the ability to help the Redhawks win two straight national championships. Kyle took these words to heart as he stepped out onto the field.

The Redhawks began the drive with another huge run, that got them to their own forty yard line. Kyle then completed a short slant pass for another ten yards. They were now at the fifty. There was 1:10 left on the clock, and the Redhawks had no timeouts.

Kyle dropped back, and a defensive end for the Lions broke through the offensive line. He bull rushed, but Kyle spun away and completed another twenty yard pass down the field to his tight end, but with no timeouts, the Redhawks would have to spike the ball to stop the clock.

Once Kyle had gotten his team to the line and spiked the ball, there was only forty seconds remaining, and the Redhawks were still thirty yards away. Their kicker had been hurt on a special teams return earlier in the game, so a field goal would be out of the question.

Kyle faked to the running back, only to find as he turned around that the defensive end who had broken through the line was right in front of him. Kyle was sacked. It would now be third down and fifteen, with the clock seem to tick down faster as the game neared it's finish.

Kyle reacted swiftly after the sack, rushing his team up to the line of scrimmage and hiking the ball, completing a short five yard pass towards to the sideline to stop the clock. This would leave the game at fourth and ten, with the Redhawks out of time outs and field goal range. There was also only ten seconds left.

Coach Jones had called for a hail mary, where all wide receivers would go deep, and Kyle would throw a pass up into the air, and hope that one of his receivers could come down with it.

As his team huddled, Kyle told them that this was the play that mattered most. With injuries to the Redhawks kicker, and the way their offense had played, Kyle did not believe that overtime would help them. They had to win it all right now.

Kyle forcefully walked up to the line of scrimmage, and looked the defenders squarely in the eyes. He signaled the center, and the ball was hiked.

Kyle had time to throw, because the Lions had only been rushing three men. He was waiting patiently for the receivers to get down the field, when suddenly, from his blindside he was hit, and the ball came loose. It rolled backwards, and Kyle felt an extreme sense of panic, similar to how you feel when you know that something bad has happened, and you have no control over the outcome.

The defensive end who knocked out the ball quickly got to his feet and picked up the ball. Kyle tried to chase him down, but it was no use. He had too much of a lead. He walked into the end zone, and the Lions beat the Redhawks 21-14.

Kyle fell to the ground and began to cry. He knew his mistake had been a major contributor to the Redhawks' loss, and it filled him with such a sense of grief he could not control the tears as they ran down his face.

Coach Jones, after shaking the Lions head Coach's hand, ran over to Kyle. His mother also ran onto the field. They told him it was not the end of the world, and that he had played hard and that is what mattered most. He appreciated the affection, but sensed they could not completely understand how he was currently feeling.

Then Kyle recalled the words of his history teacher, Mr. Gordan, about success, and realized how ominous those words had been. He had learned that in life, everyone cannot be successful at everything they do, and sometimes extreme pain was inevitable. He would use this lesson to go on to do great things, eventually entering the NFL Hall of Fame by the time his football career was over.

The loss to the Lions may have gone down in Redhawks' football history as infamous, but to Kyle it was a turning point in his life.