Chapter 6: The Big Game, Part 2

This was the practice to end all practices, or so we were told. The coaches were going to make sure that we all were ready for the game with Oskie. Coach Kistner, the defensive line/linebacker coach worked the varsity group, while, Coach Marsh was with Jerry and Brandon, teaching them their responsibilities in the new system.
After 45 minutes, we took our first break. Brandon came over and we all knelt down trying to catch our breath. We began talking with Tom and Jerry about the defensive calls that they needed to know. This was a big game and Tom and I needed to know that they understood how we worked on varsity.
“On a 51-slant, you have to remember that Bob is going to cover the QB while you shoot the gap,” Tom instructed Brandon. “Jerry and I will block up the zero and one hole so you can get in,” he continued. Brandon was all ears, with a smile a mile wide. I couldn’t really concentrate on what Tom was saying as I looked into Brandon’s eyes.
Marsh blew the whistle again. Time for us to scrimmage against a live offense. They were going to run Oskie’s offense so we could get a bit of a feel of what they run. They were an Option offense and we had not faced any team that played the Option yet this year. Now was the time to see what these sophomores can do!
Brandon did an excellent job in his first scrimmage. The times I had to guide him into position, I had to pat him on the ass to move him. That was a pleasure! We made a number of tackles together, touching in the process for a split second. That sent electricity through me, especially when he would land on top of me, or me him. Coach K commented between plays what a great team that Brandon and I were making. I realized he meant as linebackers, but all I could think about was as boyfriends.
The first practice was finally over. We started heading toward the locker rooms when Coach Marsh called for Brandon and Jerry. He was spending a lot of his time this practice with the two of them, which was understandable.
“So, what you think of Brandon and Jerry?” Tom asked.
“They picked things up pretty good,” I replied. ” I think that they will help against those pricks from Oskie. Jerry is quick in there and Brandon can hit. I didn’t realize how much of a stud he was,” I said, not realizing the innuendo that I had unconsciously stated.
Tom smiled. “Oh, yea they both are going to help, for sure.”
Brandon and Jerry caught up with us. Out of breath Jerry said, “Coach wants us to get lockers in the varsity locker room. See you guys in a second.”
“Okay,” answered Tom.
Brandon didn’t say anything, nor did I, but we both knew what each was thinking. I had a locker open next to mine and this would be great to have him near. The four of us split as we hit the door, with Tom and I going to our locker room and the other two heading to get their things.
As we entered the locker room, Coach Marsh called us over.
“The two of you need to make sure that Sickema and Wesley understand what to do,” he began. “They need you to make sure they are in the right places for the scheme called. They did fine today, but you two need to work with them. We only have two days before the game and I want them ready,” he insisted.
“Sure, Coach,” Tom said. “We’ll go over them tonight and be ready for practice tomorrow.”
“Oh, by the way. I have them moving up here. They’re varsity players now and need to be with us,” Marsh said. “You guys have lockers near you, right?”
“Have two near me,” Tom quickly replied.
“I have one near me, Coach,” I added.
“Okay, then make sure they get their things in them. Wesley should be by you Tom and Sickema by you Andersen,” he suggested. Who was I to argue with him.
He talked a bit more about the game and the things we needed to do. Usually, he just talked with Tom, as he was the defensive signal caller, but he seemed to want the two of us to take control of the defense for this game. As he finished, we headed toward our lockers.
Just then, Brandon and Jerry walked in with all their crap. Tom motioned to Jerry to follow him and I looked at Brandon and did the same. We walked over to the lockers and I told him to take the one, just two away from mine. He had a big smile on his face.
We talked about practice as we began to take our gear off. Everything was so perfect, I thought to myself. In the past day, I have gained a super friend, a lover, a new team member and a lover who I adored. We grabbed our towels and headed for the showers.
THE SHOWERS! I suddenly freaked. How was I going to face a shower with the boy I just wanted to make love to? How was I going to hide my attraction? How was I going to keep from getting hard?
As if we were tuned into the same frequency, Brandon looked at me and said with that gorgeous smile, “You will be fine.”
He was right. We got into the showers and all the guys started to welcome him to the team. They all knew Brandon, but this was the first time that they had to indicate that they accepted him on Varsity. We all were soaping up and things were as normal.
Every once in a while, I would look at Brandon. A couple of times he caught my eye (which he always had, trust me) and nodded his head to one of the guys. I knew what he meant as I saw Kelly there, washing his cock which was half-hard.
I caught his eye when Dave walked into the shower with Tom. The two of them were almost laughing and joking. They actually made a great couple, I thought. Brandon nodded in agreement, even though I had said nothing. I had seen them both naked many times before, but this was the first time that I really surveyed their bodies. They both were very good looking and actually very attractive.
I had never let my imagination roam to a sexual thought for my two roommates. Well, not a serious thought, at least. Tom sported a nice 6-inch cock that he strutted in the shower now, while Dave was a bit bigger. I had never noticed before, but although Dave had jet-black hair on his head, his pubic hair was a very light color. These two were actually turning me on.
Brandon, obviously, saw the reaction that these two were having on me and gave me a scowl. A playful one, but I knew what he meant. As if to say, don’t worry, you’re the only one I want, I returned a mischievous grin.
We found ourselves alone, the four of us, naked, for the first time. All the others had finished their showers and were getting dressed.
“So, guys, how did the studying go last night?” Dave asked. I knew he was referring to other things than biology, but I smiled and said, “Great!”
“You two want to get together tonight to go over the plays?” asked Tom.
“We all should,” Dave interjected.
“Sounds good. I need to learn a couple of things,” Brandon added.
“Okay!” Tom continued. “Let’s use your room, Brandon, as Jon is having a couple of friends over tonight before they go out and I don’t know how we can get anything done with him and his buddies there.”
“The room’s a mess,” Brandon teasingly said.
“Oh, I can bet it is!” both Dave and Tom said simultaneously.
We all laughed. I began to wonder if both of them knew what was going on. “Oh, Hell,” I thought. I knew that they did, just from what Dave said to me last night. And, I didn’t care, either, because I would have loved to shout my love for Brandon to everyone.
We all finished showering and headed for our lockers. Brandon and I got dressed quickly, not really saying anything, but just looked at each other tenderly. We headed to dinner and the four of us just talked about the upcoming game and the strategies that we went over in practice.
When we returned to our dorm, Brandon went to his room and I went in with Dave and Tom to get my things. I had spent the night before in Brandon’s room because Jon was using my bed, so they all thought. Since Jon was going to be staying until Sunday, I decided to take clothes, books, and eveything I would need to stay with Brandon, at least through Sunday.
“Ya know, Bob,” Tom said breaking the silence. “Since we went over everything at dinner, I don’t think we have to go over anything more tonight. If you’d just sorta remind Brandon about the calls, it would help.”
“Sure, Tom,” I replied. I knew that there was more to do than go over football, but I wasn’t about to share that even with my best friends. I continued to gather all my things as Jon walked in.
“Hey Guys, how was practice,” was his greeting. “Saw your practice and ya guys looked awesome.”
“Thanks, bro,” Tom blurted. “We’re gonna kill Oskie, ya can bet on that.”
We all agreed and I began to head out the door.
“Hey Bob. All conference material, my man,” Jon said as he slapped me on the back. “You and that new kid are gonna really shore up the middle. You two make a great pair.”
I smiled thinking of the double meaning and muttered, “Thanks, Jon.” As I was leaving I saw a big smile on both Dave and Tom’s face. They had both caught the double entendre that I had. It was then I knew things were cool with them and that Brandon and I had nothing to fear with these two.
I knocked on Brandon’s door. I didn’t have to, but it was a force of habit. As he opened the door and saw me with an armful of clothes, he grabbed some and moved over to allow me in. He had cleared a spot on Keith’s old bed for me to place them. We placed the clothes on the bed and I began to organize them.
Brandon put his arms around my waist and gave me a kiss on the back of my neck. He held me tightly and I could feel the heat of his body against mine. This distraction was obviously what I had waited for, but I had decided it was time that the two of us talk out what was beginning to happen to the two of us. I knew it would be difficult to resist his advances, but for both of our benefit, I knew it was the right thing.
“Brandon, we need to talk,” I said as I turned inward to face him. His arms still around my waist kept me close. As I faced him, his lips met mine and we kissed, very passionately. Our tongues were like two sperm trying to fertilize an egg. They were moving rapidly trying to hit their target that I found it hard to stop. However, I knew I had to. I pulled back and said emphatically, “Please love! We need to talk.”
I could see the hurt in Brandon’s eyes at that moment. The look on his face was as if he were rejected, which was not my intention.
“Love, listen. I want so much to make love to you, but we have to talk, okay?”
He nodded his head. He took two steps back and sat down on the bed. “Ok, Bob,” he said. “I know, but I can’t help myself. I know I’m falling in love and all I want to do is be part of you.”
I smiled at him trying to reassure him that I loved him, also. I moved a pile of shirts over and sat on the other bed facing him. I looked deep into his eyes, knowing that there was no one other than him I wanted to be with.
“Brandon, do you really want me to move in here?” I asked. “Because if you do, there is nothing more that I want. But, we have to be sure that is what we want.”
“It is Bob, or I wouldn’t have asked.”
“Ok, then there are a couple of things we need to set straight. Although I want to be with you a lot, we have to be sure that we get SOME studying done,” I added as a joke.
“Oh, sure. School comes before me, I see.”
“Right now, nothing comes before you, Bran,” I said as I stood up and moved toward him. I kissed him on the cheek and began moving toward the door.
“Where are you going?” he questioned.
I had to walk as I talked. Whenever I had something serious to say, I just couldn’t sit still. “I’m not going anywhere,” I said. “A couple things I have to ask you, Brandon, if you don’t mind?”
“Ask away, Bob. You sound upset about something.”
“Not at all, sweetie,” I added. Did I really say that to another guy? I suddenly realized that I truly adored this boy before me. “Dave and I had a talk last night and he actually encouraged me to spend the night. He also told me that Tom had walked in on us yesterday before dinner. He said you saw Tom walk in. Did you?”
“Ok, let me tell you something. Only, if you promise not to get mad or the wrong idea,” he said with a very somber look on his face. I didn’t know what to expect after that.
Brandon explained that he had seen Tom walk in the first time we were in an embrace. He said that Tom just smiled, turned and walked out the door. He also told me that Tom had locked the door before leaving.
When I questioned him about why he hadn’t said anything to me when I thought that Dave had said something, Brandon changed his attitude. The look on his face went very serious.
“Bob, I had talked to Tom about you a lot. He knew I wanted you as more than a football friend,” Brandon said with a tone in his voice that showed how serious he was. “I told Tom the first day I met you that I liked you. He told me a lot about you, your likes and dislikes. He encouraged me to get to know you better.”
I was taken back for sure on this news flash. Primarily because it told me how much Brandon wanted what we had together at the moment. Secondly, because my best friend had not said anything to me about this and had promoted this friendship. Well, apparently he knew it was more than friendship that he was telling Brandon to pursue.
“You mean that Tom knows that you wanted me,” I stammered, “this way?”
“OH, he does!” Brandon exclaimed.
I couldn’t help thinking that this was the beginning of the end for me here at CBS, but somehow I knew it wasn’t. Tom must be cool with my being ‘queer’ or he would never have said anything to Brandon.
I had stopped my pacing and was standing directly in front of Brandon, looking down into his bright blue eyes, him looking up at me. I could see, from the look on his face he was apprehensive about my reaction to what he had said. I put my hands behind his head and pulled him toward me. His cheek lay against my stomach and I just hugged him to let him know everything were all right.
After about a minute of holding him, my hands moved down to under his armpits. I pulled him up off of the bed and drew him even closer. I turned my head slightly and kissed him — not a passionate tongue kiss, but a gentle kiss of love and affection.
For the first time I knew this was all right. Oh, I knew this was all right between Brandon and me, but now I knew it was acceptable to the two best friends I had at school. From what Brandon told me, and what Dave had said the evening before, they were happy for me. They accepted me, my sexuality, and my lover.
We just stood there for a while, gazing into each other’s eyes. Our hands were exploring each other, not to perform any sex act, but just to reassure each other the closeness we each felt at this precise moment. I took this opportunity to whisper into his ear “I love you.” His reply was not by words, but by the relaxation I could feel from his entire body — an aura that I had never before experienced from any boy with which I had been.
That night we slept together. We didn’t have sex but had multiple orgasms in our minds, I’m sure. We held each other close, me lying on my back with his head close to my chest. My arm was around him pressing him to me, never wanting to let go. I could tell he was content by the relaxed breathing that I listened to all night. I don’t think I slept a wink, but was getting the best nights sleep I had ever had. Having Brandon was a dream come true. One that I never wanted to end.
About 5:30 the next morning, I could hear the cows rustling in the field next to our dormitory. As I have said, I don’t think I really slept, so I was attuned to ever sound that surrounded us. For the first time in my life, I could tell each time my body decided to send blood to my lower extremities. I had been hard on and off all night, but had no inclination to do anything about it. However, now, was a different story.
Brandon was fast asleep, snoring a little, but a pleasant sound. I slowly moved him over to the next pillow, making sure that I didn’t disturb him. I pulled back the covers to reveal this Adonis next to me. He lay there on his back, serene. My eyes explored his body and came to a halt when I noticed a very distinctive outline of an erect penis under his cotton briefs. I giggled to myself knowing what I wanted.
Slowly, I turned my body so that I was perpendicular to him. My head, directly next to his groin, mine up by his face. I took my hand and caressed his right thigh. I slowly and gently move it to his balls and just rested my hand there. I took them softly and massaged, using my thumb to touch his oh, so ever hard member.
I could hear him stirring, but I knew he was still asleep. I covered his cock, still in his briefs, with my mouth. I nibbled and moved it up and down the shaft. He let out a moan or two and stiffened his legs a little bit. Using my tongue, I slid it in the overlapping fabric until I could taste him. The musky aroma was ambrosia to me. Although I was very adept at using my tongue, I couldn’t get it around the thick shaft, which was pressed firmly to his body. But I am never one to give up.
I moved my hands up to the elastic of his underwear and slid them down slightly. I managed to release his cock and it came up off his stomach a bit. However, that was enough for me to wrap my mouth around the stunning red head that I was observing. I used my tongue to encircle his glans, rapidly at first, slowing so that he would feel the sensations I wanted him to experience. He was leaking pre-cum by now and I was hoping he was dreaming of me. The flavor was sweet and salty at the same time, one that I came to relish.
I began moving my head up and down the shaft of his cock, my tongue maintaining contact at all times. My hands started to roll his testicles in my hand, massaging them to provide some additional stimulation. My finger pressed against the perineum so that I could provide the slight pressure to provide him with some additional pleasure.
As my motions became more rapid, I knew it wouldn’t be long before he either ejaculated or woke up. I was hoping he would cum before he woke up, however, as I wanted to please him while he awoke. My mouth rested at the head of his cock, suckling on it with what I was hoping was the right amount of pressure and stimulation.
Soon, I received my reward for a job well done. I could feel him tense up. His entire body spasmed with delight as he shot his man juices into my mouth. I had thought the taste of his pre-cum was sweet, but this was so much more fulfilling….and filling I might add. His first spirt was like a cannon, shooting deep against the back of my throat. His hips rose to push his cock deeper as this happened, something I was not adverse to at all. Brandon began to pump himself into me with slow thrusts of his body, allowing me to savor each shot that he was providing.
All this time, I couldn’t see his face, because of the way I was positioned. However, I knew that he was content and was enjoying what I was giving to him. It wasn’t just fellatio; it was a caring and loving act of love. I could visualize his face if he were awake. His look would be one of contentment and pleasure, not lust. His eyes would be adoringly gazing into mine as his orgasm began to slow. This was enough to make me smile, inwardly, knowing that I was giving my love my entire being.
As I swallowed the last drop of his sperm, I could sense that he was about to wake up. I quickly turned my body so that I could look into his eyes as they opened for the first time this day. He moved his arms upward, stretching them as he began to awake. He opened those beautiful blue eyes and looked directly at me as I was staring at him. He didn’t look shocked at all.
Brandon smiled, which made me shiver with pleasure. His arm took the nape of my neck and pulled me toward him allowing my lips and his to meet for our morning kiss. His tongue split my lips making its way into my mouth. We kissed for a few seconds and suddenly he sat straight up.
“You did, didn’t you?” he asked. “It wasn’t a dream! I can taste it!” he exclaimed with a very broad smile.
I shook my head in agreement with a little smile and raised eyebrows. He tasted his cum in my mouth and there was no denying what had happened. With that, he pulled me even closer and kissed me even deeper and harder. That told me that he had enjoyed the little encounter I had just had with him, as if I doubted that fact.
“Thank you,” he said in a sexy voice.
“Brandon, I love you. And………. you’re welcome.”
He kissed me again but this time, it was one of ultra-passion. His hand began to slide down the side of my stomach and down to my cock. He caressed it and all I could hear was, “Ummmmmmmmm.”
I didn’t realize it, but it was 6:30 by now. I had sucked him and pleasured him for almost an hour without waking him. My thoughts provided me with a sense of pride that I could do that for that length of time FOR him. I wanted him to make love to me so badly at this point, but realized that we had to get ready for class and another hour session wouldn’t be possible.
Even though my mind was being realistic at this point, my body certainly didn’t have the same concept. As he touched me, I pressed my cock into his hand. The pressure of his hand playing with me and the sensation it was giving me made me revert back to my base instincts. I wanted him, again.
I put my hand over his and helped him play with my cock. I was so turned on at this point, I could have cared less about class, much less breakfast. After all, I had had my breakfast already, hadn’t I?
We both were in a deep kiss, our hands moving together on my hard-on. I remember thinking that only two days prior, the only one who had touched me in that area had been me for over 3 months. And now, I had someone that was making me feel so wonderful, not only because of the actions that were being performed, but because he truly and honestly loved me. That, in itself, was more pleasing than the anticipated release.
With all of this going through my mind I hadn’t realized what was happening. Suddenly, I could feel my body tense and that I was cumming. My head fell back onto the pillow and I could feel the rush of semen ejaculating and confined, not only in my underwear, but under both of our hands. It was a fantastic feeling, but I was very mad and felt ashamed that I had shot my load so quickly.
“Oh, Brandon, I’m sorry,” is all I remember saying.
“About what, love?”
“I didn’t mean to cum so fast. Oh, man, I feel terrible.”
“Don’t feel that way, Bob. It’s okay. It’s no problem, lover.”
I felt ashamed because I never came that fast with anyone. It was a pre-mature ejactulation, and that was bad in my mind. All my friends back home would brag how long they could last with a girl. And cumming that quickly would have really been wrong in their minds. But looking into Brandon’s eyes I could tell that his words were truly his feelings. He didn’t mind that I had cum that fast.
“Did you enjoy it at least?” he asked.
“It felt great, but I came so fast, I’m so sorry,” I responded.
“Don’t apologize for anything, Bob. It’s not like it’s the last time of the day I can make love to you,” Brandon added.
I knew that he meant that, too. It didn’t bother him as much as it bothered me. I guess I am what you would call ‘a giver.’ I would much rather please someone that be pleased, but Brandon, I remember thinking, was just like me in that way. An odd pair, I thought — but the RIGHT pair.
I raised up on my elbows and kissed him. I thanked him for understanding and being, well, being HIM. I couldn’t have manufactured a better match for me. Brandon provided me with everything that I had ever fantasized about a relationship. The sex was great, but that was secondary. He was a caring, loving, and loyal lover. I was finally with someone that cared about ME.
We both looked at the clock and jumped out of bed. We gathered our towels and everything needed for our shower and headed for the bathrooms. When we got there, Jon was taking his shower. I was surprised he was up so early, since he had no classes or anything to get to.
“Hey, Bob,” he greeted as he was shaving. He actually looked very sexy standing there with shaving cream on his face, the towel wrapped around his waist, and a big smile. If I didn’t have Brandon, I would consider making a play for this man. He was as strong, but not as huskily built as Tom. He was cuter than his brother, but from all that I could tell, didn’t have the personality that I liked about Tom.
“Hi Jon. Sleep well?” I asked him.
“Sure did. You guys?”
“Had a good night, thanks,” Brandon interjected. The sound of his voice made me feel that he didn’t care for Jon too much.
Brandon and I headed into the showers. Only two showers were available, as at this time in the morning, everyone was rushing to get ready for class. I could see that Brandon, like I, was eyeing all the guys standing there showering. We both were looking at the same freshman soaping himself. I could see that he was as interested in the site as I was.
Terry, was a freshman and also on the football team. At 14, he was extremely mature for his age. His body was very toned. He was about 5’7″ but had the V-shape that showed off every muscle in his upper body. Of course, being horny teens as Brandon and I were, we weren’t really looking at that site. Our eyes were glued to the flaccid 7″ cock that he was washing. We smiled at each other and I know he was thinking the same thing that I was at that moment. That thought being ‘I wonder just how big it is when it gets raging hard?’ Simultaneously, we laughed.
As I looked around the shower room, I noticed another occupant surveying Brandon. His eyes appeared affixed on his cock, which I have to admit, was a very pleasant site. As Brandon washed himself, this guy was staring directly at him. I noticed, too, that he was getting rather excited, as his own cock was rising. It wasn’t unusual in a gang shower for guys to begin to get hard, but normally they would turn away, not wanting to show it to all the others. However, he wasn’t turning, which made me suspect that he wanted Brandon to see his reaction.
A pang of jealousy ran through my body. There was no reason for me to be jealous, as I knew that Brandon wasn’t interested in anyone, but me. However, I was experiencing those feelings at that moment, until I noticed that Brandon turned, realizing what was happening. As I looked back at the boy eyeing Brandon, I saw a look of disappointment on his face. That produced a big smile on my face.
We went into the drying room and began toweling ourselves. We didn’t say much as neither of us wanted anyone to know anything about our budding relationship. Also in the drying room was Terry, who had finished his shower.
“I hear you guys are rooming together,” Terry said, breaking the silence.
“Well, Tom’s brother is here and Brandon had an open bed with Keith gone, so right now, yea, we are,” I answered him.
“Cool,” was all he could manage as an answer. He turned his attentions to Brandon and asked, “When is Keith coming back?”
“Don’t know, Terry,” Brandon replied. “Don’t think he is, to be honest from what I have heard from him.”
“Really. Then you’re going to have a bed available,” Terry said with way too much enthusiasm for my taste.
“Yea, I guess so,” Brandon said with very little conviction. “But, I think Bob is going to room with me next semester.”
I was a bit surprised at the matter-of-fact way that he interjected that statement. I know I had told him I would, but we hadn’t talked to Dean Huzinga, and didn’t know if he would allow us to room together. But it did make me feel good that he was ready to announce it to the rest of the guys.
“Oh,” is all I heard from Terry. Now that I think back, I believe that he was going to ask to room with Brandon. I didn’t know at that time, but Terry and Brandon were from the same hometown and had known each other since the 2nd grade. They were acquaintances, not friends, but I can understand why Terry would have liked to have roomed with Brandon.
We brushed our teeth and then went back and got dressed. Some playful things happened, but we both knew that breakfast and class called, so we kept focused on what we really needed to get done at that time. Just before we left the room for breakfast, we held each other for a moment and kissed. I knew then that I could really get used to this tradition.
After breakfast, we both headed our own way to our classes. My Marriage & Family class was not as interesting as it was the day before. Mr. Thompson was probably the best looking teacher I had at CBS, so it wasn’t as bad as most of my classes to muddle through. He enjoyed the subject, I could tell, and I wondered if he were straight or homosexual. My mind wondered in most of my classes, but in this class, at least, it was daydreaming about the subject matter.
I met Dave for lunch. He was telling me about Tom and Jon the night before. Apparently, they were having a bit of a sibling fight that centered on Tom’s girlfriend, Samantha. Jon had been contacted by Sam about why Tom hadn’t called or written since the beginning of the year. Tom told Jon it was none of his business and that he wasn’t sure he was interested in her anymore. Jon tried to convince Tom to the contrary. All the typical brother to brother comments were made before Tom finally told Jon to “fuck-off.”
Dave laughed. “If Jon only knew,” he said.
“Knew what?” I asked.
“Oh, nothing. Just that Tom and Sam aren’t a thing anymore. Tom isn’t interested in her at all.”
That was a curious comment I thought to myself. All I had ever heard from Tom was about Samantha. He always seemed to really like her. He had said a lot about the sex, but I also knew that most of that was wishful thinking. But I really thought that he was still with her.
“When did this happen?” I asked. “All I ever hear about is Sam!”
“Been a while, Bob.” Dave left it at that and I wasn’t going to question anymore. At least I wasn’t going to question Dave about it, but when I saw Tom, I planned to ask him.
At 3:00, we were dressed and out on the field. The Oskie offense was being run against us again and we were going over each and every formation that the coaches had designed. Brandon was playing super, again. Coach Kistner was really working us, which was a great feeling.
Coach Marsh yelled, “Last play guys, then the showers!”
As we lined up, the Oskie offense was in a slot left shotgun formation. I looked at Brandon and pointed to the right flat. He nodded and began moving with me toward that area. The snap started all the motion that goes along with a quick pass play. This was a weakness that we had had in past games; the short quick split end pass. Coach Marsh was working our weakness, as all good coaches do.
As the end slanted down toward the right flat, I was right there. Brandon was right behind me, so I sensed that I could go for the interception and he would clean up if I missed. I jumped, and there the ball was, in my hand. Immediately I heard “BALL,” which was our call for an interception. I hit the ground running and could see the end zone directly in front of me.
Suddenly, I was blind-sided from the left. I crumbled to the ground with great force. My mind went blank, my breath short, and my body limp. I had been tackled before, but never like this.
The next thing I remembered was Brandon’s voice. “No, no, not this. Oh, please. Coach, Coach,” he yelled. “Bob’s hurt….my God, he’s out! I don’t want to loose him! Help him, Coach…Help him!”

NEXT: The Coming Out!– Chapter 7