It was healing for them all, and I told Kresslee about my work with the shelter. The shock on her face was something I wasn’t ready for.
Then she demanded we go to see the kids immediately, so we did. Creed tagged along, bringing some of his merch with us, and the kids loved him and Kresslee.
She played with the girls on the floor, showing some of them how to do a perfect cartwheel. The girls couldn’t stop hanging on to every word she said.
Creed played with some of the boys, and Denver, Rhodes, and Ryker also showed up to play.
By the time we left, the kids were worn out, my best friends were now best friends with Creed, and I fell in love with Kresslee even more.
One girl wouldn’t let Kresslee out of her sight, and she cried when Kresslee left.
I knew that the girl was practically alone in the world, her mother choosing substances over anything else.
Kresslee fought not to cry after we left, and I knew our time at the shelter would double after our visit.
I didn’t mind. I loved those kids, and I would do all I could to help them.
I focused back on the field, watching as Kresslee blew me a kiss.
I pretended to catch it and winked at her. I mouthed to her that I loved her, then refocused on the field.
Beau walked out into the field, shaking hands with the other team’s captain.
They did the coin toss, and our team started on offense.
I settled in as Denver snapped the ball to Beau and kept my eye on the ball.
Beau threw it to Cade, who ran it down the field twenty yards before he was tackled.
He held tight to the ball, and the other man helped him up after the tackle.
They got reset, and the play started again. This time, Cade caught the ball and raced it toward the end zone.
He flew over the line, getting our first goal.
We all celebrated, and then it was my turn on that field.
I was playing not just for my team, but for my girl.
I got into position, watching as the other team threw the ball, and I ran quickly toward the wide receiver.
It was my job. And I wouldn’t let my team down.
The man caught the ball, and I chased him down for a good ten yards before I tackled him to the ground.
The whistle blew, signaling that the play was good, and I helped the man up, then returned to my position.
The quarterback threw to the other receiver, and I pushed my body hard to tackle the man.
The other safety on my team, Hudson James, got to him first and tackled him to the ground.
We bumped fists as we got back into position for the third down.
We played as if our lives depended on it, barely letting the other team have any yards. I wouldn’t allow it.
When it was halftime, we walked back to the locker room. Our coach was thrilled with our performance, as we were twenty points ahead of the other team.
He told us not to lose our drive, that now was the time to keep our game faces on, and that the other team could always come back from this.
