Step Siblings Ch. 05

"Fuck," Ronnie Smith, the Hoover quarterback, said to his team in the huddle. "Wait for my count! On two."

"HUT----HUT!"

Jake again was dancing around and saw the quarterback moving back like he was going to pass however he dumped the ball to Jackson who scrambled around two Kennedy rushers. He saw Jake smiling and waiting for him so he put his head down and lunged forward.

"COME ON!" Jake screamed when he too leaned downward. The whole stadium heard their helmets crash and watched as Jackson bounced backwards. A second later Jake was on top of him.

"Shit," Jackson groaned while stumbling to his feet. "Who the fuck is this guy?" He wobbled back to the huddle but a replacement was sent in for him. Alfonso shook out the cobwebs on the way to the bench.

"ALFONSO!" The coach yelled while he sat on the bench.

"What?"

"Are you alright?"

Jackson had never been hit that hard before especially on his head. "Yeah.......no.....I'm not sure."

The coach turned to watch the next pass fall incomplete. He waved for the punting team to go in. "Take a rest."

*****

The rest of the half went well for Kennedy. Jake continually stopped Jackson cold or for a small gain. Kennedy scored two touchdowns and was up 17-0.

"Jake they will be doubling up on you the second half," Coach John said in the locker room at halftime. "That means the rest of you will have a shot at Jackson. Stop him and we win."

Jake ran out onto the field and looked up into the stands at his mother and step-dad. He also saw a row of men with clip boards and wondered what they were doing.

"What's up with those guys?" He asked Brian as they tossed the football.

Brian laughed. "Recruiters. They write down everything you do. So don't scratch your balls."

Jake did just that and smiled.

Kennedy got the kickoff and fumbled on their own twenty yard line. Jake again danced around and got Hoover on another off-sides. It was third down when he saw Jackson move out to a receiver position. "Fuck." If Jackson couldn't run it the Hoover coach was going to pass him the ball. Jake knew what he had to do.

Ronnie Smith smiled over at Alfonso knowing the Kennedy backs would not be able to match his speed. "HUT-HUT-HUT!" Ronnie dropped back in the pocket and grinned when he saw his half-back speed by the corner back and then the safety. He snapped his arm back to throw when the lights went out.

The offensive line did their assigned blocks which meant no one blocked Jake. He didn't touch one blocker before he went airborne into the Hoover quarterback. He knew the guy was hurt when he heard something snap.

Jake looked up as he watched a Kennedy player scoop up the fumble and scramble for another touchdown. He moved off of the quarterback and saw that he was not moving.

"HELP.....SOMEONE HELP!" Jake yelled.

Seconds later the Hoover coaches ran to the unconscious boy. "MEDICAL!" The Hoover coach yelled.

A doctor from the Kennedy stands ran down to help and all the players and fans stood hoping for the best. It was five minutes later before they all saw Ronnie Smith moving.

"Good," Jake whispered. He had never hurt anyone seriously before and was nervous. Sarah moved over to him on the sidelines and took his hand.

Five minutes later an ambulance drove onto the field and took Ronnie off to the hospital. Coach John walked back to his players and Jake grabbed his arm. "Is he going to be OK?"

"They don't know. He can't move his legs," John said knowing Jake was feeling bad. "But your hit was a clean one."

"I know...but God what if he can't walk?

"It's out of our hands. Take a break."

Jake sat and stared at nothing until the end of the game which Kennedy won 24 -- 0. Some of the players cheered but most knew that the game was secondary to what had happened. As Jake moved to the middle of the field to shake the other teams hands a Hoover large lineman pushed him hard. "ASSHOLE!" he yelled.

"HEY BREAK IT UP!" The Hoover coach yelled as he jumped between the players. He offered a hand to Jake. "It was a good tackle."

Jake felt tears forming and moved back to the Kennedy side. He moved past the recruiters and quickly into the locker room where he saw the coach on the telephone. Brian was standing next to him.

"How is he?" Jake asked not sure if he really wanted to know.

"The coach is waiting to hear."

Jake and Brian and a few other players stood motionless as the coach started talking and listening. Finally he hung up the phone and turned to the players.

"No change. He still can't move his legs."

"Shit," Jake said before turning and walking back to his locker. A few seconds later Coach John sat next to him.

"Jake its part of playing sports. Sometimes players get seriously injured. I looked at the tackle you made on video and it was a clean hit. It's not your fault."

"It is my fault," Jake said holding his head in his hands and leaning forward. He then stood and grabbed his bag before running out.

*****

Ann waited for her son along with Jim and Sarah. They saw the despair on Jake's face when he walked up to them.

"I want to go to the hospital," Jake said firmly.

"There's nothing you can do son and you probably should let this calm down," Jim said putting his arm around Jake's shoulder. "Let's go home and relax."

Jake realized he was right and didn't want to get into it with the kids family. "OK but we keep calling to see how he is."

Sarah drove Jake's car back to the house while her love sat still next to him. She took his hand and caressed it but Jake's body and mind was still in shock about what had happened. "Jake it could have easily been you that was hurt. You didn't hurt him on purpose." She was feeling his pain.

"I'm not playing football anymore," he said with his eyes closed.

"Jake don't......don't punish yourself." It was then Sarah's eyes filled up and tears poured down her cheeks.

At home they ate but Jake just looked at his food. Normally after a game he finished everything that wasn't tied down. "Let's call again."

"We just called five minutes ago," his mother said. She too was feeling his pain. They tried to make him feel better but it was only making him feel worse. He felt guilty being able to walk around.

*****

Vernie Smith sat nervously in the waiting area as the two doctors talked outside of his son's hospital room. He was thankful that he was alive number one and was now praying that he would be able to walk again. Finally one of them walked his way.

"Doc......please tell me that there is no permanent damage."

"I wish I could but his lower spine area is swollen and we might not know the extent of the damage until the swelling goes down. It may take a few days."

Vernie sat down and wished his wife was still alive. "Please God. Let him walk out of here." He moved into Ronnie's room and sat back in the chair for the next three hours until after midnight before he dozed off. What woke him up he didn't know but when he opened his eyes he saw a figure standing next to the bed. It was a young man. "Are you one of Ronnie's team mates?"

Jake jerked back and started to leave.

"Wait.....you're him...aren't you? You're the boy who tackled Ronnie."

Jake turned showing his red eyes. "I'm so sorry." Again Jake turned to leave but Vernie jumped up and grabbed his arm. Jake waited for the man to punch him but the man instead hugged him.

"It's not your fault." Vernie whispered. He felt the boy's body tremble and then heard him sobbing. After patting him on his back he pushed back. "It was a clean tackle."

"Oh God I wish he had not been hurt that bad." Jake said looking down at the sleeping boy who had been given pain medicine.

"I know and no one is blaming you," Vernie said. "It means a lot to us that you came here to see him. Your family doesn't know that you are here do they?"

"No I kept calling but it didn't help."

Vernie smiled. "Ronnie is out for the night so how about you and I go to the snack area and I'll treat you to a coke?"

*****

Sarah couldn't sleep because she wanted to be with Jake to hold him and love him in his time of need. She knew that it was risky but she pulled on her robe and snuck out and into his room. She tiptoed to his bed and pulled down the sheet to slip under it with him. However she quickly found out that the bed was empty. "Jake?" After running through the house she knocked on her parent's door. Ann opened it.

"Jake's not here," she gasped.

"What..........what do you mean?"

"Jake.....he's gone."

"What's wrong?" Jim asked from the bed.

"We have to go find Jake," Ann said as she turned on the light and quickly dressed. They met at the car. "Were do we look?"

Sarah knew. "The hospital."

*****

"You played one hell of a game," Vernie said to the lad hoping to make him feel better.

"Yeah but I wish I could have taken that hit back."

"So tell me about Jake," Vernie said hoping to change the topic.

Jake started slow but ten minutes later Vernie knew all about Jake and his family.

"Wow.....your step-sister huh?"

"Yeah......it sounds crazy doesn't it?" Jake was feeling better. It was at that time that Sarah peeked into the snack area.

"HE'S IN HERE!" Suddenly they were all surrounding his chair.

"Jake you scared the life out of us," Ann said happy to see him but angry that he had snuck out.

"Sorry I had to come here," Jake said looking down. He then looked up. "This is Mr. Smith Ronnie's father."

"I'm so sorry about your son," Jim said. "How is he doing?"

"The same. They won't know until the swelling goes down. I've been telling Jake that it isn't his fault."

"Thank you," Ann smiled.

Vernie looked over at Sarah who had her hand on Jake's shoulder. "So you must be Sarah."

"Yes," she blushed.

"I see my son has been telling you our family secrets," Ann said glaring at Jake.

"It sounds like you have a lot of love in your family and nothing is wrong with that," Vernie grinned.

Ann saw his wedding ring. "Is......is your wife here?"

"Yes but in spirit only," Vernie smiled. "She died a few years ago."

"I'm sorry," Ann said.

Vernie just smiled. "I better get back to my son's room. Why don't you all go home. Leave me your phone number and I'll call you if I hear something and thank you Jake for caring."

*****

Jake tried to sleep but couldn't and around 7:00AM the next morning he drove back to the hospital. He walked into Ronnie's room and found it empty but the boy was awake.

"Hey," Jake said. "How are you doing?"

"I've been better," Ronnie smiled. "You must be Jake."

"Yeah....I'm sorry about......you know...what happened."

"My dad told me all about it. I don't remember a thing. It doesn't sound like your fault. Except for kicking our ass in football."

Jake moved over to the bed and sat down.

"HEY!" Ronnie said loudly. "Shit.....I felt something."

Jake moved off and looked at the shape of the boy's foot under the sheet. He saw it moving. "HOLY SHIT IT'S MOVING!" He ran out of the room and up to the nursing station.

"IT MOVED!"

"What?" A young short sandy-haired nurse asked. "What moved?"

Jake saw Vernie walking quickly to him. "IT MOVED! HIS FOOT MOVED!!"

"OH MY GOD!" Vernie screamed. He ran into the room and looked at Ronnie's foot moving back and forth. "IT'S MOVING!"

Jake stood back smiling as the doctors and nurses kept running into the room. Again tears fell from his eyes but this time they were happy droplets. He used his cell phone and called home.

After a while when things settled down Jake finally got back to the bed. "I think I'm quitting football."

Ronnie's smiled stopped. "Don't even say that. You better keep playing even if we do meet again in the playoffs. Just make me a promise you'll yell before you hit me again."

Jake grinned. "I promise."

*****

When Jake got home the house looked empty so he headed up to his bedroom to get some needed sleep. He was puzzled why his door was closed until he opened it and saw Sarah's head peeking out from under the sheet.

"Are you nuts?"

"No....Mom and Dad are out of town and won't be back until late tonight." She pushed down the sheet to show the tops of her bare shoulders.

"What are you wearing?"

Sarah giggled and peeked under the sheet. "Actually nothing."

"I'm really tired," Jake said acting sleepy. He quickly removed his shirt, jeans and boxers and moved next to her on the bed.

"I'll wake you up," she giggled before sliding her head down under the sheet. Seconds later she had seven hard inches pushing against the back of her throat.

"Umm........goodnight," he teased. Her tongue moved faster as did her lips.

Sarah knew he was getting close from his groaning. Her lips moved off and she straddled his hips and guided his prick into her hot hole. "Mom and Dad knew that we would be making love," she whispered as her hips rose and fell.

"They knew."

"Yes, I was surprised that they were leaving us alone for such a long time and when they left my Dad told me to take it easy on you."

"Thank you," Jake whispered as he kissed her forehead and nose.

"For what?" Her fucking motion stopped.

"For being there when I needed you," he answered. "For being the one I love so much."

A tear fell from her eye down onto his lips. He licked it off and reached down to hold her ass still. "Let's just stay like this for a while."

Sarah saw a different side of Jake the past day or so. The concern that he had showed proved what kind of a person he really was. It was then she felt they belonged together not just physically like they were now locked.

He heard her crying and kissed both of her moist eyes. "Why are you so sad?"

"I've....I've never been happier before in my whole life." She looked into his eyes. "Jake will you marry me?"

"You did it again," Jake said now pushing up into her warmth.

"Sorry I forgot," Sarah giggled. Her hips moved with his until they were both ready. "Jake I think that I am ready to cum."

Jake laughed at her statement. "Well dear then just go ahead." They both shifted into high gear until their lips locked to hold in their screams.

*****

The next few weeks flew by. Gina allowed Jake and Sarah the use of her bed unless she was using it with Brian. The whole school was buzzing about Gina being Brian's new girlfriend which helped the step siblings to keep a lower profile.

Kennedy was undefeated at 4 and 0 and was ranked number two in the state poll. Jake was getting the attention of all the major schools and they had to change their phone numbers to stop all the calls.

It was on a Saturday morning when Jim and Jake found themselves alone while the girls went shopping. Jim sat down next to Jake on the patio chairs.

"You know I've never seen my daughter as happy as she is right now. I never thought this would last but I guess I was wrong." Jim grinned.

"She's very special to me," Jake returned the smile.

"You know she's always wanted to go to Princeton but I'm worried that now she might want to go wherever you go."

Jake had been thinking the same thing especially after seeing all of the Princeton stuff in her room. "I don't have the grades to get into Princeton and I'm not sure if my football will get me in either."

Jim smiled. "But you know Penn State and even my alma mater Rutgers are not far from Princeton."

Jake had already been offered a scholarship by both schools. "Rutgers was rated last year and has that new dynamic coach."

"He's already called me about twenty times," Jim laughed. "But I don't want that to influence you."

"Sir Sarah and I have been talking about sharing an apartment in college," Jake stared hoping he wouldn't be upset.

"Ann thought that you two might want that," Jim said with no emotion. "But I'm still afraid that if something happens and you break up then it would be hard living together."

"We uh...also thought that if we go to the same school or close schools that we could spend the first year in the dorms. We have been told that the first year is normally the toughest for academics."

"Looks like you two have been planning this for some time." Jim grinned.

"Yes sir."

*****

Sarah and Ann were having a similar conversation. "We've talked about going to colleges close together or maybe the same college."

Ann smiled. "I would be surprised if you haven't planned on doing just that. I've been really nervous about you two dating but now I'm so happy for the both of you."

"I love Jake very much," Sarah said seriously.

"So do I," Ann whispered. "And I also feel the same about you." She took Sarah's hand and gave it a squeeze.

*****

A few more weeks passed and Kennedy remained unbeaten. Jake moved back and forth between Tight End and Linebacker depending on where he was needed. Sarah helped him get his grades up just in case Princeton let him in but it never happened. However when he visited Rutgers, he found the whole football team waiting for him in the stadium. On the scoreboard was his photo that someone had superimposed his head over a Rutgers jersey.

He shook most of their hands and stopped suddenly when he saw who was standing next to the coach. "Oh my God." Jake had never been this nervous before.

"Hello Jake," James Gandolfini said smiling and holding out his large hand to shake.

"Mr. Soprano," Jake said without thinking.

The whole team laughed.

"Just call me Tony," James chuckled. "In case you didn't know it I am a Rutgers Alumni and my favorite sport is football."

"No sir......I mean....that's good....football......." Jake stumbled over his words.

James gave him a few minutes of what a great school Rutgers is and how the football program needs a young stud like himself. Jake watched as he walked to the gate in his dark overcoat.

"Will he put a contract out on me if I decide not to come here?" He whispered to the coach.

"No," the coach laughed. They visited the new workout facility and then took a tour of the classrooms. Jake liked the players who seemed down to earth and excited about their past years success.

"What position do you see me playing?" Jake asked the coach during dinner at the coach's house.

"I hate that question," the coach began. "That means that I would limit you and your future. Too many times I've seen players come into a program with preconceived notions and find themselves locked where they really don't want to be. Basically I like to recruit athletes who want to learn and to improve. And of course be part of a team."

Jake smiled at his little girl who kept winking at him.

"I think she likes you," the coach's wife grinned.

"Sorry I'm taken," Jake whispered.

"Princeton I hear," the coach said.

"Yes sir. How far away is Princeton?"

"About thirty minutes down Route 1. Not far at all. And I hope you know that the first college football game was between Rutgers and Princeton."

"That could be trouble," Jake grinned.

"We stopped playing a few years ago so there won't be any family strife."

Jake returned home and was met by his family all wearing Rutgers sweatshirts. "OK I get it," he laughed. The following morning he called the Rutgers coach and gave him the good news.

*****

Kennedy won the 4A state championship in football for the first time ever and Jake was named the state player of the year. The following fall he enrolled at Rutgers and Sarah at Princeton. He started at tight end and helped Rutgers get to a number 5 ranking with only a loss to Syracuse. They made it to the Orange bowl where they upset Florida State on a last second catch by Jake in the end zone.

It was after that game when Jake pulled Sarah aside.

"Now it's my turn." He looked into her beautiful eyes. "Sarah will you marry me?"