New Girl in Town Pt. 11

****

Jake, Ray and Antoine reach the locker room just as the team is coming back out for the second half. After Coach Yates yells at them for wasting time, they head to the sideline.

Coach Pennington waves Jake over as the kick return team for the Wildcat's takes the field.

"What are you doing out there, Jake?" He asks.

"Handing the ball off?" Jake answers questioningly.

"You know that's not your game, right?" Coach Pennington responds.

"Well yeah but that's all that Yates is sending in." He tells him.

"Do you know how we won the scrimmage Jake?"

"No. I was unconscious at the time, Coach." Jake laughs.

"Smartass," Coach Pennington chuckles. "We won because you took over the offense. You need to do that tonight."

"The second I audible out of one of Yates plays, he'll yank me out of the game." Jake points out.

"There's not another back up, Jake." Coach Pennington points out. "Unless Yates puts Elliot in and you know that's not likely to happen."

Jake glances over at Elliot who is the team's punter and probably weighs a hundred and twenty pounds with the rain currently soaking his uniform.

"Offense!" Yates shouts.

"What's it gonna be, Jake?" Coach Pennington asks.

Jake thinks for a second then jerks his thumb over his left shoulder towards the second string quarterback. "Better have someone hide his helmet."

Coach Pennington chuckles and shoves Jake towards the field.

Jake jogs to the huddle and announces, "I'm about to do something really dumb. Anyone want to join me?"

"How dumb are we talking, Jake?" Ray asks.

"I'm going to throw one my ugly passes." Jake tells them.

"Yates called for a running play. He will yank you if you throw a pass in this mess." Scott Kennedy states. "Go ahead and get kicked off the team, moron."

"I'm taking that as a maybe from Scott." Jake chuckles, he was expecting nothing less from one of Patrick's inner circle of friends.

"Screw it," Kendall states. "We're down by two touchdowns and you all know what Jake here can do. I'm in."

"We practiced for this, guys." Ray announces. "Let's do this."

"All right, we're going to line up for the halfback dive then I'll audible out." Jake tells them. "Shotgun formation out of the audible. Mitch, you and Ray run corner routes. Scott?"

"Leave me out of this crap, Jake." Scott tells him.

"Scott, you do you." Jake says. "Kendall you hang in and block any rushers. On one."

The huddle breaks and the team lines up. Jake gets in behind the center then after he looks over the defense he calls out, "Shift," and jogs back a few steps.

"What the hell is he doing?" Coach Yates shouts as he watches the team shift.

"Playing his game." Pennington tells him.

"Not today he's not." Yates states and starts towards the referee to call a time out.

Pennington grabs his shoulder to stop him. "Give Jake a shot. He might surprise you."

"The only surprise will be seeing how fast I can clean out his goddamn locker!" Yates shouts then shakes his head. "I'll probably need that timeout to clean this mess up."

On the field, Jake takes advantage of East's confusion over the shift to bark out a quick count. The ball is snapped and he drops back a couple of steps as his eyes scan downfield.

Mitch slips and goes down in the mud when he tries to make his cut. Ray manages to stay upright when he cuts so Jake lobs the pass in his direction. The ball is a little overthrown but Ray manages to tip it back to himself then tiptoe the sideline before being pushed out of bounds after a twelve-yard gain.

"Ready to let him play his game?" Coach Pennington asks Coach Yates.

Yates grumbles under his breath for a moment then yells for Elliot to get his helmet.

"Coach?" Elliot asks.

"You're going in as quarterback." Yates tells him. "Get your ass on the field and send me Jake, now!"

****

As the Wildcats head to the huddle Jake sees Elliot heading his way.

"Well it was fun while it lasted, guys." He calls out as he jogs to the sideline. When he gets there, Yates grabs him by the facemask.

"Just what in the hell did you think you were doing out there?" He shouts.

"I was trying to get us back in the game." Jake answers.

"That is my job. Yours is to run the fucking plays I send in not pull some rebel cowboy bullshit." Yates snaps. "Now go sit your ass on the bench before I send you to clean out your goddamn locker!"

Jake walks over to the bench then angrily jerks off his helmet.

"Don't throw it." Coach Pennington warns as he walks over to the bench.

"I tried telling you that before I went out there." Jake states.

"I meant your helmet." Coach Pennington clarifies. "I've got a feeling that you're going to need it soon."

Jake doesn't answer him he just looks to the field to watch the next play.

Elliot calls out a timid cadence then turns the wrong direction once the play begins. He stands there looking confused for a second before East's defenders swarm him.

"Why didn't he put the second string kid back in?" Jake asks Pennington as the refs begin pulling bodies off Elliot.

"Concussion." Pennington answers. "He failed the protocols so he's on the way to hospital to get checked out."

"Yeah, those aren't fun." Jake comments.

On the next play, things go from bad to worse for the Wildcats. Elliot turns the right way this time but instead of placing the handoff in Kendall's stomach, he aims higher hitting his shoulder pad. The ball bounces off it and into the waiting hands of one of East's defenders who lowers his shoulders, knocks the much tinier Elliot out of his way on his way to the end zone. As Yates is going ballistic on the sidelines, Jake leans back onto the bench knowing that this is going to be a long night.

****

"I guess he'll have to put Jake back in now right, Mr. Gibson?" Jessica asks as East's kicker boots the ball through the uprights for the extra point.

"I wouldn't bet on it, Jessica." He answers her. "See, Yates is the kind of coach that it's his way or the highway. That's why he pulled Jake in the first place. Jake doesn't play that way."

"But Coach Yates way isn't working." Jessica states as she looks at the scoreboard showing East up by three touchdowns with just a quarter and a half to go. "He's got to see that."

"Even if he does, he's too stuck in his ways to change." Mr. Gibson answers. "Jake's not going back in this game."

Jessica looks over at Sarah, Shelly, Jody and Roxie and smiles at them.

"Jess, why are you smiling?" Roxie asks.

As if in answer, Jessica begins a chant. "Jake. Jake. Jake."

Soon Sarah and the other girls pick it up as well. The parents give them a look then with shrugs all around also begin to chant. Down on the track, Staci hears her friends chanting Jake's name and soon the whole section around the Misfits and family are chanting.

"Jake! Jake! Jake!" Staci begins to shout and pump her arms.

"What in the hell are you doing, Staci?" Somer demands to know.

"Pumping up the crowd." C.C. answers with a giggle before she joins her teammate in the chant. Somer begins to argue but other girls on the cheer team join in as others in the stadium pick up the chant.

Jake begins to hear the chant over the rain and glances back over the fence separating the field from the track.

"What's going on?" Ray asks as he walks over to Jake.

"I don't have any idea." Jake answers.

Staci turns towards the field and points one of her pom-poms at Jake.

"Oh shit, they're trying to get you back in the game!" Ray comments.

"Yates give in to peer pressure? That's not happening." Jake points out.

"Dude, listen to them!" Ray laughs. "There's no ignoring that!"

Jake turns to look back at the field, a little embarrassed as the chant grows in volume. The Wildcats return the kickoff to their own twenty-five and Yates yells for the offense. As they huddle around him, he looks to the bench and shouts at Jake. "Jake, get your ass over here."

****

When Jake jogs out onto the field the crowd erupts into thunderous cheers.

"How'd a third stringer like you get enough money to pay off all those people to chant your name?" Kendall laughs as Jake joins the huddle.

"Couldn't it just be my sparkling personality?" Jake asks.

Kendall and Ray look at each other then shake their heads. "Nah!" They answer in unison.

"Pennington was right; we are a bunch of jokers." Jake says before getting to the play. "Let's see if we can surprise these guys again. Shotgun formation, streak routes for all the receivers, on one. Everyone on board with that?"

"I ain't running anything you call." Scott comments.

"Then get the hell off our field and send in Monte. At least he'll try to help us win and not just be one of Patrick's little lapdogs." Jake tells him.

"Fuck you, Jake!" Scott shouts.

"Get off the fucking field, now!" Jake shouts back.

Scott attempts to stare Jake down but without any backup, he turns and jogs towards the sidelines.

"And Antoine calls Jessica a wildcat." Ray chuckles. "Has she been giving you lessons, Jake?"

"Oh he's learning from her, all right." Kendall laughs. "Look at how much he's blushing."

"Are we playing the game or messing with me?" Jake asks.

"Both." Ray and Kendall answer in unison as the rest of the offense laughs.

Monte joins the huddle. "I miss the joke?" He asks.

"'Fraid so Monte but they'll catch you up. Ready to get a little muddy and maybe get us back into this game?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Monte laughs.

Jake tells him the play and they break the huddle. They line up in the shotgun formation and Jake shouts out his cadence. The ball is snapped and East sends the linebackers on a blitz. One of them is slowed by Carter's line but the other breaks through with a clear shot to Jake. Kendall cuts in front of Jake and manages to shove the linebacker wide. Jake steps up into the pocket and heaves the ball downfield just as the second linebacker plows into him. Monte is running a streak route and the ball hits him in stride. He tucks it and races into the end zone for the score.

****

"Not again." Jessica whispers as Jake is slammed into by East's linebacker. "Please don't let me be the one that got him hurt again."

Roxie slides an arm across Jessica's shoulders and Shelly pats her knee.

"He'll be okay, Jess." Shelly assures her.

"He's tough, Jess. Look at how much abuse we give him and he always comes right back." Roxie says and Jessica manages a small laugh.

"Thank you, Roxie. I needed that." Jessica lays her head on her friends shoulder.

Down on the field, Kendall helps a muddied Jake to his feet. Jake turns to the stands and gives a wave towards the section where he knows that Jessica and the others are sitting.

"See, Jess. He's fine. I mean he's as fine as Jake can get I guess." Roxie giggles.

"I don't know, Roxie he can be pretty fine at times." Jessica says with a smile.

"Ooo do tell, Jessica." Jody chimes in.

"I tell you guys most of it during our text chats." Jessica states.

"Most but not all. I can tell by the way you're getting all flushed that we haven't heard everything." Jody giggles.

"I'm going back to watching the game now." Jessica tells them.

"You should." Roxie giggles. "Though I'm not sure you'll be able to see any of it. You've got to be blinding yourself with as red as your cheeks are getting."

****

East goes three and out on their next possession forcing them to punt. Kicking a rain soaked football is kind of like kicking a medicine ball. East's punter manages a fifteen-yard kick that gives the Wildcats the ball just shy of the fifty-yard line.

"They're going to be expecting us to pass so let's switch it up and see if we can catch them napping." Jake says in the huddle. "Shotgun formation, inside handoff on two."

The play works and Kendall breaks off a run of thirty-yards before he's tackled.

"Nice call, Jake." Kendall states as he returns to the huddle.

"You did all the hard work, Kendall." Jake answers then looks at Ray. "Ray, how's your coverage guy doing?"

"You're going to throw another ugly pass that I have to make look good huh, Jake?" Ray quips.

"I was thinking about it." Jake laughs.

"You put it up..." Ray begins.

"And you'll run under it." Jake finishes. "Let's do this then. Single back formation, Ray in motion on me then post route. Mitch, you and Monte give me streak routes to clear Ray a path but look for me to hit you if Ray's covered. On two."

The team lines up with Jake under center.

"Ready... Set..." Jake begins then stamps his right foot sending Ray in motion.

"Hut."

Ray passes behind Jake.

"Hike!"

Jake takes a five-step drop then lobs a pass towards the far pylon. Ray makes a diving catch in the end zone for the score.

"Are you seeing this shit?" Jaime asks Scott as the two watch the offense coming off the field.

"It's hard to fucking miss." Scott answers. "The damn crowd was chanting his name and now Jake has brought us to within a touchdown of tying this game like he's been leading this team all season. Patrick's going to lose his damn job over wanting to look good for fucking homecoming."

"This is a fluke and there's no way Yates will drop Patrick to second string." Jamie states. "I don't give a fuck what Jake does out there tonight."

"You and Patrick both had better hope that's case." Scott says as they watch the team all rally around Jake and Ray to slap their helmets in congratulations. "First he lost that tall hottie to Jake, I ain't never heard a crowd chanting Patrick's name and if he's not careful he's going to lose a lot more to that to him this year."

****

With the game now close, East comes out after the kick off with a purpose. They move the ball down the field, eating up clock by running the ball until their drive stalls out at the Wildcats forty-yard line and they call a time out.

The defense huddles around Coach Pennington and listen as he lays out the play. "They've got eight-yards for a first down. We hold them here and we give our offense a chance to win this thing. I want a four three formation. Inside blitz by you Jamie. Plug any hole you come across. Tank, you're gonna spy the quarterback just in case they try and throw."

"They haven't thrown the ball all game, Coach." Antoine points out.

"Now's a perfect time," Jake states as he's standing nearby the huddle. "They don't think we'll be looking for it and they've gained confidence after watching us be able to throw it."

"Exactly," Coach Pennington states. "They run a play action here, we bite on it and they'll go for six so we play this smart. We're doing man to man coverage and I don't have to tell you guys to not let your man get behind you."

"Des, if they throw it, he'll look to your guy first." Jake points out. "He's the most consistent receiver they've got."

"Got it, Jake." Des nods.

As the defense heads back to the field, Coach Pennington steps over to Jake.

"Well someone's been reading the scouting reports." He chuckles.

"My dad reads off the stats to each high school game that's played in our division." Jake tells him. "Some of it sticks."

On the field, East snaps the ball and sure enough they run a play action pass. Their quarterback drops back and slips when he tries to plant his foot. That slip causes the ball to float out of the backfield. Des, sees it coming well short and breaks towards the ball. The ball falls into his outstretched hands, he bobbles it, nearly loses it but then manages to secure it.

"PICK!" Coach Pennington shouts alerting the defense to start blocking.

Des's cleats are churning up turf as he takes off down the field while the crowd goes crazy. The only person between him and the goal line is East's quarterback who gives a halfhearted effort to chase down the faster cornerback to no avail. Des reaches the end zone tying the game with just less than three minutes left to play.

****

"They've got a chance to win this if the defense can hold them here." Mr. Golden says.

Jake's dad chuckles at the new enthusiasm from Jessica's dad and he hates to put a damper on it but he explains anyway. "East will play conservative and go for overtime. It gives them the best chance to win or at least walk away with a tie. If they mess up here and give the ball back to Jake and our offense, it's over because they can't stop our passing game."

True to Mr. Gibson's prediction, East comes out running the ball and running down the clock. Coach Yates is using his timeouts to try to give his offense some time of the clock if East doesn't score.

"We need a stop here, D!" Coach Pennington shouts as East, having moved the ball all the way to the Wildcat's thirty-yard line. He calls for a jailbreak blitz and it catches East unprepared. Jamie slams into the running back jarring the ball loose and Tank is there to fall on it giving the Wildcat's the ball with just under two minutes to go.

"Here we are again, Jake." Ray says as the offense huddles up.

"No timeouts left this time though." Jake responds. "We've got to run the hurry up offense so look to me for the routes when we reach the line."

"Any runs?" Kendall asks.

"Not until we get inside their twenty. I need you to stay in and keep them off my ass. I'll shout go if I need to dump it to you." Jake explains.

Kendall nods. "Let's go get this, Jake. Just like the scrimmage."

"No concussion or messed up shoulder this time though, guys. I promised Jessica that I wouldn't let that happen again." Ray jokes.

"Yeah, I'd like to remember this win." Jake states then lays out the play for them.

They break the huddle and hurry to the line. Jake takes the snap and steps up into the pocket as his eyes scan downfield. Mitch makes a hard cut and Jake fires the ball his way. He makes the catch ten yards down the field and runs for another five before he gets tackled inbounds.

"On the ball!" Jake shouts as the team runs to the line of scrimmage. As they're lining up, Jake holds up four fingers towards the receivers telling them to run corner routes. The ball is snapped and East is sending its own jailbreak blitz. Kendall manages to chip one of the rushers into another freeing Jake up to roll to his right. As Jake rolls out, Ray spots the blitz and runs back to the ball as he had been taught. Jake fires the ball just as he is tackled from behind. Ray snags the pass and turns up field. He stiff-arms his defender then dives out of bounds after a fifteen-yard gain.

With time running out, Jake hits Ray at East's ten-yard line. Ray breaks a tackle and heads for the end zone. He's hit at the three-yard line then slides on the wet grass into the end zone. As the stadium erupts in deafening cheers, Jake shouts to the offense. "On the ball!"

Ray saw one referee mark him short of the end zone and started frantically waving at Jake. Yates is arguing with the side judge that it's a touchdown while Jake is lining up the offense.

"Spin!" Jake shouts towards Ray who nods in understanding.

The referee places the ball and winds his arm to run the clock. It begins to tick down from five. Jake lines up under center and East stacks the line expecting a quarterback sneak since they're so close. Jake calls out a quick cadence and instead of running; he turns and slings a quick pass to Ray. Ray had simply taken two steps into the end zone and spun back towards Jake, blocking out his defender from the pass.

The crowd that had been loudly protesting the previous call, explodes into cheers when the referee raises his arms indicating the touchdown. As the offense crowds around Ray to congratulate him, Jake looks up at the clock and sees that there's only four seconds left.

"Nice throw." Ray comments as they're jogging off the field.

"Better catch." Jake responds.

"Obviously." Ray laughs.

"Asshole," Jake quips as they reach the sideline.