You know all the usual stuff, don't read if it's illegal or you don't like sex or if bisexual sex offends you. All characters are purely fictional, and any likeness is coincidence. Joshua Glynn reserves all rights to this story, the characters, and the world they live in.
This story is about a young man, the brother-sister twins he is in love with, struggling with the gifts they all possess, and trying to find out where they all fit in the world.
Casey has realized that he is missing out on Female companionship, and decided to find himself a Girlfriend... but he is getting frustrated by the whole thing as he continues to crash and burn...
Carrie sets her brother up on a blind date, with her Roommate Kim, which goes off without a hitch. Kim makes plans with Casey for a date on Sunday, but first, she is going to her first Football game with Carrie to watch the boys in action...
(Story note: In later drafts of book One, I changed Josh's younger sister's name to Krystal. When I realized I had named Carrie's Roommate the same as Josh's Sister, I was going to change her name, but Kim would not let me... so I had to go back and change the sister... she seemed to like her new name... at some point soon, I will go back and push the new versions of Book 1 to the site.)
This is the second book in a series, so you may want to go back and check out the first book.
The Girlfriend Problem: Gifted Book Two
Chapter 8:
The Starter
Joshua
Being a freshman in College football can be downright frustrating. Near the end of my high school football season, James had begun teaching me the fundamentals of being a Quarterback. We used it in the last few games for trick plays and went on to win our division.
So, when I began my college football career, I went out for quarterback. Coach Grimes immediately latched on to my skills and was very impressed, but he had a star quarterback. Jason Grant who was destined for NFL greatness. Also, there was also Bill "the Bullet" Bronsky, the second string. He was not as good as Grant but would also probably go on to the NFL next year as well. Both were seniors, and coach felt that a year as an understudy to these guys would do me a lot of good. This meant that the most action I got was on the practice field, or in the few occasions that we were way ahead, and I got to go in for a few downs... that was, until the Georgia Game.
Earlier in the game The Bullet had got hurt on a late hit. He had stepped in for a few plays to try and get us down the field. Bill got his nickname for his long ball and he didn't disappoint. He moved us a good sixty yards in just a few plays.
After the last throw, Fifty-Seven, came running in a good 5 seconds after the pass, and tackled him by the legs. The late hit sprained his ankle badly. They had taken him back to the locker room to get x-rays to see if it was broken. Jason had capitalized on the yardage and picked up our first touchdown.
Then, later on, another tragedy struck. It was the first few minutes of the fourth quarter and we were down by ten, when the whistle blew to end the play. A massive pile of bodies had covered the fumbled ball. Jason was on the bottom, with the ball, but his right hand, his throwing hand, had been crushed under the weight and his thumb was not moving right.
Coach walked up to me with a solemn, dower look, "Kingston! You're up! Jason will be out for the rest of the game."
This was it... nine games into the season, and this my first actual, 'we need you in the game,' moment. It was a desperate situation. We are down by ten, less than thirteen minutes to go, second down and eighteen to go, on their fifteen-yard line. No pressure at all.
"OK coach, first plays?"
"We need to dig out of hole son, long ball. I know you have the arm. I've seen it in practice. Go give um hell."
I was about to head out, but I stopped... a plan forming in my head, "Sir, can I have Casey? He is a receiver I'm more familiar with and we tend to anticipate each other on the field." I gave him just the slightest mental nudge.
"Ok Son, but you make something happen or I put Clark back in... Toma, you're up!" Coach made some signals to the line and Mike Clark came running back to the sideline. He had a bit of a sour look on his face.
Casey looked at me as he put on his helmet and just beamed. The team knew that we were friends, and some of them would take offence to what I had just done, but I knew that if we were going to win, I would need Casey.
We came into the huddle. I had practiced with the starters many times, they all knew my capability, but they were not too sure about Casey. They had seen him outrun everyone on the team. They had seen him take some very good hits on the practice field, but Casey, like me, was third string. They could get why I was here, due to injuries, but Casey was replacing one of their own and a few of them did not look happy about it.
Go get'm boys. Good luck,
Carrie thought down to us from the stands.
Ha, they are going to need the luck,
I thought back.
You got that right, hahaha,
Casey thought
As we approached,
Casey let's give these guys a bit of courage.
Yea, and maybe try to refocus that anger back to the other team instead of me.
We began radiating courage and strength, and anger towards the opposing team. Not too strong, just enough to nudge them. We had both become very subtle at this over the last several months. My father was a great teacher, and this was one of the first things he stressed we needed control over, as if we are not careful, we could accidently push our own emotions onto those around us. The fact that it allows us to purposefully push those emotions is just an added benefit. Also, one of those things we try to use in caution, screwing with other people's emotions can have devastating effects. If you need to see an example, check out the first Book, and see what Jessica did to me, our first time together!
"OK, we have a hill to climb... take no prisoners!" they all laughed. I began giving them plan. A crossing rout, with a play action fake to Hicks the running back.
We broke huddle, formed on the line. I began my count sizing up the defense. All the mental chatter told me a blitz, with sixty-two and fifty-seven looking for holes. I audibled into a screen pass to the right.
"Hut"
The ball slapped into my hand, I took three steps back as the pocket began to collapse quickly around me, but the screen was formed and moving. The ball rocketed from my hand to slap into Casey's palms. Casey paced himself behind the screen letting them do their job. Once the screen collapsed, Casey turned on the speed. Ten, fifteen, twenty yards down the field before anyone could get close.
Josh look out!
Carrie thought shouted at me.
I didn't get to see Casey get taken down though, because out of nowhere, fifty-seven barreled into me from the left. I got Carrie's warning just a bit too late to dodge, and make it look natural. What would have been, for most players a back breaking, game ending hit, took me down to grass.
"Welcome to the party... punk!" he bellowed into the back of my helmet.
I heard a whistle blow as the ref was running over to me. I saw a yellow flag fly over where I was laying. The big lunk got up off of me and turned to gloat to the fans. I performed a perfect kip-up maneuver and jumped to my feet. I could see out of the corner of my eye the coach and one of the docs on their way out to me. Fifty-seven, Green was his name, had his back to me and had not realized that I was up. This was the same asshole that took out the bullet with a cheap shot earlier. I grabbed him by the arm and forcefully turned him around.
I grabbed his facemask, pulling into mine and looked directly into his eyes as I oozed fear into him, "next time you want to play, come at me from the front! Instead of behind like a coward!"
The slightest bit of his smirk on his face faltered, then he tried to jerk his head away. It. Did. Not. Budge. His eyes started to widen slightly. I let go with a little shove. He barely stayed on his feet. He ran off scowling at me as Coach and Doc show up.
"Are you ok Joshua?" the Doc asked as his light began flashing in my eyes.
