***Chapter 8 and subsequent chapters actually happen *before* the end of Chapter 7.***
The call came from the near sideline. "Down with the sickness, down with the sickness!"
Cameron steeled himself for the upcoming play while trying to remain motionless. This play had been designed especially for him. It was run from a line-out with a pass to the weak wing, which would then cut between the pack and the flanker. The call for the play came from one of Disturbed's three albums, who Cameron was a huge fan of. The song 'Down With the Sickness' came off their farthest back album, which meant the throw was going to the flanker and the pass would be coming from Cameron's right.
The 8-man made the toss and Cameron broke out into a dead sprint. He saw the ball fly over the line and the flanker move to the inside of the field, creating the gap Cameron would soon blast through. The flanker made a sub-par catch but still managed to pass the ball out. As it happened, he could have neither aimed nor timed the pass any better, as Cameron was able to scoop it up a yard behind the pack if that. The opposing wing was no match for him, evidenced by Cameron dropping his shoulder and trucking through him. The rest of the backs were on the other side of the field; the only man with a chance to catch him was the fullback.
While the fullback was able to catch Cameron, tackling him proved to be an exercise in futility as he was dispatched with a brutal stiff arm. Cameron sprinted the rest of the length of the pitch and touched the ball down in the end zone smack in front of the support for the goalposts. His teammates mobbed him in congratulations, and he heard a "Hey-ey, Zulu war-rior!" rising up from them as well as the guys on the sidelines. Fuck me running, he thought. He had just scored his first try with his new rugby club, and apparently running a lap around the pitch naked after the game when scoring one's first try was not a tradition limited to his old squad. And not only that, but his girlfriend was going to witness the whole charade.
Giovanna came up to him with a bottle of Gatorade. "Honey, what are they all chanting about?"
He took a swig from the bottle, spit it out and then took a long drink. "You'll see," he said grimly. He sent her off the pitch with a kiss on the cheek and a swat on the ass before taking his place for the ensuing kickoff. The rest of the match could only be called domination, as Cameron's squad completely dismantled the visitors to the tune of 67-15. They would have at least broken 20 had Cameron not made an earth-shaking, bone-jarring tackle right outside the try line, the second of his three highlight-worthy plays of the match. The carrier did not just drop the ball when Cameron floored him with a spinebuster slam; subconsciously or not, he chucked it into the middle of the field. A forward picked it up with an open field in front of him, but opted to pitch it to Cameron who was more than happy to scamper to pay dirt yet again. The third was running down a punt that had more than likely been aimed at the sideline but missed its mark horrendously and returning it for his third score of the match.
Eventually the slaughter ended, and Cameron was hurrying to get his gear together when he heard the 'Zulu Warrior' chant go up again. "Ah, shit," he huffed. Considering it was early February and cold as hell, a naked lap was not an appealing prospect.
"What's the matter, baby?" Vonni asked him.
"Just... take my stuff to the car; you don't want to see this." She began to walk towards the parking lot when one of his teammates ran her down. "Ohhh no, you gotta stay and watch this." She began to protest, but he physically ushered her back to the bleachers, where Cameron and a couple other Zulus were stripping down to their cleats and nothing else. Giovanna was in shock at seeing her boyfriend naked and running ahead of a couple other naked players, who were doing their best to keep up with him. Somehow he managed to have enough left in him to circle the pitch at a full jog, but no sooner was he back at the bleachers and getting dressed next to Giovanna than the team president walked up to them. "So Cam, you gonna introduce your friend or what?"
"Oh, sure. Giovanna, this is Rob, our team president. Rob, this is my girlfriend Giovanna."
"Nice to meet you, Giovanna. You know something, I was thinking..."
"I already don't like the sound of this," Cam came back.
"I was thinking that three tries in your first game is a pretty special accomplishment."