The opening moves weren't too bad. Neither Kenny nor Tommy had to think too hard, even as Tommy pushed the issue and traded some pawns, opening the board. A minute later they'd got their bishops and knights free, and Tommy was just getting his queen into the mix after Kenny castled.
That minute felt much longer to Jackson, unable to see the board whilst stuck in his plank. He watched the faces of concentration instead; as the game progressed, it was evident who was in control.
'You're not bad at this,' Tommy said. 'I know it's a stereotype, but did your parents force you into the chess club or something?'
'Dad and I used to play,' Kenny responded, moving his queen to protect his knight from Tommy's. 'Not so much anymore since I got into high school. There just isn't time with homework and training and all that, you know.'
Tommy paused, examining the board, mind racing. Jackson frowned, watching his brother's expression sour. It wasn't the look of someone that had blundered… but why was he looking like that? He made another move, and took a deep breath as he rose and Kenny lowered.
'Does it hurt knowing the only time you spend together now is doing something they couldn't care less about?' Tommy asked, voice emotionless.
Kenny stopped, hand reaching for the board. He stared up at Tommy, mouth agape. Even Jackson looked at Tommy as if he'd spoken an alien language. A question like that may as well have been alien coming from Tommy's mouth.
'What…?'
'Focus on the game. Use it to distract from the fact your parents don't give a damn about your dream, and would prefer if you did anything else with your life.'
'Where the hell is this coming from?' Kenny asked, glaring at Tommy.
'Don't stop playing!' Tommy returned the glare. 'And don't get out of your squat. It's still your move.'
Frowning, Kenny squatted again, focus returning to the game … only half so. Tommy's words kept swirling around in his head. It was hard to concentrate, hard to find the right move, hard not to make mistakes.
Tommy didn't relent. His aggression only increased both on and above the board. 'Do you ever think about how they might regret only having one kid? Especially now seeing what you turned out to be? Wouldn't they rather have a son who's focused on being a doctor or lawyer? Something that'll provide for their family in the future and set them up for life, instead of pushing them into an early retirement home after your brain's been turned to mush?'
Each question was a thorn that dug deep into Kenny. They pierced his ears and hooked into his brain, pulling and tearing, taking up more of his attention as the game slipped through his fingers and Tommy backed him into a narrower corner.
'Don't even try to trick yourself into thinking they care just because they show up,' Tommy continued. 'They were raised to be polite, and that's all that is, being polite. They wait until the last moment before kickoff to get there, and leave as soon as the game's over. They don't care. And if they don't care about the most important thing in your life, doesn't that mean they don't care about you?'
The one saving grace for Kenny—and Jackson regarding his plank—was that Tommy didn't waste time dismantling Kenny's attempted defence, and quickly ended the game with an aggressive trade of queens followed by a fatal thrust with his rooks.
Kenny smacked his king off the board following the checkmate. 'What the fuck was that about?' he said, rushing around the table, getting in Tommy's face. 'Why the fuck are you talking about my parents?!'
'I'm sorry, but talking trash is a part of football, Kenny.'
'Football?!' Kenny clenched a fist, but kept it at his side. Pain already engulfed Tommy's expression.
Jackson dropped out of his plank, air rushing back into his lungs as the strain melted away. Sitting on his knees, he watched their exchange. Maybe Tommy had pushed too far … maybe that was the point.
'You need to be able to handle any kind of trash talk on the field. If it throws you off your game for even a single play, that could be the difference between winning and losing.'
'Fortitude,' Kenny mumbled. 'That's what this is about.'
Tommy nodded. 'You lost, Kenny. I'm sorry but that's the game. You won't always come against people who play nice, but if you can get through this; make it so their words are water off a duck's back, then you'll be unshakeable and unstoppable.'
Kenny sighed heavily but nodded.
Tommy patted him on the shoulder. 'If I go too far just say the word and we'll stop. I'm trying to push boundaries but even then some stuff is too much.'
'It's good. I got it, don't worry about me.'
'We good?'
'Of course we're good, dude.'
The two bumped fists. 'Let's keep going. Your up, Jack, and Kenny, you know what the loser's gotta do.'
Jackson watched Kenny lower to the ground and into a plank. His heart rate spiked because of what was coming. Maybe Tommy wouldn't know what buttons to push?
He tried to keep his breathing steady as he took his spot across the table from Tommy. Kenny groaned in his plank; his relief at giving his legs rest wouldn't last long as the burning found a new home in his abdomen.
Tommy shook hands with Jackson first, then squatted and made his first move, taking the white pieces—winner's privilege he said. Jackson wet his lips, staring down at the board. He hardly saw the pieces as he lowered into his own squat, more focused on preparing himself for what verbal jabs Tommy would throw out.
'You're already shaking,' Tommy said, voice calm and quiet, speaking so Jackson knew the words were for him alone. 'I wouldn't even need to say anything. You'd psyche yourself out all on your own. You're good at that, aren't you, Jackie?'
Jackson exhaled, squeezing his hands into fists for a moment. He wouldn't beat himself, that'd be way too embarrassing. He was better than that now.
The game opened with another quick flurry, and Jackson didn't back down from Tommy's aggression, he matched it. The brothers were more familiar with each other's style, and traded queen's early on.
'Hey, at least you're not gonna crumble on your own. That's good. Better than I expected,' Tommy said.
Jackson's mouth was a firm line as he pressed onward. He just had to focus on the game, not on Tommy's words.
'But it doesn't really matter if you won't fall over on your own. You're one tiny push away from plummeting over the edge. I wonder if you'll still cling on even when you realise how outmatched you are. You've never been better than me. … and you're not even needed on JV anymore.'
Jackson winced. "They're just words. Just words without any meaning behind them." Kenny looked up at him. He could've reaffirmed Jackson, let him know he wasn't alone … but sometimes you were alone on the field. This was something they had to get over on their own.
Tommy kept pushing back, countering Jackson's distracted attack. 'I went D1, Dad did too. Now our name's getting dragged down by you, Jackie. The failure who couldn't even handle JV football. Why do you think you'd change anything if you played for the team? You'd just drag them down even faster. You're not a saviour, you're a burden.'
Jackson took a deep breath, but the damage had been done in game. It wasn't long before the Tommy's bishop and rook pincered Jackson's king. Checkmate.
Tommy sighed, taking a step back and shaking off, as if shedding the negativity from his person. 'Next.'
Kenny and Jackson swapped places, fist-bumping as they passed each other. Jackson settled into his plank as the board was reset. "I'm not a burden. I'm more than good enough. I'll be THE BEST." Even if the words weren't true yet, even if he would be a burden in his current state, he'd put in the work to change his reality.
Tommy was as aggressive as ever in the opening of Kenny's second match, though Kenny matched it instead of playing back and defensive. Even so, Tommy still had the early advantage.
'Trying something new?' Tommy said. 'It won't help. Just like you won't make it off JV no matter how hard you try.'
Kenny grit his teeth and tried to push Tommy from his mind, block his voice out. He hummed to himself as he homed in on the game.
'You'll never make it past Rudy, so even if someone makes it up to varsity, it'll be him, and you'll still be stuck. Then someone new will come along, they'll be younger and faster, and surpass you just like that.' Tommy shoved one of Kenny's bishops off the board, replacing it with his own knight.
Kenny took the knight with a pawn, but saw his position weakening as Tommy attacked relentlessly, not giving him a chance to counter.
'It doesn't matter how hard you train. You think training in your off time makes you special? Or gives you an advantage? It's the bare minimum. Everyone's expected to do as much. All you're accomplishing is treading water.'
Kenny fell only a few moves later, growling at himself as he tipped over his king. He chewed the inside of his cheeks as he scanned the board.
'Keep it moving,' Tommy said.
Kenny helped Jackson up and the two swapped again. Tommy didn't waste time, and started the game as soon as the pieces were set back up. Jackson took an extra second to respond.
'Being more passive, thoughtful, and introspective, is that how you think you'll become the best?' Tommy asked.
'I'll do whatever it takes to be the best,' Jackson muttered.
Tommy reached over and flicked his forehead. Jackson flinched more from surprise than the impact. 'Focus on the game. You're already losing the mental battle, if you respond. Losing's contagious, little bro.'
Rubbing his head, Jackson turned back to the game, keeping quiet as he made his next move, attacking Tommy's queen with a bishop.
Tommy ignored the attack, moving his own bishop in, targetting Jackson's queen. 'Do whatever it takes, huh? That's a lie and you know it. You take the easy path … is that what you think will beat Joseph Fale and the Eagles? The easy path? You're a quitter, Jackie, and quitters aren't winners.'
Jackson blocked Tommy's path to his queen, backing out of the trade.
'Always taking the easy path,' Tommy said, sneering. 'That won't get you past the Eagles, let alone the Dons.'
Jackson reacted, despite his best effort to maintain stone-like stoicism. He wasn't even sure what he'd done, whether he stiffened, went pale, or started trembling, but Tommy noticed.
'The Dons, yeah? You didn't want to hear about them earlier. You've got history there, right? Tyrese Samuels was pretty good.'
There it was, that name. How'd he stopped Joseph Fale? Jackson would have to watch the game, push through and study it. Mental fortitude. If he couldn't even watch film of Tyrese, how could he stand against him. It was settled, he needed to watch that film.
'Pay attention,' Tommy said, taking Jackson's queen for free.
Jackson groaned, leaning his head back. He was already screwed, and saw nothing but defeat in his future. All he'd do was prolong the inevitable.
'Giving up already?'
Jackson shook his head. If he could find a way to bring down Tommy's queen, no matter the price, he could stabalise.
'It's okay. You probably should just give up. I mean, this Tyrese kid, he's the same age as both of you, but he's already the star player on his championship team. You guys are struggling on JV. They say he's the best Cornerback in the nation. Do they even know you guys exist? And you're supposed to compete with that? It's easier to give up, smarter too. Only a foolish, arrogant, deluded chump who's as stubborn as a mule would try to overcome such a gap.'
It was foolish. Probably impossible too. Jackson might never get to Ty's level, even if he trained for a hundred years. "I'll train for a thousand then." It didn't matter if it made him delusional, stupid, or arrogant. He was gonna be the best, and that meant surpassing everyone including Ty.
'You probably think you can just practice real hard and you'll eventually catch him, right? It doesn't work like that. Hard work beats talent, right? Wrong. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. That's the saying. And it doesn't matter how talented you are, nobody gets to be THAT good that young without working hard. You'll never catch him. So don't embarrass yourself trying.'
Jackson clawed back, taking out Tommy's queen, though it turned out to be a trap, and Tommy forced him into checkmate a few moves later. Jackson stood, leaning against the table. How long ago had he lost? Since he lost his queen? He'd been stubbornly persisting for what? Nothing.
"Not nothing. If I was better I could've won. It's only over once you give up."
'Again,' Tommy said.
Both boys played another round against Tommy, and both lost again. Over and over they lost. An hour later they slumped onto the old couch. It was worn down, but comfortable, the cushions pliable in a way that formed around you. So as long as you didn't sink too far down, it was nice, exactly what their sore cores and legs needed.
Tommy sat with them, letting the boys rest after. Not only did their bodies need some time to recover, but the quiet was good for their minds too. They'd done well, especially with how he'd sprung this strange form of training on them. They'd have to keep working on it, and it'd be a while before they could see any results, but he hoped he'd helped them.
'Sorry if I went too far, today,' he said.
The boys looked at him, blinking. 'You're fine, bro,' Jackson said. 'Good games.' He held a fist out.
Tommy bumped it, then bumped Kenny's. 'Good. Just remember I didn't mean any of that. Of course you two will make it. You'll be the best. State champs for sure next year.'
'The truth can hurt but everyone needs to hear it,' Kenny said.
Tommy reached over, patting his back firmly. 'It might seem like the truth now, but the truth can change. Trash talk is just that—trash. While it might sound true because it's harsh, and we're supposed to believe the truth hurts, in the end, YOU decide what's true about you. If someone says you're a failure or loser, it's up to YOU to prove them wrong. Just be prepared for them to say some nasty stuff.'
'All's fair in love and war,' Jackson said.
'ESPECIALLY war,' Tommy agreed.
'It's all good. We needed to hear it,' Kenny said. 'It's what the world might think of us after last year, you know. So how can we prove them wrong if we don't know what we're proving wrong. Does that make sense?'
The brothers nodded. 'Yeah, that makes sense,' Jackson said.
'That's a great attitude to have, Kenny,' Tommy said. 'I know you two will be great this year. You'll take the world by storm and show them that the Titans aren't to be messed with.'
'You know, I was surprised though. You were like a totally different person, Tommy.'
Tommy laughed and shrugged. 'I was just trying to be like a bully from some cheesy Disney show or something. Helps that I was a theatre kid back in high school.'
'Theatre and football?' Kenny raised a brow.
'Is something wrong? A guy can't like sport and plays at the same time?'
'No, no. It's just surprising.'
'Hah. You should've seen him in Hamilton,' Jackson said. 'Actually, I think he was a better actor than football player. Should've gone to Broadway instead of trying to make it as an athlete.'
'Ouch,' Tommy said with mock pain.
All three shared a laugh, Tommy hardest of all. After all he'd put them through that day, he deserved a little humbling and taunting himself.
'I'll let you get away with that one, little bro. But you guys need to remember not to retaliate on the field. Just ignore it. Getting sucked into responding and taunting back is just as much of a distraction as letting their words affect you. You have to remain impassive. Just play your game and ignore them. That's usually the best way to piss them off anyway.'
They laughed again, soon heading out, locking the building back up. It was an interesting place, and cosy, Kenny thought. He was thankful Tommy had shown it to him, surprised he'd never heard of it before.
They started on their way back to Kenny's, though Tommy looked the boys over. 'Race you guys back to Kenny's?'
They grinned at him, and without warning both broke into a sprint. Tommy hollered, yelling that they were cheating as he chased after them. Jackson yelled back, asking if he'd lose just because something was unfair.
As they rushed through the streets, laughing, they were neck and neck, blocking and pulling on each other whenever someone started to get a slight lead. The toxic training session was behind them, and they were all smiles as they raced to Kenny's house.