The Tigers' avoided Ty on the next play, though they stuck to the air. More good fortune fell their way when two Dons collided trying to track the Mesh routes crossing the field. That left the TE open leading to another first down.
It was frustrating; A frustration unlike any the Dons had ever dealt with before. Even when the Vikings or Bears had beaten them, it was different. It was more dominant, but it was more … tangible … they could see and comprehend what was happening. But with the Tigers it felt as if they were playing against somebody using loaded dice. And somehow those same dice fell wrong for the Dons.
Ty hoped the rest of the team would figure it out. He was doing his job, sticking with Elliot, even if they were both still in the "feeling out" stage.
Play-Action didn't fool any Dons, not initially, but when the TE—who had stayed down to block to better sell the fake—shed his own blocking assignment and darted out into the flat, he was open, and picked up 7 yards before the Dons brought him down.
An actual run followed—Coach Hoang noted the pattern he could see forming. The hand-off was a Stretch, and when the RB arched around the Line, Donte lunged out, wrapping him up, and slinging him to the ground.
The RB thrust a hand out towards the ground to brace themselves, and hit the ground at just the right angle where neither his knees, nor hips, touched the turf. He spun back to his feet, and scrambled ahead, picking up the first down and a few yards more. The Tigers' stubbornness had paid off for one play at least.
But that success went straight to the Tigers' heads, overflowing with pride. They trusted the RB again, sending him up the middle, right into the meat grinder where he met JJ head on after only 2 yards. Of course, the RB lost that battle.
The successful run could've been a fluke, but that thought wasn't comforting enough to kill all the Dons' worries. What if it wasn't a fluke? Even if it was, the Tigers seemed to have a lot of "flukes". What if the Tigers' good fortune was spreading to their run game, too?
Ty didn't have time to focus on such a problem. His attention was fixed on Elliot. He shot back as Elliot charged forward after the snap. Elliot's first step was explosive; it would've posed problems with others, but Ty stayed on top of his every move.
They ran forward, Ty backpedalling, gazed pinned between Travis and Elliot, watching both QB and WR. Travis wasn't looking their way; he knew Elliot was smothered. Had Ty taken him out of the game completely? No. The fear wasn't there; it was a calculated decision to ignore Elliot, not a fearful one.
Travis aimed over the middle, looking for the TE again. A hand erupted from the D-Line, AGAIN, and batted the ball from the air, sending the pass on a chaotic journey. Elliot kept running without hesitation, dashing towards the ball's new drop zone. Ty chased after him, a step behind. Ty dove, but Elliot plucked the ball from the air. Before anyone even had the chance to acknowledge the freakish effort it took for Elliot to reach the ball, he spun away from Ty's outstretched, cloying hand. Ty took a second swipe, tapping one of Elliot's ankles, causing him to stumble. Elliot then dove, crossing the first-down marker.
Another tipped pass, another fluke catch. Could it be considered a fluke if it had happened thrice? Ty chewed his mouthguard, stalking back to the huddle. Whatever it was, he had to stop it.
The Tigers' were well within field-goal range, nearing on the red-zone. Everyone knew they'd be looking beyond that, however. The end-zone that called to them, not a field goal.
The Dons would do everything in their power to prevent that, and Ty needed to keep them from the field goal as well. If he was ever going to get an interception, it was the perfect time.
The crowd was crying and squealing for the Tigers; Ty spared the pigs in the stands a glance, eyes burning with cold hate. He turned that hatred towards Elliot as they stood before one another again.
'You can't get a real catch and you know it,' Ty said. 'Your only hope of beating me is with bullshit that you call "luck".'
'What YOU call "luck" is as much a part of the game as any other aspect,' Elliot responded. 'Do not be mad at me now that your karma is finding its way back to you.'
The ball was snapped. Ty's spear shot forward, fuelled by anger, it struck home in the centre of Elliot's chest, staggering the boy's release. He shoved Ty's hand aside, a second slow to get out of the gates, he stumbled forward. Ty backed off, watching Travis. His eyes were darting around, looking for a target, not finding an open one. Elliot continued onward. 5 yards out he stuttered.
Left right left right left right. Ty's eyes danced with Elliot's feet, steadying on his hips. Elliot's eyes bored holes through Ty's. When Elliot slanted inside, Ty mirrored him. Nobody was open, and a throw to the opposite side of the field found no target.
Ty straightened, bumping chests with Elliot. 'You're not catching anything for the rest of this game. Not even another bullshit tipped pass.'
Elliot turned away without answering the challenge. He walked back to the Tigers' huddle, straight-backed and silent.
The crowd was still rallying behind the Tigers even after the incompletion, perhaps even louder because of it. They wanted to see a touchdown, too.
Ty's spear didn't thrust out on the next play, though Elliot was ready for it if it had. He burst forward, then stuttered, before shooting out. Ty followed, clamping Elliot again. The rest of the field wasn't any better for the Tigers, and they settled for a 4-yard pass to the TE.
Third down arrived. Ty's skin prickled. The Tigers wanted a touchdown, wanted a more comfortable gap between themselves and the Dons; they'd go his way.
Another snap, another drop-back, another pass. The Dons covered most of the field well, locking down every other Receiver. The only option left to Travis was Elliot.
Elliot shot forward, again ready for a spear that never came. He lowered his head, ducking through to the outside. He stuttered, watching Ty, like looking into a mirror. He pushed through, racing forward. Ty turned and followed as they rushed towards the end-zone. The ball was thrown, but flew out of the back of the end-zone; there was no window, not even one the Tigers could gamble on. They had to settle for a field goal.
Ty returned to the bench as both sides sent out their special teams units. At that range, the field goal was a gimme, and knowing the Tigers' luck, it was automatic. Ty sat down, frowning. It wasn't just the fact that Tigers scored again which pissed him off. He was smothering Elliot. But why did it feel so different than the previous week.
'Can you see anything, Coach?' he asked.
'You'll have to be more specific, Samuels,' Coach Hoang said.
'With Dumbo. Wall, whatever his name is.'
Coach Hoang shrugged. 'You're all over him, Samuels. Keep it up and they'll make a mistake sooner rather than later.'
'You don't think he's holding something back?'
'Hmm…'
Coach Hoang looked across the field. The Tigers' field goal was successful, and a triumphant roar passed through the crowd, but his eyes remained on Elliot Wall. Was the boy special like Ty? You'd think so if he managed to earn his number three ranking.
'He could be,' Coach Hoang finally said; the teams prepared for the kickoff following the Tigers' score. 'If he is, it doesn't matter. You haven't been playing at full strength either.'
Ty blinked. He wasn't? He thought he was, but as he slumped back in his seat, he kept his mouth shut. Coach Hoang was right. If he had been playing at one-hundred percent, he'd have scored a pick-six already. A grin spread across his face. It didn't matter if Elliot had something hidden up his sleeve. He could crush it. Whatever it was.
Chris didn't wait for the kick to bounce, nor did he let his prior fumble strike fear in his heart. He attacked the ball, catching it on the fly at the 4-yard line, and rushed ahead, holding it securely in his arms as he weaved through the Dons and Tigers up to the 28.
The Dons marched onto the field, ready to answer back with their new plan of attack. Even with the Tigers' two field goals, the Dons could snatch the lead with a touchdown.
Thunderous chants of "dee-fence" filled the stadium as Jay readied the team. It was hard enough to hear his own thoughts let alone Coach Long's call. It was a struggle, but he organised the team.
'SET … HIKE!'
He took the snap, dropping back, eyes flicking towards the edge of the Line. Benny double-teamed Drake, holding him back, buying Jay more time. Enough time. Stephen feinted in then kept straight on his Go route. Jay breathed easy, lobbing the ball over. Stephen came down with the ball, fading out of bounds after a gain of 13. Good. A first down, and Benny held up comfortably. Drake was fearsome, but the Eagles had prepared them for speed off the edge, and the strength of the Warriors had hardened the core of the O-Line. Jay was protected.
The Tigers were still cracking down on the run, and Chris didn't have much luck, even when faking to the outside before shifting back in. Both teams were eliminating each other's run game. Victory would come through the air.
The Dons were fine with that. With the threat of Stephen drawing more attention, Cole could slip through the cracks and find space, earning a few receptions himself. Stephen caught another back-shoulder toss, and the Line stood tall, keeping Jay safe, giving him the time he needed to calmly dissect the Tigers' defence.
They passed half-field with no hint of slowing, reaching the edges of field-goal range on the next play after Chris leaked out to the flat and turned a check-down into a 6-yard gain, and a first down. Even if the Dons abandoned the run, Chris was still an important piece of their offence.
Jay steadied himself for the next play. The crowd hadn't been silenced, growing louder the more success the Dons found, as if enraged. He was calm, however, and that calm spread throughout the rest of the team. He wanted to get deeper into field-goal range, and mentally checked through his targets.
Another Go route for Stephen could be the big gain they needed, but if that was covered Cole was next in the middle of the field. Amon's Out route was riskier, but could catch the defence sleeping, and Chris leaking from the back field was the final option. Unless Drake wasn't coming, but so far the OLB had always blitzed.
'SET … HIKE!'
Benny jumped back, hands up. He'd been practically a sixth Lineman for the whole drive. But for once, Drake didn't come crashing down, or try slicing around the edge. He shot inside instead, going between Tackle and Guard. Benny was free. He turned his eyes away from the Line, slipping towards the flat. Movement caught the corner of his eye. He saw the stunt a step too late as the DT came racing around, looping past Drake.
Benny lunged, desperate to keep the DT out, but put up as much of a fight as a turnstile. Jay—who was watching Stephen—saw the blitz a second too late as well. Instead of trying to throw the ball over the top, he curled around it, protecting it as he was smashed by the bone-shaking sack.
The crowd roared again, overjoyed as the Dons were pushed out of field-goal range. Jay was helped back to his feet, the Tigers still celebrating their play. He groaned, dusting himself off.
'Sorry Jay,' Benny said, looking him over. 'You okay?'
'Nothing's broken … I'm fine. Let's get those yards back.'
They shared a fist-bump, and the huddle formed around them. The sack had pushed them back 5 yards. An annoyance, but their drive wasn't dead yet.
'Watch for the same stunt,' Jay said as the huddle dispersed and everyone took their positions. Benny gave him a thumbs up.
Jay glanced across the Tigers' D-Line as he awaited the snap. Damn those poker faces. They looked just as they always did. He knew the pressure was coming, but couldn't tell from where. He called for the snap and dropped back with the ball.
Drake shot inside again, but Benny was ready when the DT looped around to the outside on the same Stunt. The O-Line picked the blitz up, good. Jay had time to hit Stephen. He'd need to if they wanted another first down.
A gap opened between the Center and the RG, and a Safety flew through it. Jay caught it, the rapid blur was hard to miss. He lofted the ball high over Stephen's head, unable to wait until he was open. An incompletion was better than a sack, even if Jay still got knocked on his ass for his troubles.
Jay stood more gingerly the second time around. He should've known, but the Tigers' Safeties had been lining up closer than usual for a while. Not only were they cracking down on the run, but they were begging for him to go over the top like he had on the interception, knowing the Dons didn't have time for such plays to develop against the Tigers' relentless blitz. A blitz that would be in full force on third-and-long. The question was how?
Would it be the Safety again? Another Stunt on the opposite edge? Maybe Drake would fake the Stunt. Would they get really crazy and not blitz at all? Jay sighed, slowing his thoughts. The frenzied crowd was a bad enough distraction as it was. Stephen was there, he would help. Jay wasn't doing it alone.
'SET … HIKE!'
Jay took the snap, eyes flitting towards Stephen. His gaze passed over Benny and Drake, locked in conflict on the edge. A CB rushed towards them, towards Jay. It was the CB who should've been guarding Stephen. That's where the blitz was coming from.
Jay lobbed the ball over the CB's head. The pass was early, and though Stephen caught it, he had a lot of ground to make up if he wanted to get the first. He rushed forward, colliding heavily with the first Tiger to pounce on him. He dragged them forward, earning back the yards the Dons lost on the sack … he didn't get much further than that before succumbing, another Tiger helping drag him down.
It was fourth down, and the Dons would have to try a field-goal, even if the attempt would be over 50 yards long.
The Dons set up. The crowd stamped their feet, and shouted—those at the front rattled the stands—all in an effort to distract the Kicker. Every soul on the Dons' sideline held their breath, even Ty, though he did so subconsciously.
The ball was snapped, caught, planted in the ground, and kicked. It flew, drifting, swirling … and faded wide right. It missed. The Dons missed.
The crowd was nearing delirium they were that happy. Ty ground his teeth, the zero on the scoreboard taunting him. Was it the Dons' fate to be shut-out after their last game?
The Tigers marched onto the field, determined to keep the Dons down, prolong their fall. In a game as important as that one, they'd need every advantage they could get.
Ty rushed onto the field, eager to get revenge, eager to wipe that zero off the scoreboard even if he had to do it himself. The rest of the Dons' defence filtered on after him, huddling briefly before taking their positions.
Ty stood before Elliot, glaring at him. 'I'll beat you myself. I'll tear your entire team apart with my bare hands.' He held a shaking hand up to Elliot's face.
'Hm.' Elliot's lips quirked into a smile, it was an awkward, crooked thing. 'You're strong, Tyrese. They smile upon you, too.' He fingered his necklace of prayer beads; irritation shot through Ty. 'But let's see which one of us is truly favoured.'
Elliot shut his eyes, and every hair along Ty's body stood on end. Elliot stood as if he was meditating, yet the image Ty saw overlapping him was that of a predator grinning with its prey caught under its paw—a tiger toying with a mouse. Ty was NO MOUSE.
The ball was snapped. Travis's sharp cry alerted Elliot, should've forced his eyes open … but they stayed shut. It was a ploy, it had to be, a distraction for a run coming their way. Nobody on the Dons shouted that it was a run, there wasn't even Play-Action. Elliot lurched forward, eyes still closed. Ty's thrust his spear out.
Elliot slapped it aside. Ty's mouth fell open. He clamped his jaw shut as Elliot brushed past on the inside, not looking where he was going, but running as if on tracks. Ty turned, running alongside him. His eyes were closed. It was unlike anything Ty had ever seen or heard of.
Then the stutters and feints began. Left right left right. Outside inside outside. IN! Ty darted across to get back on top of the route, and Elliot turned outside. Ty couldn't stop himself. He snatched Elliot's hip, tugging on arm and jersey, letting go a heartbeat later, but it was a heartbeat too late.
Elliot's eyes finally opened as he twisted back, looking at Ty as they crossed completely. Ty saw himself reflected in large, but otherwise empty, brown eyes. Shock twisted his face into something he didn't recognise. Fear? No. Never.
Even as the flag fluttered through the air, Elliot broke away from Ty, leaving him behind on his Out route. He caught the ball against the sideline, turning upfield and walking a grass tight-rope as he squeezed in as many yards he could before Ty recovered and shoved him out of bounds.
The play was whistled dead after a gain of 14 yards. The crowd was ecstatic. Finally the Dons' douche was getting what he deserved. Yet they didn't know how truly bizarre the play they cheered for was. No-one did. No-one except Ty and Elliot themselves.
Elliot passed Ty, no hint of smirk or smile on his face. He flipped the ball back to the officials and returned to the huddle as if it was just another day in the classroom. Ty stumbled back to the huddle, face becoming a blank mask to hide the shock still rattling through him.
"What the fuck was that? Had he just been guessing?"
Of course, the Tigers declined the holding penalty called against Ty. 'Don't worry about it, Ty,' JJ said, thumping him on the back.
Ty staggered, the words barely registered in his mind. What had Elliot just done? How had he done it? He shook his head. The closed eyes were a distraction. They had to be. There was a key somewhere else. Ty just had to find it.
The teams lined up against each other again. Elliot smiled down at Ty, eyes open for the moment. 'Our judgement continues. Can you feel their guidance yet?'
Ty growled, fists clenched; Elliot's smile was unwavering as his eyes slid closed. At the snap, Elliot shot forward. Ty's thrust his spear, through pulled back at the last moment. Elliot didn't react, only lowered his shoulder to get by on the inside. Ty lunged in, running straight into Elliot's heavy hands. He was pushed aside, and Elliot raced ahead.
Ty closed the gap, not having fallen behind, only lost contact. Side by side they ran. Elliot stuttered. Inside-outside-inside, OUT. Ty shifted his hips, facing Travis, backpedalling. Another Out would be a death sentence for the Tigers. That's why Elliot straightened, racing down the sideline. Ty turned, following two steps behind. He was closing the distance, but not quickly enough. Elliot's hands reached out, he didn't even turn his head, but his feet carried him into the path of the ball, and he cradled it against his chest.
Ty dove, hand extending, he clipped Elliot's ankle, knocking him down, sending them both skidding across the turf. The damage was already done, however. The Tigers were nearing the end-zone, another play like that, and they'd have their first touchdown.
Just when you thought the crowd couldn't get louder, they broke through another threshold as if they were trying to rip the roof off with their screams. They didn't know Elliot snatched Ty's ankles with his eyes closed, but nobody could've ignore how he didn't even turn his head to catch the pass. It was like something from a commercial—unreal.
Elliot had never done that before. Ty was sure of it. He'd studied the film extensively. No, Elliot was pulling out ALL the tricks. Ty chuckled to himself as he stood, dusting himself off. Both boys shared a look, but said nothing as they went to separate huddles.
'Yo, Ty, you got this, right?' Deshaun asked.
Ty glared at him. 'Do your job and I'll do mine.'
'You better,' Zayden said. 'We got our hands full already, we can't help you with your shit, so handle it yourself.'
'Tranquillo,' JJ urged, defusing the situation. 'Trust in your hermanos.'
Ty stalked back to Elliot after the huddle broke. Elliot wasn't reacting to anything. He knew what route he had to run, and he just stuck to that. He must determine how many feints he'd use before the snap. That was the only conclusion that made sense to Ty. The question was, would they go for it all right away?
The ball was snapped; Ty would get his answer soon. Elliot came forward, Ty's spear stayed put as he backed off, watching, waiting. 5 yards, 10. Another step and Elliot twisted around, eyes still firmly shut. A Curl, they were hoping Ty would be fearful of another Go route and want to prevent the touchdown. Ty jumped forward, and Elliot completed his turn in three-sixty degrees, continuing down the field.
Ty planted his feet hard, and pushed off, following Elliot. Did they think he was as jumpy as that? Faking the Curl was the most obvious choice after the previous play. They were neck and neck, and Elliot was out of cards to play. His eyes—finally open—locked onto Ty's for a moment.
The ball came floating through the air. Both boys located it. It'd land in the end-zone. A true fifty-fifty. Ty could see only two outcomes—touchdown or interception. But a jump ball was in his favour. The fifty-fifty was more like one-hundred versus zero.
Elliot jumped first. He had to if he wanted to compete with Ty's explosiveness. Ty lingered another step, leaping higher, stretching taller, bridging the gap of their height difference, then eclipsing it. The ball was his.
Elliot tugged one of Ty's shoulders down a breath before the ball hit his hands. Ty wasn't prepared for a one-handed catch, and though he did his best to clench the ball in his claws, it bounced away, tumbling aside. He twisted, taking a second stab at it, but Elliot was already ahead of him, already prepared for where the deflection would fall. Both his hands shot out, cradling and encapsulating the ball.
They thudded to the ground, bouncing hard, both stretched to their utmost to secure the ball. Only Elliot came away with it, holding it in steady hands as they lay across the end-zone.
Touchdown Tigers. Touchdown Elliot. 0–12 Tigers. Zero Ty. Twelve Elliot.