Wild Card by Tiki Barber

Author:Tiki Barber
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books

CHAPTER SEVEN

DESPERATE MEASURES

* * *

RONDE WATCHED THE KICK FALL SHORT, AND suddenly he felt like a huge rock had been dropped right on top of him. He stood there stunned, helmet in hand, tears streaming down his face.

His teammates stood like a group of statues, staring into the distance, frozen in disbelief.

Now that the game was over, Ronde realized he’d known, deep in his heart, that from the moment they’d lost Adam the Eagles had been clinging to life by the thinnest of threads.

Now that thread had broken, and they were falling, falling off the cliff, with the play-offs slipping far out of reach.

“It’s over,” Sam said dully as they trudged back into the locker room and collapsed onto the wooden benches. “There goes our season.”

“Don’t let me hear you say that!” Coach Wheeler said sharply. “Don’t ever let me hear any of you talk like that. We’ve still got a chance to make the play-offs—that’s what the math says, and that’s what I say too.

“As long as we’re mathematically alive, I don’t want to hear any more about us not making it. And if I catch any of you guys sulking, or playing half-baked football like you don’t care anymore, you can do your sulking from the bench! Is that clear?”

For a moment nobody answered. Finally Cody said, “Yes, Coach,” and the rest of them all muttered “Yes, Coach” too.

Ronde felt lower than he could ever remember feeling—so he could only imagine how his twin was feeling right then.

Say, where was he, anyway? “Anybody seen Tiki?” Nobody had, and nobody seemed like they wanted to get up and look for him either.

Ronde went back out onto the field, and right away he saw his brother. Tiki was sitting on his helmet, right by the uprights at the back of the end zone. His chin was propped up in both hands, and he was staring straight out at the field.

“Hey,” Ronde said, sitting down next to him.

“Hey,” Tiki said in a hoarse whisper.

“You okay?”

“No. Are you?”

“Not really.”

“This is the worst thing that’s ever happened.”

“Come on, Tiki. You know that’s not true.”

“Oh, no?”

“I mean, nobody got hurt or anything.”

“Not on the outside.”

“Tiki, man, you did the best you could. It’s not like you told anybody you wanted to be the kicker.”

“I should have nailed it, Ronde,” Tiki said. “It was an easy kick.”

Ronde didn’t answer. There was nothing more to say about it. Instead he asked, “You coming inside?”

Tiki sighed. “I feel like walking home.”

“Are you serious? We’re all the way on the other side of town.”

“It’s a good thing too,” Tiki said. “Can you imagine if this was a home game? At least I didn’t choke in front of every single person I know.”

“Come on, dude, let’s go. The bus is gonna leave soon.”

Tiki hesitated. “Are they all mad at me?”

“Who, the team? No, man—they understand.”

“They do?”

“Totally. It’s not your fault.”

“It’s not?”

“No, Tiki. Don’t think like that.”

“How should I think, then?” Tiki shook his head. “You know,” he said, “I’ll bet Adam feels even worse than I do.

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