Joe made his way into the house following football practice. It had been a long day and a hard workout to prepare them for Friday’s game. But the team seemed to be coming together. And now he faced three hours of homework. He wished teachers would talk before so much work was dumped on the students. 

Stepping inside, he looked in the living room and saw Frank sitting on the couch, his leg propped up on the coffee table. He had a book open on the arm of the couch. He was glancing from the book to the paper where he was writing notes. 

He looked at his brother’s face, and for the first time in a long while, Joe noticed a genuine smile. 

“What are you so happy about?” Joe asked. 

Frank turned and looked at him, the grin never leaving his face. “Hey, you’re home.” 

“I am,” Joe said, heading into the living room. He plopped down in the armchair across from Frank. “So, what’s with you?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Well, you’re grinning like a cat who has just eaten the canary. What’s got you so happy?” 

“Nothing much,” Frank replied and quickly switched subjects. “So, how was practice? Is the team ready for Friday’s game?” 

“I think we are,” Joe said. “The team is starting to work nicely and I think we’ll do well. We might not make it to the division playoffs this year, but we’ll have to wait and see.” 

“Well, things will work out in the end,” Frank said. “There are some new members of the team that just need to refine their skills and once they do, the wins will come.” 

“You’re right. I guess I’m just a little disappointed that we aren’t doing as well as last year when we were named state champs.” 

“Last year was a phenomenal year,” Frank admitted. “But each year the team changes. Sometimes those changes are good and other times, the changes aren’t the best.” 

“You’re right. Like I said, I’m missing the old gang back together. We had a great rhythm going when we played, but the team seems to be missing the beat now.” 

“You’ll find it,” Frank said. “I know you will because you are the team captain.” 

“Thanks, Frank. I needed to hear that.” 

“You’re welcome.” Frank returned his focus back to his book. 

Joe got to his feet and started to leave the living room. He was just about to step out of the room when he realized he had never gotten an answer from Frank about why he was so happy. Glancing back at his brother, he saw the look was still on his face. Joe decided to wait and try to weasel it out of him later. 

Laura, their mother, approached him and said, “Joe, you might want to get cleaned up. Dinner will be going on the table shortly.” 

“All right, Mom,” Joe said. He grabbed his bag and headed upstairs. 

* * * * * 

That evening, Joe was hard at work on his math. He wished he didn’t have to take math, but knew he needed to pass the class if he wanted to graduate. He knew he had to grin and bear it. 

“Hey. How’s it going?” 

Joe turned from his desk and saw Frank standing in the doorway on his crutches. Joe glanced at his homework and then back at Frank. “It’s going, but slowly.” 

“Do you need any help?” 

“I think I got it, but thanks for offering.” 

“No problem.” Frank turned to leave. 

Joe decided it was his time to ask the question he was holding onto. “Hey, Frank. You got a minute?” 

“Sure,” Frank said, turning back around. He moved over to Joe’s bed and sat down. “What’s going on? You look serious.” 

“I was just wondering why you were grinning earlier,” Joe said, a grin appearing on his own face. “I mean, you looked really happy and I haven’t seen that in a while.” 

“It’s nothing,” Frank said, the smile returning to his face again. 

“Oh really? Then why are you grinning?” Joe watched the color rise in his brother’s cheeks. “I knew it was something.” 

“It’s nothing,” Frank protested. “Nothing at all.” 

“All right, big brother. I’ll let it go for now. But I will find out.” 

Frank grinned at him. “Go ahead and try to figure it out.” 

“Oh, I will. Trust me.” 

“Okay,” Frank said and got to his feet. He looked pointedly at Joe. “Are you sure you don’t need any help with your homework?” 

“I’ve got it under control.” 

“All right,” Frank said. “I’ll see you in the morning, then.” 

“Night, Frank.” 

“Night, Joe.” 

Joe watched his brother leave the room. Joe knew that something had happened to make a change in his brother. He was bound and determined to find out what that was. He turned back to his homework. He knew that would have to wait until he got his assignments done. 

* * * * * 

Two days later, Joe was still unsure as to what had changed with his brother. He had been ready to figure things out the previous day, but life had other plans. He and his teammates spent an additional hour at school reviewing the plays for that night’s game. 

By the time he had gotten home, had something to eat and begun his homework, Joe had let it slip his mind. 

Now, he was getting ready for the game. Joe knew Frank would be coming to the game following his doctor’s appointment to check the cast, but it had lost him an opportunity to see if Frank was doing something out of the ordinary. 

The team gathered together in their usual fashion, cheered, “win” and headed out of the locker room. 

Joe stood by the team’s bench and listened as the national anthem was played. Once it was over, he turned around and scanned the bleachers for Frank. 

He spotted his older brother sitting on one of the aisles, with his broken leg outstretched in front of him. He saw Frank raise a hand in greeting and Joe nodded back. 

Just as he was about to turn back to the field, he noticed a girl with brown hair sitting next to Frank. She appeared to be talking to him. Joe was puzzled. He didn’t recognize her. He wondered if she was just a fan of the game and ended up sitting beside him. 

“Joe!” the coach yelled, getting his attention. 

“Yeah, Coach?” Joe asked, turning back around. 

“It’s time to play. Move it.” 

Joe slid his helmet on and hurried onto the field with his teammates. 

* * * * * 

Halfway through the fourth quarter, Joe wondered why he had ever decided to play football. The team had not scored yet and it seemed as if they wouldn’t be getting any touchdowns in the game. 

The visiting team was strong, but they were losing because of mistakes. They team knew what needed to be done, but it seemed as if they had never practiced together at all. 

Minutes were ticking away on the clock and Joe felt they were going to be shutout. As he was passed the ball from the quarterback, he saw the opening they needed. He cradled the ball to his chest and ran for the end zone. 

He could barely hear the cheering crowd as he focused on the end zone. He wanted to reach the goal post so they could at least have a touchdown on the board. He had three defensemen to get by to reach his destination. He swerved to the left and sidestepped the first one. He ran a few more steps before swerving to the right, missing another. 

Joe saw the third defenseman wasn’t going to be easily swayed. Joe dodged to the left and then the right. The defenseman stayed with him. He was getting closer to the end zone. 

He knew he had to make his move. With a quick turn to the right again, Joe swept past the defenseman. He felt another player take hold of his jersey and pull on it, trying to get Joe to stop, but it wasn’t working. Joe plowed forward and finally crossed the goal line. 

He heard an initial cheer, which suddenly turned into screams of terror.