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Chapter 6: Safety




      "Eee," squeaks Blaine following a forearm to the throat after the referee blows his whistle signalling the play is over.

The Dunellen cornerback who had been charging in from the backside of the passing play just grins and jogs back to the defensive huddle at the Destroyer five yard line.

"Thirty three," mumbles Blaine to himself as he stomps into the Crusader huddle.

     "Alright, let's run a fake dive and pop pass over the middle," calls the Bound Brook quarterback on third down with five yards to go for a touchdown.

"Thirty three," growls Blaine leaning forward into a three point stance behind the quarterback with one hand planted on the ground.


___________


     "Blaine, I have to talk to you," whispered Karma leaning into his shoulder beside his school locker. "It'll be off the record this time."

"What's up Little Charch?" he smiled, hooking her arm and leading her to the back door of the auditorium stage.

They glanced both ways and ducked into the dark backstage when they thought nobody was looking.

     "My Mom was working at the hospital last night ," she gasped, both eyes moistening as he leaned down to hear. "That kid from Harrison died."

"Nah, he just broke some ribs," Blaine scowled, standing up straight and pulling back from her. "It's part of the fucking game."

"One pierced his lung and it collapsed," she sobbed, reaching up to touch his shoulders. "Both lungs filled with fluid and they couldn't save him."

"Jeez Karma," he softened, pulling her into his chest as tears streamed down her cheeks.


__________


      With the snap of the ball Blaine bursts forward pretending to take the ball and smacks into a defensive lineman. He turns to see his quarterback leap and toss a soft pass over the linemen's heads and straight into the arms of number thirty-three in the middle of the end zone.

"Thirty three!" he screams with a grin, roving toward the guy with the ball who's trying to run out of the end zone.

Blaine shoves aside a would-be Dunellen blocker, squares up at the goal line by widening his stance and leaning onto the balls of his feet, and then launches into number thirty three, forcing him up, back, and into the ground. He reaches for the downed player's face mask, but instead pulls back and offers a hand to help him up.

"Safety," calls the referee placing palms together in an overhead prayer. "Two points for the visitors."




Box Score


1Q
2Q
3Q
4Q
Total
Crusaders (5-0-1)
0
2
12
6
20
Dunellen (3-3)
6
0
0
0
6


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