Ty still hadn't returned to school. His days were spent mostly within his room. Rarely did he leave, and when he did it was only to use the bathroom or get something to eat, if Megan even let him do that.
She was constantly hovering over him, as if waiting outside his room with her ear pressed against the door. Did he need more water? Anything to eat? Anything at all, she was there, ready and willing. You'd have thought his arms and legs had been chopped off!
Thankfully she could take no for an answer, and she knew not to come into his room. The door was as good as a barrier in that way.
He did his exercises and stretches in the morning, once again at midday, and a final time before he went to sleep. In between, he'd lay in bed, watching through the National Championship game again and again.
Of course, if he hadn't gotten hurt, he would've won, but it shouldn't have been that close in the first place. So he looked for his mistakes, his shortcomings, and failures, and replayed them over and over.
It was a frustrating experience, mostly because—more than anything—it made him want to get out on the field and put his theories to the test. It was well and good knowing where and how he fucked up, but if he couldn't put his adjustments into practice, what was the point? Yet what else was he going to do to pass the days away?
It was a miserable experience, akin to rotting. So when the day finally came for the State Championship celebration, Ty welcomed it rather than dreaded it.
However, as he waited for Coach Long to pick him up, sitting on the couch rather than his bed, Megan was there as well.
She was the only one there with him in that quiet house. The place had become a mausoleum for Ty. The rest of the family certainly did their best to act as if he was dead. Which was fine. Ty didn't need their pity, just as he hadn't needed their praise during the season. Both were as fake as the "diamonds" in his mother's engagement ring.
'Are you sure you don't want me to come?' Megan asked him... again.
'I'm sure,' he answered.
Of course, such a simple answer wasn't satisfactory for her. She was going to ask again, not right away, but in a few minutes or so. Ty checked the time. It'd be another five minutes at least. More than that and he'd send Coach Long a message.
'Look, Meg, it's just gonna be some little dinner thing. Plus a lot of junk from the seniors. It's going to be boring. You wouldn't want to be there long.'
'I wouldn't mind if I'm there with you.'
'I...' But what else was there to say? Why'd it even matter if she came or not? 'Sure, whatever. You can come if you like.'
'If you don't want me to come I don't have to.'
Ty bit back a groan, but couldn't stop himself from face palming. 'Just do what you want!' he snapped.
She flinched back, but remained quiet finally. The next three minutes were silent until they heard Coach Long's car pull up.
Ty pushed himself up, and swung along on his crutches to the front door, pulling it open. Coach Long was halfway across the yard.
The man wore a suit. It wasn't custom-fitted, but it was fine enough. Dark blue, though it looked black in the lightless yard. A red and gold tie hung from his neck. Ty couldn't even remember if Coach Long had worn such a suit to the New Year's Eve gala.
'You doing alright, Tyrese?' Coach Long asked.
'I'm fine,' Ty said, and Coach Long knew better than to offer him any help. Instead, his attention shifted beyond Ty.
'Megan. You look nice. Will you be joining us?'
'If it's not a problem for you,' she said, her voice almost a whisper.
'Of course not.'
Ty reached the car. Luke was already occupying the front seat, and Bella looked up expectantly from the far side of the backseat. Thankfully, the two of them showed it was just Coach Long who was dressing up, and not Ty who was under-dressed. He wore his jersey—Bella also wore a Dons jersey, though hers was numbered zero, which nobody had claimed—on top of some black tracksuit pants which had two gold stripes running down each leg.
Bella, in addition to her jersey, had a golden skirt. Whilst Luke kept it simple with a black, zip-up jacket and some black slacks. Even Megan only wore a red sweater and a plaid skirt. If Coach Long had any comments on the others' attire, he kept them to himself.
Ty shuffled around to the trunk, and popped it open, finding space for his crutches around Luke's folded up wheelchair.
'Sorry it's going to be a bit of a squish in the backseat, Ty. Will your leg be alright?' Coach Long asked.
'It's not in a cast,' Ty grumbled. 'I can bend it.'
Megan had already slid into the backseat. The two girls shared a look of barely restrained disdain, and leaned away from one another as if they'd explode if they so much as grazed each other's skirts. Ty fell into the seat beside Meg and found a position as comfortable as possible as he settled in for the twenty-minute drive.
Thankfully, Luke turned on the radio before they'd even pulled out of the drive, and the possibility for any awkward small-talk was eliminated by the dulcet tones of The Weeknd.
By the time they arrived, the carpark was already quite full. Ty had never been to the RSA before, though the place looked like the kind of restaurants senior citizens preferred. It came with an event hall that you could rent out for parties and other private gatherings, which is what the Dons made use of that night.
Once inside, Ty's theory was confirmed. The place looked nice, but in the way your grandparents house was nice. There were soft carpets, and polished wooden walls full of black and white pictures of celebrities so old they'd died long before Ty was born, as well as pictures that looked like they'd come from before the war. And there was a somewhat stale smell. Not repulsive, just … there, filling each breath with the knowledge that this place had existed in this exact way, or similar enough, for what felt like a hundred years.
The event hall they had use of for the night had been livened up, though in such a way as to accidentally reinforce the age of everything. There were red and gold streamers about, and even a disco ball, along with banners congratulating the Dons, and a blown-up copy of the team's picture. Yet the whole thing had the effect of feeling like a fifty-something-year-old trying to throw a "hip" and "youthful" party, which was pretty close to the truth.
Someone's portable speaker was set up on a table in the corner, and pouring from it was the music of Drake and his attempted singing.
Yet worst of all, was how Ty's parents were the only ones who hadn't shown up. The place was full. It was expected for Coach Long's carpool to arrive last, seeing who he had to pick up, and every other Don was accompanied by one, if not both, of their parents.
At least it was confirmed only Coach Long was dressing up for the event… well, not just Coach Long. Everybody else was in a more casual, though still nice, get up. All except JJ, who also wore a suit. His was maroon-coloured, and came with a golden tie.
The expansive hall was filled with a dozen round tables in the middle, though only half were occupied as plenty of people were standing around and chatting. But flanking the room were two long tables lined with jugs of various sodas, stacked with glasses, and even had some platters of appetisers and finger foods such as garlic bread, fries, calamari, or even these little crumbed balls of cheese, herbs, and other Italian things Ty had heard of but never tasted before. At the front of the room, underneath the main banner welcoming and congratulating the team, a mic-stand and sound system was tucked away, but displayed prominently, was the trophy the team had won.
Ty stared at the trophy, though no sense of pride swelled up in him. There was only a longing, and a National Championship-shaped hole in him.
As both Luke and Coach Long went off to mingle with the cheerful families, Ty drifted towards the quietest corner of the room. Along the way, Megan offered to get him some food, though he said he wasn't hungry, settling for just a glass of cola. Bella also followed Ty to his corner, and there the three stood. The air around the two girls was cold and hostile even in their silence.
But just because Ty was keeping to himself, didn't mean others wouldn't approach him. JJ was the first to do so, bringing his parents with him. Ty had to quickly look away from their expressions; you'd have thought he was dying with the way they looked at him.
'How you doing, Ty?' JJ asked.
'As good as I can be,' Ty responded, shrugging with his crutches.
'I know you'll come back stronger than ever. I'm glad you made it, though. It's good to see you again.'
Ty nodded. The question of why he wasn't coming to school didn't need to be asked. Though JJ still didn't ask when that would change.
With a pat on the back, and a suggestion to say hi to everyone, JJ ventured back into the thick of things. His parents offered Ty a pat on the shoulder and more sympathetic looks before following suit.
Thus the floodgates were opened. Ty didn't need to go say hi to everyone else, because everyone else was doing the job for him. It wouldn't have been so bad if it was just the boys, but more and more parents followed, showering Ty with such concern and pity he was likely to drown.
Stephen made some dumb comment about how nice it was that Ty brought his cute sister along, causing a flustered Megan to stand further behind Ty. In any other circumstance Ty would've thrown one of his crutches at Stephen, but again, the parents were there; Stephen's huge mother like a shield, as inadvertent as she may have been. Thankfully, as Stephen and his folks walked away, his mother leaned over to him, chastising him for how young Megan looked.
Eventually, however, it was time for everyone to sit down for some proper food, as there were choices of either a roast chicken atop a plate of salad, or a vegetarian option of a fettuccine Alfredo.
Megan got the opposite of Ty—the pasta—so they could try both, even then Ty's chicken remained only half-eaten by the end of the night.
Ty sat with Coach Long, Luke, and Bella, as well as Megan, of course, so there was at least no annoying small talk or questions about his leg whilst he was eating. Then, after fifteen minutes or so, Coach Long stood up, and moved to the front to give a speech. His last ever to this group of boys.
'I would like to start by thanking all the parents who came here—and even the ones who couldn't make it—for raising the finest group of boys I have ever known. They've had their struggles, but who hasn't, and they've always come out the other side of them better men.'
He paused briefly, leading the room in a round of applause. Ty's hands gripped the edge of the table firmly. What praise did his parents deserve?
'Of course,' Coach Long continued, 'I need to thank you boys as well. Never have I coached such a wonderful team like you before, and I have watched a lot of you grow from pimply-faced teens into … less pimply adults, but this past year has been the best I have ever had at Dominguez, and that's all thanks to you.
'I know we fell short in the National Championship game, but that's nothing to be ashamed of. That still means we were the second best team in the country, and nobody else gave the Longhorns a fight like we did.'
There were more polite applause, mostly coming from the parents, though Ty felt eyes boring into him. Most wouldn't have even meant to, but they just couldn't help associate the game with Ty's injury.
'And even though we couldn't capture the National Championship, nobody can take away our State Championship. That trophy's one I have been chasing my whole time with Dominguez, and before this year, I couldn't even come close to it. I know a lot of you were chasing it for a long time, too, and getting to hoist it even once is something to be proud of. It never would've happened without you boys. So I want you to always remember this season—this team—and never forget how incredible you all were.'
The applause that followed was much more raucous, even coming with a few cheers and whistles as Coach Long stepped away from the mic. However, the speeches weren't done that easily. JJ stepped up to take Coach Long's place; he would be but the first of many seniors to give a speech that night.
'Like Coach Long said, these past four years have been the best of my life. This year in particular has been the best of the best, and I owe it all to mi hermanos with me today. But we can't forget about the great staff of the Dominguez Dons. It's not just Coach Long, or even Coach Short'—the boys barely contained their snickers and giggles even as Bella glared around at everyone who made any noise—'but its all the coaches, all the parents who volunteered and helped us out when we needed it.
'I wish I could find the words to express how much you all mean to me. I should've been paying better attention in English class, I guess. Hah, but even without this trophy—and it is a damn good trophy—these past four years would've still been the best. I'll always remember them, and every hermano I shared them with, and I promise to carry you all right next to my heart for the rest of my life.'
Once another round of applause died down, other seniors got up to talk, though they had little hope of living up to the standard JJ set. Even off the field he was still the prime example of what a Don should be. But most seniors gave it a try, expressing many of the same sentiments about how their time with the Dons changed them so much for the better, how they'll never forget it, and how they're more grateful than words could express. Even Jay got up to say a word… literally just one word—thanks.
The speeches ended with that perfect punchline, and then a cake was brought out. A towering behemoth, red velvet with a golden custard filling.There was plenty to go around, and though Ty wasn't in the greatest mood, he tried some at the behest of Megan.
It melted upon his tongue, but filled his mouth with a taste that was bitter and… wrong. It went beyond defeat and into the realm of death. With every bite, a cold hard fact was solidified in Ty's heart—the Dons were dead.
He made sure to eat every crumb from his plate, though he hadn't enjoyed any bite. It helped define the promise he made to himself, because even if the Dons were dead, they could rise again. The upcoming season would be a fresh start with a new team, and Ty promised they'd have another State Championship celebration in twelve months. It was a fucking guarantee. As was the fact the cake for that celebration would taste properly sweet, because they wouldn't just be celebrating the State Championship, but the National Championship, too.
Yes, the Dons were dead, but they would be reborn again. Like a phoenix rising from its own ashes.