Page 138 of The Goat in the Bedroom
She laughed, leaning into me as the teams took the field. Denver State in purple and gold, Bay State in black and teal. Their dire wolf logo looked appropriately intimidating on the helmets.
“There's Fox Daws,” Flynn pointed out as Bay State's offense warmed up. “Number seventy-eight.”
Even from the stands, you could see why the guy was a movie star. He moved like an athlete but looked like he'd stepped off a magazine cover.
“Still can't believe he balances Hollywood and football,” Tempest said. “His last movie made, like, two hundred million dollars.”
“The one where he drove a car off a cliff and somehow didn't die?” Jules asked, while possibly drooling.
“That's the one.”
“Art,” Declan said solemnly. “Pure art.”
The game started with Bay State receiving, and their offense immediately went to work. Their quarterback had a cannon for an arm, and Fox Daws was creating matchup nightmares for our defense. But Seth Glass and our offense were keeping pace, trading scores through the first quarter.
Then it happened.
Second quarter, Bay State was bringing pressure on every play. Seth was getting hit, getting up slower each time. You could see him favoring his left side, trying to protect those ribs.
“He's hurting,” Chris said quietly.
“He needs to slide,” Dad agreed. “Avoid the hits.”
But Seth was a warrior, trying to tough it out. On third and long, Bay State's defensive end came through unblocked. Seth tried to step up but couldn't quite avoid the hit. He went down hard, and this time, he didn't get up.
The stadium went silent.
“Oh no,” Artie breathed, her hand finding mine.
The medical staff ran out. Seth tried to sit up once, then immediately lay back down, his hand going to his ribs.
“That's not good,” Flynn said unnecessarily.
They helped Seth off the field to applause, and suddenly there was Isak, strapping on his helmet, jogging onto the field like this was just another practice.
“Holy shit,” Declan said. “Baby brother's going in.”
“In the Flower Bowl,” Hayes added. “Against Fox Daws and Bay State.”
“His first real action is in a fucking bowl game,” Chris breathed.
My phone started buzzing with texts from Everett to the family group chat.
EVERETT
IS THAT ISAK?? PEN JUST THREW A PILLOW AT THE TV IN EXCITEMENT
She says to tell him to 'light those dire wolves up'
Also she's crying but she says it's pregnancy hormones not nerves
I could see Isak in the huddle, and even from here, his body language was different than Seth's had been. Where Seth had looked tense, protective, Isak looked... loose. Ready.
First play Isak faked a handoff, rolled right, and threw a perfect spiral to the tight end for fifteen yards.
The stadium exploded.
“THAT'S MY BOY,” Dad shouted, on his feet.
