The Final Moment

By Stephen Nielsen

Jack is as a High School Football player trying to achieve his dream. Someone that normally would not is holding him back from this. Pain, frustration, and the need to impress are taken out on his girlfriend. Broken down Riley feels like she can do nothing to help Jack. When his football coach gets in the mix his future hangs in the balance. He will need all the support he can get.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stephen Nielsen
• Release date: Mar 24, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301837533

Stephen Nielsen

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The Final Moment

STEPHEN NIELSEN

Author:

Stephen Nielsen

Editor:

Frieda Nielsen

Cover art by Stephen Nielsen

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

The Final Moment

Copyright © 2013 by Stephen Nielsen

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved.

No Part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Note from the author:

This Novella is written in the views of the different main characters from each part. It will usually switch between each character for each chapter. There may be two chapters in a row with the same character, which is purposefully designed to get to know the characters better and see their perspective.

I hope you enjoy

Part I

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

-Philippians 4:13

Chapter 1: Jack

On a bright September 2013 Friday morning I am getting my school and football gear ready. As I walk out of my 5000 square foot house, my mother, Tina Warner, hollers, I think you will need these tonight! It turns out that I forgot to bring my new Nike football cleats. I quickly dump my gear into my white 2010 model Ford Mustang and run back to get my cleats.

My mom is a housewife, and a mother of three boys, myself, my older brother Ryan Warner who is in his second year of college, and my younger brother Steve Warner. She used to have a part-time job at an elementary school but ever since my dad got a promotion she stopped working. My dad Matt Warner recently became the CEO of a computer company in Maryland. My dad and mom have been married as many years as I am old, 17 years. My younger brother and I both play football for Bethesda-Chevy Chase High school. I am a 6’1 wide receiver; I have short semi spiky dark brown hair with brown eyes and around 150 pounds. My brother is a 5’9 running back with brown hair and eyes; he has a bit more muscle around his legs, but he is only around 5 pounds heavier than me. All of us are Caucasian, and both my parents were born and raised up in the US.

I take my cleats and get in my car to drive a few blocks to my girlfriend’s house to take her to school. She, Riley Hardy, is waiting outside when I arrive. She is Caucasian with light brown hair that flows a few inches past her shoulders with bluish grey eyes; she is slim and is about 5’6. We are both in our senior year at BCC; I am planning on going to a football college while she is interested in the Arts. When we get to the school it is the usual routine: get bored in math, and then zoom through the rest of the classes, all the time talking about the game tonight and getting hyped up. Riley is on the cheer leading squad so I don’t have to drive her home before the game. In the locker room we go over our game plan again, I pray with a few of my friends, and we head out. The few seats we have in the stands are filled and people are cheering. My best friend, Chris Wilson, is our quarterback; he also has a girlfriend that is on the cheer leading squad.

The game starts out slow, both teams trying to find a rhythm. We are losing 7-14 at the half; we had mainly run the ball giving it to my brother for 13 carries for 40 yards. In the locker room the coach said: Look at me boys! They have taken away most of our passing game and have more possession time. Defense great job at blocking those field goals and only holding them to two touchdowns. The defense had played well and we are still in this game, trailing by only a touchdown. The coach then tells us the second half game plan; Alright, their FS is injured so we’ll start with runs until we get a first down. Then, run a play action pass and Jack will run a go rout. We continue to plan and make suggestions for our first drive.

To start the second half they kicked off to us and Steve returned it to the 40 yard line. We hit two runs up the middle for 14 yards. Now it is my time to use my speed to get past the coverage. The ball is snapped and I block for a brief moment then take off. Chris and Steve did sell the fake really well and the backup FS had bitten on it. I am streaking down the field wide open. I look back and catch a glimpse of the ball, a wide arch in the air and it falls neatly into my hands. I run into the end zone and dunk the ball through the uprights. The rest of the game is history; we crush our opponents 49 to 21. After the game I tally up my stats: seven receptions for 103 yards and two touchdowns.

When I get home my dad opens the door for me. Hi, did you like the game? I ask him. Yeah, there was just one slight problem, he replies. What? I ask. You. The coach should not have put you in, you played terribly, he replies. What? How? I ask confused. Well, you dropped at least half of the balls that were thrown your way. You can rarely get distance between you and the cornerback, You always do this. I come home after working my butt off on the field and you have something negative to say, I say angry. Then he says: Yeah, well you can’t be thinking of scholarships to good colleges when you can’t even play well on a high school team. Yeah, well not only do I try and impress my teammates but also you. Apparently you don’t seem to notice, I respond.

Then Steve walks in. Dad puts his hand on Steve’s shoulder and says: Great job son. Well played out there; I can really see the effort that you are putting in out there. I like those spin moves you did out there. Thanks dad, Steve replies with a smile. My dad was a cornerback in the NFL and has always wanted me to play that position. I was only able to move to wide receiver after I was at the age that he could not coach me. He tries to keep me away from practices or I am usually late.

Steve goes up to his room and I ask my dad: So why do you favor him? How did he do better than I did? Because he was meant for football, you aren’t. He has all of the skill and know how that you don’t have, he replies. Not wanting to take this argument further I just leave to my room. I got kind of use to this ‘welcome’ when I get home after each game. It seems that he loves me every time that my football is not the subject of our discussion.

Come Sunday I am sitting in the pews of our church with my family, except dad, and a few others from my team. Well the only difference is Riley; normally she would be beside me. Long story short we had an argument about how I was Saturday. I couldn’t blame her; that is our day for us to be together; we would go to a college game, or have a picnic, even taking a walk in the park with my Labrador Jerry. I had kind of ignored her and hung out with my friends playing in the backyard and reliving our victory. I was sure she wouldn’t mind, but that is the thing with her; she wants Saturday to be just us. I had also said