Date: Thu, 09 Sep 2004 05:06:22 -0700
From: Mike <thornado5@netscape.net>
Subject: A Thousand Rainbows 8

With the start of high school football this week I thought it might be a
good idea to take in a game ourselves. We'll get to see Paul Miller in
action ... as quarterback, I mean. But I should warn you: Football
sometimes has its violent moments, and this game will be no exception. What
happens to some of our friends will have a profound impact on everyone, as
we shall see in the chapters ahead.

This story deals with adult themes, primarily same-gender sexual
relations. Such relations have their basis in love and commitment, rather
than sex for the sake of sex alone. In some cases they will use protection;
at other times they will not. You and I should always use protection
because we do not live in the world of fiction.

If you are offended the idea of homosexuality or if you are under the age
of consent or if you reside in an area where such things are considered
illegal or immoral, then you should seek entertainment elsewhere.

Comments may be directed to the author at thornado5@netscape.net

This story is copyright 2004 by Mike Williams. All rights reserved. Thou
shalt not steal.

-0-

A Thousand Rainbows by Mike Williams

- 8 -

Saturday dawned clear with just a hint of autumn crispness in the air,
promising a perfect day for football. It was the day of the first playoff
game, which would pit the Bridgewater Mustangs against their arch-rivals,
the Franklin Panthers. Or, as many Bridgewater supporters called them, the
Franklin Pathetics. Bridgewater was awarded home-field advantage, the
result of a lucky coin toss.

Mustang Field was filled to capacity as the members of both teams ran onto
the field. First to be introduced were the visiting Franklin Panthers. One
by one they made their entrance to the enthusiastic cheers of a contingent
from nearby Franklin High School and polite applause from the Bridgewater
supporters. Last to be introduced was Randy Carter, a fullback with a very
unsportsmanlike reputation and a bad attitude. An unreformed bully, he was
known for his dirty tricks both on and off the gridiron. The applause from
the Bridgewater side of the field was more subdued than for the other
Franklin players.

Before the introduction of the Bridgewater team the school's mascots, two
black stallions named Monarch and Wildfire, galloped onto the field, ridden
by Jack Miller, Paul Miller's older brother, and his girlfriend Jennifer
Winslow, the co-captains of the school's rodeo team. They easily guided
their steeds to the center of the field and turned to face the crowd. No
strangers to this spectacle, the horses whinnied and reared up, pawing the
air.  The crowd of Bridgewater supporters responded in kind with the
school's power salute.

With the introduction of each Bridgewater player the applause and cheering
became louder and more enthusiastic. Brian, Bjorn and the boys cheered from
their seats high in the grandstands. Everyone was on their feet and
remained standing as the national anthem was sung a capella by a quartet of
Bridgewater Academy seniors, known as "the Mustang Gang". As the last notes
of the anthem sounded, the applause rose like thunder and continued as the
Bridgewater pep band broke into the school's fight song.

The seats at the top of the grandstand offered an excellent view of the
game. Brian, Bjorn, Jason and Josh had brought binoculars to bring the
action even closer.  There was a lot of back-and-forth strategy on the
field, and each team had scored only a field goal by the end of the first
quarter. The Franklin Panthers broke the game open in the second quarter,
scoring two touchdowns and converting both point-after attempts. At
halftime the Mustangs trailed 17-3.

But the Bridgewater fans were not disheartened, even as the clouds rolled
in, blocking out the sun. When the second half got underway, the cheers for
their team were even louder and more enthusiastic than when the game had
started. By the end of the third quarter each team had scored another
touchdown and a successful point-after, bring the score to 24-10. For all
his reputation Randy Carter was behaving like a perfect gentleman. But Paul
Miller and rest of the Mustangs were not about to let their guard down and
believe that the notorious Panther fullback had changed his ways.

The Mustangs scored another touchdown midway through the fourth quarter,
bringing the score to 24-17. With Franklin in possession of the football
and only five minutes remaining, it would be easy for the Panthers to
control the game and eliminate the Mustangs from the playoffs. It was time
for the Bridgewater defense to show their best.

As the seconds ticked away, the Franklin Panthers kept their game on the
ground and made a few small gains, just enough to keep control of the
ball. Then, with less than a minute on the clock and tasting victory, the
Franklin quarterback got sloppy.

What should have been a short pass deep in Bridgewater territory was
intercepted by a Mustang defender, who ran seventy yards before being
tackled at the Franklin 15-yard line.  The face of the Panther head coach
turned bright red with anger as his offensive unit left the field. He
slammed his clipboard to the ground, scattering his papers and game notes.
He stormed over to his quarterback, screaming and shaking his fist in the
boy's face, now free of its helmet. Even from their vantage point high in
the grandstands, Brian and Bjorn could see the boy's head down, almost see
the tears falling from his face as the coach continued his tirade.

As the Bridgewater offensive unit returned to the field, so did the
attention of most of the spectators, except for Bjorn, who ... never
without a camera ... was about to capture one of the game's most horrifying
moments. The Franklin coach, still raging over the interception, let loose
a series of punches on his quarterback's face. Bjorn was grateful for a
tele-photo lens and a motor-drive on his camera as he recorded pictures of
the assault and the boy falling helplessly to the ground. Before any of the
Franklin coaching staff or football players could react, the coach
continued his attack, landing kicks to the boy's midsection.

Bjorn was not the only one to have witnessed the horror. The assault would
have continued, but for the sound of whistles from the field. The referees
and line judges quickly surrounded the coach, pulling him off the prone
quarterback. Once again the crowd's attention was diverted from the playing
field to the Franklin bench to see the Panther coach glaring at his
quarterback, who lay almost lifeless on the ground. Both the Bridgewater
and Franklin team doctors were by the quarterback in an instant, tending to
his wounds and motioning for the ambulance crew to bring a stretcher with
all due haste.

As the medics prepared the boy for transport to the hospital, the coach
continued to fume, shouting at the officials, his team and his coaching
staff. The senior referee heard all he needed to hear and ejected the coach
from the game. The coach, speechless for the first time, began his long
walk alone toward the gym. But, before he exited the field, he grabbed the
discarded helmet of his injured quarterback and threw it against a concrete
wall with such force that it shattered.

Through all of this, Panther fullback Randy Carter was feeding on his
coach's anger, psyching himself up to help maintain his team's lead and
their apparent victory.

This was the time for Paul Miller and the Mustang offense to go to work.
The opposing coach's outburst gave the Bridgewater Mustangs a little extra
time to prepare their strategy.

The Panther defensive unit, now under the watchful eyes of an assistant
coach, took to the field, forming a quick huddle at their own goal line. In
the Mustang huddle Paul quickly gave his team their orders and a word of
encouragement. The teams broke their huddles and took their positions at
the line of scrimmage. Paul glanced quickly at the clock, which showed only
30 seconds.

As the ball was snapped, the clock resumed its march to the final
whistle. The Panther defense rushed through the Mustang offensive
line. Paul saw the rush coming and quickly handed the ball to one of his
running backs, who made some forward progress, but not enough for a first
down, and seven yards short of a touchdown.

Still, the seconds ticked away. With no time for a huddle Paul assembled
his team at the line of scrimmage and barked out the signals.

10 seconds

The ball was snapped into Paul's waiting hands. He spun, faked a hand-off
to one of his running backs ...

7 seconds

... faked a pass to near side of the field ...

5 seconds

... pumped and turned again ...

3 seconds

... and let loose a pass to the far side of the end zone, into the waiting
arms of a Mustang receiver. Touchdown with one second left on the
clock. But that made the score 24-23; the Bridgewater Mustangs were still
two points from a victory. The crowd was wild with excitement.

The Mustang kicking team arrived on the field, eager to make the
point-after that would send the game into overtime. Again the two teams
lined up on opposite sides of the ball.

The field became silent, the spectators holding their breath with
anticipation.

For the last time in the game the ball was snapped into Paul's hands. He
appeared to place the ball into position for the kicker. But at the last
possible instant he rose and dashed for the goal, only to be greeted by
Randy Carter. A quick dodge was enough to throw the fullback off, but only
for a moment. Just inches away from the goal and Carter was on Paul,
tackling him. Paul held the football with all of his strength; his forward
motion was just enough to carry him across the goal for a two-point
conversion ... and a win for the Bridgewater Mustangs, 25-24, as the clock
ran out and the final whistle blew.

As the sun broke through the clouds, the Mustang fans erupted into
cheers. Paul rose from the grass and removed his helmet, holding it aloft
with one hand and the game-winning football in the other, dancing with his
teammates in the end-zone. After a moment's celebration Paul approached his
Panther adversary, still lying on the ground, not believing that his team
had suffered such a last-minute defeat. Carter rolled over onto his
back. Paul offered his hand, both to help the opposing fullback to his feet
and to congratulate him for having fought a good game.

Carter accepted the hand, but only until he was on his feet. After a quick
glance at the scoreboard and hearing the cheers from the Bridgewater side
of the field, he lashed out with a left hook to Paul's jaw.

Paul, still holding his helmet and the football, was caught off-guard,
unable to defend himself. All the rage that Randy Carter had absorbed from
his coach's outburst came pouring out through his fists.

It took a half-dozen Mustangs and several Panthers to pull Carter away, but
not before he landed several more blows to Paul's face and stomach. Paul
crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

In the grandstands the celebration of a Mustang victory quickly turned to
shock and horror again as the spectators witnessed Carter's assault on the
winning quarterback. This time it was Brian who captured the attack on
film, along with many others in the stands who had trained their camcorders
on the scene, eager to capture the joy of the win, not expecting such a
picture of violence.

The joy which Jason and Josh had felt quickly turned to horror and sadness
as they watched their football hero being carried off the field toward a
waiting ambulance.

-0-

to be continued in Chapter 9