Legendary Football Superstar

The vibe on the training field was a total mess. The players warming up looked spaced out, their eyes wandering all over the place. No one said a word; just some faint noises in the air, making everyone jittery and unable to focus.

"This is so unfair!" John kept thinking, his anger boiling over.

From practice squad to backup, then to the fourth wide receiver, he'd clawed his way back into the starting lineup over the past five months. Sure, he wasn't the top wide receiver and wouldn't play every snap, but he had a spot on the team. And none of this would've happened without Luke.

Luke had been busting his ass on this field for not just the past five months, but for a year and a half straight. Everyone knew it. That's why, in the game against the Trojans, the starters trusted this quarterback who'd never played with them before. In training, he'd already won everyone over.

But now, Kevin was still the starting quarterback? What a joke! Kevin was no Andrew Luck.

"This is bullshit!" Logan was even more pissed than John, cursing right away, "This isn't right. No, this is wrong! Jesus Christ, what the hell is going on? Was I the only one on the field that night? Was I the only one who saw the miracle at the Rose Bowl?"

Silence. Complete silence.

Logan's words made everyone look down, avoiding eye contact. No one spoke, no one responded. Without realizing it, sighs started slipping out.

Marcus couldn't help but ask, "Will he... will he come back?" After asking, Marcus looked around, "He's usually the first one here. It's kinda freaking me out."

Luke missed today's training. Today, they felt an empty void, like a black hole they couldn't ignore. Only now did they realize how much Luke had impacted the team over the past two seasons. They never thought a practice squad player could have such a strong influence.

It was crazy, but it was happening.

"God! You guys are such wimps!" Kevin stood nearby, trying to hold back but finally losing it.

In the last game, Kevin got hurt and had to leave the field, but post-game checks showed it was just a knee bruise, nothing serious. After a few days of rest, he was back in training.

He knew Luke had led the Bruins to an epic comeback; he also knew Luke's performance in the last quarter was amazing. But that didn't mean anything. It was just one quarter, mostly luck, just luck!

He believed he was the best starting quarterback for the team! The whole season had proven that! If it weren't for him, the team wouldn't have a 6-5 record. Even if they beat the Trojans, they still wouldn't have made it to the Rose Bowl. So, he had total confidence in himself.

The coaching staff made the right call! Kevin believed this. But the team members were like those inflatable tube men outside a car dealership, impossible to prop up. Each one had a doomsday look, distracted even during warm-ups. It was embarrassing! "The team needs our coordination, solid and skilled coordination!" Kevin noticed the looks everyone was giving him but acted like he didn't, grumbling, "Not some fleeting moment of chemistry. That kind of reaction disappears in a blink. No one cares about one game's outcome. We need skilled tactical coordination! Focus, we got a lot of work to do today!"

Damn Luke. Deep down, Kevin couldn't help but grind his teeth, clenching his right fist to pump himself up. Those looks made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles. This sense of humiliation was awful! Awful! All he wanted now was to punch Luke hard and send that guy flying out of the galaxy.

Scanning the field, Kevin saw everyone still looking lifeless, anger burning in his chest, "Jesus fucking Christ, I am the starting quarterback! Why do you all look like you want to die? Focus, time's running out. We need to start practicing our tactics now! If you want to fail at the Rose Bowl, don't drag me down with you!"

After venting his anger, Kevin finally felt a bit better and turned to walk to the center of the training field. Gradually, the other players started moving too, following him to get ready for the next training session.

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As the team's starting quarterback, Kevin had been the offensive captain for the past five months. No matter what anyone thought about his skills or contributions, he was the guy who led the team to the final game. That was just a fact.

In competitive sports, that's one of the biggest rules. Emotionally, they were all for Luke; but logically, they had to follow the captain. Plus, the coaching staff had made it official.

Most of the guys snapped out of it, dragging their feet to line up and start the new tactical training. The vibe was still heavy, but at least they were moving.

A few still stood there, eyes distant, like they didn't even hear Kevin's rant, still looking around for Luke. Marcus finally turned to John, looking for some reassurance, "You think Luke will..." give up? That was Marcus's fear, but he didn't say it out loud.

"No way, don't you know Luke?" Logan shot back, full of disbelief. But when he looked at his teammates, Logan's confident eyes wavered a bit, words stuck in his throat. Then, out of nowhere, he shouted, "Bambi!"

"Yeah, Logan, we know you miss Bambi..." Marcus started to complain, but Logan cut him off, pointing ahead, "No, I mean, Bambi!"noveldrama

Marcus turned and saw Luke running up with his helmet. Logan's face lit up with a big grin, "Told you! He wouldn't give up that easy. That's not him." Logan whistled and clapped his hands, welcoming Luke in his own loud way.

First Logan, then John and Marcus, then the offensive team, and finally everyone, they all stopped and clapped, eyes shining with excitement.

Luke hadn't expected this. His eyes showed surprise, but a smile crept onto his face. Jogging, he put on his helmet, ready to dive into training, and joined the lively crowd. The players instinctively made way, welcoming him.

Lost in the world of this story? Make sure you're on Ne5s.com to catch every twist and turn. The next chapter awaits, exclusively on our site. Dive in now! Passing the defense, passing the special teams, and then seeing the offense. Jogging forward, almost everyone raised a hand to pat Luke's helmet, shouting, "Welcome back! Buddy! Keep it up!"

Except for Kevin. In the middle of all the excitement, he looked out of place, like he was in another world.

Logan stepped in front of Luke, blocking his path, and bumped him with his shoulder, a smile reappearing on his face, "Buddy, you finally showed up. If you kept disappearing, John might've cried."

John shot back, "As for someone, he almost blew up just now. No idea what he ate last night, but if he exploded, it wouldn't be pretty." His serious tone made everyone around burst into laughter.

Kevin glanced uncomfortably at Luke, lifting his chin to peer at him through narrowed eyes, his posture full of arrogance and disdain. Finally, he just turned away, ignoring Luke, and got ready to start today's training.

But Kevin's actions were pointless. Luke didn't even notice him, nor did the other offensive players. Everyone was buzzing around Luke, making a lively scene. Kevin's pretentious act felt pretty lonely.

Luke finally stopped in front of Assistant Coach Anthony, who smiled with relief, patting Luke's shoulder and chuckling, "I thought you weren't gonna continue. I was wondering where to drag you out from."

"The game isn't over yet. My senior year isn't over either! How could I miss it?" Luke's simple words were full of weight and energy.

Anthony nodded in satisfaction, gesturing for Luke to rejoin the team for training, then blew the whistle. Today's training officially began.

With only a week left until the Rose Bowl, they had to keep up the basic training while focusing on tactical stuff. Not just Kevin, but backup quarterbacks Luke and Darius also had to train with the team to make sure everything ran smoothly in case of any surprises.

Busy times flew by, and before they knew it, January 1, 2011, had arrived. Today, the annual Rose Bowl was about to go down, marking the true end of the 2010 NCAA season!