Chapter 22

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While his two sisters worked to tend to his body Jace found the darkness that surrounded him suddenly vanishing as he was blinded by a bright light. Slowly opening his eyes what met him wasn't the expected sun but instead, it was the night sky twinkling with stars mot caring for the mortals below. No light emanated from a dense row of floodlights which illuminated the stadium below.

"Wait a minute stadium? Where the fuck am I?" he questioned to no one in particular as his heart beat with power causing his chest to rapidly rise. "Hey Rooke, get up that was just a love tap no need to go crying to your mama." A towering black gey dressed in a royal blue Chargers uniform complete with pads and everything letting him know he wasn't a fan unless he was crazy.

"Where am I?" he questioned the man as he gripped the outstretched hand pulling himself upward. Finally getting a good look at where he was his jaw almost dropped right there and then as his knees almost buckled. "Boy did you get hit too hard? Don't matter this is the Superbowl so get it together,"

"Wait you are Gerald Everett," Jace found himself saying as he got a good look at the guy under the helmet. "Look man I don't know what in the freaky Friday is happening, but I'm not supposed to be here, I'm not even a professional QB yet,"

"Relax kid we all get that imposter syndrome heck even I question who I am sometimes when they got me eating sushi instead of that good Wagyu steak," He stated with a thoughtful expression looking like he truly understood what Jace was feeling. "Not quite the same but to each their own I guess, but you earned your spot on the team rook now just deliver the same as in training and we will get that chip,"

Jace found himself nodding at his words before abruptly stopping. "Did you say the Chargers are playing in the Super Bowl? I knew it this was a dream,"

"(thud) Hey what's that supposed to mean, hurry up and get your head in the game," Gerald exclaimed slapping his helmet not appreciating his comment in the least. That slap was all Jace needed to know this was real as he genuinely felt the sensation of pain. Stunned by the stark reality of his situation, Jace shook his head, trying to clear the fog of confusion.

The bright stadium lights bore down on him, casting long shadows on the freshly painted turf. Each blade of grass seemed to quiver with the tension of the thousands of spectators roaring around them. He looked around in disbelief. The stands were a sea of colours, a tumult of cheers and shouts vibrating through the crisp night air. On the giant screens, his figure flashed momentarily, caught in bewilderment, but luckily, his helmet hid his expression.

Gerald, sensing Jace's hesitance, clapped him on the shoulder pads, a reassuring thump that echoed slightly in his ears. "Focus, kid. This is your moment," he said, gesturing towards the field where players were lining up for the next play.

Jace nodded, forcing himself to step forward, his cleats sinking slightly into the turf as he moved to the line of scrimmage. Standing behind Will Clapp the charges centre he scanned the field and only now realised they were playing the Chief. "Of course it's them," he muttered under his breath as he started considering what play to make.

"Scoobby28, Y 46." A loud voice appeared in his head, causing him to look at the sideline, where the head coach was holding onto the mic attached to his headpiece. Subconsciously nodding at the command, he loudly called out, "Scoobby28, Y 46," causing the formation to shift.

Now that the formation had shifted, Jace had a problem. Just as the defending Chiefs didn't know what their next play would be, neither did he. Just as this thought appeared in his mind, lines appeared in his vision, clearly laying out the runs his two receivers, running back, and tight end would make. "Well, this is new," he muttered under his breath, but he wasn't complaining, as it made things easier.

Taking a deep breath, Jace settled under the looming shadow of Will Clapp, his hands poised for the snap. His heart hammered in his chest as adrenaline surged through his veins, a mix of fear and exhilaration flooding his senses. The stadium noise escalated, a crescendo of anticipation and excitement swirling around him. He glanced once more at the diagram in his vision, etching the paths into his mind.

"Y 46! Y 46! Set, hut!" he shouted, the ball snapped into his hands with a thud. Instinctively, he dropped back, eyes darting across the field. The Chiefs' defence was a blur of red and white, moving swiftly to counter the play. Jace's gaze locked onto his primary receiver, darting across to the right, just as the lines had shown.

The pocket began to collapse, a defender breaking through the line. Jace's instincts kicked in; he rolled out to his left, evading a tackle. His legs pumped, carrying him towards the sideline. He squared his shoulders drawing his right arm back only for a transparent blue line that resembled the line on a map pointing from A to B to appear in his sight.

Not knowing what it was he simply disregarded it and threw on the run, the football spiralling through the air towards his tight end, who had found a gap in the coverage. Looking at its flight he noticed it deviated from the blue line ever so light the longer it flew causing him to frown as he subconsciously realised that wasn't a good thing.

The crowd held its breath as the ball arced downfield, finally landing a meter away from the tightened who dove forward trying to make the catch. The stadium erupted in a mix of cheers and groans as the tight end, stretching every fibre of his being, managed to snag the football just before it hit the ground. His fingertips brushed the turf, stirring up a small cloud of rubber pellets as he secured the ball to his chest, rolling over to ensure the catch was good.

A referee sprinted towards the spot, eyes sharp, and signalled a successful catch, causing the Chargers' sideline to burst into a frenzy of celebration. Jace stood there, panting heavily, his chest rising and falling as he tried to comprehend the miraculous catch. Gerald jogged over, grinning widely, "See? Just like practice, kid! You're doing fine."

As the applause washed over him, Jace felt a strange sensation of exhilaration as a smile crept to his face. The game was far from over, and the Chiefs were still in the lead. Glancing up at the scoreboard, the score read 17:10 in their favour but one good score and they could close the lead.

"Next drive, we tighten up," the head coach barked through the headset, his voice echoing slightly in Jace's helmet. "Focus on the basics, Jace. Keep the passes tight, watch the play, you got lucky on the last one kid."

He unwrapped his armband containing a few plays as his offensive team gathered around him. "Let's go with Blue 80! Blue 80!" Jace called out, following the coach's instructions as the play started to appear in his mind.

Before he knew it, he was in a run-and-gun formation with the field stretching open before him. The Chiefs' defence adjusted, their linebackers shifting to mirror the possible routes. As the countdown to the snap ticked in his head, Jace scanned the defensive lineup, noting the position of their star linebacker, poised like a coiled spring ready to disrupt his play. He heard the coach say, "Use their aggression against them," in his helmet.

"Blue 80! Blue 80! Set, hut!" The snap was clean, the ball heavy in his hands. He faked a handoff to his running back, drawing the linebackers in. The crowd's roar faded to a distant echo as he focused on the unfolding play.

Jace dropped back, keeping his eyes downfield. The Chiefs' defence bit on the fake, and he spotted his wide receiver breaking free along the sideline. The lines in his vision started to move updating dynamically, the blue line now arching towards the end zone as he drew his arm back indicating where his receiver sprinted would be.

Trusting himself he catapulted his arm forward ready to follow the line this time, but he felt a sense of danger screaming at him. Before he could turn to check it, he found himself flying to the ground as someone crashed into his back. As the ground rushed up to meet him, Jace braced for impact, the turf harsh against his body.

The air was knocked from his lungs as he hit, the weight of a Chiefs' linebacker pinning him momentarily. The stadium seemed to swirl around him as he lay there, the roar of the crowd blending into a distant, buzzing confusion. "Yeahhhh This my boyyy!"

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To Be Continued...