His senior year of high school, Bob is the center of the Lake Stevens High School football team. He likes certain parts of football, running, eating, lifting weights. He likes to push the sleds across the field. He likes the feeling of his feet digging into the ground and he doesn’t even mind getting tackled. What he hates is to hit the other boys.
He’s sitting in the locker room holding his helmet in his hands, working himself up to go out onto the field. It won’t be long before the game is over. All he has to do is get on the field. All he has to do is block. He doesn’t need to hurt anybody.
“You ready to go, big boy?”
“Yes, Coach,” he says.
He runs out onto the field with the other players. The lights shine down brightly on the field. There’s a big crowd for this game against Concrete High School.
Right before half time, the huge middle linebacker on the opposite side looks through his helmet into Bob’s eyes. “I’m going to kill you,” he says.
This isn’t necessary at all.
The ball is snapped and Bob knocks the asshole flat on his back. He doesn’t move. Bob helps him up. “Are you OK?”
The Concrete middle linebacker spits out blood and a tooth lands on the grass. “Get your hands off me.”
After the game, a scout from the University of Washington is waiting. He claps his hand on Bob’s shoulder. “I’d be very surprised if we didn’t offer you a place on the U Dub team. What would you think about that?”
“I’d be honored, sir,” he says, but he feels worried. In the locker room he strips his muddy clothes off. He can’t imagine four more years of this. Bob is interested in something beyond what he’s seen so far. He stands under the shower, aware of the other boys horsing around, celebrating the victory.