Chapter 27

Jeff

Sure, a few people asked me questions about the game. But it never took them long to get to what they really wanted to talk about: Scooter.

What’s he really like?

Does his soft-spoken presence have a calming influence on the locker room?

Coach told me over and over again that I was just as important as Scooter. He pointed out that I was making Scooter’s life easier every time I touched the ball. And I knew he was right.

But nobody else seemed to.

Based on all the questions I was getting, people seemed to think that having Scooter around was making my life better. And I didn’t see how that could possibly be true.

Thunder and Lightning. How dumb.

Look, I was trying. I was doing my best. But I didn’t know how much longer I could keep it up.

Don’t any of you know ANYTHING about football? I wanted to ask.

Has a single one of you noticed that I’ve had two consecutive one-hundred-yard rushing games?

Then, two days before our next game, Coach called Scooter and me into his office. Someone, it turned out, had taken notice of me.

And that someone was a college scout.