SteeleKizz, Inc

Just for Fun

Jaxon

Aside from practice, Jaxon dived into his school’s library books focusing on the topics of religious expeditions, the Knights Templars, the fall of the Crusades, lore and mythology of vampires, lycanthropes, and other older illnesses that were unexplainable akin to the mindless humans which lead to mental illnesses in various people.

He spent long nights focusing on vampirism through medical books and people claiming they needed blood to live to fictional books about vampires.  He wanted to know as much as he could before he came to a final conclusion to Nessa’s comment about turning him.  He figured that he’d learn more by experience than by reading about it.  Each person’s experience could vary depending on who was their sire or creator.  He didn’t really see her as being above him, but teaching him about her lifestyle that has obviously worked over the centuries.

Sometimes tried and true real testaments are better to learn from.  He’d already picked that up from his grandfather and all the knowledge he’d obtained from him through his life.  Nessa was just another elder that knew more about life than someone younger.

One night Jaxon had been reading about the lore of lycans, or shifters, most following werewolves.  He wondered if there were other creatures beyond wolves that carried the lycanthropic genome.  How would he know if they were shifters and what their abilities or powers were?  

He’d awoken the next morning with the book on his face and the loud ringing of the bedside clock.  A week had passed since he’d seen Nessa and it was the first full week of extensive training. This time his research was a good distraction from football compared to Kat’s illicit comments. 

One more week and it would be the first round of the tournament.  Not only was the team nervous against their first opponent, but so were the coaches and assistants.  Jaxon wasn’t nervous so much about his performance, but the other team’s abilities compared to his teammates.  The other team was a majority of seniors thirsty for a win against a team consisting of lower classmen.  The opponent also had more students to back up injured players or take over for exhausted ones that were equally talented.  There was quite a bit against them.

While during his new science class, anatomy, he took everything he was learning and applied it to a vampire’s life.  He was curious how Nessa was caring for herself in the interim from biting him last.  She hadn’t taken much, which had him pausing wondering why.  It was the perfect incident to take more than she may need.   

He reminded himself, he’d offer her more blood when she comes back.  She has to need it more than she lets on.  

After school, the team went to practice and training.  Half the team started in the weight room, the other half on the field for warm ups.  Jaxon was part of the first group in the weight room.  He knew that he couldn’t work out here the way that he did in the woods behind his house.  He started with hand weights and did several sets and reps of bicep and forearm curls.  Taking his time and focusing on what he was doing, he managed to not go overboard with the amount of weights he actually could lift.

When it was about time to switch out, a group of guys started competing in bench presses and who could lift the most.  Jax picked up a towel wiping his face and neck.  He was turning to head out to the field when Gage called out from over the huddle.  

“Jaxon, my man,” he hollered.  “The man with 10 lives and tricks up his sleeve.  Get over here.”

Jaxon replied with a smile and shook his head.  “That’s okay, Gage.”

The rest of the guys turned towards him and started booing or clucking like a chicken.  “Jaxon,” chanted Gage and a couple of others.  

Even though he knew it would be better to walk away from the guys, he also couldn’t be considered a chicken by them either.  Taking his time to walk to the bench another player was struggling to pull the weight bar down into the holders.  Gage grabbed it with one hand and put it in the holder himself.

The wide receiver flushed as he sat up and looked at Jaxon.  With a motion of his thumb behind him, he shook his head.  “250 is my best.  Good luck.”  He walked away holding onto his aching and strained back.  

“Unload’em boys,” said Gage.  Guys on each side of the bar took off all but 100 pounds.  Jaxon looked up to Gage.

“Remember, I didn’t want to do this,” he said.  

Gage replied with a nod.  “I’ll spot you myself, brother.  250’s a joke for me.”

“Yeah, but look at you, Gage.  You’re a beast.”

The guys around them busted out laughing.

“Well, yeah, there’s that,” he replied to Jaxon. “100 to start.  25 after each press.”

Jaxon laid back and took a deep breath reaching up to the bar adjusting his hands where he felt comfortable.  He closed his eyes briefly to focus on pushing it up, holding, then bringing it back down without it slamming into the holders.

“You good little man,” Gage jokes.  “25 and go.”

Jaxon inhaled and exhaled pressing up and back down without issue.  He knew this was light in comparison to the trees he’d been lifting in the woods that had fallen.

“25 more.  Go.”  Gage stood at the head of the bench keeping his hands out in case Jaxon couldn’t lift it or place it back.  He kept an eye on Jaxon and realized that Jaxon wasn’t breaking a sweat.

He gave a loud laugh at Jaxon just casually lifting and bringing down 175 pounds.  “Boy.  What are you?”  he asked.  “You’ve never lifted with us.  You should be struggling, but you're not.  Let’s make it 250.”

Jaxon’s eyes bugged out seeing that Gage was pushing him along.  He gave a motion of his head hoping he could retain his focus.  He pushed up slowly and back down with ease.

“300, boys.”  They exchanged the smaller weights to heavier ones and stepped back seeing Jaxon press up and back down, not even wavering the bar.  

Jaxon looked up to Gage.  “Had enough yet?” he asked.  

“Nope! 400.”  

“Gage!” Jaxon exclaimed.

Gage stood motioning with his thumb to keep going.  Jaxon was feeling the strain a bit more.  This felt like the huge log he pulled out from under another tree.  This time the muscles in his upper arms started flexing and his breathing started to become ragged.

“500!” commanded Gage.  “Let’s go big man.”

Jaxon decided he was done after this.  He pushed it out quickly and let it drop to the brackets with a loud clunk.  He sat up wiping his face from a few beads of sweat building up.  

“We’re done man,” said Jaxon and got up like it was nothing.  Gage could be heard chuckling from the weigh bench.  

“Alright Superman.  We’ll see.”

Out on the field, Jaxon put on the practice padding and his helmet.  The coaches and staffing was examining who all were on the field.  Jaxon stopped by the water cooler for a drink of water.  

Coach walked over to him and clapped the shoulder pads.  “Are you ready to play like you did in the last game?”  he asked.

“Yes, Sir,” Jaxon said.

“Good.  They are going to figure out how you were able to sneak past the other team's defense and stop any surprises.  Be ready for them to be rough.”

Jaxon nodded and headed out to the field.  The first play, Jaxon looked at the defense and saw who was nervous and not attentive to the offensive line.  Jaxon made a strange call, distracting the offense who shuffled their players' position. 

That brought the other guy closer to him. The Center tossed the ball on command and the offensive line maneuvered with the tight ends running in and wide receivers taking to the sides.  Jaxon saw the opening next to the nervous lineman and slipped past him with ease.

Gage and the other defensive players looked between one another.  They huddled with the defensive coach before reposting.  Gage was closer to the middle than he had been on the last play.  This meant that Jaxon would have to throw the ball or pass to the fullback.  Making the next play, Jaxon attempted to fake and actually handed it off to the halfback who slipped by him with a ball tucked and he curled through the defensive line again making a successful down.

Jaxon decided that he was going to make a run to the side.  He had the wide receivers and tight ends near the line of scrimmage.  When he called, he faked the pass to the fullback, then when they spotted him with the ball, a few players started rushing him.  Jaxon took off around the right side of the line letting the wide receiver and tight end block the defense from getting to him.  

What he didn’t see was Gage running at him like an angry bull.  Jaxon knew this was going to hurt, but he wanted to make a down if he could. He tucked his head and when Gage attempted to tackle Jaxon.  Jaxon tucked his head and let his shoulder lift Gage into the air and flop with a loud thud on the ground.  Jaxon kept going until he was at the end zone.  He looked back and players were standing over Gage as he just stared at them blinking.

Jaxon jogged back and looked at Gage.  “You okay?” he asked. 

“I see birds,” he said slowly.  

Jaxon reached down and took a hold of the other player's hand to pull him up.  When Gage stood he was not stable enough to stand on his own.  Other teammates walked him to the bench.  Jaxon followed so that he could keep an eye on him.  Coach held out his hand holding Jaxon back.

“What was that?” Coach questioned.

Jaxon shrugged.  “Just what you taught us, Coach.  Tuck and curl.”

“I guess.” He took his hand off the young man’s pads and went back to the assistant coaches.

Jax took a seat next to Gage who was given some water and a towel.  He looked at Jaxon.

“I don’t know what’s happened to you, Jaxon.  That wreck or something else.  That was not you out there.  I usually pound you in the ground on that move.  What happened?”

Jaxon gave a casual shrug.  “Guess I’m just training more and focusing my attention on what’s important.”

Gage shook his head disagreeing.  “That’s bull.  You know it.  I see you looking in books more lately than weight training.  That’s some superhero type stuff out there.  I wish you’d share, man.”

Jaxon looked at his well built friend.  “I’m just me, brother.  Nothing different.  All I can share is a team win.”

He carefully placed his hand on Gage’s shoulder.  “You rest.  We’ve still got practice to finish.”

Jaxon headed back to the field and continued shaking off the defensive line with his quicker footwork and near accurate throws to this player and that.  

At the end of practice, everyone fled to the locker room.  It was buzzing with the other players still talking about Gage being lifted to the air and landing hard.  Jaxon tried to ignore the jokes and pokes at Gage.  When he opened up his locker, a slip of paper fell out.  He looked around and bent over picking it up from the ground.  He carefully hid it from the other guys as he pulled off the remaining part of his gear letting it land on the floor at his feet.  

When he had it opened all the way, he gave it a scan before hiding it under other items in his locker.   ‘Miss me yet? -Meow’ was what he caught.  He shook his head and closed his locker shut to shower.  He couldn’t believe she’d sneaked into the locker room at some point to give him that note.  Doesn’t she ever give up? He thought.