| A huge crowd has gathered. The flag football game is about to start. The alumni team have on Liberty Diner t-shirts, and high school players all have on highschool football jerseys, including their coach. None of the player wear pads or helmets. Claire helps to set up a lawn chair for Joanie to sit in next to Jack who is in his wheelchair with his oxygen tank. Joanie looks as if she�s been hauled here against her will and seems resentful. Jack is looks excited and happy. Justin and Daphne with the rest of their cheerleader group also wear Liberty Diner shirts. The high school cheerleaders are wearing their uniforms. John is in charge of the bag of footballs for the alumni. He keeps checking them and wiping them down while watching Justin. The captains head to the center of the field for the coin toss. The kids win the toss. Both teams take to the field for the first snap. Brian is not playing on the defense and can only watch with disgust as with the first snap Chris Hobbs is hand the football and runs all the way for a touchdown. In the crowd, the children cheer wildly. The adults are mostly subdue. Tara is taking photographs of her son with her 35mm camera. Her two other children are with her. Brian takes the first from his center, Stephen. He steps back and is ready to throw, but no one is open. Chris quickly moves through the left side and smashes Brian into the ground without mercy. The crowd watching the game yell their displeasure and boo. Brian can taste his blood. �Damn, kid! I thought this was suppose to be flag football!� cries Brian. �Surprise, asshole! Just what did you say to my mother to turn her against ECU?� �I told her the truth!� Brian slowly heads into the alumni huddle. �Jesus, Brian, are you going to be all right?� Michael asks with concern. Brian spits blood onto the ground. �No. I�m going to get murdered out here, that�s obvious.� �So much for a friendly little game of touch football,� remarks K.C. �Exactly, good idea. Time to force feed a little respect. I�m going to shows these boys who the men are. Danny, let Chris get by you, right after the snap.� �Brian, he�ll cream you again!� Danny cries. �That�s the plan,� Brian smirks. Brian grabs Stephen. �Fake the snap to me. If there�s no opening take a knee.� Brian fakes the snap and pretends to tuck the ball under one arm. He head directly for Chris. He makes a spin move and somehow flips Chris over his head and body slams him onto the ground. The adults in the crowd cheer wildly. Stephen gets thirty yards down the field before he is stopped. Tara stands up in alarm from her seat in the stands. Justin cheers along the sideline. �That�s the way to be, Brian! If Chris can�t play nice, cream him!� Brian stands up and looks down at Chris. Chris�s whole body is racked with pain. �Surprise, asshole! Play nice, or I�ll sideline you for life.� Chris�s eyes register only surprise. The high school coach rushes onto the field to help Chris. �Damn, Chris! Why don�t you grow a brain, boy!� �So, Coach, are we playing touch football out here, or do I dispose of your players one at a time?� Michael and Stephen tells the high school players. �You guys had better look out. Brian is mad now,� explains Michael. �Hell, we�re all mad aren�t we fellas?!� All the alumni team members voice their anger. The coach sees the blood running down the corner of Brian�s mouth. �This is a touch football game! Nobody and I men nobody, pulls another fool stunt, like idiot boy, Chris, here!� he yells at his players. Brian, in the shotgun position, takes the snap and fakes a pass. Then He runs all the way down the field eluding all the defense and scores a touchdown. He put his fist in the air in triumph and smiles. The crowd goes wild. Jack cheers for his son and has a coughing fit. He has to put on his oxygen mask. Chris sits on the sideline still dazed while his coach yells at his teammates. �Didn�t I tell you not to try and run him down, didn�t I? Brian Kinney used to run the 40 in 4.4 He wants you to chase after him!� The scoreboard read Alumni 13, Home 20. It is halftime. Peter has filled up a table full of gator-aid in plastic cups. She works very hard at keeping that table full of cups. Every time someone takes a cup, he replaces it. The alumni players all hang around the sideline. �I don�t know much longer we can keep this up, Brian! Look at us! We�re all sucking air! We need, I don�t know, a new plan,� gasps Josh. Brian sees Justin. �Justin! Justin, get over here,� Brian yells. �What are you doing?� Michael asks. �New blood. Justin�s alumni, right? So he can play.� �But, Brian...� �Can he even play football?� Stephen questions. �I know he catch the football, and I think he can probably out run all of you guys.� Justin joins them. �What�s up, Brian? You guys look good out there fellas, but you need to get some more points.� �You want to play some football, Justin?� K.C. asks. �What?� �Come on, Justin. Play some football with us,� Danny says. �Brian?� �I need to shake things up a little. Do you want to help, play some football?� �Yeah, Justin, help us run down of these guys and pull flags,� Josh begs. �Okay, you bet,� Justin replies. �Good. K.C., how about you taking over as quarterback?� �You�re going in as wide receiver, then?� K.C. questions Brian. �Do you guys want to win this thing?� Brian asks. K.C. takes the snap from the, and Brian heads down the field as a receiver. Justin also heads down the field. All high school players cover Brian. K.C. passes the football to Justin. Justin catches it and runs in for the touchdown. Brian rushes over to Justin in the end zone, and Justin jumps into his arms. The crowd in the stands cheers wildly. Michael does not approve. Daphne is not cheering. In fact, she looks almost sad. The kick for the extra point is good the score is now tied. Brian playing defense intercepts the ball with 17 seconds left on the clock. The score board now reads Alumni 35, Home 35. K.C., in the shotgun position, takes the snap from Stephen. Brian and Justin run their routes down the sideline. K.C. keeps the football and follows Stephen and Danny in for the touchdown. The score board runs out of time. The game is over. Many people, in the crowd, take to the field to celebrate. Justin jumps into Brian�s arms. This time he kisses him. Brian caught up in the excitement from the game holds onto him and kisses him longingly. Michael, who was cheering , stops when he sees Brian kissing Justin. His anger quickly gives way to sadness. He turns away from everyone and quickly walks off the field. Josh and Danny playfully pull Brian and Justin apart. Debbie has witnessed Brian and Justin kissing as well as Michael hurrying away. She rushes over to Michael. �Mickey!� �Mom, leave me alone!� �Brian seems to really like sunshine. And sunshine finally wore him down.� �No, shit!� �Michael, if you thought Brian move back here for you...� �No, mom, I never thought that,� he lies. �It just that Justin is a kid. He way too young.� Michael walking away again �Mickey, for heavens sakes, don�t walk off from your mother!� Micheal keeps heading off the field while Debbie gives up trying to chase after him. John is so happy that he runs up to Claire and gives his mother a rare hug. They both walk to Peter who still guarding the water table. �Hey, Sonny Boy!� Brian says to Peter as he joins the threesome. �Uncle Brian, you won, you won! I like football.� Debbie heads over to them. �So, Deb, where�s Mickey?� �He left. He not good, Brian. I think you need to talk to him. So, you and Sunshine an item now?� �Deb, hold on... We are not... Where�s Mom, Claire?� Mixed in among the departing crowd Jack Kinney is now sitting alone. Joanie is nowhere to be seen. |
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