It was around 4:30 in the afternoon. Ryan sat down with his mom in the stands; his dad was on his way. Jeff could never miss his son’s football game. Beside them were Oliver and Nancy’s parents, the Collins. Since Oliver’s parents died, his Uncle Erwin, Nancy’s dad, had adopted him. He was taking good care of him and always ensured Oliver felt at home.

Nancy’s mom was also happy to have Oliver, as he was a good and sweet boy, and she loved him. Nancy always wanted a little sibling, a brother or a sister. That didn’t matter. Her parent’s financial situation didn’t allow them to have another child until a year ago when they moved into the neighborhood. Her dad got a job as a manager for a new branch in his corporation after his previous boss recommended him for the job.

“Hi, kiddo,” Jeff said, sitting down between Ryan and Heather. “How’s your day at school?” he asked with a smile.

Ryan shrugged, “It was normal.” Even if he didn’t like the uniform, he enjoyed school, had many friends, and appreciated his teachers and coach.

“Your day was normal, but you are anything but normal, my boy,” came a familiar sound from beside him.

Turning his head the other way, Ryan saw coach Damien sitting beside him. He was not wearing the usual tracksuit that Ryan always saw him wearing. He was wearing a white sweater with a black leather jacket.

“Coach Damien!” Ryan exclaimed, surprised. He didn’t expect to see his coach here. “What are you doing here?”

Coach Miller was the football team’s coach. He met coach Damien a month ago when Jeff invited them for a barbecue at their house. From then on, both coaches became friends. “I came to see your brother playing; besides, coach Miller invited me,” coach Damien explained.

“I almost forgot,” coach Damien said, taking out a box wrapped in gift paper from a plastic bag he had with him. The package was big, which made Ryan wonder what was in there. “Mrs. Houston, this is Ryan’s Christmas gift. Please don’t let him open it before Christmas.”

Ryan kept staring at the box with curiosity as coach Damien handed it to his mom. “What’s in there?” Ryan couldn’t help but ask, as curiosity would kill him.

“You will know on Christmas day,” Coach Damien commented with a chuckle.
Ryan crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. “Not fair,” Ryan said as his mom took the gift from coach Damien.

“Don’t worry, Coach, I will keep it safe till Christmas,” Heather said, chuckling a bit. She knew how curious Ryan could be. She also knew he was a good boy who listened to his parents.

“Look, they are coming out,” Oliver shouted.

Everyone looked to see the two teams entering the field. George’s team uniform was white, while the other team’s uniform was green. George’s team had been on a winning streak having a pretty solid defense and great attack.

Nancy was the wide receiver on the attack, and George was the offensive tackle. It may sound strange that Nancy was able to play on the boy’s football team, but she was a big girl for her age and was stronger and taller than many of the boys. The school had given her a special exemption to play on the boy’s team since there was no girl’s football team in their school.

On the other end of the offensive line, they had another two good players: Charley, a wide receiver, and Walter, an offensive tackle. While Nancy was faster, Charley was also very quick. This made it hard, sometimes impossible for their opponents to know or even guess who will receive the ball.

“Ryan, what do you think?” Nancy’s dad, Erwin Collins, asked. It was a known fact that Ryan had analyzed the opponent’s team. He was brilliant, and his brain was way ahead of kids his age. As Oliver’s uncle and guardian, Erwin felt grateful for Ryan. It was, thanks to him, that Oliver had adjusted quickly to his new life. He was timid, and it was difficult for him to make friends. Ryan also knew about Oliver’s secret and helped guard it, which made Erwin more grateful than ever.

“We will win, that’s for sure, but -,” Ryan stopped mid-sentence. Scenarios were still playing in his head. He was still thinking this through, and some outcomes weren’t to his liking.

“But?” Jeff asked, a bit surprised. He knew his son was only ten, but unless he were 100% sure, Ryan wouldn’t say a thing. He was very rational and never opened his mouth without thinking, just like his mom. Unlike his slightly impulsive personality, his children had inherited their rational temperament from Heather.

“Yes, number 6, Randy, is the problem. His main position is cornerback, but he plays everywhere. If we start on the defense, there will be no problem. They will make sure to take Randy out. If, however, we start on offense, that will be a problem,” Ryan explained while everyone listened to him.

If they never listened to Ryan, none would suspect that he is more than a mere 10-year-old boy. He gave a detailed explanation that showed how knowledgeable Ryan was, compared to a kid his age.

“You’re not thinking about playing football in the future instead? I would be pretty disappointed, you know; I am planning to take you to the Olympics,” coach Damien said with a smile. He was already talking with the school’s principal to get Ryan into the Olympics. He was very confident in Ryan and knew that he could make it.

He also wanted to take Ryan to the sports complex he owns, so he could prepare him for the summer swim meets.

“It seems you have very high hopes for Ryan, Coach. Would he be ok in the Olympics?” Heather asked. As much as she was happy her son was making outstanding achievements and his coach thought so highly of him, she didn’t want to pressure or push Ryan. She knew that Ryan loved swimming; otherwise, she wouldn’t have encouraged him in this direction.

Heather made it once to the Olympics and ended up with a silver medal. Her parents were proud of her. She understood how much pressure it could have on Ryan, so she was hesitant. She didn’t want anyone to pressure Ryan and wouldn’t allow it.

“Ma’am, I am sure you know this more than anyone else, but your son is a swimming prodigy. He’s already breaking records held by famous swimmers.”

Of course, Heather knew that. She just wanted to ensure that this was what Ryan wanted to do, not what anyone else wanted from him. “I appreciate your confidence in Ryan, coach Damien. If Ryan wants this, we won’t stand in his way,” Heather said, looking at Ryan. She wanted Ryan to know that it’s all up to him and not anyone else.

“Why don’t we talk about this later? We will need to hear Ryan’s opinion before we agree. For now, let’s focus on the game,” Jeff said, knowing they won’t reach a decision right now. While he would love to see his son in the Olympics, he also knew that Heather was right.

As the game started, everyone shifted their attention to the field. George’s team would start the offense in the first quarter, which worried Ryan. He had told them that this might happen. Still, the game started like usual. As the teams lined up, Ryan noted that Randy would defend against Nancy. The first play began, and the quarterback threw the ball to Nancy, who immediately ran towards the goal line.

Directly behind her was George as he was handling all the defenders trying to catch Nancy. George was probably the only one who could keep up with Nancy’s speed. That’s why he took a position as an offensive tackle. As fast as Nancy was, with George handling almost all the defense chasing her, Nancy ran in for a touchdown.

Immediately after Nancy scored the touchdown, the ref blew his whistle, and Randy tackled Nancy on the goal line. “Girls shouldn’t play football,” Randy said, standing up. He had wanted to stop Nancy from scoring and thought he had succeeded, but it seemed the referee had another opinion.

Throwing a yellow flag, the referee gave Randy and his team a penalty, “Personal foul – number 6 defense, unnecessary roughness - late tackle.” forcing them to retreat fifteen yards after the kick return. The referee also decided that Nancy scored six points. Randy was not happy hearing about this, seeing that he ultimately failed to stop Nancy and even cost his team fifteen yards after the kick return.

Randy decided to take on Nancy because he couldn’t take his anger at the referee. “You bitch!” Randy shouted angrily at her. He, however, soon found himself face to face with George. While George was not much taller than Randy, he was heavier with broader shoulders and more muscular. Randy couldn’t mess with George and get away with it, so he backed down.

“What! Randy, if you want to say something, say it!” George shouted mockingly. He would’ve loved to beat the crap out of Randy for pulling such a dirty move. He was, however, aware of the situation. George wanted to play on Randy’s nerves so his team would earn another penalty, it was one of Ryan’s mind games, and George liked to use it.

Back in the stands, everyone was wondering what George was doing. Only Ryan knew what was going on. Taunting Randy will result in his team losing much easier. Knowing that Randy was so easy to anger and easily teased, Ryan made it part of the game plan. He also knew that Randy would use such a dirty move, as it generally worked. It would have worked if Nancy wasn’t one of the fastest players on the field.

“What’s going on? What’s George doing?” asked Jeff. While Randy’s late tackle was getting on everyone’s nerves, George remained calm in these situations. He knew his son would never start a fight, especially during a football game.

“He’s taunting Randy, he can be dangerous, so I told George to make him angry. If he’s taunted, he will make mistakes. If he makes mistakes, his team will lose much easier,” Ryan explained to everyone’s surprise. No one would expect such a plan from a ten-year-old. Everyone had accepted the idea that Ryan was not a normal kid.

They watched as George returned to his position with Nancy, and so did Randy. However, Randy hadn’t fallen for Ryan’s devious plan yet. He would fall sooner or later, and once he does, they will capitalize on his mistake.

As the game started again, Randy and his team retreated fifteen yards. Randy was furious because of George. He, however, couldn’t take out his anger on George. Seeing him handle more than one player alone easily, Randy knew George could beat the crap out of him if he wanted to. So Randy decided to focus his anger and frustration on an easier target.

Taking their position to kick the ball, George called out to one of his teammates. “Quintin, you got the ball,” George said as his teammate stepped up to kick the ball. As the team captain, George had the right to decide who would kick the ball, and the coach trusted him to make the right decision.

Quintin used to play soccer and was a great striker. George had seen that in him, so he always chose him to kick a field goal or the extra point. Quintin never missed the uprights, and he didn’t this time, scoring another point for the team. Randy had run in to block his kick and tackled Quintin late.

The referee threw another flag and shouted, “Personal foul – number 6 defense, roughing the kicker, 15-yard penalty. This penalty will be assessed after the return.”

The game continued smoothly. George took every chance to mock Randy, eventually driving him livid with anger until his coach pulled him from the game. The opposing team was only able to score three points. George and his team scored fourteen points, decisively winning the game.

After the game, Ryan went home in Heather’s car, while George decided to go with his dad. Ryan was what some people call a mommy’s boy. He was very close to his dad but much closer to his mom.

Heather didn’t discriminate between her boys, but Ryan looked like her. They shared a similar face, the same honey blonde hair, and gray-blue eyes. Ryan followed in her footsteps as a champion swimmer and was closest to the daughter she always wanted to have.

Add to the fact that she almost lost him after he was born. She became very overprotective regarding Ryan. Ryan had to follow the rules set up in their household. Ryan wasn’t allowed to answer the door by himself, and when they were out of the house, he must hold her or Jeff’s hand.

Heather had always thought that Ryan would make a beautiful girl. Whenever the idea crossed her mind, she always dismissed it, while she dreamed of a day when Ryan would come and tell her that he wanted to be a girl.

Of course, Heather knew that Ryan loved being a boy. All she could do was think about her dream of Ryan becoming the daughter she always wanted to have. Jeff did agree with her, but they were not going to push Ryan. There was a slight possibility for Ryan to become the daughter she wanted without them interfering. This mere possibility, however, gave her hope.

“Mom,” Ryan said as they pulled in front of their house with Jeff’s car behind them.

“Yes, sweetie?” Heather replied while parking the car and turning towards her son. Whenever she looked at him, she couldn’t help but think how cute he was. When he started to grow his hair longer, she couldn’t help but notice how much he looked like a girl.

“Where are we going to eat dinner? I’m hungry,” Ryan said, pouting
.
His question made Heather laugh a bit. Ryan and George were gluttons for food as they were always hungry. Of course, Heather was strict regarding their eating, as she would never allow them to eat junk food.

“Well, honey, you will have to ask your dad. Let’s get in first, shall we?” Heather said, opening the car door before turning to Ryan again. “By the way, when we’re alone, you’d better call me Mommy, or I will tickle you,” Heather said half-jokingly.

She didn’t like it when Ryan stopped calling her mommy. He was her baby, and she liked to keep it that way. She didn’t want to embarrass her child, but she would rather hear him calling her mommy.

Ryan just gulped, blushing a bit, while Heather just laughed. “I was just kidding, sweetie,” Heather said, kissing his forehead as they entered the house.

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