Ricky loved football as much as he hated homework.

"Who cares about homework, Grandma? I'm not gonna need school when I become a pro football player," Ricky said. He tossed his English notebook against his bedroom wall.

"I care, Ricky," Grandma Braun said, blowing on her glasses to clean them. "Someday football might not be an option anymore. Something might happen so you can't play. You need your education. Pick up your notebook. That's no way to act."

Ricky retrieved the notebook he had thrown. "Fine. I'll do my homework, but I gotta go to my game soon," he said. He sat at his desk to try to write a book report about a book he did not read.

He worked on it until it was time to go.

As Grandma Braun drove to the field, she gazed at Ricky for a long time. It seemed like she did not blink. Ricky tried to ignore her by looking out the passenger-side window.

Her brown eyes remained on Ricky. "I only want the best for you, honey."

To her, it seemed like Ricky had grown up so fast. One moment he was a baby in her arms, and the next moment he was a junior in high school. Ricky's grandparents had raised him since the day he was born. Ricky's dad went to prison a month before he was born. They did not have contact with each other. His mother was invisible. She gave birth to Ricky and never wanted to see him again. When he was ten, his granddad died of a heart attack. Since then, Ricky and his grandma lived by themselves in an apartment in Wellsport.

"I'm not saying you can't be a superstar football player. You are fantastic. You need to remember that your education is also important. I don't want you to forget that," Grandma Braun said.

When they got to the field, Ricky slammed his door. His cleats clicked against the gravel as he walked to the trunk of the car. He grabbed his equipment—a helmet and shoulder pads—from the trunk. The trunk hatch made a loud thud as he closed it.

Ricky frowned. "See ya later," he said.

"By the way you are looking at me, you appear to be upset," Grandma Braun said. "That look better be erased from your face after the game."

When he got to the field, Ricky's frown disappeared. Football did that for Ricky. It was the only thing that did. He was excited to learn everything about the sport. In math class, it was a lot more fun to daydream about football games than to think about multiplication problems.

Ricky liked football because he was really good. He was the most talented running back on the team. He had been playing since he was eight, and he was used to being the best.

Ricky was the fastest and strongest player on his team. Last season, he used bursts of speed to run past the defenders. He also used his strength to run over them. He scored eighteen touchdowns in only six games. He also had five fumbles, but he preferred not to talk about those.

Last season, his team had three wins and three losses. They missed making the playoffs by one game. Ricky's fumble in the last game cost his team the win. He was careful not to think about that, though. Ricky chose to remember the four touchdowns he'd had.

This was going to be Ricky's best year yet. He knew highly respected colleges were going to watch him. Ricky trained all spring and summer to get ready for football season. He devoted all of his time and energy to football. He didn't do much else.

Ricky's main goal for the upcoming season was to impress the scouts. He wanted to score at least twenty touchdowns. It did not matter to him if his team, the Wellsport Warriors, won or lost.

At practice, leading up to the first game, Ricky was unstoppable.

He looked smooth running the ball. Sometimes, he jogged, then suddenly changed speeds to run by the defense. On other plays, he made defenders miss and kept his balance to stay in bounds. Every time he showed his talent, his teammates shouted, "Nice run! Good job! You're the man!"

Sometimes Ricky's teammates put up their hands for high-fives, but he mostly just ignored them.

One time, he ran past them to the bench for a drink of water. His long touchdown run made him thirsty. Ricky sat on the right end of the bench, away from his peers. The rest of his team huddled near each other on the opposite end.

Coach Daniels, who had a whistle around his neck and wore a visor to shield the sun from his eyes, walked over to Ricky. "You should be very proud of your achievements. You did things today I've never seen anyone else do." Ricky nodded as if he were listening to his coach. He was not.

It was going to take something drastic to happen to change Ricky's attitude.

"Welcome to Dundee Field," the announcer's voice echoed. "Today's game is the Yorkdale Dragons versus the Wellsport Warriors." The spectators, family and friends of both teams, were ready to watch the game.

The Dragons won the coin toss and decided to receive the ball. Wellsport's kicker, Eric Gonzalez, booted the ball to Yorkdale's kick returner. Yorkdale made a solid wall to block the Warriors. The returner made two players miss, then he galloped like a horse in the open field. He was not touched by the time he reached the endzone. He easily scored a touchdown. The Dragons made the extra point to take a 7-0 lead.

"Just wait until I get the ball," Ricky said, under his breath. He did not care that the Dragons were winning. He did not care if the Warriors won or lost. As long as he scored a few touchdowns, he was happy.

When Wellsport had the ball, they marched straight down the field. The team relied on Ricky. They gave him the ball three times in a row before he scored a touchdown.

He was thrilled with himself. He danced alone in the end zone. "Ha! Yeah! Look at me. I'm gonna be famous someday. You're gonna know the name Ricky Braun," he said, pointing at himself.

The referee, a man with gray hair, blew his whistle and threw a bright-yellow penalty flag. Ricky had broken the rules by boasting about himself. The penalty did not prevent Ricky's selfishness. He scored two more times in the first half. He still boasted and bragged each time he scored.

At halftime, Coach Daniels and Ricky's teammates were upset that he kept breaking the rules.

Dashawn Berry, Wellsport's quarterback, pulled Ricky aside. "Man, you have to stop doing that. You are so valuable to our team. You have scored all of our points, but you are hurting our defense," he said.

Dashawn was right. The Warriors were ahead 21-7 because of Ricky's talent.

However, each penalty gave the Dragons a better chance to score.

Coach Daniels called Ricky over. He said, "Remember you are part of a team. Be smart out there, buddy." Wellsport got the ball to start the second half.

The coaches began calling plays for other players. Dashawn threw the ball to Marcus Swan on first down for a sixteen-yard gain.

Next, Jerome Davis, the full back, got the ball three times in a row. The Dragons prevented him from getting a first down. The Warriors had to punt.

Ricky did not understand. He was used to getting the ball on almost every play. "Coach, why didn't you give me the ball? I can score every time I have my hands on it," he said.

"I know you can, Ricky. But there are other players on the team. They also deserve a chance to play. They have put their time and sweat into practicing, too. They have worked really hard."

His peers heard the entire conversation. They were getting fed up with Ricky's attitude.

"I don't need those fools," he said. He pointed his finger at his team. "I can beat the Dragons with no help. I can beat them alone."

His whole team stayed silent. They shook their heads in disagreement. They knew he was wrong.

The next time the Warriors got the ball, the coach called a play for Ricky. He took a pitch from Dashawn and broke one tackle. A player for Yorkdale finally brought Ricky to the ground.

A snapping sound, like a tree branch in a windstorm, echoed through the stadium.

No one said a word. Everyone was silent.

Everyone except for Ricky.