“You okay?” I ask him, throwing my practice clothes into my locker.

“Nervous,” he says.

“You know what to do,” I tell him. “You’ve got this.”

He tries to smile at me, but it looks like he’s going to throw up instead. “I haven’t played in a game in over three years.”

I sit down on the bench next to him. “Coach wouldn’t put you in if he didn’t think you could do this,” I tell him. “You know this new position. I know I’ve got great protection with you in front of me. You’ve got this.”

“Okay,” he says, the green look on his face not fading.

“Elijah,” I say.

He finally turns to look at me. “Yeah?”

“Just don’t think too much,” I tell him.

He nods and his shoulders relax just a tiny bit.

Pastor Ernie comes into the locker room, and we all take a knee and put a hand on the shoulder of the guy in front of us. Pastor Ernie talks about keeping the spirit of the brotherhood fresh in our minds, and I can feel the guy behind me squeeze my shoulder just a little bit. I pass it on and squeeze the shoulder in front of me, and Coach Andrews and Coach Marcus take over.

Their speeches are decidedly louder than Pastor Ernie’s, and we do our usual pregame chant. I catch Elijah’s eye when we’re on our way out of the locker room and nod at him.

He nods back. I can see his pulse pounding in his neck, and sweat is already forming above his lip, but he does look a little bit less green.

We run through the banner the cheerleaders made for us and out onto the field and get our first good look at the Stephens City Spartans. In green jerseys and silver pants, their uniforms are sharp, but they don’t look any bigger or tougher than we do. I take my place on the fifty-yard line and call the coin toss, shaking hands with the Stephens City captain. I know in less than five minutes that captain is going to be standing across from me, ready to tackle me to the ground, but we wish each other luck anyway.

As I run back to the sideline to watch the opening kickoff, I spot Birdie in the stands. Right on the fifty-yard line with her blue-and-white pom-poms and her glittery GUARDSMAN GRANDMA T-shirt. “Go, Julian!” she yells from the stands, waving frantically at me. I raise my hand and give her a quick wave to let her know I know she’s there.