Scott ran down the play list in his head. He knew the game on Saturday would decide their fate in playoffs and these kids deserved to be there. They had worked hard all season, and it showed. If they made it, this would be his first playoff series as a head coach.

September 2001

Scott walked slowly back to the locker room. It had been his first practice since being reinstated to the team, and if felt surreal to him. He had played well. Much better than he had before he left for Horizon. He was in better shape now, that was for sure. To the other players, he was almost unrecognizable from the drugged out, defiant teammate they had known just before he left, but Scott didn't feel all that different than before.

Martin was standing just outside the locker room door, waiting for Scott and beaming from ear to ear. "You played great Scott." He patted him on the back as he moved in closer. "I'm so glad we can put the past behind us and move on with our lives."

Scott shifted his helmet in his hand, but didn't respond.

"You've got your whole future ahead of you now son."

October 2003

"Barringer! Get your head in the game, what the hell is wrong with you today?" The coach grabbed Scott by his face mask. "Get with it Barringer or you can sit your ass on the bench this Saturday!"

Scott nodded, his head pounding from partying a bit too hard the night before. His dream had always been to play college ball, but now that he was here, he was wasting his opportunity. He was failing most of his classes. One he hadn't even bothered to attend all semester. And now he was failing on the field. This wasn't the first time Scott's focus had been called into question.

He was determined to make the next play his best of the day. He needed to keep his head in the game, but as the ball came hurtling towards him, Scott scrambled to make the catch, and only managed to fumble the ball.

"Barringer, get your ass on the bench now!"

Scott ran over to his coach. "Coach, give me another shot. I can do this!"

"The hell you can Scotty. Sit down!"

Scott tore his helmet off, infuriated. "Don't call me that!"

"You better be glad I call you anything at all Scotty, now sit down!"

Scott threw his helmet towards the coach. "I said stop it!"

"That's it Barringer. You're out of here! I don't want to see your face again this afternoon!" He threw his clipboard down on the bench, and got in close to Scott's face. "Get out of here, and don't come back until your attitude has changed."

Scott spat bitterly back at his coach, "How about I don't come back at all, Coach, how's that?"

When he walked off the field that day, he not only walked away from his football career, he also walked away from college. He left the campus that day and never looked back.

May 2009

"Coach?" Nick, the starting wide receiver, was standing next to Scott. Though he was only 12, he was nearly eye to eye with Scott. "Coach, what's the play?"

Scott shook his head and glanced back down at his clipboard. Where had they left off?

"Barringer!" The athletic director interrupted his thoughts again. He was bellowing to him from a few yards away. Scott looked up, bemused. "Barringer, phone call for you in my office. Guy says it's important."

"Who is it?"

"Peter somebody. Said he needed to speak to you right away."

Scott handed his clipboard to the assistant coach and took off towards the school building behind the field. He sprinted the last few steps and was nearly out of breath by the time he picked up the phone. "Peter? What's going on?"

Peter had spoken the words so many times already, but it still didn't make it any easier. "Ezra overdosed two days ago. We're planning a memorial service for him on Saturday."

Ezra. It seemed like another lifetime that Scott and Ezra had been friends. Though Scott had always thought Ezra was a bit odd, he was still a friend to him when he needed it most. Scott would never forget that.

"He's dead?" Though Scott had heard the words, he was having trouble wrapping his mind around the idea.

"Yes." Peter paused. "Can you make it for the memorial on Saturday? It will be here at Horizon. We think Ezra would have liked that."

Saturday. There was no way he could coach the big game and still be there for the memorial service. "Peter, I don't know. We've got a big game on Saturday. It decides our fate in the playoffs."

"Well, Scott, it's your decision. The rest of the Cliffhangers will be here. It's up to you to decide what's most important."

"You know I would be there if it were any other time." He paused, only slighted irritated that he felt the need to defend his decision. "This is big for me Peter. If I coach this team to the championships I'll be looking at a lot more opportunities. I can't give this up."

"Like I said, you have to decide what's best for you. I can't tell you what to do anymore."

Scott stood in the director's office for a long time after he hung up with Peter. He knew he had made the right decision. Ezra, the Cliffhangers, Horizon – they were all in his past. He had to be concerned about his future now. Besides, he hadn't seen or spoken to any of them since the day he left with his dad. They weren't a part of his life any longer.