The Weight of Dreams

Marcus had always been the smallest kid in his class, and at seventeen, that hadn't changed much. Standing barely five-foot-six and weighing in at a lean 140 pounds, he looked more like a cross-country runner than someone who belonged on a football field. But Marcus had a dream that burned brighter than the Friday night lights of his Texas high school stadium. Every morning at 5 AM, while his teammates were still asleep, Marcus would slip out of his house and head to the abandoned lot behind the grocery store. There, surrounded by weeds and broken concrete, he had set up his own makeshift training ground. Old tires for agility drills, a rope tied between two fence posts for hurdles, and a worn football that had seen better days. His coach, Mr. Rodriguez, had been honest with him at the start of the season. "Son, you've got heart, but heart doesn't always win games. You're riding the bench this year, maybe next year too. Have you considered track?" Marcus...