The whole scene was buzzing—voices surging and spilling over, calling out to Lance again and again, waves of support boiling in the air.
But Lance's eyes were fixed entirely on Annie and Felix.
Annie caught the smile in Lance's gaze, shining even under the dull sunlight.
For a moment, she felt a flicker of shyness—but Annie wasn't the type to look away. The more embarrassed she felt, the bolder she became.
"Lance, you'll never walk alone."
It was just a single sentence, yet it warmed Lance's chest. He called back loudly, "So, that's the Liverpool song?"
Annie cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone. "From now on, it's yours."
Lance crossed his hands over his chest, acting like his heart had just melted.
Annie joined in, her smile blooming at the sight of this playful Lance.
He strode forward, greeting Karen and Jenna, then high-fiving Felix and Annie. "This is definitely a surprise."
Annie could barely contain her excitement. Her small, frail frame looked like it could be swallowed by the surging crowd at any moment, yet she stood tall, knees bouncing up and down in quick repetition to show her joy.
Lance crouched to meet her eyes. "Thanks for coming just to see me off."
Annie took a deep breath and exhaled hard. "A bit of a shame I can't cheer for you in person at the game."
Lance smiled. "Next week. It's a home game—come to Arrowhead."
Her eyes lit up. "Really? I've always wanted to go to Arrowhead. You know, I've never been to a game there. Actually… I've never been to any live game at all."
After all, Annie was only eleven—and much of her young life had been spent in the hospital.
The way she spoke—mature beyond her years—carried a trace of bitterness.
Mid-sentence, she suddenly covered her mouth and turned to her mother, big eyes silently pleading.
Jenna sighed. "Annie…"
"Mom," Annie clasped her hands together, "I'm fine now—look at me! I'm strong, I'm healthy, I promise. Felix says watching in person is completely different. This is my biggest wish! Please? If not, you can make it my birthday wish and Christmas gift rolled into one! Mom! You believe me, right? I'm really strong."
She even flexed her nonexistent biceps.
Jenna couldn't help but smile, though she didn't give in right away.
Lance looked up at Jenna. "If you're worried, I can reserve two seats in the VIP box. It should be much better there."
Meeting the sincerity in his eyes, then seeing Annie's uncontainable excitement, Jenna hesitated… and finally relented. "Of course. Thank you, Lance. It's an honor for Annie."
Annie threw her arms up like a champion. "Oh yeah!"
So pure. So simple. Like sunlight piercing endless clouds, making the whole world bright again.
Within minutes, the news had spread to the other Chiefs buses.
A rejuvenated Patrick Mahomes rushed over. "Really? Annie and Felix are coming next week?"
Before Lance could answer, Tyreek Hill pretended to wipe imaginary tears. "Rookie, you go have fun and don't even take us."
"Yeah, we want the kids to cheer our names too."
"You go to the hospital for charity without us? Not cool, rookie."
"Please, you're the one always saying 'kids are devils.'"
Lance didn't need to reply—the bus was already full of laughter.
Despite the ups and downs, despite the unfair treatment on social media, despite being a young team feeling the sting of fame for the first time—the Chiefs' locker room spirit was unbroken.
Amid the noise, Lance opened the envelope Annie had given him.
A thick stack—five or six pages—not an ordinary fan letter, but words filled with genuine care.
He read carefully. Like a diary, it recounted her experiences watching Chiefs games, and moments from the chemotherapy room.
The more he read, the slower he went. Her simple, unpolished words carried strength, stubbornness, wit, and a soul far older than her years.
*"…I know this is a game with a doomed ending, but I still want to fight until the final moment. No regrets. I'm a little scared, but whenever I am, I draw courage from you. You make me believe that the struggle and the fight mean something.
So, thank you, Lance.
You'll never walk alone, because you've shown me I won't either.
Light pages. Heavy weight.
Lance couldn't imagine exactly what Annie and Felix were enduring—the helplessness of standing before illness, life shattered again and again—yet they still stood back up, ready to face fate and fight.
Only those who truly understand the fragility of life can also grasp its colors and weight.
Carefully, he folded the letter and stored it away—like Felix's crayon drawing, it was priceless.
Now, against the Seattle Seahawks, they had one more reason to win.
"Wait—breaking free! Missed tackle!"
"Lance escapes! From a double tackle, triple coverage—he powers through!"
"Three defenders—cornerback, linebacker, defensive end—can't bring him down! Shaquill Griffin's missed tackle is fatal. You can't make that mistake on Lance."
"I wonder if Coach Carroll misses Sherman now."
"Without the Crimson Tide's usual toughness, Seattle's defense can't stop him. Wait—"
"Oh, that's gotta hurt."
"Lance stiff-arms Bradley McDougald—flips him clean over! McDougald rolls backward across the turf!"
"No one can stop Lance! Beast Mode lights up CenturyLink Field—but this time, Seattle's the victim!"
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