AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Seriously? One guy...through that wall of testosterone?” Nina asks. “It looks like an exercise in futility.”
“Or stupidity,” I add.
Stacey snorts. “How do you think they get so good in the games? They practice this stuff.”
She stares, mesmerized as the guys dive onto each other, grunting and groaning and complaining as they get trampled and pummeled by the others. I don’t see the appeal. It all looks like a giant waste of time. But I will never say that out loud because Stacey is very invested in the sport since her husband-to-be does this for a living.
I remember what it was like when I dated Noah. Football was everything. And there was a good chance to make it big for him, too. Did he ever make it? I have no idea. But he and Brett aren’t friends anymore; I’m almost sure of that. Brett hasn’t mentioned him once, and he’s not on any of the teams that are playing.
So, maybe I haven't ignored football completely.
“Oh, here comes trouble,” Stacey says, and as we watch, another team arrives.
“It’s the Rainbow Warriors,” she says under her breath.
As we watch, the Golden Bears straighten themselves out, get to their feet, and walk to the Warriors to meet them. For a moment, things are tense. They get right up in each other’s faces, grills to grills. It looks like it’s going to turn into a fight.
But then Marc takes off his helmet and the others do the same.
I recognize Brett, and my heart beats a little faster.
Marc grabs Brett into a bro hug, and suddenly, everyone’s friends.
“What’s going on?” Kelsey asks.
“Maybe they double booked the field,” Stacey muses. “They’re going to have to…”
Her voice trails off as we watch the guys all put their helmets back on. They have a quick conversation, heads nodding like bobbly head toys on their grotesque bodies, and then they jog onto the field. The training equipment is removed, and the guys line up.
“Are they playing a game?” I ask.
“Looks like it,” Stacey says excitedly. “Oh, this is unheard of. A friendly before the big game isn’t something the guys ever really do. It will show them each other’s weaknesses and strengths, and their plays and everything.”
I’m starting to understand that this is a big deal. The atmosphere is tense when the guys kick off, and I find myself being sucked into the game again.
There was a time when these games were everything. I watched them all for Noah’s sake. I knew all the rules. I watched the Superbowl religiously and cheered for all the right teams because it was what my dad and Noah did.
Now, I look at them all, and I feel the same sense of pride, the same sense of investment.
I don’t know what to make of it. I don’t want to like football. But God…I missed this.
The game turns intense fast. It looks like they’re both powerful teams, with the players equally matched. For every point one team makes, the other team beats, if only for the first to catch up and take over again.
After an hour, the guys are neck in neck, and the coach blows the whistle.
They walk to each other and shake hands.
“Wow,” I say. “That was something.”
“And such a treat,” Stacey says. “Come on, let’s go to the change rooms.”
We leave our seats and meet the guys at the changing rooms. They’re sweaty and dirty, out of breath, but grinning. Stacey goes to Marc to kiss him, and the whole team hoots.
Across the field, the other team is getting ready to leave. I notice Brett walking with his helmet in his hand, his mouth open as he gasps and pants.
When he sees me, his face splits into a grin, and he winks at me.
Butterflies erupt in my stomach, and I turn away, feeling like a schoolgirl all over again.
