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Fifty Yard Line 6
Brady
Atsomepoint,I fell asleep on the couch and woke up with a pain in my neck from the position. I sniffed the air and smiled. I turned and found Prissy at the stove and Poppy was giving directions, trying to keep that casted arm from reaching forward. I wondered if that was her dominant hand. They were whispering and conspiring until I said, “I’m just happy to have eggs, so it doesn’t matter if you put the spinach, onions, or cheese in them. I’ll eat.”
Prissy smiled at me and then she did that thing I hated when we were younger. She got that pouty lip and watery eyes and damn, here she came with that crying as she said, “I’m sorry.”
I stood up and she moved into my arms and hugged me. I didn’t like being the authority around here, but I was worried about what her life would look like next year if I was gone. I planned to be working, in grad school, or maybe even with a professional team. I had job offers and I had scouts looking at me.
This kind of drama…I didn’t need any of it, yet I had two women in my house right now action packed with nothing but drama. The past twenty-four hours were giving Shakespeare a run for his money. I let her go as I said, “I’m just worried about you.”
She nodded. “I know. I’ll do better.”
“Okay.” I had to believe her. Trust her a little. I looked at the other source of anxiety in my life this morning and asked, “And you?”
“Much better. My parents will be landing late this afternoon. I just need to figure out how to get back to my car…my room. Apparently, my camera was smashed, but miraculously, they were able to salvage the photographs. You were right, someone did come to the hospital. I’m really pissed at them for taking my camera. It’s mine. So are the pictures on it.” She was still fierce this morning. I tried not to like that.
“Well. I’ll take you to get your car, help you get yourself settled back in your room.” I smiled at her and the way she smiled back at me sort of made something tingle. Nope. That was the phone in my pocket vibrating. I pulled that out and answered the call from my uncle. “Hey.”
I closed my eyes as he unleashed hell on that end. I pinched the bridge of my nose and tried to take in some deep breaths. “I didn’t know. They went out. That’s what freshmen do. When I realized what time it was, I told her to come home. She did. I did not know that she drunk dialed you. I handled it. She is not going to do that again.”
Prissy winced, started crying again. I looked past my cousin to the woman in the kitchen also wincing as if she cared how this played out. The journalist in the kitchen, seeing way more behind the scenes parts of my life than I was comfortable with.
He yelled a while longer and I said, “Okay. Yes. I understand.” I hung up with him and looked at her and said, “He’s coming next week for the weekend.”
She looked panicked. I clarified, “It’s not just you. The game, the—” I indicated Poppy. “Situation. He’s upset and rightfully so.”
She went to the kitchen and took over getting the rest of things set up as I grabbed juice from the refrigerator. It was a weird sort of breakfast but sitting at a table with two people for a meal for a change was a nice feeling. I missed this.
Prissy said, “He hates Candy.”
Poppy snorted a laugh and then covered it with a cough. I hated that it made me have to suppress my own laughter. I continued, “They know you two are—”
“Yes. No. Sort of. They thought we broke up. They uh…don’t know she is at this school.” Prissy looked at me and I shook my head no.
My cousin was in way more trouble now and nothing I could do would save her from the lies she had told. I would not lie for her. Not about this. Not when I didn’t like Candice much either.
“I get it.” She shrugged.
“Okay.” I nodded. “You have some time to figure out what you are going to say.”
I did not feel as though I had a lot of time to figure out what I was going to say as I followed behind Poppy as she drove from the stadium to the dorm she lived in. Once there, I got out and met her in front of her car. What I came up with was, “Nice job.”
“My big brother taught me how to drive. He reads a lot of worse case scenario type books so I can drive with either hand or one foot if necessary.” She lifted her left foot off the ground. Again, I had to curb how much of a smile I let hit my lips.
“You want me to walk you to your room or—” I didn’t really know how to end this. It was really weird because in a way, I didn’t want this to end.
“I’m fine.” She looked at her casted arm and then up to me and said, “Thanks. For everything, really. You didn’t have to take care of me.”
Since I was the reason she needed care, I absolutely felt like I had to take care of her. “You have my number, right? So…if you need anything…”
“Got it.” She looked toward the building and then back at me and said, “You should go. I think people are noticing you.”
I looked back and sure enough a few people were stopped and watching us. I looked at her and said, “They probably think I’m harassing you now. I hate—”
She walked forward and put her good arm around me in a hug. It surprised me, but I put my arms around her and hated how good that felt. Just to hug her. She let go, stepped back, and said, “See. Now they know we’re friends.”
She turned and started toward some girl who was running toward her calling her by name. I scoffed. Mumbled, “Where were you when she needed you?”
I got back into my car and drove home.
