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“Did somebody have a bad acid trip and took the rest of the school with them?” Kenn joked.
JJ found Deb uncharacteristically quiet throughout all this, but she did give her what could only be described as a sly smile.Oh, no, she’s going tell the entire university that Kenn and I were at the game together.
The marching band began to play, and she and Kenn quickly turned around to face the field. The band, accompanied by the men’s pep squad and cheerleaders had just started their traditional warm up act to get the crowd pumped about the game.
Blake, in the costume of Ulysses Uno, led the pep squad in the cheers as the cheerleaders joined in dancing and waving their purple and green pom poms.
The spectators yelled wildly and cheered when the jumbotron captured the images of the fighting finger parading around.
“Is Blake marching or toddling?” she asked, as she studied him on the TV. “He looks like a child just learning to walk.”
Kenn shook his. “When do you suppose we’ll get a real mascot?”
“Don’t hold your breath. This one has a name now. You know how hard it is to give up a stray cat once you’ve named him. UNO may never get rid of this mascot now.”
After a few moments, the pep squad and cheerleaders yielded the field to the teams and the kickoff signaled the start of the game. She had never been a fan of the game and knew little about it, but she cheered at what seemed to be all the appropriate places, mostly because she thought it was expected of her.
She noticed, though, that Kenn was serious about his football. He reacted fervently to every play regardless of how unimportant she felt it was. It didn’t take long, however, before his zeal rubbed off on her and she, too, became more enthusiastic. At the end of the first quarter, the fighting UNOs had hold of the lead, seven to nothing.
In the excitement of the moment, Kenn kissed her on the top of her head. The action startled her, but it definitely wasn’t unpleasant. She enjoyed that small sign of affection more than she cared to admit.
“I know very little about football,” she confessed during one of the timeouts. “My knowledge about the sport can be summed up in me knowing which way our team should be running and recognizing a touchdown.”
She looked up at him. “I guess I’m not the best football buddy you could have.” Kenn wore his black jacket unzipped to reveal a nondescript gray sweatshirt.Even in that, the man is striking.
In response to her confession of a lack of football knowledge, he would occasionally get a bit closer to her and clarify the reason for a penalty or the strategy on the field. Bless his heart, she thought, as he explained something dealing with a fourth down.He’s trying hard to explain. And my mind is thinking more about the breathing he’s doing in my ear than the game.
Chapter 29
JJ nudged Kenn.
“Just look at Alex and Blake,” she said. “She’s got her arms around those curved fingers and thumb like she’s going to dance.” Their antics amazed her. That parental pride popped up again.I’m not used to seeing my characters really come to life.
“Heck, they are dancing. Is that a polka?”
In a matter of minutes, the jumbotron had them up on the screen. The fans cheered, which prompted the band to do their own interpretation of a polka. In no time at all, it seemed everyone in the stadium was up on their feet singing and moving to the beat.
As the song continued, a cheerleader tapped Alex on the shoulder, indicating she wanted to cut in. Alex theatrically stepped aside. Then another danced with Blake. Every cheerleader, in turn, danced with the mascot, even as the game restarted. The crowd didn’t seem to care they had missed several plays.
With all the quick dance movements, Blake apparently had become dizzy inside the finger costume.
As soon as the last cheerleader let go of him, he stumbled in circles briefly before falling flat on his back.
It looked like a giant hand lay palm up in the field. Alex rushed over and removed his knuckle head cover.
She tried to smooth his hair down and carefully helped him to his feet. A crescendo of cheers rose from the stands. He turned to the home bleachers and took a bow, nearly tumbling over. A surge of laughter reignited throughout the stadium. His image flashed on the big screen again.
By the time it was halftime, the other team, Ohio College at Defiance, had tied the score, seven to seven. JJ thought the first half of the game had flown by in what must have been the fastest two quarters in football history. She couldn’t tell if it was the thrill of the football game that pumped her with adrenaline or the rush she felt being next to Kenn for so long.
The Ohio College at Defiance marching band stepped out onto the field precisely as the announcer called half time. The band acted as if it had one mind, playing a current popular song.
“They’re good,” she said, as she watched in amazement at the disciplined performance.
“Yeah. Look at them, they’re all marching in perfect time. Not a leg raised too early or too late,” Kenn said.
“I swear you can see the creases in their uniforms,” JJ commented. Indeed, the blue and white uniforms appeared freshly pressed, fitting each musician as if it were custom made.
The first selection ended, and much to the evident delight of the spectators, the band bowed as one, each of them bending their torsos at the exact same angle. After several seconds, they all returned to their upright positions with the same robotic precision and started the next song.
