WHERE'S A THROW-UP bucket when you need one?I swallow and then try breathing through my mouth to ease the nausea. It shouldn't be this bad and I somehow need to control it. I barely slept last night, had trouble eating all day because of the balloon in my stomach, and now my head is pounding. It doesn't matter that this is what I signed up for, I'm terrified."Buck up, kiddo, we're on in a few minutes," Lane says as the team fills the tunnel and we wait to run out onto the field. Lane is too damned calm and I hate him for it.How does the team do this each week? "What if I trip?" I whisper harshly in Lane's ear.He only grins. "You pick your ass up and take the ribbing on the nightly news. But worse, you take it from all the guys until the end of time.""Thanks. That helped."He laughs. "Anytime.""Go, go, go," says a coach at the head of the tunnel.I close my eyes and then open them. I place my helmet on and Lane gently knocks his against mine. "Showtime," he yells. Whoops f
I'M BEAT UP but adrenaline is keeping me hyped. I give a single clap and we break huddle. We've done this next play a million times and it's usually good for a few yards. I fake a handoff, drop back, and lift my arm. A Scorpion hits me from behind and the ball flies away. Luckily, a Pronghorn picks it up and scrambles for those few yards we needed so desperately. I pick myself up from the field and feel a twinge in my hip.No time to think about it.We make steady gain and I glance at the clock. Six minutes, forty-four seconds. We need a touchdown here or we don't have a shot at winning this game. My teeth clench against my mouthpiece as we line up on the line of scrimmage. I need Randy Byer to catch this pass. He runs full tilt to the end zone and this time when my arm goes back, my offensive line does its job, and no one gets near me.Randy has two defensive players in the mix. His hands go up as do four others. One player tips the ball and Randy reaches back farther than should b
"Not a good idea," he whispers.No, it isn't. "Tomorrow night my dad and friends will be gone. I'll do a sleep over at your place." I say this while running my fingers through his shower dampened, clean hair.He stands up straight and leans in so I can hear his softly spoken words. "Congratulations on the win today. Some night we need to sneak down here so I can fuck you on the thirty-six yard line, where you made that kick from."My belly tightens and my inner thighs actually quiver. I smooth my fingers across the waistband of his shorts and slip my fingers beneath the material. His hand takes mine and stops my roaming."You're not helping."I run my cheek across his stubbled one and whisper back, "You know how good my fingers will feel around you and my" I bite his earlobe. "My lips."I'm sure his growl can be heard past the door. "Check and see if I can leave without being seen," he orders sharply."You're no fun," I pout but slide away from him and peek out the door. "You're
THE WEEKS ROLL by and the wear and tear on my body makes me down ibuprofen in order to function. Two losses followed our win against the Scorpions. I had two interceptions in the last game, was sacked twice, and Jordan missed a field goal. I've been here before and it's a shitty feeling. Our team should be better than this.Jordan practically lives at my place and I'm getting tired of sneaking her in and out. I'm sick of the whole thing as far as hiding our relationship. The only time we see each other is late at night when we're both tired. Rick Dove has Jordan making special appearances and signing autographs around the city. He's riding high representing football's first female kicker even if we've lost two straight.Tomorrow is Saturday and we fly out in the morning for a game in Pittsburgh on Sunday. I'm resting on the couch with ice on my wrist, which was tweaked during one of the two sacks I suffered last week. Jordan walks in. She finally picked out a car to buy and had it de
IN THE FIRST quarter, we don't look like the team who beat the Super Bowl champions three weeks ago. Aiden can't get a break and his offensive line is practically falling down on the job. Aiden is sacked on his second possession of the game. I'm angry and fed up with the line's BS. Aiden can't carry the team alone.All I'm able to do is glare from the sideline and watch Pittsburgh put points on the board. Terrible towels twirl through the air and cheers go up when they score again, making it seventeen zero. Aiden jogs out slowly after the kickoff and I know something is injured, maybe his knee. The second quarter begins and we finally have the ball in enemy territory.Aiden goes back to pass and a Pittsburgh player manages to grab the back of Aiden's jersey. Aiden spins and breaks the hold but he has no one open to pass the ball. He breaks right, spins left, and takes off for the end zone. He's taken down by two players on the one yard line. He stays down after the tackle and I'm abo
THE ONLY REASON I'm standing upright is adrenaline. Everything will hurt when it drops, but right now I'm riding the winning high that hasn't stopped since the final game whistle blew. The mood on our midnight flight out of Pittsburgh is much different than our arrival.Winning cures all evil.We're on a private chartered plane. I've decided if the entire team knows Jordan and I are a couple there's no reason to hide it any longer. I grab her hand and pull her to the back with me."What are you doing?" she hisses."Having you sit by me. Come on." I sit down and move over, tugging her down beside me. I don't stop there and once she's seated, I pull her into my arms and kiss her sweet pouty lips."Aiden," she whispers into my mouth."They don't care," he says and deepens the kiss."Hey, lovebirds," Lane hollers so everyone hears. "Apparently your romantic spin on the sideline is a trending topic on social media. Twitter and Facebook are going crazy."Aiden laughs. "Next thing you
HAPPILY EVER AFTER depends on many factors in the lives of professional football players. A winning season is one of those factors. I wish I could report the Pronghorns won the Super Bowl but I can't. We did make it to the first round of the playoffs, where we lost to Killian's team. The Scorpions took out their revenge on the season-opening loss to us. They stomped us. It wasn't a nice way to end the season but after the mental defeat wore off, we accepted our winning record for the year determined to make the following year even better. When you're winning, the fans love you and for the first time we took our team to the playoffs, so we rode high on public support.Coaches, players, and fans took my relationship with Aiden like champs. Poor Lane, no matter how many times we denied it, he remained the jilted other man. He didn't mind and he told me it did wonders for him with the ladies.I moved in with Aiden and we navigated the waters of living together. Between public appearances
I'LL STAY IN Aiden's apartment for the foreseeable future. It's sad that I really don't want to. He talks about a long distance relationship like it won't change anything. I know it will. His life and dreams will intertwine with the Scorpions in no time. They'll become his everything. Football is no place for love. I'm learning that the hard way.Dreams.I think of them a lot during the two days we have before Aiden's move is set in stone. We make love, talk, I cry, and Aiden holds me. I'm doing everything I can to be strong and make this easier on him. It's anything but easy.He loves me. More than anyone, I understand what it means to have your dreams within your grasp. I left my father behind for my dreams. Aiden will leave me.I drive him to the airport on Monday morning."This will work out," he tells me before walking away.I drive back to the apartment holding back tears. I cleared everything from my schedule so I could rest in bed for the day and cry my eyes out with no o