Chapter 3

The Eagle section was dead silent, but the Highland side made up for it. High fives, loud cheers, and whistles swept through the stands. Christine realized that she was one of the loudest fans as she yelled and screamed her approval. Her sisters and mother were right next to her, showing their excitement over the turn of events.

"My God, Christine. He must have thrown that ball fifty yards. He sure seems serious about winning this game and keeping his date," laughed Maddie. "Hailey, let me have those binoculars so I can get a good look at our hero."

Maddie focused in on number twelve as he and his teammates slapped each other on the back. She quickly determined that Mitchell was an extremely popular man now. He was taller than all but a couple of linemen and looked every bit as strong. Then she saw him scanning the Highland cheering section, obviously looking for someone.

"Wave ladies," Maddie instructed as she held her free hand high and whipped it around. "Our hero is looking for Christine to make sure she saw that great play. Let him know what we think."

With that, Hailey and Melissa stood up again and began waving frantically toward the Highland bench area. Reluctantly, Christine stood up and gave her best imitation of the Queen of England by moving her hand back and forth a few inches in front of her face.

"I don't know how, but he found you, Christine. His smile just doubled in size. Maybe Hailey, Mom, and I helped a little by being such boisterous fans," suggested Maddie. "Holy cow. He's a gorgeous looking man, Christine. You started right at the top."

The score was tied at half Time at 28. The Highland offense managed to score every time it had the ball. Mitchell passed on most plays, but they did very well every time they handed the ball off to the running back. The Highland defense had begun to stiffen and once they began to slow down Ellis, Eagle had no alternatives. They tried a few passes, but their quarterback showed poor decision making and a weak arm.

Highland scored on the first possession of the second half to take the lead and never looked back. The final score was 49-31. When the game ended Highland's faithful poured onto the Field and mobbed the players. Melissa could see Mitchell smile as fans and players slapped his back and shook his hand.

"Sis. Should we go down and congratulate our newfound hero?" teased Hailey. "It looks like the cheerleaders are doing just that. Look at those shameless hussies hugging Mitchell and kissing his cheeks. We need to get you down there to stake out your claim. Let's go."

"No, Hailey. I'm not going to make an ass of myself in front of those bimbos. I told you that he'd have all kinds of pretty girls after him. It just happened faster than I had anticipated. I never dreamed he'd be such an athlete. Let's go home," added an obviously dejected Christine as she started down to the exit.

In order to leave the stands, they had to descend down almost to the playing Field, then turn and go out a runway under the bleachers. Christine was just beginning to make the turn when she heard her name called. Surprised, she looked over her shoulder to see Mitchell standing near the bleachers. He was looking directly at her and ignoring all the well-wishers around him. Christine felt hands push her toward the railing. Her feet seemed to move of their own accord as she shuffled up to the railing and looked down at Mitchell.

Mitchell smiled, reached up and grabbed the rail and vaulted up so he stood on the platform near Christine, with the handrail between them. Those fans that had been headed for the exits all seemed to stop, and suddenly became incredibly quiet.

"I'm going to need directions to your house so I can pick you up for the dance tomorrow night, Christine. What time should I get there? What's your phone number? You aren't going to back out on me, are you?" quizzed Mitchell as a beautiful blonde girl suddenly stepped up to him and hugged him tightly over the railing.

"Give me your number and I'll get you all of Christine's information. I'm her sister, Maddie, and you've made my day. Look at all of those cheerleaders with their mouths hanging open," whispered Maddie directly into Mitchell's ear. "You be good to Christine. She's really, really smart about a lot of things, but she's new to this. Please don't hurt her."

With that, Maddie stepped back and declared, "Hailey, you weren't kidding. Christine's new boyfriend is a hunk. It makes me wish I was three years younger. Mitchell, can you ride back to Highland with us, or do you have to ride the team bus?"

"Coach wants us to ride the bus. Otherwise, I'd take you up on that offer, Maddie," replied Mitchell as he placed his hands on the noticeably silent Christine's elbows and smiled. "Thanks, Christine, for giving in and letting me take you to the dance."

Christine felt like she was in a dream. Who knew how many people had just listened to the star quarterback practically beg her for a date. Mitchell's hands on her arms made her skin tingle when he touched her. She saw Maddie hand Mitchell her phone and he punched in some numbers and returned it to Maddie.

"Thanks for coming to the game," added Mitchell as he bent close to Christine. "I'll see you tomorrow night. Call me with the time."

Mitchell turned and stepped back down to the Field and trotted past the stunned cheerleaders and headed for the showers. Christine felt hands turn her around and gently push her toward the exit. As she walked, she once again became aware of her surroundings. Maddie held her hand and was smiling like the cat that ate the canary. Her mother and Hailey were right behind them, laughing and chatting with fellow fans. Christine began to catch parts of the conversations going on around her.

"That kid sure took the school by storm." laughed Ken Smith, president of the local bank, as well as father of Tyler Smith, the team's starting tight end. "He plays quarterback like a pro, and then sweet talks the school's prettiest girl into going to the dance with him tomorrow. I'd better keep an eye on this boy, or he'll have my job before Christmas."

"Melissa, did you see the look on the faces of all the cheerleaders when that boy made a beeline for Christine? It was so funny to watch, even though my daughter, Molly, is one of the cheerleaders," added Sally Fields. "This just might help curb that entitlement attitude the girls have developed. The team quarterback went out with the class valedictorian. That is just priceless."

The ride home was one of the best trips the family had ever experienced. All four Leonard women were laughing as they recounted various incidents that had seen and heard at the game. Christine had been nervous and embarrassed, but the absolute joy her family felt was infectious. She couldn't help smiling as she recalled the way Mitchell spoke to her and the reactions it created.

"Christine, I have to admit I had some serious doubts about Hailey's evaluation of your boyfriend, but I've got to tell you, he's the real deal. You didn't notice, but I hugged him while you were in your trance. I didn't want to do it, but I had to make the arrangements for your date and you sure weren't helping. Boys do like girls that don't talk too much but take my advice and speak to him once in a while, okay?" chuckled Maddie. "So anyway, when I hugged him, it was like wrapping my arms around a piece of steel and squeezing, except way better. He's tall, dark, very handsome , and what a body."