Touchdown Hero

by Rachel Maldonado

  “A lady never tells.”

  “That's good to know,” replied Holly.

  “What's that?”

  Holly squeezed Charlie tightly as if she didn't want that night to end. “That you don't kiss and tell.”

  Charlie wondered if Holly was about to kiss her, but the moment was still and silent as they both held each other closely. Charlie felt that it was one of those moments that she would remember for all time.

  Chapter Six

  The week at school seemed to drag. Charlie felt as though she was in a daze and just going through the motions of her class assignments and football practices. She looked forward to receiving little messages from Holly. She looked down at her cellphone periodically to see if she had written. She'd smile when she'd see a message saying, “Thinking of you,” or “Miss you.” She couldn't help but feel like her heart was all a flutter and she was eager to respond with similar messages. She often sent playful messages as well such as “I see you.” To which Holly would wonder if she was around watching her. She would reply, “If you can see me, then what am I wearing?” Charlie would giggle while she read Holly's messages at times. “You should know what you're wearing,” was always Charlie's answer. “Go look in the mirror and tell me what you've got on, then I'll tell you what it is that you're wearing.” Holly would always reply with, “LOL.” Charlie had never felt so incredible or complete as she did when she talked to Holly. She looked forward to brief phone calls when Holly would call her in the middle of the night on her breaks. She felt as though her heart was smiling and it was a smile that beamed so bright that it radiated through her. She often wondered if other people could see the glow of her happiness.

  Charlie had tried her hardest to avoid Kathy all week, but it was difficult considering that they lived together and had practice together. She just didn't want to feel like she had to share Holly with anyone. Not just yet, anyway. She knew Kathy was likely to pester her about bringing Holly over, or pester her about telling Holly that she played football. Things were too perfect with the way their relationship was progressing. It was as if Charlie didn't want to spoil the flow of their romance as it was unfolding.

  When Charlie showed up to the Friday game, she couldn't avoid Kathy any longer. Kathy made it a point to show up early to talk to her in the locker room. “Do you still have your head in the clouds?” she asked her sternly.

  “What? What are you talking about?”

  “I didn't want to do this, but some of the girls asked me to talk to you,” remarked Kathy, taking Charlie aside.

  Charlie began whispering so no one would hear, “Talk to me about what?”

  Kathy was glad not too many women were in the locker room, but still she whispered. “You've been a robot all week long. This isn't high school anymore, Charlie. We're all counting on you. Not only that, but the coaches from the other teams might be out there. Can you stop thinking about that girl and get your head in the game?”

  “I haven't missed anymore practice sessions and I'm here, right? I'm in it to win it,” answered Charlie.

  “Okay. Good talk,” replied Kathy. She went back to her locker and started to put on her uniform. She loved being a running back. She once had dreams of playing defense, but it would have been suicide to play on defense in high school where most of the team members were male. She was given the position of running back since she could run fast as lighting. She learned to accept the position and love it. She had a big heart for football. It was one of her passions, and she carried more team spirit than most of the other girls put together. She was a good running back. She always caught the ball. She dug through her gym bag and pulled out her lucky socks. She took one whiff and yelped, “Dang it! Soap!Who the heck washed my lucky socks!?”

  Charlie turned towards her locker, closed her eyes, and sighed. She knew she was guilty. She couldn't stand the stench any longer. Kathy had worn those same socks all season long. She had honestly thought that Kathy wouldn't notice she had washed them, but when Kathy opened her gym bag, the room was greeted with the sweet, clean smell of Gain laundry detergent, rather than the smell of stale Fritos and rancid cheese.

  “Charlie...? Did you wash my lucky socks? Please tell me that it wasn't you.”

  Charlie turned to face Kathy. “I'm sorry. But I can't stand the smell anymore. The smell can't be contained by that gym bag, Kathy. The socks are stinking up the apartment. I had to wash them. Holly's eventually coming over, and I don't want her smelling that!”

  “I knew it. It's about that girl! You've been avoiding me all week long, too. Is it because of her? She doesn't want you talking to me anymore, is that it? You're just throwing our friendship away for some girl you've only known a week?”

  “No, Kathy. Let's please not do this here, okay? It's not that at all. I swear.”

  Kathy's eyes welled with tears. Charlie didn't realize that those smelly socks meant so much to her, and when Kathy never mentioned anything about being avoided all week, Charlie had assumed that she hadn't taken notice. Now it was the moment of truth and the pain was too much to bear. Charlie had hurt her longtime friend, and she didn't know how to make things right. Not wanting to make another scene, she let the moment pass as other women began to arrive.

  It was probably the worst game that Charlie had ever played in her young career. Most of the women weren't talking to her, Bulldog was barely blocking for her, and the game was lost when Kathy couldn't catch the ball to save her life, or rather, to save the game.

  The team retreated to the locker room defeated by the Oklahoma City Tumbleweeds and the coaches were not happy. Neither of the coaches knew of the drama that was going on. If they had known, they would have been angry and disappointed by the team's petty and childish behavior.

  After their first loss of the season, Charlie sobbed. The women changed out of their uniforms and left one by one and only Charlie and Kathy remained. Charlie sobbed quietly, but Kathy said nothing.

  “I'm sorry I washed your socks,” remarked Charlie finally through sniffles and tears. “Everybody hates me.”

  “They don't hate you,” replied Kathy as she put on her shoes. She walked over from her locker and sat on the bench next to Charlie. “They just think you're losing yourself with this new girl you're dating. You're always looking at your phone and not paying attention in class or on the field. You used to put the game before anything and everyone else. Now you're all about Holly.”

  Charlie threw her hands up in the air. “I can't believe we lost to the Oklahoma Tumbleweeds.”

  Kathy put her arm around Charlie. “It's just one game. We're still in the lead. We have one more game until the championship game. From the looks of it, we'll likely be playing the San Antonio Six Shooters. They have the second highest ranking next to ours.”

  “I'll have my head in the game next time. We have to win,” remarked Charlie determined. She took her clothes out of her locker and began to change.

  “That's the spirit. Now tell me why you've been avoiding me. It wasn't just because you washed my socks was it?”

  “No, I guess you're right. I've been in my own little world. I've been daydreaming about Holly and thinking about her constantly. I feel as if I'm living and breathing Holly Larson. I need to come back down to Earth and focus on my schoolwork, homework, practice, and the football games.”

  “She must really be something else for you to be so gaga over her like that. I don't think I've ever seen you like that over anyone,” replied Kathy with a grin.

  “That's funny. She says that about me, that 'I'm something else.'”

  Kathy laughed. “Well, I guess you're perfect for each other then. You're both something else that's entirely different from all of us commoners. We're just peons in the peanut gallery while you and Ms. Wonderful take the stage in the Globe Theatre.”

  “You changed your major again, didn't you?” asked Charlie noticing the references to the peanut gallery and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.

  Kathy laughed. “
Not all jocks are the stereotypical uncultured swine that everyone thinks, you know? Just because I never washed a pair of socks, doesn't mean I'm uneducated. Jocks get a bad rap. I know a little about the theatre.”

  “I never felt I got a bad rap. I always had good grades though,” remarked Charlie as she finished dressing and headed for the door. “Let's get out of here. I'm so ready to go home and hit the sheets.”

  Charlie was glad that they had been able to talk things over. She hadn't realized that she was consumed with thoughts of Holly, but it took this one loss to put things back into perspective. She had to focus on just two more games and then she could spend the holidays and the new year with Holly. It gave her something to look forward to, but she tried not to over think or get too caught up in things like she was before.

  ****

  When she got home, she took a hot bath and soaked in the tub for an hour. She heard the phone ringing and could hear Kathy talking on the phone. She wondered who could be calling at such a late hour. She could hear Kathy's voice getting closer to the bathroom. “...Oh, I don't know what happened. I bet her battery on her phone must have died. She wouldn't just not answer the phone if you were calling.” The door to the bathroom swung open and Kathy stepped inside.

  “What the hell!? I'm in the bathtub!”

  “Hey, it's for you,” said Kathy giggling. She handed the phone to Charlie, then stepped back out and into the living room.

  “Hello?” answered Charlie flustered.

  “Hi,” said Holly laughing. “You're in the tub?”

  Charlie felt her face get hot as she blushed. “Oh, hi. I can't believe it's you. I thought you were my mom calling. How did you get this number? I didn't give you my home number, did I?”

  “I looked you up. You're in the Yellow Pages. I was calling and calling and I kept getting your voice mail. I started to get worried so I looked you up and dialed your home number. Is everything okay?”

  “Yes, I'm fine. I was just trying to unwind. Yellow Pages, huh? Can we say stalker?” remarked Charlie laughing.

  Holly giggled. “I'm not a stalker, I swear. I just hadn't heard much from you all week, and I was wondering if you still wanted to get together tomorrow. We did say Saturday, right? Not Sunday?”

  Charlie grinned. “I remember. I've been looking forward to it all week. I was going to call you first thing in the morning to see what time you wanted me to come over.”

  “How about eleven? We can do brunch. Then there's a couple of things I want to do and we need daylight, so we can get started right after. Does that sound okay?”

  Charlie crossed her legs in the warm water. She couldn't believe she was talking to Holly while she was in the tub. She wondered if one day they would be having a conversation while they were both in the bathtub together. She sighed and grinned dreamily.

  “Hello?” asked Holly.

  Charlie hadn't realized that she was daydreaming and hadn't yet responded to Holly. She snapped back into reality. “I'm here. Sorry. I think I was lost in thought.”

  Holly laughed. “Oh, well don't fall asleep in the tub. I'll let you get back to scrubbing or thinking or whichever comes first. I'll see you tomorrow at eleven, okay? My place.”

  “Okay, see you then,” replied Charlie.

  Both women disconnected the call. She dropped the phone next to the bathtub, and Kathy rushed in upon hearing the noise. “What was that?”

  “Oh my gosh! Nosy! Were you listening at the door?”

  Kathy laughed. “No, I wasn't. I just so happened to be walking by the door and I heard something crash. I wanted to make sure you were okay. What happened? You going out with Ms. Wonderful again?”

  “Nothing happened. I dropped the phone next to the tub. And yes, we're going out tomorrow. Would you stop calling her Ms. Wonderful? She does have a name, you know?”

  Rather than turning around to walk out, Kathy made herself comfortable. She put the lid to the toilet seat down and sat on the commode. “So tell me all about Ms. Wonderful-uh, I mean, Holly.”

  Charlie made a flustered face and frowned. “Can we do this later? I'm sort of in the middle of a bath in case you didn't notice.”

  Kathy giggled. “I realize that, but this way you have no where to run. You can't avoid me now. Come on, if I'm not allowed to meet her yet, I at least want to know a little about her.”

  “When I first met her I got the impression that she was a sports car kind of girl. I don't know why that is. I thought of her as a risk taker. A spiffy dresser, but a rebel that drives fast cars and that's into playing the field. She's not like that at all. She seems more like a small town country girl. She's smart and fun, she loves her old truck, drinking Mexican hot chocolate, snuggling, and star gazing in the back of her truck in the hill country. She's unlike anyone I've ever met before, but she doesn't seem at all foreign. I feel like I've known her for years, so it's something I feel like I can get used to real fast.”

  “I can't wait to meet her,” replied Kathy grinning.

  “Why's that?” asked Charlie laughing. “You going to give her a hard time?”

  “No. She's the woman you're going to marry,” said Kathy matter-of-factly. She stood from where she was seated, and walked out of the bathroom leaving Charlie sitting in her soapy water to be alone with her thoughts. “Your mom did call by the way!” shouted Kathy from the hallway. “I told her you were in the tub!”

  Charlie laughed. “Punk! You told my mom I was in the tub and you rushed in here with the phone when Holly called? You just wanted to be nosy!”

  Kathy ran back towards the bathroom to stick her head in the door. “But you love me,” she remarked grinning.

  Charlie picked up the phone and called her mother. “Hi, Mom. Yes, I did see you at the fifty yard line. Thank you for being there. I'm sorry I couldn't talk to you, but I do love that you are at every single one of my games. I'm glad you talked to Kathy. We both love you. Goodnight.”

  It was the most wonderful thing in the world to Charlie. Her mother had gone to every single one of her games ever since she was in junior high. It was how her mother had come to know Kathy and even now that they were grown women and playing for the Austin Gunslingers, Charlie's mom was still at every game and always sat at the fifty yard line to make sure that Charlie and Kathy could look over at any time during the game and know that she was there cheering them on.

  Chapter Seven

  The following day, Charlie arrived at Holly's place right on time. She pulled up to Holly's apartment at 10:59 and walked up to the door to ring the bell. Holly promptly answered the door. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning. Where are we going? I'm so hungry I could eat a cow.”

  Holly laughed. She grabbed her wallet from the end table before stepping outside. “I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.”

  “Why would you want to eat a horse?” asked Charlie.

  Holly laughed again. “I don't, but you said you're so hungry you could eat a cow. The expression is, 'I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.'” She locked the apartment door, then stood there for a moment as she fumbled through her key ring looking for her truck key.

  “Yeah, I've heard people say that, but I don't like that saying. It makes more sense to me to say a cow or a pig because no one in their right mind is going to eat a horse.”

  Holly giggled. “Like I said, you're something else. It's never a dull moment, I swear. How's McDonald's sound?”

  Both women proceeded to walk towards Holly's pick-up truck.

  “I suppose it's okay. I was hoping for french toast.”

  Holly opened Charlie's door. “I thought you were so hungry you could eat a cow? That's what I'm giving you. A cow with special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions – on a sesame seed bun."

  Charlie laughed. “Thank you.”

  “For what?” asked Holly with a sly grin.

  Charlie couldn't stop laughing. “Thank you for not saying two cow patties.”

  “Ah hell. You got me there,�
�� said Holly laughing. “Never a dull moment.”

  After indulging on Big Macs and fries, Holly ran out into the parking lot and into the sunshine.

  “What's your hurry?” asked Charlie as she stepped out of the McDonald's.

  “We're burning daylight! It's time to have some fun. Come on!” shouted Holly excitedly, waving her towards the truck with both hands.

  “Okay, okay. I'm coming.” Charlie walked towards the truck as Holly held the door open for her. “Where are we going that you just can't wait to go to?”

  “It's a surprise, my dear. But you're going to love it. I just know it.” Holly closed the door gently and jumped into the driver side. Charlie was starting to love the familiar sound of her roaring engine. Holly was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling. She smiled and hummed all the way to their destination. It was a song that Charlie wasn't sure she recognized, but didn't want to ask what it might be. She simply took in the view as they drove north past the city limits.

  *****

  When they arrived, Holly drove through two giant wooden doors that looked to be about twenty feet high. The giant sign above the doors read Natural Land Wildlife Safari. On either side of the lettering were pictures of leaves and wild animals. “Oh my gosh. You brought me to Jurassic Park,” blurted Charlie jokingly. “We're not going to be chased by velociraptors and giant tyrannosauraus's are we?”

  Holly laughed. “I don't know about that, but we might see some giraffes, rhinos, bison, zebras, and birds. It's perfectly safe. We never even have to get out of the car. It's a drive thru experience.”

  “Uh huh,” muttered Charlie laughing. “Perfectly safe. I'm sure that's what they thought in Jurassic Park, too, right before the dinosaurs started chasing them and eating everyone.”

  Holly couldn't help but laugh. She was still laughing when they pulled up to the window to pay their entrance fee and purchase bags of food for the animals.