The Touchdown

by Bishop, K. M.

The coach was there in a heartbeat trying to break us up. Allison and a few others stepped in to help separate us at that point as well.

  Once we were apart, Dawn continued to yell and scream at me. It was drawing attention from other parts of the field.

  “That’s enough ladies!” Coach yelled standing in front of Dawn and staring her down. “Dawn take a walk and cool off. Now. That’s an order.”

  Dawn screamed and then walked away angrily. April went with her to console her a bit and try to calm her down, or to give her a sounding board to bounce her hate filled verbiage off.

  “I don’t know what her deal is,” I said.

  “Me either. She has it in for you, though,” Coach said. “I admire your restraint in not fighting back.”

  “I didn’t want to fight. But I’m not going to let her push me around either. If I see someone being abused on our squad, I’m going to say something.”

  “That’s exactly why you would make an ideal squad leader,” Coach said. “Keep up the good work. I’ll make my final decision very soon.”

  Coach took over the practice for the rest of the day, but her words did not leave my ears. Did she basically just tell me that I was her top pick for cheerleading captain? Wow…just wow… I tried to contain my excitement. I had to hold it in.

  When I got back to the locker room, I told Allison what coach told me. She squealed quietly and hugged me as she jumped up and down quickly. “I’m so happy for you.”

  “Well, it isn’t official yet. But I doubt Dawn scored herself any points today.”

  “She is trash, and everyone knows it. I’d be surprised if she doesn’t get kicked off the squad completely.”

  I nodded. I glanced over at the coach’s office. “Coach has her in the office. They are talking about the incident. This doesn’t look good.”

  “Do you think she will let her go?”

  “I don’t know. Dawn is a good cheerleader, plus she is really good at working the crowd, but she brings the attitude of the entire squad down. So who knows?”

  “Right,” Allison replied. “Have you heard from that guy, yet?”

  I blushed. “No. I wish you’d stop thinking about it.”

  “Have you stopped thinking about it? Is that why you are blushing?”

  I grinned. “I’m not blushing.” I waited and then added, “But yes, I’m hoping he calls soon. It’s kind of giving me the jitters. What is it about this guy?”

  Allison shrugged. “Who knows. I do hope that he doesn’t turn out to be the one or something.”

  “Why would you hope something like that?” I asked.

  “Because,” she replied. “It is really bad timing, right? You don’t want something like that to interfere with cheerleading, do you?”

  “I don’t see how it would interfere. But, I don’t really want a relationship right now. Then again, I’m not opposed to it, if it is with the right person. I would be stupid to ignore something great, right?”

  “Yes,” Allison said. “You would be very stupid to ignore something that could become really amazing. That’s what I’ve always dreamt of. I’m not sure I’m with the right guy.”

  “Well, if you aren’t sure, then why are you with him?”

  Allison shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s good in bed. And he does some cool things that I enjoy, but I feel that maybe I should start looking for something better. I just feel that I’m getting to that place in my life.”

  I nodded. “Well, whatever you decide, then you should do it before this thing gets too heavy. I mean, you don’t want to hurt him, right?”

  “Right, but I’m also worried that if I let this go then I will realize that we are meant for each other and then I’ll have thrown this away. You know?”

  I nodded. “That’s a tough thing to consider. But, I think you just need to imagine whether or not you could ever go on without this person in your life. If you realize that you can’t, then you need to hold on tightly and not let fear take you away from it. That’s the best thing I can offer. But who the hell would come to me for a romance advice?”

  Allison laughed and hit me in the arm playfully. “You may have a point.”

  The door to the coach’s office opened and Dawn stepped out of there looking a bit angry. She didn’t waste any time in coming over to my locker and glaring me down. “You listen to me. This isn’t over. No one makes a fool of me and lives it down. No matter what, I’m going to find a way to get you. Payback is a bitch!”

  Then she walked away.

  I looked up at Allison. “I think she’s still mad.”

  Allison broke out laughing and slapped me a high five. I continued getting dressed. What an idiot. If Dawn wanted a fight, then she would have one. Whatever. Bring it on.

  Chapter Seven

  Bobby

  I yawned loudly as I stood up from my chair. The lecture in Dr. Gibbon’s Philosophy 205 class that day was extra boring. I wondered sometimes if he actually practiced speaking in that annoying monotone voice, or if it was something that he just did naturally. The guy was such a tool. Not that he was a bad guy, or even a hard teacher who took his job way too seriously. He was just the most boring guy on the face of the planet and it was painful trying to stay awake in his classes to take notes.

  I stretched my back and tried to wake myself back up. This class was just after lunch and this boredom combined with the after effects of food often left me lethargic, which I did not want right before I headed off to the football practice. But that was the life of this college senior.

  I grabbed my backpack and walked out of the class into the beautiful, fall air. The sun was shining and everywhere I looked I could see people scurrying this way and that way trying to get somewhere, but there were others just sitting around relaxing and enjoying their days. I really wondered how so many of these people could go to college for four years and never actually attend any classes.

  “Hey, man!” Jacob yelled as he hustled to catch up with me. I was walking across the squad, heading towards the field house. I was tired. With the crazy dreams I had, they had been little in the way of restful sleep. I felt tired and worn out, but I was also very excited. I knew that I was going to call Ro today. I was tempted to do it before practice, but if it went well it could really mess up my head before practice and if it went badly, the same exact thing might happen. But at the same time, the waiting was killing me.

  “Hey, man,” I said. “You ready to do this today?”

  Jacob shook his head. “No, but I am ready to take a nice, long nap. Maybe I’ll get hit hard enough that I’ll go unconscious for a while and get my nap in that way.”

  “What? You not sleeping well either? It must be a trend. We should take a poll with the other guys and see if they are having any issues.”

  “Why? What’s your problem? Normally, you are so upbeat and happy go lucky. Did someone piss in your oatmeal this morning?”

  I shook my head. “No. I’m just beat. This damn coach and his insane practices. How are we supposed to play at our peak performance if we never get a chance to actually rest sometime?”

  “That’s the idea,” Jacob said. “The coach wants us all to drop dead on the field so he can say he is the only guy in the world who ever cared enough about winning to make sure his players reached their full potential.”

  “Death? That’s our full potential?”

  Jacob laughed. “I don’t know what goes on in that guy’s crazy head. He is a psycho.”

  “True.”

  We walked along in silence for a few moments. Jacob’s eyes wandered this way and that way scanning around for girls. He was always on the prowl.

  “I’m surprised you haven’t stopped to hit on any of these girls,” I said. “I’m impressed. Are you turning over a new leaf?”

  “Kind of. I told you about the thing that Chance and I are doing, right?”

  “What thing?”

  “I could have sworn I told you this, but basically we’ve sworn off women to dedicate all
of our time to football. That’s the plan. We are going pro.”

  I laughed. “Oh, yeah. I think I heard some nonsense about that. But I’m pretty sure Chance has already bailed on that.”

  “What? What are you talking about?”

  “Well, I heard through the grapevine that Chance has gotten really hung up on this girl who writes for the paper.”

  “Great. So I’m left holding the bag for this stupid plan. When was he going to tell me.”

  “You know Chance. He never talks about his personal life with anybody. That’s part of the reason he is all mysterious and so forth.”

  “I guess. Well, now I guess it will just be me, then. But when I turn pro, you guys will all be wishing you had listened.”

  I laughed. “Ok. Whatever you say, man.”

  “Hey, what happened with that girl you were chatting up the other day?”

  “I haven’t called her.”

  “Well, are you going to?”

  “I probably will. I’m just waiting for the right time and place.”

  “What do you mean? Time and place? It’s a phone call. Just do it.”

  “Patience. I can’t appear too eager, now can I? You have to play these things smoothly.”

  Jacob rolled his eyes. “Please. You are acting stupid about this. Just call the girl and quit being a chicken. Unless you are afraid that everyone is going to razz you about dating a girl from Purdue.”

  I looked at him. “That is a valid concern. It shouldn’t be, but it is.”

  “It’s not like you to listen to other people’s negativity and let them force you into some stupid decision.”

  “I know,” I said. “And I’m not about to do that. But I have had some thoughts about it.”

  “Well, let me tell you a story. My cousin once dated a Jewish girl. He was Roman Catholic.”

  I stopped and looked at him. “And?”

  “Well, there was a big uproar in his family, mostly because it got really serious.”

  “So, his family was against it?”

  “They were against it on both sides. But in the end true love prevailed and they ended up dating for two years and then got engaged. There were some big battles amongst the families. It actually got kind of ugly there. But eventually, it settled down. They refused to let other people’s problems become their problems and things turned out ok.”

  “Wow, so they got married?”

  “No. Two weeks after the engagement, my cousin discovered this girl was cheating on him almost the entire time they were together. He broke it off instantly and is now married to a nice Catholic girl. He said she does crazy, dirty things in the sack…”

  I burst out laughing. “Well, I did not see that coming. But crazy things in the sack? I wonder why I never dated a Catholic girl?”

  “You’ve actually dated? I thought you were a hit it and quit it type of a guy.”

  “When have I ever been that type of guy?”

  “Pretty much every guy on the team is, except Chance. That dude is on another level that no one knows about.”

  “I’m not a player, nor have I ever been. And yes, I’ve had relationships. I just don’t talk about them that much. I just got out of a relationship.”

  Jacob furrowed his brow. “Really? Where have I been? I know almost nothing about my friends.”

  I laughed. We were just reaching the field house. I knew that I was going to call Ro. I would do it after practice, in my room alone. I needed a nice, quiet, relaxed place to make that call. It sounded silly when I thought about it. I really was making way too much out of this. But this was what I felt was the right way to go about it.

  I headed to my locker to get my practice uniform on and get ready for the pain that would soon follow. It was time to grind.

  * * *

  I clutched the phone in my hand and tried to calm down a bit. Why was this so stressful? So nerve racking? I had made phone calls to women before, I had talked to women, dated women, had several flings, and one night stands in my life, but this one phone call to this girl was putting me on pins and needles. Why was I getting so worked up over it? This was stupid. She would probably not even remember me. The whole thing would most likely end right where it started.

  I took a sip of my second beer of the evening and took a deep breath to wash that down. The alcohol was not steadying my nerves for some reason. I also had some studying I should have been doing, but I needed to get this done and over with so that I would know. Was there a possibility? Or was there not?

  What was I doing?

  I pulled up her number and dialed it without thinking. That was the best way to go about it. I read an article once that said anytime you were afraid of something or afraid to do something, that you needed to do it without thinking. In the modern world we live so much in our own heads instead of the real world. This is a paradox that paralyzes you. And right then I was feeling pretty paralyzed. I was putting way too much stress and importance on this phone call.

  The phone rang twice and then a sweet voice picked up on the other end. “Hello?”

  “Hey, Ro?” I replied.

  “Yes,” she said. I wasn’t sure if she was pretending not to recognize my voice, or if she didn’t actually realize it was me.

  “It’s Bobby Taylor,” I replied. “I hope you remember me.”

  “Well, let me see… I seem to recall a Bobby Taylor who plays football for those damn cheating Indiana Panthers.”

  I laughed. Her voice was teasing and playful. Sweet.

  “Yeah, that would be the one, but I seem to recall we beat Purdue fair and square. Although, I’m not sure how Purdue has cheerleaders like you. We should have been whipped good.”

  She giggled slightly. “So, what are you up to?”

  “I’m just relaxing and putting off some studying.”

  “Uh oh, you being a bad boy and not doing your homework?”

  “I am. I might need some discipline.”

  “Oh, I think that can be arranged,” Ro replied.

  “Well, what night works for you?”

  “I’m free tomorrow,” Ro said.

  “Good. I was thinking I could swing by and pick you up around six. We could go get some fine Italian food. You do like Italian?”

  “Absolutely,” Ro replied. “I love Italian.”

  “Great,” I replied. “Text me your address and I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

  “Sounds good,” Ro said.

  I ended the call and a few minutes later the address came in through the text message. Alright, this was happening.

  I took a swig of my beer and closed my eyes. Tomorrow was going to be fantastic.

  Chapter Eight

  Ro

  “Wow, these are the most amazing garlic breadsticks I have ever had.”

  I took a bite of the breadstick and chewed it up slowly in my mouth savoring the flavors. This was the life.

  I couldn’t believe I was actually on a date with Bobby. It seemed like weeks since we’d first met and I’d been thinking about him non-stop. I’d never met someone like him, somebody that I could not stop obsessing over. Was that the right word? Maybe… it seemed like obsessing was not the right word. It was a bit too strong, but it seemed to fit. Somehow there was a negative connotation attached to it. I tried not to laugh as I ate the breadstick and allowed yummy moans to escape my throat.

  Bobby seemed entertained.

  “I can see that you are enjoying them,” he said. “I thought I was the only one who considered breadsticks to be my favorite food.”

  I laughed. “Are you Italian?”

  Bobby nodded. “I am on my grandmother’s side. She has a bunch of great Italian cooking recipes that she has passed down.”

  “Wow, so that means you can cook me some great Italian food sometime?”

  “Not so much,” Bobby laughed. “I am not a chef. I can barely pop something in the oven without burning myself. I’ve dedicated so much of myself to the game of football, that I really do not
have any other life skills whatsoever.”

  I laughed hard. “Wow, that’s a problem. You have to get some more. Spend a little less time on the gridiron.”

  Bobby took out an imaginary pad and pen. Then he pretended to write down my advice. “Less time on gridiron. Ok. Got it.”

  “That’s good that you wrote it down. I heard somewhere—I think it was on a podcast—that if you write down your goals and look at them often, you are so much more likely to actually achieve them.”

  “That’s true. I know several people who have done that. I do it. Every day I wake up and look at my top three things I want to accomplish before I’m thirty-five.”

  “Ok. What is on that list?” I asked. The words came out with fake drama and emphasis.

  Bobby counted on his fingers as he rattled off the items on his list. “Make the NFL. Start a chain of Italian restaurants. And marry the woman of my dreams.”

  “That sounds like a great list.”

  “I agree,” Bobby said. “How about you? What’s on your list?”

  I paused and took a sip of the wine. “I’m not sure I have an actual list.”

  “What? You just told me this sage-like advice and you don’t even follow it? What’s that about?”

  I smiled. He was so good at busting my chops. “Fine. I’ll tell you. I want to be an NFL cheerleader, preferably for the Dallas Cowboys. I also want to write at least five bestselling novels about time travel, and I want to have a great family, be a wife and mother. All of this should happen before I’m thirty.”

  “Wow, that is a great list. But you think that you can get it all done by thirty? That’s cutting it kind of close, right? That’s like eight or nine years.”

  I winked at him. “Oh, yeah. I can get it done by then.”

  The food arrived just then. Both of us ordered linguini with clam sauce and big salads. We already had too much in common and I was having a marvelous time.

  When Bobby called, my heart stopped in my chest. Allison was sitting beside me on the couch reading something for a class. I was playing on my phone. Then I saw the number pop up that I did not recognize. I almost hesitated to answer afraid that it might have been some stupid telemarketer.