Chasing Home (NFL)

Characters

NAME. Lauren Manning
AGE. 17
BIRTHDAY. February 21, 1990
BIRTHPLACE. Eden Prairie, Minnesota
CURRENT RESIDENCE. Green Bay, Wisconsin/Hattiesburg, Mississippi
LIKES. Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts, the South, competition, debates, psychology
DISLIKES. Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Tom Brady, betrayal, being left alone, feeling incompetent, losing
STRENGTHS. Strong willed, good problem solver, intuitively understands people (except her enemies), great at verbal sparring
WEAKNESSES. Doesn’t follow through on everything she starts, holds grudges, has outbursts of anger, can ignore the emotional needs of others
HISTORY.Lauren was born to a single mother in Minnesota in a suburb of Minneapolis. Her mother never talked about her father. At a very young age, Lauren showed outstanding understanding of football, being a fan of the Minnesota Vikings. Her mother died soon after she turned six. She was taken to her father, Archie Manning, in New Orleans. Archie found the situation incredibly uncomfortable and problematic. He did not think Lauren would fit well into his family because her brothers were much older than her and he did not want to have to force her on his wife. In her will, Lauren’s mother gave an indication that she wanted her daughter to be involved in the NFL because she sensed she had a special connection with the teams she watched. Through a crazy set of circumstances, Archie ran into Brett Favre when he was visiting New Orleans and got him to take Lauren for him since he already had a daughter around her age. After appealing to previous New Orleans Saints loyalties, Archie got Brett to accept.  They both agreed that Lauren should be given ample time to spend with her older brothers.
            As a Vikings fan, Lauren did not want to go with the quarterback of her archrivals, but being young, she soon switched over. She is now a huge Packers fan and considers the team and the city of Green Bay part of her family. Through the years, she became very close to Brett and his family. He was always more of a friend than a father figure to her, so she refers to him as her “uncle.” She is best friends with his daughter, Brittany, who is a year older than her. She has also become close to many of the players on the Packers team, including backup quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The beginning of every summer, she has visited each of her brothers. When Peyton and then Eli joined the NFL, she sometimes took trips to see them play.  She has become very close to both of them. Her life is far from normal, but the only thing she would change is her relationship with her father, or lack thereof.

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Other Characters:

Eli Manning

27-years-old
Born January 3, 1981
New York Giants QB
Lauren’s half-brother
Family: Abby – fiancé

Peyton Manning

31-years-old
Born March 24, 1976
Indianapolis Colts QB
Lauren’s half-brother
Family: Ashley – wife

Brett Favre

38-years-old
Born October 10, 1969
Green Bay Packers QB
Lauren’s guardian
Family: Deanna – wife; Brittany – daughter (18); Breleigh – daughter (8)

Aaron Rodgers

24-years-old
Born December 2, 1983
Green Bay Packers Backup QB
He and Lauren get along very well. They talk to each other a lot and hang out outside of football. They seem t have a mutual understanding of one another. He is one of the few people Lauren feels comfortable talking with about her personal life.

Tom Brady

30-years-old
Born August 3, 1977
New England Patriots QB
He and Lauren have come across each other many times, mostly through her brothers’ games. Most of their encounters have comprised of verbal sparring matches. They cannot seem to get along, though their arguments are enjoyable and not hate-filled.

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A/N: This story starts off at the NFC Championship game in 2008. However, a couple of years skip by relatively quickly. The main part of the story will take place during the 2010 and 2011 NFL seasons.