Cliché: A Chaelisa Football AU

Chapter Nine: Give 'Em Hell

"You ready?" Brent asked, his hand on my shoulder.

"I guess so," I said. "Do you seriously think we have a chance?"

"Of course I do!" he replied. "We're undefeated, remember?"

"Yeah, but we've only played two games," I argued. "They went to the Super Bowl last year and won. What chance do we have?"

"Hey, you've got to get that negativity out of your head," Brent said. "It isn't going to benefit you at all on the field."

He gripped my hand and looked me in the eyes.

"Lisa, you're the best player Tampa's ever seen. And today you're gonna go out there and show those damn Patriots who's the champion, yeah?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"And here come the mighty, the majestic, the triumphant Tampa Bay Buccaneers!" The announcer's voice bellowed.

"Guess that's our cue, huh?" Brent chuckled.

Our team ran out onto the field to hear the cheering crowds. The feeling was always exhilarating. That adrenaline rush could never be matched by anything else in this world.

I looked over my shoulder to see Maisy giving Brent his usual cheek kiss, which made me chuckle. They were good together, truly. I couldn't imagine him being with anyone else.

"Lisa!"

I turned to see Rosé, who was shaking her pom-poms in tune with the other cheerleaders. She had a bright smile on her face, brighter than the sun. She gestured for me to come over to her, so I did.

"Take off your helmet," she said.

"What? Why?" I questioned.

"Will you just do it, please?" She placed her hands on her hips.

I did as she said and removed my helmet, letting my ponytail fall down completely. She stepped closer to me and lightly grasped my shoulder. I raised an eyebrow, but she only giggled. She kissed my cheek quickly, causing me to freeze in place. My eyes widened in surprise.

"What was that for?" I asked.

"Luck, hopefully." Rosé beamed, then smirked. "Now go out there and give 'em hell, okay?"

"As you wish."

I put my helmet back on and hurried off to join my fellow teammates, who were eagerly awaiting the coin toss results. Brent had a devilish look in his eye, which caused me to roll mine.

"What are you looking at?" I inquired.

"Nothing." He shrugged. "You're blushing a lot, you know."

"Shut up." I playfully pushed him, which he laughed at.

"For the record, you two would be really cute together," he added.

"We're not together." I shook my head.

He smirked. "But you want another cheek kiss, don't you?"

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't." I crossed my arms. "I'll never tell."

"You don't need to," he chuckled. "I've already got my answer."

The game began and soon enough, we were off. We were first on offense, which truly terrified me. The Patriots' defense was impeccable and could intercept passes like it was nothing. But I remembered what Brent said. No negative energy.

The new quarterback, who I soon learned was named Jake, was incredibly skilled and was able to pass the ball to me cleanly and effortlessly. He was also an extremely muscular guy and looked like he could squash me like an orange. I was both scared and impressed by him.