The Fumble Of A Quarterback

Chapter 10: It Makes You Hateable

Mom turned to me with a sigh as she sat down. "He's trying his best to heal the team, but there was some real damage done to them last year."

"From Charles, right?"

Mom nodded. "Dad's trying not to let it get him down, but it's frustrating. He's doing all he can."

"What did the team member do?"

She shook her head. "The news said it was for cheating in classes, but dad said it was so much more. The university is just really good at covering things up."

A pang of frustration hit. If what he did was so bad, why didn't the school make this public knowledge? The school should let the public know because the fans still liked him. I saw that the bookstore still had his jersey for sale. That shouldn't be possible if he was such a bad person. "It's hard addressing the terrible past when people still are found of it."

She nodded. "Well, anyhow, do you want a ride to the stadium? I am free all day and I could take you whenever."

I shook my head. "I think I'll bike there."

"Are you sure? It's supposed to be super-hot today."

I nodded, even though the thought of biking in the heat made me feel a little queasy. However, if I agreed, she would probably want to combine her university trip to a place that I didn't want to go. "I'll leave now, before it gets hot."

She smiled as she walked to the fridge and handed me a frozen water bottle. "You can take this." 

I took it from her then adjusted my oversized T-shirt, trying to make it fit better. It wasn't my standard outfit, but it would be fine for just a quick run to the stadium. "Thanks."

"I have to run to the store later today, is there anything you want?"

I thought about the strawberries I ate last night while in bed watching a show. Berries were the theme of summer and I already I wanted more. "More strawberries please."

"I can do that. Anything else?"

I shook my head. "Nah, that is enough." I walked into the entryway and pulled on my sandals, happy with wearing different shoes for the day. "I'll be back later."

"See you later then."

With that, I walked into the garage to get my bike, which stood on the side, covered by a dusty tarp. I pushed the tarp away, praying there wouldn't be any spiders in my path, and gave a sigh of relief when I didn't see any.

I couldn't remember the last time I rode my bike. It had to be over a year ago. Before I got my licenses, the bike provided such feeling of freedom, but since I got my driver's license, biking became less.

Before long, I found myself locking the bike against the gates to the stadium. I hummed a tune as I unlocked the gate, letting myself in and shutting the gate behind me. My humming grew louder as I walked deeper into the arena.

As I got to the hinged double doors that let out to the field, a yell echoed the hall. Panic caused my hair to stand on end as my eyes darted around the empty hall. 

Another yell rang through the hall. This time panic was replaced with curiosity like pennies at the bottom of the well. Who else was here? No sane player would come on their day off.

Quickly I ran to the doors of the field and peered through the windows. My eyes widened as I watched Everett run down the field with such strength and speed. For minutes, I watched him go back and forth with such determination, as if trying to outshine his other half. Every time he crossed the white line, he stopped to look at his time, then ran again.