Not Your Typical Running Back || nh au

Four: "You look cute when you blush."

"Mom, can I go to the Homecoming dance on Friday?", I ask.

"Yes! We need to buy you a dress! Is Mikey coming over? He'll look so handsome in a tux", she says excited.

"Mikey broke up with me and I'm going with Niall from the team", I explain.

"Why did he do that?", she frowns.

"Mikey likes someone else and 5SOS are going on tour with Paramore. I won't wear a dress."

"You have to wear a dress. Please, Max, it's just one night. Take your date with you and look for a dress, please", she begs.

"Fine!", I groan.

"Ask him if he has time today", she smiles.

I go upstairs and get my phone. As I dial Niall's number it starts to ring. Niall's calling me. That was easy.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Max, my mom said I'm supposed to go dress and tux shopping with you. Do you have time today?", he groans.

"My mom told me the same thing. I've got time today."

"How about you come to my place and we drive to the mall? Maybe we don't tell anyone about this little adventure", he says shyly.

"Sure", I smile.

"Will you come over now?"

"Yeah."

"See you", he speaks.

"Bye."

I hang up, take my wallet and get some money from my secret spot under my football gear. As soon as I get my car keys and a cigarette from the front door, my mother looks at me. I hide the cigarette behind my back.

"So you and Niall will go shopping?", she asks.

"Yep, we're getting our dress and tux from the mall", I smile innocently.

"Have fun but not too much", she grins.

I nod and head our to my car. Niall's house is only about 10 minutes away by car and I'm just too lazy to walk.

*****

"Urgh, I hate shopping and dresses and glitter and the mall and Homecoming", I exclaim, as I look through the dresses.

"I hate everything except sex, alcohol, girls and football", he smirks.

I roll my eyes. He looks through a rack with black simple dresses. I take one out of the rack I'm looking through and show it to Niall. It's blue and with a little glitter on the chest part.

"I don't know. I think it doesn't fit your personality. It just doesn't look right on you", he says.

"You don't even know me", I smile, as he hands me a black dress from the rack he's looking through.

"That's kinda cute."

Niall nods and takes another red one and a blue one and gives them to me. We walk over to the tuxes. Niall takes a black one with a blue button shirt and a tie.

"Let's just try these on", Niall smirks.

We go to the changing rooms and get dressed. Niall gets into the small room next to me. I try on the red dress but it is absolutely not my color. Next I take the blue one.

"Niall, can I come out?", I ask.

"Yeah, show me a dress", he answers.

I step out and find him in his tux. He looks too formal, way too formal. Maybe I can change that.

"The dress is nice but I don't think it's good for you", he smiles.

I agree and change into the black one. This dress is perfect. As I step out, Niall is still in his tux. His face is pulled to a big smile.

"That dress actually looks good on you", he smirks.

"Thanks but there's just something about your tux that makes me wanna change something. You're wearing it too formal", I exclaim, as I step to him, take the tie off and open the button shirt a little and open the tux jacket.

He smiles at me, as we look at ourselves in the mirror wall. The mirror reaches from the floor to the ceiling.

"Let's take a picture", he smiles and gets his phone out of his pocket.

I lean on his shoulder and smile as he takes a few pictures in the mirror. He kisses my cheek in one picture. My cheeks heat up.

"You look cute when you blush", Niall smiles.

"Uhm... I'm not blushing. It's just warm in here", I says, as I go into the changing room.

After Niall and me both get dressed in our normal stuff again, we pay for our clothes. Niall invites me for a drink at Starbucks and drives to his house after we got the drinks. We sit down in his room and just talk a little.

"So how did you come to football?", Niall asks me.

My dad comes to my mind again. He was the best dad in the world.

~Flashback~

"Dad! Dad! The game is starting! Get your jersey on and come!", I shout with my annoying 10-year-old-voice.

"I'm coming", he exclaims, as I sit down in my usual spot on the couch.

The teams both enter the stadium and the crowd goes wild. Ravens against Broncos, my dad and I both love the Ravens. As soon as he sits next to me, we turn our jersey fronts to the back. We always do that when the Ravens play against the Broncos, it's just our little ritual.

"How was practice today?", dad asks as the commercials start.

"It was fun. Coach Tyrone let us play with the boys and I got to run two touchdowns but I was tackled four times by George. He was mean and laughed because he said, girls shouldn't play football."

"He's wrong. Anyone can play football", he exclaims.

I nod and look at him with a frown. George's words really hurt me.

"Turn that frown upside down! I bet you'll be the best football player in the whole world, Max."

"I'll be the first female Runningback in the NFL!", I shout, as I jump on my dad.

He laughs and throws me in the air.

~Flashback end~

"Max? Are you okay?", Niall asks.

"What?", Iask out of my mind.

"You just zoned out for at least two minutes", he laughs.

"Sorry, I just thought of something."

"It's getting late. Should I drive you home?", Niall asks.

"That would be really nice of you", I smile.