London born Gigi Lastra is struggling to make ends meet let alone make it big in the music business and make a name for herself. Working two jobs to keep her life afloat and provide for her family she's haunted by her past. That's until she meets t...
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"Alrighty, first things first you've got to wear this." I chuck Gigi a Chargers jersey as she stands there in a pair of jeans and her bra. It takes everything in me not to withhold the jersey but if I do we'll be late.
"It literally swamps me!" she giggles, fiddling with her hair which is up in a long ponytail. I laugh as she tries to shorten it but eventually gives up and lets it fall to just above her knees. She pulls on a pair of white airforces and does a little jump in them which makes me smile.
"Ready?" I ask.
"Ready!" she confirms with a nod then skips past me out of the room. Atlanta's still mildly hot outside during September so as soon as we get into the car parked around the front of the hotel I roll down the windows letting the air run through the car. My dad and I used to come to Atlanta a lot when I was younger and we've actually seen quite a few games here so I know the place pretty well.
The car ride was the same as most car rides, I watch Gigi jam with herself to one of her newly acquired playlists and I try and keep my eyes on the road when she pulls my hand over to hers. She likes to hold my hand when I drive, I don't know why but I guess we both find it comforting as she doesn't let go until I've parked in a bay at the stadium.
"Wow, that's kinda crazy." Gigi lets out a whistle at the Mercedes Benz stadium, it looks very modernistic from the outside and it's even bigger from the inside.
I help her down from the car and walk around to one of the entrances where an attendant is waiting for us. The man's dressed in a sharp-looking suit with a stripy tie and carries a clipboard tucked under his arm.
"Miss Lastra, Mr Jax, it's a pleasure to have you with us today! I see you're both dressed for the occasion!" he points at our shirts and smiles warmly at us, "My name is Andy, I'm here to assist you with anything you may need. Now let's get you inside!"
Andy leads us in through one of the back doors and ushers us down the underground tunnels. It's similar to the arenas and stadiums we've been in before but I still watch Gigi's eyes scan the halls with excitement like this is a completely new experience. That's one of the things I love about her, her ability to be excited and grateful about every opportunity that comes her way. Andy tells us all about the history of the stadium and the history of the Falcons, because this is their home, buthe was nice enough to throw some Chargers facts in there for us.
He leads us to our seats which are quite literally on the edge of the field and hands Gigi one of those big hands, she giggles hitting me around the head with it.
We both take in the field and the atmosphere, which at the moment is light and full of excitement, before Gigi turns to me, a puzzled look filling her face.
"Okay... so how does this work? The game?" She sucks on her bottom lip.
"Alright so, the actual game is relatively simple. There's a coin toss to determine which team "kicks off" to the other. After receiving the ball, the offence has four attempts to move the ball ten yards also known as "downs". If they do not do so after four downs, they forfeit possession of the ball to the other team. That team then takes over and attempts to move in the opposite direction. This proceeds through four quarters of play, where each quarter lasts fifteen minutes. After two quarters or one "half", the teams take a brief break known as halftime. Through each set of downs, the offensive drives towards their opponent's "end zone." This zone is a ten-yard area on either end of the field. If an offensive player enters the end zone while carrying the football, they score a "touchdown," worth six points. Afterwards, the team lines up to attempt to kick the ball through the yellow uprights in the end zone. This "point after try," or extra point, means a touchdown is potentially worth seven points. If a team cannot make it into the end zone, they may elect to punt or try for a "field goal." Punting is kicking the ball as far away as possible, so the other team has a larger distance to cover to score. A field goal uses a down to send the ball through the uprights if successful, this is worth three points. At the end of regulation time, the teams with the most points win. Of course, the defence can score, too. If the ball is dropped in play, the defence can take possession. Defensive players can also intercept passes thrown by the quarterback and attempt to run for a score."
