My Quarterback - 1
Ellie Nichols
My room was empty. My comforter and sheets had been ripped from my bed and placed in boxes. My closet was stripped of all my clothes and shoes. The only things that stood in my room were my bed frame and my dresser, which my father would be moving up to the attic. My father had packed my car with all my boxes and then insisted he paid for a full tank of gas before I left.
My parents were proud of my acceptance to this university but it being a whole four hours away was a little unnerving to both my parents and me. It was the first time I wouldn't have my parents right there if I needed them. I would be able to visit on the weekends but it wouldn't be the same.
To say they were a bit surprised when I told them I had been excepted was an understatement.
I returned home that night, the manilla envelope held tightly between my fingers. I had sat in my car, my fingers playing with the flap as I tried to force myself out of the car and into the house. A whole family of butterflies were still fluttering around in my stomach and they wouldn't leave. When I finally built up enough courage to jump out of my car, I refused to turn around.
I opened the door and could hear my parents inside the kitchen as they talked and I could smell dinner as it was almost done. With slow steps I made my way towards the kitchen where all conversation came to a stop when I walked in through the door.
"What's wrong Ellie?" My mother had asked, immediately sensing that something was wrong. I took my gaze off of the floor and looked towards my parents who were looking at me with worried gazes.
"I'll tell you during dinner." I said to them and helped my father set the table while my mother brought the dinner over. We put the food onto our plates and said grace before they both looked at me expectantly. "I have some news to tell you."
"Good or bad?" My father asks.
"That's entirely up to your reactions." I didn't have a clue how they were going to react. I knew they would both be sad that I was finally leaving the house. I handed the envelope to my mother, who was closest to me, and my father leaned closer to her while they opened the envelope. Their eyes scanned over the words but they still didn't say anything. My father looked at me and my mother's mouth opened and closed as if knowing what she wanted to say but didn't know how to say it. "You know my guidance couselor Miss Stewart," I didn't wait for them to answer the rhetorical question before continuing, "She sent in an application for me and I got accepted for next semester."
They still didn't say anything, my mother's eyes were wide and my father kept his gaze down onto his food as his fork moved around the plate. "Please say something."
"We're happy for you." My mom said finally. "We really are, but we didn't even know you wanted to go to a different school, we thought you liked it here."
"I do like it here mom, I really do. But this is my chance to make something out of myself. Miss Stewart knows the man in charge of the athletics and I've already got a spot on one of the teams, I just have to choose which one I want."
"You're really ready for this aren't you?" My father asked me to which I nodded my head. "Then we support your decision. We're really going to miss you."
"I'm going to miss you too."
Miss Stewart had once again, pulled a few strings and had landed me an apartment right outside of campus. I would share it with two other girls but one of them happened to be Miss Stewart's niece so she promised I would be in good hands. I hadn't met them and at first my mother was a bit concerned with me moving in with complete strangers but I trusted Miss Stewart, and after a conversation with my guidance counselor, my mother felt a bit better with the whole thing.
I continued to stare at my empty room with sad eyes and a few tears pricked at the back of my eyes. I grabbed my acceptance letter from off of my desk and folded it carefully before slipping it into my purse. I gave the room one last look before turning around and walking out of my room, shutting the door behind me. My parents were busying themselves downstairs, my mother has been vaccuming the same spot for the past hour and my father was wiping down the windows for the third time. They figured if they busied themselves with cleaning every inch of the house, they wouldn't think about their only daughter leaving for college.
I leaned against the door frame as I watched my parents wipe down the windows and vacuum the carpet. A lone tear left my mother's eye before she hastily wiped it away, she still hasn't noticed my presence. "It's going to be okay." My voice startled them and they turned to face me. "I'm only four hours away, if you need me to come home I'll be home as soon as I can."
"We're going to miss you sweetie." My father told me as he leant set the windex onto the window pane and my mother set the vaccum against the wall and then my dad brought me in for a tight hug. My mother let out a small cry as she launched herself at me.
"I'm going to miss you so much Ellie." My mother cried, clinging to me tightly and not wanting to let go. "Promise me you'll call every night."
"Mom, every night?" I questioned her with a small smile. I knew this would be hard for her but evernight. There wasn't going to be anything for us to talk about.
"Every night Ellie. I expect it."
"Yes ma'am."
My parents and I gradually made our way outside and on to the lawn, where my mother continued to cling to me, not letting me go. My car was packed and full of gas, I had the GPS set to the apartment which I was expected in, in a little over four hours. "Mom, if I don't leave now I'm going to be late."
She reluctantly let go of me and gave me a small kiss on the cheek. "Call me when you get there." She said to me, "And no texting and driving. If you need to get a hold of anyone pull over."
"Of course." I gave each of my parents one last hug and kiss before settling in my car and started off in the direction of the campus. I was finally getting away from home, I was going to start my future. And it was all thanks to Miss Stewart.
* * *
I had arrived at the apartment just in time. I pulled up to a bigger apartment with two cars in the driveway. Parking my car I took a deep breath and locked it, I made my way towards the door but before I could knock it was thrown open and two smiling girls stood before me.
"You must be Ellie Nichols." The taller one spoke with a slight southern drawl. I gave her a small smile and a nod.
"Well I'm Dakota Pierce, Miss Stewart's niece, and this is Margaret Thompson but we just call her Mar, it's much easier." The taller one, Dakota, spoke again.
"Nice to meet you." I told them. They each grabbed a bag and led me inside the house and towards what I assumed was my room. It was a medium sized room, there was already a bed placed in the middle of the room. A dresser was on the closet wall as well as a closet and a television was perched on the dresser and I had a window directly across another window from the house over.
"You'll love the view." Mar said with a smile. "When Dakota and I first came to this apartment we fought over this room until we decided that neither of us should have it. So when you came along, we decided you should have it, as sort of a welcoming present."
"What's so great about the view?" I asked. "It's just a window." It wasn't as if looking out to see a random house and a window was that great of a view.
"It may be a window now, but once you see who lives in that room you'll thank us." Dakota chuckled before turning around and walking away.
"So who lives there?" I asked Mar but she just smirked at me and walked away just like Dakota had. I tried to ask them again but they just gave me to same look.
"You'll see." She yelled over her shoulder and left me alone to unpack the suitcases that they had sat at the foot of my bed.
Classes started in a couple days and I wanted to be unpacked and ready to go before classes started. And with that thought I gave a sigh and started the multiple trips from my car back to my room, enlisting in the help of both Dakota and Mar. They were reluctant at first, but a bit of persuasion and bribing, they finally decided to help.
It took me a few days to get everything unpacked and put in their right place. I never minding the packing, it was alway the unpacking that didn't suit me very well. It was easier to throw everything into a couple boxes and load it into a car than it was to unpack everything, fold the clothes and put them away and find the exact spot for everything.
I only had a day before classes started and everything was finally unpacked. All of the boxes were thrown away and my now empty suitcases were now placed underneath my bed and everything was where I wanted it to be. I relaxed on my bed, my computer open next to me and my television playing some random show, and I hoped that this would turn out to be for the best and not have it explode in my face.
I guess we'll find out.
* * *
"Ellie Nichols." I stood from the seat I was waiting in and walked slowly towards Mr. Phillips office who was the man in charge of the athletic program. I was here to find out which sports team I would be helping this year. Coming up to his door, I took a deep breath before I opened it and took a step inside before I could change my mind. Mr. Phillips was a man probably in his mid forties, he had kind eyes and a wide smile when I walked into his office. He stood from his chair and held his hand out, which I shook before taking a seat opposite his desk.
"Ellie Nichols?" He questioned.
"Yes sir." I answered.
"Oh please, none of that sir stuff. It makes me feel older than I already am. Call me John." He insisted. I nodded and placed my purse on the floor next to the chair.
"So let's get to it then." He said. "We don't have many athletic trainers here at UCF, which is why I was excited to find out that it's what you were interested in. You have two options. You can help out the baseball team or the football team. Currently we don't have any student athletic trainers for the football team. But it's up to you." It was obvious which one I was going to choose. I hoped that maybe I would find that certain someone and hopefully rekindle our friendship but I wouldn't get my hopes up, especially when it comes to him.
"Football." I told him. He seemed quite relieved that I had chosen football over baseball, however I didn't know why.
He gave me a kind smile and shook my hand, "Welcome to the team Miss Nichols. We have practice today at two o'clock, I would like you to be there so I can introduce you to the team. And may I introduce myself, I am the head coach of the football team."
I let my jaw drop just a little, I can't believe I didn't connect the dots. I had only watched their football team a thousand times, and it never once connected for me. Mr. Phillips, the man standing in front of me, was not only the person in charge of athletics but he was also the head football coach.
"It's my pleasure." I told him as I let my hand drop and I bent to pick up my purse. "I'll see you at practice today coach." I said before excusing myself and walking out the door. I let out a deep breath when I closed the door behind me and a big smile lit up my face.
I was finally going to see Colton and Nick after all this time. And that thought had me both slightly excited but yet a little scared at the same time. I didn't know how if it would be a good reaction, seeing them after all this time, or if it was going to be a bad one.
Arriving at two o'clock with McDonald's in my hand, the butterflies that had made their stay permanent in my stomach started to flutter around more violently. Just as I came to the locker room where one of the coaches led me to, I took a deep breath. I could hear the sound of coach's voice but I couldn't make out what he was saying.
I finally built up the courage to open the door and walked in. But I came to a halt when a famliar voice sounded out.
"Ellie?" Colton asked me, I moved my gaze towards Colton who looked better in person than he did on television. I tried to keep my face as emotionless as possible.
"Ellie?" Nick asked in disbelief as if he couldn't believe what he was saying. He must have snapped out of it for not even a minute later he took a step forward and said, "Well little miss Ellie, you're looking as good as ever, but I believe that McDonald's in your hand is about to be mine." And just like that it was back to old times and my hand found the back of Nick's head.
I just hoped that finally talking to Colton after all these years who be just like old times as well.
*****
Edited by @ReadingPastMyBedtime <3
Well, here is chapter one!
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