~I dragged into school still sporting my pajamas. "I think you got the days mixed up, Paige. Today's crazy hair day, but I see you have that covered too." Liam said grinning at my unbrushed hair.
"I thought I'd combine them all into one. And if I were you I'd move before I puke on those fancy new vans of yours." I groaned and clutched my stomach. He backed away, heeding my warning. Cole walked up to where we stood, his grin fading.
"Pay." He pulled me into a hug. "Why'd you come to school if you're so sick?" He asked quietly.
"It's part of my, 'grounded until I'm 100' deal." I muttered. Nikki walked by carrying her camera. She smirked at me.
"Yearbook pictures!" She said happily as she snapped a picture of me and Cole. I stuck my hand out in front of me to cover my eyes from the flash and keep her from getting a good picture. "Loving the pjs by the way." Belissa giggled at me.
"Nice makeup but didn't you forget the big red nose to go with it?" Liam said seriously.
"Uh!" Belissa screeched and stomped away. Nikki gave Liam a dirty look and went after her friend.
"So big game tomorrow." I said, changing the subject from the collage of pictures just taken of us. "You nervous?" I asked.
"Crazy nervous." He replied. I laughed.
"You'll do great. You always do." I hugged him.
"And you'll be in the stands cheering for me?" He asked.
"Just like always." I smiled.
"Good." He mumbled as he pressed a kiss to my lips.
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~The crowd in the stands was the biggest Easton High had had in several games. Everyone wanted to watch the homecoming game. I climbed past several people and took a seat next to Lakeisha and my parents. The cheerleaders were working on a pyramid as the team came bursting through their banner. The crowd went wild with excitement. The guys on the team walked across the field, full of smiles. Cole threw his hands in the air and sprinted across the field. The crowd screamed louder. "Look at that team spirit. Looks like the Lions have an adoring crowd of fans out there tonight." The announcer said over the speaker. I shivered in the chilly October air and pulled Cole's letterman jacket around me tighter. The opposing team ran onto the field and the other side of the crowd was on their feet. "Looks like the Panthers have some love out there too." The announcer said. The Lions huddled up for a few seconds before the whistle blew. Both teams took their places on the field.
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~During half time people in the crowd got up to stretch their legs and grab a few more snacks to tide them over for the third and fourth quarter. I stood up. "I'm going onto the field." I announced as I squeezed my way past several people.
"Paige are you even allowed to do that?" My dad called after me. The crowd was too loud to answer over so I just kept going down the bleacher stairs. When I finally arrived at the bottom, I still had to walk several yards to get to Cole.
"Hey number 27." I greeted. Cole turned around from his group of friends and grinned at me. He took two large steps toward me and pulled me into a hug.
"How's my favorite girl?" He asked.
"A little bit nervous after the Panthers scored that touchdown." I admitted.
"One little touchdown. There's no way they're gonna beat the Lions." He laughed.
"That's cute, Bennett. I thought the cheerleaders would be enough support, but looks like you need your girlfriend too." The rival team's cornerback smirked as he walked toward us. Cole's smile was humorless.
"Jealous?"
"Do I look jealous?" The blonde asked as he ran a hand through his hair.
"You should be, because not only is your team going to lose, but after you lose, I get to go celebrate with her." Cole paused. "But you know, you've got the cheerleaders and that's all the support you need." Cole grinned. The cornerback rolled his eyes and walked away.
"What is it with you high school students and breaking rules?" The Emerset High School coach shook his head. "Alright, off the field." He ordered.
"I'd better go." I said before turning to walk away.
"Paige." Cole called after me. I turned to look at him. He kissed his hand and threw me the kiss like a football. I smiled and caught it.
"Good luck quarterback."
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~The third quarter had been going for about 5 minutes when Cole got the ball. He was about to pass it to Liam when one of the Panthers tackled him. I cringed at the sound their bodies made when they hit him. Their helmets cracked together and in a split second Cole was crushed underneath of a 300 lb. defensive tackle. "Looks like a hard hit for number 27." The voice said over the loud speakers. The rivaling team was on their feet in record time, one of them running with the ball. Cole was still on the ground which was odd for him. I stood up to get a better look. He didn't move. The referee called a timeout as Easton's entire team flocked around Cole to see what was wrong. The crowd was beginning to get anxious. "I want everyone to remain calm and stay seated." The announcer said. I bolted out of my seat and down the stairs. I was halfway onto the field when the Panther's coach grabbed my arm.
"Didn't you hear what they just said? Stay seated." He barked.
"No please you don't understand." I pleaded.
"I do understand. You're not allowed out here and I can't let you through." He said firmly. My eyes swelled with tears. Liam who was standing next to Cole several yards away just happened to turn around. He saw me trying to pull away from the coach and sprinted over to us.
"What's going on here? Didn't she tell you who she is?" Liam asked.
"It doesn't matter who she is. No one but the team and medical staff are allowed on the field when someone is injured." The coach explained.
"She's pregnant and the baby is his." Liam pointed to where Cole lay. The coach didn't reply but simply let go of my arm and stepped aside. I took off toward the team, Liam following close behind. The players separated to make room for me to get in.
"Why isn't the EMS here?" I asked in panic when I saw Cole knocked out and lying on the ground.
"They're on their way." Jackson reassured me, pointing to the coach who was just hanging up the phone with first responders. Although when I was thinking clearly I understood that onsite ambulances costed a lot of money for a high school football game, there was no amount of explanation that could make me understand, at that moment, why a life wasn't more important than money. I knelt down beside Cole. Coach Harris, who was trained in first aid for just such reasons, bent over him and took the face mask on his helmet off so that he could breathe. I helped by taking out his mouth guard. Cole's hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat so I brushed it away from his face. One of the Panthers players walked over to our group.
"I didn't realize I hit him that hard." He started to apologize. I pushed myself to my feet and looked at him.
"What do you mean you didn't realize?" I growled.
"Everyone goes for the quarterback. He's the one that always has the ball." He explained.
"Helmet to helmet hits are illegal in football!" I screamed. Liam grabbed my arm like he was afraid if he let go I'd murder the guy.
"Please make her sit down. The last thing we need is both of them in the hospital." Coach rubbed his temples and turned to look at the defensive tackle. "She's right helmet to helmet hits are illegal and if no one had gotten hurt you would've been benched and gotten a 15 yard penalty. Bennett is the captain of my team and the star quarterback of the surrounding schools teams. I don't want to hear the excuse that you didn't realize you hit him that hard. You did it on purpose knowing he'd be out of game. This isn't just a football game when you're playing with someone's life. An NFL player died just last year from a helmet to helmet hit that broke his neck." The coach's rant ended with the sound of an ambulance siren. I silently thanked God that the hospital was only a few blocks from the school. My face softened and I felt a lump form in my throat.
"He's gonna be okay right?" I whispered to Liam, tears filling my eyes.
"I've known Cole my whole life and I've never seen him give up at anything. He's not going to now." Liam assured me. I swiped at my tears which were now trailing down my cheeks. He put his arm around me protectively, like the way a brother would his little sister. I bit my lip, trying to hold back the tears.
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~My head drooped as I drifted in and out of sleep. Liam was stretched out on the floor, Jackson was slouched down in a chair by the door, Coach Harris stood leaning against the doorframe and my parents sat outside in the waiting area. A small knock on the door brought me to full consciousness. Lakeisha walked in. "Sorry I didn't come earlier. The dance wasn't over until 10:30 and then I still had to convince my parents to let me go out this late." She explained. I glanced at the clock on the wall. It read 11:23 p.m. I had been at the hospital since eight. Lakeisha took a seat next to Jackson.
"So how was the dance?" I mumbled, sleepily rubbing my eyes. "I asked the boys and all I got out of them was that they were bored." I smiled.
"Glad you think I was boring." She nudged Jackson's arm. He looked at her and grinned sheepishly.
"I liked being with you. Dancing just isn't exactly my thing. I plan to be on NFL not Dancing With The Stars." He laughed. Lakeisha grinned and looked at me.
"Well I thought the dance was really good for what it was, I guess." She admitted.
"Do I have to ask who got king and queen?" I asked.
Lakeisha shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Without you and Cole there, it wasn't even a decision. Nikki has people so afraid her and the rumors she could spread, they voted for their own safely." She grinned. "And Bryce had the football team to vote for him." She added.
"That's definitely not a surprise." I shook my head. "How mad was Emerset's coach that we called off the game?" I asked.
"He didn't say much. I think the whole team felt bad over what happened." She explained.
"Well they should have." I replied.
Liam roused himself from his spot on the floor and groaned. "I'm getting something from the vending machine down the hall anyone else want anything?" He muttered.
"I could use an energy drink." My head jerked toward Cole. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and looked at him. He massaged his temples and squinted open his eyes. His face was pale and his voice was groggy but his sense of humor made me relax a little.
"How are you kid?" Coach smiled.
"You're awake." I said quietly, putting a hand on his face before grabbing the remote from his bed and repeatedly pressing the help button.
"Every nurse station in the hospital is going to light up." Liam grinned.
"What happened?" Cole asked quietly.
"Helmet to helmet hit." Jackson replied.
"Feels more like I was hit by a truck." Cole mumbled.
"The bonehead who hit you could pass for one." I muttered. Several seconds later a nurse appeared in the doorway.
"He's awake." Jackson said pointing his Cole, his mouth curving into a smile. She returned his smile.
"That's great news. I'll go get the doctor and we can do some tests to see what the damage is." She explained.
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~"Looks like a pretty good concussion. I'm guessing you'll have a whopper of a headache. Nothing permanent though. You're very lucky considering you were out for around 3 hours." The doctor said to Cole. He was now almost fully awake but, like the doctor assumed, suffering from a major headache. He massaged his temples and groaned.
"Ill get you something for the pain." The nurse said as she rushed out of the room. Jackson sank into the chair against wall followed by Liam who slid down to floor. Lakeisha walked over and stood next to me while the Coach followed the nurse down the hallway to sign some papers. Several minutes passed before my parents walked into the room.
"Looks like you got hit pretty hard. You've been out for a while." My dad said. Cole nodded.
"I'll be fine."
"So which one of you is hotheaded?" Jackson asked with a grin. My parents looked confused.
"Coach had to make her sit down on the field." Liam nodded in my direction.
"Ha ha." I replied sarcastically.
"You missed all the fun, dude. Paige almost killed the guy." Jackson looked at Cole and laughed. Cole raised and eyebrow and looked at me with an amused smirk.
"No comment." I grinned.
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~"You're good to go just remember to take it easy the next couple of days. No driving for the next 24 hours and no playing football until the next game." The doctor explained as Cole walked to hospital exit.
"Ok." He replied. I pushed open the door and walked out onto the pavement, Cole following behind me. We stopped at his car.
"Hand over the keys quarterback. No driving, doctor's orders." I grinned. He tossed me his keys and climbed in the passenger side door. I sank into the drivers seat, put the key in the ignition and turned it over. The car roared to life. I pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road.