Page 17 of 1st and 10 (Season of Change #1)

My heart swells with pride as I glance around the packed stadium, our last regular season home game. The past several months have been… unexpected . Surreal. Life-changing. Fulfilling. Literally orgasmic.

Academically, I could never have anticipated what my thesis proposal would turn into.

That it would take on a life of its own.

Of course, I probably owe most of the credit to Fred Heacock.

I detest including him in anything, but he played the villain well.

Provided so much insight into the toxic world of athletics, hubris, ego, mental illness.

Personally, I have never been happier and more settled than I am right now.

I have made some friends along the way, and they have enriched my life in ways I never thought possible.

It’s not like I’ve been a loner, but when you are focused on schoolwork and your future, you tend to miss what’s happening in your present.

Crue Pribula. That man barreled into my life and knocked down every preconceived notion I had about athletes, friends, family, loyalty, love, and…

orgasms. It’s not all about sex though. It’s the little ways he’s improved my everyday life and continues to do so more every day.

Each morning I wake next to him, I feel like I’m a better person than I was the day before.

Corny, cliché, but true. He has forced me to pick my head up every now and then and see what’s around me.

Right now, I’m picking my head up and I see over 100,000 screaming fans dedicated to the team playing on the field in front of me.

The years of tradition, academic and athletic excellence, a family.

My family is being led by Brandon Beiler, and he is doing an amazing job as head coach.

He’s not only liked, but respected. He played ball right here years ago and has cultivated a reputation of consistency, fairness, hard work, and compassion.

He holds these men to a high standard, one he fights to achieve himself every day, but he remembers when many fans do not, that these men are still human beings.

They are still boys in so many aspects, growing, learning, finding their footing in the world.

And Papa Brandon, a nickname he does not like, is there to guide them along the way.

Since he took over, not long ago, there has been a drastic change within this department, as well as others.

Heacock was poison, spreading his filth across campus.

That poison has been excised, a cleansing if you will, and there isn’t an aspect of campus life that isn’t renewed and healthy now that he’s safely behind bars.

Instantly, Crue and I were inundated with support from everyone: professors, administration, assistant coaches, hell, Crue’s got the women in the campus cafeterias slipping him extras any chance they get.

We have a growing stash of protein bars in our kitchen.

While he maintains his campus housing, for all intents and purposes, he lives with me.

I didn’t know how I’d feel sharing my space with someone, but Crue makes it easy.

I’ve never lacked self-confidence, despite my realistic view of my person, but being with Crue, I am the best version of myself.

The clock is counting down. It’s bittersweet.

I had resigned myself to being miserable in the name of research, but I am honestly going to miss being here, among the fans, being a part of something bigger than myself.

Next is playoffs, then hopefully a bowl game in the new year.

I want Crue and the others to go out with flair, and a championship ring seems like the right amount of flair to me.

I still have to finish my thesis and defend it, but I’m not worried.

Which is so unlike me. Crue has taught me to embrace spontaneity.

At this rate, the next time I tell him “I’m fine” , I might actually mean it.

“Smile for me, girlie pop!” Edee, one of my best friends now, stands a few feet in front of me, pointing her camera my way. I strike a few poses, giggling along with her until I hear the crowd chant the countdown.

3, 2, 1…I jump up with everyone else, screaming at the top of my lungs, excitement bubbling in my veins.

I look over at my friend and she’s taking picture after picture of something over my shoulder.

I turn to see what she’s looking at and find myself snatched up into the air and spun around in Crue’s arms. He’s sweaty and dirty and so damn breathtaking.

The mic man is going nuts, the cheerleaders are doing their thing, the band plays from the stands, and it’s loud and chaotic and one of the best moments of my life.

I’ve always loved football, but this season, being water girl, meeting Crue and falling in love, expanding my world to include so many incredible people… a season of change.

I wave at Beiler from the air, and he grins at me with a thumb’s up. It’s short-lived as the team dumps the contents of the water jugs over his head. My hands slide over Crue’s padding and wrap around his neck. I bring my forehead to his and let the moment settle over us.

“Phia…God, how I love you,” he whispers, words meant just for the two of us.

“About as much as I love you?” I question and he shakes his head like a dog, sweat flying everywhere. So gross.

“Not even close, pretty girl.” I tilt my head and press my lips to his. For just a moment I feel weightless. I know with absolute certainty that I am exactly where I belong. Everything I’ve ever done, every decision, every tear, every triumph has led me to this moment, to my soulmate.

Everyone should be as happy as I am. Just with someone else, because Crue Pribula is mine .