Page 25

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

CHARLIE

After the quarterfinal game, we spent New Year’s quietly celebrating their win. I know some of the guys partied when they got back, but Beck and my brother stayed in. Sure, they had a few beers, but the training doesn’t stop. Even just a little bit of alcohol can hurt their performance.

We had to travel to Pennsylvania for the semifinal game. Walker is favored to win by a pretty large margin, and in the fourth quarter with two minutes left, I think it’s safe to say whoever bet on Walker winning is pretty happy right now. If we win this game, we’ll go to the national championship.

I’m wearing my Linson jersey again, but it’s freezing here, so it’s on over two other layers of clothes. Since that first time I wore it this season, I haven’t worn my brother’s number. It literally drives Beck wild when he sees me wearing his name on my back.

His dad and sister are on one side of me, and my parents are on the other. My mom is holding my hand rather tightly, and I have to squeeze her hand to signal her to ungrip my grippers a bit before I lose feeling in my fingers.

“Sorry, honey. You know how nervous I get. I swear it doesn’t get easier, watching them take those hits out there.”

My dad leans over and reassures her, “Carol, they’re fine. The clock is running out; they’ll be done here in a few minutes, and then we can celebrate.”

Mom nods, and we all stand as the clock winds down.

I let go of my mom’s hand and turn to face her. “I’m going to go out onto the field. Are you guys coming or going back to the hotel?” I ask.

We’re staying at the same hotel as the team, and even though families got to see the players briefly before the game, we haven’t really gotten to see them the past few days. I can’t wait to wrap my arms around Beck. They must all be so pumped. One step closer now with the final seconds on the clock.

My dad leans around Mom. “I think we’ll make our way down there, but if it gets too hectic or people start rushing the field, we’ll just go back to the hotel and wait to see the boys there.”

“Okay, I’m going to start making my way over to the gate. Mr. Linson, Brooke, are you guys coming down?”

Beck’s dad looks like an older version of him. Dark hair, blue-gray eyes. He’s always been kind of quiet, but kind. Brooke has the same hair color, but her eyes are dark brown.

He looks down at Brooke, who is nodding.

“Yes, I want to go see Beck on the field!”

“Field it is,” Mr. Linson says. “And, Charlie, stop calling me Mr. Linson and call me Ryan. I’ve known you practically your whole life, and now you’re an adult. Let’s make the awkward stop now.” He smiles at me.

“Righto.” Righto? Who am I right now? “I’ll just meet you down on the field then. Do you want to come with me, Brooke?”

Ryan answers before she can respond, “I’m going to keep her with me in this crowd.”

Brooke rolls her eyes. “Dad, I’m almost seventeen. I’m pretty sure I can handle myself in a stadium. That has security. In literally every corner. We’d just be walking right down this row.”

Ryan sighs and looks up. “We’ll meet you down there, Charlie.”

I mouth, Sorry , to Brooke, hug my parents, and walk down the row to the gate.

Beck is standing on the sideline, and he looks back to the stands just as I walk behind him. He’s close enough that we can touch, but he tilts his head toward the direction of the gate. I nod in understanding.

When I get to the gate, a small crowd is forming, and I wave at the faces I recognize. Most family members have passes around their necks, and those who don’t are fans trying to get down onto the field. They like to try to blend in with family to get through security.

“Umph. Good Lord, these people are pushy.” A lady with shoulder-length sandy-colored hair is standing slightly in front of me. She turns her head to look at me when she realizes I heard her.

I laugh because, yeah, they can be. And I’m about to push through this crowd, too, so I can get to Beck.

“This is my first time at a college football game. It’s all so exciting, but I’m not sure I could handle these crowds at every game,” she says as she reaches over to grab the handrail next to us.

When she looks at me again, there’s something about the way she smiles that looks familiar. I feel a little like I might be staring at her mouth, so I shake my head.

“Oh wow. That’s so fun! Your first game? You’ll never forget it. This was a big win for us. Onto the championship game now! Go, Stallions!” I lift my hands up waist high and wiggle my gloved fingers.

She laughs at my gesture, but the smile on her face drops quickly. “You here to see a boyfriend or something? Or are you a fan?”

“Oh, yeah. Well, not just my boyfriend, but my brother plays too.” I turn my back to her and look to where I see Casey standing near the bench. Next to him, Beck is squirting water from his bottle into his mouth. His dark brown hair is falling on his forehead from being wet with sweat. I point at Beck, then look over my shoulder to see if she sees where I’m directing.

She swallows, and she looks back at me. “You pointing at number twenty-four?”

I nod with a prideful grin.

“So, funny story. I’m actually here to see your boyfriend.”

“I’m sorry, what? I don’t think I heard you right. You’re here to see my boyfriend?” I ask, confused.

Why would she be here to see Beck?

She clears her throat. “I’m his mom. Beckham Linson? He’s my son. I wanted to surprise him. I haven’t been able to come watch his games since they’re so far away. But I figured with them playing here, I wanted to at least try to see him, even if it was just for a minute. I’m not really sure how these things work.” She chuckles, but it seems forced.

“You’re his mom?” I state in disbelief as I get knocked into by the person behind me. The woman helps me from falling, and as I regain my footing, I just stare at her.

She nods.

Now that she says it, I do see the high cheekbones and blue eyes of Beck on her face. He’s always favored his father, and in the many years I’ve known him, I’ve never seen any pictures of his mom. But I do see some similarities in their features.

Snapping out of my shock, I shake my head. I don’t really know what to say because I’ve never really heard much about his mom, other than his parents divorced when he was little. “Sorry, I’m just a little stunned. I didn’t realize you lived here. I’m sure he’ll be surprised to see you.” I grab her hand from the railing.

“Do you know how I can get to him? I’m a bit overwhelmed right now.”

I tuck her hand onto my arm. “Here, just hang on to me. You can come down to the field with me.”

She squeezes my hand gently. “Really? You would do that for me? It would mean everything to me just to say hi to him. It’s been so long since I saw him.”

Part of the security team is starting to move toward the gate, and I watch them as they appear to be waiting for a signal. I feel her squeeze my hand lightly.

“For sure! Brooke is here, too, so you’ll get to see them both!” I smile, but when I look at her, her smile drops.

“Ryan must be here then too?” With that question, she starts looking around. She’s biting her bottom lip with her top teeth.

Trying to break the tension, I smile. “Yeah, he is. I guess that might be awkward though, huh? Oh, by the way, I’m Charlie.”

She answers distractedly, “I’m Stevie.”

“Nice. Like Stevie Nicks?”

“Something like that.” She tries to smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

The sound of the gate opening has me turning my attention away from her. With her hand still in mine, I move her behind me and step up to the guard. I hold my badge, and he nods, but as we start to walk by, he grabs Stevie’s arm and tells her she has to get back.

I’m standing on the step below her, so I turn and look up at the guard. “She’s with me. She’s Beckham Linson’s mom.”

He looks at my jersey, then my pass again and waves us through.

We reach the grass near the end zone, and we’re told to wait there. I can feel the heat on her hand in mine. It’s starting to sweat.

“Are you nervous to see Beck?”

He’s never talked about his mom to me, so I don’t really know much about her. I guess I always just figured because they lived with their dad that she didn’t really want to see them or something. They didn’t go spend time with her like other kids of divorce.

She doesn’t look at me, but she nods. And when I lightly squeeze her hand, she looks up at me and pulls her hand from mine.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m sweating all over your hand.” She tries to say it lightly, but I can see she is nervous. It’s in her eyes.

I offer her another smile, and as I start to speak, we hear the announcers begin the award ceremony. The security on the field starts to usher us to the podium area. As we get closer, I see Beck standing on the stage, along with Archie, Bo, and a few seniors. I find my brother on the field and go to stand near him. I turn my head to the side and look at Stevie to make sure we didn’t get separated.

I lean into her and point at Casey. “Ahh, there’s my brother. Let’s go over near him until Beck comes off the stage.”

Again, she doesn’t say anything, but she nods.

When I reach Casey, I grab his biceps and squeeze. He turns toward me, and when he sees it’s me, he lifts me up into a hug. He’s laughing, and I’m laughing.

“Congrats, Case! I’m so proud of you guys! You killed it out there!”

“Thanks, Char! Isn’t this awesome?! I can’t believe we’re going to the final show! Dude, did you see that last catch Beck made? It was a beauty.” His face is animated as he speaks, his excitement radiating off of him in abundance.

It’s freezing out here, but I can still see the heat coming off of his body. I’m sure he doesn’t even feel the cold right now.

The announcer starts talking again before I can answer. I look over to find Stevie, and she’s standing slightly behind me. I reach back for her arm and pull her a little closer.

She smiles, but her eyes haven’t left the stage. I pull my attention from her to the announcer as he begins to speak.

“I’d like to take a moment to congratulate Dawson on a wonderful season, and their fans certainly gave us a great atmosphere today. But the day belonged to the Walker Stallions!”

The crowd around us cheers, and I can hear the roar of the fans that remain in the stadium. Archie is standing right next to the announcer, and Coach Pettys is on the other side. Archie raises his arms, waving them up and down to try to get the fans to cheer louder. When he does, he knocks the hat he was given off his head and laughs. Beck is next to him and bends down to pick it up. He tries putting it back on Archie’s head, but it falls off again, and they look at each other and laugh.

A well-known sports broadcaster steps up to the microphone. “A huge thank-you to the Hanson Organization for sponsoring and hosting this event at this beautiful stadium in Pennsylvania.”

“Coach Pettys, it’s my honor to present to you the Keystone trophy!” The man hands the trophy to Coach and steps away as Coach moves to the microphone.

Coach hoists the trophy in the air, and confetti starts to rain down on the stage and in the area where we’re standing. The crowd roars again, and he lifts the trophy up and down.

“Today is worth celebrating. The credit goes to all the young men who played their hearts out today. They worked hard, played smart, and stayed one step ahead of Dawson all day.”

As he speaks, the players behind him dump a bucket full of confetti over his head.

Coach laughs. “Much better than getting soaked! But, yeah, these guys are the best. Unbelievable, resilient. We executed what we prepared for, but we’ve still got a lot of football left to play. It all comes down to the players, and we’re gonna be ready for Southeast in the championship game!”

The announcer steps in again. “You came out strong, but that second half of the game, you completely dominated the field. What was the key to getting everyone locked in and ready to play this semifinal game?”

“Well, everyone came together. I have a great coaching staff, but it all comes down to the players. Walker!”

The crowd replies, “Stallions!”

“We have a commemorative football to present to you for your win today.” He hands Coach the ball, and Coach steps back slightly.

“We still have a few other trophies to hand out. Let’s start with the Offensive MVP of the game, Bo Callaway! Bo, you’re a true freshman, which is unbelievable, considering you’ve accomplished so much this season and in this game. With six touchdowns and two hundred eighty-nine passing yards, how do you feel about this win?”

Bo steps up to the mic. “Thanks. Well, first, I have to thank God for giving me the strength to bring this win home for Walker!”

The crowd cheers.

“And my family, the coaches, my teammates—this couldn’t have been done without them. These guys have my back. But we came out here hungry today. We wanted this win, and we never gave up. We’re gonna be ready for Southeast!” Bo holds the trophy up and steps back.

The announcer turns to one of our senior defensive ends, Josh Schumacher, next. “Josh, you are today’s Defensive MVP! With four tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble, you helped keep Dawson away from that end zone.”

Josh takes his MVP trophy in hand. He’s a quiet but intense kind of guy, so I’m curious about what he’s going to say, if anything.

“Thank you. It all comes from my Lord and Savior. But we never give up. We keep going to work every day and put it all on the field.”

The announcer asks Josh a few more questions and congratulates the team again, and some of the players stay on the stage, getting pictures with golden keys hanging from key chains in their mouths. A few start to leave the stage, and I lose sight of Beck, who I’ve yet to make eye contact with.

I grab hold of Casey’s arm, and he leans down to hear me over the noise.

“Mom and Dad are still making their way down here. I’ll stay out here until you guys go back, but I want to see Beck first.”

He nods and motions to where Beck is coming down the steps of the stage. Casey puts his arm in the air to signal Beck our way.

Beck spots me and smiles, but then stops walking, and the look on his face changes. I’m not sure what’s going on, but when I follow his gaze, I see he’s looking at his mom. She’s still standing next to me, but her hands are in fists, and she’s biting on her lip nervously.

When I turn back to Beck, I see him charging toward us.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” He points accusingly at his mom, and then he turns to me. “Why are you with her? Is this some kind of joke?” He turns to his mom again. “Does my dad know you’re here? Does Brooke? You shouldn’t be here, and I don’t want you here!” He’s trying to keep his voice down, but his teammates are starting to notice, and Casey has now turned to see Beck’s clearly agitated body language.

“Whoa, man. What’s going on?” Casey asks.

Beck points at his mom. “Her. That’s the woman who birthed me.”

Casey whispers, “Oh shit.” He turns to Beck and puts his hands on Beck’s chest. “Okay, we got this. What do you need me to do?”

I’m watching this whole thing transpire, and so many questions are running through my head, but I can’t form the words to speak. “Beck …”

He looks at me with a sneer. “Why are you with her, Charlie?”

“I … I just met her. We were both standing at the gate to come down to the field, and she saw your number on my jersey. She said she was your mom and that she was here to surprise you. I … didn’t know!” I’m starting to feel panicked because the anger radiating off of Beck is palpable.

He turns to his mom, Stevie, and points at her. “You have about five seconds to turn around and leave before I have security escort you out of here.”

Just as he says that, Ryan and Brooke approach from the side.

“Beck! What’s going on? Stevie? What the hell? You’re not supposed to be here.”

I look at Stevie, and she has tears running down her face, her hands covering her mouth.

She’s looking at Brooke. “Brookie? Oh my God, you’re so beautiful.”

Brooke is standing there, similar to the way Beck is. She’s locked in place, and the look on her face is stone. She hasn’t said a word, but I see Beck come to stand next to her when Ryan walks toward Stevie.

He reaches out to her, but doesn’t touch her. “Let’s go, Stevie. Don’t ruin this celebration by embarrassing him like this right now.” Ryan turns to Beck. “I got this, Beck. Go celebrate with your team.” He turns back to Brooke. “Brooke, you stay with Charlie, and we’ll meet you in the waiting area.” Then he turns back to Stevie. “Start walking.”

“Ryan, I just wanted to see him for a minute. I haven’t seen him or Brooke in two years! Just give me five minutes. If they don’t want to speak with me, I’ll go.” She starts to walk toward Beck and Brooke, and Ryan takes her arm this time.

“Nope. Not happening. You will not lay a single finger on my kids again.” Ryan is trying to stay calm, but his face is starting to turn red.

“Ry—” she starts.

“NO! I said, no. If you don’t start walking, I’m going to call your parole officer. You aren’t supposed to be within ten feet of the kids. Ever.” He’s leaning down into her face now, trying to stay quiet, but those of us near them can hear what he’s saying. Then they turn and start walking off the field in the opposite direction of the locker room.

I’m still so confused about what’s going on. Why don’t they want her here? Why can’t she be near them? Clearly, I did something wrong by bringing her out onto the field with me.

“Beck—” I walk over to where he is standing with Brooke and reach for him.

“Not now, Charlie. Not here. I’ll speak with you later.” He leans down to whisper something to Brooke, pulls her in for a hug, then turns to walk off the field toward the locker room.

Casey has moved beside me and places his arm around my shoulders. “Char, let’s give him a minute, okay? I don’t know a lot about this situation, but I do know it’s not good. I’ll make sure he’s okay. You take Brooke back toward the waiting area, and we’ll meet you there.”

Brooke is standing there, still in a state of … shock? Anger? I can’t really tell.

I shrug off Casey’s arm and reach for Brooke. “I’m so sorry, Brooke. I have no idea what’s happening, but I’m so, so sorry.”

Brooke looks at me and nods.

“Let’s go wait for your dad with my parents.”

“Right, yeah. Okay, let’s do that. Umm … where do we go?” She trembles a little.

I turn back to Casey. He’s shaking someone’s hand, but looking at me.

He mouths, Go , and points to the area where we can leave the field.

Taking Brooke’s hand in mine, I lead us to the exit.

Neither of us says anything as we walk toward the family waiting area. Ryan is already standing with my parents. His back is to us, but his arms are spread out to his sides, and he’s shaking his head. My parents are facing us, and my dad is nodding while my mom’s mouth hangs slightly open.

As we get closer, I catch the end of what he’s saying.

“I’ll talk to him and tell him he needs to explain all of this to Charlie. I’m sorry about this. I had no idea she was coming.”

My mom spots us and moves toward me. “Charlie, are you okay?” She pulls me in for a hug and squeezes me. Her face is over my shoulder, but I feel her reach out to Brooke while I’m in her embrace. “Brooke, honey, are you okay?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m okay. I think I’m just a little in shock from seeing her. It feels like it’s been so long.”

I can barely hear her with the noise in the hallway.

Ryan turns away from my dad and turns to Brooke. “Why don’t you go back to the hotel with the Kings? I’m going to wait for Beck to make sure he’s okay.”

“How will you get back if we have the rental car?” she asks.

“Tim will take the rental, and I’ll catch an Uber back to the hotel when Beck gets on the bus.” He looks at my dad, who nods.

My mom releases me and turns to my dad. “Tim, let’s head out now.”

“Yep, let’s go, girls. Ryan, we’ll see you at the hotel in a bit.” He places his hand on Ryan’s shoulder and squeezes.

None of us says a word on the walk to the car or on the way to the hotel.

But now … it feels like a dark cloud is hovering over what should be a celebration. And I’m not sure if Beck will want to see me at all.