Page 20 of The False Start (Off the Bench)

“The other two next to her are also dating players, but I can’t remember their names.” Maggie shrugs. “I’ve found that until they get the ring, most of the girlfriends are only around for a season.”

I look past the trio into the next box and see a heavily pregnant women doing her best to corral two more young children with the help of an older woman. Each of them wearing the same jersey of one of the linemen.

Is this what it means to date a player? Are you either a perfectly manicured Barbie or a mom of three? I shove the thought to the back of my mind and refocus my attention on the game playing out in front of me.

Cal is having a pretty good game, making several impressive blocks and once even being the sole reason Theo made it down the field.

His lack of receiving yards makes me guiltily glad he’s still riding the bench on my own fantasy team.

Tight ends in fantasy aren’t just about who’s the best player after all, it’s all about the points.

With twenty seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Avalanche take their last timeout.

We’re down by four at the twenty-yard line, and my anxiety is at an all-time high as I watch my friends down on the field.

The crowd is eerily silent as everyone waits with bated breath the two teams huddled on opposite sides of the field.

Cal says something to Blaze Meadows, their quarterback, one of the coaches listening intently.

The coach shakes his head and Cal points down the field his eyes blazing, though his mouth is covered as the camera zeros in on their conversation.

With a quick word from the QB, the coach relents, giving a small nod to Cal, and the two players share a grim look before heading back to the field.

I hold my breath as Meadows drops into the pocket with the ball, scanning the field to find Theo occupied with two defenders.

I see it at the same time the Jumbotron does—Cal doesn’t block.

I gasp as Cal side-steps his own lineman, turns to snag the ball out of the air at the ten-yard line, and easily outstrips the linebacker to his right.

As he nears the end zone, he’s facing the wrong way to see the fullback lunge for him.

“Cal!” I scream, but it’s futile.

I’m too far, and with the roar of the stadium, it’s unlikely he’d hear me if I was standing ten feet from him.

The defender hits him hard, knocking him backwards, and they both crash to the ground. The scream of the crowd goes up as the replay on the Jumbotron shows Cal’s arm, still holding the ball, cross the goal line before his knee touches down.

“ TOUCHDOWN! ”

I’m jumping up and down with Maggie, screaming at the top of my lungs with delight at our win, at Cal’s win.

People better at math than me do the calculations, and thanks to Cal’s catch, we’ve officially secured a place in the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

The news echoes around the stadium, and everyone is cheering even more loudly, me right along with them, until I realize he hasn’t gotten up.

I sober up immediately, staring at the place he lays on the ground, hand still clutching the ball, surrounded by teammates.

The medic runs onto the field, calling for the golf cart moments later and helping Cal onto it.

He’s still holding the ball, if it’s glued to his glove.

His face turns up, eyes landing on our box and as the Jumbotron focuses on the close-up, he smiles slightly before being carted off the field and into the bowels of the stadium.

The last few seconds count down, and we secure the extra point and the win, but all I can focus on is the sudden nausea that’s churning in my stomach. Katie and Maggie pull me into the small kitchenette of the suite.

“Come on, Lila, celebrate!” Maggie whines, “He’ll be okay. We can go see him if you want.”

I brighten at that. “Really?” Then cringe. “I mean, he might not want to see me, but he’s my friend who just got hurt, so of course, I’m concerned. I would be for Theo too, of course, or really anyone on the team . . .” I trail off and realize I’ve been rambling, as Katie stands smirking at me.

Maggie rolls her eyes. “Let’s go. Just follow me and keep your passes out,” she says, indicating the family and friends passes we were issued when we entered the building.

We follow her down through the stadium and into a network of tunnels before popping out into a large room with several dozen people milling about.

“This is where some of the family members come after the games,” Maggie explains as the three of us stand off to the side, eyes on the large double doors to the players’ locker room area.

Theo pushes through them first, clearly drunk on victory with a giant smile on his face as he shakes his freshly washed hair over his sister, making her squeal.

He gives Katie a hug and pauses when his eyes meet mine, reading the concern that must be etched into them.

“He’ll be out soon. He just got cleared by the trainer.

No concussion, just a bad hit,” he explains quietly.

I nod, grateful for the update, though my shoulders don’t relax quite yet.

We wait around another quarter of an hour as Maggie and Theo catch up before Cal finally makes his way out of the doors toward us, moving slightly slower than his normal speed, and only then do I release the tension in my muscles. He looks okay.

He meets my gaze, and I could swear his features brighten a fraction.

“Hey,” he says, eyes never leaving mine.

“How’re you doing? Are you okay?” I ask, needing to make absolutely sure.

He chuckles, eyes crinkling. “I’m fine. I was cleared by three different doctors. I didn’t get a CT, but no one seemed to think it was necessary right now.”

“I can take you!” I blurt out.

“Lila, I’m okay,” he insists. “Really.”

I throw my arms around him and hug him tightly. He freezes under my touch, and I step away quickly.

“Sorry, I was just so worried when I saw you go down.”

He flushes, mumbling something I don’t catch.

“But you won! That was such an amazing catch!”

I glance at his hands, and he’s still holding the ball. I raise an eyebrow at him, and he looks down at it sheepishly.

“Thanks. They, um, they said I could keep the ball, since it was my first touchdown on the team.”

“You deserve it, Cal.”

He smiles, but doesn’t respond, and we’re left in a slightly awkward silence until Theo loudly calls from a few feet over. “I’m absolutely starved. Dinner anyone?”

I giggle, but Cal waves a hand, and we all head out, intent on finding something that will curb his never-ending appetite.