I don’t want to be just friends with Ty. I can’t even imagine it.
Now that the line is crossed, I need to figure out what we do to move forward.
Cosmos Survive in Chicago, Head into Bye Week with Momentum and Questions
CHICAGO, IL—The Upstate Cosmos eked out a 26–24 win over the Chicago Cougars on Sunday afternoon, keeping their win streak alive despite a shakier outing than weeks past—particularly on special teams.
Rookie kicker Blair Miller, whose rise has been one of the most talked-about storylines of the season, went just 2 for 4 on extra point attempts. Her timing looked off, her plant foot slipped once, and yet the crowd cheered her on anyway—not mockingly, but with a kind of tentative encouragement usually reserved for underdogs and the players that have that kind of spark surrounding them.
While Miller was inconsistent, the Cosmos didn’t attempt a 2-point conversion after scoring any of their four touchdowns. The Cougars are a tough defense to crack when it comes to getting two after scoring a touchdown; maybe that’s why the Cosmos didn’t even attempt? Or maybe, it’s the coaching staff trying to get Miller as many in-game snaps as possible.
The Cougars nearly staged a comeback in the final two minutes, but an interception by linebacker Trey Caldwell sealed the win.
Now 4–0 since Miller joined the roster, the Cosmos remain one of the league’s most unconventional teams—gritty, chaotic, and proud of it. But the spark that once felt electric around Miller has dimmed slightly, or maybe just settled into something more human.
With a bye week ahead and Thanksgiving looming, the Cosmos get a moment to breathe—and maybe recalibrate—before their next test at home versus the Dallas Lone Stars.
Seventeen
Tyson
IkissedBlair.Ifucking did it. She didn’t push me away or tell me to stop–she put herself into it. My cheeks sting because I’m that annoying bastard who’s been smiling like a kid on his birthday any time I’ve been thinking about it. And let’s be for real, it’s been difficult to think about anything else.
Sliding into my seat, row 27 and by the window, I get settled for the flight. My stomach flips thinking about the one practice we’ll have before heading into the bye week, which couldn’t come at a better time. Since we’re playing on Thanksgiving, the coaching staff changes up the schedule so we can all have as much time away from the facility as possible. We have some workouts planned, but you do them wherever you are.
I can’t wait to spend a few days with Blair, out of the city. Ever since I met her in college, she’s always come to my family Thanksgiving. It’s hard not to remember the first time I asked her to come home with me.
“You running like that because you’re about to have a few days off? Or did that treadmill commit a crime?” I ask as Blair pounds her feet as she damn near sprints next to me. Ever since I met her, we’ve been studying together or working out when we’re not at practice.
She looks down at the time and when she hits a specific number, she removes some of the speed and slows down to a walk next to me. “No days off for me. I’ve got no Thanksgivingplans.”
Blair gave me the rundown on her family, mentioning her mom and two older brothers, but while I always try to make it home to Michigan, I can’t remember a time where she went home. Family is difficult or maybe it’s hard to line up schedules?
“What do you mean you’re staying here? It’s Thanksgiving. Turkey, rolls, and pie? You love those pumpkin drinks from the café, how can you not like Thanksgiving?!”
Her eyes, golden like the last of the autumn leaves clinging to the trees, stare ahead. “My family isn’t big on the holidays. My dad left when I was twelve and after that it just became too much for my mom. I didn’t push it. When I was in high school, we’d order pizza and watch old movies.”
Pizza on Thanksgiving. Her shifty eyes look to me and the sad smile on her lips has my heart squeezing in my chest. I know every family isn’t like mine but it’s so difficult to imagine that for someone like her. She’s close with her brothers and typically talks about home like she misses it. But it’s got to be much more complicated than that. I’m sort of kicking myself for assuming she’d have this massive holiday at home, just because my parents don’t know how to chill out when we’re together.
“Are your brothers going to be around or are you really just planning on staying in the dorms?”
“No, they’ve got girlfriends and other things to get to. Just me this year. It’s no big deal.” The line that falls out of her mouth is one she’s said more times than anyone should.
I stop the treadmill, my cool down walk just about finished, and look out the window. Snow is starting to fall, flakes thick and gorgeous when you’re safely inside. I can’t imagine Blair in her tiny dorm room while I’m back at home with the bustle and comfort of being with family. It will only be a two-day trip—that’s the max Coach could allow this season based on the football schedule—but it’s better than nothing.
What if you invited her?The thought runs through my brain but like it’s carrying a little bag full of doubt and fear. What if she thinks it’s weird? Too much? What if she’s looking forward to time away from me? Twelve—that’s when her dad left. She probably hasn’t had a full holiday, like I’m used to, in that long.
And that’s the tipping point.
“Why don’t you come home with me?” I ask as Blair continues to walk on the treadmill, her cheeks red from the work.
“You don’t have to do that, Ty.” She wags her finger and only looks at me for a moment.
“I know I don’t have to, I want to. Plus, if my parents find out that I left you here like this? I’ll be in trouble.”
She stops her treadmill and turns to look at me, putting a hand on her hip and shifting the weight. “You want me to fly home with you? Crash your Thanksgiving?” She scrunches her forehead in the way she does when she’s trying to make sense of something. It’s fucking adorable.
“Yes. I’m only going to be there for two days, practice and stuff, but we have lots of space and my mom would love to meet you.”
