Page 34 of Lavender and Linebackers

“Scheduled?” He jerks to his full height.

“Yes, and you’re wasting all of our time. You both ready?” she asks us, looking back and forth between Alice and me. I know what I’m supposed to do, but I need approval from Sully. I look at him. He frowns, but then gives me a subtle nod.

“This isn’t over,” he tells me, and I let out a deep sigh. This is going to be what forces me to talk about the campaign with my teammates. Anxiety spirals through me, but I tamp it down. I don’t want to talk about her with them.

As we walk away, King Silver shoulder checks him. This time I can’t help the grin that takes over, and Sully rolls his eyes and storms off.

“You got lucky there, pal.” I pat him on the shoulder, and he wiggles his fake fur fish butt.

Together, we all make our way toward the end zone where there are roped-off sections for family members, media, and fans. Ross is waiting with the camera.

“Just so you know, this isn’t meant to pull you from your job. It will only take a few minutes, and Gretchen has these meet and greets scheduled for every home game. The two of you just happen to be up first.”

“Can you make Sully go second?” A small conspiratorial smile graces Alice’s face.

“Oh, trust me. If I can, I will. And I’ll take great pleasure in reminding him what all his job duties entail also.”

“I’m sure it’s mentioned in the handbook. That’s his bible. You could use it for ammo.”

“Thanks for the tip. I’ll definitely check it out,” she tells me as she makes her way to Ross, leaving Alice and me standing there. King Silver runs off. He’s doing his thing, and, well, I have this strange urge to talk to her.

“Are you excited for the game today?” I ask, not looking at her but testing the waters to see if she’s going to come out with fangs or not.

“I am. My parents are here.” She points toward the fifty-yard line and waves. A hand pops up and waves back. My stomach dives as I’m certain they see us standing together.

After we won the free tickets to today’s game, I decided to give my pair to Coach Ciao. I’m not sure if he’s here today or not, but it seemed fitting since he’s the main one who helped me get here. I also assumed our free tickets, hers and mine, would be next to each other, so I wanted to spare my mother the anxiety. Instead, I got her a seat up in an air-conditioned box with Bryan’s wife. Both seats are amazing. I just didn’t want there to be any awkwardness for either family. We all deserve to enjoy today.

“That’s great. And I’m not surprised. They were always at all your games.”

“They came to all my college games too. For four years on the weekends they made that drive.”

“You cheered all four years?” I think back to the last time I was at Florida, and she wasn’t there. My heart aches at the thought that she intentionally skipped that game because of me and how I behaved previously.

She looks at me curiously, her brown eyes popping from the shades of pink she has highlighting around them. “I did. I’ve always loved it. You know that.”

“I do.”

“All right, you two, let’s go.”

The entire meet and greet lasts about ten minutes. As far as scheduled events go, this has been the least painful to date, and I’m grateful, as it’s on a day that is so important. Every fan we met was elated. I took pictures with fans, she took pictures with fans, we took them together with fans, and just like at the jamboree, I watched her go into performance mode and shine. I also watched too many people put their hands on her, but what could I say? I subtly kept a close watch to make sure none of them got too grabby, but still. The thought of her being disrespected twists me up inside. Friends or enemies.

As everyone disperses, I reach over and gently place my hand on her arm. “Hey.”

She freezes, looks at my hand, and then looks up at me.

I know people are watching us and taking our picture. Hell, our families are probably watching, and we probably shouldn’t be talking without the media team here, given all the handbook rules, but they’re the ones who put us in this situation, so they can get over it.

“Yeah?” She’s wary, and I can’t say that I blame her. Last time she tried to leave, I called her rude and upset her.

“We have that news appearance coming up. Do you want to, I don’t know, coordinate what we’re going to wear or something?”

Coordinate what we’re going to wear?

If I could and people wouldn’t question my own sanity, I would punch myself in the face. Could I have said anything stupider?

She looks off to the side as she ponders what I’ve asked. She frowns slightly and then her aloof mask slips back into place. At least it tries to, while she pulls her arm free from my grasp.

“Sure. But make sure you unblock me. Might make things a bit easier.” There’s a little bit of a bite to her words, but knowing her the way I used to, I can hear the hurt underneath.