I Hate Football Players 3 | 18+

Chapter 33: Ellie

Anticipation and excitement fluttered through the air when I took my seat for the pregame warmups. My eyes traveled around the already half-filled seats, watched more people streamed up the concrete stairs, and half-listened to the pregame predictions and analyses that mixed with casual conversations around me.

Up through my senior year, I'd attended every football game in high school that my brother had played and, once he was in my life, Logan's. I knew enough about the game but Huskies' home games were a more casual experience. Normally I watched and cheered on Wes, Darrius, and the other guys but definitely sat at a further arm's distance in terms of personal involvement.

Despite my disconnect with football, while high school football games were every Friday night, college games were an all-day affair on Saturdays. Even though the game's start time wasn't until 7:05pm, people showed up early that morning in the parking lot or waterfront for tailgating. Seattle was relatively small compared to cities with millions like Los Angeles where Jake was but Seattle was amazingly passionate about its sports teams.

The stadium captured all of Seattle's attention today, demonstrated by how the college of only forty-seven thousand current students had sold out more than seventy-thousand seats plus twelve thousand 'sailgaters.' The in-conference rival, combined with the national-level game coverage on ESPN's College Gameday, charged an extra electricity into the air before the game had even started.

I sat down in the cool plastic of my seat in the second row of Section 106, right near the forty-yard line and the Huskies side's benches. Technically the season tickets were Charlie's but since they were near the player's seats, I saw a lot of the players' girlfriends and family members throughout the game. All of them ignored me except for one.

My eyes roamed over the field, which was already illuminated by the overhead lights. I tracked the guys' usual movements of pregame stretches and warmups before my eyes lifted to the stadium's south end. Past 'Touchdown Terrace,' the shorter side of the stadium behind the east field goal post, the twinkling lights from the 'sailgater' boats looked like lightning bugs over the dark navy blue water in Lake Washington.

"Night game to start," Monique's strong voice carried sharp and cut through my reverie. "What are they thinking, that there will be less partying afterwards?"

Charlie actually had two seats, so during most games Monique came over and sat with me, although her nervousness for Darrius was contagious. Usually by the end of the game, both of us sat tensed in silence, clutched our hands together, and counted down the game clock.

A big grin spread across my lips before I stood and hugged my arms around her tightly. "You say that like Darrius won't be passed out asleep within two hours of the game."

Slight butterflies fluttered in my stomach when my eyes zeroed in on Logan's number ten while he pitched a few catches back and forth with Emmitt's number thirteen. Wes actually had worn number ten until this year, but it was Logan's now. Wes had little attachment to his number, but wore number eleven and told anyone who listened that it was because he was 'one better' than Logan.

"You have got to explain that look to me, girl." Monique dragged her finger between my face and somewhere that was possibly in Logan's direction. "Because I know it's not for Emmitt."

"What look?" I feigned ignorance and by her pursed lips, she hadn't fallen for it one bit.

"Don't think I didn't see his look either," was all she said, sat back in her seat, and crossed one leg over the other.

"What look?" My eyes shifted over to Logan, whose back was towards us.

"The one at practice Monday, that riled up Darrius," she replied coolly, her eyes fixed on number fifty-five's warm-up jogs. "He laid into Logan in the locker room for that look, just so you know."