Tackled

Chapter 1

They say that girls can't play football. They say it's not proper, it's unacceptable. When Adeline Collins' four older brothers and twin brother told her this when she was six years old, she became determined to prove them wrong. She did anything she could to prove them wrong.

She enlisted her dad to teach her some of the fundamentals of the game like catching, throwing, and most importantly, how to do a proper touchdown dance in the end zone after scoring. Before she knew it, she wasn't just playing football to prove something to her brothers or any one else who said she couldn't, she was playing the game simply because she truly loved it. 

When Adeline's brothers saw what their baby sister could do, they became impressed. They wouldn't believe that a girl knew how to play football, and was good at it too. Adeline's brothers quickly welcomed her to play with them in their backyard football games with their friends. As soon as her brother's friends saw what she was capable of, she was quickly accepted into their games.

When Adeline was in the third grade, she joined the school's football team,and she played all through elementary school. Throughout middle school, she had to try out for the football team, along with all of the other boys she had played with in elementary. The coaches were truly impressed with Adeline's speed and catching ability, but every year, they became more and more skeptical about letting a girl on the field. In the seventh grade, at tryouts, the coaches pulled her aside to talk. They told her that she couldn't play due to the boys becoming more and more aggressive and how they were too concerned about her getting seriously hurt. Adeline thought that was all just a big lie. She knew the truth about why didn't want her to play. They were too worried about what other schools, kids, and parents would think of a girl playing football with them. When she went home and told her brothers, they were furious. 

The next day, on the second day of tryouts, Adeline's older brothers, took her back and talked to the coaches. They stood up for their little sister, especially William. He told them about how she got tackled all the time at home and in elementary and in the sixth grade and that she was fine. After William was done, the coaches allowed her to play again. From that point on, Adeline was more determined than ever to prove them and anyone else who said she couldn't, wrong. Oh so very wrong. 

***

Adeline's brothers all play football. They are simply a football loving family. On Sundays they all went downstairs to the "football dome" and watched the game, ate wings, and drank pop, except her dad, William, and Kenneth who drank beer instead. 

William is the oldest. He's 27, and  went to Alma to play football. He's a wide receiver, like Adeline. He's now married to his college girlfriend Isabella, has a three year old daughter named Lena, and has another daughter on the way. Adeline is the closest with William out of any of her brothers. William taught her almost everything she knows about football and happens to be really protective of her too. They usually talk or text each other for about an hour every other day. William has never missed one of Adeline's games before. 

Kenneth is 23, engaged to his high school sweet heart Haley and just finished college at Michigan State last year. He also played football in college and was a quarterback. Kenneth and Adeline used to have prank wars as kids, and now, twice a year they plan a prank together for one of their brothers. Growing up they've had a love hate relationship., but as they got older, they continued to get closer and closer.

Max is 20, goes to Indiana University, and is a linemen. He usually comes home once a month for a visit, or whenever he can. He's single and is studying to be trainer for college sports teams. Which is a great suit for him because he's really knowledgeable with sports injuries first hand since he's broken almost every bone in his body, and given a few injuries to others as well, including my self. 

Emmett is 19, a freshmen in college, and is attending a local community college. He's be a line backer for their football team and studying business management and marketing. What's really gross is that he's been going out with my best friend, Whitney, for two years now. Emmett and I don't really have a special relationship like the rest of my brothers and me.

And then there's Finley. He's my twin brother, were 17, and he's always making a big deal about how he's older than me. But he's only older than me by 3.67 seconds. We play on the same football team, but he's  a line backer. He's always bringing his stupid cheerleader girlfriend, Veronica, over to watch the football games, and she's always really annoying. She's always asking questions about the game. She never shuts up. And she's perky too. Like all the time.

Michael is 14, a freshmen in high school and plays on the JV team instead of the varsity team with Finley and me. He's a quarterback like Kenneth. He and I have a special relationship because he's the brother I can pick on and not get tackled by because I'm stronger, taller, and more experienced than he is. When he could finally talk, he became my little buddy and I became his mentor in a way, and Kenneth too. I usually drive him to school in the mornings, especially since Finley is with Veronica.

Daniel is the youngest. He's ten and just started playing football this year. He's not sure what position he's good at yet, but I can tell he's going to be like me, a wide receiver and a kicker. Not only does he have a strong foot, but great foot work, speed, and his hands aren't like butter. He can also take a hard hit. I should know, I've given him a few. 

And then there's me. I'm really a mix of all of my brothers. It's as if you put one trait of each brother, mixed them all in a bowl, and put it in the oven for 23 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. My parents named me Adeline because it's my mom's maiden name. They thought they were going to have two boys, so they only looked at boy names. You can imagine their surprise when the doctor said it was a boy, and then 3.67 seconds later hear the doctor say, it's a girl. So they had to come up with a girl name quick, especially since Nathan wasn't gonna work for a girl too well.

However, my parents were actually really excited to have a girl. My mom was looking forward to dressing me up, hosting sleepovers for me, and taking me shopping for dresses and makeup, but I didn't let her. I hate wearing dresses and can't stand makeup. Instead of always cleaning makeup off my face, she was always cleaning grass stains out of my clothes and the dirt off my face. My dad was excited because he could have a little girl, a daddy's little girl specifically. I started playing football at a young age and fell in love with the sport. I watched Sunday football with my dad and brothers, and went to all of my brothers games too. I want to go to Alma just like William, play football, be a wide receiver and get my secondary education teaching degree. Another resemblance between me and my brothers, is that I'm pretty  tall, have blonde hair, deep ocean blue eyes, only theirs don't have this glisten to them. Also, we're all pretty tall and skinny too, but not too skinny where we look like walking twigs.

***

Having seven brothers can be fun, but it can also be terrible too. Having friends that are girls is really hard. They're either using you to hang out around your brothers or they'e absolutely disgusted by your brothers and want nothing to do with them or you. I actually only have one friend that's a girl, Whitney. We met when we were two years old at daycare. She has a little 12 year old sister and is dating my brother Emmett, which is just weird, but cool at the same time. She plays volleyball in the fall and basketball in the winter. She's really cool because unlike Finley's girlfriend, she actually understands the game of football. She has blonde hair and she always has a cute outfit she's put together on. 

It's really weird how Whitney and I  get along so well since we're practically polar opposites. She's kind of girly but not too girly were it's really annoying and disgusting. She has a little sister and I have seven brothers. Whitney's home life was really quite where mine is always so hectic and loud. 

 She's friends with all her teammates, which are all girls, well I'm friends with my teammates, which are all boys. Her friends are actually quite fun when they're not all girly and talking about boys, and makeup, and clothes. I live with seven of them, and I'm teammates with 20 some of them. When I hang out with them, they're usually asking me what the boys are like and what type of underwear they wear, and weather or not I've seen them shirtless. Don't they know I change in the girl's locker room? Whitney gets along with my friends too. She understands football so it's really fun when the team comes over and she's hanging out with us because she understands what were all talking about, football.