Sacred Nights | Jamie Tartt

Gosh Darn Terrifyin'

Coach Beard and Lilith sat across from each other in the coaches office, staring blankly at each other. Nathan, the kit man, held a timer in his hand as he looked back and forth between the two. Every once in a while, Ted would throw a ball of paper at one of the two to try and distract them and make them blink. It never worked.

Another ball swished past her face, not affecting her in the slightest, "Gosh dangit, y'all are too good at this!" Ted exclaimed as he threw his hands up in mock exasperation, "Now I know who to call if I ever need someone to pretend to be secret FBI agents." Coach Beard and Lilith both pointed finger guns at him then narrowed their eyes at each other, both rather suspicious at the timing of their mirrored movements.

Lilith raised one hand, Beard doing the same, and they moved their hands in a circle. Their eyes widened before they quickly switched hands. Ted and Nathan nervously glanced at each other, "This is gettin' freaky, Nate. How much time they got?" The kit man looked down at his timer, "They are going on three minutes." Ted nodded, looking deep in thought, before speaking, "Yeah that can't be healthy, I gotta end this."

A loud air horn sounded in the small space, causing everyone to cover their ears.

The two competitors blinked rapidly, angrily swiveling in their chairs to face Ted who held an apologetic smile, "Sorry, guys. Got worried your eyes were gonna fall out." Beard and Lilith stared grumpily at him for a moment before sighing and nodding their heads. They had been over doing it, they could admit that together.

Lilith stood and rubbed her eyes, teetering towards the door, "Well, gents, it was a pleasure but now I'm tired. Do you think anyone will care if I take a nap in my office?" The three men shook their heads.

"I take naps on those little tables the guys get massages on. Yeah, all the time. Feels like I'm sleeping on a full body pillow." Ted reassured her, making the room hum at his choice of place to nap.

"When I get too anxious I like to hide in one of the janitorial closets and they have an insane amount of cushion-y things in there. I usually tire out and take a few minutes to close my eyes." Everyone stared concernedly at Nathan for a moment before he continued, "But I haven't done that in a while...so..." Ted nodded, unsure for a moment before gesturing to show that that was also a reassurance for her.

Beard cleared his throat, making everyone turn to him before he slowly rolled away from his desk. Underneath showcased a small nook set with a blanket, pillow and even a reading lamp. Ted whistled lowly, Lilith gave Beard an approving shoulder pat and Nathan clapped.

"Well, that settles that. I feel like I could get away with sleeping anywhere in the stadium now."

"Maybe not on the pitch, though. That actually might turn some heads."

"Noted."

-

Lilith had already had quite the work week set out for her. With a new player coming onto the team, she had to set up payroll and living expenses. With that loss of money, she had to counter it with ticket and merchandise sales. If she could find a way to even out the stadium's income and outgoing payments, maybe she could finally stop envisioning herself lying in traffic.

Roy was rubbing off on her.

A knock against her office door nearly sent her into a spiral of defeat, knowing she would never get her numbers exactly where she wanted them. Higgins poked his head in and smiled at her, "Hello, Lilith!"

She couldn't help but smile back at the small man, "Hello, Higgins. How are you today?" Polite conversation wasn't her forte, but she made do. Higgins was always nice to her, no matter how grumpy she was, so it was only fair that she repay the favor.