Camryn Quinn is finally getting what she wants...sort of. Moving into a dorm and away from her not so supportive father is a good first step, but like everything with him, it comes with strings. She must attend the college of his choosing for at lea...
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I reluctantly shower off the scent of Taylor and get myself ready. There are no classes today because of the holiday, but the football training facility never sleeps. It's why Taylor had to leave me so early, and why I know my dad will be there when I stroll through the automatic doors a few hours later.
After going through every picture I took from this weekend, I chose a couple to submit to the paper. Grey must be on the Ryan Quinn work schedule because he responds almost immediately. His feedback was a rave, and after reading the piece Alyssa wrote about family weekend, I can tell why. This is the third time our work has been presented together, and every time her words are expertly crafted to paint the picture of the situation. This one is particularly good, considering she used her pull as Anderson's newly official girlfriend to gain exclusive interviews with several players, their families, and some of the biggest alumni from the football program. It's that last piece that will probably have the article being picked up by larger sports news sources.
It won't be published until tomorrow, but Alyssa gave me the go ahead to share it with my dad. Her specific message read, "Totes! Take a picture of his reaction when he sees your pics!" And I actually do hope he'll be impressed with the ones I settled on considering he's the focal of one of them. I actually didn't even mean to take it. I was leaving the field to head back to the box seats where Shea and Zoey were watching. But I glanced back towards the sidelines hoping to spot Taylor one more time. Instead, I caught the tail end of a play on third and twenty four.
The still image shows my dad toeing the white boundary line, bent slightly at the hips with his hands on his knees. The determination feels almost tangible in the aftermath of his play call, while he waited for his team to execute. I may not understand him or his profession, but in that moment I could see why he loves it so much. To see the process through. To take all the practice, and effort, and sacrifice and put it into a single moment. His call was perfect. Callan successfully threw the ball down the field to an open receiver, and the first down was secured.
I nearly flung myself out of my seat when I realized I wanted to show him the article as soon as I read it. Alyssa painted my dad in the brightest shades of gold. To her, he's a star among the commoners who make up this campus and city. Regardless of the strength it would take me to say that statement with a straight face, I have to give it to Alyssa. All the parts about him are tasteful. Most are comments from former players, or the families of current ones, who praised my dad's dedication to the program. One alumni currently playing in the NFL claimed that my dad's style of coaching gave him valuable life lessons. He called him a father figure, and attributed his success to having played for my dad. Apparently they still have a relationship and talk regularly. My dad even sends his daughter a birthday gift each year.
It didn't hurt me to read that. Not like it would have a few years ago. Sure, Ryan Quinn hasn't always been the most loving father figure to me, but he has been to someone. It gives me hope. Those attributes live somewhere inside of him, so maybe someday we'll learn how to heal our relationship enough for me to find them.
