Her Offensive Line

Chapter 5

Saturday morning was brisk and the bright sun hinted at a warm afternoon. The air smelled like football, like fresh cut grass and a hint of something indescribable—but absolutely electric. Katie and Tessa had gotten to the Carson stadium early to pick up their reserved tickets and were sat in the stands while the teams ran through their warm ups.

"So, what exactly is the point of this again," Tessa asked as she crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed her hands up and down her bare arms, attempting to create warmth from the friction.

Katie leaned forward, propping her elbows on her knees, eyes trained on the Carson players sitting on the turf, stretching their legs.

"I'm here to show support for my brother and the team. Apparently, if some reporter or anyone at school finds out the quarterback's sister has a conflict of interest with the Rawley quarterback, things could get ugly. For me and for Brady. This all could've been avoided if I'd just answered my phone on Tuesday morning. The guys wouldn't have seen Brady go berserk and throw down with Cole in the idle of our apartment. They didn't come out and say it, but I think they've decided I'm a liability. I'm a weakness that could cost them their championship.

"Seriously? Aren't they overreacting a bit? They think they can just order you around and that you're gonna stop hanging around with Cole?"

Katie sat up straight. She turned her head toward Tessa and then back toward the figures in red and black on the field. Tessa let the seconds tick by with her question unanswered.

"If they haven't said it yet, it's just a matter of time before they try to convince you not to see him anymore, at least until the season's over."

The ring of her cell phone saved Katie from addressing this. Brady stood on the sideline of the field with a phone pressed to one ear. She accepted the call and lifted her phone to her ear.

"Hey, B."

A roar suddenly went up from the crowd that was already gathered in the stadium and Katie plugged her opposite ear with a finger so she could hear her brother's words.

" . . . okay." The cheering had drowned out most of what he'd said, but Katie knew this conversation by heart. It was always the same.

Tessa swatted at her arm and Katie gave her a glare, until she noticed her friend was pointing toward the screen at the far side of the field. Larger than life, there was a split screen video: Brady on one side, and her on the other, each with a phone pressed to one ear.

Holy crap! The cheering was for them!

"I'm good. I promise," she managed to get out, flustered by being the center of attention like this. Tessa was jumping up and down, waving at the camera. Katie ended the call and stood up.

"Tess, I'm gonna get a drink. I'll be right back." After making her way out o he stands and through a short tunnel, Katie bypassed the concessions and made her way to the bathroom. She shut herself into a stall and pressed trembling hands to her flushed cheeks, trying to cool them with her chilly fingers. Her face felt like it was burning. It ached with the pool of blood rushing into her cheeks.

She'd been on the camera. This was it. This was the start of it. She hadn't realized until this moment that Nick and Cooper were exactly right. Brady was going to be asked about his pre-game ritual again. Her brother was too talented, good-looking, and charismatic not to attract the attention of the media. After game interviews were going to turn into features. And wouldn't a cute little special interest piece be too tempting to pass up? She could see it now: Brady, their parents, and her, his little lucky charm, who he'd now been caught on camera talking to for a string of games.