Disaster Usually Follows

Chapter 15

Pic of Coach Greyson^^^played by Hector Elizondo

Maddie's POV:

When the final bell rang, Blake said goodbye and that football would be over at 7.

I didn't know what to do until so I decided to tackle all the homework I had missed.

I ran from classroom to classroom and by the end, I was carrying a pile at least as thick as an encyclopedia.

I knew I would get too distracted if I stayed in the halls so I quickly grabbed my school books from my locker and went to the library.

A few of the tables were already filled so I went to the back where there were corrals along the side. I chose the one furthest from the window and its bright light and sat down.

Might as well catch up now.

I shot a quick text to Mrs. Knight telling her the change of plans and got to work.

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I sighed in happiness as I wrote the last word of my English essay. It was by far the hardest class for me and also happened to be my least favorite subject. After an hour of homework, my head had started hurting but I had no choice but to power through. Now that I was done all I wanted to do was relax.

I glanced up at the clock and gasped. It was only 5pm! It felt like hours!

I quickly grabbed all my books and rushed to my locker, all but throwing them inside in my haste. I took my jacket and backpack and made my way to the football field.

I heard the boys before I saw them. I was startled at first when I saw the players slam into each other but still be able to stand up. Not sure where I was supposed to go, I walked into the bleachers and sat in the first row, close to the track surrounding the field.

It took me a while to spot Blake but eventually his familiar dark hair flashed in the corner of my eye. He was running with the football and surprisingly dodging everyone coming his way.

He was good.

When he made it to the end zone his coach yelled with joy.

"Great job Kerwinn! Play like that tomorrow and you can bet we're gonna win!" he shouted, running over to clap Blake on the back.

"Thanks, coach." I heard his reply.

"Let's run the plays a couple more times then you men can hit the showers." The coach said proudly.

The boys groaned, but it wasn't really a complaint. They were probably all ready to play tomorrow and show our rivals what we were made of.

As the boys got back into their positions one of the players whispered something to Blake and he looked towards the bleachers where I was sitting.

Embarrassed, I gave a shy wave and prayed to God that my face wasn't as red as a tomato.

Although I couldn't see Blake's face from where I was he paused, and then as if debating, he raised his arm and waved back.

The coach blew the whistle and like that, the moment was over. Blake turned back to the players and got into his position.

So he's the quarterback, I thought with my limited football knowledge.

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When the coach finally let the boys hit the showers, they were completely drenched in sweat.

Gross.

I didn't know where Blake parked his car so I decided to wait in the bleachers until he was done.

Although the field was empty, the coach stayed behind and started picking up the practice cones on the field. I looked around, wondering if any of the players were staying to help out. None were so I guess they cared more about their hygiene. I chuckled and stood up.

Having nothing better to do, I quickly walked down the stairs and helped him. He didn't notice me the first five minutes because we had started on opposite sides of the field. When we finally met in the middle he looked a little startled which turned to gratefulness when he saw the stack of cones in my hand.

"Why thank you, young lady." He said with a slight country twang.

Now that I was closer to him I saw that he actually looked less like a coach and more like a cute grandpa. I'm serious, though.

He was a little shorter than me with gray hair and a friendly face. He had dark brown eyes that carried a sparkle and a growing pot belly.

"It's not a problem," I said happily, glad I could save him some trouble.

"What's your name?" He asked, guiding me over to the rest of his training gear.

"Madison, but everyone calls me Maddie," I said.

"Pleasure to meet you, Maddie. My name is Matt Greyson but you can call me Coach."

"Maddie!"

I turned my head to see Blake coming out of the locker room with two of his friends in tow. He had spotted me and started walking in my direction. Nervous, I shuffled in place until he was close enough.

"Hey, you guys looked great out there." I complemented, briefly making eye contact with Blake and his friends. All of them had wet hair from their showers and had fresh clothes on, thankfully. I wasn't really eager to smell what a football player smelled like after a four-hour practice. But Blake actually looked really good. He looked laid back in his dark jeans and a light gray hoodie, which was a little wet from his hair.

"Thanks." they said in unison, looking to the coach for more appraisal.

"They really do. I wouldn't be surprised at all if we took that rival trophy tomorrow." Coach Greyson agreed.

The boys all cheered and high-fived each other in excitement.

"Thanks again for helping me out, Maddie. Hopefully, we'll see you tomorrow at the game. Night boys." Coach said before walking away.

"Maddie, these are my friends, Jake and Colton." Blake introduced, pointing first at a tall blonde that flashed me a confident smile, then to a shorter boy with chocolate skin and a shy grin.

"Hi," I said quietly, giving them a small wave.

"Sup," Jake said, giving me a small head bob.

"Hey," Colton said, somewhat looking down.

"Are you ready to go?" Blake asked, shaking his hand through his wet hair.

I got distracted watching the drops run down his face and into his shirt but soon shook out of it.

"Yeah!" I squeaked, rushing back to the bleachers and grabbing my things.

When I turned around to go back to the boys, Blake was jokingly pushing the boys away and they headed off towards the parking lot.

By the time I made it back to Blake they had already disappeared out of the gates that surrounded the football field.

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