Odell Quickies

Contest Winner

It was another boring day in Jacksonville, Florida besides the fact I was going to a Jaguars preseason game. The heat was insane and the crowd filling the stands at EverBank milled around finding their seats, running to concession stands, and sipping on cups and bottles of beer. I scanned the rows for where my friends told me to meet them. Sure enough there they were, a huge tray of nachos and sodas between them.

My name's Alexis. I was born in New York but raised mostly here in Duval. I stood a good 5 feet 8 inches off the ground with a sturdy frame, courtesy of my parents. I played several sports throughout my early school years and stopped freshman year of high school due to illness.

Clad in a simple burgundy t-shirt, exact matching burgundy Vans sneakers, and khaki distressed cargo shorts I walked to the clearing of seats on the 50 yard line. The stadium stopped wind from getting in the bottom of the stadium so my auburn dyed curls mixed in with my natural dark brown stayed still in a perfect mess atop my head.

You're wondering why I'm telling you about this dumb football game, huh? Well remember the fact I was from New York? This wasn't just any preseason game, it was Jags vs. Giants and I was hype. Last season I scored amazing seats to the Giants/Jags game and I annoyed anyone who paused long enough to let me tell them about it. My dad is a heavy Giants fan and you can safely assume it rubbed off on me. Anyway, this particular game was important because I'd signed up for this contest to meet any players of my choice and to take a tour of the stadium as well as a two day "1 on 1 date" with 1 player. Odell Beckham Jr. Gorgeous, talented, and a major deal to me.

"Lex!" I hear one friend call out. Gage, kind of like my brother. He was 2 years and a couple days younger than me but when we met in college we instantly clicked.  "Where have you been?"

"Sorry, I got caught in traffic over Matthew's Bridge. Did I miss anything important?" I gave him a quick hug and took my seat between him and my other friend Alyssa.

Alyssa was a childhood friend. One of the only other girls I was close with that shared as much interest and enthusiasm in sports like me. She had a gorgeous smile and these dark captivating brown eyes you could get lost in, so it's no wonder that when I first introduced Gage to her, he fell in love. Her dark curly hair was twisted into intricate twists that stopped just shy of the top of her chest, black and teal weaved in places, gold in others. "Not  really, they announced Jaxon DeVille is retiring though." She shrugged and continued gazing out on the field. "Odell was over here signing autographs just before you got here. They didn't like that." She looked around our section with a smirk. The whole section was Jag fans. Bortles' number 5 jersey clothed several backs, while some stayed OG with Fred Taylor, Maurice Jones-Drew, David Gerrard, and Byron Leftwich jerseys. Even Alyssa sported an old fan favorite Rasheen Mathis jersey. Gage and I rolled our eyes, huge fans of opposing teams. "They ran him off quick Lex. He seems really cool though. Are you excited? Y'know about this weekend?"

I hadn't really thought much of it until then. "I don't know. It's weird, I felt really chill but at the same time anxious. What if he's an ass or with my clumsy ass, what if I embarrass myself? I just wanna have a good time at the end of the day though."

Gage gave me a clap on the shoulder, "You'll have fun. He couldn't be that bad, right?"

Before anyone could respond, a boom came from the canons positioned near the Jags exit tunnel. Roaring cheers cut through the stadium and with every player entrance they would fade into new cheers. Then the Giants introduction came, low rumbling boos sang around me, while I seemed to be the only Giant fan here. It continued like that the whole game. A constant war of cheers and screams.

I was enjoying every second of the game so far when half-time came. They did the usual half-time activities, things for the kids, the normal stuff. I was face deep in a hot dog when Gage and Alyssa elbowed me in my stomach. I frowned at first until I looked up, I was on the huge screens on either end of the stadium while the announcer called out my name.