The Guy Named Harrison: Book Two

119

Carrie was waiting for Harrison by the tunnel. She knew he was going to want to make a quick exit. She wasn't prepared to handle him. He was going to blame himself by saying he should've been able to knock that pass down. Or that it was his fault for calling the wrong play that left that receiver wide open. Even that his coverage was horrible. Whatever it was, he was going to find away to blame himself.

She spotted him shaking hands with a few of the Eagles players. His chin strap was up over his mouth, and Carrie knew he was extremely pissed about the way the game ended. He'd never shown this much anger after games the Panthers lost.

Carrie couldn't blame him. This was a tough one to lose, especially when he was within an inch of knocking that pass down. He turned away from the crowd gathering on the field and broke into a jog towards the tunnel.

As he got closer, she called out to him. "Harrison!"

When she reached out to stop him, he stepped to his right and continued to jog right past her and through the rest of the tunnel. Carrie took a deep breath and watched his number 59 disappear around the corner. He'd let her in. It was just going to take time.

➄➈

Carrie talked with players and coaches for an hour after the game. As much as everyone was disappointed, it was a great game until the Panthers unfortunately lost it at the end. It was a great play by the Eagles and Harrison put in a hell of an effort to stop that pass. The Super Bowl just wasn't meant to happen this year. Now Harrison and a few of his teammates could get ready for the Pro Bowl next weekend.

After waiting for most of the players to leave, Carrie snuck into the locker room and walked all the way across it until she came to Harrison's locker. He was still sitting in his white uniform with his head in his hands.

"Harrison?" She asked as she placed her hands on his padded shoulders.

"Go away."

"Harrison come on."

"Carrie I don't want to talk right now!" He snarled back.

She immediately removed her hands. "You don't have to act like a little boy," she shot back. "I'm only trying to help."

Carrie glanced as Luke before leaving the locker room. It was up to Harrison to come to her now. She'd given up trying to be there for him because he wouldn't let her.

➄➈

Carrie came back another hour later to try and talk to him again. She didn't know why she was walking back into the locker room, but she was.

This time Harrison wasn't at his locker and Luke was sitting in his chair in front of his locker packing his bags. "Tough loss today."

"Oh yeah."

When she got to Harrison's locker, his jersey was thrown everywhere. She pulled his jersey off his shoulder pads and threw it into his laundry bag before picking up everything else laying around.

"You think he's ready to talk to me."

"I don't know," Luke answered honestly. "He didn't want to talk to me either. That's just him. Don't worry, he'll come around."

"I hope." Then she asked, "where is he now?"

"In the shower."

Carrie grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt from his locker and took off in the direction of the showers. Harrison was in the first one. She scared him when she pulled back the curtain and stepped in with him.

"Geez Carrie."

He ran his fingers through his hair. "I thought I told you I didn't want to talk right now."

"Well you need to."

"When will you learn to listen? I don't want to talk right now!"

She could tell he wanted her out. "I'll learn to listen when you learn to talk."

"You'll be waiting awhile."

"Why do you have to be like this? Why can't you just talk to me?"

"Because I should've made the play! We should be the ones going to the Super Bowl! Not them!" He was yelling now.

"You need to understand, this loss isn't your fault. How many other linebackers in the league could've jumped as high as you to even have a shot at that? Huh? How many?"

He didn't answer to that. "I should've had it," he told her again.

"I know it's tough. But you can't let one game bring you down. It sucks that we're not going to get to travel to another Super Bowl this year, just understand, it's not your fault that they scored that touchdown. You did all you could and they had some luck on that play. Okay?"

He nodded. "Okay."