Calvin
“Do you guys want a beer?” Chad asked as we walked by the concession stand. The line wasn’t long, so I nodded. I really needed a fucking drink. Not talking to Mason for the last couple of days had really raked me over the fucking coals.
“I am not a guy, in case you haven’t noticed,” Gina piped up, slapping Chad on the arm. “But I would like one too. Make it the large one, please.”
Chad grinned at her. “Sorry, ma’am,” he said as he tipped his baseball cap t her.
She grinned back at him, and Mike wrapped his arm around me and whispered. “Are those two ever gonna get their shit together and go on a date? It’s starting to get depressing.”
“Don’t worry. I think Gina has started to realize that if she doesn’t steer the bull, she’s never going to get a ride. When did he get so timid?” I replied. Watching the two of them fumble around each other was amusing. However, it was also like watching two blind people trying to find the light switch in a house they had never been in. In other words, it could end badly, fast.
“You want one, Mike? I know Cal does. He’s so pent up he’s about to explode, hoping his boyfriend might make it onto the field today,” Chad laughed, and Gina slapped him on the arm again.
“Damnit, woman. That hurts,” Chad pouted as he moved up in the line and ordered. He handed all of us our beers as he paid. He was that kind of friend, and for all his rough parts, Chad made sure that Mike and I never went without.
We sat down in the stands, and my phone buzzed. It was crowded today, and we had seats higher up than we normally were. I was a little agitated because that would make watching Mason, harder.
I pulled my phone out and read the text, my eyes bugging out of my head. “Y’all, Billy and Gwen are here, and they saved us seats right in the fucking middle, front row.”
Chad stood right up. “No, shit! Mother fucker that’s amazing. Let’s go.”
We wound our way down and around until I saw Gwen waving at me. Her hair was dyed blue for our team today, and she waved at us like a crazy woman.
“I saved you guys some seats. Those ladies behind you didn’t think you all actually existed. I thought I was gonna have to get in a catfight.” She stared them down, and they all made faces at her. My money would have been on Gwen. She was a wildcat.
The speakers blared to life, and the players all rushed onto the field, standing at attention as the National Anthem was sung by a music major with a bad warble. Seriously, it was painful. Everyone erupted into cheers, and the band played the Moray fight song. The audience sang along as the cheerleaders flipped and flopped and shook their moneymakers.
The announcer came on, and the game began. There was number thirty-two out on the field leading his team. It looked like he glanced up at me, and I had to stop myself from waving at him.
“Dude, is that? Holy shit! McKendrick fucking started! I bet that makes your balls blue, don’t it, Cal?”
I didn’t answer. I felt like I was holding my breath as I watched him make play and after play. The boys were doing well and running the ball, even Chad was impressed. We got it in field goal range, and somehow, maybe it was with my sheer will, Doughty actually kicked a field goal. We were ahead.
Our defense was in top form today, and the opposing team could barely move the ball. The twins sacked the quarterback twice, and eventually, the only option they had was to kick.
That meant Mason was back in. He called the play and feigned right before spinning around and going left. He looked like a dancer out there, and the other team could never get a grip on him. He threw the pass, and it was caught by one of the wide receivers, and he ran the fuck out of the ball. They got him within twenty yards of our goal.
Electricity shot through me as I watched Mason call the next play. The ball hiked to him, and he found himself out there alone with no one open, so with a quick surge of power, he vaulted over the other team’s defense, and before anyone could blink, he had run the damn touchdown himself.
All of the players hugged him and slapped him on his ass as he made his way back to the bench. It was nine to zero as halftime was called.
“He looks good in those pants, doesn’t he? How does he look out of them?” Gwen whispered into my ear.
I could feel myself blush, and I glanced over at Chad and Gina, who were chatting away to each other. Maybe this would be good for them. They looked like they were sitting closer than they ever had before.
“So, what did he tell you?” I whispered back, as the band started the halftime show.
“That’s for me to know and for you to find out. He does love you, Calvin. Of that, I have no doubt.” She bumped her shoulder into me. The thought of him talking about me made me smile, even if it were only to Gwen. Well, there was also the twins. He was trying, maybe I had been too harsh?
“I don’t get it,” Billy laughed. “It’s like wrestling with a ball. I just don’t get it.”
Mike moved over to him, and they started talking about the rules. Billy listened, and as the teams took the field for the second half, he stayed there so he could help Billy understand what was going on.
The second half of the game happened in a blur. Mason went down hard a couple of towns, and I stood up every time, looking to see if he was okay. He always was. The score hadn’t moved, and our defensive team was playing their best tonight. Moray hadn’t had a shutout since I could remember. There were only five minutes left, and Mason moved the ball quickly down the field. Before anyone could blink, he threw a pass, and it was caught and ran in for another touchdown.
Fuck, he was amazing. What pressure he must feel out there. What kind of pressure he must have felt from me.
I was a fucking monster, wasn’t I? How could you make someone do something they weren’t ready for? Sure, I could blame what I went through with Eric for my feelings about Mason coming out, but that wasn’t really fair to him. He wasn’t Eric, and I had tried to turn Mason into him.
