Ch. 21: Daddy Issues

(^^^Nina & Colton during the game lol ^^^)

The screams from the crowd are deafening.

It's Homecoming weekend, and our very own Silver Brook Devils football team take on our university's rival, the Belmont Knights. The game has been close from the first kickoff. Asher and Noah secured Nina, Char, Colton, and me field-level seats. I guess Asher being the star quarterback has some perks. Sitting close to our team's bench, it's hard not to get really into the game. Even Nina, who doesn't know anything about the sport, is getting into it, her and Colton taking turns sharing his beer-drinking helmet. I can't take either of them seriously, but the rest of the fans sitting around us think they are hysterical, cheering them on as they replace the two empty Bud Light cans connected to the hat with fresh cold ones. Shaking my head and laughing as I watch my two friends get drunker by the minute, I glance over at Char. She is the definition of a football girlfriend if I have ever seen one. Dressed in Noah's jersey and his number painted on her cheek, she yells along with the crowd, waving around some mini pom-poms.

Feeling a harsh cool breeze, I try and snuggle into Asher's SBU Football sweatshirt that I picked out for the game. Well, actually Asher picked it out for me. I'm still wanting to take things slow, but Asher wanted me to wear something to show that I was his girl. I refused to wear his backup jersey, thinking that made too much of a statement. We settled on the sweatshirt, as a happy compromise. I smile, thinking about how excited he was to see me wearing it this morning before he left for the team's pre-game rituals.

I'm jolted out of my thoughts, as the crowd gets even louder. I look down on the field, and see Liam intercepted Bellmont's' quarterbacks' throw, before being tackled by one of the offensive linemen. The crowd roars, stomping their feet, making the stadium feel like it's practically shaking. I cheer alongside my friends, as our offense retakes the field. I see Asher scanning the crowd before his eyes land on me. I wave, jokingly blowing a kiss his way. Okay, Makayla. You could have been a little less lame and cringey. Asher only grins, pretending to catch it and then putting his hands over his heart. I shake my head, laughing at his cheesiness. God, I thought I was lame, but Asher at least makes it look cute. He grabs his helmet, making his way onto the field with the rest of the offensive team. Char squeals, grabbing my shoulder and shaking me.

"Char, cut it out!" I yell, laughing at my best friends' reaction to Asher and me.

"I'm sorry! I can't help it; y'all are freaking adorable! I still don't know why you just won't make it official already," she exclaims, sending a pointed look my way.

"You should be asking the same question to Nina too, Char." Colton chimes in, throwing his arms around us. "I've been trying to lock her down for months, and she won't budge."

"Ew, lock it down? I'm not a piece of property." Nina rants, jabbing him in the side with her elbow. He recoils and cries out in pain. The dramatics.

"I didn't say you were, babe! I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that," he starts rambling off apologies. From the corner of my eye, I see Nina smirking, clearly enjoying Colton making a fool of himself for her. I can't with those two.

"Guys, shut up and focus! Noah and Asher are going back on the field. There's barely any time left, and Bellmont is up by 3." Char says, silencing the two for the moment. I'm sure by the end of the game, Nina and Colton's argument will pick up right where they left off.

I look down at the field, and realize Char is right. With less than 2 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the guys must make every play count. Hanging out with Asher after losing a football game is exhausting. He's so competitive, so to make up for the loss on the field, he makes us play games he's good at, so he can 'reclaim his edge'. His words, not mine. If they lose to our rival team? Yeah, I really don't want to even imagine it. Last time they lost, Asher and Noah forced Char and me to play Uno, which ended with Char and me storming out. I don't think either of our relationships can survive another Uno night.

After watching one of our running backs get tackled, I notice we are at the 10-yard line. With less than a minute now on the running clock, there's only enough time for one last drive. The players break from the huddle, and I watch as they set up for the final play.

The ball is snapped, and Asher has it now, firmly in his grasp. Noah has almost made it to the endzone, when one of Bellmont's linebackers breaks through the O-line's defense and makes a rush towards Asher. Feeling the pressure coming head on, Asher releases the ball, a Hail Mary attempt, before he is sacked. The crowd is on the balls of their feet, watching as the ball sails down the field. Holding my breath, I exhale in relief as Noah catches the ball in the endzone. All hell breaks loose. Our fans are screaming their lungs off, celebrating our victory. Char's yelling so loud that I wouldn't be surprised if she wakes up tomorrow morning with no voice. I watch as Noah spikes the ball before being tackled by all his teammates, rushing onto the field. Asher runs up to him, clinking helmets. Noah breaks loose from the celebration down on the field and starts sprinting towards the sidelines. Once he reaches where we are all seated, he climbs up on the wall and pulls Char into a kiss. Everyone around us cheers, as we watch Noah and Char break apart, both grinning ear to ear.

"I'm so proud of you baby!" Char yells over the noise of the crowd. Noah winks before hopping down off the wall and joining the rest of his team. I see Lucas off on the sidelines, picking up the discarded water cups, glaring at Char and Noah. I nudge Nina to get her attention, and point down at Char's ex. She gives me a shit-eating grin before yelling to get Lucas's attention. He makes eye contact with Nina and I, as we flip him off. He storms off in response, heading towards the locker room. We both laugh and high-five. Char laughs, and tells us to quit it, even though I can tell she thinks he deserves it.

Making our way through the stands and down onto the field, we dodge people, as we force our way through the crowd. I'm craning my head and standing on my tiptoes, trying to find Asher amid all this chaos when someone bumps into me, nearly knocking me over.

"Makayla Davis?" I look up, and am surprised to see Cara's dad smiling down at me. I remember him from the days Cara, Char, and I used to be friends, but I haven't seen him in ages. The last time was high school graduation. He was usually never around, too busy running his company.

"Mr. White? Hi, it's nice to see you. It's been a while." I reply, not really knowing what else to say.

"It's nice to see you too, Makayla. I was always disappointed that Cara and you stopped hanging out. Maybe if you were still friends, she wouldn't have turned out the way she has," he shakes his head in disappointment. I'm a little taken back at his comment. I know I have reasons to dislike Cara, but this is his daughter.

"Dad? What are you doing here?" I look over and see Cara make her way over to us. Speak of the devil, and she shall appear. She glares when she spots me before refocusing her attention back on her father.

"You know that I am one of the alumni boosters; homecoming is one of the biggest events of the year, so I couldn't miss it," he replies, matter-of-factly.

"Oh. Well, did you see me cheering?" She asks, an underlying hint of hope in her tone.

"I had to catch up with some old friends and colleagues, so I didn't see much," he replies, as his phone starts to ring. "Sorry, Cara, I have to take this. We'll talk soon, honey," he finishes, waving goodbye to me and his daughter. I look over at Cara and see her downfallen expression. I'm about to ask if she's okay, when her expression changes, shooting daggers my way.

"What are you looking at?" she asks me, venom dripping from her voice. Before I can even speak, she scoffs, turning and walking off.

Moments like this make me understand Cara a lot better. She can be a tough pill to swallow, but seeing how her dad blew her off, I am reminded of when we were kids. All Cara ever wanted was her dad's approval, especially after her mom died. She had never talked about it much, the pain of her mom's death too much to handle at ten years old. She blocked it out entirely, focusing on earning the love of the parent who was still there. I guess that still hasn't changed.

I'm pulled away from my thoughts when I feel two, strong arms grab a hold of me from behind. I jump out of the person's arms, relaxing when I see Asher.

"Don't scare me like that!" I punch him in the arm.

"Ow. Rude. I thought you would be happy to see me and maybe congratulate me on the game-winning throw." Asher says, while pouting. I smile before pulling him into a hug. Asher tightens his hold on me, as I look up at him.

"Of course, I'm proud of you. I was trying to find you, but I'm too short to see over all these people." I joke, playfully frowning back. He laughs before leaning down and gently cupping my face with his hand. I sigh in content, as our lips meet.

In that moment, the crowd fades away.

It's only us.

***********************************************************************************************

Author's Note:

Not going to lie, I love writing scenes with Nina and Colton!

Hope you all liked this chapter! Thank you for reading! ❤️