Page 10 of Calm Before the Score

“Agreed. I wanted to skip out on it, but Hartley insisted it was a must.”

“How did you two meet? I love that you have each other. Hartley has always given off that crazy papa bear energy,” she gestures every sentence with her hands.

“Well, I’ve known him for pretty much my entire life.” I pick up my greasy pizza slice dipping it in ranch before taking a bite. “We’ve always looked out for each other, so coming to Springs U was a no-brainer,” I explain without giving up too much about our past and why we had to look out for each other younger than anyone should.

“That must be nice having someone in your corner. Gotta respect loyalty.” She sounds almost sad.Does Liza have anyone to look out for her?

“Why did you come to Springs U?” I ask.

“That’s a complicated story, but let’s just say I stuck it to my dad by coming here, and I have no regrets.” She chuckles.

“I’m glad you love it here. The party was a little overwhelming, and I hate being the center of attention,” I admit.

“Get used to it, girl. You werenoticed,and when the football team takes note, you can officially retire from wallflower status.”

“I like being a wallflower, though. It’s less complicated.”

“I can help you. I haveplentyof experience with cocky football players, one in particular.” I take that as an opportunity to ask about her past with the team.

“How did you get so close with the team? It seems like they love you.” Liza has that energy about her that is addicting. She’s fun to be around.

“I thought you’d never ask! It all started at last year’s back-to-school bash. A few friends from high school invited me, failing to mention that it was a football player thing. When I got there, Locke was the first person to come up to me, and I stupidly engaged.” She rolls her eyes and runs her hands over her face dramatically.

“Was he a jerk or something?” I ask.

“The exact opposite. He’s so smooth and fed me everything I wanted to hear. We were inseparable the rest of the night. My naive freshman self thought he really liked me and wasinterested inme.” She scoffs. “A few nights later, he invited me out to the bar. One thing led to another, and we ended up hooking up.”

“Oh, no. Please tell me he didn’t ghost you?” I ask with concern.

“Worse. He kept me hanging, but barely. He made me feel like I was special to him but would flirt with girls in front of my face. We’d argue, but he'd charm his way back into my bed. Hence the vicious cycle of liking someone who doesn’t feel the same way.”

“I’m so sorry, Liza. You don’t deserve to be treated like that.”

“He still gets to me from time to time, but I’m in Locke recovery.” She giggles. “And the best part about this is—I can help you avoid making the same mistakes I made, young grasshopper.” She fake bows and elicits a loud laugh from me.

“Don’t worry about that. I’m steering clear from relationships with complicated athletes. I already have one on my hands.”

“Whatever you say, but sexy men with big muscles can be very convincing.” She winks.

Maybe she’s right because I’m still thinking about the taste of one tattooed player in particular.

Ryan

I try my best to keep my head straight all week. I show up early to practice, go to all my classes, keep my partying to a minimum, and avoid Violet like the plague. The first game of the season is this weekend, and I need to focus. Scouts are watching my every move, and I can’t have another fight on the field like last week at practice. Coming from a small school means I need to outperform all the bigger names. It’s a challenge, but I have a way of standing out on the field. My routes are sharp, and I try to keep every play clean.

I keep my distance from everyone except my mom. She grounds me and reminds me what I’m here for. I take the five-minute drive to her house to bring her some of her favorites:grilled chicken nachos from the local restaurant down the street. She used to go there all the time, but she doesn’t get out of the house much on her own anymore.

Sliding my key into the door of my childhood home, I push it open and immediately feel at peace. The warm smell of her favorite cinnamon candle is burning. The house is clean but lived-in, with pictures littering the walls. I’m greeted by my frail and smiling mom at the door. She’s my whole world. Seeing her like this makes me think back to the day I found out when my whole world changed.

Everything changed during the winter of my freshman year of high school. Mom started falling, getting dizzy and weak. Something wasn’t right. I convinced her to get an annual check-up. I thought it was allergies or maybe the flu. She was diagnosed with ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a month later. ALS is a condition that attacks her nerves and motor functions like her hands and legs. Her body will slowly lose motor function, but her mind will stay intact. It’s almost as if her mind will eventually be trapped in a body that can’t do much of anything anymore. My future ended that day. Her diagnosis rocked my world.

I was angry at everybody and everything. I started making the worst decisions possible and hanging out with the wrong people. I stopped caring. I partied all night and skipped school. I did my best to keep my downfall a secret from my mom. I didn’t need her worrying about me. She had enough to worry about. The medical bills were piling up, and she needed to take off work more to make all of her appointments.

I decided to do quick things to make money. I started reselling some of my things, but that only got me chump change. One of the older guys that I became friends with introduced me to gambling. I started gambling on things here and there under the table through him. My crowd was older than me and hadconnections to that world. Mom thought I got a part-time job downtown bussing tables. She didn’t need to know the details or where I was spending my time. I was the man of the house. I felt responsible for taking care of her, and I couldn’t let her down. I was already a failure and had no future beyond this town. I wasn’t great in school, my grades were up and down, and I couldn’t afford college. I could at least get this right.

My gambling stint lasted a few months, and the bill stack got smaller. I felt like I was finally doing something right by my mom, but like the quintessential screw-up I am, I got caught. My bookie got arrested, and the names of all of his clients got leaked. Since I was a minor, I didn’t get arrested, but the sheriff gave my name to the principal. I almost got kicked out of school. They called my mom up to the office. When she found out, she cried and begged for them to let me stay in school. I could have cared less. I didn’t need school anymore. I needed money, lots of it. My saving grace that day was my assistant principal, Coach Damiens.

Coach gave me an ultimatum. He said the only way for me to stay in school would be for me to join the football team. Mom and I spoke at the same time, with contradicting answers. She jumped at the opportunity, and I shot it down. I stared daggers into my mom’s eyes. I don’t have time for sports, especially football. School sports were a waste of time and money for someone like me.

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