Page 208 of Steeling Her
“Cara seems to think so. You rarely see him out with girls, and they’re usually just socialites wanting a higher status. Jesus.” He randomly starts laughing loudly.
“What?” His friend looks at him out of curiosity.
“We sound like Cara and Jess right now.” They chuckle and pay for their food, leaving me standing there wanting to hear more.
“Next!” she calls for me to step forward.
“Hi, I’ll have the chicken stir-fry and fried rice, please,” I tell her my usual order whenever I come to these games. Usually, families of the players are in the box seats but we like to actually sit with the crowd. We like the atmosphere, especially Taylor. She gets to see her dad play on the field instead of having her face pressed up against a glass window and complaining that she can’t see him.
As I pay for my food, I walk back to the meeting point we all agreed to so we can get escorted by security down to our seats safely. Being from the Steel family has us vulnerable in any of the stadiums we go to.
My dad, mom, and Taylor are already there. As we wait for Danielle to come back with her and Taylor’s food, we stand around and talk for a moment. Then we’re soon joined by the rest of them.
“Everyone ready to go?” My dad asks after counting heads, and we all nod before making our way over to the security detail that has been assigned for us for getting down to our seats and to protect us for the duration of the game.
NFL fans can be unpredictable and wild, especially with my dad and brother.
“Alright, let’s go.” My dad taps the first security guard on his shoulder to tell him we’re ready. He nods in response and says something through the microphone he has. There are four guards in total for us as we pass through the glass doors to get down to the seats.
I can hear fans screams for my dad and brother as we follow the steps down to the field side seats Chris and TJ has assigned for us for the season’s home games.
A loud voice echoes once more around the stadium and it gathers everyone’s attention. “From everyone here at the stadium, we would like to welcome some NFL royalty today. Please put your hands together to welcome the Steel family today!” The voice makes it known that we’re here. Every time they do this, I get so embarrassed because the entire stadium’s eyes are on us and I hate the feeling of being watched.
A booming sound of cheering and a round of claps take over the stadium as we near the section reserved for us. My dad waves at everyone and thanks them for their support, despite being a coach of another team, as does my mom and brother. My dad has a lot of fans because he’s very talented at what he does. He has a knack for teaching people, talking to them, and getting them to work on and improve the weaknesses of their game. He delivers the message they’re missing to make them outstanding players and teams.
After every game, players would often focus on what they did right for their game. He, in contrast, would point out what they need to work on without sounding negative about it. He would say, “if you could improve on this, I could see you here in the future.” Nine times out of ten, it worked for them. He would morph them into great players—the best players. It’s why he has a phenomenal record for the most Super Bowl wins and for just getting into the finals. He doesn’t win all the time, but he’s the number one coach in this industry for a reason.
He shakes hands with a few supporters as we make our way down the aisle. My dad talks to some of the much younger fans that are lining the stairwell. Finally, we get to our seats without much hassle. Danielle has Taylor locked to her side as she carries her down.
The atmosphere is energetic with a few wolf whistles, rowdy cheers, and some horns being blown. The fans are ready to go, and I’m sure the team will be just as hyped for their first game back this season.
After a few moments of light chatter among the crowd, we were told to stand on our feet for both teams. The Saints are the first to arrive, and they make an entrance to remind the stadium of who they’re up against. The booming beat carries across the seats and to the back, making the hair on my neck stand up. The powerful presence of the opposing team is made known. and we’re anticipating the home side’s arrival. It should be an interesting game, but seeing as it’s Nicks first game with the team and as the first-string quarterback for the Chargers, it could be touch and go. They can’t afford to lose this game.
The crowd politely claps for the away team as we wait for the reason why we’re all here today.
“Please put your hands together for the Chargers! Let’s hear it!” The announcer pumps everyone up as usual and we all greet the team with thunderous cheers. The beat of the motivational song echoes around just like the previous song, only this time it’s stronger and gathers all the attention in the surrounding area.
“Yay, Daddy!” Taylor calls for my brother but gets drowned out by the song. Danielle bounces her on her hip to get her excited but she honestly doesn’t need it. She’s always excited to see her dad play.
With her tiny Steel jersey on, she waves her hands around to try to get his attention. Like every game she’s at, he always searches for her in the crowd to give her a big smile and a kiss. Today is no different. With his helmet in his hand, the rest of the team follow him. He stands on his field and blows her a kiss, sends her and her mom a wave.
I spot Nick strolling out with his head down as he follows the team out. TJ is beside him as they make their way towards the team for the national anthem. Both of them are not wearing their helmets.
As they all stand side by side, everyone stands to sing the national anthem. The audience quietens down quicker than expected. You can practically hear a pin drop.
He instantly finds me in the crowd.
His eyes take my breath away.
Those green pools of sadness stop my heart from beating. The remorse I can see through them; the regret and pain.
It’s all so familiar.
I wore that same look. It has my heart aching. I want to take away his pain but my head reminds me that he created it. For both of us.
I just can’t stop feeling the way I feel for him.
Everyone fucks up at some stage in their lives. He fucked up during college.
