The Fumble Of A Quarterback

Chapter 8: I Hated Him

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I ran down the stairs and smiled at my parents, who sat in the living room, tending to their own personal forms of relaxation on the Friday night.

"What's that smile for champ?" dad asked as he put down his sports magazine.

"I'm going out tonight," I told them rather proudly. Me going out on a Friday night was a big deal.

Dad lifted his eyebrows and grinned. "Oh, you are?"

I nodded, trying to play it off as casually. "I'm going out with Tad and his girlfriend."

"I didn't know Tad had a girlfriend." Dad frowned as he stroked his mustache.

"Don't take it personally, most people don't know. It's a casual thing," I stated as the doorbell rang. "That's them. I'll be out late, don't wait up for me."

"Have fun!" mom said as she turned back to his magazine.

I waved to them before opening the front door. On the other side of the front door was Tad, dressed in all black with his black hair slicked back. It was a completely different look than his standard work appearance. He looked fashionable, hansom even. Seeing him like this made me realize just like everyone else, he had a different life outside of work. "You look good."

He smiled as he stuck his hands in his pockets. "You too. It's nice to see you in things other than khakis and polos."

I pulled on my mini skirt with a nod. "I couldn't have said it better myself." With that, I closed the door behind me.

We got into the car and Tad quickly introduced me to the tall, beautiful woman, Elle, that looked more like a model from NYC than his girlfriend from some small town in Ohio.

Elle was friendly, like most Ohioans were, and made me feel welcome almost instantly. She dove into stories about how Tad and she history together. She talked almost a million miles an hour, making me focus on only her until Tad spoke up, turning the attention to him.

"This party is going to be great," Tad said as he turned left at an intersection. "Too be honest, I didn't think you would actually come."

I didn't think I would come either. But here I was, hoping that it wouldn't be terrible.

"Agreed. I'm so excited that we get to be a part of your first party experience," Elle spoke up.

"It should be exciting, that is for sure," I said, having no expectations for tonight. 

The only goal was to see how these players interacted with others outside of practice. I wanted to help my dad build unity, but how could I do that if I didn't know any of the players?

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"So have any goals for tonight?" Elle asked me. "Tad mentioned this was your first party."

I shook my head. I didn't want to jinx anything by telling people my true plans. Plus, Tad would probably judge me if he knew I was here solely for research. "I think it's better to go in with no goals, that way you aren't let down so easily."

"Spoken so collectively. I like her, Tad."

"I do too," Tad said as he parked on the street down the road from a house that already had so many people around it.

An uneasy feeling sat with me, forming a pit in my stomach as I stared at the house. This wasn't anything I was comfortable. Maybe I made a mistake in coming. This wasn't just a small team party, it was massive, and, for my first party, I felt like I couldn't breathe.