The Fumble Of A Quarterback

Chapter 13: He Mentioned It So Causally

Song for the start of the chapter!

Darla H

Silence filled the space as Everett and I walked to my house. It twisted my stomach into knots, making me wonder why he even wanted to come if he didn't want to talk. More importantly, I wanted to know what he was actually thinking. He often was silent, which frustrated me. I was not used to silence since everyone in my family talked. I wondered if Everett held back because he didn't want to incriminate himself.

Finally, I couldn't stand the silence any longer and I broke it by asking a simple question I knew he would respond to. "How did you get into football?"

I thought this question was a shoo-in for a detailed response. He was the best player on the team, he would love to talk about himself and the sport that got him to college. But what shocked me was how the corner of his mouth turned downward in thought. 

He sighed as he ran his hand through his messy hair. "Dad got me into it when I was young because he loved it. Found out I was good at it, so I didn't stop."

He spoke with such logic, not passion, as if it was only common sense why he played. I wondered if he actually liked the sport. "Do you like football?"

He shrugged as if the answer was simple. "Sure, doesn't everyone in Ohio?"

"I don't," I replied quickly.

He stopped walking as his eyes widened. "Your dad is the head coach for OSU, and you don't like football?"

"Surprised?" 

He was the first person on the team that I told this information to. No one actually asked the question, otherwise I would share. I think they all figured I liked it because my dad was coach. 

"Shocked actually."

"Well, life is full of surprising facts."

He nodded as he continued to walk down the road. "If you don't like football, do you like your internship, then?"

With a smile, I nodded as I thought about going to the stadium almost every day for the past few weeks. "Turns out I love it more than I thought. I've learned so much from the last three weeks. I guess, there is more to football than men pushing each other over."

He chuckled. "But there are a lot of men pushing men over."

"Yeah, there is a lot of that, but there is more to it, at least behind the scenes. Still don't like the sport, honestly, probably will never like it. But gained a better appreciation for it."

As we let the conversation die out, the sound of birds was the only thing that filled the space between us. Walking under the shaded trees that lined the streets, I saw my house approaching and I knew this conversation would be over soon enough. 

"Why did you shout at Rick the other day?"

His hands balled into fists before he took a deep breath in. "It's because he is hanging out with Charles like they're BFFS. After everything your father has done for the team, Charles is still around like a persistent rain cloud."

My palms started feeling sticky as I realized it wasn't related to me. "What did Charles do that was do bad?" I asked, as I tried to pry more information from him.

"Rape, drugs, theft, abuse, the list can go on."

I felt sick to my stomach as the weight of the words sank in. He mentioned it so causally, but I could see in his eyes that even he was affected by Charles' destruction. "I never read about any of that."

He shrugged as if the answer was simple. "Because the school is superb at hiding things. Turns out if you are the best person on the team, you can get away with a lot. But even the truth catches up to people one way or another."