Touchdown

by Garnet Hart

  She sat beside Bessie and watched her play. Another quarter of an hour later, she lost her patience.

  Bessie yawned. “He’s still not here?”

  She shook her head. “Go on. Just keep playing.”

  “I’m bored already.”

  Zoey stood up and peered through the window once again. He said he was serious when he said he’d come pick her up at seven. Was he making fun of her?

  She went to the kitchen to make a glass of milk for Bessie. When she returned, the girl had fallen asleep on the couch.

  “Fuck!” she grunted.

  What the hell was she thinking? Of course he was kidding. Why did she even bother to believe a word he said? He got what he wanted. She had changed her statement. He had nothing to do with her anymore.

  Well, she’d go watch the game on Monday, and she’d be cheering for the Jets. She hoped his team would suffer an embarrassing loss.

  Chapter 8

  “Go Wayne!” Zoey cheered with the crowd of solid Jets fans, all wearing their NY Jets shirt. She had number 21 on hers—Mason Wayne’s number.

  “Ugh!”

  Wayne was sacked by who else than his arch nemesis—Troy Myers.

  Disappointed, she sat back on her seat and dropped her crutch on her feet. The Patriots had been doing great this second half. They were down by nine points before that, until their show-off quarterback made a run with the ball and scored a touchdown, plus another extra.

  “Did you have a fight with Troy again?” Bessie, who was quietly sitting beside her, asked.

  “What?”

  “You’re angry at him because he stood you up the other night.”

  “N-no, no.” She laughed. “He called. He said he couldn’t come because he had to go somewhere,” she lied.

  “Then why are you cheering for the Jets? You should be supporting him. He is your boyfriend.”

  “W-well…” She was lost for words. This girl was very inquisitive. Who the hell said Troy was her boyfriend anyway?

  “Booo!”

  Her eyes darted back to the field. What happened?

  The patriots were rejoicing. Everyone’s congratulating that annoying number twelve.

  He just scored a touchdown! Again?

  It happened so quickly she didn’t even notice it. That prick had suddenly changed his strategy, something that the Jets couldn’t have anticipated. And it was working.

  Now, the Patriots were in the lead, and they only had three minutes left in the game.

  After the time out, the Jets had the ball, but their quarterback’s pass got intercepted and Kirk Dobson made a run for it, all the way to the end zone.

  “I’ll kill you in hell, fuckboy!” a man behind her furiously roared while those around her uttered their own self-made version of profanity.

  She covered Bessie’s ears. This was the reason she didn’t like taking kids to football games. It was a perfect place to enrich one’s vocabulary for profanity.

  Often times, she’d utter dirty words herself, but not within a kid’s hearing range as much as possible.

  The ball was back with the Patriots. It all seemed hopeless now, but who would have thought that the star quarterback would mess up a pass. It was the dumbest pass she’d ever seen. Troy just threw the ball right at Wayne.

  The crowd yelled and rose to their feet. Wayne made a run for the ball. None of the Patriots even tried to stop him, instead, they protected their quarterback as he ran toward Wayne.

  Her jaw dropped. What the hell was happening?

  Myers tackled Wayne. For the second time, he had sacked the fastest running back of the decade. The crowd went more furious than ever.

  With barely a minute left, and the Patriots leading by twelve points, the game was practically over. But the Jets didn’t give up, not even the fans. Miracles often happened in the field.

  The time out called by the Jets was useless. As soon as Troy Myers took possession of the ball, he played with his usual game—he threw the ball forty yards to the end zone, where the wide receiver was waiting… and he got it—a touchdown pass.

  The game was over. The Jets lost. The crowd was disappointed.

  As the Patriots celebrated their victory, the angry audience threw their garbage at them.

  “Troy won!” Bessie exclaimed.

  Zoey quickly covered Bessie’s mouth. If anyone heard that, they’d be dead. Luckily, no one did.

  “Are you Zoey Graham?” a stadium security guard, who suddenly came from out of nowhere, asked.

  “Yes,” she replied.

  “Logan Norris wants you down the field. Please come along.”

  Perplexed, she picked up her crutches and stood up. She took Bessie with her and followed the guard down the field.

  “Let me have the girl,” Logan said when he saw them coming.

  Zoey frowned. “You called us all the way down here for Bessie?” she asked.

  “Something like that,” Logan said, smiling mysteriously, as he took Bessie away. When she followed them, he shooed her away. “Go back there.”

  “Why?”

  “Just… go.”

  Confused, she stood right where she was. She turned around to see the Patriots, still celebrating while the field was being filled with garbage.

  A petite woman pushed a wheel chair toward her. “Please take a seat.”

  She wasn’t sure what was happening, but she did not complain when the woman assisted her into the wheelchair and took away her crutch.

  The crowd was starting to disperse, when suddenly, someone spoke through the microphone. Everyone kept quiet, and the world stood still.

  Troy’s voice. She looked around and found him standing in the middle of the field.

  “Before anything else,” he paused to calm down his breathing. “There’s someone that I wish to introduce to all of you.”

  “Boo!” the crowd uttered and threw more garbage at him. Fortunately, he was too far away from them.

  “Let’s go, Miss Graham.”

  The woman pushed her wheelchair before she could say a word. She realized they were heading toward the middle of the field, towards Troy.

  She froze—paralyzed down to her last nerve ending. Was she the one he wanted to introduce to the crowd? What for?

  “Please meet Zoey Graham,” Troy said as she approached him. “She’s the woman I hit along the road, and God knows there wasn’t a day that I didn’t feel sorry for it.”

  The crowd continued to boo him, but he went on.

  The woman stopped pushing her wheel chair, about three yards away from him, and he looked at her.

  She remained paralyzed. What was this prick doing? Was he trying to gain back the people’s respect by presenting her to the public, and by saying he was sorry?

  Foolish. Whoever’s idea this was, it was just plain stupid.

  “So Zoey.” He smiled at her. It pricked something in her heart, but she chose not to react. “I know how much pain I caused you. I know that until now you’re still suffering, so I did everything that you asked me to do.”

  She frowned. She had no idea what he was talking about.

  “My team won the game,” he said, which angered the crowd even more and yelled slandering words at him. “We all did it for you.”

  The Patriots team, who were all lined up behind Troy, yelled and clapped their hands. A conspiracy was happening. They were all up to something, and she wished they didn’t make her a part of it. She didn’t want this. She couldn’t handle it. But what could she do? She couldn’t run away without her crutches.

  “And I scored two touchdown runs,” Troy continued, which finally rang a bell in her ears. “It’s not my game, but I did that too, for you.”

  Fuck! Was he talking about the condition she gave him if he wanted to marry her? That was a bluff! Nothing but a bluff! How could he be so stupid to believe it? Just as how stupid she had been when she believed he’d actually come pick her up at seven the other night.

  “And I did the thir
d one, which I don’t want to mention here.”

  Of course, he wouldn’t, or the fans would kill him. Now, she understood why he made that dumb pass. He wanted Wayne to have the ball, so he could sack him, and his team was all into it. They all helped him accomplish what she thought was impossible for him to do.

  “But that’s just a start. Here comes the real one.” Troy handed the microphone to one of his team mates who, in return, handed him a small, red box. He approached her and fell to his knees before her, with a diamond ring on his hand. “Zoey Graham, will you marry me?”

  Shocked and paralyzed, she gawked at him. She could hear the crowd cheering—a sudden change of atmosphere, but it took a while before she recovered.

  “Are you crazy?” she gritted the words out, hoping no one would hear it.

  He smiled at her. “If that’s how you see it.”

  “Say yes,” his team mates yelled.

  Zoey looked at the crowd. Everyone’s eyes were on her. The giant screen also showed her face, close up. They were all waiting for her answer.

  She knew this was Troy’s strategy to cleanse his rotten name. She had rejected his proposal, but now he’d thought of an elaborate plan to get her to where he wanted her to be—a situation she couldn’t get away from.

  He knew she couldn’t possibly say no to him now and embarrass him in front of the crowd. The clever son of a bitch.

  “Say yes, say yes,” the team went on cheering, and then the crowd followed. For one moment, they were all united, the Jets and Patriots fans alike.

  This was incredible. This asshole’s plan was working. But she could ruin it all for him… if she chose to.

  She stared into his eyes. He was patiently waiting for an answer. She couldn’t say no.

  “Yes,” she nodded.

  “She said yes,” someone yelled over the microphone and the crowd went wild.

  Troy smiled and put the ring on her finger. Suddenly, he held her head and pressed a kiss on her lips.

  She was startled. Her first instinct was to push him away, but she suddenly became aware that people were looking at them.

  She relaxed and did not move, but he did not stop kissing her. He moved his lips over hers—brushing, pressing. The whole world faded away from her senses. She could barely hear the noise. She could only feel the tender warmth of his lips.

  She couldn’t tell how long had passed when he finally pulled away. Once again, she became aware of her surroundings. Deafening noise filled the stadium once again.

  He smiled at her. “That was sweet,” he teased and stood up, waving at the crowd.

  She pressed her lips together. Somehow, she could still feel his mouth— warm, firm, soft, and strong… like the man he was.

  “Show’s over. Time to go,” he said and pushed her wheelchair away.

  *****

  “What in the world were you thinking?” she hissed when they were finally inside the locker room, out of the cameras’ and people’s sight, except of course from the Patriots team who were still screaming around. The room sounded like Alice in Chains was in concert.

  Troy pressed a finger under his nose to silence her.

  “Great game, Myers,” one of his team mates high-fived Troy. “That’s your best game this season.”

  “And that’s the best proposal ever,” Kirk Dobson added.

  Zoey felt like she was being nudged aside, so she wheeled herself backward. These were all men in here. The whole room smelled like men’s sweat. She shouldn’t even be here.

  “Did you see the crowd’s reaction?” Logan asked as he came running to them. “They loved it.”

  Everyone yelled as Zoey realized the whole team had gathered close together talking about the proposal. She was the leading lady in the scene, but it seemed no one regarded the part she played.

  So they all used her. The whole team, including their coach, had plotted that scene altogether. But the hell, it worked. From now on, nobody would be talking about the accident anymore. They’d only be talking about how the victim and the offender had ended up together.

  Quite a love story they had created. The only problem was that… none of it was true.

  Zoey wheeled herself closer to Logan and pulled at his shirt. “Where’s Bessie?”

  “She’s with Suzanne.”

  “Who’s Suzanne?”

  “My secretary. Don’t worry, the girl’s safe.”

  “Patriots!” someone came yelling from the door.

  Zoey was surprised when she recognized the newcomer. Hal Carter, the Patriots’ general manager.

  “What did I just see in there?” Hal asked. “Marvelous game. Good job.”

  Everyone howled and clapped their hands.

  “And you, young man.” Hal tapped Troy’s cheek. “You just pulled off one hell of a show. Has the Beast of the Field gone crazy?”

  “Crazy in love,” someone yelled which was followed by a loud laughter.

  “Don’t tell me that isn’t real,” Hal said. “That will go down in history as AFC’s best proposal in the field.”

  As everyone yelled, Zoey’s face flushed. These men had really played her. No one seemed to care what she felt right now. All that mattered was that they had won and had succeeded in helping their team mate with his foolish plan.

  She just sat there, unnoticed, as if she wasn’t there at all.

  *****

  Troy knocked on Zoey’s door. It was past midnight. She could be sleeping already, but he promised her he’d come to her apartment tonight. He could have come earlier if his team did not drag him to a bar to celebrate their win.

  He knew she was caught by surprise by that proposal. She must have known it was all for a show, but she had no idea it wouldn’t be the end of it.

  He knocked again. A minute later, he saw the lights turn on, and the door opened.

  “Jesus, Troy!” Zoey exclaimed when she saw him standing there. She was wearing a pink, silk wrapper and was still rubbing her left eye, with a crutch underneath her armpit. “Do you know what time is it?”

  “Yes, I know. I’m sorry,” he replied. “Mind if I come in?”

  She stepped aside to let him in, and then she closed the door. “Are you drunk?”

  He turned around to face her. “Just four drinks,” he admitted.

  She sighed. “You haven’t learned your lesson, have you? What are you thinking? Do you want another person to end up like me? Or end up dead?”

  He scratched his nape. This woman could lecture like his uncle. “I thought you wanted to talk to me?”

  “You could have come earlier, and not drunk.”

  “Sorry,” he said and sat on the nearest couch.

  She sighed again. “Now, what?”

  “Sit down,” he said, pointing at the adjacent couch.

  Without a word, she obliged.

  He took a deep breath before he started. “Thank you for not embarrassing me earlier. I almost thought you were going to say no.”

  She rubbed her forehead. “Trust me. I almost did.”

  “But you didn’t.”

  “You should have told me about your plan, you know.”

  “When you gave me those conditions, I took it seriously.”

  “Then you’re a dumbass.”

  “I prefer persistent.”

  “You have no idea what I had gone through the moment I walked out of the stadium. Everyone’s looking at me, and the press kept calling me all night. I don’t even know how they got my number.”

  “We’re in the same situation. Just turn off your phone.”

  “Troy, I don’t want this. I don’t want people looking at me everywhere I go. It makes me feel uncomfortable.”

  He sighed. He honestly couldn’t help her with that. “Maybe you should stay away from the public eye for now.”

  “I can’t do that. I have to bring Bessie to school every morning and pick her up again every afternoon. I also have to look for a job. I can’t lock myself inside my apartment. Not even for a
week.”

  “Don’t look for a job.”

  “Why not?”

  “In the eyes of the people, we’re engaged. You can’t be seen looking for a job while you’re engaged with me.”

  “Troy, I have to eat.”

  “I’ll give you monthly allowance.”

  She rubbed her forehead. He thought she’d refuse, just as she had always refused his financial offer. “Alright,” she nodded. “Three thousand a month. I hope this all dies down in two months so I can go back to my normal life.”

  “It won’t stop in two months, Zoey.”

  “Three months max. I don’t want to remain your freeloader forever.”

  “No, Zoey, we’re getting married for real.”

  Her eyes widened. She stiffened. “What do you mean we’re getting married for real?” Zoey exclaimed, but immediately covered her mouth and continued in a lower voice. “Are you crazy?”

  He leaned closer to her. “We can’t stop now. We have to convince the people this isn’t just a show.”

  “It is a show, Troy Myers, and it ends right there. I’ve done enough for you. I can’t help you anymore.”

  He stepped forward and dropped to his knees before her. “Zoey, listen.” He tried to hold her hand but she pulled it away.

  “Don’t beg me. You’ve already done that trick before.”

  “I’m not begging. I just want to explain.”

  She kept quiet but she avoided his stare.

  “Alright,” he said. “All of these, I’m doing it for myself. It just happens that you’re the only one who can help me out. I’ve dragged you into this without your permission. I connived with my team to trap you. Even if you said no when I proposed to you earlier, that man holding the microphone would have announced it’s a yes. That was the plan.”

  She scoffed and brushed her hair with her fingers.

  “It was selfish. I know. But since we’re both trapped in the situation—”

  “What do you mean both? I have nothing to do with your problem, in the first place, and I don’t wish to cooperate with you any longer.”

  “You can’t back out now, Zoey. You accepted my proposal.”

  “It’s all for a show.”