Chapter Four #2
I head to the front of the box. I fold my arms across my chest and watch intently as the starting lineup for the Washington Spirit is announced.
Next up will be the Blaze. I’m always here in the box when the starters are announced.
It’s a ritual with me. I don’t eat or drink until they announce the team.
I let the nerves calm down a bit before grabbing my beer and street nachos, and settling into my chair.
The announcements for the Blaze are about to begin. I hear Drew saying something behind me, but I wave him off. “I want to hear this,” I say quickly over my shoulder.
Out of the corner of my eye, I can see that he has come to stand beside me. “You and this ritual. The girls will either play well or they won’t. It has nothing to do with whether or not you are standing here watching them.”
“So, you’ve said.” I say, without a glance in his direction.
The announcer runs through the lineup; the usuals are there—Mac, Cassie, Carrie, and finally he reaches Hendrix.
She steps forward and raises her arms to the crowd, pivots and engages the fans behind her.
Just as the others had. I grin at her, watching the way she interacts with the crowd.
I raise my hand slightly like I’m giving her a high five in return, even though that’s not actually what she’s doing.
I steal a glance at the monitor so that I can see her smiling face up close.
You can’t make out expressions in the box.
Most people would assume that Hendrix would be stoic and show no emotion when she’s announced. I’ve seen other keepers do it. Hell, the Washington Spirit’s goalie did that. I love that she smiles.
I catch Drew watching me. “What was that?”
“Nothing,” I say, turning to face him as the girls are circling up and getting ready for kickoff. “I was just acknowledging the players.”
“No, you didn’t do that with the others. Just the goalie.” He stares at me pointedly. “Who is she?”
“Hendrix Monroe, our starting goalie,” I tell him, like I have no idea where he’s going with this line of questioning.
“And she went to UNC with you, didn’t she?
” Drew moves to the chair to grab one of the programs that the event staff places in the suite before every game.
It includes the lineups for each team and a small biography on our Blaze players.
I don’t bother to stop him. I know what he’s going to find.
“She sure did,” he says when he finds Hendrix’s bio.
“Yeah, she did,” I say quietly.
Drew doesn’t say another word about it. In true Drew fashion, I’m sure he’s pocketing that information for later use.
I watch the girls and every once in a while, I notice him glancing in my direction.
But I don’t react to him or question him.
Only speaking to add a few bits of commentary on the game.
Danny eventually comes to join us. “Good to see you again, Drew.” He extends his hand. The two men shake.
“You too, Danny. Mac is looking good out there tonight,” Drew remarks.
I turn and see the pride shining in Danny’s eyes as he watches the field. Drew is right, she’s had some pretty impressive runs out there.
“Thanks, she’s having a great game,” he replies, grinning.
I clap him on the back. “She’s playing really well tonight.”
“They all are,” Danny remarks.
I nod and sip on my drink, watching the field. I do my best to follow the ball and the action. But my eyes always end up back on the goal box that she’s defending. There she stands in the bright pink goalie uniform, on her toes waiting for the action to head her way.
And she doesn’t have to wait long.
A long ball is sent from the Spirit defense and manages to make it past the defenders.
One of the Spirit forwards sprints past our defense.
Amelia, our best defender, is out with a tear in her meniscus.
I know had she been in game, she could have run them down.
She’s just that fast. I look over at Hendrix and see she’s coming out to square off with the opponent, effectively cutting the shooter’s angle. It almost works.
Almost.
The player pivots slightly to the left and manages to get a shot off.
Hendrix pivots just as quickly and lunges in the direction of the ball.
She executes a perfect dive and nabs the ball before it makes its way into the goal.
The crowd goes wild. I jump to my feet, drips of my drink falling onto my hand.
I shake it off and turn to Drew, grinning widely.
His excitement doesn’t quite mirror mine.
He’s more reserved than me, even with his own team.
But I don’t care how loud I am, I’m damn proud of this team.
I’m whooping and hollering in the box like she can hear me. I know she can’t. But still, I do it.
“That was an amazing save!” Danny exclaims.
“She’s amazing,” I reply. The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them.
Danny just watches me and nods.
Drew, however, has a different reaction.
“She’s the one. The one that Dad made you stop seeing as soon as he found her in your apartment.
” I don’t bother to deny it. His eyes are shining with delight because he’s figured it out.
I knew that he recognized the name, but I wasn’t going to help him with her identity. “Does Dad know she’s here?”
I shake my head. “Are you kidding me? He doesn’t remember her name. She was the best goalie that was up for drafting that night, so he took her.”
I can feel Danny’s eyes on me, but I don’t look in his direction. He knows the story; thankfully, I don’t have to explain it to him in front of Drew.
“Did you draft her on purpose?” Drew asks.
I shake my head again. “No, I didn’t. She was the best option. It was merely a business decision,” I lie.
The shit-eating grin on his face tells me that he isn’t buying it. “And you never thought to tell me.”
I turn my attention back to the game. “Leave it,” I say, my tone low and definitive, hoping he understands that the subject is closed.
Drew just snickers and turns his attention back to the game.
Hendrix pulls off some amazing saves. Each time I cheer for her, I feel Drew’s eyes on me.
At one point I turn to him. “I want the team to do well. She’s a major part of that,” I remind him.
“Does he always cheer for her so loudly?” Drew asks Danny. Like I’m not even there and couldn’t answer this question for myself.
Danny looks from me to Drew before answering. “Yeah, he does.”
I can tell that Drew isn’t buying it. Danny wasn’t very convincing.
“Interesting. I wonder what has changed,” Drew ponders, clapping me on the back.
“Fuck off, man,” is my only comeback. Not the best but it shuts him up and allows me to enjoy the rest of the game.
The Blaze end up winning. As time runs out, Mac scores off a beautiful corner ball that Cassie serves her. It’s an effective play that takes a lot of skill and timing. Moments later, the buzzer sounds, and the referee declares the Blaze the winner with a score of 1-0.
“Yeah! We’re playoffs-bound, baby!” I say, my fist pumping the air.
“That was a great game!” Danny says as we high-five.
“That’s awesome, congratulations, man,” Drew says, shaking my hand.
“We’re one of the few teams that can say they made it to the playoffs during their inaugural season,” I tell them.
Drew claps me on the back. “You put together one hell of a team here, August.”
I nod and smile. “Coach Watts has done some amazing things with them. There’s no denying that.”
“We headed out tonight?” Danny asks.
“You know it,” I say, punching him lightly on the shoulder. “Now go get your girl.”
With that, Danny heads out of the box in search of Mac.
“Can we talk about the cheers and excitement you were showing over your goalie yet?”
I shake my head. “I cheered just as loudly when Mac scored,” I remind him.
“Sure you did, brother.” He laughs and drains the rest of his drink. “This was fun, August. I’m glad I finally got out here to see the show.”
“It’s not a show, Drew, it’s a game. Same as the Marlins play. This one is just football,” I tell him.
“Not football, soccer,” he chides. “Even you know the difference,” he states, making reference to my football career that never got off the ground due to injury.
“Sure, sure,” I reply. “I’m going to head to the media room with the staff. You coming out with us tonight?” I ask him. I know the answer, but I extend the invitation anyway.
“Nope, I’m headed home. Early flight out of here tomorrow and all,” Drew replies.
“Uh-huh. You wouldn’t have come even if you weren’t hitting the road tomorrow,” I tease him.
“No, no, I wouldn’t. Now behave yourself tonight.” He sounds so much like our father when he says things like that.
“Of course, I always do.”
Drew just chuckles and extend his hand to me. “Congratulations on the playoffs. It’s really something.”
“Thanks, man.” I pull him into a quick hug. “It was great watching the game with you.”
Drew nods and then he’s gone. I turn my attention to the field and catch Hendrix as she heads into the tunnel that leads to the locker room. I hurry to the media room, hoping that Watts has sent her and Mac to join me.