Page 14 of The Backup Plan
“He’ll be with me at the game. Remember I told you when camp started that I have a freshman linebacker who’s annoyingly good-natured and I was a little afraid I was going to hate him?”
She speared a forkful of salad. “Yeah, you weirdo.”
“He’s un-hateable. I have a lot of respect for the guy as an athlete and as a person, and despite him being a total goofball with no verbal filter, he’s honestly my new favorite to line up with.”
“He sounds interesting. Why is he my friend?”
“My friends are always your friends.”
“You sounded weird about making it some big announcement or something,” she said between bites. “Are you trying to set me up with Mister Nice Guy?”
“Honestly, I wouldn’t be sad if you were interested in dating him.”
“Is that a hint?” Avery leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, suddenly suspicious. “This must be a big deal. You made a point of avoiding my adolescent love life.”
“That’s because I remember how you punted Mitchell Harris in high school. I trust my sister’s judgement. I’m just saying, if you want to trust mine, here’s a good way to do it.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Why would you want me to date your friend? You’ve spent the last two years telling me it would get awkward in your locker room if I dated someone and we broke up.”
“Quote me right. I said it would get awkward if you start ‘breaking hearts willy-nilly.’ But this is different.”
“If I’m not breaking his heart, I guess we’re getting married. Have you told him we need to set a date, or shall I?”
“Come on. He’s a lot like you. You guys will have fun hanging out.”
“Oh, then we are definitely not dating. I don’t need two of me, but I’ll take a new friend any day.”
“His name is Isaac.”
She coughed and caught a mouthful of salad in her napkin.
“You don’t have to call him that,” he said quickly. “I don’t. I just call him Fields.”
Avery cleared her throat as she folded the napkin into a tight ball. “I’ll manage calling him by his name.”
“You’re doing a lot better than I am.”
“The people at the student counseling center are really nice. I’m all set to go every two weeks, and they gave me good ideas about how to deal with anything I’ve got to study with water and boats.”
Justin nodded and picked up his glass, then set it back down without drinking. “You’re getting after it. I’m proud of you.”
“You should give it a try. Come with me. It was good to go together before.”
“Once the season is over, maybe. You know this time of the year is the worst for me. Football is paying for this degree, and I barely have time to earn it. I can only take twelve credit hours in the fall.”
She tried to shift the subject to something brighter. “I’m so excited to watch you play again. I want a sideline pass.”
“I’ll ask, but it’s unlikely any time soon, if ever. It’s different at this level. You’ll see all the major sports networks there tomorrow. The people on the sideline are mostly media who will be bugging Cam and Coach. It’ll be all eyes on the new guy for the next couple of games, I bet.”
“Why doesn’t anyone want to talk to the defense? You guys are half of the game.”
“Because we’re lunkhead jocks who can only grunt and run people over.” He smiled. “At least, that’s what we’re happy to let the media crew think we are.”
FIVE
The Rules of the Game
CAMERON: WEEK 1 (1-0)