they were the best men
for their positions, before final cuts were made in preparation for the regular
season. No one wanted to be relegated to second or third string for
the year, warming the bench until a player was injured or ousted.
The Vikings made the first touchdown, and the Columbus crowd booed
their disappointment of the Knights' defense. It wasn't until the final minutes
of the half that the Knights' offense caught fire. They marched steadily down
the field, down by down. Then, from the Viking forty-yard line, Ty aired a
bomb. Gabe "Rocket" Rome made a spectacular diving catch, landing in
the end zone. With the others, Jess and Corey leapt to their feet, cheering
madly. The point-after was good, and once again the quarter ended on a tie.
Toward the end of halftime, as everyone was getting settled again
for the second half, Jess noticed a couple of cheerleaders staring pointedly in
their direction. One in particular seemed displeased about something. Jess
nudged Corey. "Who is that redheaded Dame giving you looks that could
kill?"
Corey looked, then laughed. "Oh, that's Bambi. Isn't she a
deer?" she joked. "And those daggers she's shooting are aimed at you,
girlfriend, not at me."
"Me?" Jess exclaimed. "But I haven't even met her.
Why would she be mad at me?"
"Because you've got Ty, and she wants him. Rumor has it he
took her out once, before you came along. I'd say a single date wasn't enough
for her. After all, in these circles, dating the starting quarterback is quite
a coup, especially if you manage to hang on to him for a while."
"I see. So my dating him automatically makes me her
enemy," Jess deduced. "Seems rather sophomoric to me, but then what
do I know?"
Corey shrugged. "As they say, forewarned is forearmed. Don't
be surprised if she or some of the others, out of pure jealousy, try to make
trouble between you and Ty."
That was a new concept for Jess. As far as she could recall, she
couldn't name one person, particularly another female, who had ever expressed
jealousy toward her. If anything, that shoe had always been on Jess's foot,
envying other girls for their more attractive looks and greater popularity.
Trying not to be obvious about it, Jess studied her
"rival." Though Bambi was of average height, there
was little else average about her. Her fiery hair fell in a thick tangle of
curls halfway down her back. It framed an incredibly pretty face, complete with
a cute little nose that made Jess feel like an aardvark by comparison. Then
there was the girl's abundant chest, perhaps her most outstanding feature. Jess
wondered how long it had been since Bambi had seen her own hooves... er, feet!
Years, most likely.
Not having met her, Jess didn't know how Bambi, even with that
ridiculous name, measured up in the brains department. But with her other
attributes, Jess supposed it didn't really matter if the woman was a certified
airhead. The guys would still be stumbling over each other to gain her
attention.
As the team came back onto the field to begin the third quarter,
Jess was grateful for the distraction. She'd learned years before that it did
little good to dwell on her own deficiencies, though at times like this they
were hard to ignore.
The Vikings were all revved up now, and out for blood. They scored
three touchdowns, adding twenty-one points, in quick succession. Try as they
might, the Knights still couldn't get their act together. Because of their weak
offensive line, Ty was sacked twice. When he did connect with a receiver, his
teammate either dropped the ball or was hit for a loss. Finally, they did
score, and even made the two-point conversion afterward.
In the first minutes of the final quarter, the Knights' kick
receiver—a lightning-fast little guy by the name of Carlos "Chili"
Rodriguez—ran the ball back seventy-two yards for a spectacular touchdown. The
spectators came to their feet, cheering wildly, then groaned in tandem as the
kicker missed the follow-up point.
Somehow, for
for their positions, before final cuts were made in preparation for the regular
season. No one wanted to be relegated to second or third string for
the year, warming the bench until a player was injured or ousted.
The Vikings made the first touchdown, and the Columbus crowd booed
their disappointment of the Knights' defense. It wasn't until the final minutes
of the half that the Knights' offense caught fire. They marched steadily down
the field, down by down. Then, from the Viking forty-yard line, Ty aired a
bomb. Gabe "Rocket" Rome made a spectacular diving catch, landing in
the end zone. With the others, Jess and Corey leapt to their feet, cheering
madly. The point-after was good, and once again the quarter ended on a tie.
Toward the end of halftime, as everyone was getting settled again
for the second half, Jess noticed a couple of cheerleaders staring pointedly in
their direction. One in particular seemed displeased about something. Jess
nudged Corey. "Who is that redheaded Dame giving you looks that could
kill?"
Corey looked, then laughed. "Oh, that's Bambi. Isn't she a
deer?" she joked. "And those daggers she's shooting are aimed at you,
girlfriend, not at me."
"Me?" Jess exclaimed. "But I haven't even met her.
Why would she be mad at me?"
"Because you've got Ty, and she wants him. Rumor has it he
took her out once, before you came along. I'd say a single date wasn't enough
for her. After all, in these circles, dating the starting quarterback is quite
a coup, especially if you manage to hang on to him for a while."
"I see. So my dating him automatically makes me her
enemy," Jess deduced. "Seems rather sophomoric to me, but then what
do I know?"
Corey shrugged. "As they say, forewarned is forearmed. Don't
be surprised if she or some of the others, out of pure jealousy, try to make
trouble between you and Ty."
That was a new concept for Jess. As far as she could recall, she
couldn't name one person, particularly another female, who had ever expressed
jealousy toward her. If anything, that shoe had always been on Jess's foot,
envying other girls for their more attractive looks and greater popularity.
Trying not to be obvious about it, Jess studied her
"rival." Though Bambi was of average height, there
was little else average about her. Her fiery hair fell in a thick tangle of
curls halfway down her back. It framed an incredibly pretty face, complete with
a cute little nose that made Jess feel like an aardvark by comparison. Then
there was the girl's abundant chest, perhaps her most outstanding feature. Jess
wondered how long it had been since Bambi had seen her own hooves... er, feet!
Years, most likely.
Not having met her, Jess didn't know how Bambi, even with that
ridiculous name, measured up in the brains department. But with her other
attributes, Jess supposed it didn't really matter if the woman was a certified
airhead. The guys would still be stumbling over each other to gain her
attention.
As the team came back onto the field to begin the third quarter,
Jess was grateful for the distraction. She'd learned years before that it did
little good to dwell on her own deficiencies, though at times like this they
were hard to ignore.
The Vikings were all revved up now, and out for blood. They scored
three touchdowns, adding twenty-one points, in quick succession. Try as they
might, the Knights still couldn't get their act together. Because of their weak
offensive line, Ty was sacked twice. When he did connect with a receiver, his
teammate either dropped the ball or was hit for a loss. Finally, they did
score, and even made the two-point conversion afterward.
In the first minutes of the final quarter, the Knights' kick
receiver—a lightning-fast little guy by the name of Carlos "Chili"
Rodriguez—ran the ball back seventy-two yards for a spectacular touchdown. The
spectators came to their feet, cheering wildly, then groaned in tandem as the
kicker missed the follow-up point.
Somehow, for
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