Chapter 1: Hard Love

Rio: What the heck kind of story is this?

Ele: Dunno, but I’m excited!

Nic: Well its about a football game, that’s for sure.

Tab: Specifically, Mar’s first football game.

Rio: Fascinating

Love, I don’t know the meaning of the word besides what it says in a dictionary. From what happened the night of my first football game, I don’t want to be in any way associated with love. The date was October 5, 2007, homecoming week in Misawa, Japan. Every homecoming week there’s a football game on Friday, which was today. I was a freshman so this was my first homecoming week. Also, on a plus side, this was my first football game. I had just finished spending time at my friend Cassie’s house when we walked to the football game.

I wasn’t intent on going to the game that night, because my brother, Jonathan, was there. The problem is the fact that Cassie likes Jonathan. However, Jonathan already has a girlfriend named Audrey. Cassie wanted to talk to my brother during the game, to talk about how she liked him. She also didn’t want Audrey to be at the game so she could talk to him in private.

The night before was the bonfire and I assumed Audrey wasn’t going to be at the game. The thought never occurred to me; who wouldn’t go to the game?

We left early to walk to the game, dropping by my house to grab a jacket for Jonathan because he called earlier asking for one. I grabbed my brother’s Letterman jacket for Bitburg Barons and we set off.

Me, Janeah, and Cassie arrived at the school and started for the football field in the back. I slipped my hand into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone to tell my brother I got a jacket for him.

Static, the next thing I expected was the crackling voice of someone answering back ‘seven days’. Instead my brother’s voice came through the phone clearly. “Hello?”

“I got a jacket for you.” I answered and suddenly stopped as I heard the scream coming from the background. A girl was screaming hi, just a simple hello. However, it was the same pitch and girly tone that belonged to Audrey. The thought finally occurred to me; her boyfriend was there, why wouldn’t she go? I panicked, if Cassie saw Audrey she would be mad because I had lied about the fact Audrey wasn’t going to be at the game. Of course, who could stop someone from going to the Homecoming football game?

“Oh, well I got a jacket now, but thanks.” Jonathan answered back.

I quickly hung up and stuffed the cell into my pocket to run and catch up with Cassie and Janeah. I arrived just in time to hear Cassie say she needed to go to the bathroom. Great timing, I could get Cassie to get to the closes bathroom, which was far away from the bleachers where Jonathan probably was sitting with his girlfriend. As we approached the fence leading towards the large track that rounded around the football field I slowed down, pulling Christine to my side. I leaned in closely and said the dreaded words. “Audrey is here.”

Janeah looked at me like I was crazy. “You’re so dead.” That probably wasn’t her real answer but it was something close to it. I smiled in response.

I caught up with Cassie just in time to remind her that she needed to go to the bathroom. We approached the school building where a door stood wide open, on the other side of a hall was the bathroom Cassie was to go into. I quickly pushed Cassie through the door and glanced around me. “You go to the bathroom, Sakura-sensei. I’ll stay here… and guard the door.” I fumbled (we call Cassie Sakura-sensei). Janeah burst out laughing.

Cassie started stuttering about how I should come into the warmth in the building. I ignored her and pushed her towards the door again, of course this wasn’t the time for arguing. She needed to go to the bathroom so she went in obediently. I stayed outside near the door for a while in till I quickly pulled my cell when Cassie was out of sight and in the bathroom. I opened up my phonebook, found my brother and started to call his cell.

No answer, my heart starting thumbing hard. The answering machine message for his cell phone came up. I was frantic and literally shouted into the phone. “Jonathan! We’re here, and Cassie is here, she thinks Audrey isn’t here! So just… like push her into the shadows or something, please!” I quickly hung up, fear of Cassie suddenly coming out and asking me who I was talking to. I shoved the cell back into my pocket and started my way down the track. The best idea was to get Jonathan to talk to Cassie now so I wouldn’t have to worry about her seeing Audrey.

I ran for the bleachers and scanned the crowd; I could see nothing of Jonathan in till I saw the flailing arms of Audrey. Audrey is a strange girl, always wanting to hug me, and thankfully for her I could see my brother sitting next to her because of her flailing arms waiting for a hug. I quickly ran up the stairs towards my brother and gave Audrey her hug and approached my brother. “Jonathan, come one, Cassie is here so you might as well get talking with her over with.” I answered simply. Jonathan rolled his eyes; he didn’t like Cassie that much because she was practically a split image of Juhani from KotOR. I couldn’t blame him but she was still my friend.

Audrey gave Jonathan a hug before I dragged him down the stairs towards the door to where Cassie was going to the bathroom. I was shocked to see Cassie and Janeah already headed my way. I quickened my pace and received a hug from Cassie because she was worried about where I went. I put my arm on her shoulders and motioned towards my brother. “Don’t you want to talk to him about something?” I whispered to her. Cassie looked at me like I was crazy, like I just vomited out a living sewer rat, something along that line.

Cassie looked like she was blushing and quickly shook her head. “Why would I want to talk to your brother?” she answered. I was shocked, did she forget about what she told me last night? All this trouble for nothing yet she still remembers that I told her Audrey wasn’t going to be here. I wish I could grab a gun and put it to my head. Jonathan rolled his eyes and I told him he could go, and so he left back to the bleachers.

Once again, Cassie needed to go to the bathroom so we headed behind the bleachers where there was a bathroom near the stand that sold food. Cassie slipped into the bathroom and Janeah and I waited outside. At that moment I was going to explode, I still needed to keep Cassie away from sight of Audrey, best to avoid the front of the bleachers. Janeah inched up next to me near the water fountain and whispered into my ear. “Let’s just sit back, eat cheese, and watch it all pan out.”

I burst out laughing, mostly because it sounded like a great idea. “Great idea.” I replied.

“Yeah, it’s my new motto.” She said, laughing at her own joke. I laughed with her and started to look around me towards the stand that sold food.

“Where are we going to find cheese?” I asked, Janeah shrugged and started to look around as well, sniffing the air, looking for cheese. And so, the search for cheese began, and the loving story of a three-way, except Cassie at the moment didn’t want anything to do with Jonathan.

Rio: That was… Fascinating….

Ele: Seven days. Lol.

Tab: Yeah, no kidding.

Nic: Can’t wait to see what else happens!

Rio: I wonder where the death of Spongebob comes in?