Pre-season two-a-days were always rough. Only three weeks before the season starts, the team and I were on the field at 6 AM sharp, and then back on it after school. This year was going to be different for all of us, I felt it several times. My brother was a senior and looking to be signed with Notre Dame, I was a sophomore with colleges already tailing me. I couldn't be more proud of my brother, he was an All-American boy; well-rounded, grounded and very supportive of me.
Growing up and to this day, I had always been the black sheep of the family. I wished every night that our parents had at least a sixteenth of love for me as they had a whole lot of love for my brother—though, not everyone is that fortunate. I tried my hardest each day to be more like him, but my parents couldn't ever relish the fact that I wasn't ever going to be him. I had to accept the fact long ago that I wasn't ever going to amount to anything in their eyes.
Monday's were always the hardest day of the week, especially having to get up from a long night. Jason knocked on my door, then opened it. I sat on my bed and tied my cleats. I grabbed my Dillon Panthers t-shirt and put it over my camisole. "I'm ready for these two-a-days to end." I groaned as I stood up and tightened my football pants. Jason chuckled and shook his head.
"It will all be over before you know it, Lil' Bit." He said wrapping an arm around my neck and kissing my head. "You almost ready? I got our gear in the Jeep."
"Yeah, I got everything. I'll braid my hair on the way there."
"Alright, let's go." He said with a smile. I nodded and followed him out my room and out the house. We got in the Jeep and headed towards the school. I began braiding my hair as we both jammed out to our daily Def Leppard. "You think I'll be good at Notre Dame?"
"Bubba, I think you will be a huge asset to Notre Dame." I replied looking over at him, "Never question your ability to excel, because I know you will. In anything you decide to do, you will excel, always."
"Thank you Lil' Bit. What you just said warms my heart." He said with a smile. I rolled my eyes and chuckled. We pulled into the field and got out, I grabbed my helmet, shoulder pads and jersey and waited for Jason. Once he was by my side, we made our way to the field. For the first time, we were the first ones here, along with Coach Taylor.
My phone rang abruptly, I grabbed it out of my gym bag and saw it was Tim. I pressed send then put it to my ear. "Lil' Bit?"
"Yeah, Tim where are you?" I asked watching as my teammates walked on the field.
"I'm coming. Be there soon, tell Coach I had truck problems."
"Alright, bye Riggers." I said before I hung up. "Coach, Tim is having truck problems."
He furrowed his eyebrows and gave me a look, then nodded. "Alright men and lady, let's start with warm ups. Lil' Bit start us off."
I nodded and slid my back plate and chest plate on, then my jersey. I walked to the formation and began calling out exercises. Thirty minutes into the exercises, Tim walks on the field. I sighed and shook my head, as he gave me a prominent nod as he stood beside me. I called out more exercises, Tim fell in with us. Once we were finished, we started working on new plays for the upcoming game with Westerby. News reporters were filing in to talk to the team and Coach Taylor about the game against Westerby Friday night.
"Lil Bit, I need you to talk to the reporters, okay? They are wanting to talk to you." Coach Taylor said as he and Jason walked back over to us. I furrowed my eyebrows but nodded.
"Okay Coach." I said before I took my helmet off and walked to the camera crew. I smiled and shook the hand of the reporter, John Griesheim. "I'm Johnna Street, also known as Lil' Bit to the team and those who are close to me."
"Good to meet you, I'm John, please have a seat." He said with a smile. I nodded and sat down in the chair. "So, tell us about yourself. What do you do for the team, how long, how old and what grade are you in?"
"I'm Johnna Street, little sister of Jason Street. I'm a sophomore, I'm 16 and I have three jobs on the team. I am the kicker, wide receiver, and I'm a halfback or in laments terms, a tailback, which for those that don't know, I stand behind the fullback, which stands behind the quarterback. I've been playing football ever since I was little, I grew up with half these guys and they are what you call family."
"You are busy on the field then, I've seen you in several interviews for ESPN, Texas Football, and even Sports Illustrated; how are the recruiters? I know you are top three best kickers of all time as well as tailback and wide receiver. You have changed a lot of peoples perspective of what is supposed to be a 'male sport'. My daughter is a big fan of yours—she has your spreads all in her room."
"Aw that's amazing, tell her thank you for me. The recruiters are hot and heavy, top three? Are you kidding me? That's news to me, I surely didn't know that. About the changing the perspective, it's great to meet women that wants to play football. I love it, football is my life. The women that I meet are amazing, they all say they look up to me, they all call me a celebrity, but I'm not. I play football, football is a hard sport to conquer. It's a lot more work than what you think."
"So, do you think you are a role model for women?"
"I would hope that I am. I mean, my whole thing is that, if you want it then you do whatever you want to get it. I support anyone who follows their dreams. I hope that I see more women in football."
"That's amazing. I'll even admit, my daughter wants to be a football player. That's all because of you."
"I appreciate that. And when she gets older and wants to pursue football, please let her. I know it's a dangerous sport, there are several injuries you can receive, but that's with any sport. Tell her that when she wants to start learning the game, the basics and the plays to come to me and I'll be happy to help her understand the game."
"I will, she will love that. So, Friday night with Westerby, what do you think the outcome will be?" He wondered, I bit my lip and sighed.
"Not to toot our horns, but I think we'll take that W home. Westerby is a good team, they're rough as hell though. If I remember correctly, one of the offensive linemen ended up putting a Laribee player out for good. I watched the game play and it was a hard hit, harder hits I've ever seen."
"I remember that game, they are very rough and it seems like they have the ref's favor."
"My thoughts exactly, but like I said, I think we'll take the W. Wait, not think, I know we'll take the W. When it gets down to the nitty gritty, the guys and I will put a stop to every one of them."
"That's what I'm talking about." He said with a smile, "Well good luck Friday, I know yal will do great."
"Thank you sir, yal have a good day." I said as I got up and walked back to the team. We did a few more plays and lasted until 7:30. After practice, the team went into the field house and showered off. I changed quickly and met up with Tim, who was waiting at my locker.
"Lil' Bit you have to look in my locker." He said with a smile. I furrowed my eyebrows and tilted my head.
"Why?" I asked with a small chuckle. He bent down and picked me up and walked me over to his locker. He opened the locker, I gasped at the pictures of me from the Sports Illustrated magazine. "Timbo, what the hell is this?"
"Got to pray to my favorite player." He said with a smile, I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "I think this woman is amazing. MY favorite woman ever. Can I have your autograph?"
I couldn't help but to laugh as he took out a black Sharpie and handed it to me. I shook my head and took the cap off the Sharpie and scribbled my name over the jersey. I capped the Sharpie and looked back at Tim, "All set Timbo."
He smiled, "Good, so when you get drafted I can brag about you."
I rolled my eyes, "I won't get drafted, Tim. There have been so many spectators that have said a girl will never play in the NFL. So my dream has ended as of when I finish college."
"I doubt that, Lil' Bit. You are the best and everyone knows it, all of Texas knows it." He retorted, "Never doubt your ability, Lil' Bit. You're my lucky number 13; I wear your number on my cheeks because I know you have it in you. If Smash or I can't carry it out for the Panthers, you will."
"This conversation is so weird, what has happened to Tim Riggins?" I asked quizzically, making him chortle.
"This is him baby." He said with a wink. I shook my head and hit his stomach with my fist, "Come on, let's go."
"To class Tim, because your grades are slipping."
He groaned but complied. He threw his arm over my shoulders and bent down to kiss my head. We walked out of the field house and towards the school. After school began, everything was on edge. There were so many news crew members walking through the halls mixing amongst the student body.
Lunch time came, which wasn't anything new. The school was segregated at lunch, which gave the news crew more power the press the racial issue, which wasn't anything to it. Tim, Jason, Tyra, Lyla, and I were at the table talking amongst the each of us. I felt a sharp pain on my side, I winced and excused myself from the table. Quickly, I ran towards the bathroom. Once I was in the bathroom, I walked to the mirror and lifted my shirt and turned to my side. I had a nasty bruise forming; it was a dark purple and black.
Earlier at practice, Oran ran into me whole-heartedly without hesitation. I sighed and let my shirt fall, I walked out the bathroom and headed towards the nurse. As I went into the nurse's office, she panicked as I showed her my side. She gave me an ice wrap, ibuprofen then gave me an excuse.
By the time school was over, the pain subsided. I walked to the field house alone and walked to bench. I sighed and laid back on the bench, stretching my side. I closed my eyes and sighed heavily. "Lil' Bit you okay?"
"Oran got me good this morning, Coach." I said looking up at him. His eyebrows furrowed in question. I lifted my shirt up and watched his face scramble in pain. He leaned forward and ran his finger lightly over the bruise.
"That looks painful." He said looking at me, I nodded and grimaced.
"It hurts, I went to the nurse and she gave me an ice wrap swelling and ibuprofen for pain. I'll be fine by practice though."
"He hit you pretty hard and it wasn't a proper contact hit either." Coach said pulling me to sit up. "I just want to tell you that I am very proud of you. I know things are hard between you and your parents, but you can always count on me being there for you."
"I appreciate it Coach, I really do." I started, "You've cared more about me than what they ever have. They put all their time and money in Jason; Jason hates it and always had. I just wish they had a tenth of the love for me as they do for him. I've thought about emancipating myself from them—Jason even thought it was a good idea."
"You work too hard to not be appreciated by them. You have a full time job, you go to school and you are a straight A student. You are an amazing football player, and I am so fortunate to have you on my team, playing for me."
I smiled sadly, "Thank you Coach. I try my hardest to please everyone, but some people you just can't please. I stay out the way of my parents. I pay rent to live in the pool house; I wash my own clothes, I cook my own food. I know that in the back of my mind that I was never wanted. I'm the Mistake Street."
"You are not a mistake, no matter how many times you have been told or how many times you tell yourself that. You were put here on this Earth for a reason. You are an outstanding young woman, one of the best that I've had the privilege of knowing. I appreciate everything you have done and do for me."
"And I appreciate you looking out for me like you do, Coach. It means a lot, really. For as long as I play, I will give you two-hundred percent, I will give the team two-hundred percent."
"I know you will, Lil' Bit. I put my trust, faith all in you." He said as the team filled in the field house. He patted my back and kissed my head before he walked out and in his office. Oran looked over at me and bit his lip.
"Let me see your side." He said as he walked up to me. I shook my head as Tim and Jason walked to us.
"I'm fine, Or." I said, "It was a hit, I took it. It's football, we get hurt."
"I want to see it." He said peering down at me. I sighed and stood up, holding my shirt up. He gasped and looked at me, almost with tears in his eyes. "I am so sorry Lil' Bit."
"I'm fine, Or, I promise."
"What the hell happened?" Jason asked looking at my side.
"I did this and I am sorry." Or whispered, "I hit her wrong this morning."
"Oran it's okay. Remember what I said, this is football."
"But it looks so awful, Lil' Bit." Oran said as he sat down. I looked up at Tim, who looked like he could kill. I reached up and snaked my arm through his.
"It hurts a little, but I'm alright."
"If you need anything, I will get it for you." Oran said hugging me gently. I chuckled and kissed his cheek.
"I appreciate it, Or. I'm alright though."
He nodded and kissed my head before he walked to his locker. Oran was a big teddy bear to me, though he was ruthless to everyone else. He reminded me of Tim in a lot of ways. Minutes later, practice started, and thank god, we took an easy practice. We did practice drills, then ran the bleachers then done zig-zags.
"Hey Lil' Bit, Lyla and I are going out for supper tonight. Do you have any plans?" Jason asked as he caught up to me. I looked up at him and shook my head. "You working tonight?"
"No, I'm off. I'm probably going to go and take an ice bath." I said with a small smile. He chuckled and nodded, "I'll get Tim to drop me off, okay?"
"You sure?" He asked, I nodded and pulled his head down and kissed his cheek.
"Yes, go." I said pushing him in front of me. He chuckled and walked to the Jeep. I stopped and saw Tim walking up towards me. "Will you give me a ride home and eat with me tonight?"
"Yeah, but I got to stop by the house first, though okay?"
"Okay." I said with a smile. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and kissed my head as we walked to his truck. After we got in, he started the truck up and headed towards his house. We pulled up to his house only minutes later—we went inside just as Billy was fixing to leave.
"Lil' Bit you doing okay?" Billy asked after he hugged me. I nodded and smiled.
"Can't complain really." I said, "How's work?"
"It's good, I like working at night." He explained, handing me a beer. I smiled and thanked him then opened it. After taking a swig, Tim come back in to view washed and cleaned.
"I know how night shift is. I like it a lot better because I know 99.9% of the time, Tim is up and I can bug him while I'm not doing anything."
He and Billy both laughed, "I bet Tyra enjoys coming in second to Lil' Bit."
"Tyra doesn't even matter when it comes to Lil' Bit. No one matters." Tim said pointedly, looking at Billy. He grabbed a beer and popped the top off. "You ready, Bit?"
I nodded and smiled, then gave Billy another hug. Tim and I left his and made our way to mine. He unlocked the door and walked in the house and set the beer on the coffee table before he walked back out and grabbed my helmet and jersey along with my pants. I took a quick shower and got dressed in a pair of cotton shorts and a Dillon t-shirt.
When I walked in the living room part, he was sitting there watching Remember the Titans. I smiled and walked to him, taking a seat beside him on the couch. He handed me a bag of ice to put over my side. I laid my head on his shoulder and focused on the movie.
"Strong side." I said after the movie went off.
"Left side." Tim said making me smile widely.
"What do you want for supper?" I asked sitting up. He stopped me and pulled me back down.
"I'll cook. What do you want?"
"Whatever you want, Timbo." I said looking over at him, "You know what would be good though? One of those Tim Riggins burgers."
"Anything you want." He said kissing my forehead. He got up and walked into the kitchen. He washed his hands and took the hamburger meat out of the refrigerator and started mixing how he mixed it. I laid on the couch and flipped the TV to Boy Meets World. He simply chuckled as I spoke the lines of the episode. "You love this show way too much."
"You always watch it with me. It's either this or freaking Oprah, I opt Boy Meets World."
"Hey, Oprah is the shit."
I rolled my eyes, "If you say so, Timbo. If you say so."
"Lil' Bit this is a fight you're going to lose."
"Timothy Riggins I can take you any day, any time. Fact." I said with a smile batting my eyelashes. He chortled but nodded.
"Whatever you say Lil' Bit."
"I do say it, and I will always say it." I said as I stood up and made my way to the kitchen. I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist, then laid my head in the middle of his back. "One day, Tim Riggins, you will make the perfect girl over the moon happy. You are so domestic, I love it."
He chuckled, "The perfect girl, doesn't want anything to do with me that way."
"How do you know?" I asked looking up at him, he looked over his shoulder and peered down.
"Because I am a fuck up in that way." I rolled my eyes and shook my head.
"You're a man-whore, Timbo. If there is anyone that can't handle your past then they don't need to be in your future. You deserve the best, like always. You have a few setbacks with your choice of tail, but as the months and years pass by, you will realize you can do so much better than those Rally girls and Tyra. You will realize that you deserve better."
"Why are you so good to me?"
"Because I love you Tim, you're my best friend, my backbone." I paused, "My faith is in you and it will always be in you. You are not as dumb as everyone thinks you are, I know that's a fact. You are an amazing man, Tim, I just wish you can see what I see when I look at you."
He turned in my arms and wrapped his arms around me tightly. I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent; Old Spice and beer, it was my favorite smell. He laid his head on mine and sighed, "My love for you will never change, no matter what happens. You're my number one girl, my One-Three, my heart and the only girl I will ever love whole-heartedly."
"You're my person, Timbo."
"You're my person, Lil' Bit." He replied with a whisper and a lingering kiss on my hair. "Please don't ever hate me, it would kill me."
"Never, I promise." I whispered, squeezing my hold tighter. I looked up at him and smiled smally at him. He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine a sweet kiss, then laid his forehead to mine. "You know me better than anyone, except for Jason, but still. You know it takes a lot for me to not like someone. You know there are two people I could never hate and that's you two."
"I don't deserve half of what you do give me." He muttered as his eyes were closed.
"You deserve that and more." I replied, kissing him once more before I walked to the couch. Since Remember the Titans went off, I quickly grabbed the next movie another favorite, Hocus Pocus. He groaned playfully as he brought our burgers over. He walked back and grabbed two beers, then sat beside me.
"Hocus Pocus, really Bit?"
I nodded and smiled as I took a bite into my burger. I groaned, savoring the flavor. "Oh god, Tim. These are orgasmic, and yes, really."
"You are something else, Lil' Bit." He said with a chuckle. I giggled and shrugged, leaning over and kissing his cheek. He smiled and winked before I turned back to the TV. After we finished eating, we ended up laying in my bed—talking about any and everything. Though, I couldn't help but to smile as we fell asleep tangled in each other.