Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Scandal, ABC, or Shonda Rhimes and the characters are not mine. In addition, I have no ownership of or affiliation with the NFL.
Retirement was treating Fitzgerald Grant well. After his official announcement, he began looking into houses outside of Texas. He'd been living in Houston since he'd been drafted into the league so long ago. However, the condo he'd bought as a 23 year old fresh out of college didn't seem to be fitting in with his 34 year old lifestyle. Eleven years had changed his perspective quite a bit. He didn't know why, but he had the odd feeling that things were about to change. While he was definitely enjoying relaxing and taking it easy, Fitz was definitely ready for the next adventure.
/
"Happy first day of practice!" Olivia exclaimed, as Gabriel walked into the kitchen She spun around and placed a plate on the kitchen island. Beside it, she placed his protein shake that he'd been drinking to get his weight up.
Gabe couldn't help but laugh at his mother's excitement. "Thanks Ma." He mumbled, pulling the seat out and examining the plate. "But why is there so much meat?"
Olivia frowned as she looked down at the plate. It was stacked with so much bacon and sausage that you could barely see the eggs and pancakes underneath. She shrugged, snatching a piece of bacon from the plate. "Protein's good for you, right? I thought you should eat a lot of meat."
"I don't think I can eat this right now." Gabriel stated, walking around the island. He went to one of the boxes, digging until he pulled out his travel bottle and transferred his shake into it from the glass. "I don't wanna eat a huge breakfast before I work out and I'm kinda nervous. But thanks for the thought." He told her, kissing her cheek and grabbing an apple.
"Your mother breaks her back. I wake up at the crack of dawn to make you breakfast before work and this is the thanks I get?!" Olivia said, dramatically.
Gabriel stared at her blankly, before he opened the freezer. Olivia glanced at the already cooked frozen pancakes, bacon, and eggs. She glared at him, covering the food up to eat later. "Well, I cooked the eggs. Now, go get your stuff so I can drop you off before work."
/
"Do you want me to walk you over?" Olivia questioned as Gabriel opened the back door to grab his football bag.
"No, mom. I think I got it…" He told her as if it were obvious. "I'll see you later."
"Wait!" Olivia hopped out of the car, running after Gabriel. Once she'd made it to him, she grabbed his face in her hands. Even in her heels, her son was still significantly taller than her but he was still her little boy. "Listen, I know you're nervous but I'm so unbelievably proud of you. You belong on this team, you wouldn't be here if you didn't. Now go before someone sees you with your mom and you get teased on your first day." She told him with a smile.
Gabe pulled his mother into a hug, before turning and walking toward the field. He paused and turned, calling over his shoulder. "Hey mom, good luck at the new show."
As he was making his way over to field, Gabriel took in the school for the first time. He'd only seen pictures of it up until this point. It was so different from his school in Chicago. The building was made with large red bricks and was surrounded by grass. Plush trees lined the path that led to the front doors that were surrounded by bike racks. It was a huge contrast from his former school.
He stepped on the field, the familiar crunch soothing his nerves. There were six older men in polos lined up as soon as he walked into the gate. He didn't recognize any of them. He'd met the
"What's your name, son?" The first man questioned in a thick country accent; he was definitely from Texas. He was holding a clipboard and his eyes were shielded by sunglasses.
"I'm uh- Gabriel Pope."
"Ahh, the recruit outta Illinois." He checked something on his clipboard, before continuing. "What position do you want to play?"
"I'm a wide receiver." Gabriel told him, confidently.
"You want to be a wide receiver. You were a wide receiver on your old team, for your old coach. But this ain't your old team. You're on the team, but we're gonna decide what you do." The man told him, tipping his sunglasses.
He turned and looked over his shoulder. "Dave, this is another one of your's." He called to another one of the men in polos before looking back at Gabriel. He pointed back at Dave, before explaining what was happening.
"That's Dave, the offensive coach. Go on over and join the rest of them boys and put on a gold jersey, so we know where you belong. It's gonna be a long day."
Around fifteen minutes later, the sound of the gate clicking shut echoed across the field. the last boy had arrived and they were split into two groups. Gabe and all of the other offensive hopefuls were in gold jerseys, while the defensive hopefuls were in black jerseys.
The man that greeted Gabe when he first arrived walked out into the middle of the field. He surveyed the players with his hands on his hips. "Hello, hello, hello." He started, into a megaphone."For those of you who are new, I'm Assistant Head Coach Phil Cordero. Before we start getting y'all into shape, we've got a bit of news for y'all. This won't impact my new players as much as my returning players, but it's about Head Coach Bill…"
/
"Good morning, Austin, and welcome to another episode of The Morning Buzz! I'm your host Drew and joining me is my new co-host, Olivia. Olivia, here, is joining us from our Chicago affiliate. So, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?"
Olivia smiled, warmly. "Thanks for the lovely introduction Drew." She turned and faced the camera. "Like you said, I'm from Chicago and I was the co-host of Wake Up Windy City for the past four years. I'm from Georgia, so I'm no stranger to the south. Texas is a little different for us, though." She said, with a chuckle.
"We?" Drew questioned, with a grin.
"Oh, yeah. I have a 15 year old son. He's actually the reason for the move. He'll be playing football at Walsingham! So, I'm definitely looking forward to that." She said, excitedly.
Drew looked down, looking over his half of the stories for the day. He usually had sports, economics, and other local happenings. Olivia, on the other hand, had entertainment, political, and national news.
"Well, it's funny that you mention that. We got word this morning that Coach Bill Lockett was released from his position."
Olivia's eyes widened and she coughed down the sip of coffee she'd taken. "Really?!"
"Yes. Allegations have come to light that he was taking part in an inappropriate relationship with a female student at the school. Olivia, I'm sure you have some thoughts on the subject."
"Well, as a parent, I'm glad that he's gone from the school. However, I hope the rumors are just accusations because I've met Coach Lockett and he seemed like such a nice man. It'd be awful if they were true. But, I do have to admit it makes me wonder how this season will turn out. I moved my son down here to play under someone who'd proved himself a good coach. I just don't want this to affect the team too much."
"I agree wholeheartedly." Drew told her, reading the rest of his notes. "The school has not yet announced his replacement. One can only assume that Assistant Coach Cordero will step up and take over the position, but we'll have to wait on official word."
Olivia composed herself, not missing a beat and carried on to her part of the program. "In lighter news, I hope all of you ladies out there are ready. Austin native Matthew McConaughey is returning to the big screen in a new film. McConaughey announced that he plans to have a premiere, right here in Austin and he's given us ten tickets to give out! Keep tuning in these next two weeks and you may be a lucky winner."
"Annnd cut. Commercial." One of the stage assistants called. Olivia and Drew were immediately met with makeup artists giving them touch ups and readying them for screen.
"How do you really feel about Lockett, Olivia? I could tell that that was the polite television host answer." Drew questioned, with a small laugh.
Olivia smiled back at him. "I think he's a perv and he's lucky that this came out before my son played for him or he'd have to worry about more than jail time." She told him truthfully, pulling out her phone to make sure Gabriel hadn't called or texted her. "And you can call me Liv. Olivia sounds so formal on the air."
"Alright, Liv.." Drew tested, letting her name roll off of his tongue. They might as well get comfortable with one another.
/
Fitz' house hunt had led him to Georgia. He'd spent much of his childhood in the Peach State and he'd always held a fondness for it. As he was touring a particularly large home in the suburbs of Atlanta, he received a phone call.
"Hello?"
"I know you're taking a break, but I also know that you're looking for what's next." Jonathan, Fitz' manager a explained on the other end. "I may have found it."
"And?" Fitz questioned, anticipating the worst.
"How do you feel about coaching?"
"College?" He was being extremely short. He hadn't planned on jumping back into work this quick. But Jonathan knew he loved the game and it was his weakness.
"High school. It's a private school, they're willing to pay a lot to have you coach. I can fax the contract to you hotel if you need some more convincing."
"You know it's never been about the money for me." Fitz sighed; he was really considering the offer. It wasn't common that a Super Bowl winning quarterback became a high school coach, but he loved the thought of being able to sculpt and train young players. "Send the contract over, I'll take a look at it."
Fitz could practically hear Jonathan smiling through the phone. "Yes, sir. I'll be right on it."
"Oh, one more thing. Where's the school, Jon?" Fitz questioned, running his hand through his curls.
"Austin. You wouldn't even have to leave the state."
A/N: Hope y'all enjoy! First of all...WOAH, the response to this was crazy. I didn't think I'd have so many alerts/reviews. I really appreciate it. To answer a common questions Fitz is Gabe's dad...if D hadn't put it in her review, I would've thought I didn't make that clear in the summary. Other questions like does he know about Gabe, what happened between him and Liv, etc. will be answered in future chapters, so keep reading. Thanks again for all the love, y'all are the best!