Author's Note: The disclaimer's in the first chapter.
" All right, good practice boys, " Herman Boone called out at the team. " We'll see y'all tomorrow, three o'clock sharp! Alan, if you're late tomorrow I'll make you run two miles, " he added as Alan passed him, but he gave him a good-natured pat on the back.
Alan nodded in reply, then headed off to the locker rooms. He came out a short while later, and as he walked out of the stadium, his head turned behind him as he waved goodbye to Petey and some other people, he ran straight into someone and almost fell to the ground. He looked up to see Gabrielle smiling at him. " You sure have a bad habit of running into people, " she said teasingly. " Specifically me. "
She gave him her hand to pull him off the ground, and Alan took it, stunned by how soft it was and how perfectly it fit into his own. He stood up, his eyes not leaving hers for a moment. So this is what heaven feels like…
" Did you just get out of practice? " Gabrielle asked.
Alan snapped back into reality, abruptly letting go of Gabrielle's hand. Goodbye, heaven, goodbye… " Yeah, just now. What are you doing here? "
" I was on my way home, and I saw you guys just finishing up so I decided to say hello. "
" Oh, okay. " Alan shuffled his feet awkwardly. " Well, hello. "
" Hi. "
They stood in silence for a while, then Alan eyed the open carry bag of footballs sitting in the locker room. " Hey, do you play football? " he asked, a bit unsurely.
" A little, " Gabrielle answered. " When I was younger I played a bit with my brothers. I'm not that good though, I could never catch properly. "
Alan smiled, grabbed a football from the carry bag, and took Gabrielle's hand. " Maybe it's all a matter of who's throwing it. "
Herman Boone came out of the locker room, dragging the large bag of footballs behind him. He was almost out the door when the sound of laughter reached his ears from the other end of the hallway. He checked his watch and saw that it was nearly an hour after practice. Who in the name of Sam Hill was still here? Boone wondered, dropping the football bag and running out into the stadium. Bill Yoast was already there in the stands, intently watching two lone figures running around the field. Boone saw a shock of golden hair, and knew instantly that it was Alan, but he wasn't surprised. Some of the boys stayed after practice sometimes to play a quick pick-up game, and Alan was often among them. But that girl down there with him, that fragile-looking girl with the white-blonde hair trailing after her like the tail of a comet, who was that? " Well I'll be John Brown, " Boone muttered, set on figuring out what was going on, but Yoast reached out to stop him.
" Let 'em go, Coach, " he said softly. " Just watch. "
Boone sighed and looked out at the two kids on the field. The girl was clutching the football to her stomach and running like the wind, and Alan was quickly catching up to her. " The girl's a good runner, if that's what you're getting at, " Boone muttered to Yoast. But surely the boy wasn't thinking of tackling her, he thought to himself.
But he was; she hadn't made it halfway across the field when Alan dragged her to the ground. Boone was about to run for the first-aid kit when he heard them laughing. Laughing, when that little girl had just been tackled by a much larger football player. " What in the name of Sam Hill are those two laughing at? " Boone asked.
" That's young love for you, Herman, " Yoast said with a bit of a grin on his face. " Call me plumb crazy, but that's the happiest I've ever seen Alan on the field. "
Boone agreed but refused to show it. " As long as it don't affect the boy's play, it's all right with me. "
Yoast chuckled and shook his head.
Alan and Gabrielle lay side to side on the field, laughing hysterically at what seemed to be nothing at all. Alan was first to stop for a moment and catch his breath, and he turned his head towards Gabrielle, the green grass tickling his nose. " You can catch," he said with a grin. " You lied. "
Gabrielle turned her own head to him and smiled. " I guess I did. But then again, like you said, maybe it's all just a matter of who's throwing it. "
Alan got to his feet, brushed the dirt off himself, and helped Gabrielle off the ground. " We should do this more often, " he said. " Except not right after football practice. "
Gabrielle laughed. " I have a better idea. " She grabbed Alan's hand and pulled him close, then tilted her head up to look at him. Alan was mesmerized by her eyes, blue as a noonday sky and sparkling like a million stars. He could feel her warm breath on his face and wondered for a fleeting moment whether she was about to kiss him. Then she broke into a fit of that beautiful bubbly laughter, and Alan was startled. " What? " he asked. " What's so funny? "
" You, " Gabrielle answered, still laughing.
" What about me? "
" Those eyes, " she whispered. " That look you had on your face a second ago. " She smiled at him, then suddenly let him go and stepped back. " I forgot what time it was, " she said, looking up at the rose-hued sky. Then she turned her gaze back to Alan, who had been staring at her, dumbfounded. " When's your next game? "
" F-Friday, " Alan stuttered in reply.
Gabrielle winked. " I'm there. And then afterwards, we're getting some dinner. Just you and me. "
Alan swallowed nervously. " J-just you and me? "
" Yeah, you heard me. " Gabrielle smiled. " Just the two of us. " With a smile and a wave, she dashed off for home. Alan stood in the middle of the field waving dazedly back at her. Then as soon as she was out of sight he kicked up his heels and practically danced the rest of the way home, feeling like the happiest guy in the world.
" Alan, where have you been? " Fred Bosley demanded of his son. " You're nearly two hours late from practice. "
Alan danced up the stairs, then danced back down the stairs and gave his father a hug. " What the devil is going on? " he asked.
Alan grinned. " I'm just in a good mood. A little hug doesn't hurt, does it? " Then before his father could answer, Alan danced back up the stairs to his room. A few minutes later, music was blaring loudly from up the stairs. Fred shook his head. Maybe that boy had had just a little bit too much football for one day…
" Alan! Hey! " Ronnie hit Alan over the head with his notebook. " What planet are you on, man? "
" Planet Gabrielle, " Rev joked, and Alan whirled around in his seat and hit Rev with his own book.
" That's not funny, " Alan muttered, but his cheeks went beet red. Rev laughed and turned back to his work.
" So what's up with you and Gabrielle? " Ronnie probed, turning around in his seat to face Alan.
Alan looked down into his Science book. " I don't know what you're talking about, " he said airily.
" Alan, the whole team's talking about it! I heard it from Blue, Blue heard it from Lastik, Lastik heard it for Rev, and Rev heard it from Petey – "
" Petey?!?! " Alan exploded. He buried his head in his textbook. Oh sweet Jesus, what have I done?! " I knew I shouldn't have told him anything! "
" Hey man, calm down. It's not his fault. News just travels fast around here. "
" Well… " Alan sighed. " I figure if Petey told you, it's been twisted out of proportion. So let me just get the facts straight. We're going out for dinner after the game – without the rest of the team, thank you, I don't need Lastik sneaking food off my plate during a… a date… "
A date… Alan had never been on a date before – at least, not a real date. The occasional outing that would end in separating – very quickly – at the street corner, but not a date. Not a real dinner-for-two drop-me-off-at-my-front-door kiss-me-goodnight date.
Ronnie grinned as Alan trailed off. " A date. Wow man, great job. " He gave Alan one last hard pat on the back as the bell rang. " Just don't let it screw up your concentration during the game tomorrow, okay? " Ronnie added as he headed out the door.
Okay. I gotta let 'em run out a little, then I'll stick 'em when they get nice and comfortable.
I wonder where I should take Gabrielle for dinner…
Alan couldn't keep his thoughts straight. This was a pretty darn important game he had on his hands here, he wasn't about to let the team down on this one. But how, he wondered, could people expect him to think straight when he had the most important date in his life in less than two hours?
He tried to shrug the thought off, but it was a little too late; the other team's running back blazed past him, and Alan had little time to re-orient himself; he started slowly after the running back and knew immediately that he had no chance to catch up. He stopped at the one-yard line and caught his breath as the other guy ran in for a touchdown. Okay Alan, time to get yourself off of Planet Gabrielle and focus on the game…
…I wonder if she likes Italian?
" Bosley, you're killin' me out there! " Boone hollered, motioning for Alan to leave the field. Alan couldn't help but hang his head a bit upon taking a seat on the bench, but the comforting pat on the back he received a moment later from Coach Yoast made him feel the slightest bit better. Rev took a seat next to him a minute later. " Pulled again? " he asked.
Alan nodded. " I don't know what planet I'm on tonight, man. "
" Gabrielle? " Rev offered teasingly.
Alan nodded a bit, trying to hide his smile. " Do you think she'd like Italian? " he asked after a while.
Rev laughed and playfully punched Alan on the arm. " You crazy, man. "
