"I should go to bed," Legolas said reluctantly. "Game tomorrow..."
"You should," I replied. "I'll be surprised if you can even walk tomorrow." Legolas smiled.
"I shall not walk tomorrow; I shall run," was his response. I snorted in a "we'll see" sort of way. Legolas laughed got up from his chair, putting his cup in the sink. He came over to me and kissed me lightly on the forehead. "Sweet dreams." My dreams were sweet: they were about him.
As I woke up the next morning, sun streamed in my window. I was all over the bed, completely sprawled out, with the worst cold I had ever had. I felt awful. I moaned some unintelligible curse about having to get up so early for a dumb football game, but I got out of bed all the same, probably by some miracle. I got dressed in a daze, and stumbled down the hallway and into the kitchen. Legolas was sitting at the table, all dressed and ready to go. Peter was the stove standing over what smelled suspiciously like pancakes. I took seat beside Legolas and set my head down on the table, banging it against the wood a couple times first.
"Are you alright, Syd?" asked Legolas worriedly.
"I feel like crap," I answered in a stuffy, head cold sort of muffled way. Legolas put his hand on my shoulder.
"You shall feel better," he said. "Or at least, I hope you do. You shall not miss my game, shall you?"
"Thanks and no," I muttered. Medicine, I needed medicine! I ran to the bathroom and took as many different kinds of cold medicine as I dared. Why not live risky? I popped two more Tylenol. Coming back to the table, I sat down again. By the end of breakfast, and my third pancake, I was so perky that I could have run a marathon. Legolas was happy, but the only damper was the fact that Peter wouldn't be able to make it because Wednesday was the only day that the University office was open for students to un-enroll. He'd have to go take care of that business instead of going to Legolas' game. But in the car on the way to the field, you couldn't have told from Legolas' attitude. Driving into the parking lot, I decided to have a go at a motivational session with him myself.
"What are you going to do?" I yelled.
"Win," Legolas responded.
"No, I was looking for "not trip over my shoelace and fall flat on my face," but win is alright, too," I said. Legolas laughed. We got out of the car. When we got to the locker room door, I stopped. Legolas opened the door and was about to go in, but I my hand on his shoulder. I wanted to wish him good luck, being a best friend to him, as he himself had said. Legolas turned around, and for the first time since he had cried that night over the woman he had left behind and still loved, I saw a new emotion in his eyes. He was excited.
"Good luck," I said. Legolas leaned down and hugged me. I had never realized how short I was compared to him. When he was standing up, there was about a foot difference between us. What an elf. I loved him; there was no denying it.
"Thank you," he replied and hugged me tighter. I let go and stepped back. Legolas went through the door, glanced back for a second, and then shut the door. God, I loved him. Why did he have to love someone else? Why couldn't anything work out for me? I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around.
"Hello," said Adam, smiling. "Seeing your little boy off to his first day on the field, eh?" I smiled.
"You could say that," I answered. Adam laughed.
"Shall we?" I took his arm that he offered me and we went up into the stands. It was a drizzly day and a tent had been set up over part of the bleachers, but the view wasn't as good, so I definitely wasn't going to take the shelter over not being able to see Legolas play. As the other people began to arrive, the bleachers opposite us, across the field, filled with black and red. We were playing the Demons, supposedly the best team on the circuit. They had it coming, being so confident that they could beat us. I knew Legolas wouldn't let them.
Our side of the bleachers filled up also, mostly with girlfriends of the players. I laughed inside of myself to see them all sitting under the tent, their purses in their laps, afraid that the rain might muss their hair. They weren't even going to watch the game. They came to gossip and talk, and pretend to support their boyfriends. I shook my head and turned back to the field. As the buzzer rang to bring the teams out onto the field, I went down to the railing and stood beside Adam. He looked over to me.
"You're going to get wet," he said.
"And you're going to get hit if you are about to suggest I got under the dinky tent with those morons," I replied. Adam laughed.
"Fine. Then stay with me if you want to so badly." I slugged him in the shoulder and cheered as our team, the Warriors, began to pour out onto the field in a sea of green and gold. When the team positioned themselves on the field, Legolas scanned the bleachers. I waved and gave him a thumbs-up. He smiled a huge smile and turned back to the field, no doubt trying to get his focus on the enormous man opposite him. I saw the man look Legolas over and smile evilly. He thought Legolas would be a push over. I couldn't help but laugh inside of myself. As the buzzer rang to begin the game, I was already drenched with ran. My hair was soaking and plastered to my face in wet strands. My clothes were clinging to me. But I didn't care. Looking pretty was not what football was about.
"You should," I replied. "I'll be surprised if you can even walk tomorrow." Legolas smiled.
"I shall not walk tomorrow; I shall run," was his response. I snorted in a "we'll see" sort of way. Legolas laughed got up from his chair, putting his cup in the sink. He came over to me and kissed me lightly on the forehead. "Sweet dreams." My dreams were sweet: they were about him.
As I woke up the next morning, sun streamed in my window. I was all over the bed, completely sprawled out, with the worst cold I had ever had. I felt awful. I moaned some unintelligible curse about having to get up so early for a dumb football game, but I got out of bed all the same, probably by some miracle. I got dressed in a daze, and stumbled down the hallway and into the kitchen. Legolas was sitting at the table, all dressed and ready to go. Peter was the stove standing over what smelled suspiciously like pancakes. I took seat beside Legolas and set my head down on the table, banging it against the wood a couple times first.
"Are you alright, Syd?" asked Legolas worriedly.
"I feel like crap," I answered in a stuffy, head cold sort of muffled way. Legolas put his hand on my shoulder.
"You shall feel better," he said. "Or at least, I hope you do. You shall not miss my game, shall you?"
"Thanks and no," I muttered. Medicine, I needed medicine! I ran to the bathroom and took as many different kinds of cold medicine as I dared. Why not live risky? I popped two more Tylenol. Coming back to the table, I sat down again. By the end of breakfast, and my third pancake, I was so perky that I could have run a marathon. Legolas was happy, but the only damper was the fact that Peter wouldn't be able to make it because Wednesday was the only day that the University office was open for students to un-enroll. He'd have to go take care of that business instead of going to Legolas' game. But in the car on the way to the field, you couldn't have told from Legolas' attitude. Driving into the parking lot, I decided to have a go at a motivational session with him myself.
"What are you going to do?" I yelled.
"Win," Legolas responded.
"No, I was looking for "not trip over my shoelace and fall flat on my face," but win is alright, too," I said. Legolas laughed. We got out of the car. When we got to the locker room door, I stopped. Legolas opened the door and was about to go in, but I my hand on his shoulder. I wanted to wish him good luck, being a best friend to him, as he himself had said. Legolas turned around, and for the first time since he had cried that night over the woman he had left behind and still loved, I saw a new emotion in his eyes. He was excited.
"Good luck," I said. Legolas leaned down and hugged me. I had never realized how short I was compared to him. When he was standing up, there was about a foot difference between us. What an elf. I loved him; there was no denying it.
"Thank you," he replied and hugged me tighter. I let go and stepped back. Legolas went through the door, glanced back for a second, and then shut the door. God, I loved him. Why did he have to love someone else? Why couldn't anything work out for me? I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around.
"Hello," said Adam, smiling. "Seeing your little boy off to his first day on the field, eh?" I smiled.
"You could say that," I answered. Adam laughed.
"Shall we?" I took his arm that he offered me and we went up into the stands. It was a drizzly day and a tent had been set up over part of the bleachers, but the view wasn't as good, so I definitely wasn't going to take the shelter over not being able to see Legolas play. As the other people began to arrive, the bleachers opposite us, across the field, filled with black and red. We were playing the Demons, supposedly the best team on the circuit. They had it coming, being so confident that they could beat us. I knew Legolas wouldn't let them.
Our side of the bleachers filled up also, mostly with girlfriends of the players. I laughed inside of myself to see them all sitting under the tent, their purses in their laps, afraid that the rain might muss their hair. They weren't even going to watch the game. They came to gossip and talk, and pretend to support their boyfriends. I shook my head and turned back to the field. As the buzzer rang to bring the teams out onto the field, I went down to the railing and stood beside Adam. He looked over to me.
"You're going to get wet," he said.
"And you're going to get hit if you are about to suggest I got under the dinky tent with those morons," I replied. Adam laughed.
"Fine. Then stay with me if you want to so badly." I slugged him in the shoulder and cheered as our team, the Warriors, began to pour out onto the field in a sea of green and gold. When the team positioned themselves on the field, Legolas scanned the bleachers. I waved and gave him a thumbs-up. He smiled a huge smile and turned back to the field, no doubt trying to get his focus on the enormous man opposite him. I saw the man look Legolas over and smile evilly. He thought Legolas would be a push over. I couldn't help but laugh inside of myself. As the buzzer rang to begin the game, I was already drenched with ran. My hair was soaking and plastered to my face in wet strands. My clothes were clinging to me. But I didn't care. Looking pretty was not what football was about.