What do you mean you've been a World Cup game!?
You're lying!

He has got to be kidding! She was mad at herself for not being at the actual game and he actually went to experience one.

I'm serious.
It was for Chuy's birthday.
He wanted all three of us to go, so we both pitched in and got tickets.

Yeah right
I'm supposed to believe that?

Francisco sends her a picture of the three brothers sporting T-shirts in team colors with fans and a stadium seen in the background.

Believe me now?

She almost couldn't. Cell phones could perform photo magic, just ask Lola and Lori, but she figures that he wouldn't lie about this.

Have fun?

What do you think?

How can she ask that? If she had gone, he can only imagine what kind of insanity, sorry Lynnsanity, she would have caused. He pictures her decked out in gear, painted in team colors, screaming until she lost her voice, getting a little tipsy on beer; and that was just his imagination.

If we had some more money, we probably would have tried to go for a few more games, but I had other priorities.

Like what?

Francisco slaps his forehead, and shakes his head at the question.

My daughter
Bills
Mortgage Payments
You know. The important stuff.

Lynn nods her head in response, despite being alone in her apartment.

Well look at you still being Mr. Responsible

Francisco rolls his eyes at the nickname. He isn't as responsible as people like to think, but in Lynn's eyes, not putting off homework for the last minute and thinking about the consequences before doing something stupid is enough to warrant the nickname.

I'm surprised that you didn't go.
I thought that you would have bought a ticket to every game that you could.

Lynn looks at the text and huffs. She wanted to go, and she kicks herself for not being able to go, but she likes to call it punishment…and a deterrent.

I wanted to, but I had important things going on

Like what?

He was surprised that she would miss one of the largest sporting events in the world, especially if it was only a few hours away from home.

Stuff with my family
Money
We don't all have brothers who are nice enough to go and split tickets and travel costs

He nods in agreement. Unlike Lynn, whose siblings didn't care too much for sports, he didn't have to worry about his brothers not enjoying an afternoon of soccer; it was almost a family tradition.

Well had I known that you didn't go, I would have invited you

She smiles when she read that.

Thank you
We'll go to the next World Cup

Francisco stares at the screen. She has got to be kidding. He didn't mind the expenses that came from a game being held in Cincinnati, but going overseas; he shudders at all of the costs.

I have to go, Lynn.
Work in the morning.

Already?

She looks at the clock; it is getting late. She still has some energy to keep texting before going to bed, but she knows that he won't continue, especially when he has work tomorrow morning.

Are you free this week?

He takes a while to respond before he finally responded,

I'm free this week.
Why?

Can you meet me at the baseball field at 5

After Wednesday's practice

Sure.


Francisco pulls into the driveway, just as Caroline was stepping out of the house. She can't hear what her daughter and Francisco are talking about, but she can see Elena's eyes lighting up as she continued to talk.

'I guess her little plan worked,' Caroline thinks to herself as she looks at the two from the front door. She knew from the start that her daughter isn't interested in baseball or sports in general, but Elena knows that her dad loves it. Their daughter was more interested in artistic and academic pursuits, but that isn't going to get dad to come visit more often; at least that's what Elena believed. So for the time being, the girl endures playing sports, for his sake and to see him more often.

"Sorry that we're running a little late. I was talking to her coach about how to help her improve and I guess time got a little away from us."

That's a lie, but he isn't sure if Caroline could tell.

"You know you don't have to pick her up every day, right?"

"I want to," he says, pretending to be slightly offended.

She smiles at that. He is definitely trying to make up some time with Elena. She can't blame him, they only have a few days a week, and before this summer, work made it even harder to spend time together.

"How was practice, honey?"

"It was fine, but I need to get cleaned up," she responds. The girl isn't too used to running around and getting dirty, something that softball tends to do to its players.

Both Francisco and Caroline laugh.

Before going inside to get cleaned up, she turns around and gave her dad a hug, "See you on Friday."

"See you Friday," he tells her back, as he watches her go inside the house.

Caroline seew the longing look in his eyes, "I know that she's really looking forward to this weekend with you," she tries to assure him.

While he is happy that these moments aren't as rare as they once were, he sometimes feels like a stranger to the girl that is growing up before his eyes. The little baby girl that he held in his arms once is getting older and sooner or later, she isn't going to need either one of them; he just sees himself as the one that is going to be the one that doesn't get to know her as well.

"Are you okay, Francisco?"

She always asks, and like always, he would respond. "I'm fine."

It's almost a ritual at this point. She asks the same question, he responds with the same answer, before they quietly catch up on things.

He receives a text from his phone, "I should get going. I promised to meet a friend in a few," he says as he walks back to his truck.


Francisco throws the football at Lynn. It isn't a perfect spiral, but at least the arch is high enough to not make it a bouncing mess, too bad that it still didn't reach her. He isn't used to throwing the weirdly shaped ball, and he knows that Lynn can tell.

"You stink at this!" Lynn yells to Francisco after a pitiful throw from him, "How am I supposed to get better at football with you sucking like this?"

"Well, excuse me for not being a football player! We can't all be like you and run around excel at every sport under the sun," he argues back.

For the last couple of hours, he has been helping her practice for the upcoming football tryouts, which he didn't understand why. He is a baseball player, sometimes rowing and hockey, but definitely not football…never football! But for some reason, Lynn insistes on him helping her. He figured that at some point she would have called it quits and told him that he isn't worth practicing with, but he knows that Lynn isn't like that, and she would rather mold him into the perfect football player than quit on him.

"That sounds like quitter talk, if you ask me," she remarks. "C'mon! I know that you can do this!" she tries to inspire. "Your spirals are getting better, and it's not like running the forty yard dash isn't useful for baseball!"

She knows that most of her friends don't take sports as seriously as she does, and she did wish that they would, but she settles on them being great at what they liked, even if they suck at other sports.

Francisco walks over to her, and hands her the ball, "Maybe you should ask someone on the football team to practice with you, or maybe your brother?"

There! He figures that if he quits first it will end the madness.

Lynn snickers at the thought of Lincoln trying sports in general, "I'd rather stick with you."

Francisco hangs his head; she's never going to let him go.

"The Roosters must really stink if you still want me to help after my lousy performance."

"You just need some time to get better. I promise that when I get through with you, you'll be able to try out for the team!"

He doesn't want to try out for the team. He likes the sports that he participates in, not this. This is what she likes, running around playing every sport under the sun as if she's missing out by missing one sport.

"I know how to throw a baseball, footballs are something else."

Lynn groans and grabs the ball, "C'mon I'll show you again."


Lynn is waiting on the bleachers by the baseball diamond that she used to frequent when she was younger. She's fidgeting, trying to get herself comfortable while waiting for him to come. After he sent her that first message a few weeks ago, they've started messaging each other back a forth every once in a while. She's wants to at least hang out for more than a few minutes during practice, but between him needing to drop off Elena, and getting home early to prepare for the next work day; he isn't as available as she would have like him to be.

When she sees the truck pull up, she gets up and meets him at the diamond, "About time you showed up. I thought that you were about to cancel on me."

"My brother asked to meet him real quick after I dropped off Elena. Besides I'm here, why did you want to meet up?"

Lynn shrugs her shoulders, "What? Can't a friend call another friend to hang out?"

"I guess…" He doesn't know why she wants to hang out, but she is right; they are friends and they should be able to at least be able to hang out once in a while.

Lynn tosses him a baseball glove, and proceeds to walk to the mound. She motions him towards home plate before she casually throws the ball at him, and the two silently toss the ball back and forth, until she breaks the silence, "So…can I ask you something?"

"Sure," he says, as he throws the baseball back at her.

She struggles, as she tries to think of the right words to put together. It's easier in her mind, and she's wanted to ask this for a long time. Now she sees him and she can't get her mouth to ask.

"It was after I got kicked off the baseball team in college," he responds, before she could even ask her question.

He knows what she wants to ask. It wasn't the first time he'd been asked, and it probably wouldn't be the last. Everyone wants to know. He was the one who seemed to have his head screwed on right compared to his brothers, and it always shocked people to know that he was a father with a daughter that was almost eight years old.

"Was it your injury?" she asks, holding onto the ball.

Francisco nods his head. "I couldn't run as long. If I got hurt, I was out longer than most of my teammates…I'm pretty sure that the coach called it quits when I tripped and struggled to get up from the pain."

She can't think anything to say, and says, "I'm sorry…"

"Don't. It was bound to happen…I just wish that the dream could have lasted a little longer."

"Going pro?"

He laughs, "That was your dream, now not mine."


Francisco tosses her a water bottle, as they take a seat to rest on the bleachers. The sun is beginning to set and neither one is in a rush to get home.

"So what are you going to do now that baseball season is coming to a close?" he asks.

"We just practiced football, remember? I'm gonna train, maybe make my own team, then ice hockey in the winter, and just start my sports cycle all over again next year."

He raises an eyebrow, "Is sports all you think about?"

Lynn shrugs her shoulder, "What's wrong with liking sports?"

"Nothing, but it seems like your mind is just consumed by them. If it isn't baseball, it's soccer. If it isn't football, it's basketball. Do you ever just say enough?"

"No!" she responds, slightly offended that that's what he thinks of her, "I can think about other stuff. Besides, who cares!?"

He is taken aback by her response. They both turn towards the field to keep from having to look the other in the eye. Both stay quiet. This has been the most emotionally charged she has ever gotten around him, and he doesn't seem to know how to handle it either. Normally, she was this carefree girl that would, at most, just get upset about a bad call, now there is a sting in her voice and a dullness to her eyes.

"I wanna be an Olympian," she starts, "To be compete with the best, to be on the biggest stage in the world, and to…" she mumbles the last part, hoping that he won't be able to hear her.

He manages to hear her.


Francisco grasps onto the radiating pain. His back is throbbing, 'What the heck? We're just tossing a ball back and forth and I'm not even running around.'

"Do you want to sit on the bleachers?" she asks after noticing him in pain.

Francisco shakes his head, and tries to throw the ball to Lynn. The ball doesn't make it as far as before, and she goes to fetch ball, which only made it halfway to the mound. She can see the pain on his face, but he is being stubborn about it, probably for both of theirs sake.

"C'mon I could use a break," she lies.

She glances over at him every few steps, and notices him taking shorter steps and dragging his feet on the ground. She feels sympathy for him. No chance to finish school, at a crappy job that he probably doesn't want, and physically struggling to do what he loved; that's hardly a way to live.

As Francisco crashes onto the bleachers, he asks, "So how did you end up being a softball coach for a bunch of kids, Miss Future Olympian?"

Lynn stays quiet, and looks out at the field. She hates talking about it. People are always surprised, and she doesn't blame them, because she is too. A few years ago, she was a star player on that field, now she is just an assistant softball coach to a bunch of kids.

She takes a deep breath and starts, "I used to be a like a pro on a team full of rookies, then I became the rookie…"

He nods his head; understanding what she means. That was the problem of living in a small town – it was easy to stand out as a star with such a small pool of talent, but once you stray, you realize that maybe you weren't as great as you once thought.

"It was that bad, huh?"

She nods; refusing to look at him.

"That must have been tough on you." He knows that it isn't going to help, but anything to comfort her; especially since the silence is strange from the normally energetic girl from his adolescence.

"You don't know the half of it…" she says while still facing the field.

It's clear that it bothers her, not just by the uncomfortable silence and her refusal to look at him, but just remembering how she would talk. Sports were her life. Now here they are in the same boat. Her with that crazy dream, and him taking the realist approach; both of them with their plans completely derailed, and having to figure it out all over again, even after years to get back on track, it seems like neither one has figured out how to do so, and be happy at the same time.

"Don't you miss it?" she asks, wanting to break the silence.

"Miss what?"

Lynn shoots up from her seat and looks at him, "Competing! Sports! Being on that field, everyone looking at you, the way your heart would race, the roars from the stands! Don't you miss that?" she begins getting lost in the memories of her younger years.

He does.

Hemisses the carefree summer days spent on the diamond or rowing a canoe on a lake, or even on the ice in the winter. He misses his friends, his teammates. He misses the euphoria that came from winning. He misses it all.

Francisco nods, "Yeah, I miss it."

As soon as she hears that, Lynn immediately grabs him by the shoulders and lightly shakes him, "See! You get it! That itch just doesn't go away."

"I hope you don't mean athlete's foot," he jokes.

She smiles and stops shaking him, "No, but I miss being the one competing. The kids are nice and all, but watching them isn't the same. I want to be down there with adrenaline pumping through my veins, sweat on my brow–"

"I get it, Lynn. I told you, I miss it too."

"Then let's do it!"


"And what happens if you don't become an Olympian? What's your back up plan?"

He knows that people like to dream, but being an Olympian seems too farfetched. Then again, this is Lynn Loud, the girl who looks at challenges in the eye and fights until there's nothing left to give.

Lynn looks him straight in the eye, "There isn't one. Besides, I know that I'll make it," she boasts.

Francisco shakes his head. Honestly, she can be so full of herself if you asked him, she always was. He can see that look of determination in her eyes; one way or another, she is going to bust her butt to make sure that she can grow up to be that professional athlete.

"What? Are you afraid to dream? What's wrong with wanting to be the best?"

He scowls at the assumption, "I'm not afraid of dreaming. There's nothing wrong with dreaming, but at some point you're going to have to wake up and live in the real world where people aren't all heroes and whatnot."

"So what are your plans then? Enlighten me on what makes you more 'realistic'," she says with heavy sarcasm.

"Easy. I work hard, play baseball, get scouted for a college team, go to a good school on a scholarship, and then get a normal job, like engineering or something. See – realistic."

"And boring," she quickly comments.

He gives her a dirty look.

"C'mon! Who dreams like that? Dreams should be fun and exciting, not realistic. I mean, I once dreamed that I accidentally carjacked someone with my sister Leni."

Francisco stops listening for a bit; trying to remember which sister Leni was; he is pretty sure that she is the one with reptiles in her pants.

"That's not the kind of dreaming I was talking about, but what happens if you get injured? Your Olympic career goes down the toilet, and then what?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

She is getting defensive. Yes, she is right, one injury can ruin his scholarship plans, but at least he will be able to find another way to make the college dream a reality as long as he had his wits about him; if she gets injured, her dreams may not ever come true.

"You know what? I'll just drop it."

"Fine."

Lynn looks at the clock on her phone, "I should go. I gotta wash up before dinner, and I have to get there before the princess hogs the bathroom."

"I guess that is a pain when Lily does that."

"Yeah…" she says as she turns around and walks away.


"Biathlon? Archery? Shooting?" Lynn suggests.

He shakes his head, for the past couple of minutes, she has been suggesting a variety of sports, all of which he has shot down. Sure, theyaren't going to compete professionally or maybe even against people other than each other; at least he wasn't, but something to get them in a sort of competitive mood that they missed.

"Jeez! Can't you pick one?" she asks, clearly aggravated after having all of her suggestions shot down.

Francisco sighs, "Maybe you should suggest one that I can do."

"Why do you think that I didn't suggest football, or hockey, or soccer?"

"Because those are team sports, and I can't imagine that they would be very fun competing one-on-one. Although, those would be better than your earlier suggestions, I mean, seriously, Lynn, are you trying to finish what God started when I was a teenager?"

Lynn gives him a playful mocking look, but he does make a point – weightlifting and gymnastics would probably not be very high on his list of potential sports to take up, especially with his bad back, but it definitely would be fun to see.

"You still haven't told me why we couldn't do the ones I just listed. I mean sure, doing a biathlon means traveling to a mountain or anywhere you can ski, but we can find a way to do that, and I doubt you'll hurt your back doing archery or a shooting competition."

Francisco shakes his head, "I don't know how to shoot, and it also requires purchasing bullets, which can become a constant expense and archery…" The look on his face doesn't have her too convinced that he will pick it.

"So I shouldn't bother suggesting rowing, cause poor Francisco won't be able to get up if he gets in a boat?" she teased.

"Pretty big words for a girl that literally got thrown off the team," he jokes back.

"Hey, they let me back in!"

"Only, because we could never find coxswain or spare rower as good as you."

She crosses her arms, "Apology accepted. So no on rowing? How about swimming? How badly can hurt your back in the water? And we can still practice inside a gym during the winter," stating the last part with some hope that he will finally say yes.

"I wasn't apologizing, but maybe swimming won't be that bad."

"Finally!" she happily exclaims, "I thought that we would be here all night."

It wasn't a sport that she competed in much as a kid, but it is feasible for both of them, physically and financially.

Francisco looks at his watch, "It's not that late. Are you hungry?"

Before she can respond, her stomach growls giving him his response.

He gets up and stretches a little, "So what are you thinking? Burgers? Chinese?"

The two slowly walk back to the parking lot, "How about Romano's Deli?" she suggests. "I'm sort of a favorite around there, and they serve these primo Italian sandwiches that I know you'll love."

He nods his head, and she begins to pick up the pace when he agreed, "C'mon your treat!"

"I never agreed to that!"


Fun Fact: The Olympics were originally going to play a much larger role in story, hence the title. However, due lack of personal interest and desire to properly research meant that that part of the story had to be dropped and swapped out for a different conflict/goal. Actually, this story went in a far crazier direction from the original intention with Lincoln as the main character.

Anyway, if you've made it this far in the story - thank you for reading, I do appreciate it