Spoilers:  After cattle incident and snippets of future episodes

Disclaimer:  I own none of these characters, and if I did, I would have never gotten rid of Eric! :D  May indeed include fictional shops and stores.

Pairings:  C/E, snippets of C/W

Chapter Twenty Seven

Caitlin had taken some great shots of the football game.  Coach Lawrence had been kind enough to allow Caitlin on the sidelines as long as she didn't interfere with his players.  Caitlin felt her heart skip a beat as she watched Eric dodge an opponent lunging at him.  He faked left and then jumped over a pile of Braymont High players and head towards the end of the field.  Caitlin wasn't quite sure how the game was played, but she knew from the crowd's excitement that something good was about to happen.  She began to sprint down the sidelines and when Caitlin found an opening, she began to snap a series of photos.  But Caitlin managed to pull herself from behind the camera lens in time to see Eric hop over into the end zone.

She leaped up with her camera in hand and shouted out loud along with the hometown crowd.  "Yeaaaah!" Caitlin screamed.  "Way to go Eric!"

The rest of the game had as much attack as the beginning quarter.  Caitlin finally managed to put her camera away during the dying minutes of the fourth quarter.  She made her way back to the bleachers where Dori, Jim, and Griffin were still seated.  Dori was the first to acknowledge her return.  "So did you get some great shots?  I saw you running around down on the sidelines," she laughed.

Caitlin sighed as she sat down.  "Yeah, I think I got some great shots."  Suddenly Caitlin felt Griffin poke her in the ribs.  "What?" growled Caitlin.

Her cousin smirked.  "Did you get any good shots of Eric?"

Caitlin rolled her eyes.  "Yes.  And you'll see them when I develop them tomorrow, okay?"

Griffin pouted.  "Aw, couldn't you do them tonight?"

"I think you can wait till tomorrow!  Besides, aren't you going to hang out with Eric after the game?  I'm sure there'll be a post-game celebration somewhere around town.  If not everywhere!"  Caitlin looked around at the bleachers.  It seemed everyone in town had shown up for the game.  "I think the whole town came to the game today."

Griffin and Brett looked around and laughed.  "I didn't really notice how many more people there were in the stands tonight," Brett admitted, scratching his head.  "I think this is this season's best crowd attendance."

Caitlin frowned.  "I don't know why so many people came to tonight's game?"

Griffin shook his head and patted her on the shoulder.  "It's because tonight's win kept us in the playoffs for divisions."

Caitlin shrugged.  "Whatever!  Anyway, what are we doing after the game?" she asked Dori and Jim. 

The two parental figures shrugged.  "I don't know.  I think we need to ask Eric?" Dori said, looking over at Griffin.  "You boys probably have something planned right?  Or you guys could come over to the ranch?"

Griffin laughed out loud.  "Mom?  You've got to be kidding right?  Of course we're going to go out!"

Caitlin frowned.  "Why?  It's getting pretty late already and wouldn't Eric be tired after the game?"

Griffin shook his head sadly again and smiled.  "Caitlin, Caitlin.  You don't know what happens after a football game do you?  Obviously not, since this is your first one!" he chided.  "Well, we'll let you in on our ritual."  Griffin leaned closer as Caitlin was ready to cuff him one for acting like such a know-it-all.  "Listen, we're going to the malt shoppe and we hang out with a bunch of the football team and cheerleaders, and eat pizza."

Caitlin frowned.  "Ooh, that sounds so exciting!" Caitlin deadpanned.

Griffin shook his head.  "And that my friends, is why we don't take her anywhere!" Griffin informed Brett and Jordan who snickered as Caitlin glared at them.

"Whatever!" Caitlin sighed.  "What…"

Suddenly Eric came bounding up the bleachers with his parents.  "Hey guys!" he said with a twinkle in his eye.  "So are we ready to celebrate?  We're still in the division race!"  Eric slapped Brett, Jordan, and Griffin's outstretched hands.

"Yeah," exclaimed Brett.  "Same place?"

Eric nodded.  "Yeah.  I gotta put my stuff in my parent's truck," he motioned to his parents who stood behind him.  "But I can meet you in the parking lot?"

The three boys nodded.  "Sure," Griffin exclaimed.

Then Eric looked over at Caitlin.  "Are you comin'?" he asked.

Caitlin was surprised.  She hadn't expected Eric to invite her along, not that she would have wanted to.  Caitlin smiled and shook her head.  "No, you guys go ahead."

Eric frowned.  "Why not?  We're just going to have pizza right guys?"  The three guys looked at him like he'd gone out of his mind.  They motioned with dramatically with their hands, not to invite her.  Caitlin could still see them from the corner of her eye, though they didn't know it.  When Caitlin turned to look at the three, they had stopped moving and smiled.  "Oh, uh, sure.  Yeah, Caitlin, you should come if this is your kind of thing!" Griffin coughed.

Caitlin rolled her eyes.  "Nah.  I think I've got some homework to do anyway.  I'll just go home with Jim and Dori."  She looked at Jim and Dori who were standing up and getting ready to leave.  Dori looked at her and nodded.  "Yeah.  I know she said something about having some homework to do."

Caitlin breathed a sigh of relief when Dori backed up her story.  Truth was, Caitlin wasn't quite looking forward to hanging out with 'the guys' tonight.  As everyone began dispersing in opposite directions, Caitlin waved Jim and Dori ahead because she had to pack up her camera.  When she began to make her way to the truck, she thought she heard her name.

"Caitlin!" Eric called from behind.

Caitlin turned around and saw Eric jogging away from his parents and towards her.  When he caught up to her, Eric was breathing raggedly.  "I'm glad you came!" Eric smiled as he matched Caitlin's stride.  She shrugged.  "I thought I'd catch at least one game this season.  And since everyone was talking about it, I thought this might be the one to see," explained Caitlin casually. 

She had this fluttery feeling in the pit of her stomach whenever she saw Eric nowadays.  It was weird because they'd become so close and Caitlin didn't think it could get still so awkward.  "So you made it a pretty interesting game," offered Caitlin.

Eric nodded.  "Yeah, it was one of our better games.  I thought I was going to be sick at the beginning of the game though.  There were scouts in the stands tonight."

Caitlin smiled sympathetically.  "Well I couldn't tell.  You looked good."  The last sentence seemed to hang in the air as they neared Jim's truck.  Caitlin swallowed as they slowed their pace down a little.

"Are you sure you don't want to come out tonight?  I know Griffin and them were kind of being jerks back there, but I'm sure they really wouldn't mind?"

Caitlin frowned and then laughed.  "Are you kidding me?"

Eric scratched his head and laughed.  "All right, they'd probably kill me if they knew I had asked you again," admitted Eric.  "But it still doesn't mean you can't come?"

Caitlin and Eric stopped just a few feet from the truck.  "Nah.  I can catch you some other time," shrugged Caitlin.  Eric nodded.  "Okay."

They stood there for a few minutes in silence.  Suddenly Jim called from the truck.  "Are you coming Caitlin?"

Caitlin glared back at Jim who was standing on the instep of the truck, leaning on top of the roof.  "Yeah," she cried exasperated.  Then turning to Eric, Caitlin nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.  "So I'll see you around?"

Eric smiled and nodded.  "Yeah.  I'll see you around."  He looked over at his parents who were waiting patiently, a few feet away.  "I'd better go to.  See ya."

Caitlin watched Eric walk towards his parents.  "See ya!" she called after him.  Finally she began to make her way to the truck.  And by the looks on Jim and Dori's faces, Caitlin knew that she was in for a long night of questions and teasing.