Freshman Year | Chapter Three | Remember the Name
Song: Remember the Name—Fort Minor
Phoebe walked into her Hillwood home at a little past eleven o' clock at night but her parents were still up and waiting for her arrival.
"Thank goodness you girls made it here alright!" Reba Heyerdahl exclaimed as Phoebe and Siobhan walked through the door. "Siobhan, so nice to see you!" Reba waved, "Oh honey, I've missed you so much!" Reba walked over to her only child and gave Phoebe a long, loving hug. She'd only been at Stanford for a little more than three weeks but she had to admit to herself that she missed seeing her parents nearly every day.
"Sweetie, you're home!" Kyo walked into the foyer to give his daughter a hug. He grabbed both Phoebe and Siobhan's overnight bags from the floor and carried them over into the living room. "Your mother and I will be attending the game tomorrow to support Gerald." Kyo glanced over the top of his glasses, "Have you received any confirmation of his game status?"
"Yes Father, Gerald said that his coach is considering using him in the second half tomorrow." Phoebe responded.
"Wonderful news," Kyo remarked simply, "Will you and Siobhan be riding with us tomorrow morning or separately?"
"Actually, Siobhan and I will be leaving early tomorrow to pick up Arnold before heading to the stadium." Kyo raised his eyebrow slightly before Phoebe continued, "We were actually planning on staying at Helga's place tomorrow evening?"
"Correct me if I'm wrong Phoebe but doesn't Helga live on campus?" Reba interjected, placing a hand on her chin.
"That's correct mother." Phoebe answered. Kyo and Reba looked at each other with a bit of concern.
"Four girls in a tiny dorm room built for two?" Reba spoke up. "I don't really know if that's the best idea—but you girls are technically adults now. Just promise me that you'll come home if it's the least bit uncomfortable or unsafe." Phoebe and Siobhan nodded their heads in silent agreement.
"Well, your mother and I have already set up an air mattress in your room. Tomorrow is a very exciting day, we're going to head up to bed. Goodnight sweet pea." Kyo gave his daughter a small kiss on the forehead before him and his wife disappeared up the staircase.
It was the morning of the third game of the season but it was the first game that the coach even considered Gerald for. Gerald woke up and took a shower before grabbing his bag and heading towards the campus gym with his friend, roommate and teammate Jake.
Game day was a big deal at the University of Washington, Gerald and Jake were the only two football players on their floor and they opened their door to a few sticky notes of encouragement posted alongside a few purple and gold streamers. Once at the school gym, they settled in for a pregame, carb-loaded meal that they ate as a team before stretching and completing warm-ups before heading to the locker room.
During the team's morning meal, coach confirmed that Gerald would be playing for at least one quarter in the game. Gerald's heart was racing since the announcement, it was his time to shine but he'd never played on such a large scale before. He had to admit that he was nervous but the more he tried to shake the thoughts from his mind, the more he was consumed by them.
It was bright and early Saturday morning when Phoebe and Siobhan pulled up to the Sunset Arms boarding house to pick up Arnold Shortman, before embarking on their two hour drive to the University of Washington. The time flew by quickly and before the small group realized it, Helga was texting them instructions on where to park.
Helga headed towards the student parking lot with Madison to meet her best friend, boyfriend and her best friend's roommate. To her own surprise, Helga uncharacteristically squealed when she saw her best friend step out of the car. She ran up to her friend's car and gave her friend a hug, Phoebe was briefly introducing the pair to each other when Arnold stepped out of the car. It had only been two weeks since she'd seen him but she was taken aback when she saw him. His once lush beard, a souvenir from his time In San Lorenzo, was now trimmed and more manageable.
"You didn't tell me about this." Helga said, running her fingers along the side of his chin.
"You don't like it?" Arnold asked nervously, trying to read the expression on Helga's face.
"Oh, come over here. I love it!" Helga growled, grabbing his chin and pulling his face in for a kiss. Helga grabbed Arnold's hand and turned around to face her group of friends, "Mads, this is my boyfriend Arnold and my best friend Phoebe." Helga gestured towards them as she introduced them.
"Nice to meet you guys." Madison responded awkwardly.
"Helga, this is my roommate Siobhan!" Phoebe excitedly introduced her new friend and Siobhan waved to the group.
"Alright, let's drop your stuff off in the room and then I'm going to change for this game." Helga remarked, it was at that moment the entire group realized that Helga and Madison were standing outside greeting them in their pajamas.
"Seriously Helga?" Arnold stifled back a giggle.
"Hey, you guys got here earlier than we expected." Helga defended herself, placing a hand on her hip before the group headed up to Helga and Madison's dorm. "Make yourselves at home, it's a little small but what do you expect?" Helga said opening the door and gesturing the group inside.
Siobhan looked around the pink and grey decorated room, both beds slightly lofted just enough to have a few small drawers tucked underneath them. A small grey futon was placed in the middle of the floor with a small coffee table placed between it and a large television. Siobhan nudged her roommate.
"Hey Phoebe, maybe we should get a futon." Siobhan smiled.
"Yeah. We just have to throw out all the furniture the room came with to fit it in." Phoebe laughed.
"I'm just going to take a quick shower and then we can head over for the tailgate." Helga grabbed the outfit that was thrown onto her bed and headed towards the bathroom.
"Ugh, having your own bathroom. I miss that." Phoebe sighed.
Helga reemerged from the bathroom with her hair braided back into two French braids, wearing a form fitting purple t-shirt with a giant 'W' on the front, the back had #PURPLEREIGN printed in gold glitter on the back. Madison hopped in the bathroom briefly and came out wearing a similar shirt.
"So, I hope you don't mind but Mads and I made you something last night." Helga remarked, pulling out a small gift bag. Phoebe opened the bag to reveal a white University of Washington t-shirt that had been handwritten with glitter to read "Johann is MY man" with Gerald's number: #33, written underneath.
"Oh my goodness!" Phoebe whispered excitedly, "This is awesome. You guys didn't have to do this! Thank you!"
"It was no big deal." Madison and Helga smiled as Phoebe ducked into the bathroom to change into her new shirt.
"Alright. Let's get a move on." Helga remarked, grabbing her room key and heading out into the hallway to make their trek towards Husky Stadium. Crowds of students were heading towards the stadium, decked out in purple and gold carrying signs, bullhorns and foam fingers. The excitement was almost overwhelming. Phoebe's mind wandered to thoughts of Gerald, wondering how he was holding up.
When they got to "The Zone", the tailgating area at Husky Stadium, they entered into a realm none of them had ever experienced before. A sea of purple, white and gold tents and attire surrounded them. Their group grabbed a few sodas and plates of food before striking up conversations with other UW students and fans.
After days of coordinating between Helga and Phoebe, they managed to find five tickets that were side-by-side and only a few rows from both Phoebe and Gerald's parents. Helga placed her hand on Arnold's knee nervously as the game began. They introduced the players on the giant screen and their small group squealed in excitement when they saw Gerald Johanssen's smiling face flash across the screen introducing himself, his hometown, number and position.
The University of Oregon players entered onto the field. The two teams had a history of rivalry and the game was extremely hyped up. The first three quarters flew by and when the fourth quarter rolled around, Gerald finally saw some game time. University of Oregon fumbled the ball on UW's 15-yard-line—a costly mistake.
Washington's offense took the field with 1:14 left on the clock, Gerald took his position on the field, cleared his mind of everything but one single focus, to run the ball as far as he could. The quarterback rattled off the numbers of the play and did a pump fake before giving the ball to Gerald. Gerald saw his opportunity, a small opening in Oregon's defensive line that other's may have missed. His feet picked up speed as Oregon players struggled to keep up with the incoming freshman. Before Gerald knew it, he was past the 50-yard-line, he could see the goal ahead of him and nothing was standing in his way.
The fans were going wild in the stands! Phoebe, Helga, Arnold, Madison and Siobhan were all looking at the field in disbelief. Helga and Phoebe had seen Gerald play all throughout High School so they knew that he was good but they had no idea that he was that fast! Gerald carried the ball into the end zone, scoring not just a simple touchdown—but an 85-yard touchdown for Washington. Gerald's fantastic run helped secure UW's win for his team 47-41.
Following the game, Gerald was surprised at how many people wanted to talk to him. Two local Seattle reporters and one ESPN U reporter shoved microphones into his face wanting post-game interviews. He was extremely happy to see not only his parents but Phoebe's parents as well, waiting to congratulate him on his amazing run after the crowds began to clear out. However, the person that brought the biggest smile to his face was seeing Phoebe, who's smile was huge as she ran up to him, jumped into his arms and planted a kiss on his lips.
"You were amazing out there!" Phoebe remarked, "Your coach would be insane to leave you on the bench after that run!"
"I hope you're right Phoebe!" Gerald beamed, still on a high from his game winning touchdown. "I'll have to see you guys back at the room. I have to hit the locker room for our post game meeting. I shouldn't be more than an hour." Gerald remarked, giving Phoebe a gentle kiss on the lips before heading back to the locker room with the rest of his teammates.
University of Washington was extremely proud of their athletic department, so it was no surprise that they threw a huge party for all their students after every home game. However, that was not the party that Gerald and his friends attended. They got dressed and headed to a party held within walking distance of the school, but still technically considered off-campus, thrown by one of the senior football players.
When Gerald and his friends walked in, everyone directed their attention towards the door and began to chant. "Kid Flash! Kid Flash! Kid Flash!"
"Don't tell me. You're Kid Flash now?" Helga doubled over in laughter, "Oh this is rich!"
"Someone said it in the locker room earlier—but I didn't think it would stick." Gerald rubbed his neck with a slightly embarrassed look on his face.
"I think it's cute." Phoebe smiled at her boyfriend, "and fitting."
"I mean it was an amazing run that you had today!" Arnold offered as his opinion, "Besides, how many freshman on this team have nicknames?"
Gerald and the others found a quiet corner of the party where they could enjoy themselves but unfortunately, the corner didn't stay quiet for long. Students were flocking towards Gerald's group, wanting to take snapchats and pictures for Instagram. Of course, Gerald had never been one to shy away from the limelight, so he was soaking in all of his newfound popularity as much as he could.
Helga and Arnold stuck it out at the party for nearly an hour before they told their group they were heading back to the dorms to hang out alone for a while. The next to leave the group was Jake, who was determined to find a girl to hook up with. Shortly following behind was Madison, who was on the hunt to find a football player more popular than Jake to hang out with to make Jake jealous. Siobhan was enjoying her time at the party until she looked over at a clearly upset Phoebe.
"What's going on? Why the sad face?" Siobhan asked, Phoebe lifted her cup full of Jungle Juice and pointed it in the direction of Gerald. Gerald was retelling the story of his 85-yard run for what seemed to be the millionth time that night. However, the upsetting part was he was sandwiched between two tall, attractive, future trophy wives while he told his tale; and he was making no effort to tell them to move. "Oh no, this isn't happening. Not on my watch."
"Siobhan, wait!" Phoebe attempted to call after the curly haired girl, who had already muscled her way into the group surrounding Gerald. She walked up to Gerald and although she was nearly a foot shorter than him, she poked him in the chest—Phoebe couldn't hear what was being said, but she could assume they were some pretty strong words because the group had cleared out within minutes.
"Well, I believe my work here is done." Siobhan clapped her hands and began to walk away.
"Wait, where are you going?" Phoebe questioned, grabbing Siobhan's arm before she could head off.
"I can take care of myself, don't you worry your pretty little head about me." Siobhan gave a soft smile, she saw Gerald walking towards the two girls. "Don't forget, you can take care of yourself too. I'll text you in the morning. We're having breakfast at 8am right?"
Phoebe silently nodded her head in agreement before Siobhan walked off and Gerald reached her.
"How about we go to my place and talk?" Gerald asked in the meekest voice she'd ever heard him use.
"Sounds like a great idea." Phoebe responded softly. Gerald and Phoebe made their way back to his dorm room in Maple Hall. Although it was nearly midnight, many students were walking around the campus in search of something to occupy their Saturday night. Gerald swiped his student ID at the entrance of the building and took the now second nature walk up to his dorm room. He unlocked the door, threw his keys on the desk and took a seat on his bed, gesturing for Phoebe to join him.
"Your friend Siobhan, she sure is—bold." Gerald commented once they were settled in.
"I'll admit she can be a little brazen at times." Phoebe responded, "I'm really sorry about that. I had no idea that she was going to interrupt your conversation like that."
"You have no reason to apologize. I was a complete ass. I should have been focusing my attention on you. You drove thirteen hours to see me, not some persona that didn't even exist until 2 o' clock this afternoon," Gerald admitted. "I'm so sorry, it's just a lot to get used to in such a short amount of time."
"Yeah, transitioning to college life was supposed to be much easier than this. It's hard for me and I only have to deal with school, I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through." Phoebe placed a gentle hand on her boyfriend's knee.
"Still, there's no excuse. I'm sorry." Gerald repeated. Phoebe looked into his eyes and could tell that he was sincere with his apology. "I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you."
"I know. Hey," Phoebe got a small glimmer in her eye before leaning in to whisper into Gerald's ear, "Remind me, is dorm room on our list?"
Gerald took a moment to comprehend what his girlfriend was asking before his eyes widened and quickly turned into a half lidded, sexy stare. He pulled Phoebe on top of him and gently kissed her on the neck. "I don't remember, you might have to refresh my memory."
"Rise and shine Football Head." Helga remarked, Arnold woke up and saw his girlfriend's face inches away from his. He leaned up and planted a kiss on her lips. Despite the two of them sharing such a small bed, he definitely enjoyed sleeping next to Helga—it was something he really could see himself getting used to.
"Sunday already?" Arnold groaned, a tinge of sadness coating his voice.
"Hey." Helga smiled, "I'm coming to Hillwood next weekend—I was going to surprise you, but what the hell?"
"You don't know how happy that makes me." Arnold smiled, grabbing Helga and kissing her. Their kiss started to grow in intensity when they were interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Sorry to interrupt you two lovebirds but have you see Siobhan?" Phoebe asked once they answered the door, Gerald's tall frame standing behind the petite girl.
"Um no." Helga looked at her friend with a very confused gaze, "I thought she was with you guys."
"I'm an awful friend." Phoebe whimpered, covering her face with her hands as Gerald rubbed her back.
"Well, did you text her?" Helga raised her eyebrows, climbing out of her bed wearing an oversized t-shirt that nearly reached her knees.
"Ugh, Pataki! Put some clothes on!" Gerald remarked, shielding his eyes in an exaggerated fashion.
"Bite me Geraldo." Helga scowled, before grabbing her cell phone. She scrolled through her recent messages, "Don't call the search party just yet, she's with Madison and Jake."
"Madison and Jake?" Gerald chuckled, "I told you that girl was bold."
"Alright, apparently they're finishing up brunch and then they'll be here in a few minutes." Helga informed her friends.
Madison, Jake and Siobhan walked through Helga's dorm room door around ten minutes later. Their hair was tousled and they were all in the same attire from the previous night. It was obvious to everyone that they were either extremely sleepy or very hungover—the latter seemed the most likely.
"Where were you?" Phoebe folded her arms and demanded to know, her voice sounding more motherly than she intended for it to.
"Chill!" Siobhan let off a slight chuckle, causing Madison and Jake to giggle as well, "Jake was running around chasing any and everything with a vagina and a pulse and Madison was attempting to play catch-up—so I gave them a better challenge. Let's find the dopest party on campus! It was not the football party if you were curious."
"Bro! Pi Kapps throw the best party on campus! I got us on the list next week—it's supposed to be a rager!" Jake exclaimed.
"How did you guys even get in to a Pi Kapp party?" Gerald's eyes were wide with astonishment, the fraternity was known for having the most exclusive parties on campus.
"I have my ways." Siobhan smiled, popping her imaginary collar.
"Well, we should be hitting the road soon." Phoebe stated sadly, the group said their goodbyes and a few tears were shed."
"Hey, did you and Gerald work everything out?" Siobhan asked after they dropped off Arnold in Hillwood and started on their long drive back to Stanford.
"Yeah, we did. Thank you." Phoebe smiled.
"Don't thank me, that's what friends do for friends." Siobhan responded, "You two are so adorable together. Just don't be afraid to call him out on his bullshit if you need to." Siobhan offered as advice before turning the radio up and grooving along to the music. Phoebe drove in silence for a little bit, replaying Siobhan's comment in her mind. She did tend to keep her opinions to herself a lot of the time, but she didn't have anything to worry about with Gerald—right?