Chapter 8
Keep Your Head in the Game
Elizabeth quickly jumped into a cab outside of the hotel and gave the driver her address. She could not keep the smile off her face; things had gone better than planned, much better than planned. She knew Will was serious about marriage; she was just taken slightly by surprise when he talked of it so soon. He made it sound like he was on the verge of proposing at any time! She really had never given it much thought. Marriage to Will was always expected, but now that the moment was apparently quickly coming upon her and she was overflowing with excitement. Being married to Will was a dream come true. No more worries about little scrabbles here and there, or who was coming over to who's house. They would be living together both working towards that place called happily ever after. The driver suddenly turned around and asked for his fair. Elizabeth was so far off in wonderland that she didn't even realize they had arrived to her apartment. She paid the man, giving quite the generous tip being in the mood she was, and started to walk up the drive. It was only when she practically ran into the back of the Bentley did she grasp that something was askew. She looked at the front of the car and smiled at the two flags attached to the front of the hood. There was only one person who would not think twice about parking his luxury car in the driveway of a college apartment complex. Elizabeth hurried up to her apartment to find her door unlocked. Stepping through the door she smiled at Ronald, her father's driver and bodyguard who was reading the paper at her small kitchen table.
"Ronald, isn't this a surprise!" She smiled as she scanned the room for his accomplice.
"He wanted it to be so Ms. Elizabeth." Ronald smiled, "I believe he is in your room laying out his things." He then went back to reading his paper. Elizabeth's father always insisted that he stayed with her when he visited. He claimed that he came to spend time with her, not with a hotel staff. He even had provided himself with his own dresser, which typically sat empty in her room until his arrival. This also meant that Elizabeth would be spending the weekend sleeping on her couch, and Will would not be sleeping over. As she walked into her bedroom she saw her father facing his token dresser with a look of concern on his face. His luggage was spread across her bed, open and still packed.
"Is everything alright?" Elizabeth jested, startling her father.
"Elizabeth!" He exclaimed as he quickly crossed the room and embraced her tightly. He pulled back from her with a huge smile, which soon faded as he looked her over,
"Gracious child what are you wearing?" He asked with concern.
"I…(her mind racing), was helping Anna out at her job!"
"I thought she was still modeling, is she now a maid?"
"It is a long story father, it is best not to mention it to her." Elizabeth covered as she quickly removed her flawed name tag. She wrapped her arms around him again, breathing in the scent of peppermint and pipe…wait pipe?
"Father are you smoking again!" Elizabeth scowled as she dropped her embrace.
"Only when I'm around democrats dear," he jested as he turned back around to the dresser. "Elizabeth there seems to be a problem with my living quarters."
"What is that?" Elizabeth lightheartedly asked as she sat on the edge of the bed to remove her shoes.
"Well, it seems that someone else is employing it." He opened the top drawer and pulled out a pair of Will's boxers, holding them up with the tip of his finger in disgust. Elizabeth mentally kicked herself for letting Will use THAT dresser, instead of cleaning out one of her drawers for him.
"Will sometimes stops over after practice for dinner father. I can't have him wear his filthy gym clothes at the table, so I allow him to shower and change here." Her sweet smile and innocent demeanor almost had her father convinced. That is until he pulled out the box of condoms that Will apparently also stored in the drawer.
"And what of these?" He stated in a stern voice, as he tossed the box on the bed, glaring at her. In all honesty Elizabeth was more taken back to see the box than her father. She had been taking oral birth control for almost two years. The initiation of the pill had soon ended their use of "external protection." She couldn't remember the last time one was used.
"I will have to have a talk to Will about this!" Elizabeth replied with all seriousness. Her father just rolled his eyes and turned back around to the dresser opening up the remaining drawers.
"Elizabeth just get rid of them, and don't say another word about it." He grumbled as he started to unpack his things. Elizabeth purposely picked up the box and threw it loudly into the trash can. Her father just shook his head as he continued to lay out his clothing. After a few moments of awkward silence Elizabeth asked the one question still lingering in her mind.
"So what brings you to town father?" She asked sweetly as she took a seat on her day couch.
"Does a father need a reason to visit his daughter?"
She stood up and went over to her father's suitcases, assisting him in unpacking.
"How long do you plan to stay?" Her father went over to her closet, relived to see only female clothing hanging, and took out some empty hangers.
"Through Sunday darling," he started to hang up some dress shirts, "I've read so much about William in the news I thought I would stay to see him play." Although her father lived in the Caribbean, he still had her campus newspaper delivered to his desk on a weekly basis. It was one of the perks of being a respected donor to the school.
"Did you get tickets?" Elizabeth questioned with concern, "the games often sell out preseason?"
"Bill Turner offered me a seat up in his box." Her father replied, as he finished hanging a shirt in her closet.
"You have talked to Mr. Turner?" Elizabeth questioned, reading more into the statement.
"Actually he contacted me." Her father started to close up the empty suitcases and placed them in the corner of the room. When he turned around he noted the look of confusion and concern across her features. "You look so much like your mother when you look at me like that."
"What did he contact you about?" She meekly questioned and sat back down.
"Well his son is dating my daughter." He walked over to her and took a seat next to her. "He simply called and offered me a ticket to the game this weekend. Having not seen you for awhile I gratefully accepted." Elizabeth smiled and wrapped her arm around his waist.
"Well I am glad you came, I missed you so!" She gave him a small peck to the cheek. Her father pulled her close and kissed the crown of her head.
"The house is so empty without you afoot my dear, I can hardly wait till summer to have you back." Elizabeth decided not to tell her father at this moment that she had planned to go backpacking through Europe with Will, Jack, and Anna this summer.
"Shall we get ready for dinner?" Elizabeth questioned, aching to clean up.
"Let's order in tonight, it's not every day that a man gets to live the college life style." Her father smiled as he patted her on the back.
"Pizza and cheese sticks it is!" Elizabeth replied, as she stood up pulled some fresh clothes from her dresser.
"Ronald will you be joining us?" She questioned as she made her way to the shower.
"No thank you miss, I will be leaving shortly."
"Your more than welcomed to stay Ronald," her father called from the bedroom, "you have never tasted anything like these cheese sticks she talks of, they are an absolute delight!"
"I am sure they are Mr. Swan but no thank you. I really must be going soon." Ronald replied, although he stayed firmly seated reading the paper. Elizabeth shut the bathroom door behind her. Nothing felt better than to remove the scratchy fabric of the uniform from her body. As the warm water spilled over her head and shoulders she couldn't help but feel like the luckiest woman alive. Her father and future father in law were bonding; she had the most amazing boyfriend, and had talked her way out of certain death when her father discovered Will's belongings-well mainly his box. She didn't know how anything could spoil the absolute perfection her life was at this moment.
As Elizabeth pulled on her red fleece with a giant 14 embroidered on the back, she heard her father call for the hundredth time that it was time to go. She grabbed her hat and gloves off the hall table as she hurried out the door.
"Elizabeth, Bill will think I have stood him up being this late!" Her father exclaimed as the car pulled out of the drive.
"Father, it will be fine." She calmly replied as she fastened her seat belt. She quickly looked him over and could not help but smile. The man was decked out in a black fleece coat with an embroidered 14 on chest, a pirate hat also with a giant 14 embroidered on the front, and black gloves. They pulled into Anna's apartment driveway and soon she popped out of the front door. As she joined Elizabeth and her father in the back of the town car she laughed aloud.
"Mr. Swan I wonder who you are supporting!" Elizabeth's father looked himself over with confusion,
"I had my tailor add a few touches here and there, have I over done it?"
"No father," Elizabeth interrupted, "you look perfectly charming. It is only befitting that you wear Will's number." Anna just shook her head, pulled a scarf from her tote and started to wrap it around her neck.
"Are you sure you girls won't join us in the press box, it is terribly cold outside."
"No thank you father, but Anna and I prefer to be out with the fans."
"So being in the press box makes me a more a spectator than a fan?" He questioned with sarcasm.
"What she is saying is that Will can't see her in the press box Mr. Swan." Anna chimed in as she checked her phone for messages. Elizabeth's father looked for her response, but Elizabeth merely smiled and shrugged her shoulders. Soon they pulled into the stadium.
Ronald dropped them off by the east entrance and they quickly passed through security. Elizabeth gave her father a quick embrace before he headed up to the press box.
"I will see you after the game dear." He commented as she started to walk away. Elizabeth quickly turned around,
"I usually wait for Will father, so stay with Mr. Turner after the game!" She smiled as she looped her arm with Anna and the pair walked away. Her father just shook his head as he headed up into the press box.
As Will took his seat on the bus from the hotel he noted something was off. The usual ruckus and chatter of the bus was absent, instead the team was quiet and all members had tight smirks plastered across their faces. Will took the first open seat he came across, and started to dig for his ipod. Finding his prize, his plugged in his ear phones and leaned back against the seat. As he started to close his eyes to the music a picture taped on the back of the head rest caught his attention. There was a picture taped on the back of his neighbors head rest also. In fact there was a picture taped on the back of every seat on the bus. Will immediately recognized the bare bum staring plainly back at him. As he grabbed the picture for a closer inspection, the entire bus broke out in laughter. Eric, who was seated behind him, reached around the seat and lightly punched Will in the arm.
"It was your turn Turner! After all, you did get a free massage out of it!" Eric joked as he leaned back in his seat. Will's only relief was that his bare ass was the only body part you could see of his or Elizabeth's. You could barely recognize who Elizabeth was in the picture. She was completely concealed behind him, except for her legs wrapped around his waist and the top of her head resting on his shoulder. Will stood up and acknowledged the prank,
"Very funny!" He replied to the crowd as he walked down the aisle collecting the pictures from the seat backs. When he obtained the last one, he continued,
"I would appreciate if this prank remained out of the press, so please destroy any duplicates." He retook his seat and put the pictures in his duffle bag. He turned around to Eric with a look of concern across his face.
"There were not any more pictures beside this were there?
"No worries man, we just snapped a quick one and left." Eric smiled, and ruffled Will's hair as he too plugged into his ipod. Will nodded, believing what he said. Eric was an honest man, and if he said there were no more pictures, then that was a fact. Will mentally made a note to never shag Elizabeth anywhere but the safety of their rooms, as he closed his eyes and started to mentally prepare for the game.
Elizabeth and Anna took their seats, their hands full of hot drinks and popcorn.
"I hear there is going to be a new team entrance today!" Nanna exclaimed as Elizabeth carefully sat down juggling her concessions.
"Yes!" Anna replied, as she sat and started to organize her things, "it will quite the scene!" As the band started to clear the field, Elizabeth stood in preparation of the fight song and the entrance of the team. The fight song started playing as Jack emerged from the tunnel on his horse, rearing up the horse on its hind legs and brandishing his sword. Suddenly there was cannon fire, coming from inside the tunnel. The entire crowd jumped in awe as smoke started rolling from the tunnel behind the cannon fire and the team emerged. The crowd wasn't the only thing that was startled. Jack's horse was spooked from the cannon fire and threw him off, charging across the field unmanned. Anna jumped up out of her seat, trying to get a better view of Jack. She looked relived when a group of cheerleaders helped him up, and he waved to the crowd as they escorted him back in the tunnel.
"He's hurt his arm!" She exclaimed as she sat back down, digging through her purse for her cell phone.
"How can you tell?" Questioned Elizabeth, as she watched a security guard lead Jack's horse back into the tunnel.
"He waved with his left hand," Anna quickly replied. Elizabeth looked at her as if she had grown a tail.
"What is that suppose to mean! So he waved with his nondominant hand, that doesn't mean he is hurt." Anna turned to Elizabeth with slight annoyance,
"A pirate doesn't wave Liz. He would have pulled his sword and waved it at the crowd, that is if he hadn't hurt his right arm when he fell off the horse." Anna found her cell and started to dial. Elizabeth shook her head,
"He was thrown from the horse Anna, he didn't just fall."
"Whatever," Anna replied as she waited a few moments and then hung up her phone. "Voice mail," she replied with agitation.
"He will be fine Anna, now cheer up the game is about to start!" Elizabeth stood and put down her drink, then held both arms high in the air as the crowd cheered on the coin toss.
It was the beginning of the forth quarter. Jeremy bent down and took his place in the line as Will started to call the play. They were running their new play, and Will soon would receive the ball then surprise the defense by taking a sharp left directly on the line of scrimmage while throwing a long pass to Dave. With Will's pin point accuracy with passing, Dave would score a touch down and the opposing team's fate would be sealed. It just irked Jeremy that Will would be praised a hero when in truth he was scum. He cheated on Elizabeth! She had to be the most beautiful woman Jeremy had ever seen, and he had the audacity to take advantage of her! He could see Elizabeth now, heartbroken with the news that Will had slept with a hotel maid. Suddenly, Jeremy was pushed to the ground. His heart raced as he realized he had missed the play call, and watched in horror as two men of the opposing team's defense ran right by him hot on Will's trail.
Will gripped the ball as he ran down the line of scrimmage looking downfield towards the spot where Dave would soon appear. As he saw Dave reach the spot he cocked his arm back to throw the ball when suddenly everything went black!
Hmmm wonder what happened?? Hope you enjoyed the chapter-I love drama! : )
