August 29th, 2032
"He is so little. Finn, are you sure this was a good idea?" Rachel worried over her baby again as they walked from the car to the field where Liam would be playing his first football game.
"Of course! He'll be fine. Liam's got so much padding on a truck could hit him and he wouldn't feel it." Finn patted Liam's shoulder and smiled at his wife who didn't look completely sure.
Unlike their other three children, Liam had inherited more of her traits than Finn's including the short and tiny ones. He was seven but certainly didn't look it. Ian was two and a half years younger than Liam and was almost taller than him and weighed nearly as much. The doctor said nothing was wrong with either of them and that it was just their genetics but it still concerned Rachel. She hoped Liam would hit a growth spurt the way Finn did in middle school otherwise he'd be severely dwarfed by all his siblings. All of which led to her unease at her tiniest child playing such a rough contact sport.
"Well there he is, the littlest football star in the five boroughs," Anjali crowed when she noticed the Hudsons walking toward them.
"Not helping my nerves, Anj," Rachel commented as they joined their friend along the sidelines.
"Rachel, he'll be fine. Right buddy?" Anjali asked Liam. He didn't speak as he swallowed and nodded while he stared at the ground.
As Rachel and Anjali helped the kids find seats in the bleachers, Finn walked Liam over to where his team was gathering on their benches. "Ya nervous, bud?" He looked down at him and smiled to reassure him.
"Dad, what if I don't want to play football anymore?" Liam looked up at him, fear etched across his face.
Finn stopped walking and knelt down to look Liam in the eye. "But you were so excited about playing. Why the sudden change?" Liam just shrugged and Finn sighed. "Liam, it's okay to be a little nervous or even scared before your first game. I played football for a long time and even I got nervous before games."
"But what if I suck and we lose because of me?" Liam exclaimed, getting more upset with each passing second.
"Hey, Liam, look at me." Finn lifted Liam's chin and made him look at him. "You don't suck; don't ever think that. You just try your hardest and follow the plays and you'll be great."
"I'm just really, really nervous."
Finn looked over at the stands where he could see Rachel chatting with Anjali while Ian and Zach spent their time bugging Roxy. He smiled and looked back at Liam. "You know what helped me a lot when I was nervous?"
"What?"
"Your mom. After we started dating and she started coming to my football games, every time I looked in the stands and saw her there cheering me on I instantly felt better."
"Mom will just embarrass me. She made a Team Liam t-shirt, dad," Liam complained, scrunching his face together.
Finn chuckled knowing what he meant. "Yeah, she does love her Team Hudson t-shirts doesn't she? But at least you know you have a whole section here just for you."
"That just makes it worse. If I mess up then everyone will see it."
"Liam, if you go into the game thinking you're going to mess up, you will. You need to think positive and pay attention. You did great in practices, you'll do great now."
"I'm going to get crushed," Liam deadpanned. "In practice they went easy on me. This is real, dad!"
Finn took a breath. "Did Mom ever tell you about the time she played football with me in high school?"
Liam started laughing loudly. "Mom playing football? Dad, she can't even tell a football from a soccer ball!"
"I'm telling you the truth. Mom played football with me during the Championship game our junior year and she helped us win." He wasn't going to explain that she only helped by technically being part of the team and dropped to the ground whenever they snapped the ball, but that was neither here nor there. "Anyway, Mom is super tiny and she played football against a bunch of big guys like me and Uncle Puck and she didn't get crushed. Don't underestimate your size. There have been a lot of great small football players."
Liam still didn't seem to buy it but he couldn't counter his father's story as just then a booming voice caught Finn and Liam's attention. "Hudson! What are ya doin'? We got warm-ups to do!" the coach of Liam's team yelled at him, waving his hand for him to join the rest of the kids.
Finn looked back at Liam and grinned at him. "You ready?" Liam gave an unconvincing nod and walked away from Finn, his head drooping slightly as he headed toward the group. Finn stood back up and watched him walk away. Maybe football wasn't the best idea.
As he made it back to the bleachers, Finn was instantly assaulted by the rest of his brood. A cacophony of 'dad', 'daddy', 'mom said' and 'ice cream' penetrated his hearing as he attempted to calm them down.
"One at a time; what?" They all tried to speak at once again until he quieted the boys and let Roxy explain.
"We all want ice cream and Mom said that you would buy some for us." She smiled her 'I want something, please Daddy' smile at him and the boys smiled right along with her. They all had the same smile – his. He honestly wondered how he couldn't get Rachel to do more of what he wanted with his smile since his children seemed experts at using his smile against him. Maybe it was due to their chubby cheeks and round faces.
"Did she now?" he glanced over at his wife who was pointedly ignoring him, talking to Anjali. "Come on." The kids whooped and started climbing down quickly to run to the snack stand on the other side of the field. When they made it all three kids started speaking at the same time again, telling Finn just what they wanted and it seemed they wanted more than just some ice cream. "We ate before we came, Ian. You are not getting a hotdog. We're here for ice cream."
Ian pouted before asking for two ice creams in that case. "I'm still hungry! I won't be hungry anymore if I can get two Drumsticks."
"Your mother will have my head if I let you get two. You can have one and that's it."
When they got to the front of the line all the kids started talking to the chipper cheerleaders running the stand loudly and rapidly. The girls seemed flustered and confused until Finn pushed the kids behind him.
"Hi, yeah, sorry about that. I need two Drumsticks, an orange Push-Up and a Crunch bar." He looked back at the kids mischievously. "Now what d'you guys want?" He started chuckling as they all groaned and Ian pushed at his legs in annoyance. "Okay, that's it." The girls went to work grabbing the treats and the boys salivated as they handed them over.
As the girl handed Roxy's Crunch bar over to her, a mysterious hand invaded her sight from her left and snatched the ice cream right out of her hand. "Hey!" she screeched at the sudden stealing of her treat. When she focused on the perpetrator, her face went red and she steamed. "Isaac!"
"Thanks for the ice cream! I'll need the energy for my game!" he yelled as he retreated into the thickening crowd to get away from her. Roxanne screamed and bolted in the direction he had gone to kick him and win back her ice cream.
Figuring it would be either melted or in Isaac's stomach by the time she caught him, Finn shelled out for another Crunch bar for when she returned and proceeded to usher Zach and Ian back to their seats.
Roxanne returned a few minutes later, sweaty and sans Crunch bar. "That stupid jerk ate my ice cream!" She stomped up the metal steps angrily and plopped down between Finn and Ian.
"Well lucky for you I am the best dad ever and got you another one." He picked up the wrapped Crunch bar and handed it to her with a triumphant smile. She gave him a big hug then made sure Isaac was nowhere in sight before opening the slightly melted ice cream.
The game started shortly after that and unfortunately, Liam spent most of the time sitting on the bench. Finn watched the game and explained to the boys what exactly was going on as they still didn't fully understand all the rules and Rachel stood up and cheered for her baby even though he had done nothing but warm the bench. Every time she yelled out to him, he turned his head and glared at her before dropping his head.
As for Roxy, she sneered at the cheerleaders every time they performed a cheer. She had been given the option of joining the cheerleaders when they signed Liam up for football but as she had Finn's poor coordination had declined. Plus, some of the mean girls from her school were on the squad and the less time spent with them, the better. She was actually so distracted by their failed basket toss that she didn't even notice her brother's presence had been replaced by Isaac's.
"That ice cream was delicious. Thanks," he said, startling Roxy from her thoughts of Kristin Greene breaking her leg.
"You're not welcome. That was my ice cream that my dad bought for me. Get your dad to buy you your own ice cream next time." She crossed her arms over her chest angrily and turned away from him.
"My dad isn't here. He had to work today and my mom wouldn't let me get one."
"Did you ever think of asking if maybe my dad might buy you one instead of stealing mine?"
"Stealing yours was just easier."
Roxanne huffed. "What are you even doing here anyway?"
"My football game is right after Liam's. We just came early to watch him play. Seems kinda pointless though since all he's done is sit on the bench. He's such a runt."
"Hey! That is my brother you are talking about! It's not his fault he's so small."
"I wasn't picking on him. I'm just surprised they let him on the team at all. Everyone else is so much bigger. The kid could get hurt," he said quietly, shrugging.
Roxanne stared at Isaac in wonder. He was actually concerned for someone other than himself? "Why do you even care? You don't even like my family."
He looked scandalized. "I like your family!"
"Well, you don't seem to with how much you pick on me!"
Isaac's face fell slightly before he stood up. "I should go. This game is going to be over soon and I gotta get with my team." Without looking back at her, Isaac hurried down the bleachers and ran over to where his team was beginning to congregate.
Roxy watched him chatting with his friends and smiled when he started laughing. Her heart beat a little faster in her chest as he ran his hand through his hair messing it up. When he turned his head and his eyes locked with hers for the smallest of moments she flashed back to their first kiss and suddenly felt very warm. Their connected gaze faltered when her mother gasped loudly on the other side of her father however.
"Finn! Are they…are they putting Liam in?" Rachel screeched, clutching Finn's arm tightly as they watched the huddle break and the boys run out to line up. Sure enough Hudson, 9, could be seen running onto the field. "Oh my God! My baby is finally playing!" Rachel jumped to her feet and started shouting words of encouragement to her son on the field while Finn shook his head. Liam was right. It was embarrassing.
On the field Liam was freaking out wondering what the heck he was doing on a football field. This isn't fun! Why am I here? If I wanted bullies to hit me I could have stayed home and played with Ian! he thought to himself as he stood hunched over a few feet down from a kid quite a bit bigger than him. He looked up at the kid directly across from him and gulped thickly when the even larger boy smiled menacingly at him and made a throat slitting motion. He thought that kind of thing was only in movies and on TV.
The QB called out the play and as soon as he said hike, instead of pushing forward towards boy in front of him, Liam ran in the other direction. He turned to look behind him and saw the opposing boy chasing right after him. Liam screamed loudly and veered to the right where he found the rest of the opposing team standing along the sidelines. He turned right once more and bolted up the field.
As he ran, he was vaguely aware of his teammate yelling his last name. He looked behind him and saw the kids arm snap back then push forward releasing the ball. Liam's eyes widened as he realized the kid had meant for him to catch the ball. He saw it coming at him and realized he had two options. He could keep running and let the ball hit the ground causing a fumble and really suck and make the team lose or he could actually try like his dad had said to. He saw the large boys gunning for him and made a split second decision.
Liam stopped running and reached for the ball. To his amazement, the ball landed in his hands. He stared at it, stunned. His heart pounded in his chest as he realized he had actually caught the ball. When his head swiveled in the direction of his family he saw them screaming loudly and motioning for him to run. The only problem was…which way did he need to run?
Liam zagged to his left as he realized the other kid was still running toward him. As a boy from his team came into view, he pointed toward the end zone they needed to get to. Realizing he had been running the right direction before, Liam course corrected and shot toward the goal post.
The line was coming into view quickly. A smile spread across his face as he realized he was about to score a touchdown…and that was when he made the mistake of looking behind him. Nearly the entire opposing team was chasing him. He screamed even louder than before and clutched the ball tightly to his chest.
Liam crossed the line scoring a touchdown and sending his family and team into a giant uproar of pride and happiness. This however didn't stop him from continuing to run.
"Dad, is Liam s'posed to keep runnin'?" Ian asked from his place in Finn's arms when he lifted him for a celebratory hug at Liam's touchdown.
"No, he isn't." Finn put Ian down and turned to Rachel who looked confused and troubled herself. "Don't worry, I'll go get him." He rushed down the bleachers and ran after his son.
Though Liam was fast, his endurance was low and it didn't take long for Finn to find him tuckered out, breathing rapidly and lying under a tree not too far from the field.
"Hey buddy! That was amazing! You scored a touchdown in your very first game!" he crowed like the proud papa he was. Finn leaned over Liam who appeared to be having a panic attack. "Liam, are you alright?" Seeing him up close he was suddenly very worried.
"Can't…breathe…too…tired," he choked out between deep shuddering breaths.
Finn sat on the ground next to him and plucked the ball from his chest where he was still hugging it. "Why did you keep running? You could have stopped?"
"Big…kids…chasing…"
Finn had to smile. "Well, you showed them. See? I told you not to underestimate your size." He leaned over Liam. "Ready to go back and finish the game? They kinda need the ball."
Liam pushed himself up onto his elbows. "Dad," he began coughing from the lack of air and the burn in his lungs. "I don't wanna play football anymore."
Finn's eyebrows drew together. "Why not? You were great!"
"I just don't like it. It's scary, I don't like running and I can't breathe. I think I have asthma." He wheezed as he tried to catch more breath. "I never really wanted to play."
"Why did you say you wanted to when I asked then?" Finn wasn't mad, he just didn't understand.
Liam shrugged and looked at the ground. "I didn't want to make you mad."
Now Finn understood. Liam thought he'd let him down if he didn't play. "Liam, not everyone likes football. I won't be mad if you don't like football and don't want to play. I'm not mad. We'll just find a hobby that you do like." Liam gave him a hesitant smile.
"You're not mad?"
Finn shook his head. "I'd rather see you do something you love than force you to do something you hate." He stood up and picked Liam up, placing him on his feet. "We should probably finish this game first though." Liam nodded in agreement and they walked back to the field.
When they arrived, the game was over and Liam's team had won thanks to the touchdown he'd scored. His teammates and coach praised him although his coach wasn't too happy that he had run off with the ball. The only reason they had continued play was due to Rachel assuring them it would be fine. He was sad to hear that Liam had decided football wasn't his thing.
"Gonna miss those hands and that speed. Like a bullet." He made a zoom sound and added a hand gesture expressing how Liam had taken off so quickly.
Finn laughed. "Yeah, he's fast but he was practically dying under the tree I found him at."
"Well, we're certainly gonna miss you, Hudson. You were a real asset to this team for that game." Coach shook Liam and Finn's hands then walked over to the team to celebrate their victory.
Finn walked Liam back over to the bleachers where Rachel was going nuts. "Liam! You were fantastic! Star of the whole show!" She tugged him into a hug and kissed his head repeatedly.
"Thanks," he replied, embarrassment coloring his cheeks.
Anjali patted him on the shoulder pad. "Good job, kid. Isaac wishes he could have that speed on the field. You're gonna have a great season if you keep playing that way."
"I actually quit," he mumbled lowly from Rachel's arms.
She pulled away to look at his face. "You quit? Baby, why? I thought you wanted to play?"
"Not really. I just tried it and I didn't like it and I want to do something else."
Rachel ran her hand over his hair. "Are you sure? It's okay if you want to try something else. I just want you to be positive."
"I'm positive."
Though Liam was finished with football for good, they stayed to watch Isaac in his game. Isaac wasn't quite as spectacular as Liam had been but Rachel did notice how her daughter kept staring just a little too dreamily at Isaac before her face would harden. Roxy did this multiple times throughout the game until it was over and before Anjali and Isaac walked in the other direction to their car, Roxy tersely congratulated Isaac on his team's win.
"So, I'm thinking tacos for dinner. We already have the ingredients," Rachel turned in the front seat to look back at her kids once on the way home. "We just need to make a quick stop to the music store first to pick up some song books your father ordered, okay?" The kids grumbled their assent and went back to playing their video games or staring out the window.
When they made it to the music store Finn frequented for work, he found parking and hopped out of the car. To his surprise Liam got out of the car too. "You comin' in too?" He nodded and Finn put his hand on his shoulder to steer him into the shop.
The bell on the door dinged and moments later a man's call came from the back. "Be with you in a minute!"
Finn walked up to the counter and leaned over it looking at the lyres and reeds in the case. Liam walked around the shop looking at all the instruments and was quite intrigued with the guitars. Being a music teacher and Broadway star's son he was surrounded by music on a daily basis and knew the basics but he wasn't much good at it. He wasn't quite as bad as Roxy when it came to singing but he wasn't his mother in that respect either. When it came to percussion, he couldn't hold the sticks in his hands properly to play his dad's drums and he lacked coordination anyway.
Then he heard the sound coming from down the hall. He knew it well as he loved Yo-Yo Ma and listened to his music frequently. Liam slipped down the narrow walkway and the music grew louder and more intense until he found the door where it was coming from. A man was sitting and conducting with his hand while a teenage girl played a song he didn't recognize on his favorite instrument – the cello.
Liam was fascinated by the sound and the movement of the girl's hands. The way she was so skilled and quick at pressing on the strings and how she moved the bow to make perfect notes. He watched mesmerized until the song ended then finally came back to reality.
"Brava Cecelia. Wonderful. We'll start on something new next time. Pretty soon you won't even need me!" the man joked making the girl laugh.
"It appears I even had an audience." The girl pointed at Liam with her bow and the man spun his head around. "What did you think?"
Liam froze as he realized the girl was talking to him. "Uh," he cleared his throat, "I th-thought it was beautiful. I love the cello and you played it really good."
The girl smiled at him. "Thank you."
"Liam!" Finn shouted down the hall as he walked toward him. "Liam, you can just go wandering off. This area is isn't open to everyone."
"Oh, hello Finn. It's alright. Liam was just giving us his thoughts on Cecelia's brilliant performance. He says he loves the cello," the man defended him.
Finn glanced between the man and his son. "Yeah, he does. My wife played classical music into her belly every day when she was pregnant with him. Must have stuck because he loves it."
"That's wonderful! You don't see young kids or any kids really, enjoying anything but top 40 these days." He looked pensive for a moment. "Have you ever thought about cello lessons?"
"We don't start instrument lessons until fourth grade," Liam explained. "I'm only in second."
"If it's okay with mom and dad there are always private lessons. Cecelia has been taking lessons with me since she was six."
Liam looked up at Finn with hope in his eyes. "Dad, do you think I could take lessons?"
Finn had a feeling if he said no he would crush his poor child's dream. There wasn't really any reason to say no. He knew Liam like the cello and was planning on playing it once given the option to choose an instrument. This would give him a head start and it was something he was genuinely interested in.
"When can he start?"
Liam's face exploded into happiness. "Really? I can play?"
"We said earlier we'd find another hobby for you so why not?"
He hugged Finn tightly and thanked him for the opportunity. Finn and the owner worked out when Liam would get his lessons and picked up his song books and a rental cello for Liam to practice with. As they walked back out to the car, Liam couldn't stop gushing about how stoked he was to learn to play the cello and he asked Finn if they could buy him one.
"Slow down, buddy. Once you decide if the cello is really your thing or not we'll talk about getting you more than a rental cello, okay?" Finn made sure Liam was back in the car and the cello was secure before getting in himself.
"What took so long? I thought maybe you had fallen into a tuba again," Rachel chuckled.
"No, no tubas this time. I was busy signing Liam up for cello lessons."
"Cello lessons?" Rachel asked with surprise. She looked back at Liam who was beaming. "Cello?"
"Yeah. Dad said it was like my version of football. I really want to learn to play it."
Rachel smiled at him. "Well, I'm happy you're so excited about it. I'm sure you'll make beautiful music we can all listen to."
"Great. Just what our house needs; a screeching cello on top of the drum banging and show tunes," Roxy grumbled.
Rachel chuckled and turned forward in her seat. "Get used to it, baby. You were born into a family of those musically inclined. It's only going to get louder."