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Chapter 7-For what it's worth
A neatly folded football jersey taunted Jane from across the room as she sat, cross legged on her bed. With a small smirk, she couldn't help but notice that it was the only article of clothing that was folded in her room. She sighed as she propped her elbows up on her knees, resting her chin in the palm of her left hand. Peering at the offending garment that seemed to mock her from afar, she tried to concentrate on the problem that it posed.
Every year there was a powder puff game with the seniors verses the juniors and not once had Jane asked someone to wear her jersey. She had been on the football team since her freshman year and every year had passed without someone wearing a jersey with the number eight on it.
Letting out a heavy breath, Jane pondered her options. She could let it go, as she had over the last three years, or she could do something different. A small smile curved her lips as she thought of her other option, the something different.
As she weighed her choices, Jane thought about the fact that she wanted to ask Maura to wear her jersey. She also thought about what people would say. She was already being teased by her teammates about the pretty blonde who followed her around everywhere. None of the guys realized how close to the truth they were when they joked that the quarterback always got the prettiest girls. Even though it was only in jest, it hit too close to home for her.
Again, her eyes fell upon the object of her anxiety and it caused her to frown. She had painstakingly folded it, placing it on her dresser with the intention of giving it to Maura. She knew without a doubt that it was what she wanted to do, but she was also very much afraid of what it might mean if she did.
The night that Maura had come for dinner left an unmistakable impression on Jane, imprinting Maura's soft touch on her skin. Jane felt dizzy every time she thought back to that moment. It was the moment she felt gentle fingertips trace across her lips, the moment she heard the whisper of her name escape from Maura's mouth. It was the same mouth she had wanted so desperately to feel against her own. Jane could feel her heart beat faster as she thought about Maura's mouth and the softness of her lips. The feeling of desire was short lived however and quickly replaced with fear.
Jane couldn't deny that she enjoyed the way Maura made her feel, but she was also terrified by one single thought, 'what would people think or worse yet, what would her parents think?' It was that question that had her rooted to the spot on her bed, afraid to move.
A soft knock on the door pulled Jane from her tortuous thoughts.
"Yeah…?" her voice cracked slightly as she tried to swallow the anxiety she was feeling.
"Hey…whatcha doin?" Frankie slipped into the dimly room. "Why's it so dark in here?"
"Guess I was just enjoying the mood lighting…" Jane waved her hand towards her lava lamp that sat on her desk providing the only light in the room.
Frankie nodded as he sat next to his sister on the bed. He silently watched the white blob of wax stretch, break away, and then float back up to the top of the lamp. There was a heavy sadness radiating off of Jane that he hadn't felt in a long time. When he saw where her attention was directed, he realized what had her so forlorn.
"You're thinkin' of givin' it to Maura, aren't you?" He asked without looking at her.
"What makes you think that?" Jane gave him a sideways glance.
"I don't know…maybe cause she's your friend." He said, giving her shoulder a gentle bump with his own.
"I don't know Frankie…what will people think? Most of the guys give their jerseys to their girlfriends…" She paused, not quite sure what to say next.
"You know, people are going to talk either way. They always do. I say screw them and do what you want." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder in comfort.
"Jesus Frankie, I'm so confused…I just don't know what to do." Jane sighed as she laid her head against his offered shoulder.
"You know Jane…you're my sister and I will always love you. Just follow your heart…" he gave her a gentle squeeze.
She quietly contemplated his words, understanding the unspoken support he was offering her. She just wasn't sure he would still support her if he knew where her heart was leading her.
"Damn…when did you become so smart?" She pulled back to look at him. For the first time she saw the gentle, yet strong young man he was becoming.
"Wise am I…" Frankie croaked out, using his best Yoda voice. It caused them both to laugh and instantly lightened the mood in the room.
Frankie stood and looked down at his older sister. His heart was bursting with the pride he felt for her. He wasn't sure exactly what was going on between Jane and Maura, but he knew that if Jane could overcome a lifetime of fearing who she truly was, she just might find her home in Maura. Pushing aside all humor, he looked at her with a serious expression. "Whatever you do…don't blow this…" He hesitated before finishing. "She's good for you…"
When their eye's met, so very much alike in their color and intensity, Jane saw the unconditional love that she had so desperately hoped to find. It was almost too much for her to handle so she turned away, clearing her throat to break the tension.
"Get outta here…" She said with a smile as she took off her slipper before gently tossing it in his direction.
"Night sis…" He smiled back at her as he slowly shut her door, leaving her alone again.
When she heard the click of the door as it shut behind Frankie, Jane jumped up from her bed and headed towards her desk. Shifting a few pieces of paper, she stopped when she found what she was looking for. She traced her fingers over the top of the BCU application she had filled out before letting out a heavy breath. She knew that Maura had applied there and something had compelled her to want to do the same.
With her final decision made, she slipped the completed application into an envelope and sealed it shut. She set it next to the Boston Junior College application, both now ready to be mailed out. She smiled as her thoughts turned towards the possibility of a future with Maura.
The sudden flood of light from overhead startled her from her thoughts and she turned to see her mother standing in the doorway, laundry basket in hand.
Angela studied her daughter from across the room. She could see the pensive look on Jane's face and it was something she wasn't used to seeing. Jane was always so confident and self-assured, but now she looked unsure and lost. Angela wanted to ask Jane what she was thinking about, but for some reason she didn't.
"Hey sweetheart…would you put your dirty clothes in this for me?" Angela held out the laundry basket.
Without much thought, Jane reached out and took the basket.
"Yeah Ma…" She said as she began gathering her clothes off the floor and then tossing them in the basket.
"Everything okay?" Angela couldn't help herself, she needed to ask.
"Um….yeah…" Jane said with a strained smile, knowing her mother wouldn't buy it.
Angele noticed Jane's eyes drift to the folded jersey on the dresser. "Oh…it's that time of year again isn't it?"
"Guess so." Jane mumbled with a shrug of her shoulders.
Angela watched Jane carefully, trying to catch any clue to how she was really feeling. They stood, looking at each other for a moment, neither saying a word.
"Well…I think you should ask Maura…" Angela said with a nod of her head. She was trying to push down the sudden feeling of panic that welled up unexpectedly inside of her. She wasn't sure where it came from or why she was feeling it.
Jane could tell that her mother was holding something back. She decided she wasn't ready to find out what it was just yet. So she just smiled and tried to give her mother the impression everything was alright as she handed her the laundry basket.
"Yeah, Frankie said the same thing."
"Well, why not? You girls have become good friends in such a short time." Angela said taking the basket from Jane. She knew this was Jane's way of telling her she was done talking.
"I'll give it some thought." Jane said as she dropped back down on the edge of her bed, effectively dismissing her mother.
With the keen eye that only a mother has, Angela knew that Jane had already made her decision. As she shut the door behind her, she wasn't sure she was ready for what that decision could mean or the consequences that might follow.
Sitting alone at a table in the cafeteria, Maura looked down at her anatomy text book. Even though the text book was open, she wasn't really reading the words that lay on the pages before her. Her thoughts kept going back to Jane and the fact that she wasn't there yet. She felt the beginnings of panic tighten her chest as she worried that maybe Jane wouldn't show up. They hadn't spoken since Jane had dropped her off after dinner over the weekend and Maura wondered if maybe what had occurred between them had been too much for Jane to handle. She thought back Jane's small acknowledgement that it had even happened, but she still couldn't help but feel anxious that maybe she had read things wrong.
"Hey Maur…" Jane slipped unnoticed into the empty chair next to Maura.
"Oh…hi, Jane." Maura put down the text book she was pretending to read and looked at her expectantly. Jane was slightly flushed and looked nervous. "What's up?" Maura raised an eyebrow, her stomach suddenly in nervous knots.
"Um…" Jane nervously rubbed the back of her neck before setting something down on the table in front of Maura. "Here, I was wondering if you'd wear this…"
Taking what Jane had set down in front of her, Maura held it up in front of her. It was a pink football jersey with the number 8 on it. "What is it?" She asked, confusion written all over her face.
"It's for the powder puff game next week. I was wondering if you'd wear my jersey and play..." Jane said quietly, afraid of the rejection she expected.
"You want me to play powder puff? What is that?"
"It's flag football Maura. All the players get their girlfriends to play in their place…and since I am the only girl on the team, I really don't have anyone to play for me. Seeing as we are friends and you're a girl, I was hoping maybe…" Jane didn't finish as she nervously rubbed her hands together.
"You want me to play football?" Maura's confusion turned to surprise.
"Yeah…there's no tackling or anything. You just wear these flags around your waist…"
Maura held up her hand to silence Jane. "I would love nothing more than to represent my friend in such a game, but I don't know anything about playing football." Maura started to sound alarmed.
"I'll show you." Jane said weakly. "Me and Frankie will."
"Frankie and I…" Maura started and Jane put her head in her hands. Maura was quiet for a minute as she looked down at Jane. "I don't know about this Jane." She frowned at the jersey she held in her hands. "Could I get hurt?"
"Not likely. Of course there is always a chance. But you'd be playing with a bunch of cheerleaders and I don't think they would want to break a nail or anything, so probably not." Jane looked up and grinned at Maura.
"I don't know how you talk me into things like this." Maura said shaking her head.
"I'm just extremely charming." Jane gave Maura that dimpled smile she loved so much. "Here, put it on." Jane took the jersey and pulled it over Maura's head.
"Well at least it's pink." Maura pulled her arms through and smoothed the jersey out.
"Yeah, yuck…won't catch me wearing it." Jane made a face.
Maura gave Jane a light push. "Do you want me to do this or not?" She gave Jane a stern look.
"Yes," Jane gave Maura her best pleading look. "P-u-l-e-e-ze" She exaggerated the word.
"Then don't make fun of the color…" Maura ran her fingers over the jersey. "I like it."
"Thanks Maur…I gotta get to class." Jane said jumping up. "Oh, I forgot to tell you that you have to play the same position as me." Before Maura could respond, Jane had already disappeared in the crowded lunchroom.
Letting out a long sigh, Maura picked her text book back up. She tried to focus on the words, but she still couldn't concentrate on anything. It had been two days since that night in Jane's room and Maura couldn't get the feeling of Jane's hand brushing against her skin out of her mind. The touch had been so soft, but very deliberate. Maura often wondered if they might have kissed if Frankie hadn't interrupted. She thought she saw it in Jane's eyes. Time had stood still in that instant when Maura saw Jane bite her lip in what could only be described as anticipation. She couldn't stop thinking about how much she had wanted to feel Jane's lips against her own. She shivered at the thought before she was again interupted.
"I see Jane talked you into playing in the powder puff game." Frankie dropped down in the chair next to Maura.
"Oh, um, yes." Maura said trying to bring her focus on Frankie.
"You're a good friend Maura. This will be the first year anyone's ever worn Jane's jersey." Frankie leaned back against the table and watched people go by.
"Really?" Maura seemed surprised.
"Well, yeah. No guy in his right mind would play in a game with a bunch of girls and who else is Jane gonna ask?"
"I don't understand…Jane plays with a bunch of guys, how is that different?" Maura looked a Frankie.
"I don't know…it just is." He shrugged his shoulders.
Maura wasn't sure she liked that answer. "Who is wearing your jersey?"
"I asked Cindy." He smiled broadly. "And she said yes."
"Good for you Frankie." Maura gave him a good natured pat on the back. "So Jane said you would teach me how to play."
Frankie turned and looked at Maura. He gave her that full on Rizzoli smile. "Yeah…sure." He winked at her then jumped up when he saw Cindy walk by. "Gotta go. I'll see you later." He said as he followed behind the girl who was wearing the same pink jersey as Maura but with a different number.
"Why can't I be on Maura's team?" Tommy crossed his arms defiantly and glared at Jane.
"Look, I told you that you could help us out but you have to do what I tell you." Jane glared back. "Anyways, I don't want Maura to get hurt."
"I won't hurt her." Tommy almost whispered.
"Maybe when she gets the hang of it, we can switch up the teams." Jane gave him a small smile. She could tell that Tommy had developed a crush on Maura and she couldn't blame him.
"Really?" Tommy grinned back at her.
"We'll see…" Jane said. She reached over to rumple his hair, but stopped when she saw Maura walking towards them.
Jane felt something strange move through her as she watched Maura. She was wearing the pink jersey and a pair of sweat pants that hung low on her shapely hips. Definitely out of character for Maura, who was usually impeccably dressed and always coordinated. Jane was suddenly hit by Maura's simple beauty. She had noticed how nice Maura looked every day, but there was just something about the way she was moving as she crossed the field that had Jane transfixed. There was a confidence that Jane hadn't seen before. Maura had a smile on her face, showing off a dimple in her left cheek that Jane hadn't noticed before. Jane felt an unexpected surge of admiration. It was a wonderful feeling and she felt a slight blush warm her cheeks. Maura took her breath away and as she struggled to breath, Frankie leaned over and whispered in her ear.
"Drool much." Jane blinked and looked at him. He gave her a surprised look. "I was just kidding." He tried to move away before her fist came into contact with his shoulder. He wasn't fast enough.
"Don't…" Jane growled so low that only Frankie heard her.
Frankie threw his hands up in surrender. "Sorry." He muttered.
"Hi." Maura said, giving Tommy a pat on the back. She looked at Jane and Frankie and wondered why Jane had such a strange look on her face. "I'm ready to learn…" she rubbed her hands together in anticipation.
"Here, lift up your arms." Jane said not looking Maura in the eyes.
"What are you doing?" Maura asked as Jane wrapped her arms around Maura's waist.
"I'm putting your flag belt on." Jane said as she fastened the belt in the front. She could feel her checks flush at being so close to Maura.
"Okay, now what do I do?" Maura stepped back away from Jane. She wasn't sure why, but she felt some sort of energy rolling off of Jane that made her nervous. Frankie was standing back watching them with a funny look on his face.
Jane nervously adjusted the pony tail her hair was in, trying to look everywhere but at the two people who studied her with curiosity. "The point is to keep your flags. You don't want anyone to take the flags off the belt."
"Okay." Maura said as she took one of Jane's flags off of her belt. "Now what?" She said dangling the flag in front of Jane.
"Maur…" Jane whined, finally looking at Maura. "You only try to take a flag off if someone has the ball." She pulled the flag out of Maura's hand and tried not to smile as she reattached the flag to the belt.
"Oh," Maura looked at Tommy who was laughing.
"We'll start off with you and Frankie on one team and me and Tommy on the other." Jane waved Frankie over.
"What you're gonna wanna do Maura, is keep Tommy from taking your flags while you're holding the ball. Frankie is going to run out to there…" She said pointing to a spot on the grass. "And you will throw the ball to him and I will try to stop him."
"Um, okay..." Maura looked uncertain. She stepped back and watched Frankie squat down, holding the ball between his legs. "What do I do now?"
"You're going to reach down and take the ball from Frankie." Jane sighed. This was going to be harder than she thought.
"What? From between his legs?" Maura looked appalled.
"Come on Maura…don't be such a girl." Jane huffed as she demonstrated what Maura should do.
"But I like being a girl."
"And you're very good at it." Tommy nodded in support
"Okay Casanova…" Jane shot him an angry look. "Here, try it." Jane gave Maura her most patient look as she demonstrated how to take the ball from Frankie.
"So, I just reach down and take the ball." Maura said as she reached down behind Frankie and put her hands on the ball. Frankie yelped causing Maura to throw the ball down and cover her face.
"Sorry Maura, I couldn't resist." Frankie laughed. Maura gave him a stern look and frowned.
"Funny, very funny." She said leaning forward to take the ball again.
When Maura felt the ball in her hands, everything happened so fast. She wasn't sure what was going on. Once second she had the ball, then the next she was laying on her back. She didn't get the license plate number of the truck that she presumed must have hit her.
"You okay?" Tommy stood over her with his hand out to help her up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come at you so fast."
"Jesus Tommy!" Jane pushed him out of the way so she could help Maura up. "We aren't playing tackle football here."
Maura took Jane's hand and let her bring her to her feet. Jane brushed the grass off of Maura's back and reattached her flags to her belt.
"Look, I'll take Maura and you take Frankie." Jane said to Tommy, anger still evident in her tone.
"I'm sorry Jane. I didn't mean to knock her over." Tommy said over his shoulder giving her his best pout.
Maura still felt dazed as Jane straightened out her belt. "Is that what it feels like when you play?"
"Kinda, only the guy who hits me is 6'2"and pure muscle. It feels like a Mac truck coming at me sometimes." Jane gave Maura a funny grin.
"Wow…" Maura whispered. "I was pretty sure that was a truck that hit me just now…" A wry smile crossed her lips.
"It won't be like that when you play. You're playing with girls that don't tackle." Jane said rather loudly over her shoulder so Tommy could hear. "Let's try this again."
Maura took her place behind Frankie again. This time when she took the ball, she tried to pay attention to what was happening. She stepped back and held the ball out in front of her.
"Maura, you can't hold the ball away from your body like that." Jane said as she moved in front of Maura. Maura winced as Jane advanced towards her. "I'm not gonna knock you down." Jane said softly as she moved closer.
"What do I do?"
"Throw the ball to Frankie." Jane slowed down her advance to give Maura a chance to throw the ball.
Maura had never held a football, let alone thrown one. She did her best to launch the ball in Frankie's direction the same way she had seen Jane do it so many times before. The ball wobbled and fell to the ground about half way to where Frankie was standing.
Maura covered her face in embarrassment. "I don't know if I can do this Jane." She sighed, dropping her shoulders in defeat.
"You did good. It was definitely in the right direction." Jane gave Maura an encouraging smile. "I guess I should show you how to hold the ball."
"Well…" Maura said.
"Well what?" Jane asked, arching an eyebrow because she already knew what Maura meant.
"I did well." Maura put her hands on her hips and frowned at Jane. Jane laughed and turned to Frankie as he tossed the ball back to her.
"You and Tommy go find something else to do while I show Maura how to throw this thing." Jane said spinning the ball around in her hand.
"Bet I can get your flag before you get mine." Frankie said to Tommy. Tommy held up his hand as if to say 'wait a minute' then he took off down the field with Frankie close behind.
"It's nice when you guys don't fight." Maura said as Jane took her hand and placed the football in it.
"Yeah, sometimes the planets align just right." Jane said not looking at Maura. She had her hands on Maura's hands, tightly gripping the ball. "Here, just put your fingers between the laces, like this."
Jane put her hand on top of Maura's in the exact same position, pressing her fingers down. Jane finally looked down at Maura when she felt the warm contact against her skin.
Maura saw that intense look in Jane's eyes again and it made her feel slightly weak at the knees.
Jane slide up behind Maura, putting her other arm around her waist to hold her in place.
Maura felt her body responding as she leaned back against Jane. She could feel Jane's body pressing tightly against her own. She closed her eyes in an attempt to remember every second of the intimate moment.
Jane stiffened slightly at the contact, but she didn't pull away.
"When I say so, let go of the ball." Jane's husky voice was barley a whisper in Maura's ear.
The words tickled Maura's neck and she shivered slightly even though Jane's breath was warm against her skin.
Jane pulled Maura's arm back and then moved it forward. "Now..." Jane whispered again.
Maura let go of the ball and although it didn't go far, it flew in a straight line. She stood as still as she could, afraid to move, afraid to break the contact between their bodies.
Not wanting to let go yet, Jane tightened her grip on Maura's waist. She was still holding onto Maura's hand as their fingers intertwined. Leaning forward, she buried her face in the long honey-blonde locks that hung around Maura's shoulders. Jane felt the soft caress of the silky strands against her cheek as she nuzzled further, trying to commit to memory the faint trace of strawberry. She took a deep breath, inhaling Maura's intoxicating scent, but then she started to feel slightly dizzy. With a sigh, Jane rested her chin on Maura's shoulder to steady herself.
When Maura felt Jane bury her face in her hair, her heart almost stopped. Feeling Jane's sigh against her neck caused her to tilt her head slightly so she could feel it better. As feelings and sensations flowed through out her body threatening her resolve, Maura tried her best not react. She knew she would have to wait for Jane to make the next move.
"Not bad..." Jane whispered against Maura's neck.
"I had a good teacher…" Maura's mouth was suddenly dry, causing her voice to crack slightly when she spoke.
"Hmmm…" Jane didn't think as she put her lips against Maura's ear, placing a small kiss there. "You can say that again." She reluctantly let go of Maura and trotted out towards the ball.
"Here…you try." She held the ball out for Maura to take.
Maura took the ball from Jane, never breaking eye contact. She knew she hadn't imagined the feeling of Jane's lips against her ear and she was determined to force Jane to accept something was happening between them. Jane blinked a few times when she realized what Maura was doing, then turned and took off down the field.
Shocked by Jane's sudden departure, but not surprised, Maura conceded defeat. Jane may have won this time, but Maura was determined to win the next round.
"Here…"Jane shouted as she stopped and turned around. "Throw it to me."
Maura put her fingers between the laces like Jane had showed her and pulled back and threw the ball in Jane's direction.
"Strong throw Maur..." Jane nodded in approval after she caught the ball. "Good job. I think we'll make a football player out of you…eventually."
Maura couldn't hide her smile as she watched Tommy and Frankie sneak up behind Jane, snatching her flags off of her belt.
"You better run!" She shouted as she took off after Tommy, who was an easier target.
Maura dropped down on to the grass and crossed her legs. She shook her head and leaned back on her elbows. She wasn't sure what was going on. Jane surprised her at every turn. Looking up at the blue sky, she listened to the Rizzoli siblings shouting at each other in playful voices. She wondered if Jane would always find a reason to run away from her when things got too real. She leaned all the way back into the grass and closed her eyes as she tried to clear her mind.
Jane saw Maura lie back in the grass and felt a pang of guilt. She knew that she had crossed a line earlier, but she didn't know how to undo it. She was so afraid of losing her best friend that she knew she couldn't let anything like that happen again. She thought Maura would hate her if she knew what she was thinking and how she felt. For some reason she couldn't stop herself from reacting to Maura's presence. She suddenly stopped chasing Frankie and Tommy, causing them to stop as well.
"How 'bout we try again tomorrow." She called out to them.
"Okay. It's time for supper anyways." Frankie said heading to the car. "Come on Tommy. You good Jane?"
"Yeah... I'll have Maura drop me off." Jane said looking over at Maura who was still lying in the grass. Maura gave Jane thumbs up to show her she had heard her. Jane made her way across the field until she was standing over Maura. Maura had her eyes closed and a relaxed, but sad look on her face. Jane couldn't help but wonder if she was the reason for that sadness.
As Jane looked down at Maura's beautiful face, a small voice in the back of her mind began to grow stronger. 'You know you're the reason she's hurting. You'll never be enough for her. Look at how beautiful she is…and she's rich too. What about you? You're some tall, skinny, tomboy whose father is a plumber. What can you offer her? Nothing…and what would your parents say if they found out how you felt about your friend…your female friend. They'd be ashamed of you…disown you…no one would love you. Face it, she's too good for you anyways and you know it…just give up right now. She could never love you…you're not worth it…' Before the voice could continue to beat Jane down, Maura opened her eyes and smiled up at her. The smile was so sweet and heartfelt that Jane felt her resolve begin to fade. That smile gave her the strength to push the loud, berating voice back until it was merely a whisper in her mind. Jane knew in heart that Maura was worth the fight, but she wondered how many people would get hurt in the battle.
Maura had sensed Jane's struggle and when she opened her eyes she saw such sorrow reflected back at her that it broke her heart. Although Jane was looking at her, it was as if she wasn't seeing her. She had a faraway look in her eyes and it frightened Maura. When the glazed look finally left Jane's face, Maura smiled up at her. In that instant, Maura felt Jane come back to her.
"I didn't really take you for a relaxing in the grass kinda girl." Jane said as she dropped down next to Maura.
"Whatever do you mean?" Maura questioned, turning her head so she could see Jane better.
"I don't know…" Jane stumbled over her words.
"I love the smell of fresh cut grass. There's just something so primal about the way the earth smells when you're this close to it." Maura took a deep breath. She knew why she loved it so much. It's because it was the way Jane smelled after practice. She let a small smile play across her lips.
Jane sighed and leaned back. They lay there silent for what seemed like hours, letting the sun warm their faces, just enjoying the quiet. It was a comfortable silence between them, one that only existed between friends. Jane resisted the urge to reach for Maura's hand and so did Maura. Even though they were laying just inches apart, Maura felt like Jane was a million miles away.
After a week of playing around in the grass with the Rizzoli clan, Maura was ready for action. Jane had spent almost every day with her after school, and when she couldn't, Tommy had helped her by playing catch. She reveled in the feeling of being a part of something, of being a part of a family. Mr. and Mrs. Rizzoli were so excited about seeing her play, she felt like they were her parents.
"Are your parents going to come?" Mrs. Rizzoli had asked Maura one afternoon after they had practiced.
"Oh, my mother has a fundraiser to attend that night and my father is still in Africa." Maura answered, not looking at her.
"Well, we will be there. All of us." Jane put her arm around Maura's shoulder in a gesture of reassurance.
"I hear you're a quick learner." Mr. Rizzoli said. The smile on his face show his pride for both his daughters teaching abilities and Maura's newly learned skills.
"We are so proud of you." Mrs. Rizzoli gave her a big smile, followed by a bone crushing hug that Maura had come to crave.
As Maura's stomach nervously jumped around, she thought she might get sick. She felt an immediate calm when Jane came to the locker room to help her get ready. Jane had talked to her about everything they had done over the week as she buckled the flag belt around her waist.
Maura tried to disregard the other girls in the locker room, some minding their own business, others watching Jane with mild curiosity, but it was the look of disgust on one girls face that caught Maura's attention. Jane hadn't noticed, she was too focused on making sure Maura was ready. Maura didn't look away from the cold, blue eyes that stared at her from across the room. She raised an eyebrow up in challenge as if to dare the other girl to say something. After a few seconds of deadlock, the girl finally looked away. With a satisfied smile, Maura turned her attention back to Jane and the upcoming game.
When it was time for Jane to leave, she gave Maura a hug. "Thanks for doing this." She smiled down at her. "I've never had a friend like you before, a best friend who would do something like this for me."
Maura smiled up at her. "Isn't that what best friends are for…doing things for each other that no one else would do?"
Jane gave her a big smile as she turned to leave. "Try not to get knocked down, okay." She said over her shoulder as she headed out the door. "I kinda like having you in one piece."
"I'll do my best." Maura shouted back at Jane's retreating figure.
Maura wasn't sure how, but she managed to make her way out of the locker room and follow the other girls as they lined up.
Most of the girls had been nice, but a few had given her dirty looks as they passed her in the hall. Cindy, the tall blonde cheerleader wearing Frankie's jersey took Maura's arm and smiled at her. Her blue eyes sparkled when she smiled and Maura could see why Frankie liked her.
"I'll do my best to protect you Maura." She squeezed Maura's arm.
"Thanks Cindy." Maura could feel her stomach knot up again.
"I don't know how Jane does this every Friday. I'm scared out of my mind and we are just playing flag football."
"I know. She's very brave and strong too." Maura let out a long breath. "I've seen her take down Frankie a few times."
Cindy gave her a funny look. "Really? Frankie?"
"Yeah, that's because she's more of a guy then he is." The girl with the cold, blue eyes remarked from behind Maura.
"Shut up Susan. Your just jealous Jane gets to spend more time with your boyfriend than you do." Cindy frowned over her shoulder.
Before anything else could be said, Maura could hear the crowd outside erupt into cheers and her nerves started to kick in again.
"Well, here goes nothing." Cindy said giving Maura's arm one last squeeze before letting go.
Maura was surprised how fast things went by. One minute she was searching the crowd for the Rizzoli family and the next thing she knew, she was surrounded by them as they each took turns hugging her.
"You were great out there Maura." Mr. Rizzoli beamed at her.
"I was so worried." Mrs. Rizzoli hugged her again.
"Beauty, brains, and brawn." Tommy gave her that shy smile.
"You guys were awesome." Frankie said giving her a quick hug before heading towards Cindy.
When Maura finally found herself face to face with Jane she had a huge smile on her face. Maura felt a blush rush across her cheeks as Jane hugged her and lifted her off the ground, burying her face in Maura's hair.
"You smell like grass and dirt." Jane said quietly as she set Maura back down. "I don't know how you sit out here and watch me play. I was so worried that you might get hurt or something. I just kept thinking that I might have forgotten to tell you something…"
Maura didn't know what to say at first as she put her hands on Jane's shoulders. "It isn't easy sitting out there…" she nodded towards the bleachers. " Watching someone you care about down here…"
Their eyes locked in mutual understanding. Jane gave her a shy smile and nodded in agreement.
"Hey girls, how 'bout we take you out for some pizza?" Mrs. Rizzoli shouted over to them as she was hugging Frankie and Cindy. She had seen the unspoken exchange between the two girls, bringing back that feeling of panic again. It wasn't until that moment, seeing them together, that an uneasy realization snuck up on her. She hoped beyond hope that she was wrong.
Jane arched an eyebrow as she let go of Maura. "You up for that?"
"Sure, but I should probably change. Maybe shower too…I smell like grass and dirt." Maura said as she turned away from Jane towards the locker rooms.
"For what it's worth, I like the way you smell…" Jane muttered, not thinking Maura could hear her.
Maura had heard what Jane said and a sly grin spread across her face. "I know exactly what you mean Jane…" She said before disappearing behind the locker room door.