The First Football Game!!!

[shila]

Shila frowned at the pink haired girl; she'd heard of friendly teasing, but this girl just seemed down right mean. She was happy that the emo kid defended Garrett because she really didn't want to butt into a little squabble between friends. "Are you ok?" she asked.

[Desmond Giuseppe]

"Don't worry about her." said Desmond giving Garrett a pat on the back.

[Garrett Speelers]

"I don't," Garrett said, turning his frown back into a grin. He looked over at the other girl, Shila. "Oh yeah, I'm fine."

[shila]

"Ok," said Shila with a small smile. she turned back and watched the game; she wasn't really into football or any other sports so she really had no idea what was going on, except for what a touch down was. She knew what that was. "I don't get football." she said Flatly, "I'm all for a spot of violence here and there, but football just seems a bit barbaric and it doesn't seem like you need a very high IQ to play it."

[Garrett Speelers]

"You don't," Garrett said with a chuckle. "I don't really get it either. Just a guy with a ball who runs around and tries to score."

[Desmond Giuseppe]

"I think your cousin is proof of that." said Desmond, "Oh, look! Blane just got tackled. Ah, don't you just love when that happens? Oh, look! He's limping a little! Aw, fuck, he's ok!" said Desmond with dissapointment, "I was so happy for a second there."

[Garrett Speelers]

Garrett gave a childish smile at Desmond's words. He sometimes had expressions like that. . . very childlike in appearance.

"Too bad," he said about him being fine. "i got my hopes up and evrything."

[vinnie]

"I guess it's only logical to assume you have the same type at your school?" said Vinnie.

[Viola Hastings]

"Well I've just notice that most football players are either dumb as a brick or just plain assholes," she said with a shrug. "Our captain's pretty mean from what I've seen. . .I especialyl hate the basketball captain."

[brooke]

((ooc- I posted, and it was decent, and then my internet shut down right as I was posting. So this is a sucky summary because I don't feel like typing all of that again))

- And then it was halftime, because I'm bored -

Brooke counted down the seconds on the clock until halftime, eagerly awaiting her chance to regain her voice and just relax a little. Though most people wouldn't agree, cheerleading was stressful because the second you do something wrong EVERYBODY sees it. Especially for a captain. She had to be flawless.

As the buzzer sounded and the team ran off the field, Brooke glanced around for Tad. He was lost among a sea of band members! She wondered how they would react if she came over into their little group. She knew that Audrey had a little spat with her before over Blane, back before she'd come to her senses (yes, a whole week ago), but...

Brooke made eye contact with Tad, motioning that she was heading off to take her halftime break. She hoped that he'd come down and meet her half way, because she didn't want to have to break through the large group of band kids to get to him! She knew that the band had to stay and watch the other school's halftime show, so this would be the perfect time to talk with him a little.

[Tadhg Kelly]

Tad turned around to the others and waved goodbye to them as he was standing in front of the bleachers at this point. He then followed where Brooke had motioned to and caught up with her.

"Hey," he said breathlessly. "So umm good job boosting moral and supporting the team."

He stuck his hands in his pants pockets and kicked at a rock on the ground absently.

"So a bunch of us are going to the Liberty Diner after the game," he said in a would-be casual voice. "Do you want to come with?"

[vinnie]

"That's why I never got too involved in sports; there's always so many assholes on the team that I don't care enough to deal with." said Vinnie, "Now band on the other hand, the people are really cool and each section seems to have it's own little click or category of people in it. I aways thought that was kinda cool, like you don't need to see a person holding their instrument to know what section they're in."

[Viola Hastings]

"Yeah, if I played and instrument, I would've joined," she said. "I always thought they all really seemed to get a long."

[brooke]

Smiling, Brooke was glad that Tad had come down to meet her. She hated to admit that she was slightly intimidated by the large group of kids he had been hanging out around... they were a pretty tight group, and she wasn't very good friends with any of them. She wasn't on their bad side, at least, not because of anything she'd done. Most people tended to associate her with Blane, and that had won her a few enemies over the years.

"Thanks! It's what I do," she said, kicking her foot up behind her in a mock-pep moment as she tilted her head to the side so that the curls in her hair bounced. She listened curiously as Tad invited her to the Diner after the game. It would be the two of them, and 'some of us'... very specific.

"Oh, I'd love to, but..." she was thinking about the afterparty. It was tradition that after every game, win or lose, there would be an afterparty at one of the football player's houses. Both the football team and the cheerleading squad were invited, and it was just assumed that all would attend. To not go was like social suicide! Just the same, the last thing she wanted to do was watch Lena and Blane get drunk and make out all night.

"You know what? I'd love to," she said, shaking her head in amusement at the fact that she'd even considered turning Tad's offer down. "Are we all meeting there, then? I've never been there before, but I know where it is," she added.

[Tadhg Kelly]

Tad felt his heart sink when Brooke didn't seem to want to go to dinner with him. But then she agreed and he raised his head up and grinned.

"Yeah we were going to drive over after the game," he said. "I'm going right over with my cousin and her friend."

[brooke]

Brooke nodded. She was way out of her element now, but there was no turning back. She was committed.

"Okay, that sounds great! Hey, mind if we wander over and get some fries? I'm starving, and I want to make sure I get a little something before halftime's over!" The 'we' she threw in there was bold, as Tadhg may not want to follow her around during the next ten minutes, but she hoped that he'd go along with it.

"So, does your cousin or her friend go to St. James?" he hadn't mentioned a cousin before, so she was curious.

[audrey]

"Remember to practice safe sex noob!" Audrey yelled over to Tad then got yelled at by the band instructor for yelling during the other band's performance.

[Tadhg Kelly]

"Yeah sure," he said. "My fries got knocked onto the ground earlier."

He wondered if he should put his arm around her shoudler while they walked, but decided against it.

"No, actually she goes to GW. I kind of forgot she lived around here because I haven't seen her in 3 or 4 years. She's a senior there now."

[brooke]

"Oh, wow. It's funny how things like that work out." Brooke figured that it must've been nice to realize that he knew someone so close to his new home. Not that he didn't seem to be making enough friends here, but she couldn't imagine moving at all, let alone during her senior year.

The line was growing quickly, but Brooke and Tadhg got there just in time to beat the huge rush. "I'll have one order of fries, and a water, please." Brooke didn't know what all Tadhg was going to order, so she stepped aside to let him get what he wanted. When the lady came back with her fries, she savored them.

"Ah, fries for dinner. This is healthy," she commented, sprinkling a little salt over them.

[Tadhg Kelly]

"Can I get a thign of cheese fries?" he asked the lady and then stood off to the side with Brooke once he had gotten them.

He poured some vinegar onto them and then turned to her.

"Yes, it's completely healthy. This is the vegatable food group. . ." he said with a grin. "So. . .I was just wondering. I mean I know we were going to go to dinner tomorrow, but I didn't knwo if you thought it was just as friends-- because it can be, but I didn't. .um want it to be. . ."

[brooke]

Brooke was glad that Tadhg was humoring her. She supposed that she could get some real food when they went to the diner. She was thrown off when Tad suddenly changed the topic of conversation from their french fry eating habits to their dinner tomorrow. She was having so much fun tonight that she had almost forgotten about that!

Brooke tried to make sense of the bass-akwards (too much Bennett) way he was suddenly speaking.

"I didn't, I mean," she started, but stopped. He had just told her that he wanted their dinner date to be just that - more of a date-date. "Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?" she asked.

He spoke about it in such a roundabout way that she just wanted to get everything out in the open. That way there would be no misconceptions. Just because he wanted it to be as more than just friends didn't necessarily mean he wanted an actual relationship, so she wanted to be sure. She would've hated to assume something that wasn't there.

[Tadhg Kelly]

"Yeah, kind of," he said with a laugh and an awkward grin. "I mean, if you want to. I know you've only known me a week or so. . ."

[brooke]

Brooke wondered if Tadhg was nervous about asking her out. He had been acting oddly all day, and she wondered if he'd been planning this. She realized that if she thought too long about it, then he would probably think she wasn't interested. That was the last thing she wanted.

"I'd love to! And just when I thought this week couldn't get any better..." she added, smiling.

[Tadhg Kelly]

Tad let out a sigh of relief, he'd had his doubts. She was the cheerleader captain, and he was the rocker-type new kid.

"Great," he said.

He hesitated only a moment, and put his arm around her shoulder. His old girlfriend had liked it when he did that, so he hoped Brooke would too.

"I guess this will give your cheerleading friends something to talk about?" he asked jokingly. "Not to mention my friends. . ."

He glanced up at Viola and Audrey and Desmond. He wondered when he'd hear the end of their little somments about this o nce he'd told them.

[brooke]

Brooke realized that it felt odd to her to have someone's arm around her like that. Blane had always done it in a possessive, 'you're my woman' sort of way, but it was different with Tadhg. It was nice. Comforting.

"You underestimate the power of gossip," she told him. "They've already been talking about you. Lena was, at least. Nothing gets past these girls when it comes to everyone else's business." At the mentioning of his friends, Brooke followed his gaze to look up at the stands. She found herself hoping that they would accept her. She wasn't like the others... not completely, at least. "Keep them from making fun of me too much, 'kay?"