I Hate Football Players 3 | 18+

Chapter 94: Ellie

"I know we're outside, but it's so loud!" Mom cupped her palms around her ears and grinned at the craziness that surrounded us. "Crazy!"

My parents only visited me twice a year at UW, when I moved in each fall and a spring quarter trip, so I'd never brought them to a football game. Once we sat in my usual mid-field, first-row seats, I texted Charlie we were here. She greeted them quickly with hugs from the other side of the railing then scooted back to where one of the very large defensive linemen rode out a tight hamstring on a sideline bike.

Under a dark, gray, early evening sky, Husky Stadium was beyond electric tonight. Like the ESPN College Day video crew, Husky Nation showed up early, loud, and proud this morning. Tailgaters started their breakfasts in the parking lot and Lake Washington boats, nearly every seat was full but everyone stood up before the teams came out for warmups, and I practically tasted the anticipated excitement on the tip of my tongue.

The Husky Band played the national anthem and their rendition of USC's school song. Normally I just cheered for UW during the team's field entrance, but tonight I cringed from the boos and personal insults flung out at my brother.

For a distraction, my eyes drifted around the shoulder-to-shoulder filled stadium and caught an abnormally large number of fan signs in the stadium. I vaguely remembered during dinner last night that Logan had mentioned the topic of game signs was brought up during his weekly Monday call-in interview at Seattle Sports Radio 950 KJR. The sports announcer challenged Husky fans to bring their best insults on signs for ESPN's national coverage of the game and by the increased number of them, plenty had gotten the message.

Apparently the game's film crew panned through a few options and lit up the pregame video screen with them. My lips twitched at the first few signs, which were generic enough USC insults.

"My IUD is more effective than any Trojan," Mom read off and giggled at one that sounded like Harper had written it.

"If only people put in that brain power for studying," Dad gruffed quietly on the other side of me. When he caught my side-eyed glance, he nodded up at the screen. "They'll be personal against Jake next."

Dad was exactly right and 'Jake Harrison pays for Tinder' and 'Jake Harrison wears Mom jeans' graced our eyes next. A snort slipped out of my mouth at those two signs since they paled in comparison to any insult Harper had thrown at him.

A blonde-haired girl in a cropped Husky jersey, her bare stomach and ribs exposed as her arms lifted a sign overhead showed on the screen next. Once I read her 'Jake you can score between my uprights' sign, my smile faded and eyes slid closed for a moment.

Lovely. And I'm sitting here with our parents.

"Oh gawd." One of my hands slapped onto my forehead once the signs shifted to some that included, of all people, me.

"When your own sister picks against your team... Even Ellie Harrison likes LT more... " My hands clamped over my eyes as Mom murmured out a few more embarrassing taunts. The associated cutouts of my face next to the words looked anything but flattering.

"Tell me when those are over," I moaned quietly and squeezed my arms tight.

After a few more crowd laughs, a warm hand patted my right thigh gently. Mom's comforting words hit my right ear, "You're in the clear, Ellie."

After USC won the coin toss, my heart thumped loudly at the quick bro-embrace between Jake and Logan before they trotted back to their respective sidelines. UW's kicker sent the opening kickoff far past the endzone and Jake led his offensive team onto the field under a rainfall of boos.