First Down

22. Adrian Brown

It was finally homecoming weekend. Plenty of families were in town because they often did family weekend at the same time. I felt like they did to make it seem like homecoming was more poppin' than it was, but that was my opinion.

We had just won our homecoming game, leaving us undefeated still. The energy was high and the night was still young. I didn't go out often, even though more recently it may have seemed as if I did. But homecoming weekend was a weekend you could guarantee I'd be out for. The locker room was loud as the team was hype about the win and the fact that it was homecoming. "That crowd is extra crazy for you tonight." Savon let out as he had come back to the locker room. I shook my head, thankful but never fully coming to terms with the fact that I had fans like that.

I finished changing and then mentally prepared myself to take pictures and sign autographs. I walked out and Savon wasn't lying, this was the biggest crowd yet. I just wanted to get to my family. I took what felt like over a hundred photos and signed plenty of shirts and pictures and shoes and shit. The only reason I was even able to get out of the crowd was because of Savon, "thank you man." I let out as a good amount of the crowd had cleared the stadium but I still spotted my family, and Samoa's. I walked up hugging my mom as she stood with my pops and my little brother. "Damn bro, you really like famous out here." Aaron announced. I wrapped my arm around his neck, hugging him. "I know man, shit crazy." My mom was all smiles as she looked at me, "I'm so proud of you." I couldn't help but smile, they were who I was trying to make proud.

My dad patted my back before pulling me into him. "Good game son, I see your speed increasing. You're working, it's not going unnoticed." I smiled again before making eye contact with Samoa, she motioned for me to come her way to meet her family. My mother saw my focus elsewhere and turned around, "mmm, is that a little girlfriend you got? Tell her she can come over here. I want to meet her. " I laughed, "no, she's just a friend." I motioned for Samoa to just come to me. But my mother saying that made me think about Jaelyn as I looked around in the crowd for her, and the moment I spotted her I wished I hadn't.

She stood with some nigga, smile on her face looking like she was meeting his family. The shit made my stomach turn, and I knew her family was supposed to be here so why the fuck was she with this nigga? I focused my attention on Samoa as she neared us with her parents and her little brother. She hugged me and then we did introductions between our two families. She stayed with her arm wrapped around my waist and I thought nothing of it until my eyes drifted back to Jaelyn as she had finally caught sight of me and happened to be assessing the current scene. Her eyes dropped to Samoa and then back to me, and in that moment I knew she felt how I did when I first looked over there, and I didn't like that shit. I wanted her to know it wasn't shit like what it looked like. But that was some shit she should have already known.

I wanted to make my way to her, because truth be told she was who I wanted to see after this win. She was who I would have preferred my family be meeting at the moment, she was – fuck. She was who I wanted. She had my fucking head gone. I watched as the nigga wrapped his arm around her shoulder, whispering in her ear as she laughed. The shit was pissing me off. I tore my gaze from her as I made eye contact with my mother, "Adrian to Earth." She let out, I shook my head, "my bad, what did you say?" My mother chuckled, "the Tesfaye's said you all are going to dinner tomorrow." I nodded my head as I wrapped my arm around Samoa's shoulder, "yeah, we are." I forgot she had changed it from lunch to dinner.

"You all should come as well," Mrs. Tesfaye insisted. My family looked at me for permission, they were never one to push and I always appreciated that. "Yeah, that's fine. We can all go." I responded as everyone seemed to be satisfied with that. "You going out tonight?" I asked Samoa as our families started talking. I dropped my arm from around her and moved to face her more, forcing her to let go of me. "Of course, the parties tonight are about to be bomb as fuck. You?" I nodded, "yeah, I don't know where I'm going though. Drake here, so imma hit him up and see what's the move." Drake was my best friend, the only nigga I trusted with my life. He stayed in my hometown but came here every so often. "Oh he is?" She asked with a smile, "well definitely let me know what y'all decide to do."