The Football Player

Searching for Clara

-Dustin-
"Clara!"
Everyone runs out.
"Where could she have gone?" Lizzy asks.
I look at mom.
"He wouldn't would he?"
"He might."
I grab Natalie's hand.
"Come on. Follow us."
Natalie and I get in my truck. I pull out of my driveway.
"He better not have her. If he does, I'm going to kill him!"
She grabs my hand.
"We'll find her."
I look around for the car. The old car that is.
"Wait, Dustin stop."
"What?"
"I just saw her."
We get out. I grab a flashlight. I look around the ditch.
"Where did you see her?"
"I'm positive it was her. She went into the woods."
"Clara! Walk back! Please!"
Mom pulls up with Lizzy.
"Clara!"
I walk into the woods. Nothing.
"She's not here. Clara, if your here yell for me."
Nothing. I walk back out.
"Dustin, look. It's his car."
We get back in the cars. I follow the car. My mom calls me. I grab it and put it on speaker.
"Have you seen her?"
"No. I haven't."
"She's calling me." Lizzy says.
"Answer it." I say.
"Clara? Where are you?"
"Lizzy! Help me! Get Dusty and help me! Please! Please!"
"Where are you?"
"I'm-"
I hear a thud.
"Clara?" I say. "Clara, talk to us."
"It went dead." Lizzy says.
Natalie grips my hand tighter. I turn following the car.
"He's going to grandpas!" I say.
"Yes."
I follow the car and pull into the driveway. I see Clara in the window with him. Her being pulled up the steps.
"Stay here until Lizzy and my mom come."
I get out. I try to open the front door. Locked. I slam against it. I slam against it hard and it breaks and I fall to the floor. I get up.
"Where's Clara!" I say, looking at my grandpa. "Where are they?" I say loud.
I run up the stairs.
"Somebody help me! Help! Help!" She screams. "Dustin, Lizzy, somebody come and help me! Please! Help! Please!"
I see him kick her. She screams.
"They're not here to help you now are they? No."
He drops her phone and steps on it.
"Help! Somebody! HELP!"
He kicks her again and pushes her to the ground. I hear her hit the wall. I hear her cough.
"Please! Just let me go! I didn't do anything! Please!"
"Too late."
I hear a thud. She screams. I see him. He kicks her side she screams. I run in and tackle him to the ground. I look at Clara who just lies on the ground. Eyes closed. No.
"Clara!" I say loudly. "Clara, wake up!"
Please. Please Clara.
I hear footsteps on the stairs. I see my mom.
"Don't. Go call 911, now."
She runs downstairs.
"Clara!"
Please. Please wake up. Please. I hear sirens pull up. Two officers walk up and take him away. I walk to Clara and bend down next to her.
"Clara?"
I put her head on my lap.
"Clara please. Please Clara."
I lift her into my arms.
"Clara, please. It's me. Please wake up. Please. Please! Please just wake up! Please Clara!"
I hold her close to me. Tears hit my face.
"Please. Please just wake up. Please. Clara. Please. I love you so much, please just wake up. Please wake up. I love you Clara. Please."
I feel her head lean against my shoulder.
"You came." She says quietly. "That's my Dusty."
She leans against me.
"And by the way. I love you too."
I hold her close to me.
"Your eye." She says.
"I'm fine. It's you we need to worry about."
I lift her into my arms. She puts her arms around my neck.
"Thank you Dusty. You will always be my hero."
I walk downstairs with her leaning against me in my arms. They take her to check her over. I go sit in the bed of my truck. My mom walks to me.
"She's okay."
I rock back and forth.
"She's okay because of you Dustin. She's talking about you over there."
"I don't want to see that again."
"I know. It's going to be okay."
"It's my fault."
"Why is it your fault? It's not your fault."
"Yes it is. I started the fight and I caused it so I did all of this."
"He was crazy. And I thank you for getting in that fight."
"No. He hurt my sister. I won't let that happen again."
"Just look at her. She's talking about you like your her knight in shinning armor."
"Yeah. I guess so. More like a knight in a helmet, cleats, and shoulder pads."
She laughs.
"Yeah. That's true."
"What should I do mom? Do I go and play or do I not play?"
"It's your decision, but, I would play. It's your dream. Don't let anyone get between you and your dream. Or anything in that matter."
"Coach is going to be there so that changes my decision more to the yes side but I still don't know."
"Why is coach going to be there?"
"He's the assistant coach. Found that out today."
"Why were you so mad today?"
"It's nothing. I should have been honest but I wasn't."
"You told Natalie didn't you."
"I had to. And she got mad and we got in a fight. But we're okay now."
"She's quite the girl you know Dustin. I mean, look at her. Pretty, smart, loyal. Good with Scott and Clara. Most people wouldn't stand there and listen to someone fight like you did today. And she did and helped us out."
"Yeah. I know."
"Dustin, what you were saying was all true. That's why I didn't walk in at first. I wanted you to fight it out. I wanted to do what I did for a long time and I just never did. Thank you for letting me see everything when he was right in front of me and so I could do it."
"He never cared mom. Only to show people that he did care when he didn't. I never looked at him as a dad. I will never call him that either. Especially after what he did to Clara."
"She loves you a lot, you know that? She really loves you. Thank you."
She hugs me.
"Thank you Dustin. For everything."
"No problem. If you know something you've got to say something."
"Yeah. You do. I won't be able to thank you enough Dustin."
"No need to."
"I love you Dustin. Never forget that."
"Love you too mom."
"Thank you so much."
"Yeah. All worth it to me."
"You are strong by the way. Did you just pin him to the ground."
"Yeah."
"Still got that end in you don't you."
"I may have a little bit."
She smiles.
"That's my football star."
"No. Not really."
"Okay whatever you say."
I look over at Scott and Natalie. Natalie throws the ball to him.
"You gave him a football didn't you?"
"I needed him to be occupied. And a football does it. A lot like you. Give him a football and his imagination goes wild."
"Yeah, it does."
Clara waves me over.
"I'll be back."
I walk over to her and Lizzy.
"What's up?"
She looks at me and hugs me.
"Thank you Dustin. I love you so much."
"I love you too."
"Can we go home now?"
"I don't know. Can we?"
I see Lizzy nod.
"We can." She says.
"Then let's go."
I put Clara in the back of moms car. I get in the truck with Natalie.
"Sorry about everything babe. It's been rough around the house lately." I say.
"It's okay. Makes me love you even more."
I grab her hand.
"I just hate him so much right now. If I ever see him he's going to wish I didn't see him."
"I don't know. I think he'll be in jail for a while. He beat up a minor."
"Why would he even do that! It should have been me not her! She didn't do anything!"
"Maybe he did it because he knew he would get you there and he would get to you. You just got to him faster."
"Luckily I did. Or it could have been bad."
She looks at me.
"What all happened?"
"He kicked her, pushed her to the ground and against the wall. I got him to the ground and I looked over at her and she was just lying there, not doing anything. So, I said her name I don't know how many times and she wouldn't respond to me. They took him and I went by her. I sat next to her and put her in my arms."
I grip the steering wheel. Don't Dustin.
"And I just talked to her and she finally woke up. I never want to see that again. Or him!"
"You won't baby. I know you won't."
She rubs her finger over my hand.
"It will be okay."
"I know it will. Because I know what I want and what I need to be. And what I want to go after."
She looks at me.
"I'm going to say yes to Madison. Nothing's going to stop me from going after my dream."
I say with a smile. A smile grows on her face.
"I knew you would find what you wanted."
I pull into the driveway. She hugs me and kisses me.
"Madison here we come." She says.
"Yeah."
I walk around and open the door for her. I unlock the door and walk in. I hear my mom pull in.
"Are you going to tell her?"
"I can tell her later. She probably already knows."
"True."
I see Scott run in. He runs into the living room.
"Touchdown!"
I laugh.
"Where's your defenders?" I say.
"All the way back. Too fast for them to see me coming."
I laugh.
"Oh really? Well, I think there's a defender coming now."
I run to him and pick him up. I gently throw him onto the couch.
"Looked who just got tackled. 5th down."
He laughs.
"Oh yeah?"
He jumps on me.
"Help! I'm getting sacked! Ah!"
I fall back into the chair.
"I've been sacked! Help me! I've been sacked!"
He laughs.
"Hey mom, I've been sacked! Come help me!"
She laughs.
I stand up. Clara and Scott chase me around the living room.
"Holding! I call a 15 yard penalty! Holding!"
We all laugh.
"Head up to bed you two. It's late."
"Okay."
They head upstairs. I walk back into the kitchen. I look at the time. 12:45!
"Crap!"
I look at Natalie.
"Come on, let's get you home."
I grab her hand and we walk to the truck.
"Your late! I can't believe this!"
"It's fine. I'll just tell them what happened. It will be fine."
"I'm sorry."
"It's fine. It's really fine. It's okay."
"Okay."
I pull onto the main road. I pull into her driveway. I look at her.
"I'm sorry about everything tonight. I'm really sorry." I hug her. "I'm really sorry."
"It's okay. It's not your fault."
"It kind of is."
"No it's not. I promise. I love you."
"I love you too."

-Natalie-
"I love you too."
"And trust me, it's not your fault. If anything, you helped the situation."
I kiss him and hug him. I look into his eyes. They're glossy in the light of the headlights against the house.
"You didn't do anything wrong. I love you."
"I love you too. Text me okay?"
"Yeah."
"Love you."
"Love you too."
I get out and close the door. I look back and I see him hit his fist against the steering wheel. I walk inside and close the door. I turn the front lights off and I hear his truck pull away.
I lean against the door. I close me eyes. I walk into the kitchen.
"Your late. An hour late." My dad says.
"I know I am dad."
"Then why weren't you home when you were supposed to be. Midnight!"
"Things came up! That's why."
My mom walks in.
"Oh good, your home."
"She's late! That's what she is!"
"Things came up dad! It's not my fault or Dustin's."
"Maybe I should talk to Dustin about this."
"He doesn't need you on his back dad!"
"Maybe I should be."
"He doesn't need anyone on his back! Especially you!"
"Maybe he should have more peo-"
"Stop okay! Just stop! He doesn't need anybody on his back right now. He has enough!"
"It doesn't-"
"Stop." My mom says.
"I'm not going to stop."
"Stop." She says looking at my dad. She looks at me. "Is everything okay honey?"
"It's fine." My dad says.
My mom just looks at me.
"Is everything okay over there? Did something happen when you were there?"
"She's fine."
"Look at her! She's not fine. Honey what's going on?"
"Natalie, is something going on?"
"Just let her relax. Give her a minute."
I sit on one of the stools.
"Yeah. It's not so good over there."
"What's going on over there?"
"Dustin's 'dad' found out about his scholarship to Madison. They got in a fight. I guess his dad doesn't really care about any of them. So, they were fighting about that. And Scott got upset and ran in tears away from them and Dustin went to him and I brought Scott up by Lizzy until they were done fighting. Dustin's mom kicked him out. Dustin followed him upstairs when he got his clothes and he left."
"So, his dad isn't with them anymore?"
"No. And it gets worse. Dustin walked in by us after. His mom came in and said Clara was gone. Dustin went all around the house looking for her. Went outside, she wasn't there. He knew right then it was his dad who took him. I got in his truck with him and everyone else went with his mom. We followed him. His mom called him so we could talk if we saw anything. Clara called Lizzy and said she needed help. The line went dead. Dustin knew where he was going and followed him. He told me to stay in the car. I saw his dad and Clara through the window. Dustin broke the door down to get in and ran up. He said that his dad was kicking her and pushing her around. Dustin tackled him and waited until he took him away. I guess Clara was passed out so he walked to her and put her in his arms. He hugged her and I guess she woke back up. She's fine now but I don't think Dustin is."
"That's a lot to handle."
"When I left I could tell he was going to start to cry."
"I could see why. That's a lot to deal with in one night."
"And he thinks it's his fault because he was the one who was in the fight with him."
"It's not his fault. It would be his dad's fault."
"Oh, and don't call him dad around him."
"So, he never cared about any of them then."
"Nope. He only made it look like he did."
"Dustin's dad was always nice when I talked to him at the games." My dad says.
"Trust me, he's not. I saw it with my own eyes today. He doesn't care about anyone over there. He never did. He didn't care about Dustin and his condition. He didn't care about his games. He doesn't care about Scott and football. I think he said they were selfish football players. So, yeah."
"That's pretty bad. That's not a father."
"Yeah. It's not. And Dustin has been pretty off about it all."
"Well, now I feel bad for saying what I did before." My dad says. "That may be rough for him."
"Yeah. It already is."