Maddie's Men

Maddie's Men Part 21 Quarterback

Gray smiled. "I know you're tough, but are you sure?" He asked, amused.
"Of course I'm sure." Haley said, lifting her chin stubbornly. "It's just touch football." She insisted. "Girls can play sports too, you know."
Gray laughed and put one hand gently on top of her head, trying to playfully antagonize her. "I know girls can play sports." He insisted. "I'm just not sure if you're a good match for my brothers." He let his hand trail down her head, her hair smooth beneath his touch.

Haley put her hands on her hips and scowled up at him. "You are forgetting that I used to be a quarterback." She said, her laugh betraying her haughtiness.
"I could never forget that." Gray said as she fell in step beside him. "It's one of my favourite things about you."

"One of?" She repeated, nudging his arm with her shoulder, a smile on her lips.
"Just one of the many." He told her.
Haley rewarded him with a smile, and then he felt her slip her hand in his.

Gray's heart was beating a mile a minute as they approached the field. Haley's hand in his felt perfect--and risky. He felt as if every eye in the park was on him, waiting for him to hurt his tiny companion. Waiting for him to accidentally squeeze her fingers or pull too tight.

"I want to be on your team, okay?" The redhead asked, stopping a hundred feet from their friends, her free hand touching his chest.
Gray wanted more than that, but he nodded. Trying to not feel self conscious he brushed her cheek with his free hand. "I want you on my team too." He admitted.

Haley smiled, her eyes on his, and he was pretty sure she felt it too. "Maybe we can go for ice cream after." She said hesitantly. "Some raspberries and cream."
She was close enough that her chest was touching his ribcage, one hand still pressed against him, the other folded in his. "I'd like that." Gray said, hoping she couldn't hear his heart pounding.

With a self conscious laugh Haley ducked her head, her forehead touching his chest for just a second before smiling up at him, and Grayson knew in that moment that he was going to kiss her after the game.
Is she flirting with me? He wondered as she fell into step beside him again, her hand no longer in his. Is she interested in me?

When she gave him one last smile before they reached their friends, he was certain. She likes me!
"You're late." Oliver observed as Gray approached their group of friends. "We already chose teams. You're on that side." He added, pointing to one end of the field.

"I want to play too." Haley told him.
"You can be on my team." Chase gave her a playful smile as he whipped off his shirt. "We're playing shirts vs skins."
Haley wrinkled her nose. "I want to be on the winning team though."
Chase was unfazed by her teasing. "You take off your shirt and I guarantee Gray's team will be too distracted to win.

Grayson felt his cheeks heat up but Maddie swatted Chase's shoulder. "Stop being gross. You just know she's going to win."
"No tackling." Gray reminded his brothers. "It's just a friendly game."
Chase complained, but a few minutes later Grayson and Haley were joining their team on the far side of the field.

"I'm glad you're here." Maddie's boyfriend said as Gray approached. "I don't think we'd have a chance without you "
Gray shrugged but he knew it was true. He was a strong player in pretty much any sport, but football was where he excelled. And football was where he felt most at ease, where strength was an asset and anxiety was at bay.

"We've got Haley." He said, smiling at his roommate. "I mean pretty sure does going to carry our team."
Haley laughed and brushed her shoulder against his arm. "As usual. I mean, I pretty much always have to carry you guys in sports ."
Dane, one of the better players on Gray's team laughed and pulled the redhead over into the huddle. "Okay, so I was thinking—"

Gray listened to the plan but he was thinking about Haley, and Dane's arm still around her. If I could do that—if I could just put my arm around her, hold her hand right here in front of everyone— Gray shook his head.
Baby steps. He thought. I'll kiss her after the game, away from everyone. I'll work up to kissing her in front of people, but for now I'll kiss her after the game.

*

Cal wished he'd changed into one of his new shirts before the game.
He and Maddie had had a great morning, shopping and grabbing lunch, and just being together. He'd felt a little self conscious that they were shopping for new clothes for him—again—but it had been the best shopping experience he could remember. Maddie had seemed to love everything on him, and hadn't made a big deal about the sizes of the clothes they were picking out.

Instead, she'd slide her hand under the edge of the shirts or between the waistband and his ever growing belly, and then decide whether he needed to go up a size or not. And if he did she'd just given him a squeeze and a giggle and given him a bigger size as if it were adorable and perfectly normal to outgrow clothes as fast as he did.

And her hands on him had felt so good. She'd insisted that they needed to shop on a full stomach, so he'd eaten a huge breakfast without much embarrassment. It made sense. There was no point in getting clothes that wouldn't fit right when you were full. Better to get them on a full belly so they'd feel a bit loose the rest of the time, and not be too tight after a big meal.

Especially since lately all of his meals were big. Between eating with Maddie's beefy brothers and eating with Maddie herself, his portions had gotten huge. And Maddie had a knack for knowing when he could eat just a bit more, and for knowing exactly what he was craving.
It was no wonder he'd pushed past four hundred pounds. Everyone always seemed to be pushing more food towards him, and Calvin didn't have the willpower to turn any of it down.

When Maddie had suggested a buffet before football, Cal had readily accepted her logic that athletes needed to carb load. It was easy to give in to your cravings when a beautiful girl was encouraging them.
But now, his old shirt was clinging to his stuffed belly and he knew it wasn't quite big enough. Fat spilled over the edge of his waistband, and although his shirt covered the soft overhang, any amount of movement tended to pull the shirt up a bit.

Why didn't I put on a new shirt? Cal wondered as he followed Gray and Haley onto the field. He knew he wasn't the only fat guy playing today, but he was easily the fattest. And although he'd put on a bit of muscle lately due to following Maddie's brothers lead, he was definitely the most out of shape player. And most of the chubby players seemed to be on Cal's team.
But as he listened to Grayson explain things to Haley he realized why the other team seemed stacked with the best players.

They're trying to balance out Gray. Cal thought, looking at the huge man. The last few times Cal had played he'd noticed it immediately. Grayson wasn't just immense--he was fast, he was strong, and he knew the game well. Even with the team stacked against him, Cal knew whatever team Gray was on would probably win.

Even when he's stuck with me. Cal thought, tugging his shirt down self consciously. At least I'm not the only one out of their element out here. He smiled as his girlfriend's best friend looked at Gray with wide eyes. Haley looked as out of place as Cal felt.
"It's okay." Gray was reassuring her. "You just run towards the endzone and if the ball comes, try to catch it."

"Okay." The redhead said, eyeing the other team nervously.
"I'm here." Gray reminded her, and Cal had to smile at their surprising friendship. Tiny, animated, scholarly Haley and gigantic, brooding, athletic Grayson.
Cal took his place on the field, imitating the posture of the other players, and then the ball snapped and everyone was moving.
Cal just tried to follow the ball and not get knocked over.

Before long the other team was leading and neither Cal nor Haley had even touched the ball. And that was okay with Cal. Although they were playing touch, most interceptions resulted in one or more players hitting the ground. Hard. They were all used to playing for real, and they were all too competitive, so Cal was happy to just stay away from the ball.

"Can you catch?" Gray asked his roommate as their team formed a huddle.
"I think so." Haley said, no longer sounding confident.
"Yeah, that's a good idea." James, another player, spoke up. "Haley will get to the endzone and they'll be so focussed on the ball that they won't notice. Then we'll get the ball to Gray and he can do an easy toss to Haley."

Dan nodded, his dark curls bouncing. "That'll drive them crazy to have the girl scoring against them."
Cal noticed the shadow that crossed Haley's face, and he could tell she was holding back from saying something to Dan.
She doesn't like being called the girl. Cal realized. But I bet she likes the idea of scoring on Maddie's brothers.

When they took the field again, Cal waved at Maddie who was setting up a picnic on the sidelines. Haley looked a little more like her old self, her cheeks pink with excitement. When the ball snapped, twenty two bodies began moving quickly across the field, the ball moving between players, and Cal just tried to run towards their end.

Gray was fast, dodging in and out of players and reaching up to grab the ball out if the air as if it was a natural extension of himself.
Haley, however, was not where she should be.
Oh, god, please don't throw the ball to me. Cal thought as he looked towards Gray who was running like an Olympic sprinter.

Even as Elliot tried to tackle Gray he didn't slow down, still running towards the endzone as Elliot fell away. And then Chase and Oliver pounced at almost the same time and Gray was falling, two huge men dragging him to the ground.

Before Cal could fully process what was happening, Haley shot out between two players and as if gravity had no effect on her she took one, two, three steps up and over the three men on the field and grabbed the ball out of midair. She vaulted over the three brothers even as they crashed to the ground, and then she practically flew to the endzone, ball clutched against her chest.

"I got him!" Chase cheered, pulling himself up from the grass. "I tackled Gray!"
"We got him." Oliver corrected him, wiping the side of his face.
Elliot started to point out his own contribution to the effort, but Dan cut him off with a whoop of excitement directly at Haley.

"I scored." Haley, half a dozen feet away in the endzone, sounded surprised. "I scored!"
"I—" Chase's protest died in his mouth as Haley held up the ball in excitement.
"I did it. I scored on you!" Haley crowed, clearly enjoying rubbing it in Chase's face.
"You jumped on me. Is that legal?" Oliver asked, but Cal could see his amusement.

"Oh my god, that was awesome, Haley!" Maddie had abandoned her picnic and she and Haley were jumping up and down in excitement. "You were flying out here!"
"I mean, technically the play ended when Elliot touched Gray—"
"Shut up, Chase." Maddie said, making a face at her brother. "You guys never stop a play against Gray unless the ball is fumbled."

Maddie gave Cal's middle a squeeze as Haley and Chase playfully argued. It was true though. Although they claimed to play touch football, the rules seemed to change with every play. And every time Gray had the ball the goal seemed to be to pile on him till he collapsed, each time trying to do it with as few players as possible. But Chase seemed to enjoy irking Haley almost as much as he enjoyed football.

"I think it was fair." Oliver said, interrupting Chase and Haley's debate. "Nice touchdown, Hay."
"I guess if the only way you can win is to cheat...." Chase scooped Haley up over one shoulder, grinning as he headed back to midfield.

"I'm not a cheater." Haley protested, hitting his back as she laughed. "You're just not real competition."
Chase flipped Haley back over onto the ground, and Cal could see him puff up his chest. "I'm not real competition, tiny Tim?" He repeated, taking a step closer so she had to step back.

"Maybe if we were in primary school." Haley shot back, trying to push Chase away with both hands.
Chase didn't budge, amused by her attempt, but then Gray's giant paw came over Haley's shoulder, gently but firmly forcing Chase back a step.

"No fair." Chase protested, laughing. "You can't just get Gray to fight your battles, Hay." He made a face. "And you're my brother, Grayson. You should have my back."
"Well, Gray and I are a team." Haley informed him, and Cal had to smile as she stepped forward just as Gray nudged his brother back another step. "You're just jealous because we're going to win."

"No way." Chase disagreed. "That score was just a fluke."
"We'll see." Haley said, lifting her chin. She turned towards Gray, one hand against his chest. "We need to show him how a real quarterback plays."
"We just need to stop Grayson." Chase pointed out, looking at Oliver. "If we stop Gray we'll stop all of them."

Cal's team loudly disagreed but Chase just smiled as he backed towards his side of the field.
Cal followed his team, wishing he had half of Haley's stubborn confidence. He tried to pay attention to his teammates' plan for the next play, but his eyes were drawn to Maddie on the sidelines, sitting with Dian.

It looks like I'm not the only one who's gaining. Cal thought without judgment. Dian, a naturally curvy girl, looked like she'd put on at least twenty pounds since Cal had last seen her. Most of it, apparently, in her thighs.
But Oliver loves it. Cal thought sadly. He likes her body, but Maddie just tolerates my body.
"Do you want to make a play?" Cal started as Grayson appeared by his side, voice low.

Cal glanced back at Maddie. Imagine how proud she'd be if I made a touchdown. He thought, watching the beautiful girl setting out a two litre bottle of coke. Or even just managed to catch the ball. Maybe then I could make her think she's just dating an athlete who happens to be chubby, and not just a fat, lazy guy.
"Yes." Cal admitted, looking into Gray's golden eyes. "I--but I'm not very fast or very good."

Gray shook his head. "You're fine." He said seriously. "If you get yourself to the twenty yard line--" Cal looked at the unmarked field, trying to judge where that would be. "I'll get the ball there and pass it to you up close. My brothers will think I still have it, so they'll be after me."
Cal nodded. "Okay."
Gray heard the doubt in his voice. "I'll be careful about the pass and I'll keep my brothers away." He promised.

Cal nodded. It sounded easy enough. He lifted his hand up when Maddie waved excitedly from the sidelines. "Okay. I can do that."
Gray nodded and then he gave Cal a rare smile. "You'll be fine."
And then the big man drifted away, taking his place beside Haley.
I can do this. Cal thought, taking his position. How hard can it be?

When the ball flew into Chase's hands Cal ran as fast as he could towards the imaginary twenty yard line, trusting that Gray would get the ball back from the other team.
How do they do this all the time? Cal wondered as he ran. He could see Maddie waving from the sidelines but he didn't wave back, his heart already pounding from crossing the field.

He managed to glance behind him just as Gray snagged the ball, but he kept running.
He's not going get to me in time. Cal realized, trying to slow his heart down while he gauged how far his giant friend needed to run to catch up.
Do I keep running if I reach the twenty yard line or should I stop to wait for Gray to catch up...?

But the question was unnecessary because suddenly Gray was running past him, thrusting the ball into his hands as he dodged around him.
I have it! Cal thought, running as fast as his flabby legs would carry him. I have the ball!
Cal focussed on the designated endzone, already feeling pride blossom in his chest.
Slightly to his right, Gray was tackled by Oliver, but he kept going, his left arm out to keep Oliver from getting to Cal.

They still think he has the ball! Cal thought as he ran. Elliot jumped on Gray who kept running, and Cal could see that instead of being upset at being tackled by two huge men, Grayson was actually smiling.
Almost there-- Just as Cal reached the endzone, Chase launched himself onto Gray and everything seemed to slow down and speed up at the same time.

Cal could clearly see the surprise on Gray's face as his balance was thrown off, and he started to fall. As Oliver fell towards Cal Gray flung his arm out in an attempt to stop Oliver from landing on Cal.
Five heavy bodies crashed to the ground, Oliver on Cal's left, and the other three bodies to his right.
And everything would have been fine, except Cal landed wrong and four hundred pounds of his own weight came down on his left arm.

He felt a pop and a searing pain and then somehow his arm was in so much pain it was almost numb.
"Are you okay?" Gray was immediately up and reaching for Cal, but his hands stopped just shy of touching him. "I didn't mean to--"
Cal shook his head, seeing the distress on the big man's face but he couldn't get any words out.
"Did you get the touchdown?" Chase asked Cal, his eyes excited.

"That was amazing!" Oliver crowed, standing up and offering Cal his hand. "I totally thought Gray had the ball. Was that your first touchdown?"
Cal meant to nod. He meant to take out Oliver's outstretched hand but his body wasn't cooperating. And suddenly Haley was pushing her way through the brothers, her fingers soft on his arm.
"Give him space."

There was blood. Calvin would remember the blood later, but not much else. Maddie was by his side, caressing him, and Haley was asking him questions as she put a splint on his arm and wrapped it up, but everything seemed to be happening from far away and to someone else.
After what seemed like a really long time someone helped Cal to his feet and got him into a car. And the last thing he remembered before the hospital was the sad look on Gray's face.

"I'm sorry." The huge man said, his face ashen. "I did it. I'm sorry