Until Now (Not Yet #2) by Laura Ward Read Free Book Online

the air as students and alumni cooked hotdogs, hamburgers, and bratwursts. Games were set up in the parking lot. Some played a game with beanbags while others tossed footballs back and forth. Conflicting beats and melodies from the various sound systems overpowered the chatter. My stomach filled with butterflies as I took it all in.
    The scene was foreign to me. I was a college senior at a Big Ten university, and this was my first football game. I couldn’t afford to go before, so it never crossed my mind. I had no idea what I had been missing.
    Once inside the stadium, I eased my knees to the side so that a group of people could move past me to their seats. The family section was full of well-dressed, proud parents and siblings. A waiter knelt next to Finn’s seat and passed soda to me and juice to Finn. “This is all free?” I whispered. My stomach dipped. I was so screwed if Dean had been wrong.
    The waiter smiled in understanding. “Only in this section and the section for former IU athletes. Enjoy!” He passed two hotdogs, popcorn, and a soft pretzel to me. My stomach growled. I was starving, and junk food like this was a rarity for Finn and me.
    “Thank you,” I smiled in return. “We will.”
    Finn sat cross-legged in his seat, and I unwrapped his hotdog, placing it on his lap. Everywhere I looked there was excitement. Cheerleaders and dancers moved to the booming music, and students clapped and hollered. The stadium was a sea of red and white. Despite the cold, rows of guys were shirtless, the skin on their chests painted red, each with a single letter painted on it in white block lettering. Standing side by side their chests read: “GO IU! #1”. Many students and visitors wore IU jerseys in red or white, hats in the same colors, and quite a few painted their faces. I couldn’t keep the smile off mine. The energy was contagious.
    “Mommy, this is so cool!” Finn held my hand tightly in his. He was smiling just like me and had a dollop of mustard from his hotdog on his chin.
    I wiped his face with my napkin. “It really is!” Just then the IU football team was announced, and we stood with the rest of the stadium and clapped, whistling, and calling out as each player was called to the field by name.
    “Where’s Dean? I don’t see him!” Finn stood on his chair, moving onto his tiptoes in an attempt to spot Dean.
    I picked Finn up and sat him on my hip. “His name hasn’t been called yet. Hold on…” I pointed to the entrance, and fireworks shot out of the ground as the announcer screamed Dean’s name and number. I couldn’t believe it. He really was the star player on this team. I knew he was cocky, but I didn’t think there was an actual reason for him to feel that way.
    “There he is! Hey, Dean! Hi! It’s me, Just Finn!” Finn waved his hands in the air, and I giggled, loving every second of his excitement.
    We moved to sit down as the players got organized on the field. “He can’t hear you, buddy. We’re too far away.” I handed him his popcorn. “But he knows you’re here.”
    Finn nodded and shoveled a handful of buttery kernels into his mouth. He’d eat his way through the game and be as happy as could be. I loved seeing Finn so excited. I tried as hard as I could to make his world fun, but it was hard, and I was worn out. This gift from Dean was what we both needed.
    We continued to devour our stadium food, stopping only to get to our feet and scream with excitement when Dean threw a pass or when IU’s defense intercepted the ball. “Yes!” I jumped up along with the rest of the crowd to cheer as Dean threw the ball to his running back and he ran it in for a touchdown. In the previous play, Dean had gotten sacked, and I held my breath until I saw him get up. He hadn’t looked hurt, thank God.
    Finn asked me a ton of questions about the game, and I knew the answers to about ten percent of them. I’d need to study up on football. Finn didn’t have a daddy to teach him