Touchdown Hero Read online

  Touchdown Hero

  Rachel Maldonado

  Copyright © Rachel Maldonado January 2016.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, without the prior written permission of Rachel Maldonado, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a newspaper, magazine, or journal. Please be aware that downloading an e-book from an illegal site is a crime.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Acknowledgments

  As always, I'd like to thank my wonderful parents for their love and support.

  Thank you to my loving, beautiful wife, Vanessa. You are my love and inspiration. I love you to the moon and back. Forever.

  Thank you to my friend, retired football player, Hollie M. Rhodes. You are an amazing person, and I'm glad that you are back in my life. I sincerely appreciate your opinions and feedback as acting sports consultant in the making of this novel.

  A special thank you to Dolly Parton and Cher for the use of their lyrics to their songs.

  Dedication

  I'd like to dedicate this novel to Hollie Rhodes. I'm glad that you are my friend. You've proven to be a hero on and off the field.

  Prologue

  “Are you not coming to practice?” asked Kathy as she changed from her jeans and blouse into her uniform. The locker room was filled with several other girls suiting up for football practice. Charlene was the only one that was still in the clothes she had worn to class. She stood in front of the sink looking at her face, seemingly lost in her own thoughts.

  “Just a sec,” she stated, finally acknowledging Kathy's question. She remained focused on her image for a second more, then rummaged through her purse, taking out her make-up and laying it down on the counter top.

  Charlene powdered her nose and touched up her lipstick. She placed the cap back on her lipstick and put it in her purse. She took one last look at herself in the mirror, then pressed her lips together and turned to look at Kathy. “Yes, I'm going. I will probably just be a little bit late.”

  “Geezus, Charlie, you're just going to the dentist. I wouldn't have put on make-up. I would have probably just gone in my football uniform,” laughed Kathy.

  “You never know who you might meet,” grinned Charlie. “Besides, I don't like for people to know that I play.” She sat down on a bench near Kathy and watched her lace up her cleats. Kathy always knotted her shoes twice. “Why do you do that?” asked Charlie curiously. “Is it one of your old football superstitions like wearing the same stinky game socks to every game?”

  Kathy chuckled. “No. This, my friend, is what I like to think of as embarrassment prevention.” She double knotted her left shoe and started tightening her right shoelace. She began double knotting it the same way as the other shoe. “I tie all my shoes twice to ensure that they don't untie. Do you know how many people trip over untied shoelaces?”

  “No, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me,” teased Charlie.

  “Too many,” responded Kathy. She stood up and looked at herself in the mirror, right before placing on her orange, black, and white helmet. “I can't believe you're going to miss practice.”

  “I told you...I'm not going to miss. I'm just going to be late.”

  The other women began to exit the locker room fully dressed for practice and Kathy was one of the last ones still remaining. She grinned at Charlie, “Uh-huh. That's why you were caking on your make-up?”

  Charlie laughed. “I wasn't caking it on. I was merely touching it up.”

  “Is it a hot dentist?” pressed Kathy curiously.

  Charlie laughed. “If you knew Dr. Prescott, you wouldn't use the word hot and dentist in the same sentence. She looks like she's a hundred years old.”

  Kathy crossed her arms. “Come on. Don't leave me in suspense. You're going to make me late for practice.”

  “Honest. I'm not going out on a date or anything. I'm not meeting up with anyone. I swear,” insisted Charlie.

  Kathy held up her right pinky finger, then walked over to Charlie. “You pinky swear?”

  Charlie rolled her eyes.

  “You have to do the pinky swear, otherwise I am not going to believe you.”

  “Geez, okay,” sighed Charlie. She held out her right pinky and wrapped it in Kathy's as if shaking hands. “I pinky swear that I'm not meeting anyone. I'm glad no one is left in here to see that,” she teased, letting go of Kathy's firm pinky grasp.

  “See you after your appointment then,” remarked Kathy with a grin as she ran out of the locker room and headed towards the football field.

  Charlie grabbed her purse and flung it over her shoulder. She grinned as she watched Kathy turn back around, smile, then hold her pinky up in the air.

  Chapter One

  Charlie sat nervously in the dentist office, waiting to be called. She had been just as worried when she had went to her appointment to see the doctor for a physical and that had been quick and painless. With her ailing tooth, she worried she might need more than just a few cavities filled. She picked up a Women's Health Magazine and began thumbing through it. She wasn't really too focused on it, she merely did it to pass the time. She came to a centerfold and wondered what it was, so she opened it. Why on Earth would a woman's magazine have a centerfold, she wondered. To her astonishment, it was an article and image of a woman's reproductive system. Charlie let out an audible gasp, and just as she did so, she heard a young woman's voice from the row of seats behind her.

  “It looks like a flower, doesn't it?” asked the woman. She looked to be about college age. She didn't look much older than Charlie.

  “What?” asked Charlie, putting her magazine down and shoving it underneath a stack of others, trying to hide it. She turned half around to face the woman.

  “The vagina. It looks like a flower, right?” she asked again. She had long, jet-black hair that was thick and straight. It made Charlie think of one of the early images of Cher.

  Charlie blushed a bright red. “Oh, I never thought about it.”

  The young woman stood up from where she sat and moved to the seat beside Charlie. “There's this artist that paints nothing but flowers, but somehow they always wind up looking like vaginas.”

  Charlie looked around to see if anyone else in the waiting room was paying attention to their conversation. One woman was reading a magazine and had her nose buried deep in the pages as if she was having trouble seeing. A young man had his headphones on, so she knew he wasn't paying attention. When she looked across the room, Charlie noticed a blonde with shoulder length hair smiling at her. Charlie felt incredibly embarrassed and she couldn't help but blush; her creamy skin suddenly turned a rosy hue. She felt the urge to run away from the dark-haired woman, but she knew she needed to stay for her appointment. If she went back to practice and still had pain in her tooth, everyone would know that she didn't go to the dentist. Charlie grabbed another magazine and pretended to read, hoping that the woman would stop talking to her. She held it close to her face feigning poor eyesight. She peered over the magazine and noticed the blonde woman walking over towards her. Charlie could feel her heart pumping in her chest. It began beating louder and faster as her anxiety began to rise. She gulped down hard as the attractive blonde woman sat next to her. Charlie hoped the young woman couldn't sense her nervousness.

  “Honey, I told you that you should have sat by me over there by the window,” suggested the blonde warmly.

  Charlie paused for a moment and looked at her with slight confusion. The blonde smirked, then winked at her and motioned her eyes towards the woman that was talking about
vagina paintings. Charlie blushed again feeling her cheeks become warm as the blood rushed to her face.

  “I think I will move over there with you now. I'm getting cold over here by the air vent, and I'm sure it's much warmer over there where the sun is shining. It was nice chatting with you,” commented Charlie to the other woman as she got up and moved over to the other side of the room. The dark-haired woman seemed saddened as she watched Charlie get up and move. All she managed to say was, “You, too.”

  “Thank you,” whispered Charlie to the blonde as she sat down near the window. “I'm Charlie. Charlene Thompson. Everyone calls me Charlie.”

  “You're welcome,” said the blonde with a cute smile. She had a beautiful set of pearly whites and a great big dimple. “I always like rescuing damsels in distress. My name's Holly Larson.”

  “It's nice to meet you. I'd shake your hand, but I don't want Ms. Vagina Paintings over there to see that we just met.”

  Holly laughed out loud and everyone in the waiting room turned to look at them. They turned back to whatever it was they were doing when Holly's laughter lulled. She spoke in a quieter tone as not to be heard. “You're funny. Can you blame a girl for trying to talk to you?”

  “What's that supposed to mean?” asked Charlie curiously.

  “Eh, never mind. I think they're going to call me next,” responded Holly, changing the subject. She was bold and confident and it was something that Charlie noticed right away. It made her even more attractive than she already was physically.

  “Why would they call you next? I have a four-thirty appointment and it's five minutes past already.”

  “Uh huh. But they're behind today.”

  “How do you know that?” asked Charlie.

  “Because my appointment was at three forty-five and they haven't called me yet.”

  “What are you having done?” asked Charlie nosily. She couldn't help but wonder how her teeth could ever be any more perfect than they already were.

  Holly began digging through some magazines that were left on the seat beside her. “I'm here for a cleaning. You?”

  “I don't know yet. I've been having some pain when I eat. My tooth in the back hurts something awful when I drink cold liquids or try to chew on the right side.”

  “Virginia Rose?” announced a dental technician. “Virginia?”

  “Oh, that's me!” shouted the woman that had commented about vaginas. She jumped up and walked towards the nurse in scrubs. She followed her into the examining room and as soon as the door shut behind them, Charlie and Holly looked at one another and began giggling. It was as if they were both on the same sense of humor wavelength.

  “Her name is Rose,” whispered Holly with a grin. “She thinks vaginas look like flowers and her name is Rose.”

  “Yes, Vagina Rose,” laughed Charlie. Holly burst into laughter and everyone turned to look at her once again. The receptionist looked over curiously to see what they were laughing at, but the two young ladies quieted down.

  “Do you like karaoke?” asked Holly, changing the subject once again.

  Charlie shrugged her shoulders. “I can't say that I've ever been.”

  “Would you like to go?”

  “With you?”

  “No, alone,” jested Holly playfully. She flashed her sexy smile. “But I'd prefer it if you went with me.”

  “Maybe,” said Charlie grinning.

  “Maybe? That's an unusual response. Girls either shoot me down or say yes.”

  Charlie laughed. “It's just that you didn't say when you were going. I'd be interested in going, if it doesn't conflict with some other things I have going on.”

  “Oh, okay. How about Saturday night then?”

  “Saturday's good. I have plans tomorrow night, but Saturday is perfect.”

  “What's your number?” asked Holly, taking out her cell phone from her jeans.

  “555-1432,” answered Charlie.

  Holly sent a text message to the number and a second later, Charlie's phone vibrated. “Now you have my number,” remarked Holly with a coy grin.

  “Holly Larson?” called the nurse technician from an open doorway.

  “Nice meeting you,” whispered Holly as she got up and walked towards the nurse.

  “You, too,” said Charlie. She felt an inner happiness growing inside. It was like the soft glow of burning embers, but it illuminated her soul and filled her body with warmth. She had a warm fuzzy feeling all over. She had been so nervous about her dentist appointment, and she never expected to meet anyone. She had pictured horrific scenes such as having a lunatic for a dentist and hearing and seeing him laughing maniacally as he held a drill or a chainsaw. The more she had thought about it, the more nightmares she had started to have. All her nightmares had only made her procrastinate even more, but she had finally gotten to the point where she needed to see someone. She could no longer take the pain.

  Charlie sat there for a few more minutes waiting to be called. It felt like an eternity passed. After about twenty minutes, Virginia came out of the office and plopped her purse down on the front counter. She looked over in Charlie's direction. Charlie tried to look away, but it was too late. Virginia saw her sitting there without Holly and waved. “Yoohoo! Hello again!” shouted Virginia from across the room.

  Charlie forced a smile and waved back. The woman paid her bill and sauntered over to Charlie and sat in Holly's vacant seat. “I'm so glad I didn't need to have anything done. My x-rays looked good and all I needed was a cleaning. Look, don't my teeth look clean?” The woman showed her gnashed teeth to Charlie who winced and frowned as the woman invaded her personal space and leaned her face into Charlie's. She was so close that she could feel the woman's hot breath on her face. She wished Holly was there to save her again.

  “Um, sure. They look great,” muttered Charlie nervously. Might it seem rude to get up and sit somewhere else? she thought to herself. She began to tap her toe on the shiny, white linoleum floor tile.

  “Where's your girlfriend?” asked Virginia nosily. She looked around to see if Holly was nearby and not seeing her, she made herself comfortable by crossing her legs and grabbing a magazine. Charlie peered over and noticed it was another Women's Health Magazine, then rolled her eyes. Oh no! I hope it doesn't have any vagina pics! she thought as her mind raced and her heartbeat increased nervously.

  “She was called in to see the doctor. I'm sure she'll be back any minute now,” offered Charlie, hoping that the woman would go away.

  “I'll sit here and keep you company until she gets back,” stated Virginia happily. She began licking her finger and thumbing through the pages. “I want to be a photographer,” blurted Virginia matter-of-factly.

  Charlie was afraid to respond. It seemed like a response would only open up a can of worms. She felt her anxiety steadily increasing as she wondered if the woman would say anything else that was uncomfortable or embarrassing. “Really?” was all Charlie managed to say.

  “Charlene Thompson?” called the nurse technician.

  “Thank God,” whispered Charlie under her breath. “That's me! Over here. I'm coming.” She hopped out of her seat and practically ran towards the nurse with her purse in tow. She hadn't even taken the time to swing it over her shoulder. Virginia watched her run into the back with the nurse and frowned. She was clearly disappointed that she couldn't chat with Charlie any longer.

  ****

  After having had some x-rays taken and a few cavities filled, she was asked to return to the lobby to remit payment for services rendered. She was relieved to see that Virginia was gone, but disappointed that Holly was gone, too. “Do you have your insurance card?” inquired the woman at the front desk.

  “Yes, I have it here in my wallet. I'm sorry I don't have that ready.” Charlie began to dig through her purse to pull out her wallet, then fumbled through several business cards to find her insurance card. “Here it is.” She handed the card to the woman who ran it through the data base.

  “That
will be a twenty dollar co-pay, Ms. Thompson,” remarked the woman.

  “Do you take Visa?”

  “We sure do. Visa, MasterCard, and American Express,” answered the woman, pointing to a sign on the wall with the credit card logos. Charlie handed her a Visa debit card and waited for her receipt.

  “The woman that was here just before me? Did she leave already?” asked Charlie curiously.

  “Which one?”

  “She was probably about five-feet five inches tall or so, blonde, great smile. Holly Larson?”

  “Yes, I believe she was here for a cleaning. She was waiting here for a while. She just now walked out about five minutes ago,” replied the woman as she handed Charlie her card and receipt. “You have yourself a nice evening.”

  “Thank you. You, too,” said Charlie. Knowing that Holly had waited for her made her grin. She looked at her watch and it was nearing six already. She knew practice was almost over and wondered if she should even bother to go at all. She was just about to step out of the glass office door when she suddenly remembered she needed a doctor's note. The door chimed as she pushed it, then stopped as the door slowly shut when she turned around and walked up to the desk. The words Prescott, Sullivan, & Marshall D.D.S were written backwards on the inside of the glass door.

  “Did you forget something?” asked the nurse.

  “Yes, I'm afraid I need a doctor's note. I had to miss practice to be here, and I might need a note to show the coach I was really here.”

  The nurse pulled out a standard looking note and stamped the date and time on it, then handed it to Charlie. “Here you go.”

  “Thanks. Appreciate you.” She turned around and walked out into the sunshine. She glanced down at her note and was glad the nurse had stamped the time. I guess I can miss practice, she thought. She was grateful that Daylight Savings Time hadn't yet taken place and that the sun was still shining brightly even though it was getting close to six in the evening.