able to sing in front of the crowd at today’s game.
As soon as my eyes opened this morning I was running for the bathroom. When I finish getting sick I climb off the floor and splash some cold water on my face and brush my teeth.
Madison sticks her head in the door. “Are you okay?”
I nod and I feel nauseous again from the taste of toothpaste in my mouth. “Just nervous.”
She steps in and rubs my back. “You’re going to be fine.”
I know she’s right but I’ve always had stage fright. It’s the reason why I would never be able to try out for American Idol or any of those kinds of shows.
“Let’s get you ready to see Cash.”
It’s the perfect distraction that I need. It takes my mind off of singing in front of thousands of people. I take my time helping her get ready. I fix up her hair, do her makeup and even pick out the clothes she’s going to wear. Then I work on getting myself ready. I curl my hair like I did with Madison’s. I go a little lighter with the makeup but stain my lips blood red. After getting dressed in jeans and my Ducks jersey with Landon’s name and number on it I walk over to the nightstand near the bed. I’ve always wondered why they keep a notepad and pen in the drawer, well now I know why. I rip a piece off, kiss it and then write the words, “Just watch.” I fold the piece of paper up and hand it to Madison.
“Give this to Landon before I come out.” She nods and sticks it in her purse.
We arrive at the stadium with the passes that Coach Lander gave me. It gets us access to the locker rooms. The cab ride here with Madison was quiet. I was afraid if I opened my mouth that I would throw up.
Madison goes to find her seat and I follow the instructions that Coach Lander gave me. A few security guards stop me along the way and I just flash my pass and they let me through. I’m hanging out in the locker room waiting for Coach Lander to come and get me.
Cash taps on the door before he opens it. He looks so handsome in his uniform. “You good?”
I shrug and fidget with my hands. “I’m nervous as hell.”
He wraps me in his arms. “You can do this. When you get out there find that one thing in that crowd of thousands of people and shut the rest of the world out.”
“Is that what you do?”
“Yup, when I’m on the field all I see is the field, the ball, the player, and the end zone.”
I take a step back and try to steel my nerves. “Thanks for the pep talk.”
Cash leans forward and kisses me on the cheek. “Good luck.”
He leaves and Coach comes in minutes later. “Show time, little lady.”
I smile and follow behind him. He ushers me out to the fifty-yard line where there is a microphone waiting for me. I get about halfway there when the announcer shouts my arrival and the crowd cheers.
I look around, taking it all in. I hear Cash in the back of my mind. “Find that one thing.” My eyes land on Landon, my darkness, my forever. He’s reading the note that I had Madison give him. He unfolds it, reads it, and looks up. His mouth is hanging open and I smile.
I take a deep breath and pour my heart and soul into the national anthem. I start out a little shaky until I let everything fade away and it’s just Landon and me in the stadium. I hit every note and I remember every word. One of my biggest fears was forgetting the words. I belt out the last words and the crowd goes crazy. My performance isn’t perfect but it was pretty damn good.
When I’m finished I turn the mic off and before I step foot off the field Landon has his arms wrapped around me swinging me around.
“I can’t believe you did that, babe,” Landon says into my ear since it’s so loud with the bustle of the game starting. He sets me down and pulls me off the field and down toward the locker room.
When he shuts the door he turns toward me with a smirk on his face. “How did you even pull that off?”