"Football is a Man's Sport" My Derriere.

"Football is a Man's Sport" My Derriere. {2}

a picture of elizabeth, who is being played by the actress Katherina Graham ----->

LOVE THE cOMMENTS! 

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"Football, wherein is nothing but beastly fury, and extreme violence, whereof proceedeth hurt, and consequently rancour and malice do remain with them that be wounded." 

Thomas Elyot (1531)

~Two months later~

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

I sat looking at my brother. Gabe wasn't talking. At all. I had just convinced the rest of my family to go and do SOMETHING, because they were all just hovering, emotional wrecks, especially my mom and Sasha. Me, I had learned to control my emotions years ago. So even though I was breaking inside I could be calm on the outside.

I was sitting in a chair with my arms around my knees, just watching him. He was looking at the ceiling. The moniter constatly beeped, and even though it told us that Gabe's body wasn't shutting down from depression, I wanted to take a hammer to it. I rested my head on my knees. The nurse came and took his vitals, smiling cheerily. "You'll be able to begin therapy soon."

Gabe didn't say anything. He just turned and looked away. Her smile didn't falter. You had to admire her persistancy. I frowned at him when she left. "That was very rude. Mom would whoop your behind if she were here."

"Well, she's not, is she?" He sneered. It shocked the heck out of me and made me angry at the same time. His voice was cold, distant, and it didn't hold his usual warmth.

"No, she's not, and I don't blame her."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you're not the best person to be around right now, Gabe. You're acting like a complete butthole, people have been pouring in to see how you've been doing and you're acting like a solid block of ice! And they don't know how to handle it! Mom looks like she's aged twenty years!"

"I MIGHT NEVER WALK AGAIN!"

"LITTLE KIDS DIE EVERY DAY, GABRIEL! LITTLE KIDS, WHO KNOW THAT THEY MIGHT NOT WAKE UP THE NEXT MORNING, HAVE BETTER ATTITUDES AND TAKE EVERYTHING THAT'S THROWN AT THEM WITH SMILES ON THEIR FACES!"

"I'm not them."

"I never said you were."

"Football was my life."

"You make your life. There's all kinds of crap that you can do Gabe, you are not dead, you are not incompetent, and you are not alone."

And my older brother did something that I'd never seen him do in his entire life, something that I thought was impossible. Gabriel started crying, tears silently going down his face. I realized that I was too and grabbed some tissues from the side table and handed some to him. He took them and blew his nose.

We sat in silence once again.

"Liz?"

I didn't look at him.

"I'm sorry."

I snapped my head up at him. "What?"

"I'm s--"

"Why are you sorry?"

"I gave up on myself. And you didn't, you've been here this whole time."

"It' so'kay. Just promise me this?"

"Say it."

"Actually try during the therapy. They said you might walk again in a couple of years if you try. So go for it."

He was silent, and I thought I'd lost him, just when I had him. I sighed and balled myself up again, hugging my knees.

"I want you to take my place," he blurted.

I looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"I am not crazy. I want you to take my place on the football team."

"Gabriel, are you sure your head's okay?"

"I know you're a girl. But it's possible. And you'd be awesome."

"You were the runningback. The freaking runningback. I can't play that position."

"You know as well as I do that you can, and that you're the best at that position."

"Then let me correct myself. I don't want to."

"Either you do it, or I'll flop during the therapy. I'll be in the wheelchair for the rest of my life. And it'll be your fault."

He went there, the dirty dog. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Fine."

He grinned. "And I'll help you. My arms still work."

"I hate you."

"I love you too, little sister."

Me and Gabe had decided to keep the fact that he was talking a surprise for my mom. She came in, holding the usual breakfast for both him and me. "Morning baby," she said, not expecting a response, as usual. Gabe smiled at her broadly. "Morning." She dropped the tray and screamed. I covered my ears while everyone rushed in.

"What, what happened?" Dad demanded. They all looked at me but Gabe answered them. "I don't know really, I just said good morning to her."

"You're talking." Tyler said in a shocked voice.

"Yes I am." Gabe said slowly. I laughed at their conked over the head expressions. "What'd you do?"

"She told me off. Can I have some coffee?"

Shocked silence. Gabe winked at me.

"So, when does therapy start?"

"You'll do it?" Mom sounded unsure.

"Me and Liz have a deal." He said vaugly.

We decided to keep our little arrangement a secret, so dad couldn't say no before I even tried out. You might think that your dad being the coach football of the team that you're playing for was a good thing, but for me it was even worse. Dad, like Tyler, thought that football was strictly a man's sport.

Gabe would be coming home with us in a few days, so we'd practice then, like we always used to. Nobody'd suspect anything. Then, when school wasa back in,. I'd be a junior, and therefore able to try out. It was fullproof, he said. I just hoped everything went well. 

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