TF&TF-FNL pt. 18
Title: "It's The End of the World as We They Know It, and I Feel Fine"
Rating: Mature (Cussing)
Dedication: My loyal readers -- you know who you are. ;)
Author's Note: I'm going to start working some more of the TF&TF content in here. I've already stared on part 19, too.
Legalities: TF&TF and FNL are copyright their respective owners; this is a labor of love, not money.
---
"I'm sorry you're all broken up about the playoffs," Landry said somewhat truculently. "But, Matt, you moping about is getting awfully old. I mean, it's even starting to get to Julie."
Matt hawked and spat. "It's just -- look, I'm worried about things, okay?"
"Season's over. Take a load off."
Mia knew she shouldn't eavesdrop, but she couldn't help overhearing what the two of them said out in the side yard when the kitchen window stood open.
"We didn't the state championship. Do you think the Boosters are going to pay for more of Mia?"
"Well …" Landry said.
"Well no is what," Matt finished bitterly.
"Yeah, but you've got more time what with not having football practice and all."
"I need to work more hours," Matt huffed. "Besides, even if I didn't, it's like, what, a few more hours a day? Grandma really needs to have somebody here full time."
"But, your dad gets back in a few months. Can't he --"
"Landry, you don't know my dad. Not really. You don't hear him going on and on about the mission in Iraq. He's -- he's bought into it, y'know?
"When he comes home," Matt's voice took on a quaver that pierced Mia to the core, "here's what's going to happen -- he's going to put Grandma in a home, and why that is, is because he'll go back to Iraq and that means I'll be going to Okalahoma to live with my Aunt Peg."
Pause. "Damn, I didn't know."
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry -- I --"
"Landry, can we talk about something else right now? I don't like to dwell on this."
Mia put her head in her hand and sighed. Matt and Nana had become family to her, but yeah, QHH wasn't a charity and they had cut the Booster Club a discount on account of Matt's importance. Maybe the Boosters would see fit to extend the contract, but …. She cursed under her breath and dived back into Nana's paperwork.
~oo(0)oo~
"You're just a big ole ray of sunshine," Mia groused, stabbing a fry aimlessly into her ketchup. "It's like the life went out of this town when that game ended."
Billy gave her a lopsided smile. "Welcome to life after a heartbreaking end to a heartbreaking football season. We're in mourning. Give us time." Pause. "Tim's been a moody bitch all week."
"Ah, life at Casa De Broken Dreams," Mia said somewhat coldly.
Billy gave her a slightly stung look.
"You lost a football game. It's not like a friend got shot to death and died in your arms or something. It's not like your life got turned inside out and upside down because your brother's got a jones for highway robbery --"
"No, but it's like my life got turned inside out and upside down because my father dumped a 12 year old kid on me and walked out the door."
True. Mia popped the fry in her mouth, chewed, and swallowed. "How's your Golf coming?"
He snorted. "Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"I'm still a 27 year old never was," he sighed disgustedly.
That tore it. "And let me guess, working hard on being a 28 year gave up and never tried."
"Mia, what has gotten into you?"
"I'm tired of this moping, Billy. I'm tired of this black cloud that seems to have settled over the town. When life hands you a lemon --"
"You make lemonade?" Billy said, voice oozing sarcasm.
"No, you squeeze that fucker into your beer and chug it down." Mia stood up and practically hurtled her tray into the return rack. In a somewhat conciliatory tone of voice she said, "Look, I'll catch you later, Billy. I'm in a pissy mood and I'm dumping my crap on you. But you need to get your ass back out on the green. I'm not kidding about that."
~oo(0)oo~
"Hey, Mia girl, 'sup?" came Leon's familiar drawl.
"Oh God, Leon, I am about to pick up something sharp and go postal," Mia groaned. "Are you ever a breath of fresh air."
"Damn. That bad? What happened?"
"The football team didn't win the state championship -- lost in the semi-finals, and it's like the whole town is clinically depressed this week. Okay. And I'm like,folks, that's not even close to bad. So, I'm just happy to talk to somebody who's not all 'the sky has fallen'. What's up on your end?"
"I was wondering if it was okay if me and a guest came out and helped you eat that turkey next week."
Mia couldn't keep the smile out of her voice. "Yes -- I'd love to see you again, Leon. I'd love to introduce you to all my friends out here."
"Cool. And, um, I might have to ask you a favor when I get to town. Kind of a big one, but I won't know that until later -- so don't get worried about it now. It might end up being nothing. But I'm giving you a heads up in case it's not."
"Sky falling for you, too?"
"Naw, it's going good for me, but it might not be for somebody else. I can't say more. Not on the phone."
Aha. Mia decided to shift the conversation back to something neutral. "You like pecans in the stuffing, right?"
"Love 'em, Mia. Toasted."
"I'll make it special just for you, Leon."
"You are just made of awesome, Mia."
"Keep reminding me."
~oo(0)oo~
"Hey, do you remember me?" Herc asked, wheeling himself over to the bar at Applebee's, where Mia had come in an effort to have a much needed drink and not be surrounded by people singing the football blues.
"You're kind of hard to forget." Mia smiled down at him.
"Jason and I saw you over here and decided that we wanted a little womanly conversation to liven up gimps night out. Buy you a drink?"
Mia laughed. "Only if I can buy you one, too."
"You're on."
~oo(0)oo~
"So, Herc, I'm curious --"
"How'd it happen?"
"Yeah." Mia ran a finger around the rim of her glass. "And if it's none of my business, you can tell me."
"Hey, I'm dying to know, too," Jason added.
Herc looked at him. "You never asked, Sparky. Okay, it's like this. Nothing dramatic like breaking your neck during football game. Nope. A college buddy of mine and I were drunk and had this brilliant idea to go down and play at the park. Swing on the swings, play on the teeter totter, go down the slide, and make fools of ourselves on the jungle gym. Only, as I reached for this one bar, there was a vicious gravity surge, and I fell back, and bam!" he thumped his hand on the table for emphasis, "Good-bye C7."
Mia nodded thoughtfully.
"You look like that actually made sense to you," Jason said.
"I'm a nurse."
Herc mock leered at her. "Well, hot-damn, woman! I ought to put the moves on you. Good looking and a nurse." He elbowed Jason. "Talk about the quad's dream woman."
Mia bubbled over with laughter. "Herc, if I weren't sort of tangled up in something right now, I'd take you up on that."
Herc leaned over to Jason and said, "See, Grasshopper, it's the biceps --" he flexed "gets them every time."
"Not bad." Mia mock flirted back. "And you've got a nice set of broad shoulders, too. Good sense of humor, and, right now, best of all," she leaned in close --
"Yeah?"
"You're not crying in your beer about football."
"Football is for pussies, right, Jason?"
Jason rolled his eyes at Herc.
Herc leaned back and stretched. "Mia, what, if anything, do you know about the manly sport of Murderball?"
---
Chapter17
Chapter19
Rating: Mature (Cussing)
Dedication: My loyal readers -- you know who you are. ;)
Author's Note: I'm going to start working some more of the TF&TF content in here. I've already stared on part 19, too.
Legalities: TF&TF and FNL are copyright their respective owners; this is a labor of love, not money.
---
"I'm sorry you're all broken up about the playoffs," Landry said somewhat truculently. "But, Matt, you moping about is getting awfully old. I mean, it's even starting to get to Julie."
Matt hawked and spat. "It's just -- look, I'm worried about things, okay?"
"Season's over. Take a load off."
Mia knew she shouldn't eavesdrop, but she couldn't help overhearing what the two of them said out in the side yard when the kitchen window stood open.
"We didn't the state championship. Do you think the Boosters are going to pay for more of Mia?"
"Well …" Landry said.
"Well no is what," Matt finished bitterly.
"Yeah, but you've got more time what with not having football practice and all."
"I need to work more hours," Matt huffed. "Besides, even if I didn't, it's like, what, a few more hours a day? Grandma really needs to have somebody here full time."
"But, your dad gets back in a few months. Can't he --"
"Landry, you don't know my dad. Not really. You don't hear him going on and on about the mission in Iraq. He's -- he's bought into it, y'know?
"When he comes home," Matt's voice took on a quaver that pierced Mia to the core, "here's what's going to happen -- he's going to put Grandma in a home, and why that is, is because he'll go back to Iraq and that means I'll be going to Okalahoma to live with my Aunt Peg."
Pause. "Damn, I didn't know."
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry -- I --"
"Landry, can we talk about something else right now? I don't like to dwell on this."
Mia put her head in her hand and sighed. Matt and Nana had become family to her, but yeah, QHH wasn't a charity and they had cut the Booster Club a discount on account of Matt's importance. Maybe the Boosters would see fit to extend the contract, but …. She cursed under her breath and dived back into Nana's paperwork.
~oo(0)oo~
"You're just a big ole ray of sunshine," Mia groused, stabbing a fry aimlessly into her ketchup. "It's like the life went out of this town when that game ended."
Billy gave her a lopsided smile. "Welcome to life after a heartbreaking end to a heartbreaking football season. We're in mourning. Give us time." Pause. "Tim's been a moody bitch all week."
"Ah, life at Casa De Broken Dreams," Mia said somewhat coldly.
Billy gave her a slightly stung look.
"You lost a football game. It's not like a friend got shot to death and died in your arms or something. It's not like your life got turned inside out and upside down because your brother's got a jones for highway robbery --"
"No, but it's like my life got turned inside out and upside down because my father dumped a 12 year old kid on me and walked out the door."
True. Mia popped the fry in her mouth, chewed, and swallowed. "How's your Golf coming?"
He snorted. "Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"I'm still a 27 year old never was," he sighed disgustedly.
That tore it. "And let me guess, working hard on being a 28 year gave up and never tried."
"Mia, what has gotten into you?"
"I'm tired of this moping, Billy. I'm tired of this black cloud that seems to have settled over the town. When life hands you a lemon --"
"You make lemonade?" Billy said, voice oozing sarcasm.
"No, you squeeze that fucker into your beer and chug it down." Mia stood up and practically hurtled her tray into the return rack. In a somewhat conciliatory tone of voice she said, "Look, I'll catch you later, Billy. I'm in a pissy mood and I'm dumping my crap on you. But you need to get your ass back out on the green. I'm not kidding about that."
~oo(0)oo~
"Hey, Mia girl, 'sup?" came Leon's familiar drawl.
"Oh God, Leon, I am about to pick up something sharp and go postal," Mia groaned. "Are you ever a breath of fresh air."
"Damn. That bad? What happened?"
"The football team didn't win the state championship -- lost in the semi-finals, and it's like the whole town is clinically depressed this week. Okay. And I'm like,folks, that's not even close to bad. So, I'm just happy to talk to somebody who's not all 'the sky has fallen'. What's up on your end?"
"I was wondering if it was okay if me and a guest came out and helped you eat that turkey next week."
Mia couldn't keep the smile out of her voice. "Yes -- I'd love to see you again, Leon. I'd love to introduce you to all my friends out here."
"Cool. And, um, I might have to ask you a favor when I get to town. Kind of a big one, but I won't know that until later -- so don't get worried about it now. It might end up being nothing. But I'm giving you a heads up in case it's not."
"Sky falling for you, too?"
"Naw, it's going good for me, but it might not be for somebody else. I can't say more. Not on the phone."
Aha. Mia decided to shift the conversation back to something neutral. "You like pecans in the stuffing, right?"
"Love 'em, Mia. Toasted."
"I'll make it special just for you, Leon."
"You are just made of awesome, Mia."
"Keep reminding me."
~oo(0)oo~
"Hey, do you remember me?" Herc asked, wheeling himself over to the bar at Applebee's, where Mia had come in an effort to have a much needed drink and not be surrounded by people singing the football blues.
"You're kind of hard to forget." Mia smiled down at him.
"Jason and I saw you over here and decided that we wanted a little womanly conversation to liven up gimps night out. Buy you a drink?"
Mia laughed. "Only if I can buy you one, too."
"You're on."
~oo(0)oo~
"So, Herc, I'm curious --"
"How'd it happen?"
"Yeah." Mia ran a finger around the rim of her glass. "And if it's none of my business, you can tell me."
"Hey, I'm dying to know, too," Jason added.
Herc looked at him. "You never asked, Sparky. Okay, it's like this. Nothing dramatic like breaking your neck during football game. Nope. A college buddy of mine and I were drunk and had this brilliant idea to go down and play at the park. Swing on the swings, play on the teeter totter, go down the slide, and make fools of ourselves on the jungle gym. Only, as I reached for this one bar, there was a vicious gravity surge, and I fell back, and bam!" he thumped his hand on the table for emphasis, "Good-bye C7."
Mia nodded thoughtfully.
"You look like that actually made sense to you," Jason said.
"I'm a nurse."
Herc mock leered at her. "Well, hot-damn, woman! I ought to put the moves on you. Good looking and a nurse." He elbowed Jason. "Talk about the quad's dream woman."
Mia bubbled over with laughter. "Herc, if I weren't sort of tangled up in something right now, I'd take you up on that."
Herc leaned over to Jason and said, "See, Grasshopper, it's the biceps --" he flexed "gets them every time."
"Not bad." Mia mock flirted back. "And you've got a nice set of broad shoulders, too. Good sense of humor, and, right now, best of all," she leaned in close --
"Yeah?"
"You're not crying in your beer about football."
"Football is for pussies, right, Jason?"
Jason rolled his eyes at Herc.
Herc leaned back and stretched. "Mia, what, if anything, do you know about the manly sport of Murderball?"
---
Chapter17
Chapter19