Waiting For You - Gianna Gabriela Page 0,2

the time of day. The dude’s an ass. Always has been, so at least that hasn’t changed. I’m not sure it ever will.

Then there’s Zack, who’s sitting next to me. Zack, well, Zack has a grin on his face and his girl, Emma, is seated next to him. I can’t believe he’s dating Coach’s daughter. I don’t know how he’s still alive. Shoot, if it had been me, Coach wouldn’t have let me make it to this day. I’d be buried somewhere in the woods.

I see Colton and Mia get up from the couch and head to the kitchen, walking past the parents. I wonder if they’re nervous about this next chapter. If they think about what that would mean for the two of them, I wonder if he’s got a knot in his stomach. I know I do.

Commissioner Goodell comes back to the podium and once again any chatter that was in the room disappears. We have first-pick material in this room, so we have to pay attention. I’m really hoping none of the guys here end up in Cincinnati.

Goodell starts. “The Cincinnati Bengals have traded away their first pick to the New York Giants in exchange for the Giants fourth pick in the first and second round. With the first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the New York Giants select Colton Hunter, quarterback, Bragan.”

Colton walks back into the room with his phone to his ear and a smile on his face. “Let’s go!” I get up from my seat on the couch and scream as I run over to my brother and embrace him. New York is only a couple hours away. “You didn’t have to keep us in suspense, you know!” I tell him, knowing the phone call he just finished had to have been the reason they went to the kitchen earlier.

“I wanted to make sure it was actually happening,” he says, shrugging.

Everyone claps and shouts and the cameras I’ve been ignoring since I walked into this draft party are instantly on him. Jokes on them though, this is about to be the most boring interview they’ve ever held.

So, I was right. The interview Colton had lasted less than two minutes and every word out of his mouth sounded as if he had been coached by Bill Belichick himself. That would’ve been a better landing place for him, especially now that they need a quarterback, but there’s no way they would’ve had him at twenty-three and no way they could’ve or would’ve traded to get him at one. The draft continues with players from other schools being drafted. I start to feel the energy change in the room and I know it’s because the guys who haven’t been drafted are wondering how far they’ll fall now that we’re getting toward the end of the first round.

The Patriots are finally on the clock and I can’t wait to see who they draft. They’re clearly in desperate need of a quarterback, but somehow, I doubt that they’ll draft one right now, that’s too obvious. I look around the room to see who’s still here. This wasn’t an open party where everyone was invited. It was mostly the team and the parents of the players being drafted.

Everyone shuffles around, grabbing beers, water, and just distracting themselves as they wait. I just stay seated on the couch and take it all in. This will be me next year.

Emma and Zack walk back into the living room, both with beers and huge smiles on their face. “Let’s go!” Zack shouts.

“What happened?!” I ask while jumping up from the couch.

He walks over to where I’m standing and throws his arm over my shoulder. “You’re not going to believe me if I tell you, so you may as well wait and see.”

I turn to the TV and then back to Zack’s goofy smile. He can’t be saying what I think he’s saying. “You’re not serious.”

“Just watch,” Emma says with pride in her eyes and the whole room is silent. Shocked. Surprised. Waiting.

The Commissioner steps back onto the podium and Zack’s smile gets even wider. “With the 23rd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots select Zack Hayes, Left Tackle, Bragan!” The moment the words leave Goodell’s mouth, I run around the room screaming like a crazy person.

I wait for Zack to hug his parents and I don’t miss the tears in their eyes. “You’re a Patriot!?!” I shout when he comes over to where the guys are standing.

Zack