Mindy  took a big bite of a  cherry, jelly eclair, with white icings, she dabbed her  lips  as she  shook her head, Gaggling a finger  at Lindsey..No...No way  i'm doign 4  again. Last time  I had to go last and all that  'charge up  time is frustrating.

 Adam answered  with a  quiet Voice  as he   zoomed in on  the  Free Saf5ties, he  talked with out looking around...well.. .. the good thing...about  that? Is  after the first  couple..the rest last  way  longer...

 Mindy acted  coy   as she fluttered her  eyelashes at Lindsey..well..there is...THAT...

Mik ch8med in..what 'bout yer Mate  then?   5 should be nice...

 Mindy   patted Mik's  back..yeah?  You could  Hold the camera!...and... um...fill in..during Recharge..

 Prince looked Up at the  ceiling ...This  is WAYYYY too much!

Mik looked confused whay?  Ya think  I'm fr4om Canada , I don't know how to use  a Camera?

 wait!..What.. !..No!..I'm talking  about   5  in..in...

 all of them  turned to Look at Prince, Adam's  one Eyebrow  raised...

Prince's  smile was nervous ... Kane  Came  By  and  did a knuckle rap  on Adam's  table .. Adam gave him a Wink with the  'off eye'

Hey?  Big  Guy?  You know Bomb? ever see him  take on   3? Prince  had a Humorous    look.

 Kane  was taken aback.. he looked at Prince  and whacked his back,,Look   Man?  what folks  do off the field  ain't no bother to me, unless  it makes the Dragons  look  bad.. But during summer came.. I seen  Little Dude  take on  4 or 5!..he  always  came out  smilin' too...

Kane moved off to the  food Lines..

 Comon man!..

 You seen me  in the Commericals...right? I'm not  a trained  actor... i'm a method  actor..... got  to know your character ....

 not  fair. by half!... its like  you 'acting'; catchign passes, ya  done it all before..

 Prince looked at  Lindsey..he was on the Verge  of laughing, or   pouting..

Wade looked over to the Bombs table, his eyes drawn by Lindsey's giggle. It was the usual group plus Lindsey. Prince was hovering with some attention towards him. He couldn't quite hear the conversation but it sounded like they were having fun. Most of them anyway. Prince looked confused.

Whatever was going on, Wade tried to mind his own business. Payne, Sal and Cruz were there so he turned his attention to them.

"Morning guys. Did you guys even make it to the party? We all left together. I saw Payne. What did you guys get up to?"

  Cruz  waved his hand,Harley  is part of the Dragons  and the  Studios, and , 'cause she's in the newest Commercial, I guess she's part of all three...anyway. we had to do alot of 'meet and Greet' .

Sal  chuckled,had me some folks  come up to me  , Like the were ol;d friends. But you know damn well. if we  weren't crushing everyone  we played , they wouldn't look at me, unless they needed gardening  done!

 Bracnh looked at Sal...You do gardening?

 Sal and Cruz  looked at  each other, then  at Branch.....what?

  Cruz turned  back to   Wade as he  took a  bite of  sausage   muffin. Talkign thtough the   chewing,so? Moved on quick..eh? You hade  that  pretty senorita  with you most of the Night....  Just have to  work on your hands, you know?  Dropping one isn't all that bad...dropping 2? That's  a Habit !

  Does that mean Bomb's  got  a Habit?

 Again the  other  two  turned  to branch, before the  could answer, Payne    looked at  all three  , but he was talking to  Wade.more or less.Bomb was  lukcy like ,me..I met Sice and things were  as smooth sailing  as people can have , with just normal  things.. Bomb didn';t have that.. Like Sal siad, . no one , would have give one damn about him, if he couldn't play Ball, so  girls took advanatge.... He didn't know how to naviagte that... no Mom, Dad..  just some real close friends... who would die for each toehrs  if they had to..but that don't help with Ladies.

 ,he  went through it here too?  Celeste... Lana...Linda.. he  walked away from Lindsey, 'cause he didn't  feel  it was his place to be with her.. Sice  thinks he made a Mistake..right?..But  Sice  also thinks Sage is really good for him...

Turning to Wade, cruz  said it  good , last time... You had that turnover, and fumbled... you gonna try to recover? or just  walk over to the sidelines.?

Branch spoke up...what about that hot Jock chick..I go some pics on my phone, when i looked her  up , with her  running  and..... he truned the phome to the other Backers...his eyebrows drooped...what?

Cruz looked at branch,..how many  years did you play with out a helmet?

Lindsey leaked another giggle. Poor Prince tried to hang onto the idea that it was all a gag, but really he looked like his whole world was falling apart. Lindsey wanted to show some mercy but he should have figured it out by now.

"There's a reason we're up for an Emmy. We all ha have that chemistry. You know, it's not like it was all acting. We know each other so well." She flashed a wicked grin, popping her eyebrows. "Let's call it rehearsal"

Looking at Prince, she pretended like she was just noticing his look. "Are you okay? If you want, next time you come watch. Behind the camera of course."

  Prince  looked at them  all, Mik had  his  'mik grin"   Adam looked at him , .. Prince  leaned on the  table  as his head processes  what his ears  were hearing, To Look at Adam , was like looking undertaker, , no  emotions, just a questioning eyebrow up... Mindy   was  smilely   as she blinked at him.

 I...um..Guess you don't what to  hear about the whip cream and Bananas 

 Mik Lost  it, because he lost  it Mindy lost  it.. Adam  held  the gaze, still with the questioning   eyebrow up.

  Prince's  eyes  widened   until the two  broke into Laughter, Adam's   cool gaze   still had him   taken  aback.. he pointed at them, Lookign  to Lindsey..Yoiu Guys!!..Ha ha... Putting mer on...like..um.... That..right?  Pick on the new guy...am i right?

 Adm shrugged  and sipped from his  coffee,, and  went  back to his  screen,,..whatever gets  you through the day...

 Miks  head  was down, his  Body shaking   Midy had to put a paper  napkin to her   lips  as she  was  caught in  'mid-donut" her eyes  squinted in laughter
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:31, Wed 10 Apr.

When Mik and Mindy lostt it, Lindsey burst out laughing, alternately covering her beat red face and patting Prince's arm. Poor Prince. It seemed his head was telling him the right things, but he was still struggling with it. It felt so wrong to let him twist, but she wasn't going to help. He needed to get himself over that line. Taking out her phone, she snapped a picture of his still befuddled expression. "For posterity."

"Oh my God, you're so adorable." Lindsey said, trying to recover. "Why don't you grab some coffee. It'll help you get through this."

  Prince  looked at the phone  pic snap..  Sims and   Fry stopped  By the table..He  smiled brightly,This is what I like to  see. , My people havign  fun..what's up?

Mik looked up, a tear  comign from his eye,well///well..cioach..we  was  Just talkign about  people gangign up on Bomb...

Sims  smiled and Nodded,Oh yes...we saw that alot in  Japan, Mica   was so impressed that   they would go at him and keep comign and coming  and he  would...just not stand down!

 Mindy  just   gaveOG MY  GOD!.. and she got  up  laughing all the way to the Ladies room. a scream  of laughter,

Fry watched  and shook his head..  .. Mik  was  just  bend over the table.. Adam had  an 'Ada, smile".. And Prince looked at   Sims..Your wife...saw?

 well? he stayed with us about a Month before he  was sent to the Amotas.. so  were were there  for almost everything.. he lked at Adam , who stared  at  his  coach..and  Sims, suddenly got  it..goddamit Bomb!...  he looked at Prince..Never ....trust a Guiy from  New York, or a chick from jersey, when they  are  'working a Put On"... Dammit  Bronk..  the  walked  away, though they shook their heads,  they were laughing..

 Prince  looked  ...very..embarrassed..wait a  Minute!.. you were Kidding about all that stuff... you really didn't  sleep  with   both of them...

 ..never  said I didn't.....

 Prince    frowns , almost back to square one.

When Mindy got up to go to the restroom, Lindsey followed, still giggling along. Everyone in the Den was looking on at this point, but she had no idea what they heard. Once in the Ladies' room, she fell back against the door, finally able to control her giggles.

"Oh my God. That was so funny. I should feel bad bout that. He was my date last night. Kinda. He was a good date, but this was just too funny. Besides, he should be smart enough to figure this out."

"We're still on for tonight, right?"

 Mindy   grinned, OMG , Coach Sims..I bet Adam pays for that!

   she went  into a stalls, and came out to wash her hands, still giggling and shaking her head.Yes? what are we going  to   do..

Complex ---->>

Bronko quietly came into the den and got something to eat, along with some juice.  He took a window seat.

  prince  watch the girl leave, He  looked  at  Adam.....You're not  going to tell me, are you?

Adam shook his head...nope? You'll have to  get the info from her...  Prince  gave him a  frown, Mik was still laughing.

Making his way back to the LBs, he sat  down...Fucking Guys... i don't know what the hell is true  and  what isn't...

Cruz  smiles,hard to fuck with Bronk...best just figure it out on you own..he won't let up. there was a grin.

Prince looked to  Wade..looks  like you pick up a new  chick?

In reply to mindy (msg # 393):

While Mindy was in the stall, Lindsey washed her face. She wasn't wearing any makeup to smudge but she was sure that there were some tears.

"I don't know." She wiped her face dry with a paper towel. "Just hang out and chit-chat. We could just go to Applebee's. It's close to the apartment. Unless you have an idea. I'm flexible. "

  Mindy,   checked her  make up, which was basically jut  eyeshadow  and  lipstick, with a  tad  of blush.Yeah? I good  for  a nice  quiet Dinner-thing? some drinks, just relax for a  bit. After  last night , i'm sorta partied out

   Then  she   is ready to return...Coach  almost made me  wet myself.. I think i would have  jumped out the  window!  So? when we go out there.. You have  Prince  and  Wade out there?  what do you do?   or do you  stay at Adam's table/

Lindsey shrugged. "I've been sitting with Babs. I mean, even when I was with Adam, and even with Wade, I didn't sit with them that often. Well, maybe Adam a bit more than with Wade. But I'm at work, so I tend to try to keep it somewhat professional. Not that I always succeed."

"I suppose Prince might be feeling a bit insecure after our fun, I'm just a bit nervous about choosing who to sit with. You know, when Adam dumped me, I decided to just avoid dating players. It was too much stress, and if it didn't work out then I worried I'd get some kind of reputation for jumping around from player to player. And that's kind of happening. After Adam there was Hall, and Heather, and then Wade, and now Prince. Okay, no one knows about Heather, but still. And to be honest, I don't know what I want. I got burned by Adam. I got burned by Hall. I got burned by Wade. They were all different, but here I am."

"Now Prince, I have no idea what he wants from me, but I worry it's a real relationship. I'm not there yet. And, I still like Wade. I don't want to lead Prince on, and I don't want to chase him away. So, what am I going to do? The smart thing is to stick with you, Adam, and/or Babs."

 Mindy shrugged.It  hard to made  sense of it like that,  but...you'll have to so something..right?..not  doing anything , is as bad  as  doing the 'wrong  thing"..Anyway..Babs is  down on the filed,   From what i understand  she  had the   trainers break into two teams ,  Babs is on the 'on filed  team... I want to see tracy  keep Adam from brining her into the locker  tom for tape time.. I  Listened  to Adam Bitch out Evaa few days ago , about  Babs  being  picked on... Not  sure   Eva  liked that.

 anyway?.. I'm going to  be watching   when Lunch time is over... I really want to see if  Adam  has  to  pull Babs into the locker  rooms, or tracy has a different  thing for he r to do.. I bet Lou sides  with Adam..I bet Sims  sides  with Adam, she  tapes other guys as well...anyway.. You being a friend to her helps as well.. tracy  thinks she's  a goddess in the locker room, But Lou is  The All Father.

back to Den............

Lindsey leaned on the counter with both hands, hanging her head. "Yeah, fuck. I know. I feel like I'm damned in some way no matter what I do. But I have to be honest with myself. I was already nervous about how fast it was moving with Wade, but he was winning me over. Then he pulled that pause button bullshit. Now Prince is in the mix hoping for a turnover. I like him. I do. But I'm afraid he wants a commitment right away. I kinda know what I have to do, but if I do it, I may blow it all up." Mindy looked ready to leave, so Lindsey went ahead and followed her out.

"I really want your advice. I know what Sage would say. She pretty much already said it. Why do you think that what I'm saying doesn't make sense? What do you think?"

  Mindy  gave a shrug and  a sad  smile   as she brushed  some hair back from Lindsey face.I was not rasied in the lifestyle you and Sage were..even at College  I attendend the partie s 'i was expected" but i left early..Spring break for me, meant goiug  back and spending time with my Mom and dad, and the friends in jersey?

 Coach  Sims  tried to be  diligent in picking the right people to play here?..But he was  wrong with Steele, Hall and Woodson..there were guts  he shipped off early in the year, but that was ok, because no one knew  anyone..

 Only you know, what  Linedsey wants..even Sage?.. Sage lived the  fast paced  stuff in the film world....so?   here you are.. one foot in the 'real world'  and one  foot in the film world..what does Lindsey want? she stood by the door  as she looked at her friend.

   Out in the  Den, Mik looked at Adam...Adam looked at his screen...Mik asked..do ya have  an idea  what's going on?

 yeah?  on 3 and long the Saints  move and Outside  backer  up as a DE. so they can blitz  and...

 Not the Bleedin'  Bayou Bastards... Liney and her......guys?

 Nope.. not a Clue, never ha da clue before, there's no reason to  think i'd have a clue now... I'll just stay in my lane..

 an'..ya  don't  think them to LBs  aren't gonna  butt heads  and cause a distraction...

 That's  for Coach and the Captains  to worry about.. I'm just the little guy who catches passes...

 now? Ya know that ain't a Bit  true, or i wouldn't be here, and  you know damn well tracy is  walking  on Eggs shells because you , more or less, are sponcering babs...

 You're here  because you one of the best  running backs in the league...and more important, you know its  more important  for you to catch and Block, then run with the ball. Babs?  is  good, hell? she's great, she can tape  10  guys to anyone else's  4... so i just  point out
 who is good, Coach takes it from there. The LBs?    Payne can sort them out..Cal will step on them like he's putting out a fire... Me?/  I got the Saints  defense to take apart..

 it was  quiet as Mik sipped his  coffee..and he said..ya know, you are a wee bit  of a bastard  to having Prince dangling like that...

 Adam  chuckled  as he  allowed  an eye shift to his friend..yeah... maybe a wee bastard..

and they both laughed.

"What I want is to just back off from all this anxiety." Lindsey sagged. "You know, in the real world, a date is just a date. Even if there's a kiss. It's not a commitment. Relationships form over time. I just want all this weight of expectation to go away."

"I'm not looking to get married right now, although I did consider it when I was with Adam. I actually don't care why Sims picked these guys other than how well they play football. This really isn't about their personalities. It's not about that at all. The whole point of dating is to see if your compatible with someone. That all goes out the window if you're committed after the first kiss."

"So what do I want? I just want some damn breathing room. I want to be able to enjoy some make attention without it turning into a promise of some kind. And you know what? There's too much going on right now for me to have any patience. I'm freaking out. I'm just going to tell Prince that I'd love to keep seeing him, but I'm not making any commitments. I might still see other people, including Wade. And what I do in my private life is my business until such a time as I make a commitment. And I'll tell Wade the same thing. If they can't handle that, then I'll just move on."

"But that wasn't advice, Mindy Lacy."

 Mindy Grinned...but it worked?..Now you have your game plan, Just execute it and you'll be fine..Lets  go before Mik decides  my donut  nut is
 fair game.

"Oh my God, Are you kidding? That donut is already gone."

After exiting the bathroom, Lindsey walked with Mindy back to the Den. When they entered, she looked around, seeing Wade and Prince at the same table, which was fine. It was likely that the meting would start very soon anyway, leaving any lengthy conversations potentially for lunch.

"I'm just going to hang with you guys for now"

  Mindy  walked over...you ate my donut!

 Mik points  at Adam.. Adam held up  the tail end of his last donut

 Mindy Looked at Adam...you didn't  stop him!

 no way  I'm geting  my hands  anywhere near  , where  Miks teeth might be!

 Fine!..I'll just get another  one,

Wade gave Prince a nod when he finally came to sit at the table. He did manage to catch some of what was going on, but he was in the same boat as Prince. He didn't know what was true or what wasn't. But, he was also more pragmatic. First, given all the giggling and outright laughter, he guessed that they were just fucking with Prince. Prince was wrapped way around the axle about it, probably because he was feeling insecure. Wade understood how he felt, being more than a little insecure himself about his standing with Lindsey. On the other hand, Lindsey had a weird relationship with Bomb, and it all could very well be true. While he hated the idea of it, she was free to do what she wanted, and that was all on him. That alone brought him back to the very real likelihood that she would date Prince too, and maybe get intimate. It was a thought that twisted his guts, but he had decide if that was a deal breaker for him. The answer came really quickly. Nope. He wasn't going to quit because the ball changed possession. But there was still that other catch, that Prince zeroed right in on.

"A new chick?" Wade chuckled. "Well, not exactly. I met a Emmy and we had a nice time. I might see her again. But it's not like we're an item or anything. Hey look, I saw you with Lindsey last night, and it was obviously more than just buddies chilling with a beer. You should know that I'm not giving up on her. I'm not going to ask you to back off, and I'm not going to hold a grudge. You do you. She's an adult, she can make her own choices. Me? I'm still staying focused on kicking the shit out of the Saints. That's my priority until after next Sunday. As for Lindsey, It's up to her if I'm even still in the running, but I can handle some competition."

When they got back to the table, Lindsey smiled when it was clear that Mik ate Mindy's donut. "Hah! Told you." As Mindy resolved to get another, Lindsey went with her and got one for herself. It was a lot of sugar on top of the muffin and the toaster strudel, but whatever. She wanted the comfort.

"I'm definitely going to need to hit the gym after the meeting to avoid the sugar crash. This on top of only getting five hours of sleep, and after eating a pint of ice cream. I swear, this pace is crazy, and it's not slowing down."

After paying for her and Mindy's donut, they returned to the table, where she sat closer to Adam. "Isn't it about time for the meeting?"

  The other backers  sat up and Listened, they had  a  weir  grin, like...watching a car  wreck .

 Prince  snorted.well?   I'm lookig  at it like this?  Itried out  for  'Team Lindsey' now the coach has  to   figure out if  i made the team... I mean...  I....didn't  mess any plays  up yet...

Cruz  and  Sal Chuckled.. branch was lost. wondering  if Lindsey has  an arena  team she  bought , or something..

 Payne  growled a  bit..I'm tellin' you all this.. right now... you're both  rookies..doesn't matter Wade got  drafted... you're both dragons..that means  , how yiu got here, don't matter.. But Me..Worth, Sloan and Miles..suffered a long time here.. and if you dumbassess  go off the tracks because of a girl?... I'll tell Sims to leave you home, when  we leave here  next week..don't know  who stirred this crap up..but it stops now..we don't need distractions like that!