“The hips.”
“When do you flip your hips and run with me?”
“When you’re almost even with me.”
“Okay, show me.”
He was five yards off me and started backpedaling. I just ran straight up the field. When I got almost even with him, he flipped his hips like I had shown him and ran with me.
“Good job!” I told him.
Coach Hope saw we were teaching the basics so he didn’t say a word. He just went back to abusing the varsity.
I CALLED MRS. A TO see if I could bring some of the players over to use the hot tub. I invited Mike, Jim, Wolf, Tim, Ed and Jeff. Jeff and I swam laps as the others soaked. Mrs. A had made real lemonade for us. She came out to talk to us. I knew she was used to kids being over and missed Beth. She soon had them comfortable and calling her Mrs. A.
“Hey, if David invites us back ...” Jim started.
“You guys can come over after practice, even if David isn’t around,” she told Jim.
“Wow, thanks, Mrs. A,” Jim said. “I was going to ask if we could invite our girlfriends.”
“As long as there’s no funny business,” she told them, getting a laugh.
“Well, that leaves David out, then,” Mike said.
“You guys are a bunch of comedians,” I said. “How’s Beth doing?”
“She loves Purdue. She and her roommate are getting along and they have a couple of classes together. She’s a little homesick. I just wish she was as close as Greg and Angie are for your mom.”
“I think Mom has been by to see them every day they’ve been gone. I miss seeing Kyle. I’ll have to go see him this weekend.”
“You hear that guys? Road trip to State this weekend,” Wolf said.
“Maybe he’ll take us to a sorority,” Ed suggested.
“What are you guys talking about?” Mrs. A asked.
I would have been okay if they hadn’t looked so guilty. I then had to tell her about Nancy. The guys were a little shocked when I told her most of it. They didn’t realize our families were so close. I knew Mom would quiz me in the near future.
Friday August 29
THE REST OF THE WEEK of two-a-days smoothed out. Once we decided to play JV ball, Brad and the ass-hats backed off. It was either that, or Coach Hope had worked them so hard they had no energy to be jerks. Coach Hope was still pressing me daily to play varsity, but I wouldn’t budge.
The freshmen had some real players. After they gained a little confidence, they started to come out of their shells. They seemed like great kids. Coach Diamond began spending more time with us.
On offense, Bert was a pleasant surprise. He had gotten over his fumbling problem. He was starting to look good at fullback. Ed had locked down the tailback spot, with Jake backing him up. Mike had moved to one of the wideout spots along with Jeff. Another surprise was Tim playing both linebacker and center on offense.
I had a great time playing both quarterback and linebacker. I kept my promise to Coach Stevens and was returning kicks on both the kickoff and punt team. Coach Diamond drew the line when I wanted to play on the kickoff coverage team. I thought the idea of running full speed down the field and then crashing into the wedge sounded like great fun.
WE ENDED UP FRIDAY night at a party at Tracy’s house. She came walking towards me, and I smiled. She saw me and frowned. This rumor about me and Lisa Felton had started to seriously irritate me. She saw my smile drop and me turn around to leave. I was almost to the door when I felt a hand touch my arm. I turned and saw Tracy looking sad.
“David, you don’t need to go. You’re always welcome at my house, even if I don’t approve of who you’re dating,” she told me.
“Thanks, Tracy, for the invite, but this whole Lisa Felton business has gotten out of hand. Before you and the other cheerleaders tar and feather me, you might want to get your facts straight. Better yet, you might actually talk to me.”
“Are you saying you and Lisa aren’t dating?” Tracy asked me.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying, and I think we never will.”
She just stared at me while she tried to figure out what to say. I decided just to go home. I wasn’t really in the mood for a party anyway. As I drove to my house, I wondered what the future held for me. Next week school started and I would finally be a sophomore. I was surprisingly hopeful for a guy who’d lost his best friend and then much of the support group around him. I was even playing JV ball after being named the number one quarterback prospect in the upcoming sophomore class.
I was hopeful because I knew things had to get better. How did I know? I’d seen worse times. Watching a girl almost die and then coming close myself had been worse than this. This was nothing. Every time I faced adversity, I regrouped and became a better version of myself. I wasn’t always the ‘stupid boy’ Tami thought I was. I would come out stronger in the end.
More Books by G. Younger
Sell Anything On Craigslist!
JEREMY TUCKER THOUGHT he lived in the most boring town in the world. This town held its residents in the palm of its hand, and it knew everything about everyone that lived there—the good, the bad, every sin, every secret. This quiet little town was about to change, and all because he put an ad on craigslist. Some would say he was a genius, while others would accuse him of being the Devil himself. Read his story and you decide.
Excerpt:
I USED TO THINK OUR little town, tucked away in the mountains of West Virginia and buried in the backwoods, was the most boring spot on the planet. This was the place where nothing exciting happened and nothing was ever going to change. The place felt like it was a movie set from the 1950s. Each morning, as the sun began to peek over the ridge of the valley, you would hear the old milk truck shuddering down the back alley as he made his delivery just like it had been done for over 75 years. People liked tradition, and change was not easily welcomed.
As the sun would reach the crest of the ridge, people would be up and about, which was irritating for the teens in our town. My Grandma Tucker always said, ‘Be thankful for another day, you never know when it might be your last, so don’t miss a second of it, which was usually followed with, Get your butt out of bed!’ People were early risers, and by the time I was out of the house the old women would be sitting on their front porches, slowly rocking with a steaming cup of coffee clutched in their hands, watching everything that happened.
Our little town was great for kids because we were allowed to run wild. No one worried about someone snatching a child like they did in the big cities. In our little town, everyone knew each other and kept an eye out. While we were allowed our freedom, there was a price. If you did anything wrong, it beat you home, and there was a butt-whupping waiting for you. My granny was an expert with a hickory switch...
Our little town had a rhythm. Mondays were back to work or school; Tuesday was laundry day; Wednesday evening was church; Thursday was for doing the grocery shopping at the Shop ’N Save, the only grocery store in town; Friday was for football; Saturday you did your chores; and Sunday was for church and family.
This little town held us in the palm of its hand, and it knew everything about us; the good, the bad, every sin, every secret, and everything was known about each and every resident. Most people were from here. You could trace family trees back many generations to the Founders. Only a few ever left, and if they did, you never saw them again. My secret desire was to be one of the few. I wanted to be a writer and to do that I needed to experience life outside our little town.