I just nodded. What father would want his daughter to go through something like this? I was a little disappointed that instead of trying to work this out, he would circle the wagons and bury his head in the sand. I would also bet his wife hid his shotgun because it sounded like Mike survived the night.
“Look, Mr. Wingman is going to puff up and tell her she can’t do this or that. He might even get away with it. There’s nothing you or I can do to fix this. Sure, we could storm over there and tell him how wrong he is, but … he … is … her … father. Mr. Wingman is going to do everything he can to protect his baby girl.”
“What about Mike? What are we going to do about him?” Pam asked.
“I wish I knew. If I found him in a dark alley alone right now, he very well might not make it out,” I said, getting angry again, but then took a moment to calm down. “I can see how Mike could have pushed her into having sex and Mona being too drunk to object. Was it against her will? I’m hoping so, but the truth of the matter is she didn’t object. What I have a real problem with is how Mike disrespected her when he sent the text to me. Did he send it to anyone else?”
“Not that anyone’s admitting to. Do you still have it? Can I see it?”
“No, my brother advised me to delete it because she’s underage. I can’t risk something like that,” I said.
“I hadn’t really thought about that. So, what’re we going to do?”
What was I going to do? The last thing any of us needed was for this to create a rift in the team. We had experienced that last year, and that had been a disaster. We ended up losing most of the seniors and juniors. I had looked forward to this season because I loved the game and saw a clear path for us to repeat as State Champs. Mike, in one moment, had taken a lot of the joy out of it. Someone who I thought was my friend had deliberately hurt me.
Something that came with being a leader was you would always be a target. A good example was the game kids played at the arcade where the little furry guy popped up. I think it was called ‘whack-a-mole.’ When one stuck its head up, a child would beat it down. The more I excelled, the more there would be people who would try to beat me down so I wouldn’t stand out. I was tougher than that, though. I knew I wasn’t equal, regardless of how arrogant that sounded. I worked harder than anyone else and sought out the best people to help guide me. I wasn’t equal, because nothing would stop me. Not Mike, not Coach Hope, not anyone.
“We’re going to go talk to him and his parents,” I said.
Pam’s eyes got big. I could tell she didn’t think I would say that in a million years.
“I think we need Coach Hope to be there when I talk to them. If I were in his shoes, I’d be pissed if one of my players went behind my back,” I said.
“Should I invite Coach Lowden?” Pam asked, referring to her cheerleader coach.
“That would probably be a good idea. Why don’t we go to Coach Hope’s house and meet? That way it’s at a somewhat neutral location,” I suggested.
◊◊◊
It took some doing, and a couple of the people were skeptical, but we managed to convince them all to at least meet.
By the time Mike and his family arrived, Pam Lowden had joined Pam and me. Under other circumstances, as Cheer Captain, Mona would have been there, but I guess I had put Pam in that role temporarily. Mike wouldn’t look at me, and it was apparent his nose was broken by the nose splint and his two black eyes.
“Coach, Mrs. Herndon, Mike, thanks for stopping by. I think we need to clear the air and talk about what happened with Mike, Mona, and David,” Coach Hope said to get us started.
The ‘coach’ Tony was talking about was Coach Herndon, my baseball coach and Mike’s dad.
“How is David involved? I thought this was between Mike and Mona,” Mrs. Herndon asked.
“Mike took advantage of one of my cheerleaders,” Coach Lowden spat.
This didn’t sound good.
“Mike, what did you do? Wasn’t it a he said/she said situation?” Coach Herndon asked.
“Dad, it was just a misunderstanding that got out of hand. She never told me ‘no,’” Mike said.
“Did she say ‘yes’?” Pam asked.
Mike refused to answer. I hadn’t said a word to this point. Mrs. Herndon stared at me and clearly wondered why I had kicked her boy’s ass.
“David, why were you upset with Mike? I thought you guys were friends,” Mrs. Herndon said.
“I thought we were, too. Of course, that was before he had sex with my drunken girlfriend and then sent me a picture of them,” I said.
“Someone needed to take you down a notch,” Mike blurted.
“What did you hope to accomplish with what you did?” Coach Hope asked Mike. “Did you think if you could piss him off enough, David would kick your butt? Did you think he might quit the football team? What was your plan, Mike?”
“I didn’t think he’d know it was from me. I still don’t know how he found out,” Mike almost whined.
“Your face showed in the reflection in the mirror,” I said. “I had no idea you disliked me so much. And that doesn’t even begin to address what you did to Mona.”
“David, I don’t dislike you. It was stupid and got out of hand. I knew when I saw you coming for me in the parking lot that I deserved whatever you did to me. David, I’m sorry. If I could just take it all back …” Mike said, and then got a faraway look in his eyes. “You warned us. You told us that one mistake could change our lives.”
Mike started to tear up, but visibly gathered himself and said, “Coach, if you think it best, I’ll quit the team.”
As everybody digested that declaration, Pam joined the conversation in a big way.
“Mike, you need to apologize to three other people: Gina, who David set you up with because he thought you were a nice guy, is hurting right now; Mona, who you took advantage of, and then sent a picture of what you did, is devastated; and finally, Cassidy, who saved your butt and has been suspended for helping you,” Pam said.
Mike just nodded.
“So, is Mike off the team?” Mike’s dad asked.
“No. I mean, if my opinion matters here,” I said, looking at Coach Hope. “In my heart, I believe Mike took advantage of Mona, but none of us were in that room. If her family files charges, or if someone comes forward confirming our suspicions, that’s a different story. As much as it pains me to even look at you, I can’t in good conscience see you kicked off the team for being a jerk.”
“Regrettably, I agree with David,” Coach Hope said, and then sighed. “There’s something I want to make crystal clear: if I have even a whiff of you causing any further problems, I will kick you off the team. I’m also a father of a daughter. I can’t imagine what Mona and her family are going through. Just so you know, Cassidy has been given strict instructions not to save you from David, or from anyone else, if you do something like this again. And if Mona decides to press charges, you’re gone. Are we clear?”
“Yes, sir,” Mike said.
Mike and his family left, as did Coach Lowden. Coach Hope wanted to talk to me before I took off, so Pam left us to find Cassidy. I told her to ask Cassidy about her new clothes and about being a model today. I figured that would keep them busy for a while. I’d had Kendal send the girls copies of some of their pictures so they could show their friends and family.
“For now, I’m not sure how Mike will fit in on the team. We need to see if he can get past this and be a real teammate, or if he’s going to be a problem,” Coach Hope said.
I think Coach was taking my measure to see if I could play with Mike or not. I really wanted to object, but Coach was right. In the playoffs, and especially in the Eastside game last year, Mike had been a beast. Having someone who wasn’t afraid of contact, and had the skills of his older brother Luke—who was All-State his senior year—would make a big difference for us.