“I don’t know if I should tell you. I’m not sure you’re all that trustworthy. Something like this could hurt people’s reputations. It’s a dirty little secret that’s probably too much for you girls,” I told them, trying to keep a straight face.
I knew I had them when I’d said, ‘dirty little secret.’ Now they would dig until they found out. It was as if I’d thrown a scrap of red meat into the middle of a pack of hungry wolves.
“I know you just met me, but I can keep a confidence,” Carmela told me.
I could tell she was sincere. I decided to test her. I looked at all of them.
“Do you girls think Carmela can keep my secret?” I asked.
“Yes, she’s very reliable,” Gabriella, her cousin, told me.
“If I tell Carmela, and she decides you all should be mad at me too, I’m fine with that. If she decides you should be okay with what I did, will you abide by her decision?” I asked them.
“Yes, we would agree,” Emma, their leader, said.
Carmela was a serious little girl. She was taking this as if I was going to explain some great mystery to her. We went out to my thinking tree, and I told her the whole story. I had to explain to her who Lisa was, and why the girls were so set against her and me hooking up. Then I explained about the diner and why I was there. I’d volunteered at the cancer ward, and her little brother was a patient I spent time with. Kim Sun, who was waitressing, had made some assumptions when I took Lisa there for a break. When I was done, Carmela gave me a big smile.
“I hate you,” she told me.
I just grinned at her. The girls would be bugging her for details, and she was sworn to secrecy.
“This is the best scoop. We could be one up on the varsity cheerleaders with this info. The other girls are going to bug me like crazy.”
I decided to put her out of her misery.
“Tracy knows the real story. She’ll have the others in line before the week is out. I’m sure one of them will tell the girls what’s up. This place is too small for word not to get out.”
We walked back to the table so everyone could hear Carmela’s verdict.
“David did nothing wrong. It’s all a misunderstanding. He told me that since he can trust me, he’ll be taking me to the football game on Friday,” she said to the shock of even me.
She dared me to contradict her. I had to give her credit for putting one over on me. I decided what the heck. She seemed like she’d be fun to hang out with. I think she knew I wasn’t interested in her more than as just a friend. That’s when the ranks broke.
“That wasn’t what we agreed to,” Kylie said.
They all looked at her as if she’d just farted in church. Kylie suddenly realized what she’d said. I realized the devious girls were up to something. That something sounded like no good.
“Let me guess, I was supposed to go out with someone else?” I asked.
“It’s not like that ...” Faith started.
“It’s exactly like that. We all agreed I got to take him out first,” Kylie said.
“Sorry, David, we thought maybe since you’re not dating anyone, you might go out with us,” Emma told me.
I’d been around Tracy long enough to know that image was a big deal for these girls. Snagging the quarterback would be a feather in their caps. I had to hand it to them; they had worked as a team.
I pulled out my cell phone and called Angie, my sister-in-law. I had bought her and Greg a minivan, so I would just trade cars for Friday night; that way I could take all of them. She of course agreed. I’d take it to Sullivan’s car dealership to be cleaned. Who knew what my nephew Kyle had done in the back seat. I didn’t need something staining someone’s clothes.
They all looked at me, confused.
“You all can go with me to the game on Friday. I’ll meet you here at the school and we can go to Washington High together,” I announced.
Our first game was away this year. I was looking forward to seeing Ty and the guys from Washington. They should have a good team this year. I was a little sad I wasn’t going to get to play.
The compromise seemed to make them all happy. I’d have to keep an eye on these girls. They seemed to be little schemers. They would have made Tami proud.
AFTER LUNCH, I HAD Government with Coach Hope, then Biology II with Mr. Dutton. Finally, I had Art–Landscapes with Ms. Saunders. I could have had study hall for the last period, but I’d enjoyed art last semester, so I had signed up again.
AFTER SCHOOL, I WENT to get ready for football practice. Coach Stevens stood at the locker-room door with someone I’d never met.
“Hang on, David. Before you go to practice, you have to be tested,” Coach Stevens said.
I was confused. The man next to him explained.
“We’ve had a complaint alleging steroid use at Lincoln High. I’ve been hired by the High School Athletic Association to conduct a random test of football players.”
Several thoughts raced through my mind. The first was that Mom had been right, something like this couldn’t be kept a secret. The ass-hats had brought this on us all because they needed a shortcut. I was pissed because I’d put the work in. If I somehow tested positive, I could kiss my college career goodbye.
The upside was that they had selected me. If the ass-hats tested positive, me having a negative test would clear me of wrongdoing. This was a nightmare. I was sure the seniors would target us as the ones who’d turned them in. Brad and his boys would be out for blood.
I went with the man and peed in the cup as he watched. I followed him to the training room where Mr. Hasting, our head trainer, logged in the specimen. I was sent to Coach Hope’s office where I found Brad and several of the senior and junior ass-hats. He made us wait until all the juniors and seniors were tested. Most of the guys looked nervous. Brad made a point to glare at me. He backed off some when Jim, Wolf, and Mike walked in also.
When we were all done taking the test, Coach Hope finally spoke.
“This morning we were informed by the High School Athletic Association that there was credible evidence that members of the Lincoln High football team have been using anabolic steroids. I’ve been in contact with our athletic director, and the School District’s attorney. They’ve directed me to cooperate fully with the HSAA in conducting their investigation,” Coach Hope told us.
He looked genuinely disturbed and bowed his head for a moment to gather his thoughts. I was sure he knew the accusation was true. He also had to know Brad was involved. He looked back up and continued.
“The HSAA tells me we’ll have the results of the test next Monday,” Coach Hope said, while looking right at Brad. “I’m troubled by this. My first reaction was to forfeit the game on Friday. The School District’s attorney reminded me that people are innocent until proven guilty. I’ve been directed to act as if nobody has broken any rules until the results are back.
“I’m allowed to tell you the consequences if you flunk the drug test. If you’re found to be using steroids, you’ll be kicked off the team and won’t be allowed to participate in athletics at Lincoln High for the rest of the year. That includes the spring semester. If you come back next year and wish to participate in athletics, you’ll be subjected to random drug tests until you graduate.