Junior Year Box Set

“I’ve been dating older boys for quite some time, because guys my age just seemed to be … well … boys,” she said, as if that explained everything to me.

This was something that I wasn’t sure I liked about Brook. There were little clues that told me that she went through guys quickly. It wouldn’t surprise me if it turned out she had more sexual experience than I did. I got the impression Brook was a party girl who wasn’t opposed to one-night stands. That was one of the reasons I hadn’t tried to sleep with her yet. While I wasn’t opposed to a one-night stand with Brook, I wasn’t sure that was what I wanted. My greatest fear was I would just be another notch on her lipstick case.

I mentally kicked myself. What was I thinking? I was a teenager and single.

“So why are you slumming it with Mike and me?” I asked.

It still bothered me that she went out with Mike. The thought of them together made my blood run cold. She evidently didn’t appreciate what I had just said.

“You really are a jerk sometimes.”

I couldn’t deny that. There was a lot about Brook I liked. She was physical in the sense she wasn’t afraid to do things like go skydiving or take classes at the dojo. She was a lot of fun to be around. Brook was also someone who wanted to be the center of attention, and the main attention she wanted to attract was from boys. My natural dominance instincts would kick in if we ever hooked up. I wasn’t sure if Brook was worth the trouble.

“I can be, but that didn’t answer my question. You’ve commented before on what a bunch of immature boys we all are. I’m just trying to figure out why you’d want to hang out with high school boys when you’ve deemed them to be inferior. I’m sure you could find some college guy that’d be a lot more fun.”

“I think I want to go home,” she said.

I grabbed my keys for the Jeep and tossed them to her.

“Just give me the keys tomorrow at school,” I said.

Brook was shocked that I hadn’t bent to her will. She got a determined look on her face and walked out the back door. I heard my Jeep start and leave the driveway.

Brook Davis confused me. I wasn’t sure if I should like her or not. I was sure that it would be interesting to find out, though.

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Chapter 13 – I Wish I’d Never Done That Friday September 18

Today we played at Bloomington. This was going to be a test for us because their school was nearly twice the size of ours with 1,500 students. Because of the interest in the game, they had moved it from their football field to one of the local colleges. Coach Hope told us they did this once a year and it would give us the opportunity to play on artificial turf. If we made it to the State Championship game, that would be played on a similar surface.

On the ride to Bloomington, we all enjoyed subs the Booster Club had provided. Everyone was in high spirits and joking around. That usually was a good sign that the team would be ready to play. Tim had to sit with Coach Zoon as he showed him game film of Bloomington’s first two games, which they had won handily. One of their opponents had been Springfield, who had won the largest school division of State last year. All the preseason predictions had said Springfield was the team to beat. Bloomington had rolled them 35–10 in a stunning upset last week.

Coach Diamond was showing me my reads. I loved the new software Alan had found. He and his helpers were a big reason we were prepared each week. It was no easy task to load all the video and then categorize it to make it useful. As we watch their defense, I was reminded that we were going to have our hands full. They were quick to the ball, and their defensive line was huge. I felt like Jim and Johan could hold their own, but I had concerns about the rest of them.

“What would you think of putting Wolf back at tight end and running Ty at them?” I asked.

“I was thinking that, or we pass the ball,” Coach Diamond said.

Of course, I liked his passing idea, but we had one of the best backs in the state. Ty was on pace to break the school’s season rushing record.

“Let’s try running the first series and see if it’ll work. Running north and south will negate their speed. If Ty can break through the first line of defense, he can have a big day,” Coach Diamond said.

He soon had Ty, Jim, and Johan join us to discuss his plan to use our strength to punch holes in the Bloomington defensive line. The three of them suddenly got serious. They had just become the focus of our offense for this game. That responsibility could weigh on a person.

“I could always just pass the ball all night,” I teased them.

They knew I would love to do just that, and it broke the tension.

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