Junior Year Box Set

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.

I had to look past what he could do for the team, though. It made my stomach turn because I felt that was the wrong reason to let him back on the team. I kept going back to what he said about one mistake changing his life. God knows I didn’t want to forgive him. I certainly wasn’t going to forget. Something they teach us about God’s grace is that he will forgive us if we ask. Mike had shown contrition for his actions. If God could forgive him, how could I not? The simple answer was because I was human.

I needed to be the bigger man.

“All right,” I said softly as I decided to give Mike a second chance.

“David, just because Mike’s on the team doesn’t mean we won’t be watching him. I plan on talking to his parents, too. He’ll have to earn his way back from this. I don’t plan to make it easy for him, but if Mike keeps his nose clean and is a team player, he can work his way back.”

“I agree, Coach. No one said you had to like the people you worked with,” I said. “Lord knows, there are some guys who’ll never be my friends.”

I knew that as I went up in levels, not everyone would be happy with me. I already suspected college would be much more businesslike, and likely much more dangerous in a social and emotional sense.

◊◊◊

Chapter 5 – What Comes After the Blues Thursday September 3

For me, this was the first day of school. I pulled up just as Mike did. I thought about sitting in my car until he’d gone in, but decided I might as well tackle this now. He didn’t see me until I stepped right next to him.

“Oh, shit!” Mike said as he jumped when he saw me.

“Relax.”

We walked in without saying a word to each other. Mike kept glancing at me, as did half the people who hung around the front of the school. I think we disappointed them when we didn’t throw down right there. Pam saw us and rolled her eyes at me, but wasn’t willing to walk in with us. When we got inside Mike touched my arm, which caused me to stop and look at him.

“Thanks,” was all he said, and we went to find our lockers.

I got out my information packet and found my locker and combination. I located it and my day got better when Brook Davis had the locker next to mine. Then I remembered lockers were assigned alphabetically—Davis, Dawson. I checked her out. Brook had on jeans so tight she had to have had help putting them on, which highlighted the fact she was either going commando or had a thong on. She wore a man’s dress shirt she had tied so her butt wasn’t covered. I liked what I saw. I walked up behind her and put my arms on both sides of her head and my palms against the locker in front of her. I put my mouth near her ear.

“Did you wear that for me?” I whispered.

Brook squeaked and spun around and saw it was me looking down at her. I was amused when she blushed. I let my forehead drop down and touch hers. I wanted to kiss her, but not yet. If I fell for her this easily, I was a goner.

“What if I said yes?” she asked in her sexy, raspy voice.

“I would say I’m jealous because you’re not wearing my shirt.”

“Oh, my,” she said as she bit her lower lip.

Brook was saved when I was hip-checked. I looked to see who the culprit was and saw a smiling Tracy.

“Pam sent me to tell you good job with Mike this morning. You might want to go and talk to Mona,” Tracy said, reminding me I had a girlfriend.

I set Brook free, but she wasn’t going anywhere. There was definitely an attraction between us. The first bell rang, and I pulled my class list out of the folder the school had sent out in the mail. It had the usual stuff in it like the school rules, your locker assignment and combination, and of course your class schedule:

 

PE – Mr. (Coach) Diamond

AP Trigonometry – Ms. Lowden

AP English – Short Stories – Mrs. Hedge

Art – Life Drawings II – Ms. Saunders

Lunch

AP American History – Mr. (Coach) Zoon

AP Physics I – Mr. Hicks

World Geography – Mrs. Keller