Junior Year Box Set

The plot thickened. Why was I not surprised that Mona had Jan’s clothes? It had stopped raining, so I pulled over and popped the trunk. I had a blanket in the back for Duke when he got dirty and I didn’t want my seats messed up. I was sure it smelled like dog, but Jan was grateful to cover up and get warm.

“This didn’t go exactly how I planned,” Jan admitted. “Honestly, I couldn’t have thought of a worse outcome.”

“I could have given Coach Hope a ride home,” I suggested.

She rolled her eyes at me.

“He’s kind of cute for an old guy,” she shot back.

“The day after graduation I’ll put in a good word for you.”

Jan snorted at that one.

“I’m sorry,” she offered.

I thought about it and remembered one of my goals in life: to live a life without regrets. I had the power to choose to be pissed about this or could let it go and go with the flow. I was sure every teenage boy would want to find a naked cheerleader in his backseat.

“So, what grand plan had you and Mona cooked up?” I asked.

Jan looked out the passenger window as we wound our way through the park.

“We thought it’d be funny, but if I’m being honest, I wanted to get your attention. Mona told me that the two of you aren’t dating anymore. I wanted to let you know I’d be interested in going out with you,” she said, then turned to look me in the eyes.

I slowed down because Jan needed my attention. I pulled into a little cul-de-sac where they had some picnic tables. The furthest thing from my mind was having sex with Jan. There was just too much bad blood for me to go there, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t be a decent human being. I saw her stiffen because she assumed I’d stopped for another reason. I simply didn’t want to be distracted on a dark country road while the pavement was wet. Even without drinking, that was a recipe for disaster.

“What was the best-case scenario you had hoped for?” I asked.

“That you fell in love with me and we had three kids and you treated me like a princess and …” I stopped her by laughing and holding up my hands.

Jan smirked at me to let me know she had just pulled my leg.

“Okay, dial it back a little bit and try again,” I suggested.

She bit her lower lip and then looked me square in the eyes.

“I’d like to be closer to you. I realize you have every reason to not want to be my friend, but I’d like a second chance. You do know that in middle school I picked you to go out with because I liked you, right?” she asked.

I hadn’t ever considered that, and I guess Jan saw it in my face. She reached across the console and grabbed my hand.

“Wow, I really was a bitch, wasn’t I?” she asked, but never gave me a chance to answer. “You were the one thing I regretted the most after Justin took my virginity and then bragged about it. I’ve had a few years to look back and, if I had a do-over, I would never have gone out with him again. As I get older, I see how stupidly I acted.”

“I took it kind of hard,” I admitted.

“I heard, and I’m sorry.”

I really didn’t want to talk about one of the most painful memories of my life. I did have one deal-breaker that Jan and I needed to discuss: drugs.

“We have one serious obstacle to get over.”

“I know. Me getting high,” she said, showing me that women know everything we think.

“I was just trying to fit in,” Jan continued. “After what happened with Ella, I’ve thought hard about it and would be willing to quit. I also understand the broader implications and responsibilities you carry around. Tami had a long talk with me and pointed out some things that should have been obvious to me.”

I had a momentary twinge when I heard Tami’s name. It seemed there was no way I would ever get away from her. At least Tami had the common sense to point out to Jan why I couldn’t be around anyone who did drugs. I represented too many people to be associated with that lifestyle. I had gotten high before and enjoyed it. I understood the attraction of smoking some pot and kicking back and forgetting about … everything. It was something I had made a choice to no longer have in my life. Uncle John had confessed that he had done drugs when he was my age and even in college, but had eventually grown out of it. His explanation was simple: if I wanted to be treated like an adult, first I would have to act like one.

With my movie deal and modeling, I had an All American Boy image. When I talked to the press, I went into an ‘aw shucks’ routine to highlight my values. I was becoming a role model, and while I sometimes showed my rowdy side, I never crossed certain lines. I didn’t want to become the punch line of some joke. While most guys would never have to worry about that, I would. Heck, if I committed to a big-time university to play football, they would want their quarterback to be a poster boy who got fans into the seats.

Jan and I opened up with each other after that and had a long talk. If I hadn’t needed to get up in the morning and go on my first recruiting trip, we might have talked all night.