Junior Year Box Set

“I can’t,” Tracy said, and then explained herself. “You’re not going to end up on a farm anytime soon. If you make it to the NFL or Major League Baseball, you’ll be living in a large city. If you make movies, you’ll probably end up in LA. Zoe isn’t going to be happy without her horses.”

“They have horses in big cities. I went horseback riding in LA, Miss Smarty Pants.”

I stuck my tongue out at her.

“Okay. If there were no obstacles, which one would you pick?” Tracy asked.

“I dunno. When I step back and think about it, I realize that I like them all for different reasons, and I can see myself happy with any of them. I just know that for me, I need to pick one. It’s time. I’m ready to have a girlfriend,” I said.

“If I didn’t know you, I would think you were pulling my leg. What guy gives up several willing women to spend time with just one?”

“It’s not like we won’t still be friends,” I said.

“I know that. Despite what some may think, I believe it’ll help because it’ll allow the rest to move on and find someone,” Tracy said.

I’m not sure what I’d been thinking. Did I expect them to remain single and wait for my relationship to die? Shouldn’t they be free to find someone else? I wanted to say ‘no,’ but all I had to do was look at Tami. She and Tim seemed to be happy. To be honest, it was hard for me to see them together, even though they were two of my favorite people. Some part of me still felt a claim on Tami.

My talk with Tracy helped me clarify something. I was okay with Beth and Cassidy finding someone else. The Alpha Male wanted to claim Brook, Halle, Pam, and Zoe. Unless someone appeared unexpectedly, I suspected that I would choose one of those four.

Tracy had to go home. I thanked her for her help, but I needed to decide this. She offered to be a sounding board. Unlike my mom and Tami, I knew I could count on Tracy to keep my confidence. She might actually be my best friend.

◊◊◊

Chapter 28 – Get A Copy of The Mug Shot Saturday July 23

After my run, I walked into Coach Hope’s office and found Alan already there. I could tell from how smug he looked that he’d been flapping his lips last night and probably this morning.

“Have a seat,” Coach Hope said, and then got right to it. “Alan has taken the liberty to inform me that you and he are no longer friends. Would you agree with that?”

“It all came to a head with the stunt he pulled during baseball that caused the opposition to throw at me. He did it even after I’d asked him not to,” I said.

“Moose told me about that,” Coach Hope said.

Alan had played Thunderstruck when I came up to bat. The opposing teams had thought I was showing off, and I’d been beaned a couple of times. Well, more than a couple. He hadn’t stopped until my mom had dragged him out of the stands and told his parents what was going on. That was something no high school boy wanted to face.

He’d then been pissed when he was grounded and couldn’t go to Prom. I personally thought it was his own fault because he knew my mom and what she would do if he got out of line. It wasn’t the first time she’d taken him home. If he kept it up, it might not be the last.

“Well, if you two can’t figure this out, I’ll just pull Alan from coaching.”

“What … why me?” Alan sputtered.

“The only reason I’ve allowed a student coach is because David asked me to. The school will no longer allow you access to any student’s information after what you did to Lisa Felton. They take cyberbullying seriously. I admit that you add value, but not at the expense of you locking horns with my best player.”

“But,” Alan sputtered.

“I’m only going to admit this once, so hold your comments. If it were anyone else, I would back you out of principle. Two things that make David different. The first is personal. I’ve gotten to know David and realize he wouldn’t have stopped being your friend without good reason. I’ve watched how he interacts with teammates. He even worked with Mike after he pulled his stunt with Mona. I also know how he treats my daughter and son. Brad deserved his animosity, but David was a stand-up guy through the whole fiasco last fall.

“The second reason is that David is an exceptional athlete. I may never again get to coach anyone with as much talent as he has. It would be easy for him to come in and make demands, but he’s been a team player. David hasn’t once come in and asked me to remove you from coaching. It has only been you who has asked me to suspend him or get him to bend to your will.

“Alan, I say this with the hope that you’ll understand. Don’t force me to choose sides. I don’t think you’ll like the outcome,” Coach Hope said softly, and then turned to me. “Do you have an issue with Alan continuing coaching?”

“Alan seems to have a talent for coaching. I would hate for him to not be allowed to continue. It’s just that I don’t know if he can help himself where I’m concerned.”

“Is he right?”

Alan looked down; we both knew the answer to that.