Jim said something that couldn’t be repeated in mixed company.
“Jim missed the last third of the season because of that jerk. When he comes back, I plan to have a few words with him. I’d ask that you guys back me up. I don’t plan on getting into a fight, but he needs to know that we’re not going to put up with his intimidation of anyone, specifically Tracy and Jim.”
Everyone gave their assent.
“The other item I want to talk to you about is something Coach Hope and I discussed. I want to win three straight state championships. I also want to see other sports have similar success. I want people to equate Lincoln High and champions.”
You could almost feel the excitement.
“I’d like to get together Sunday afternoon and we figure out how we’re going to do that. We can’t do this alone, so I’m going to invite some other people to help. If you know of anyone that might want to join us, please invite them.”
“Is it okay if I come?” Magic asked.
“Of course it is. Why don’t you see if Kevin wants to come also?” I asked him.
“He’d love it,” Magic said.
“Are you sure you want me?” Ed asked.
We were still not really talking since the crap he pulled last semester.
“Ed, you’re part of the team. We may not exactly be friends right now, but I’d like to work on changing that.”
“I agree,” Ed said, and he came to me and we shook hands.
Friday February 7
AT LUNCH, I FELT THE hair on the back of my neck go up and saw Tracy’s eyes get big. I turned to see Bill Rogers walking straight to our table. I stood up and met Bill before he got there.
“Dawson, I hear you’re looking for me.”
“That’s right Bill, I am.”
You could hear a gasp from the lunchroom as people moved back. I heard Cassidy tell April to go get her dad.
“What do you want, tough guy?” Bill sneered.
“Two things; the first is, you’ll stop dealing drugs around here. We don’t need that here. The second is you’ll leave Tracy Dole alone.”
He glared at me.
“I’m not done with that slut. She’s mine.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. She doesn’t belong to you. She chooses not to be with you. So get it through your drug-addled brain: it’s over.”
Bill was never a deep thinker. He lived life by fear and intimidation. I had just challenged his worldview, so in his mind, he had to take me down. I had anticipated that and figured I would let him take the first shot. I was willing to be suspended if it gave me a chance to beat some sense into him.
I also remembered our last two encounters. Over Labor Day weekend, he had punched me at the pool and I’d been scared to death. A couple of weeks later, I’d kicked him in the balls. Still, I’d been afraid. This time, not at all.
Bill pulled back to punch me. Cassidy had been working with us for a few weeks. While it wasn’t going to make a huge difference, it did prepare me and allowed me to react and to deflect his punch. I twisted at my waist and brought both my arms up to push the punch to the side.
Before he could take another swing, Cassidy made her move. Bill was on his knees and she had him wrapped in the same chokehold Brad had been in. I knew that if Brad couldn’t get out of it, Bill had no chance. I wasn’t going to stop her, either.
There was dead silence as Bill went limp. Cassidy let him go and his head bounced off the floor. That was when Coach Hope came running in. I motioned for Cassidy to step back into the crowd. Coach Hope looked around and saw that Bill was out cold. He checked him and he was okay. He then turned to me.
“What happened?”
“He attacked me,” I said.
Kevin Goode stepped forward.
“That’s right, Coach. Bill started it. David had to defend himself.”
Bill started to come back around and was disoriented.
“I’m going to kill you!”
Coach Hope picked him up by the scruff of his neck and put him in an armbar that had Bill squealing.
“I don’t think so, Son. You and I are going to the office. Your days at Lincoln High are numbered if you continue this kind of behavior,” Coach Hope told Bill as he marched him to the office.
When he was gone, I gave Cassidy a hug.
“Thank you, that was about to get ugly.”
“Hey, quit hugging on my girlfriend,” Jim teased me.
I let her go and grinned.
“Hey, Cassidy’s met her quota for the week. We’re all safe until Monday,” I teased her.
April smacked my arm.
“I haven’t met mine yet. So you be nice to Cassidy,” April warned me.
BY THE END OF THE DAY, I was relieved that I hadn’t been called into the office. Word was that Bill had been suspended for three days. He’d been put on notice that if there were a repeat performance, he would be expelled.
After Cassidy put us through our paces, Coach Hope was waiting for her. He now knew she’d been a part of it but hadn’t said anything ... yet. At seven-on-seven practice, Jim and I speculated on whether or not we were still on for our dates tonight. I was counting on Jim going because he was our ride. Neither April nor I were old enough to drive.
When I got home, I took a shower and got ready for my date with April. By now, my clothes from New York had arrived. I called down to the house and Mom and Angie came up to help me pick out what to wear. I was surprised when they picked out a light tan jacket and matching pants. They had me put on a deep red lightweight crew-neck sweater and my penny loafers.
“Do you guys think this is too much? I mean, April will probably be in jeans and a t-shirt.”
“No, she won’t,” Angie smiled.
They knew something I didn’t. What else was new? I just shrugged and figured I would go along with it. When Jim picked me up, he was in jeans and a t-shirt. He glared at me when I got in.
“Crap, we have to go back to my house so I can change.”
“Didn’t Suzanne tell you what to wear?” I asked.
“Shut up, I thought she was teasing me.”
We both chuckled. When we got back to his house, he ran upstairs. Suzanne came out and checked me over.
“You look very nice. I think I’m jealous.”
I smiled at her and gave her a hug and a kiss. Jim came bounding down the stairs. He had changed his shirt.
“Quit kissing my sister, you horndog. I better not catch you kissing my date tonight.”
“Then close your eyes when it happens,” I said.
“You boys have fun.”
I kissed Suzanne one more time and we both hurried to the car. We picked up April. Angie had been right; she was in a nice knee-length dress that matched my red sweater. We then went to pick up Cassidy. I asked Jim to wait in the car. He gave me a dirty look but did as I asked. I rang the doorbell and Coach Hope answered the door. He gave me a strange look.
“Good evening, Coach. Is Cassidy ready for her date tonight?”
“Oh, hell no. Cassidy! Get your butt down here!”
She came down in a cute sundress. I gave her a big smile.
“Are you ready for your big date?” I asked.
“Yep, let’s go.”
Her dad was having none of it.
“Hang on there, Missy. You didn’t tell me that you were going with this guy.”
“Daddy, I’m going with Jim. David is taking April. We talked about this,” she said, giving him her best teenage-girl look that said he was brain-damaged.
He followed us out to the car to find Jim waiting with a big smile on his face. Coach Hope made a rude gesture that had Jim and me laughing. We loaded into the car, with me joining April in the back seat and Cassidy taking shotgun.
The plan was to visit the next town over, where State University was. Jim had made reservations at one of the nicer steakhouses. After that, the girls wanted to hear a band that was playing at a bar near campus. They allowed underage patrons in before ten o’clock. Of course, once you were in ...