They dropped me off at the dorm where Tami lived and I made my way up to Tami’s room. On the way, girls who wanted to chat stopped me several times. They were all excited about their formal tonight.
Wesleyan did their Formal differently than we did Prom. This was a black-tie event. They had a reception for alumni and VIPs at five o’clock. I imagined that I would see Teddy Wesleyan at that event, which would be followed by a sit-down dinner. After dinner, they would give out awards. Then there would be dancing.
Missy and Harper had helped Tami pick out a dress. She was keeping it a big surprise. I was looking forward to seeing my tomboy best friend in a fancy dress. By the time I got to Tami’s room, word had gotten to her and my other dates. They were all waiting for me.
It was good to see Tami, Harper and Missy. They each gave me a kiss in greeting. I was surprised when Harper was the spokesperson for the group.
“We’re very happy you’re here, but you’ve got to leave. We’re going to a day spa to get pampered and ready for tonight. You’re going to go have lunch and then work out. We’ve arranged to have you throw that silly football around. Then you’ll go to the boys dorm and get ready. We’ll meet you at the reception at five o’clock.”
There was a knock at the door. Tami opened it, and Ray, Harper’s ex, was standing there.
“Hey, Ray, I guess they’re kicking me out. You feel like going to lunch?”
He smiled. What teenage boy is going to turn down food?
“You bet.”
We walked over to the boys dorm and I dropped off my bags in his room where I meet his roommate, Lee. I pulled out my tux and shirt to make sure they weren’t wrinkled. Everything looked fine, so we went to Ray’s favorite Mexican restaurant.
“I was sorry to hear that you and Harper broke up,” I said to get any awkwardness out of the way.
“My dad and her mom dated in college. He ended up marrying her best friend.”
“Ouch, that had to be uncomfortable.”
“Not really. Harper’s mom set them up. She was the maid of honor at their wedding. So our families have been close for years. Harper and I grew up a block from each other. No one was surprised when we started dating in middle school.
“Over Christmas break, we were feeling the pressure of our parents’ expectations. We sat down and had an honest discussion. We’re both looking for the same thing in a significant other ... a guy,” Ray said, letting that sink in.
“But I thought ...”
“Oh, yeah. I like girls, too, but I want to explore this side of me for now. My roommate is actually my date tonight.”
“Weren’t you and Harper still dating, last I saw you?
“Yeah, she said she’d date me until I found someone else.”
“That must be difficult. Are people giving you a hard time about your choice?”
“No, we haven’t made it public. You’re the only person besides Harper, Missy and Tami that knows.”
Then it dawned on me why I was taking all three to the formal.
“So, we’re going to be your cover for tonight.”
He let out a long sigh and smiled.
“Yes. That’s why Harper had me take you to lunch. She wanted it to come from me. If you’re uncomfortable at all, we can do something else. I’d consider it a huge favor.”
“Who am I to stand in the way of love? Of course, I’ll help you. You have to promise me something, though.”
“Of course.”
“I was worried that the girls wouldn’t get to dance as much as they wanted. I need you and your boyfriend to dance with them.”
He laughed at me.
“You do know we’re gay; Lee and I love to dance. We were afraid you were a typical guy and wouldn’t want to. Harper told me you’re taking a dance class. Lee says he can teach you some moves.”
“Careful, there,” I said, which got us both laughing.
“I want to thank you for being a good friend to Harper. She’d been looking for companionship. It took us a while to figure out that you were the perfect guy. You don’t go here, she likes you as a person, and she’s attracted to you. The bonus was that you’re not looking for a girlfriend. It took me a while to talk her into it, but she came home a happy girl,” he shared.
I wasn’t about to talk about what happened with Harper when she came to visit. That was between us. If she wanted to tell her best friend, that was her decision, but I wasn’t going to participate.
“So, what’s the plan for the rest of the day?” I asked, to change the subject.
“There’s a rumor that there’s a slight chance that you might consider Wesleyan to play football.”
“I would say those chances are almost zero.”
He just shrugged.
“Tami said the same, but she said that you need to see what’s available to you if you decide you might be interested. So I’m to take you to the Field House to work out. She said you’re getting ready for football and didn’t want to miss a workout day if you could help it.
“Our coach talked to yours and got permission to include you in some drills his guys are doing off-season. You’ll get your throwing in. I’m told that’s important,” he said, as he wrinkled his brow. He was more interested in the arts than he was in sports.
I just smiled at him. It was so like Tami to set something like this up. We’d had a talk about not doing this kind of stuff, but this time I was letting it slide because it sounded like a good idea.
“Sounds like you know what’s going on. Lead the way.”
WESLEYAN HAD A STRENGTH and conditioning coach who I showed my new routine. Since I wasn’t a student, he had to supervise me. He actually spotted me. He showed me some ways to improve my technique and a few exercises he suggested be added to my work-out routine.
Then we went out on the track and ran. I made the mistake of calling him old and slow. He set a pace that was faster than I normally run for distance. I noticed a coach on the upper deck started timing us. When we reached a mile, he slowed down. I glanced at him and then the other coach.
He smirked.
“I guess you found us out,” he looked up in the stands. “What was our time?”
“4:52,” responded the stopwatch.
“That’s not bad,” he told me. “You’re just a freshman, right?”
“Yes. I normally run a few miles a day, more on weekends.”
He took me over to meet the guys I was going to be working out with. I showed them the drills I’d been working on this week with Mike, Wolf and Bill. After we were done, they wanted me to throw to them in a game situation. They lined up a receiver and a defensive back.
The defensive back was given a huge advantage. He knew what the throw was going to be, and there was only one receiver. I liked this drill. You had to anticipate and throw the ball where only your guy could get it. I switched off with their quarterback every other play. He went first to show me what they did.
Between turns, more coaches showed up and were watching from the second level.
Then more boys showed up and we had enough to play a seven-on-seven game. These guys weren’t going to win many games this coming year. I had never seen so many dropped balls. I had to remind myself this was just for fun.
Around four o’clock, we wrapped it up and I went to the locker room and showered. The guys walked me back to the boys’ dorm and I went to Ray and Lee’s room. They were smoking pot, so I wasn’t happy.
“What the hell? My clothes are going to smell like I just smoked a joint.”
They just giggled. I grabbed my clothes and went into the lounge. Sure enough, my tux reeked. I called Tami.
“I’ve got a problem. Ray and Lee were smoking in their room, and my tux smells like I’ve been getting high.”
“Hang on,” Tami told me.
I could hear her talking to the girls in the background.
Tami came back on the line, “Meet Harper out front. She’s taking you to her dry cleaner.”
I went downstairs and Harper pulled up; I jumped in. She was in shorts and a t-shirt with full makeup and her hair up. She looked good just like that. She was on the phone telling her dry cleaner what the problem was. She pulled up and I got out with my tux. We were only four blocks from where we were meeting at five, so I’d grabbed my bow tie, belt, shoes and socks. I would just walk from there. Harper left to get dressed.