“What are you thinking, Tami’s best friend?” the brunette asked.
“How about we play Naked Dance Party!”
The cute blond ran out of view.
“I have the perfect music.”
“Oh, crap. You just met my roommates and you talk them into dancing naked with you?” Tami complained.
I could hear the blond yell down the hall.
“Hey, Naked Dance Party!”
Tami had her head in her hands and her roommates were down to their bras and panties. The music started and they started to dance around, so I stepped back and did the same.
“OH GOOD GOD HE IS HOT!” one of them yelled.
“Oh my, he’s naked!”
“That’s Tami’s best friend David.”
“When’s he coming to visit?”
I could see at least ten girls packed into Tami’s suite. A couple girls had taken their bras off so I at least had some fun. The song came to an end. I jumped back into my chair.
“I love you, Tami.”
“I love you too, David. I currently don’t like you, but I do love you.”
We signed off. I was sure that I’d pay for that one. I could tell Tami appreciated me goofing off with her suite-mates. She was still trying to fit in, and this would help them bond. At the very least, they would be nice to her just to get a glimpse of her naked best friend. What are best friends for, after all?
Thursday October 17
I JUST FINISHED MY morning practice and was on my way into the school when Tracy called my name. It had been a weird week. She acted as if nothing had happened on Saturday. The only reminder was she still had some bruises on her face; the swelling for her split lip had gone down.
Her date, Jim Ball, came to school on Wednesday. I felt sorry for him, because Tracy wouldn’t give him the time of day. I made a point to talk to him in private to let him know how sorry I was. He was a little awkward talking to Tracy’s ex. On top of that, I was seeing his sister. I couldn’t say we would ever be friends, but we were cool.
Bill Rogers and his goon squad had been arrested. Bill was apparently on probation for a drug-related conviction. The arrest and charges sent him directly to jail. Word was we wouldn’t see him until he turned 18 in about three years. I’d talked to Mary and she told me that the news of Bill’s incarceration had lifted Tracy’s spirits. Mary said they’d arranged for Tracy to see a therapist. We all hoped she would help.
I slowed down to let Tracy catch up. She did her patented hip bump that always made me smile. She handed me a breakfast sandwich her mom had made.
“Tell your mom thanks.”
“She worries you’re not eating right,” she said, as she gave me a mysterious look. I could tell she was up to something. “Kendal has a budget.”
“Does she? What’s the budget for?”
“We’re going to have a hospitality tent for before the game. It’ll be open to the public and we’ll grill hot dogs. There’ll be a band. Kendal wanted to just have it invitation-only, but I told her you’d want it open to everyone.”
I had already heard rumblings from the freshman class that I was a snob. The girls were pissed I was dating seniors, and the guys didn’t understand how much time I spent practicing. I was never around to hang out. I didn’t need the whole town alienated by not including them in the hospitality tent.
“Thanks, Tracy, that was a good call. Is Kendal getting you guys help to pull this off?”
“I told her to talk to Beth. She’s organizing her volunteers and she got Gary’s band to play for free. We’re allowing the Marching Band to raise funds for their trip at the tent.”
I could tell they were up to something more.
“Just tell me. I can see you’re up to something.”
“We have uniforms.”
With that, she unzipped her coat and I could see she had a polo shirt on. Over her left breast was her name, and under that it said ‘Double D’s Girls.’ I arched my eyebrows.
“You like what you see?” Tracy asked.
I nodded my approval.
“Tracy, you’re going to be the death of me. Is everyone wearing these?”
“Yeah, all the volunteers are getting custom ones with their names on them. They’ll be wearing them to school tomorrow, so be prepared to catch some shit. We’re printing up 5,000 t-shirts that say Fan of Double D that we’re going to give away at the hospitality tent.”
“Well, I’m a fan of your double D’s.”
She blushed.
“Remember, we’re not together.”
She got serious and leaned close to me.
“David, I miss you. I messed up and I’m sorry. I never knew what I had until I lost you. You could have cut me out of your life and no one would’ve blamed you. Because you haven’t acted pissed, my friends are starting to talk to me again. I don’t know why I acted like such a bitch and hurt you. What I found out was you’re a much better friend than I deserve.
“Someday I’m going to get my life together. I don’t think it’s going to be anytime soon. When I do, you’d better look out. Mom talked to me about how I’d broken the trust between us. I see that now. You may never trust me again, but I’m going to work to regain that trust. You’re one of the few close friends I have. If you ever need anything, please let me know.”
We hugged each other and we were both a little misty-eyed. I think we’ll end up being better friends. I still have moments when I was in a funk. Keeping busy, and being around Tracy and not being uncomfortable would be a big help. I still waited for the other shoe to drop. Given time, I hoped that feeling would go away. We broke the embrace.
“David, I saw you eyeing Kendal. Do you think she’s sexy?”
“What was up with that outfit?”
“I know. Lily and I were cracking up when you saw her. We think she has the hots for you.”
“Don’t tell me that, I’m having enough trouble with women since you dumped me. What is up with everyone thinking they can grab my butt?”
“You’re such a slut, you love it.”
We headed into school and I could see everyone gave us strange looks. I was sure they all wondered if we were back together. She saw me smirk. She gave me a hip bump and headed to her locker. I knew we were stirring up the rumor mill. Let ’em talk.
Chapter 24 – Homecoming
Friday October 18
Homecoming was finally here. As I walked to school, I could see my breath in the crisp fall air. This was my favorite time of year. I loved the feel of cool air as I sucked it into my lungs. All the trees were in full fall color. I understood why so many paintings were done to depict the changing season. The riot of orange, yellow and reds made the whole neighborhood look nicer. There was the faint whiff of someone burning leaves as they raked and disposed of the fallen leaves in their yard.
I could feel my anticipation for today in the pit of my stomach. I could just tell it would be huge for my future. Kendal told me that over thirty colleges would have representatives at the game. The media wasn’t far behind. Fox Sports Network had picked us up as the regional High School Game of the Week.
Tonight’s game would be a real test. Our state had six classes in football, based on school size. We were in 5A and the team we were playing was 6A, or the largest possible class. I think our athletic director was crazy to schedule the game. We had a return date in their stadium next year.
Lurking later in the evening was my date with Cindy and Suzanne. They were both acting a little weird. My guess was that we were featuring three football teams from past years for Homecoming. One of them was last year’s team. They both had ex-boyfriends coming to the game. Both had been hurt, no, really hurt, to the point they didn’t even date now. I’d been in middle school at the time, so I wasn’t aware of what had actually occurred. I just knew that my relationship with them was just a short-term thing because of what happened. There was no real commitment. I knew I cared for them both, but I wasn’t in love with either of them. That kind of relationship wasn’t something any of us was ready for. For me, Tracy was still painfully fresh in my mind.