“David, you don’t know her. Give her some slack,” Paige suggested.
She was right. I really didn’t know Lydia.
“Fair enough. Let’s go have fun.”
Dinner was pot roast. I was glad we weren’t having rubber chicken. The AGR boys snuck in alcohol for the dance. Paige surprised me by getting drunk. She left me to hang out with her sisters. They all went on the dance floor to do line dances. I like to dance, but I thought line dancing was just stupid. I was getting to the point where I was ready to leave. I had school tomorrow and would want to get up early to run.
I was surprised when Lydia sat down next to me.
“Don’t be mad at her.”
“Why?” I asked.
“She has a huge crush on you. All we hear about is David this and David that. She just lost her nerve tonight and decided to try a little liquid courage. Paige doesn’t drink much.”
“What am I supposed to do about her crush?”
She looked at me again. I think I surprised her.
“Wow, she’s right! You’re not like most boys. I figured you would be all excited that a college girl thought you were hot and take advantage of that.”
“To be honest, I’ve kind of slowed down on girls, college or otherwise. What’s funny is that Paige has her hands on me more than anyone else,” I said as I chuckled. “Did she ever tell you about how we met?”
She shook her head.
“I couldn’t stand her. I was joking around and made an inappropriate comment, and she told on me. I couldn’t believe it. I haven’t been tattled on since I was in grade school. It took us quite a while to become friends.”
“You do know that girls like hard-to-get just as much as guys do,” Lydia told me.
“Is that why you do the whole ‘better than everyone’ act?” I asked.
She choked on her drink.
“How did you know it’s an act? I can be a bitch.”
“Paige told me not to judge you. If Paige likes you, then you can’t be a bitch all the time,” I teased her.
“So, you think you know me?”
“I would never say I know a woman. I’m just sitting back, waiting for the next personality to emerge.”
“You’re awful.”
One of her sisters came up and whispered in her ear.
“I’ve got to go. My bonehead of a date wants his keys so he can drive home drunk. Go get your date, and put her to bed,” Lydia advised, and then left.
I went out to the dance floor and corralled Paige. Thank God, she puked on the side of my Jeep and not in it. I about dropped her when she asked me for a kiss. I was going to have to think long and hard before I ever took her out again. I was an even happier boy when her roommate was home and took her off my hands.
I took the Jeep through a car wash on the way home.
Chapter 17 – No Putting the Genie Back
Friday November 7
After school, we all loaded onto the charter bus. This year we only needed one bus to hold everybody. That meant that the cheerleaders were traveling with us. Coach Hope had also brought Brad and Cassidy. Wolf saved seats for Jim, Bill and me at the back of the bus.
“Wouldn’t this trip be more enjoyable if we had cheerleaders sitting with us?” I razzed Wolf.
“What, you don’t like my company?” Wolf complained.
I just arched an eyebrow, and Jim and Bill laughed at him. He finally got it and turned red.
“Bite me,” was the best Wolf could come up with.
“What’s the deal with Wayne?” Bill asked, to change the subject.
“He got suspended for a week for his part in the fight with Justin. It sounds like everyone’s going to be fine. The police decided not to charge anyone. I heard Coach might kick Wayne off the team; that would leave us without a decent kicker for the playoffs,” Bill told us.
Tracy had stated that when Justin was confronted with the possible rape charges, he backed off on helping the police with the battery charges against Emma and the boys involved in the fight. They also all agreed not to discuss it further to protect Piper. I hoped that Justin had learned a valuable lesson.
“Let Coach work it out. I’m sure he’ll be fair,” I told them.
“What are we going to do if we don’t have a kicker?” Wolf asked.
“You just have to get first downs or score,” I suggested.
Wolf didn’t look convinced. I had to agree with him because at some point losing Wayne would hurt us.
The rest of the trip we did what all boys do: we goofed off. Someone brought a Nerf football. Of course, I was the one that got caught throwing it and hitting Tim in the back of the head. I ended up having to sit next to Moose the rest of the way, to the delight of everyone else. He made me watch video of Adamsville Prep.
WHEN WE FINALLY GOT there, I jumped up to make a dash inside the hotel because nature called. I think everyone had the same idea since the bus accommodations were not ideal. All the coaches were in line to use the bathroom, so I went to the front desk when I was done.
“How may I help you?” asked the desk clerk.
“Lincoln High, we’re here to check in,” I told him.
“I’ll start getting everything ready. How many keys will you need for each room?” he asked.
“Three: one for each occupant, and one for our Coach,” I told him.
Coach Stevens came up to see what I was doing. He saw I’d started the check-in process, so he went out to the bus to make sure the gear was being unloaded. Coach Hope showed up, and I let him take over. He handed me the key cards, and I, in turn, found Tim and Bill. I thought as team captains that they could decide who was rooming with whom.
I went and helped the guys find their bags. Most of them had never gone on a bus to stay overnight. Tim and Bill came to me, and I could tell there was a problem. They gave me a sheepish grin.
“We’re one room short,” Bill told me.
“You’re going to have to sleep in a triple with Bill and me,” Tim said.
“Just so you both know ... I sleep in the nude.”
“Okay, now we really have a problem,” Bill said.
“Don’t worry about it, guys. You two room together. I’ll tell coach.”
I found Coach Hope and told him what was going on.
“That’s my fault,” he admitted. “When Wayne got suspended I just looked at the number going and didn’t do the split based on gender. Let’s go see if they have a rollaway bed we can set up in one of the rooms.”
“Can I make a suggestion? How about letting me get my own room? I’ll pay for it. That way I get a good night’s sleep.”
I think he was about to argue but changed his mind. I went to the desk to see what was available.
“What’s the best room you have available, kind sir?” I asked, thinking I was being funny.
“We have the Presidential Suite,” he fired back without batting an eye.
He explained that it was a three-master-bedroom suite that had a dining and living room. It was on the top floor and had access to a rooftop area that overlooked the town. Then he quoted me a price that raised my eyebrow.
“Is it available?” I asked.
“Yes sir,” he said with a smirk.
I quoted him a price back and showed him some cash as a tip. I told him that the Lincoln High group would be turning in one of their rooms. I sent Tim and Bill a text to bring me their keys, and a moment later they showed up with their bags. I was happy to see Tim had mine also.
“What’s going on?” Bill asked.
“When I explained that we needed a room fit for the captains, they changed our accommodations.”
I got five keys. I gave one each to Bill and Tim and sent them on up. Tim volunteered to take my bag. I found Coach Hope and gave him a key. I sent Tracy a text inviting her to our room. I walked in to find Bill and Tim looking stunned.
“What did you do?” Tim asked.
“Captains should travel in style,” I said. “Did you check out the roof?”
We all went upstairs. I could see this as being a great place to come relax. There were heating units scattered around if it got too cool. The view was great. You could see downtown and a park next to a river. We came back downstairs to someone knocking at the door. I opened it and Tracy came waltzing in. I handed her a key.