“Run them,” my mom said. “The little darlings are all hungover. Tell them they have to come to practice today, or not play. Then run them until they wish they never drank.”
I had a new respect for how evil my mother really was. I could tell this appealed to Coach Hope and Dad.
WE WERE LINED UP AND running sprints at one o’clock, and we had guys puking by one-o-five. This led to a chain reaction, as more and more guys joined them. I was gagging and having a hard time keeping my breakfast down. By one-fifteen, we had guys dry-heaving. The team only ran for thirty minutes, but I think that stopping was more about not killing a few of them.
“I’ll never drink tequila again,” Tim moaned, as he lay in the grass, trying to catch his breath.
“I think I might have broken a rib throwing up,” Bill complained, as he checked his side.
“My plan is to get some grease for lunch,” I teased them.
“I think I just threw up in my mouth. You’re dead to me,” Tim said.
“When I was in the UK, I had an actual pig’s head. When you bite into the eye, it squirts,” I told them with glee.
All the ones hungover looked a little green. I was shocked when none of them wanted to go to lunch with me. I even offered to buy. Yes, I was a really good teammate!
RANGE SPORTS HAD SCHEDULED a shoot for me for Thanksgiving weekend if we didn’t make the State Championship game. I called Devin to give him the bad news.
“I hear you won your game,” Devin said as he answered his phone.
“We did. I also got my face a little banged up. Let me send you a picture,” I told him as I sent him a text of a selfie I had taken a few minutes ago.
“How many stitches?”
“Eleven.”
“I guess it’s a good thing you won. You sure earned it.”
“I should be good to go by our shoot in December. I also wanted to let you know I’ve been learning to shoot guns for my movie. If you need me to shoot or display some guns, I think I might be able to do better than I did in the UK,” I offered.
“What are you shooting?”
“Both pistol and rifle.”
“I’ll make a note of that,” he said, and then changed the subject. “I hear you’re bringing a girl. Tell me about her.”
“I met her when I went to the University of Kentucky for football camp. She’s very smart and wants to become a lawyer.”
“Is she the one?” he asked.
I laughed.
“I don’t really know. Ask me in six or seven years. I think I’m a little young to be making lifetime commitments right now. You’re the one who’s looking for that. Plus, she isn’t ready yet, either, because she’s focused on getting her degree right now.”
“Sorry, I keep forgetting you’re so young. I think you broke some hearts when Sandy found out you were bringing someone. She and her friends had plans for you,” he teased me.
“I’ll bet they did. I’ll probably be safer this way.”
“Maybe.”
“Not to change the subject, but I am. Did you get the jet water board fixed?” I asked.
“We did. We’re launching the improved model at the first of the year.”
“I think I almost have my parents convinced to let me buy one.”
“I’ll bet you do. The last time your mom talked to me, I was told to never let you on the thing again.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said confidently.
“Okay, if you get your mom to call me and tell me it’s okay, we’ll see about getting you one.”
“Perfect,” I said, full of hope.
Now all I had to do was convince Mom that Greg needed a jet water board.
Monday November 24
WITH PEGGY ON VACATION, when I got to school the Pam-and-Tracy team-teasing got up close and personal.
“Good morning, ladies.”
“Good morning, Handsome,” they said in unison.
That had to be planned. I got even more nervous when they got on both sides of me and took an arm each. I stopped them.
“No fair. I don’t stand a chance with both of you ganging up on me. All Tracy has to do is push a couple of my buttons, and I’m a babbling fool and will do anything she wants. You, Miss Pam ... grrr ... if you keep teasing me, something naughty is going to happen right here,” I told them.
They gave me their best innocent-schoolgirl look. I was so going to get into trouble with these two.
“Whatever are you talking about, ‘stupid boy’?” Pam asked, giving me a haughty look.
“Well done,” I told her. “Pam, I think you and I need to talk, without Trouble following you around.”
“Who, me?” Tracy asked.
“Yes, you,” I said.
“Fine. You two be good,” Tracy said, as she gave her hips a little extra wiggle.
Pam started laughing at me.
“What?” I complained.
“She has you wrapped around her little finger. What I can’t figure out is why you two aren’t dating.”
“What?!” I exclaimed.
“Why aren’t you and Tracy dating? From what she tells me, she loves you to death. You seem to like her ... A LOT, if only half of what she says is true about your chemistry. I just can’t figure out why not.”
I could see she was serious.
“Did Tracy tell you that we used to date?”
“I think she mentioned it.”
“Did she tell you she dumped me ... twice?”
“I didn’t know that. Was it bad?” she asked.
“I think you need to talk to her about it. I do love Tracy, but I doubt we’ll ever get back together.”
“Do you love Peggy?”
“What’s with all the questions about my relationships?” I asked.
“I’m just trying to see where I might fit in. I know we don’t know each other very well. I also know I’ve probably gone about getting your attention in the wrong way. You must think I’m a slut.”
“I like that you’re a little slutty. Don’t sell yourself short.”
“Would it surprise you to know you took my virginity?”
“I think I’d have to call bullshit on that one.”
She bit her bottom lip and looked like she was going to cry.
“Pam, did I really?” I asked, and she nodded her head. “Oh, baby, I’m so sorry.”
“Why? It was much better than I was led to believe.”
“Because ... if I’d known, we’d have never done it there, or in that way.”
“David, I chose who, when and where. What more can a girl ask for?” she asked.
The bell rang. I felt awful I had taken her virginity in public. I needed to talk to her.
“Are you free tonight?”
“Sure.”
“I have class. How about I pick you up at eight o’clock?”
She kissed my cheek and seemed to skip away.
PAIGE WAS WAITING FOR me in the training room.
“How are you doing?”
“I could be better. I have a headache right up from the bottom of my neck. It feels like I have something out of whack. If I could just get it to pop back into place, I think I’d be better.”
Paige had me sit in a chair, and ran her thumbs up each side of my vertebrae.
“I want you to slowly move your chin down like you’re going to touch your chest. You’ll feel your muscles stretch. I then want you to slowly swing your chin back and forth like you’re touching your shoulders.”
I swung my head to the right and then to the left when there was a loud pop. It felt like an electrical charge shot from the top of my spine out through my eyes. Paige held my head in place for a moment and then had me lift my head straight up.
“Now don’t move. I need to stabilize your neck.”
Paige went and got a neck brace and put it on me.
“Man, that feels a lot better. Where did you learn that?” I asked.
“Well ... to be honest, I probably shouldn’t have done that. Actually, I know I shouldn’t have. I just know it works for me. You might have an injury, and I very well may have made it worse,” she told me sheepishly.