After the Game(21)

I sat on an old tractor tire near the fire, where Gunner had been earlier. He’d left me for more to drink and was now laughing with some juniors loudly and annoyingly. I’d liked getting to come to the parties at first, but I wasn’t so sure I liked it now. Getting home tonight would be tricky. I couldn’t call my mom to come get me because Gunner was hammered. She’d see that.

I searched the crowd for Rhett, who normally gave Gunner and me a ride home. He drank some, but rarely did he get completely sloshed. I watched him and decided how safe riding with him would be. I’d gotten a ride with Brady’s mom more than once. Problem with that was, Brady stayed until late, and I wasn’t in the mood to stay late.

Serena was trying hard to get Rhett’s attention when I found him across the field by his truck. He seemed more interested in one of the older girls there. Although Serena was here because of Rhett, I was sure. Definitely wouldn’t be asking him to take me home tonight. I guessed I’d have to suffer through until Brady left. He had a crowd around him, but I stood up and made my way over to him anyway. Gunner was going to be passed out soon, and I needed a ride home.

“Hey, gorgeous,” someone called out with an obvious slur in his voice. I glanced over to see Ivan, one of Rhett’s friends, walking toward me. The red plastic cup in his hand held more than just beer, I’d bet. Ivan had been kicked off the team last year for partying too hard. He rarely showed up for class and was going to flunk out. No one seemed to care about any of this, though. He still hung with the same crowd, and they loved him.

I turned my attention back to Brady’s group and hoped Ivan would trip over his drunk feet. “Your boy’s not able to handle his beer yet. He leave you all alone? That’s a shame. Come over here and we can talk.”

Not in this lifetime.

“No thanks,” I replied, still not looking at him.

He laughed like that was hilarious. Before he could think of something else to say, I was close enough to Brady that he saw me headed his way. He stopped talking and stepped over toward me.

“You good?” he asked, doing a quick check for Gunner, I assumed.

“Yeah. Just need a ride. Is your mom coming?” I asked.

He nodded, but there was a frown on his face. “Gunner drunk again?”

“Yep.”

He shook his head. “I’ve got to straighten him out. I’ll call Mom. We can leave in a few.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”





You Need Rattling





CHAPTER 16


BRADY

Ivy had decorated my locker and left brownies with icing on them inside. She was still acting like we were an item on game days. I didn’t want to say something to hurt her feelings, but she had to stop this. We didn’t talk the rest of the week. Her mom’s brownies were good and all, but they weren’t going to fix us. We’d never been right to begin with.

I ate two brownies and drank a large glass of milk before going upstairs to get my bag. Mom would have washed my uniform and packed things up for me to take to the bus. Tonight was important. Vitally. If we didn’t win this game, we were out.

The studying of game tapes and all the extra practice had made me feel ready. I thought the team was prepared. It wasn’t them that was weighing on my mind. Instead it was me. The center of the team. The quarterback. Who needed his head adjusted. I hadn’t been able to shake loose Riley’s visit the other night. It bothered me that she was hurt. That I had been the one to hurt her.

This wasn’t new. I was the nice guy. Not because I was labeled with it but because it was simply who I was. Sometimes I seriously hated it.

However, this Riley thing was different. I was worried about her more so than I’d ever worried about Ivy and her feelings. Ivy and I had been on again off again for almost two years, but I’d never felt as strongly for her as I did about Riley. The only reason that I could think of for this was the little girl. Riley had been handed a raw deal and made the best of it. I respected that.

My bag was sitting on my bed like expected, all packed up for me. Mom wasn’t home from work yet, but she’d be at the game along with my dad. They would bring Maggie, and it would be the normal Friday night. Except today, my head was not just on the game the way it always is.

Frustrated, I grabbed my bag and headed back downstairs. I had to deal with this now. We were supposed to be at the field house to load the bus in one hour. Before I went there, I was going to see Riley. If I didn’t talk to her and ease my mind, I wasn’t sure I could pull tonight off. The Panthers were also undefeated. We had a job on our hands, and I had to be 100 percent.

“You leaving already?” Maggie asked as I passed her bedroom door.