“So, Coach. How do you think we’ll do at the game?” Mike asked nonchalantly.
“I think you know where I stand on that,” he replied.
“You guys will do great,” I said, not adding much to the conversation.
The two guys looked at me, and I regretted saying anything at all.
“What makes you say that Sandy,” started Mr. Reynolds.
“Well, I’ve watched you guys practice a lot, and you guys always look good when running plays and stuff,” I said.
“If anything, they look good,” laughed Mr. Reynolds.
“Hey, you want a beer,” Mike asked.
“Sure, Mike,” the coach replied. Mike shot up, running to the backyard again.
“So, Mr. Reynolds, do you like the new look,” I asked, straightening out my top.
“Call me Jeff, Sandy,” he said.
“Okay, Jeff,” I replied uncomfortably.
“To answer your question; yes, you look fantastic.”
“Would you have talked to me ten years ago if I looked like this,” I asked.
“I’m not sure, I was pretty shy when I was younger,” he said.
“Well, if you had asked, I probably would have said yes,” I said.
He crossed his legs the other way, and I felt a little nervous baring myself like that. I hoped I hadn’t said anything inappropriate.
“You’re making me regret growing up,” he said.
“The car you drive makes me wonder if you ever did,” I replied.
He guffawed loudly, making a few people turn and wonder what we were talking about.
“I’ve had that car for far too long, I should probably buy something newer,” he said, “and more responsible.”
“I had fun on the last ride,” I said, “and hopefully it won’t be the last.”
Mike returned with Jeff’s drink and handed it down to him before plopping back into the center seat of the couch. Jeff stood up, drink in hand.
“I should probably check the rest of the party. I don’t want to see any drugs being passed around,” he said before walking away.
I wanted to get up and walk around with him, holding his arm the entire time, but I was Mike’s date for the night, and I was nothing if not honorable.
“So, where did we leave off at, cutie,” he said, starting to lean over for a kiss.
I pushed him off, trying to keep his face away from my own.
“Mike, I’m not making out with you,” I stated.
“Oh, come on. Why else did you work so hard to look good for tonight,” he asked.
A hand shot out from behind the couch, grabbing Mike by the shoulder and dragging him away. Jeff had returned and looked upset.
Mike did his best to fend him off, but Jeff was the stronger man, and he effortlessly pinned Mike to the wall.
“I want you to get everyone together and line them up out back. We’re having an impromptu lesson for all the players,” Jeff said authoritatively before releasing Mike.
Mike scampered from the wall and started running around the house, gathering just about every guy there. It only took about five minutes before they were all crowded around in the backyard, and the other partygoers were pushed inside. Out of curiosity, I decided to listen in and hear what they were talking about.
“Are you boys kidding me?!” he shouted to the gathered players, “You force yourself on girls and think that’s right?”
The guys looked a little sheepish.
“A good man doesn’t force anything; he waits to be received and is grateful when he is.”
“Coach, since when have you had a girlfriend, though,” replied Mike, “girls are different today than when you were in college.”
“Style’s change, Mike. Girls don’t.”
“Yeah, but we’ve never seen you with anyone, why don’t we ever see you with a woman,” Brad asked.
“I’m not here to get mocked by a bunch of college kids that think they’re big time stars and are owed sex,” Jeff started. “Next time you get that feeling that she owes you a kiss or anything else, if I hear about it or see it at all, you won’t be playing,”
The guys looked around at each other.
“Sorry, Coach. I think I speak for everyone when I say this is the last you’ll hear of it,” Brad said.
“Good. And, when you meet the right girl, you’ll know,” Jeff went on to say. He saw me watching from behind the crowd and met my gaze, continuing to speak.
“Sometimes you meet the right girl at the wrong times,” he said, “and you want to do nothing more than spend time with them. But, you know you shouldn’t.
“You can’t take your eyes off them, and there’s nothing you can do.”