Junior Year Box Set

In the triple option, I decided who ended up with the ball. On this drive, Jake would get it every time. On the first play, he about broke it but was tackled after he picked up eleven yards. On the next, he ran for eight. It took five plays for Riverside to figure out Jake would get the ball every time. On the seventh play, Coach Diamond figured it out and pulled Jake from the game. When we ran the option for the eighth play, and I pitched it out of bounds to Jake, I found myself on the bench.

Jake went back into the game. The offense must have told Trent that Jake got the ball because he received it on a jet sweep and scored to make it 21–0.

On the next series, Coach Diamond made wholesale substitutions. My half brother Phil was even able to play some varsity football. If he would ever get into shape, he’d be a pretty good ballplayer. Phil thought that because he was related to me, he had natural talent. I’d tried to explain to him that if he ever wanted to be good, he would have to put the work in. The game ended in a 35–3 final that could have been 100–0 if we had wanted it to be.

The good news was that nobody got hurt on either team. When I found my seat on the bus, I thought about tomorrow. It was the first day of turkey season. Somehow Zoe had invited herself to go with Brook, Halle, and me. I suspected that the three girls didn’t want to hunt, but wanted to be there for the photo shoot and the making of the video when Brook and I tried out Devin’s new toy.

◊◊◊

Everyone met at our house when we got back. We planned to spend the night at the farms since we needed to be up before sunup to be in the turkey blinds. Dad said Devin had contacted Uncle John and would join us to go hunting. I was glad to hear Dad mention that Cora, Pam’s sister and Devin’s fiancée, was in LA with her mother, looking at wedding dresses. I had half expected to see her this weekend.

I was surprised when the girls showed up with their own shotguns. Halle, Brook, and Zoe rode with me while Mom, Dad, Greg, and Duke took the other car. Angie had zero interest in anything to do with hunting, except she told Greg she wanted a turkey for Thanksgiving. I smiled when he was given his orders. I don’t think she realized that wild turkey wasn’t the same as the ones you buy in the store. Wild birds flew, so their breasts were leaner, which made a smaller bird.

It was late when we left our house, and I soon found I had three girls sound asleep in my car. Zoe sat in the passenger seat, so I nudged her. I needed someone to talk to, or I’d join them. I already knew that I would need a nap after we went hunting or I wouldn’t be worth anything later in the day.

“You have to keep me awake,” I said.

“Sorry, did we all fall asleep?”

“Talk to me. Were you guys serious about going hunting tomorrow?” I asked.

“I’ve been hunting since I was little. Brook wanted to try it, and Halle thought it sounded like fun. We’ve been getting together to practice. Brook is actually a good shot. Halle knows enough not to be a danger to herself. I wouldn’t stand in front of her, though.”

“That’s really good to know,” I said. “Where’ve you been practicing?”

“Out on the farm. We have clay pigeons. My dad has helped me teach them,” she said. “Do you have a lot of turkeys on your farm?”

“My uncle and Mr. Hass tell me they’re almost overrun with them this year. No one’s been hunting for turkey for the past several years. Mr. Hass said he counted twenty in his hayfield this week. Of course, we can’t shoot around my uncle’s cattle, but there’s plenty of land for us to use. There’s a large wooded area along the creek. We might see some deer in the morning. Be sure to tell Halle that they’re not in season.”

“If she managed to take one with bird shot, I think they might let her have it because it would have to be sick or injured,” Zoe said.

We got quiet for a minute then Zoe had a question.

“What happened last weekend? How did everyone but you get a sexually transmitted infection?”

“Let me ask you a question: if you had somehow contracted an STI and I knew about it, would you want me to tell one of the guys how it happened?” I asked.

Zoe thought about it for a moment. I could tell she rejected my notion she would ever get an STI, but she was able to get past it and then shook her head ‘no.’

“I think the question you’re really asking is was I involved in risky sex. While all sex has some risks, I try to be safe,” I said.

“What do you mean by all sex has risks?” she asked.

“Accidents happen. A condom might break. The birth-control pill isn’t 100 percent. There are lots of ways that sex can go wrong.”

She had a worried look.

“Zoe, if you’d be more comfortable, we can stop having sex. I’m not spending time with you just to get into your pants,” I said.

I meant it, too. With Zoe, it was about how I felt when on the farm with her. I felt at peace.

“How about for me?” Halle asked.

It seemed that our conversation was being overheard. I saw that Brook was awake as well.

“Yes, you, too.”

“How about me?” Brook asked.