Junior Year Box Set

She was with Pam and Mona. I must’ve still had that big grin on my face.

“Young love,” I said cryptically.

“Jan and Yuri,” Pam guessed. “That’s one couple I would never have guessed.”

“He’s a bit of a Neanderthal, in a cute kind of way,” Mona said.

“If you mean he’s bullheaded and should be tased, then I agree,” Pam said.

I expected Pam was still pissed about everything he’d said to her about me not being able to come to school. I would have to warn him that Pam might yet want to apply some electricity to his nuts. He might want to make a preemptive apology to be on the safe side.

“I need your help with a couple of things,” I said, and got wary looks in response. “Yuri dressed Jan today, so be supportive of her.”

“Oh, dear. He surely didn’t,” Tracy said. “We may have to stage an intervention.”

I just shook my head.

“The other thing is, we’re trying to limit her alcohol and drug use,” I said and looked at Mona.

“Jerk,” was her one-word response.

“Hey, you’re the Party Queen, and seem to be one of the few who stays sober at the parties,” I said. While I explained that, I was eying both Pam and Tracy, who’d been known to throw a few back. “All I’m asking is that you all keep an eye out and help support her.”

“I’ll help,” Pam said. “After all, I can’t drink right now.”

I smiled, stepped up to her, and rubbed her belly. She gave me an exasperated look.

“You might want to get used to that. Angie said that complete strangers would walk up to her and want to touch her belly.”

That didn’t help, so I kissed her.

“Don’t start something you can’t finish,” Tracy teased.

Right on cue, the bell rang. Tracy and Mona pulled Pam away from me, and they all wiggled their butts and giggled when they saw the lust in my eyes. All that stopped me from going caveman, dragging them into an empty classroom, and having my way with all of them was that I figured they might actually kill me.

I heard someone chuckle, which startled me. It was Coach Hope.

“Get to class before you do something stupid.”

I shook my head to clear it and hurried off.

◊◊◊

All our teachers cracked down. They’d gone easy on us the last few days because of the first playoff game. I checked the calendar in my head and realized I only had a couple of weeks of school left. Time to knuckle down, get all my reading done, and prepare for finals the day after Thanksgiving. That following Monday, I would be in LA.

Something else I wanted to do was to lay the groundwork for next year. I was self-disciplined enough to work on my own. Of course, Coach Hope would get them working on next year, but I wanted to make sure he knew what Coach Mason had said. I knew that I wouldn’t be around after the season for nearly two months. If the guys were committed, they could make a lot of progress in that amount of time.

Uncle John had told me that when I learned to delegate, I would accomplish a great deal more than if I did everything myself. I thought there was no time like the present, so I talked to Coach Zoon after lunch. He taught my AP American History class. I asked if I might speak to him and Coach Hope during my last period when I had a free period. That period could be used for either tutor sessions or self-study, but I usually used it to watch game film.

At the appointed time, I found them in Coach Hope’s office.

“Come in, David. Have a seat,” Coach Hope said when he saw me at the door. “What can we do for you?”

“I wanted to talk to you about getting ready for next year,” I said.

Coach Zoon scowled, and Coach Hope broke out in a big grin.

“Tony told me that was what you wanted to talk about, and I didn’t believe it,” Coach Zoon admitted. “He bet me you really did, and now I have to go to the dojo and spar with you. He said you needed to show me your new move.”

“Did he tell you what it was?” I asked.

“No, he said I should be surprised. I have a feeling it won’t be good, so I’ll warn you right now I might get even,” Coach Zoon said.

“I taught Cassidy how to do it, so I think I’ll pass and let her train you,” I said with a straight face.

Coach Zoon turned to Coach Hope.

“How did you know?” he asked.

“Coach Mason had a talk with them while we were in Indianapolis. I figured he’d want to talk about it sooner rather than later,” Coach Hope explained to his friend. Then he turned to me. “Tell us what you’re thinking. I’ve got some ideas from last year, but I want to hear what you have to say.”

“Last year, we implemented the study groups, and everyone’s grades improved. When I was in Houston for Elite Camp, I learned that the NCAA has implemented stricter guidelines for football scholarships. You can probably guess who has a chance to get a scholarship. Could we ask Ms. Jaroslav, our guidance counselor, to check on the guys who might make it to the next level and ensure they’re on the right path academically?” I asked.