Junior Year Box Set

My snap answer was no way in hell did we want him back. If it were purely a football decision, I could see him as a key player next year. Players with his size and speed could always help your team. As a sophomore, he’d been one of the hardest runners I’d seen at this level. He had the potential to be a better back than his older brother, who’d been All-State his senior year. It seemed he just didn’t put in the effort this year. His production had dropped off after we’d had our altercation over what he’d done to Mona. If we had Ty, sophomore Mike, and me in the backfield … it would be almost impossible to stop our ground game.

The problem was he’d turned out to be even a bigger douche than his brother had been. If the team hadn’t banded together against him, and if he’d not hurt Gina, I might have said yes.

“No, I honestly don’t think they can get past what you did,” I said.

“Is that just you, or do you believe the team feels the same way?” he asked.

“You do remember the whole ‘O. P. P.’ episode?”

Mike bit his lower lip and looked away from me.

“That was what my dad said. He suggested that I talk to you to make sure,” he said, and then sighed. “I think I’m going to transfer. I’ve talked to my family, and they agree that if I plan to get either a baseball or football scholarship, it’s for the best. It’s time I made a fresh start.”

I just nodded. It probably was for the best.

“I hate to ask this because I can see how history seems to be repeating itself, but could you help me? I think I’d like to go to Wesleyan, and I know you have contacts there,” he said.

“The question is, do I want to use them for you?” I asked.

I don’t believe Mike ever expected I might possibly turn him down. His brother Luke had lost his football scholarship offer because he’d been involved in a fight with me. I’d helped get it reinstated. I expect Mike thought I would just roll over and do the same for him.

“You seriously won’t make a call for me?” Mike asked.

“Would you do the same for me?” I asked.

Mike thought about it for a minute.

“No, probably not. Will you do it anyway?” he asked.

I decided to step back and consider the bigger picture. With Mike gone, it would be better for the team. I was afraid of what they’d do to him after the season. I’d held them off to this point.

“Okay. I’ll make the call.”

Mike just nodded and stood up to leave. I don’t know what I expected. Maybe a thank you, but apparently, I wouldn’t get one. I thought about not calling, but then my uncle’s words about being a man of your word came back to haunt me. I figured I should just get it out of the way, so I called Teddy Wesleyan.

After I filled him in about Mike in general terms, I gave him Mike’s number. About all you could say was I made the call. Teddy said he would look into it and call Mike. I knew that Wesleyan could really use a quarterback. If Mike were able to throw the ball to Damion Roth, he would have a breakout senior year.

◊◊◊

After football practice and the dojo, we drove back to Brook’s house. Cassidy tagged along because she wanted to ride the four-wheelers with us. I smiled when I saw Brook had another one tucked away in the garage.

“I thought you only had two,” I said.

“Mom saw how much fun Dad and I had on them, so she wanted one. Except she putts around on it like an old woman.”

I showed Cassidy how to drive it.

“Now, just take it easy until you get the hang of it,” I cautioned.

Both Brook and Cassidy roared out of the side road towards the trails. Yes, I said ‘trails,’ because Brook and her dad had been busy since the last time I was there. I took my time and put on my helmet and goggles. I fired my four-wheeler up and shot towards the trails, determined to catch up with the girls. As I came screaming up a hill, I remembered there was a tight turn at the top that then opened up into a little clearing.

I leaned hard into the turn and felt the tires bite into the ground and then slide as I powered into the clearing. That’s when I was shot. I caught a round in my upper chest, and then one that hit me in the hip, and another in my goggles quickly followed. I let off the gas and rolled off the four-wheeler.

The four-wheeler had a safety feature that if you fell off would automatically cut off the engine. The sudden quiet made me nervous because I wondered where Brook and Cassidy were. I laid by the four-wheeler and marveled at the beauty of this little clearing. The light diffused through the canopy of trees, and I could hear the rustle of leaves that had started to fall in the light breeze. The trees were a riot of oranges, reds, and yellows.