Senior Year Box Set

Today, the class was learning to fall correctly. They were taking turns holding the other’s jacket, and the one being held would lean back. They would suddenly be let go and had to twist around and fall on their stomach. It was like if I held Bandit on his back and dropped him on the bed. He would flip around and land on his feet.

“Make sure you turn your head when you land,” Shiggy coached.

Then they stepped over to an eight-inch-thick padded mat to practice different falls. I wondered why Cassidy made me learn on a regular mat. The feeling of bouncing off the floor was etched into my memory.

After practice, Shiggy pulled me aside.

“You know why I did what I did, right?”

“Yes, sir. I didn’t intend to hurt him.”

Shiggy sighed.

“I know that. It’s just the way Cassidy is training you. You two go at it full tilt, and then when you spar with someone new, they get clocked. In the future, let them work with you for longer than a few minutes before you throw them in the deep end.”

“Yes, sir.”

He gave me my masks back.

“The wrestling bit was amusing,” he said with a smile, and then kicked me out of his dojo.

◊◊◊

When we got home, Chuck, Cassidy, and Brook joined us for dinner. I had Coby, who needed some Daddy time.

“Now that David got us kicked out of the dojo for a week, what will we do with our free time?” Cassidy asked.

“Why did David get you kicked out?” Peggy asked.

“Traitor!” I said as I pointed at Peggy.

“Really? Like your mom wasn’t going to ask the exact same thing in about two seconds,” Peggy said with a satisfied smile.

“You don’t need to help her,” I reasoned.

“We’re getting off topic,” Dad said to jump in with his unwanted opinion.

“David knocked me out,” Chuck explained.

I thought about explaining, but Chuck decided on another tack.

“How about we go shoot? I would bet it’s time for us to have a refresher course,” Chuck suggested.

“You could get serious about flying. You need to get your ground school out of the way,” Brook offered.

“Caryn mentioned you taking more Japanese classes for your part in the TV show,” Dad said.

“You could watch the boys,” Peggy added.

“Should have mentioned that before you turned on me,” I said as I glared at her.

“We could get everyone driving lessons,” Mom proposed.

“I like that one,” Cassidy said.

I listened to all their suggestions and recognized I was falling back into the same old trap of trying to do everything. What no one mentioned was me spending more time with Brook doing something that didn’t involve a group activity. Another was getting ahead on my studies. During my freshman year, I’d made it a point to read ahead. Somehow, that had fallen by the wayside.

Something else that needed to be prioritized was spending more time with my guy friends. I’d always found time for Jeff and Alan, but I’d been falling down on the job with Tim and Wolf. If I planned to keep them as close friends beyond high school, I wanted to get to know them better. When I was younger, it wasn’t unusual for the four of us—Tami, Jeff, Alan, and me—to show up and hang out at each other’s houses. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gone to either Tim’s or Wolf’s home. They always came to me. That just wasn’t right.

“We should do all those things at some point, but I want to relax and not have any planned activities for after school for the week. I made a promise to myself that I wanted to focus on being a teenager.”

“The yard needs to be mowed,” Dad suggested.

“You know who to call. It’s not like you pay me an allowance,” I shot back.

“We could take your debit card away,” Mom threatened.

“I could take yours away.”

This had taken an ugly turn. Fortunately, Coby saved the day by puking on me.

I took him to the kitchen sink and cleaned him up. Peggy came and got him so I could go to my apartment and change clothes.

◊◊◊ Wednesday September 7

Bandit swatted my chin to wake me up. I also found Duke on my bed with his head on my thigh. Since Halle’s cat had moved in, it seemed all the sleeping rules flew out the window. I might have to lock Duke in his crate for a while to restore order in my apartment.

“You guys ready to go outside?”

Duke thumped his tail, and Bandit jumped off the bed and headed to the living room. Someone was eager. I chuckled when I stepped into the living room to put on my running shoes, and Bandit bounded down the stairs. I looked at Duke to try to figure out what the hurry was. He was of no help.

“Okay, okay, I’m coming,” I said when Bandit meowed at my lack of hustle.

I knew something was up when he shot out of the door and darted around the corner of the garage. I had zero desire to play ‘find the kitty.’ Then I heard the loudest catfight I’d ever heard. Precious belted out her bobcat yowl, and Bandit sounded like he was holding his own. Duke and I ran around the corner to break it up, and we both came to a sudden halt.