Senior Year Box Set

“David, I didn’t come here to coach Trent. I came here because you have an extraordinary talent and I want to see you have a leg up when you start to go up levels in competition. If I thought this would hurt you in the long run, I would be the first one in Coach Hope’s office.

“All I’m saying is that you need to look and act like a leader,” he said.

“The thing is, if it were just me, I could swallow this. What pisses me off is he’s gone back on his word to the other guys. If he planned to do that, he should have just manned up and said something instead of playing games.”

Coach Mason raised his hands in defeat. He wasn’t going to defend Coach Hope for that, but I saw his point about the team. I also recognized that Coach Mason was a godsend, and I didn’t want to piss him off.

“Okay, I’ll play nice. But it irks me that we’re dealing with this kind of crap from him once again at the start of the season.”

“My advice is to let this play out. There’s no way he would risk losing a game,” Coach Mason predicted.

I hoped he was right.

◊◊◊

After school, Chuck was waiting for me with the Demon. Cassidy and Brook had gone to flight school. I’d set up an account so that Cassidy could use the simulator if she wanted while Brook flew. For some reason, they didn’t allow anyone but the instructor and student in the plane during flights. If I were to guess, it was for both safety and insurance reasons.

The plan was that if Cassidy decided she wanted to learn to fly, Brook and I would pay for it. Getting your license wasn’t cheap. Brook confided to me that she’d spent close to fifteen grand so far. Brook said letting her use the simulator would give Cassidy an idea of whether she really wanted to do it. We hadn’t told her that simulator time wasn’t free or what we planned if she decided to get her license.

“Gimme,” I said, holding out my hand.

“You know that I’m supposed to drive you.”

“Dude, it’s my car. You seriously don’t want me sneaking off just so I can drive it,” I warned.

He handed me the keys. If it had been Paul, I might’ve had to wrestle them from him. I sent a text to Tim to see where he was. He replied, saying he was over at Wolf’s house.

I fired up the Demon and sunk into the seat, enjoying the feel of the beast as I revved the engine. I eased out of the parking space and pointed the front end towards the street. As I turned onto the road, I took it easy and smiled when I saw a police car waiting near the entrance of the school’s parking lot. More than one teen had gotten a ticket racing out of there.

I gave Billy a wave as I saw who had set up the speed trap. I made sure I obeyed all the laws until I was out of sight, and then I gave it a little gas. Let’s just say I made it to Wolf’s in record time.

When the guys heard me pull up, they came out of the garage. It looked like they were covered in grease.

“What are you two doing?” I asked.

“Tim is working on all my lawn equipment,” Wolf shared.

I followed them into the garage and found parts lying all over the floor. Tim returned to taking the engine apart while Wolf got busy cleaning the parts.

“I would have no clue what to do if our lawnmower died,” I admitted.

“It didn’t, but I have Tim work on it periodically so it runs better. The guys took good care of the equipment, but I like for Tim to make sure,” Wolf explained.

Wolf had let Yuri, Roc, and Phil run his lawn care business while he was in Chicago. I’d gotten him his first job taking care of our yard, and he had taken the idea and run with it. He now had a trailer and all the equipment he needed.

“Coach Mason told me that we aren’t starting against Washington,” I shared.

“I was afraid of that. What do you want to do?” Tim asked.

I told them what Bud Mason had told me.

“I can’t figure out why Coach Hope would go against his word to you,” Wolf said. “And why we’re somehow mixed up in this.”

“I came to you guys to help me decide. What do you think?” I asked.

“What he said about them earning it makes sense. None of us were around this summer. I know that Trent was a leader, and I can see that he probably earned himself the start,” Tim said.

“Just so long as we don’t end up losing a game for his ‘reward.’ Trent isn’t David,” Wolf said.

I had a good time bonding with the guys. Mrs. Tams invited Tim, Chuck, and me over for dinner when she got home from work. Wolf’s dad joined us as Tim put all Wolf’s yard equipment back together. He told us jokes that made me wonder why his wife put up with him.

◊◊◊

Chapter 7 – Fulfilling Wishes Friday September 9

At lunch, I shared that I’d been assigned to do a video for my photography class and was looking for ideas.

“Porn,” Phil, my idiot half brother, suggested.

His girlfriend, Jill, slugged him. I gave a warning glare to Wolf and Tim before they added their two cents.