Scramble
Copyright© 2025 by Lumpy
Chapter 5
I stood a few feet back from the athletic department bulletin board, watching as a small crowd of students pressed forward to check the newly-posted track roster. Eduardo was a ball of nerves, I guess worried that he hadn’t made it.
“I can’t see anything,” he muttered, even though he hadn’t tried to move forward and get a spot to look at the page.
“Just wait until some of them clear out.”
Once I suggested he wait, he did the opposite and started pushing into the crowd, trying to squeeze himself in between the bodies.
“He’s really worked up about this,” Li said.
“Yeah.”
“Did you tell him everyone makes the team?”
“No. I want him to feel like he earned it.”
Eduardo had reached the front of the crowd and was running his finger down the list of names. His shoulders tensed, and for a second, I thought that maybe I’d been wrong and Coach Greer hadn’t put him on the team after all. I didn’t think it worked like that, but I also hadn’t actually tried out for track before.
Then Eduardo’s head snapped up and he spun around, his face transformed by a look of pure disbelief.
“I’m on the list!” he said as he pushed his way back to us. “I made it!”
“Congratulations. I knew you could do it.”
“Thanks. It’s only the relays, but it’s still on the team.”
“Look at you, a track star,” Li said.
I didn’t have the heart to tell him that unless he was also on an individual race, I was pretty sure relay was where they put the “also rans.” A spot to give them something to do.
“Are you going to go see where your name is?” Li asked.
“When everyone’s done. No rush.”
I wasn’t being cocky, I was just not overly concerned with track. Sure, I would give it my all when I competed and I wanted to win, but that’s ‘cause I wanted to win at everything I did. Football was still my love and goal, and that was where my attention was really focused.
Li rolled her eyes at me and pushed her way through the crowd. Reaching the page, she ran her finger down the list, gave a nod, and came back to us.
“Hundred, two-hundred and four-hundred,” she announced.
“So literally everything you tried out for,” Eduardo said. “Does it get old being good at everything?”
“Nope. Not really,” I said, beaming, which earned me a punch in the shoulder from Li.
“When do practices start?” he asked.
“Tomorrow after school.”
That wasn’t on the sheet, but Coach had said it at tryouts. Eduardo must have been so nervous he didn’t notice. For whatever reason, the information seemed to make him more fidgety.
“What is wrong with you?” I asked, bumping his arm with my elbow. “You are jumpy as hell.”
“I just ... man, I don’t want to screw this up. I see what you two have going on, and everyone else we eat lunch with, and I’m just some guy. And I’ve never run track before. Sure, it’s just running but like, I know there’s more to it than that.”
“You’ll learn all that at practice.”
“But what if I’m too far behind everyone else? Nearly everyone else has run track before, either here or in middle school. I’m like, the only person who is totally new.”
“You know what you need? Extra practice,” Li said.
“What do you mean?”
“Just that. You need more practice to get the jitters out. The more you do something, the easier it is. Just getting in shots with the team has helped me a ton! And all those practices before tryouts with Blake. They really loosened me up,” Li said, and then stopped, an expression of sudden realization hitting her. “Actually, that’s a great idea. You should practice with Blake!”
“What?” both Eduardo and I said at the same time, although with very different inflections.
“No, this is a great idea. You’ve been running for football for a while and you did that practice with Coach Greer. You can show Eduardo the basics before the official practices start.”
“No, I couldn’t ask you to do that. You’ve already got like a million things going on. You’re too busy for that.”
“He’s not too busy for friends,” Li said firmly. “Right, Blake?”
Eduardo was saying no, but that was just him being polite, like his mother always pushed him to be. His face was saying, ‘Please, for the love of God, help me.’ I couldn’t say no.
Besides, I was at least partially responsible for him being on the team. I’d pulled strings to make sure he made something, even though I think, looking back, Coach Greer might have been putting me on, because not a single person who tried out got cut. Everyone was doing something on the team.
Still, a deal was a deal. Besides, even if I had been tricked by the coach, I’d still vouched for him. If Eduardo crashed and burned, that would be on me.
“No, she’s right. I’d love to help,” I said, trying very hard not to make it sound begrudging.
“See?” Li smiled triumphantly. “Problem solved.”
“But when would we even practice?” Eduardo asked. “You said track is right after school, and I have to be home for dinner by six or my mom gets worried. And you’ve got seven-on-seven coming up and that QB coach.”
He wasn’t wrong. My schedule already sucked. Between track practice, my regular conditioning work for football, studying, and the quarterback coaching that was hopefully starting soon, there was practically no room in it.
Well, there was one spot left. One that I hadn’t really wanted to refill.
Still. A promise was a promise.
“We can do mornings. We can meet at the track before school. Six o’clock?”
“Six? In the morning?”
“You want to get ready, then that’s the time we have to do it. Besides, sacrifice is part of what it means to be an athlete. I guess you’re going to find out I don’t just get by on charm and raw talent alone.”
Li laughed, Eduardo didn’t.
“I don’t know...” he said.
Li nudged him. “Come on, this is your chance, Eddie. Blake knows what he’s doing.”
“Are you sure you have time?” Eduardo asked me. “I don’t want to be a burden.”
Now he was hedging. I could read between the lines. He didn’t want to get up at six, but didn’t want to tell me he didn’t want to get up at six.
“You’re not a burden, you’re my friend,” I said. “And friends help each other out. We’ll start tomorrow. Just wear something you can run in and bring your school clothes to change into.”
Knowing he wasn’t getting out of it, he kind of sagged and said, “Sure. Six it is.”
“Great. Now, don’t you have a meeting with the guidance counselor?” Li asked Eduardo.
I swear to God, at some point, Li became her mother and started tracking both our schedules, mother henning us.
Eduardo checked his watch and jumped. “Yes! I’m supposed to be there in five minutes. I have to go. But thank you, Blake. Really. I’ll see you tomorrow morning!”
He turned and raced down the hallway, nearly colliding with a group of girls coming around the corner.
“They grow up so fast, don’t they?” I said, watching him scramble out of the way.
“You’re an idiot,” she said, punching me in the arm.
We both laughed like crazy people.
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