Chapter 40: Don’t Celebrate in the Locker Room

Don’t Celebrate in the Locker Room

The morale of the students of Roosevelt was sky high. The football teams were winning, and the future of the teams looked bright.

The football players were being treated like kings of the school whenever they walked the halls. A freshman football team player got a head nod of acknowledgment from the other guys in the hall, perhaps even a high-five or two while making their way down the hall. A Junior Varsity football player met with high-fives, slight shoulder shoves and even a few hugs from the girls. A Varsity player got their choice of acknowledgment -- either a head nod or a high-five and handshake. Also, depending on the number of wins for the season, a star of the team could receive possible kisses on the cheek with the hug or, for the more popular player and more daring girl, a flagrant violation of the school conduct policy on Personal Displays of Affection. In that case, a kiss on the lips promising much more when applicable.

The tension in the locker room after morning practice and before the start of the second period was palpable, and you could cut it with a dull knife. Tim had just finished his twirl through the hair- and face-care process in front of the mirrors like the more girl-friendly members of the varsity team. He had just finished putting everything away when he locked his freshening-up bag in his locker. He sat on the stool to put on his shoes. “What is going on, man? It feels like a funeral in here,” Tim pointed out to Big G at the locker next to him.

“Oh. Well, the first grading period ended last week, and grades come out today. You should be getting yours in English. When do you have English?”

“Fourth period, right before lunch.”

“Do you stay in the cafeteria, or do you hang out in the locker room during lunch?”

“Mainly stay in the cafeteria, but I do come in here sometimes.”

“Well, if you come in after seeing your grades, don’t do any celebrating in the locker room. Some guys might have just lost their positions if their grades ain’t up to specs. Are you gonna have that problem?” Big G asked. Tim noticed Big G was holding in a breath when he asked.

“No. I dunno if I got straight A’s but I do know that I haven’t flunked anything.”

“Oh, well, then you good. Just don’t go flaunting it around the locker room. The same thing goes for the afternoon practice. That is when we will find out if any new positions open up in the varsity lockers because someone just flunked a class. That is also when we get to try out for those open spots. So, get your ass ready.”

“Alright then. I’ll see you this afternoon.” Tim and Big G bumped fists to say goodbye. Others had their intricate hand shaking gesticulations which always made Tim giggle to himself.

On his way out of the locker room, he joined a brief conference of the former freshman football friends. The five friends met then and there because of the snack and soda machines. The only bad behavior remaining from his life before the pill was Tim still purchasing three cans of Hawaiian Punch. He immediately opened one, chugged it and gave the second to Johnnie. The others would buy their sodas, and all would drink while listening to their friends get caught up with each other. Tim would finish his drink and then open the next to carry while walking to his second-period class. Mr. Baird, the Journalism teacher, did not disallow drinks or snacks in class, but he expected people to keep track of their trash and keep the classroom clean.

Even with the stop at the snack machines just outside the locker rooms, Tim reached one of his favorite classes quickly, allowing him to sit and relax a bit before the start of class. It also gave him a moment of reflection before the start of his academic day. Tim could not believe that the school year has advanced so fast. He had been so busy with football practice and working out that he did not notice the time passing. He had been sleepwalking through his classes since they were laughably easy for him now. Most of them were easy for him to pass before the pill, but now it just seemed like he was on a level so high he could not recognize the standing for everyone around him.

“Hi, Tim, how was your weekend?” Donna asked as she put her purse and backpack down on the table they shared in Journalism 1 class.

“Oh, fine. Nothing unusual.” Donna gave him a big smile because one of the congratulatory messages he received over the weekend was from her. She was one of the vocal fans cheering at the game. “Are you excited for today?”

“What do you mean? It’s just Monday.”

“Sure but it is also first grades! This is the day higher openings on the varsity and JV open up because some dumbass didn’t keep up with their grades,” Donna pointed out.

“Oh, yeah. The guys were telling me about it. I got English right before lunch.”

“Well, that’s good. That way it doesn’t mess with your stomach. If you flunked, you could eat ‘cause you’re already screwed, and you can start to accept it but, if you have a later English class, then you gotta wait.”

“Are you keeping an eye out for tennis grades?”

“Nope. Our season doesn’t start until like March. So I gotta make sure I end the school year on top, or I don’t get to play.”

“Well, make sure I know when and where you are playing, and I’ll try to make it out sometime.”

“Really? You’d come out to watch us play?”

“Sure. Why wouldn’t I. You’ve come out to see us, right?”

“Well, yeah, but that’s football. It’s like a prerequisite for graduation here in Texas.”

The mad dash for the door once the bell rang was a common occurrence for the end of Tim’s English class. Everyone tries to get out of class as soon as possible to get into the cafeteria lines and get their food. Then they can join their friends and use the most significant amount of their lunch break to visit with friends. Tim would typically be no different, but he had a reason to be last to leave the class.

“How has your day been, Julie?”

The English teacher immediately blushed when she heard her name from her man. He spent the majority of the class smiling – either about his grades or his teacher. The lesson was cookie cutter, but Tim decided, even if he weren’t sleeping with his teacher, he would at least enjoy the speed of her class. Julianne Holmes treated her class like a college course. She would give the reading assignments and never mention it again until quizzes and tests showed whether or not you were doing the necessary work. It was a definite ‘being thrown into the deep end’ class, but Ms. Holmes always made time for any student who needed help keeping up with the quality.

“Much better now that I finally get to see you.” She reached up at his shoulders and pulled the student down for an intense kiss. After a few moments, the two slightly separated but stayed close for more embracing. “Hot damn, I needed that!” Both laughed at her sudden outburst.

“I have an idea.”

“Oh, you typical man – always wanting to go off somewhere and do nasty things. Fine. Let me get my purse, and I’ll find us a hotel room.” Ms. Holmes took a step back toward her desk and then looked back at a dumbfounded Tim as she began laughing. “Holy cow! The look on your face is priceless!”

Tim, while briefly flustered, decided he liked her laugh more than worrying about her attempt at embarrassing him. “While I wouldn’t say no, I do have another idea that is totally probable.”

Julianne leaned back onto her desk waiting for Tim to continue. “Well, what idea were you overtaxing your brain about?” The small Cheshire smile was a powerful, disarming weapon.

“How about tomorrow night we get together for a little bit of fun?”

“I’m listening.” It took every ounce of her self-control to keep from jumping up and wrapping herself around Tim like a boa constrictor.

“Well, I can use the old ‘sister of a friend picking me up and bringing me over for help with some school work.’ I figure I can give a story about going to help a friend after practice and that I’d be home late. Would you be able to pick me up later? Down the road? I wouldn’t want anyone to see you picking me up.”

Julianne was giddy with the thought of a clandestine rendezvous for purposes of ‘having fun.’ She took a quick second to agree, and they shared another deep, sensual kiss. “Wow, if that is a preview of what I have coming tomorrow then I might be in trouble.” That comment got Tim blushing. Tim’s stomach chose that moment to rumble, reminding him he needed to eat.

“I take it you think it is a good idea,” Tim asked.

“Yes. I think it is a wonderful idea. I can meet you in the Target parking lot after practice.”

“Yeah, that’ll work. I can probably find your car in there pretty quick.”

“Okay, it’s a date.”

“Dude. You got straight perfect hundreds in all your classes. I can’t believe it. Lemme see your report card,” Mark Mazzurana was almost apoplectic when he learned about Tim’s grades. The five friends were sitting at their table during lunch and comparing grades. “Shit. I got a C, and I’m worried that my mom might make me leave football if I don’t get a better grade.”

“What class gave you a C?”

“Fucking Honors U.S. History, man. I thought I was doing okay, and then I realized I wasn’t keeping up with the daily blog entries, and I fell behind.”

“Well, dude, it’s an honors course. Maybe you can ask your teacher if you can write a report or something to get you over the hump,” Tim tried to advise his friend. “I’d also go ahead and promise not to miss your blogs any further, either.”

“Yeah, I thought it would be cool to take the honors course.”

“Is it too hard for you? I mean, are you having troubles keeping up with the discussions and whatever?” Tim asked.

“No. Not really. I keep up just fine. I’d have a high B if it weren’t for missing the damn blogs. Shit, I should have just taken the time to get myself all caught up over the weekend, but I was worn out and just slept an extra couple of hours.”

“Well, then, it is probably a time issue. Just set aside a time to do the blog each night. I do mine while I’m watching the news.”

“Whaddya mean?”

“Well, I watch the news and pick one story that is interesting. I write the quick couple of paragraphs during the weather. When the sports ends, I either finish the blog or put my shit away for bed. Either way, that’s a good eight-to-ten minutes every weeknight where I can write a quick blog.” Tim took a second to bite into his hamburger. “That’s the way I do my blogs for my class. They ain’t looking for some perfect paper with a table of contents and glossary. They want you to write something about history every day. I generally try to think of what is going on in today’s world and how it would have looked back to whenever the hell we are studying now.”

All the heads at the table were listening intently and nodding in understanding. “I hope everyone else here is okay, grade-wise, right?”

Heads nodded, and mouths full of food grunted agreements, and the lunch continued without any other unusual interruptions.

“Okay, everybody, attention!” Head Coach and Athletic Director, “Big” John Fontana, called up all the players as they came in for practice Monday afternoon after school. The team was on eggshells all day worried about who was academically ineligible. Rumors of who made this grade and who didn’t turn in this report for a class ran rampant throughout the school. Most of the student body were involved because, for the first time in a long time, there was an actual feeling of hope that Roosevelt High School and Texas Football playoffs were a possibility.

“I know you have all been worried about which of you have been ruled academically ineligible. Those of you who have been ruled ineligible have already met with your position coach, and you know who you are. There is no reason to embarrass anyone.” Tim and the other freshman players didn’t understand the feeling of confusion that wafted over the JV and Varsity teams. “It was my policy in the past to bring each player who flunked to stand in front of the team and apologize for hurting the team. I’m not going to do that anymore. I thought it was a way to push you to get higher grades, but Coach Fontana showed me it had the exact opposite effect. If any of you have had that happen to you in the past, I apologize.”

The wafting fog of confusion was evaporating and a feeling of hope that permeated the school over the last week was finally reaching into the locker room. “For years, I’ve been embarrassing players into improving their grades instead of helping to improve your grades. I was able to get you guys a little bit of help. Mr. Brown is a former coach and even back then was telling me the same thing. I didn’t listen, before.” Coach Fontana looked up at Mr. Brown, who was standing behind the kneeling team members. “I’ll bet it was like trying to convince a brick wall to move, wasn’t it, Mr. Brown?” The other coaches in the room all politely laughed while he just smiled and nodded.

“You guys who were having trouble with your grades are to go with Mr. Brown, who, along with a few members of the honor society, has offered to spend some time helping you guys get your grades back up. Dress out in shorts and t-shirt for work with the tutors and, when finished, you come to catch the last half of practice each day.” Some shifted to get up, but Big John got everyone’s attention. “Hang on a second. I ain’t quite done with the family business just yet,” he expressed before he paused while everyone got comfortable again.

“Now, we have to fill a few slots in the JV and the Varsity squads because of the grade situation. When I call your name, stand up. ‘Big G’ Gabe Gomez, Kevin Robinson and Cody Watson have moved up to the varsity. There is room in there for you three, so there is no need for anyone to leave the locker room just because of grades.” There were no shouting or congratulations just a few nods and nervous release of breaths from a few new varsity players.

“Now comes something I have never done before this season, but when you realize the things you used to do are no longer working -- well, you need to open yourself up for change. You find a need to change a lot of things. When I call your name, gather your gear and move into the JV locker cage. Jeff Green, Carlos Gomez, and Johnnie Boynes: you three start practicing with the JV today.”

“As for everyone else here today, well, we are opening up all spots, so get yourselves ready for trying out. All spots are open again, and seniority doesn’t mean much except, in theory, you’re older and maybe wiser but, most certainly, you should be able to win your position.” After a few seconds of clapping, Big John whistled a long, hard, and shrill blast getting everyone’s attention, then yelled, “Let’s move it or lose it!” The other coaches began clapping and encouraging everyone to get dressed out and onto the field as quick as possible.

Before reaching the JV lockers, Coach Barrett pulled Tim aside to a corner away from the football area, near the baseball lockers, and began speaking in a hushed voice with strong feelings. “Son, this is your chance. Get yourself ready. You have an opening today to get onto the varsity as a freshman. That has been possible in other schools but, in this one, it has not been that way for decades. I know you can do it. The starters on the defensive line are a strength for the varsity, but they are not the best athletes. You can do it. You can do it today. You deserve it.” Coach Barrett emphasized his point by grabbing Tim by his shoulders and giving small but strong shakes.

“Get going, and I’ll see you out there. The freshman football team is working out with the JV and varsity this afternoon. You’ll have a cheering section when you challenge, that’s for damn sure!” With that, he nudged Tim back toward the JV locker area.

Tim sat down in front of his locker and soon spotted his three friends just making their way into the JV locker area. He pointed out the available open lockers next to him. Hamburger made his way over to his brother’s old locker on Tim’s left side. It just seemed like the right thing to do. There was little to no worry about losing the three players to grades since they were not starters but the losses to the varsity would hurt. The new freshmen players were known to be very good, and no one thought they couldn’t at least challenge for the open spots. The JV coaches and players had seen these guys play and knew they could catch up to them very quickly.

The congratulatory shoulder slaps and other displays of happiness were kept to the bare minimum. There were a few guys in the locker room who had just lost their hard-earned positions because they let up on their schoolwork. They were probably out for the rest of the season unless Roosevelt could make it to the playoffs. Those players who could get their grades back up would be eligible to return and challenge for their old spots again.

There was a nervous and palpable energy vibrating through each player on the field. The excitement of not knowing where the new guys would fit into their new teams and the unknown of who would take a chance and challenge for a starting spot was everywhere. The feeling of a new season was within reach. The opening exercises were brief, and coaches herded everyone up to the primary field to get ready for tryouts.

The newly promoted teammates into the varsity all made the first challenges for starting spots on the varsity. Only two of the three were able to win starting spots in the varsity. Cody Watson, while very good, was not able to unseat the two-year starting running back, Jimmy Holmes. However, it was visible to everyone watching that the two running backs looked so similar it was like looking at film of the same running back two years apart. They both ran with a beautiful, fluid motion, and both hit the sliver of a hole cleanly to get the most yards available per run but, in the end, Jimmy Holmes’ two years of experience on how to block blitzers from the defense turned out to be the difference. The future in the backfield for Roosevelt looked very well in hand, though, with Cody Watson as the backup and number one option for next year’s team.

Kevin Robinson, on the other hand, was an almost exact copy of his older brother Frank, and the bigger brother was not about to let his little brother take his starting spot. It was close, but Frank’s leadership and knack for getting to the football were enough to get over his little brother’s infusion of speed and tenacity.

The loudest cheerleader for Kevin during his challenge was his big brother Frank. When they finished with the practice, those two could be seen hugging each other off to the side. Everyone waited until they ended with their family meeting before congratulating Kevin on a great challenge, even if it did fall just short.

The third challenge of the afternoon found Big G, Hamburger’s older brother, fighting for the starting left tackle spot on the varsity offensive line. The current starter, senior Jeff Peterson, was playing his first season for the varsity. He had not set the world on fire with his blocking, but he had not caused problems along the line of scrimmage. A few minutes into the challenge, Peterson approached Coach Fontana, Big John’s son, and after a minute of talking, the trial completed. Big G was promoted to starting left tackle and Peterson was moved to right tackle, a position open due to grades. It was the proper fix since Peterson was not popular but not hated among the other players. That changed for the better when he volunteered to make the move and learn an entirely new position on the other side of the line of scrimmage.

Big John blew a mighty screech from his whistle to get everyone’s attention again. “We have one more challenge for a starting varsity position, and this is also in the defense.” The energy in the team picked up with players making calculated guesses as to who was challenging for another spot on the defense. “Tim Murphy – front and center.” Tim didn’t even think. He just jogged up to Big John while also snapping his helmet on tightly. “Jeff Smith. Your starting defensive end position is on the line. Line it up!”