Chapter 37: Constance Becomes Constant

The rout of Constance seemed to signal an end to any disturbances for lunch. Maurice hung around for a while at the other table in the courtyard, staring at us, but saying nothing as Jason and I cuddled with our girls and listened to Jessica bragging about how good the freshman cheerleaders would be this year. I had to laugh at that since Kelsey, Matilda, Kathy and Millicent had all made the cheerleading squad.

Jason seemed a bit preoccupied, but volunteered nothing about his brief conversation with our German teacher despite Letty's attempts to coax the truth from him. Still it was a very pleasant time until the bell rang to signal that it was time to return to class.

Our final academic class for the day was chemistry. This was normally a sophomore class, but Jessica had suggested that we would get more out of a science class than another elective. Her father's influence had allowed us to skip forward and take the class early. The teacher was a Mister McMichael. He seemed completely uninterested in the class and students, droning on about his plans for the school year after rushing through taking roll.

We all sat quietly, if impatiently as Mister McMichael completed giving us his initial lesson. He finished speaking just a second before the bell rang releasing us from class, and then shouted to remind us that we were expected to read the first chapter of the textbook by Friday.

Jason and I stood up at the bell and gathered our packs. Jessica just shook her head as the girls quickly began throwing notepads and pencils into bags. "We'll all meet after practice," Jessica called out as Jason and I ran from the classroom.

"Are you ready for some football?" Jason asked.

"Pain and suffering," I said with a smile as he headed to the locker room.

We were met at the entrance to the locker room by Coach Durant. He nodded at the majority of the players before pulling Jason and me aside. He led us into the locker room and to a small office with large windows. There was a couch in the office and he pointed towards it.

"Sit please," he said.

Jason and I stood in the doorway looking at each other as Coach Durant walked around the desk in the room and sat in an office chair. He noticed that we had not moved and shook his head. "Please," he said again. "Sit down, this is nothing bad."

I sat on the right side of the couch. Jason dropped into the left side, leaving the center empty. Coach Durant scowled for a moment. He then looked directly at me. "Rumor says that both of you were seen with upper class girls," he began. "And they also say that one was a rather popular cheerleader last year."

Jason snorted. "Both are cheerleaders this year."

I could see Coach Durant sit up in surprise. "Leticia Agosto is a cheerleader?" he gasped out. "And yes, I've heard of her reputation for being very militant about how cheerleaders are indecent."

Jason managed to look smug and embarrassed at the same time. "She said that it wasn't fair that only Mark was going to be dating a varsity cheerleader this year and worked with Ashley all summer to learn the routines. We found out yesterday afternoon that she made the squad."

Coach Durant turned to look at me. "So the rumors are accurate then."

"I never heard no rumors," I said.

Jason snorted, but Coach Durant merely nodded. "Fine, I know it is not really my business, but I wanted to know what kind of boys you are. Mark, do you have any worries about the team accepting you?"

"I practice hard and do the best I can for the team," I replied. "They shouldn't worry about more than that, and if they do, that's up to them. I'm here to play football."

"Same with me," Jason said. "I want to get along with the others, but my first concern in playing my best and helping the team."

"Really?" Coach Durant said dubiously.

"What's this about?" I asked. "I mean, the fact that I'm dating Ashley isn't exactly a secret, but I can't see how it might affect the football team."

"I just wanted to gauge how you would deal with the jealousy you might encounter," Coach Durant said. "Mark, you are going to be the starting fullback and nickel safety. Jason, you'll be starting at tight end as well as our primary pass rush end. You are the only two freshman to make the first team."

Jason and I slapped our hands in a high five. "We won't let you down," Jason promised.

"See that you don't," Coach Durant said as he stood up.

Jason and I stood as well as Coach Durant started to walk around the desk. We were turning toward the front door when Coach Durant spoke again. "Mark, I've heard that you have the CAP to volunteer. Just how high is it?"

I shrugged. "I have a seven point five."

"Is that how you talked Ashley into dating you?" he asked.

"We agreed to start going out before we knew my score," I replied. "Neither of us had taken the time to test before the President announced that testing was now mandatory. We went in after that announcement and it turned out we tested on the same day. We met in the hallway just outside the testing chambers and decided to pair up."

"She always seemed so aloof," Coach Durant said. "How has she taken the news that you'll have three others with you?"

Jason laughed as we opened the door to return to the locker room. "She understood that from the start. I even remember that she was the one who first approached the other girl that has become part of their family."

"Family?" Coach Durant asked. "You're still on Earth?"

"Thank you Captain Obvious," I replied. "Just because I'm on Earth doesn't mean that I can't find women who want to leave this planet with me when I'm picked up. Ashley tries to be near me all the time as does Lenore."

"Lenore?" Coach Durant asked.

"Mark's other hottie girlfriend," Jason said. "Some of the team saw her the first day of practice."

I felt my face heat up. "She's important to me," I said.

Coach Durant shook his head. "Well, it's your funeral. Just remember that your teammates might become a bit jealous and if they do some might take it out on you in practice."

"Such is life," I said with a shrug as Jason and I found our assigned lockers and began changing for practice. The other members of the team were also throwing material into lockers. We could hear coaches calling for the team to get on the field quickly as there was a lot to practice for the week.

Even after meeting with Coach Durant, Jason and I were two of the first to run to the field. The coaches for the varsity were standing on the sideline near the west thirty yard line while Coach Grisham and Coach Durant were standing near the east thirty. Jason and I jogged up to them and looked around.

"You might as well warm up a bit," Coach Grisham said. "Knowing how it worked last year the sophomores will take their time today."

Coach Durant shook his head. "They do this every year, even when we punish them every year for doing it."

Jason and I decided to warm up with some burpees. We challenged each other to do them faster or make the pushups one handed as we waited for the rest of the team to head out. Several of the players began shouting at us when they arrived and then turned to throwing footballs. Jason and I had each completed more than one hundred burpees when Coach Grisham blew a whistle.

"I see we are all finally out here," he said slightly scornfully. "And as usual some of the freshmen actually look like they want to practice while you sophomores come in strutting like you already own your starting roles. Well, once again, that's not true. Now, line up and we'll start with some stretching before we get practicing."

Coach Grisham got everyone lined up and ran us through several stretching and warm up exercises. Despite the practices of the previous two weeks several of the sophomores were clearly struggling to complete the exercises. A couple actually collapsed on the ground as Coach Durant blew the whistle and shouted. "Everyone gather around me and kneel!"

Jason and I were smiling as we jogged over. Jason nudged me and pointed to the track that ran around the field. Coach Durant ignored the existence of the pickups and watched as the rest of the team staggered into a rough semi-circle around him. He scowled at the last two players to take a knee.

"This team has a game on Friday and based on these simple warm-up exercises, we are not ready. In fact, the only two players who might be ready are freshmen. You sophomores need to pay closer attention and practice harder. We only have thirty-four players and don't have time to coddle those who aren't ready to play. Today, we are going to start practicing some of our basic offensive and defensive plays. When I call your name, you will run, not walk to the pickup trucks parked on the track. There you will receive your pads, helmet, jersey and playbook.

The coaches started by calling out the names of the teams sixteen sophomores. I was a bit surprised to see that we had so few players. Roger was kneeling next to me and shrugged. "Some of them were taken in pickups. Usually by girlfriends."

"Nothing wrong with that," I said. "Hopefully they understood that their girlfriend was going to be top dog in the relationship though."

"What do you mean?" another freshman asked as Maurice jogged over to the trucks to collect his gear.

"I have a female friend with the CAP to volunteer. She's still looking for a guy who she can trust to be what she needs in the household," I replied.

"She just needs me and my big cock!" one of the freshman shouted out.

Jason burst out laughing. "Oh hell no!" he gasped out.

Coach Durant wandered over to stand behind Jason. "Do I amuse you?" he said. "Is this process fun?"

"No coach!" Jason said as he froze.

"Good," Coach Durant said. "Now we are going to start calling all of you freshmen. Run don't walk to the trucks."

"Parker, Mark!" Coach Durant shouted.

I jumped to my feet and started running to the trucks. Two men standing in the back of one of the trucks turned to wave me over to the back of that pickup. The short jog was refreshing. I stopped at the back of the truck and stood looking at the lowered tailgate.

"Parker, Mark," one of the two men on the truck said. "Jersey number thirty-five. There also should be a box of pads for him."

The other man was digging through a pile of boxes. He came up with a cardboard box. This was handed to the first man and then passed on to me. I looked at it and could see a clear label indicating that the box contained home and away jerseys. As I gazed at the box a second box was dropped on top of it followed by a white binder.

"Move and set it down," the man in the truck said. "More players still need to get their gear."

I staggered away from the truck and found a shaded spot between the track and the grandstands to set the boxes down. Coach Grisham was shouting at the players. "For now get your helmets out and put them on. We'll be checking fit during practice. Tomorrow we'll be practicing in full pads so make sure you put everything away in your locker tonight. Also look at pages three through six in the playbook. Those are the plays we will be working on today."

I was pulling out the playbook when Jason jogged up carrying his own set of boxes. "I got number eighty-nine," he told me.

"I want to see helmets and jerseys. You have two each home and away," Coach Durant.

I opened up the boxes and found my helmet. I said nothing to Jason as I reverently pulled the helmet from its box and examined it. Several pads tumbled to the ground.

"What's that?' Jason asked.

I looked down at the pads. "I think they are used to adjust the fit."

I checked the boxes and found a road team's jersey to put on. Coach Grisham was shouting for everyone to assemble around him on one of the thirty yard lines. "And bring your playbook!" he commanded.

I grabbed my helmet and playbook and ran back onto the field. Most of the sophomores were already wearing their helmets and chatting calmly with their teammates. My helmet was a bit tight around the ears, and I had to adjust the chin strap before it was comfortable. Next, I opened the playbook and started looking at the four plays the coaches had said we needed to review.

The plays were some rather elaborate option plays designed to be run from a shotgun formation. I noticed that the fullback normally lined up directly beside the quarterback on the same side as the tight end. The first two plays gave the quarterback the option to hand the ball to me. The third was a designed sweep where I was supposed to step around the quarterback and seal off any pursuit, while the final play was a pass play. The assignments for the fullback were basic, but I could see that there were quite a few variations that could be added in the future.

Coach Grisham waited until the last player arrived in the growing circle. He waited for just a moment and then nodded. "Right, listen up. Today we'll be starting with a walk-through on the plays. Once Coach Durant and I think you know the plays, we'll add the defense practice. There is to be no hitting today. We have a game on Friday and can't afford any injuries. So now, first team offense, line up at the forty yard line for the first play. Lucas, you are the quarterback."

Jason and I jumped up and ran over to the forty. There was a ball sitting between the hash marks. One of my teammates, a sophomore wearing the number fifty-nine, stood over the ball, facing the far end zone. The first play had me lining up seven yards behind the line of scrimmage and just to the left of the quarterback. I found my spot on the field and crouched in a set position waiting for the next instructions from the coaches.

Coach Grisham waited while the rest of the starters got into position. The quarterback slapped me on the back as he got into position. "I better not get sacked," he said scornfully before turning to look at the coach.

"If you've read your playbook you should know this play," Coach Grisham said. "It's going to be our primary running play. Tanner snap the ball."

The center sent the ball back. Lucas was not ready, but still managed to snag the ball.

"This isn't a game, but I better not catch you goofing off!" Coach Grisham howled at Lucas. "Now, on this play after the snap the quarterback turns toward the fullback. That's to your left Lucas."

Lucas turned toward me; I held my arms apart as if I expected to receive a hand off. "Mark has it right I see," Coach Grisham said. "Linemen, you'll be blocking the players in front of you. If you can the proper move will be to push them to your right. Now Lucas, you can if you choose hand the ball to the fullback, who will run directly at the line of scrimmage. For now pull the ball back, and start running a sweep to the left. Jenkins, you should be shadowing him."

I started to run toward the line of scrimmage. "Parker! This is a walkthrough, just step forward and out of the way!" Coach Grisham exclaimed. "Meanwhile, Lucas on your run if you think you'll be stopped, you can pitch to Jenkins. For now pitch it. Jenkins, you'd try to take the ball outside."

A moment later the whistle blew. "Good, now any freshmen who want to line up on defense can. Try to be in your normal position. We'll walk through it two more times and then start to go at full speed."

After that the practice became what seemed like an endless repetitions of the play. Lucas refused to hand the ball to me, always choosing to run himself or to pitch to any of the three running backs who joined us on the field. The second quarterback Terrence was more willing to allow me to keep the ball, but on three occasions stuffed the ball into my arms hard enough to cause it to bounce off my chest. I avoided fumbling, which only seemed to annoy him. Eventually, he treated me like Lucas did and barely faked handing me the football.

Eventually I got a break from the offense. Most of the other first string players lounged on the sidelines after being pulled, but I jogged back out on the defensive side of the ball. Jason joined me and we had a merry time disrupting the flow of the play for the second stringers.

Some time later Coach Grisham had us walk through the second and third plays from the book. By now Jason and I had discovered that Lucas avoided directing the play in our direction when possible. I said nothing, but concentrated on following through on the coaches' directives and learning the plays quickly. Jason appeared to be doing the same.

Finally, after we had worked on each of the four plays Coach Grisham blew the whistle and brought play to a halt. "Gather round!" he shouted.

I joined the rest of the team as we streamed toward Coach Grisham. We formed a rough circle four players deep around him. There was some playful shoving as some of my teammates tried to stand next to friends. Coach Grisham allowed this to continue for a moment and then blew his whistle again.

"Take a knee!" he shouted.

Everyone immediately turned to face him and then dropped to one knee. Coach Durant pushed through the circle to stand next to Coach Grisham. The assistant coach had a scowl on his face.

"I'm not happy with the effort today!" he exclaimed. "Our first game is this Friday. That's four days away. These four plays need to be instinctive. We don't use a complex offense with lots of different plays. You need to know these and to know them well."

Coach Grisham had a frown on his face as he turned around slowly. He seemed to examine each of my teammates as he surveyed the field. "Tomorrow we'll be going into a bit more depth with the practice. It will be in full pads. First team, wear a home jersey, everyone else wear away. And tomorrow you better be ready to practice within ten minutes of the start of the final period. Anyone who isn't ready will run laps for the first hour of practice. Now get to the showers and get home."

"And don't slack off on your homework because you are on the team," Coach Durant shouted. "The district has been known to hold surprise tests designed to make sure that athletes are really learning. Failing one of those makes you ineligible for the next year."

"Dismissed," Coach Grisham shouted as several of my teammates jumped up and started to run towards the locker rooms.

I waited for the crowd to clear and then spread my legs and started a series of stretching exercises. I was working on stretching my hamstrings when I realized that Jason and Maurice were nearby. Jason had joined me while Maurice had a confused look on his face.

"Why are you stretching now?" Maurice asked.

"This is a good time to stretch," Jason said. "Our muscles are already warmed up thanks to the exercise and this will help them cool back down."

"Where did you hear that?' Coach Durant asked. "You shouldn't remain on the field after practice has been called."

"One of the men we worked with over the summer," I said. "He admitted that the idea is not accepted by everyone, but it can't hurt and I'm not sure I want to deal with the politics we'd see in the locker room."

Maurice sighed. "You noticed?"

"Hard not to," I replied. "Lucas didn't want to hand me the football at all and Terrence kept trying to make me fumble it when he did hand it to me. Coach, if they are that way in games the other team will quickly figure out that I'm not a real option. Perhaps I should stick to defense."