Chapter 2: Tracy's Birthday

Thursday September 11

I got out of bed and ran.

I wanted to talk to the coaches about the hurry up offense. If we really implemented it, we would be running teams off the field. The first time I remembered seeing the fast-paced offense was watching the Oregon Ducks. Chip Kelly was their coach at the time. He now coached the Philadelphia Eagles. His teams were exciting and quick scoring, and they were relentless with their pace. People hated to play them.

I could see a couple of good reasons for doing it. The first was, we were in better shape than anyone we were likely to play. Running a fast-paced offense also didn't give the defense time to make personnel changes for down and distance. It made you play them with the same eleven players on the field and you kept reacting. I knew the rules allowed the opponent to be given a chance to make substitutions, but a player who had to sprint in was already out of breath when the ball was snapped. The team who can dictate the pace of play ... wins.

The other reason was, you could get a lot more plays into a game. In the first half, there were a total of 23 plays for both teams. In the second half, both teams combined for 39 plays. If we had run up-tempo the whole game, we could have picked up about 15 plays. Playing up-tempo the whole game, would have added enough plays that it would be like playing offense for an extra quarter.

The real difference came in yardage. We picked up 89 yards in the first half compared to the second where we gained 254 yards. We also picked up more yards per play, 6.5 versus 3.9. Of course that could be accounted for by the passes I threw. I just had a gut feel we were onto something.

I could see a couple of major road blocks to implementing this type of offense, besides not being the coach. First, it wasn't something you could just flip a switch and do. I could see us doing it for short stretches during a game, but until the guys were used to it, we shouldn't be running it flat out. Second, Coach Hope seemed to believe in winning with defense. It wasn't as sexy as seeing how many points you could score, but it won football games. If my goal was to win state this year, I couldn't care less how we did it. I just knew the up-tempo was more fun.

When I got to school, I ran into Tracy. I was admiring her jeans trying to figure out how she got them on, they were so tight. She caught me staring.

"What are you looking at?" she teased me.

"Please! You wouldn't be wearing those jeans if you didn't want guys looking," I shot back.

"You might be right," she told me then changed the subject. "I never see you. Mom asked if you were coming to my party on Saturday, and that was when I realized I hadn't invited you."

"Is your house now party central? What is this, two parties in four weeks?" I asked.

"It's my birthday," she reminded me.

I felt like a 'stupid boy!' It was at her birthday last year I first really got to know her. I should've had it in my calendar. I gave her a tight smile.

"Of course I'll come to your birthday party. What do you want me to bring?"

"I'll just be happy if you come. I'm sure you'll be busy earlier with the game."

I was confused. The game was Friday night. She saw my look and explained it to me.

"The HSAA has rules about how much time there must be between football games. The minimum is three days. So, since you played on Wednesday, you can't play again 'till Saturday. Remember the playoffs? They did the same Wednesday and Saturday schedule for the first round. They announced the change last night."

"Okay, did you suddenly become Tami? How the heck did you find out?" I asked.

"I talked to Coach Hope when he came in this morning."

Well, that would do it.

I called Kendal when Tracy was out of earshot.

"Hey, it's me," I told her.

"Hey, me, what can I do for you?" she asked.

"What do I get Tracy for her birthday?"

"Why, when's her birthday?"

"Saturday."

"Dang it, I totally forgot. I've no idea."

"Come on, Kendal, you're killing me. Last time I looked you were a girl. Surely you have some ideas," I begged.

"Personally, I could use a sex toy ... Oh crap, did I say that out loud?" she teased me.

"If you take me with you, I'll pay for it," I offered.

"Nice try! You can't even get in the door until you're 18."

"We could buy it online," I told her then hit myself in the head.

"Really?"

"Just shut-up and tell me what to buy her."

"I'll talk to Tom and see if he has any ideas," she offered.

I wasn't counting on it. I thought about who to call. Then it hit me: Dad! He was pretty good at advice, and he had to buy things for Mom. I'd never heard her complain!

"This better be important," was how he answered the phone.

"It is, to me," I shot back.

"What's up?"

"What should I get Tracy for her birthday?" I asked him.

I heard him say in the background, 'You have to hear this. This is what my kid interrupts me at work for.'

"Hey, how do I put this on speaker phone?" he asked me.

I wasn't so sure I wanted to tell him.

"Why, so you can make fun of me?"

"Yep, just tell me."

So I did. He made me ask the question again. They all laughed at me.

"Get her a letterman jacket. If they see you and Tracy wearing them, the rest will get them," Dad told me, reminding me of my promise to Coach Hope.

"Thanks, Dad," I said and then hung up.

I knew I could count on him.

In PE, Coach Diamond wouldn't let me lift. He made me go to the trainers, because my back was bruised. I came strolling in to find a new girl. She was really cute, and looked young. She was about five-nine, had blonde hair, and at least a 'C' cup. Modeling had given me an eye for that kind of thing ... of course, if you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you. I put on my best smile.

"Hi, I'm your eight o'clock," I told her.

She looked confused. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"Didn't they write down my appointment? Dawson, full body massage with happy ending," I said helpfully. "Do you want me to just strip now, or how do you want to do it?"

That didn't go well. She took off to tattle. I just took my shirt off and waited for Becky and Jill. I knew they would be in to torture me. They were trying not to laugh as the new girl told on me. No one likes a tattletale.

"David, you have to be nice to our new charges, or they will quit," Becky told me.

"Ah, let her. I don't need her ratting me out every time I come in."

"I agree, but you don't need to hit on her, either," Jill said.

"Sorry, new girl, I won't flirt with you anymore," I said and then turned to the two trainers. "Coach Diamond said I had to get a treatment."

Jill found my folder, which was pretty thick. She got out a new sheet showing the human body and she started taking notes of the location of each bruise and abrasion. While Jill took notes, Becky was prodding all my dings. I think she was doing it because I had teased the new girl. I was starting to not like her.

"Any more injuries?" Jill asked.

I raised my eyebrows at her.

"Yes, but I'm not comfortable showing you while she is in the room," I told them.

"Bite my ass. I'm training to do this kind of work. I see better asses than yours on a daily basis," she chewed me out. "Just take your shorts off so we can get this over with."

"Paige, sorry, but you will have to leave. If a patient isn't comfortable with you in the room, then we have to respect their wishes," Jill told her.

When Paige left, I just stripped down to my jock and got onto the table. The bruise on my butt hurt. That was where the guy had speared me. I didn't say a word after that, and Jill and Becky didn't try to talk to me. They just treated my injuries and sent me on my way. I went back and had Wolf help me stretch. I needed to work the kinks out. When I was done, it was time for my next class.

On my way to class I thought about what had just happened. I really needed to figure out why I was being so touchy about how Paige acted. I didn't like how I reacted.

At practice, Coach Hope made it clear we were going with the conservative approach for the next game. I decided to keep my mouth shut. U-High wasn't very good. We should be able to beat them with our run game.

What I wasn't fine with, was they weren't letting me play defense. I asked Moose about it.

"Coach Hope made the call. He said he didn't want to get you hurt."

"Come on, Moose, I only have some bruises. Plus, if we're going to just run the ball, Mike can hand off. I would rather play defense. At least there I can make a difference," I complained.

"Simmer down. Let me work on this. We're all worried you'll get injured. We need you to last the whole season, not just the first half. Plus, I've met your mother."

"Okay. I'll trust you guys to do what's best," I said.

While the defense practiced against the scout team, the other coaches were working with the JV and freshmen. I got Bill and worked on strengthening my arm. I stood in the middle of the field and had him stand on the sideline ten yards down and just threw him the ball. Once my arm was feeling tired I then showed him my new rainbow arcing pass I had learned at Elite camp. I wanted to learn to throw better when I was tired.

We ended practice with thirty minutes of hell. It felt good to get the blood pumping.

I went to the sporting goods store, and got lettermen jackets for Tracy. Her jacket looked good. It was navy blue with cream colored leather sleeves. The letter was orange, and really stood out.

Friday September 12

I made a point of running hard and stretching before I went to school. I wanted to get a good report from the training staff so Coach Hope wouldn't worry about me. When I walked into PE, Coach Diamond sent me straight to the training room. Paige was waiting for me. I just got on the table and waited for Jill and Becky. I was trying to not be a jerk today.

I waited for five minutes and got up and went to go get them.

"They're not here right now," Paige told me.

I started to leave.

"If you don't get treatment, you can't play tomorrow. They told me what to do," she said.

I just wanted to get this over with so I took my shirt off got on the table. She treated me and then told me to take my shorts off. I just did it. Getting treatment is never fun, but I used to try to keep the mood light. I felt like I had been manipulated into allowing Paige to treat me. I was even more pissed when I saw Jill and Becky come out of their office. My initial goal had been not to be a jerk. That went out the window.

Jill looked at my chart.

"We need you to come in tomorrow morning to get treatment."

"Based on whose opinion?" I asked.

"Paige's," Jill told me.

"Is she qualified to make that determination?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" Jill asked.

"Just that, is she qualified? Does she have a license or the training required to decide if I need further treatment? Does she even have the qualifications to massage me? Is she certified?" I asked.

"No, I don't have any certification yet, I'm in training," Paige told me.

"I thought training had to be supervised," I said then sighed. "Look, I'm being a dick because you set me up, today. She lied, said you weren't here, and I had to get treated or I couldn't play. I used to like to come in here. Right now, it's my least favorite place in this school." They tried to interrupt me, but I held up my hands. "I don't want to make a big deal out of this. Getting treatment is necessary if I want to play. I'll do what I have to. I'll even let Paige practice on me if that is what it takes for me to play. What time tomorrow?"

Becky stepped forward and touched my arm.

"David, you're right. I need to check you to see if you need more treatment."

She had me strip off and both she and Jill checked me. The whole time, they were teaching Paige what they were doing. After they were done, they both agreed I needed to be treated again. I didn't say a word and left.

Ever have one of those days? I think PE set the tone for the day. Every class, except art, had a pop quiz. I mean, how do you have a pop quiz in art? At lunch, the freshmen cheerleaders wanted to set me up with another freshman. I had to explain I didn't date younger women. Then, during practice, I was talking to Coach Diamond when Mike tossed the ball back and hit me in the nuts, and not a gentle grazing either. A twenty-yard pass that split the twins dead center. I actually went fetal and threw up. I mean empty-the-stomach, seriously. We were in shorts and t-shirts, walking through plays, who thinks to wear a cup?

When I got home, Dad told me to mow the yard. It had gotten a little high, so I had to rake it and bag it. Then I figured I needed to do laundry. Mom thought I should do theirs, too. That is how I spent my Friday night, doing laundry with my mom supervising, while I iced my balls. It's great to be a football star/model. I had to smile ... or blow my brains out. Dang, I was horny.

Saturday September 13

Even with icing my balls all night, they had swollen a tad. They were also a little tender. To the point I didn't run. I was hoping the trainers still had some of my pain pills from last year. Okay, they might have been muscle relaxants, but I felt great when I took them. I asked my mom drive me in, if that gives you a hint as to how much they hurt. Mom helped me into the training room. When Paige saw me being helped in, she ran and got Jill and Becky.

I could tell Mom and Paige were not leaving, so I just dropped my shorts when Jill asked. Paige's eyes got really big. I was wondering if she had ever seen one before. Jill took one look and sent me to the hospital. Becky said she needed pictures for my file. I flipped her off.

Mom was having fun with this.

"Doc, he has to play, today. Would it be better if you just snipped them off? If you need me to sign a form let me know," she offered.

The Doc said I was fine, what I had been doing was the right course of action by icing them down. He gave me some Vicodin. They had some samples, so I didn't have to wait. He told me to take one now, and one right before the game.

Then he told me the possible side effects. I could get dizzy or lightheaded. Not so bad ... then he gave me a laundry list: Back, leg, or stomach pains; black, tarry stools; bleeding gums; and it went on from there. I wished I hadn't swallowed it when he told me my eyes and skin could turn yellow. I think Mom was taking notes.

I went home and iced my nuts down, and waited 'till I was ready to go to the game. The pills did the trick. Luckily, I didn't have a one of the hundred-odd side effects.

The U-High game was brutal. They had as many as ten guys in the box in the first half to stop the run. Coach Hope was playing position football. Ed dinged his shoulder so Mike and Kelly were getting pounded. On defense they didn't need me. University High was totally out-manned.

The second half was going just as bad. Late in the fourth quarter we were pinned back on our eight yard line. Coach had called another dive into the teeth of their defense. I looked over at Bill and his guy was not even close to him. They were planning an all-out blitz.

"Bingo, Bingo!" I called the audible.

"Down, Set ... Hut!"

I took two steps back and just chucked it in Bill's general direction. They were draped all over me, so I had to get rid of it. Bill tracked it down and sprinted 92 yards for the score. That was how the game ended. My stats were one for one for 92 yards of passing. I guess you could say we won, but no one was happy about it.

Tracy's party was packed when I showed up. Tom and Mary were hiding in the den.

"I thought I would find you guys here. Does your homeowners' insurance cover having wild parties every other week?" I asked.

"She knows this is the last one for a while. We can't take too many of these," Mary shared.

"So what was Coach Hope doing today? Did you just throw the one pass?" Tom asked.

"He is getting us to the playoffs. Coach would rather we win ugly now, and be fresh later," I told him.

"I think it also helps your offensive line. They need game experience, and a chance to work together. Think about it. If you had been your normal pass happy self, how many times would you have been sacked today?"

He had a point. If they couldn't block for the run, I didn't need to get killed passing. Tracy came waltzing in. She came up to me and kissed my cheek.

"Hey, David, thanks for coming," she said, and then turned to her dad. "Can you start the grill, Daddy? The boys are hungry."

"Boys are always hungry," her mom said.

"Come on, Tom, I'll be your assistant. Do you have any beer?" I asked.

"Shut your mouth! That's the last thing we need. The law firm would kick me out if they heard I was serving minors," Tom said.

He had me use the metal brush on the grill while he brought the cooler out with the hotdogs and hamburgers. Once the grill was going Mary had me help her get all the buns and fixings brought out. They had a box of foil precut into squares. Tom put the cooked burgers and hot dogs into a serving tray. I would get a bun and put the meat in it, and then wrap it to keep it warm. When I had a batch done, Tracy or her mom would come and take it to the buffet table. After everyone had eaten, I helped Tom and Mary break everything down and clean up.

I then realized I hadn't eaten. Mary gave me a couple of burgers and I cooked them. I decided to make it a double so I wouldn't eat as much bread. I was drinking Mt. Dew and eating when the freshmen cheerleaders found me.

"Hurry up and eat. We want to dance," Sarita said.

"Can't you guys just dance together?" I asked.

Holy cow! All seven of them gave me the look. I just stuffed the burger in my mouth and followed them to where Tracy had the music playing. As soon as we started dancing, several girls and Jeff and Alan joined me on the dance floor. When the first slow song started, I figured the freshman would fight over who got to dance with me. I was surprised when a girl I didn't know was ushered into my arms.

I wondered if she went to Lincoln High. If I had seen her before, I would have made a point of meeting her. She had auburn hair parted on the side and hanging straight down to a couple of inches below her shoulders. She had light blue eyes that held mine. I would guess she was no taller than five-five, because she was almost a foot shorter than I was. I was surprised when she wrapped her arms around me and laid her head on my shoulder. I carefully placed my hands on her waist and we began the high school sway.

As we slowly moved around the dance floor I smelled her hair, cinnamon. It was different. Usually girl's hair smelled of flowers or herbs. When the music stopped, she looked up at me and smiled. She just walked away leaving me wondering. I was enjoying the view when another slow song started and the birthday girl was suddenly in my arms. With Tracy I just slid my hands into the back pockets of her jeans and she did the same to me.

"Can I come over tonight?" Tracy asked me.

Mr. Happy had been confused by the last girl. He knew Tracy was nice to him and he said hi. My balls weren't as sure if this was a good idea. She just giggled as we danced. It actually felt good not to have to worry what anyone thought about me potentially spending some time with Tracy. I never realized how stressful it had been to try and please everyone.

The next thing that rocked me was I hadn't thought about Tami in several days. How could I not have thought about my best friend? It scared me that after only a few weeks I was seemingly moving on. I never thought it would happen. Tracy caught my mood change. Maybe it had something to do with me going soft.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I just discovered I haven't thought about Tami in a while. I'm not sure if that is good or bad," I confessed.

"Wasn't it the point of her leaving?"

"Yes, but I didn't think it would happen so fast. It makes me sad to think ten years of friendship could be forgotten in just a few weeks. Am I that shallow?" I asked.

"No, you're not. You have just been adjusting to a lot of change. Tami not being in your life is one of the things you'll have to get used to. I'm sure she is adjusting, also."

"I'm just afraid we'll never be best friends, again. We're going in different directions. I can now see that going to college together was just a fantasy. She needs to focus on her dream of being a doctor."

"David, what is your dream, besides playing football? You do realize you can't plan your life around a game. I know you could model, but even that is not forever. What is it you want to be when you grow up?" she asked me.

"I don't know."

"Maybe you need to figure it out before you start picking out colleges. Another option is to get a general degree, and then go for your masters in a specialty."

"I'll think about it," I said as the music stopped.

Tracy went to change the playlist since this one had ended. I went to talk to my friends. I found Alan, Gina, Jeff and Elissa, Jeff's off again on again girlfriend.

"Where's your posse?" Gina asked.

"I'm sure they're trying to figure out what I should be doing," I said as I acted like I was hiding from them.

The four of them found it amusing, especially when Emma showed up at my side.

"Emma, these are two of my best friends Jeff and Alan, and these are their dates Gina and Elissa."

"Hi, nice to meet you ... David, what did you think of Maggie?" Emma asked.

I guess talking to my friends could wait.

"Who's Maggie?" Gina asked.

I shrugged. I had no idea. Emma rolled her eyes at me.

"The girl you slowed danced with," Emma clued everyone in.

"I thought that was Tracy," Alan teased her.

"I do remember dancing with Tracy," I confirmed.

Elissa was not used to our stupid humor.

"The girl you danced with before Tracy," she told me helpfully.

"Was she the one who grabbed my butt?" I asked.

"No, that was Tracy," Gina supplied.

"Were you checking out David's butt," Alan accused her.

"Pfft! Of course I was."

"Oh, what were we talking about?" Alan asked.

"I think it was my butt," I said as I turned around so the girls could see it. "Do these pants make me look fat?"

"Dude, I would have no idea," Jeff offered.

Emma grabbed my face and made me look her in the eyes.

"Focus. The cute auburn haired girl ... did you like her?"

"Oh, her," I said, then let my face fall. "She didn't grab my butt."

Jeff and Alan were nodding in agreement with grim expressions on their faces. Emma had enough and took off.

"You are sooo dead," Gina said.

The other three got a concerned look on their faces.

"Do I dare turn around?" I asked them.

"Nope, incoming," Alan warned.

I felt someone grope my butt. I turned to find Maggie in mid-grope with a sheepish smile on her face. I gave her a mock stern look and her nerve broke. She scurried off to the protection of the freshman cheerleaders.

"I think you're losing your touch. I haven't seen one run from you in a quite a while," Jeff said.

I caught up with my friends and several of the football players stopped by and we talked. The varsity cheerleaders were still avoiding me, but they didn't seem mad. I thought about Tracy's offer, and decided against it. Just because I could, didn't mean I should. It felt good it was my decision. I was still horny, but I really wanted to keep Tracy as a friend, and nothing more.

Sunday September 14

Mom was waiting on me to go to church. I was surprised when Dad came in wearing church clothes. I guess without Greg's support, he had caved to Mom's request to join us. I was happy to see him.

I could tell it was football season when we got to church. The congregation was eager to share their take on the two games this week ... until Mom made her presence known. Then they all decided to allow us to enjoy church instead.

I enjoyed the sermon.

"Today I am going to talk about forgiveness. There comes a time in everyone's life when they come to a crossroads, regarding if they should forgive someone or not. I've found it is impossible to predict which road a person will take. That is a personal decision each man, woman, or child must make. We do not know what they will do, until they act. I know we all think we know how someone will choose, but until they show us, we cannot know with any certainty.

"Our religion believes in redemption. We believe a sinner can come to God and ask forgiveness, and it will be granted. God's forgiveness is never questioned. He will forgive our sins many times over. I find that man has the capacity to forgive, but he does not forget. Just ask my wife," the pastor said to some laughs.

"The Lord's Prayer says to forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. I want you to know God will forgive your sins. Your fellow man may do the same, but they may not forget..."

I liked that. Forgive, but not forget. That made more sense than blanket forgiveness.

Instead of cooking brunch we went out to eat. Granny's was having a buffet with both breakfast and lunch items. It was interesting how some things were changing now that Greg, Kyle and Angie were no longer living with us. I could only count a handful of times where we didn't have Sunday brunch at home. It was one of the family time events we had each week.

Trust Mom to want some dirt.

"So, do you have a new girlfriend yet?" she asked.

She knew I didn't. I think it was her way to ask why not.

"Are you talking to me, or Dad?" I asked.

"Leave me out of this," Dad responded.

"When are you planning on dating again?" Mom asked.

"I don't know. I've found I'm being more guarded."

"What do you mean?" Mom asked.

"A good example would be we have a new girl interning as a trainer. She rubbed me the wrong way, and I didn't respond very well. I just seem to be seeing things that may or may not be there. I guess Tami leaving has made me act a little off kilter. I need to find my balance and not take things so personally."

"What did she do that was so bad?" Dad asked.

I looked embarrassed.

"She tattled on me," I said.

"Well no one likes a tattletale," Dad teased me.

"Really, what did you do?" Mom asked.

"Crud, it sounds so stupid now. Can we talk about something else," I begged.

Mom gave me a look and then shrugged. I needed to get this Tami thing out of my head. I couldn't keep expecting everyone to be out to get me in some way. I also needed to give Paige a chance.

Monday September 15

I woke up and went outside to run, as usual. I was surprised when I found Peggy Pratt stretching in my drive. She was a senior, and I had huge crush on her. She was my dream girl, a cute redhead with alabaster skin and freckles, and she even had the prerequisite green eyes. We had flirted with dating at the end of first semester last year, but I had gotten back together with Tracy instead. Peggy had avoided me after that.

"Hey, are we running today?" I asked.

"You're going to push me, so I win state in cross country this year."

"Okay, let's go," I said.

I didn't warn her I had changed my running to be geared for speed training. Jack Case, my speed coach, had me running at my normal pace for a period of time and then I would push myself. The varying of the speed helped me with my speed more than running at a steady pace. Peggy was doing pretty well until I sped up the first time. I'll give her credit, she didn't quit on me. I think she was ready to kill me though when I ran the last half mile switching between running backwards and forwards. I was practicing flipping my hips for pass coverage. I would run backwards ten yards and then flip my hips and run ten yards full out. I would wait for Peggy to catch up and then I would do it again, flipping my hips the other direction.

We got back to my place, and she collapsed in the drive. I made her get up and walk it off. She didn't have any water with her.

"Peggy, what are you thinking? Where is your water?" I asked.

She had her hands on her hips as she and just glared at me. I motioned for her to follow me up to my apartment. She hadn't seen it since Angie and Mom had redecorated. She looked around as I got her a Gatorade.

"This is different," she commented as she bobbed her head.

"Angie and Mom redid it. I really like it."

"I can see that."

She had something on her mind. We needed to get ready for school, so I figured I needed to move this conversation along.

"What's the real reason you came over this morning?" I asked.