Chapter 7

Summer was half over, and football practice was about to start. Of course, I had to make it past tryouts first, but I didn’t think I had anything to worry about. Glenn and I had practiced every chance we got. We did it all; Passing, catching, tackling and kicking. I didn’t think I was the best, but I felt good about making the team.

Things were going well at the dojo too. I had just finished my Advanced life support certification and was now trained to triage most medical emergencies as well as using an AED for heart attack victims. Things would slow down now since I was starting football and soon school, but I was still on track with the schedule I had.

Gymnastics was a surprise. I had picked things up so fast that once school started, we would cut back to once a week. I was already doing tumbles, jumps, handstands, and almost every other ground-based exercise and had mastered the various balance beams both in width as well as height. I was even working with a circus guy now and using guy wire to walk across. I had a long way to go but overall Sensei and the coaches were all impressed.

Over all, life was good.

Monday morning, four weeks before school started, I was lined up on the field along with seventy other kids. Most, about two thirds, were returning sophomores but the rest of us were freshmen. Out of that seventy the coaches would select fifty-five to be on the team.

We were put in groups to start and everyone started calisthenics first. Having worked out daily for the last ten years I was in pretty good shape. After an hour of push-ups, sit-ups and jumping jacks we were told to line up in rows on the track and ran timed 40-meter sprints. No, I didn’t run a 4.40, but I was close. We had to run the same sprint 3 times, then the coaches would take the average and that was your speed. Glenn was able to get some respectable times, with a 4.56, a 4.70 and a 4.52 to average 4.59 seconds. There were a few others that ended up with scores in that same area but most of the group was around 4.7 – 4.9. After my final run I managed a respectable 4.51.

At that point Coach Hastings split us up into three groups, offense, defense and special teams. We would all cycle through all three groups and then the coaches would decide where we went. The only people that didn’t switch groups were the returning sophomores. Since they had already played one year they stayed in the group they were in the year before.

I was sent with the offensive coach, Coach Vickers first. I was placed at each of the positions. I was decent at QB and receiver, but much better as a running back. I didn’t yet have the size for a good full back but since I was still growing there was a good chance I’d end up either there or as a tight end. After two hours we swapped around so next was defense.

Coach Waters had us blocking and running for two hours. I loved every minute of it. I was good at any of the positions but since I was one of the fastest runners I was told probably safety or cornerback.

Shortly before noon we were called together for lunch. Coach sent us to the locker room to take our pads off and grab a bag lunch. It wasn’t great but did fill the whole in my stomach. Some of the guys started drinking a lot of water, even though we were told not to drink a lot. As soon as lunch was over, and we were back on the field those guys started puking everywhere. Some people just couldn’t listen.

My last group was special teams, and I excelled at this. With almost ten years of martial arts my legs were stronger than anyone else’s. It was also the group I hated the most. Not because of the people, or the positions, but because I wouldn’t get to play a lot there. I was really hoping for cornerback or Tight end.

You know how they say, ‘be careful what you wish for’? Well, at the end of the day the coaches pulled everyone together and assigned positions. Glenn was assigned right tackle. Made sense since he was big and liked pushing things around. After everyone else had been assigned Coach Hastings said,” Mr. Smith! Since we liked you so much both at Offense and Defense we’re going to have you play IRONMAN. You’re being assigned both Tight end on Offense and Cornerback on Defense.”

Oh man, was I gonna be tired. I didn’t just have to learn one side of the play book, I had to learn both! He handed out our assigned playbooks and had us sign for them as we left the locker room. Pulling me aside as I walked out Coach asked,” David, we really liked your performance out there, but are you sure you can pull off both positions?”

I thought for a second and finally said, “Coach, I’m not trying to brag but my exercise program is much tougher than what we did today. If this is a typical workout then I would say that yes, I can handle both positions. I guess, in the end we’ll see if I’m right or if I’m full of it.”

Nodding his head at my honest answer he told me to get out of there and go home.

Since the whole week was tryouts I had to push myself to be better at both positions the whole week, but since my work ethics were such that I could do no less than my best it wasn’t hard. At the end of the week I maintained my spot as IRONMAN and Glenn was still at Right tackle.

We practiced Monday through Thursday each week and had scrimmage games on Fridays. Sometimes in the morning and sometimes right after lunch. Since the coaches didn’t want to give up their Friday nights just yet we were still free after five but of course I was in the dojo after that, so I was still busy.

The last week before school started Sensei and I sat down and talked about my summer and what I had learned, as well as what my schedule would be until football season was over. We trimmed my workouts down to twice a week, and Sunday. After seeing what I could do Gymnastics wise it was decided to put that on hold until next summer. At this point the only thing I was working on was tightrope walking so it wasn’t a great loss. My flexibility was the best it had ever been but that wasn’t something I had to do in the gym. Dad and I still went to the range weekly and I was getting much better. By now I could shoot anywhere I aimed but my snap shots were still way off. Even aiming for Center chest, I was likely to miss fifty percent of the time. As far as long guns go I was decent. I was consistently hitting anything up to seven-hundred yards with the AR-10. Dad was starting to eye a Barret .50 Cal bolt action rifle every time we went to the range, so I figured I’d be working that by the end of school.

Monday rolled around faster than I wanted, but there was no getting away from it. After my morning exercises I showered and dressed and all of kids were at the table ready to eat. Christina was starting second grade while McKenna was starting sixth. We ate our usual breakfast while sitting around and talking about what we hoped our day would be like then headed out the door to catch the bus.

When I got to our stop Glenn was there waiting. We hadn’t really talked a whole lot over the summer, so we sat and talked about what we’d done. Mine was simple, “You know me. I just hung around and worked out all week.”

“Yeah,” he said, “all work and no play makes David a very dull boy.”

“Well, I didn’t say there wasn’t any play, just not a lot. I did meet Christa. We’ve been going out almost since the beginning of summer.”

“Wow. You didn’t’ wait long after Erica left.”

If looks could kill he’d have been dead. “Dude, you know how I felt about that whole thing. She knew for two weeks before telling me. I understand why she didn’t tell me sooner but that was crap and you know it.”

“Yeah, but you can’t blame her really. You’re just upset about how it happened.”

He was right. While I wasn’t happy with her for not telling me, it wasn’t her fault she had to move. Still didn’t like it though.

By this time the bus had arrived, so we got on and went looking for a place to sit. Since we were freshmen, and this was, after all high school we had to put up with some teasing from the older kids. I didn’t mind since most of it was good natured. There was one kid though who was really trying my patience.

“Damn kid, you an albino? Man, you’re white.”

Trying to keep things calm I simply said, “No, just don’t get out a lot.” It was true. With my schedule I didn’t see the sun a whole lot, so I was whiter than most of the other kids who spent all summer outside playing or swimming.

I figured that would be the end but was wrong. As soon as the bus stopped at the school and we all got off this big kid pushes me from behind. I think he was upset that I didn’t fall since he went to push me again. Now, I’m willing to accept one time being an accident but since I pay pretty good attention to my surroundings I wasn’t gonna let it happen again. While talking to Glenn I went to look at him and saw this meaty paw coming towards my shoulder, so I took a half step to the right and watched the arm fly by me, quickly followed by the attached body.

“You ok,” Glenn asked?

“Yeah, just had to get out of the way of something.”

I stepped around meat head and continued walking when the kid finally gets up and yells at me.

“Think you’re some kind of smart guy huh? I’m gonna stick your head in a toilet you little pissant!”

Now, I’m not little for my age, in fact I’m rather tall at five-ten. I might be considered small though if you looked at my weight. I only weighed about a buck, sixty now that I’d picked up another ten pounds of muscle and other stuff.

I turned around and looked at the kid and instantly evaluated him as a low threat bully. Meathead, and I use that term literally, stood about six foot even. While he only had two inches on me where he was king was weight. If I weighed one-sixty then he easily had me doubled.

He started to come towards me, so I was starting to relax and focus on him when Coach Vickers came up behind meathead and said, “Rhone, I don’t think you’re grown up enough to deal with Mr. Smith. Why don’t you just head on to class.”

Rhone, now that I knew his name, turned to head to class but not before he looked at me and said, “This aint over bug.”

Bug? Really? Surely, I’m at least a mutt. Oh well.

Coach Vickers looked at me and said, “David, try to avoid Mr. Morgan if you can, and if you can’t please handle it off school grounds. I really don’t want to lose you because you got in a fight at school.”

“No worries Coach. I prefer my violence to be on the field or on the mat.”

He looked at me a little weird at that statement, but the bell rang so Glenn and I rushed to homeroom.

The rest of the day was quiet, with the only excitement being us getting our books for the various classes we had. Since I already knew Russian, Japanese and German I signed up for French since I had to take a language. Mom said I had an ear for languages and since I liked Languages anyway I had already planned to take French my first two years and Spanish the last two years. That still left me with one elective each year, but I figured something would come up that interested me.

Football practice was more of the same with me working both offense and defense. I never hit anyone full speed or strength since I didn’t want to hurt my teammates, so I was really looking forward to our first game to see what I could really do. Our first game was in two weeks against the Fairfield Indians and I was hoping we would be ready.

As I was walking to lunch I felt a pair of slender arms wrap around me. “Guess who?”

“Tom Sellick.”

“No, and who is Tom Sellick,” my beautiful girlfriend asked.

“He played a Hawaiian PI back in the eighty’s.”

“Well, I’m not him, and thank God for that. You’d be the talk of the school if some old guy was holding you like this,” she said as she lay her head on my back.

“True, but if we get caught showing PDA then I’ll still be the talk of the school. Granted, I’ll enjoy every word they say but still...”

“Yeah, Yeah. So, how’s your day going so far? Any wanton women I need to worry about?”

“Just you babe. None of these others even look at me. What’d you do, put the word out about me already,” I asked with a smile on my face. I was honestly happy that none of the girls were trying to catch me. I couldn’t stand cheaters. It was one of many things in life that I just was not flexible about. If you did it once you’d do it again, that was my firm belief.

“No, but thanks for the idea.”

She was going to say something else but about that time Mrs. Kershaw, one of the English teachers walked by and said,” Ms. Rodriguez, I know you think you can’t live without him but please remove your arms from around his waist. Mr. Smith, Be careful. Not all the teachers are as lenient as I am.”

We both said, “Yes Ma’am.” At the same time. Mrs. Kershaw was one of the nicer teachers here so far. She kind of reminded me of An-shu Stevens. She always made us laugh.

At the door to the lunch room Christa waved bye and turned down the ARTS hallway. She had a drawing class this period and lunch next. I was right when I said we’d probably have homeroom together, That and English were the only classes we had together.

Glenn came in just after I sat down and once he got his lunch he joined me.

“You guys already getting caught by the teachers making out huh?”

“Dude, bite me. She came from behind and was hugging me when Mrs. Kershaw walked by. She’s pretty cool for a teacher.”

While I was talking to Glenn, Rhone Morgan walked up to the table and slammed a hand down on the top. “Hey FAG, you ready for your hair wash?”

I looked up and said, “Rhone, you really want to do this right now with seven teachers in here?”

He suddenly looked around and saw several teachers looking at our table. Just as coach Waters started to get up I told him, “Dude, I don’t know what your problem is with me, and I honestly don’t care but I’m not going to get into a fight with you at school. I’m not getting kicked off the team for something stupid.”

Rhone was watching Coach as he kept walking towards us, then said, “Your times comin punk. Just wait.” With that he turned around and stomped off.

Coach Waters made it to the table and looked at Me and Glenn. “Gentlemen, I trust everything is ok?”

“Yeah Coach. I’m not sure what his problem is but I’m not getting involved at school unless I absolutely have to. I wish he’d just find something else to do.”

“Well David, some people just don’t learn. I spoke with Coach Vickers earlier, so I know that Mr. Morgan is the instigator. Do what you can to keep the peace while at school, but if you have to defend yourself do your best to not get hurt.”

Glenn just laughed at that and said, “Coach, I’ll bet your paycheck that if it comes to that David won’t be the one in pain. Just like Transformers, there’s more than meets the eye with young David here.”

By that time lunch was almost over. I think Coach wanted to say something else but instead he just said, “Don’t be late for practice,” and left.

Since Glenn and I were both on the team our parents had decided to alternate picking us up. Today was Dad’s turn.

“How was your day boys?”

I Was about to say good, but Glenn chimed in saying, “Well sir, it seems your son already has a fan club.”

Just wait Glenn, I’ll get you for this.

“Fan Club, David?”

“Yeah Dad. Seems some meathead by the name of Rhone Morgan has made it his life’s goal to pick a fight with me,” I said while staring at Glenn with a look that said revenge was coming.