Chapter 20

July 5, 2017

Dear Ms. Diary,

Today started at Rhee’s house, as my family stayed there last night; something about too much alcohol. I’m not sure, but I think that all three parents slept in Carol’s room. Everyone hustled and Rhee and I were ready to leave for practice from my house by 8:50.

Upon arrival at the pitch, I noted that everyone scheduled for the pre-practice meeting of the offense was present, so Coach started right in.

“This meeting’s subject, though still on the offense, will be different from the original plan. I talked with Lissa yesterday afternoon and we arrived at as good a solution as I think that we can get, considering our super-abundance of effective offensive players. The impetus for all of this was Lissa’s thought that she was not a great fit for right wing.”

There were murmurs of disagreement, but Lissa said, “I’m not. I...” She then looked at Coach, who picked up the thread.

“Lissa is right. Her ball-control skills would be best suited in Beth’s position, or Rathi’s, though Rathi has better defensive skills and Beth’s skills at quarterbacking are superior. So, while we wait for Lissa’s ankle to mend, Heather has more than earned the starting spot at right wing,” and she looked at Heather, “assuming that she doesn’t fall down on the job.”

Heather, in keeping with my understanding of her, had blushed slightly, but looked Coach in the eye and nodded her head.

“Of course,” Coach continued, “I don’t have a solid feel for what we’re going to do about a line-up once Lissa returns. Padme has certainly shown that she deserves more game time, but that would most likely be at Beth’s expense, though we could probably stick her at any of the offensive positions and she’d do at least reasonably well. However, I’d really like to get her more experience at running the O, as she does quite well at sweeper.”

Coach faced Padme and continued. “In fact, I intend to move you around some, so that you can get a better feel about how each position is played. At least, that same varied experience certainly seems to have helped Beth. So, in the short term, I am going to be subbing you into each of the four O positions,” at which point Coach’s eyes swept over all of us, “and liberally. That means that none of you, well, none of you offense members, will play entire games.”

Coach then held up her hand, perhaps to forestall any objections, and then carried on.

“I, too, have spent quite some time thinking about the offense, particularly of late. As you may know, with substitution rules being liberal at this level, we have a lot more leeway. In the next level, that will not be the case. So, we’ll take advantage of it while we have it and while it seems like we’ll need it.

“And that brings us back to Lissa,” whereupon she looked right at her. “Lissa, what do you think about learning how to play sweeper?”

From Lissa’s side, I could see her eyebrows shoot upward.

“Not that we’re in need of yet another offensive sweeper. However, your skill set actually fits best there and I like the idea of having our two best dribblers in the middle of the field. That may well fit in with another tweak that I’ve been considering. It’s one that Ann may not like, but I’d like to try it out against a weak team. That means, probably not for at least two weeks.

“I want to get Rathi more involved in the offense. With Beth at sweeper, Rathi’s position has become more of a defensive one, less of an offensive one. However, she’s got a good shot and I suspect that she misses having more of an offensive purview.

“I know, Ann, that Rathi moving up on offense will take away one of your best defenders, which is why I want to try it out on a weaker team. However, even against stronger teams, there’s at least a good chance that our offense can control the ball so much that the other team’s offense doesn’t have as much time for chances on goal. And, Rathi’s quite fast, so could get back quickly if needed, at least in some situations.

“We already control the ball quite a bit more than half the time, but if we could up that percentage a bit more, I think that it could pay off. Like I said, we’ll try it in a couple weeks, but be thinking about it in the meantime.

“So, unless there are further questions or comments...,” she raised her brows at us, but no one offered anything, “the offensive plan for tomorrow. Heather, you’re at right wing. I want you to run. Any chance that you can see, go for a streak or, if you already have the ball, think about booting it ahead to yourself; let’s force the defense back on its heels. We can sub Padme in for you to give you a breather. However, I want you on the field as much as I can get you there, though I don’t want you out there if you’re winded. So, please give me the sign if you get winded or feel that you’re approaching that state too closely.”

Heather nodded.

“Beth is at sweeper; she’ll probably play the whole game. If we get a comfortable lead, I’ll sub out more of the offense. Ann, I want you to think about how and when to sub for defense starters, and I’d like to get Gracey more time in the middle. Also, I think that I’d like you to try out at center half. Your rocket might come in handy on occasion.

“Anything else? Anyone?”

No one had anything, so Coach had us start stretching, though she called me over for a private pow-wow.

“I really hate this, Beth, but after tomorrow, I think that you’re going to be sitting for more than you like or deserve.”

She looked right in my eyes, and I nodded.

“I know. I’ve been thinking that there was not much chance of getting both Padme and Heather playing time without at least one of the starters sitting.”

“However,” Coach continued, “I think that we can turn this into something of a positive for you. I’m pretty sure that you’ve already considered this, but the chance of any single player making it to the pro level is very slim. I don’t doubt at all that you’ll play at college, but there is an order of magnitude more college teams than pro teams,” at which point she arched her brows at me; I nodded.

“So, if you’re not on the field, I want you at my elbow. I really do think that you could be a good coach, and I’d like to hone those skills. I want you there so that we can discuss options and responses. I also think that I will be travelling to Cleveland again, soon, and I’ll have you run the team in my absence. I will try not to miss any games, but I cannot guarantee that. I will particularly endeavor to be there for games against the best teams – GV and Paradise, as I really want you on the field for those.”

Practice and the rest of the day were uneventful, though I did have a talk with Supplicant.

“Supplicant, I think that Carol needs sex and I’m sure that she wants Dad. I was going to order you to start laying the groundwork for Dad asking her out on a date that could end in her bed. I noticed that you sort of beat me to the punch last night.”

“Yes, Mistress. I am aware of Carol’s need. If you wish me to do so, I will encourage Charlie to ask her out. All three of us did sleep in the same bed last night, though nothing ... I think that nothing occurred between them. By the way, Mistress, that was one of the best-ever orgasms of my life. Thank you.”

“I had nothing to do with that ... other than my presence, I suppose, making one more observer for your audience. If you feel the time is right at some point soon, you should thank Carol for that orgasm. I suspect that she was trying to get some action going across our families, though I find that a bit odd, as Charlie was the only male, so she was seemingly fine with Rhee doing things like that – she is the one that had Rhee kiss Charlie. That action started Charlie down the slope toward your spectacular orgasm, as he next made out with Carol and that seemed to get him not to care about the public intercourse with you. Is he having second thoughts?”

“Not really, Mistress. It is more like he is ... ummm ... resigned – though that’s not really right, either – to the fact that he may be getting more sex ... or, at least, sex from more than just me.”

“Though it doesn’t really matter, are you okay with ... umm ... I guess, sharing Charlie, at least on a limited basis? Your engine certainly seemed revved pretty high last night.”

“Oh, yes, Mistress. That was fine, and limited access to Charlie by select others in the future is okay if that’s what you want.”

So, there it is. Wait a minute! She said, “others.” Plural.

July 6, 2017

Dear Ms. Diary,

[Written on July 7, 2017]

Today’s game went far better than anyone thought, or, at least, anyone on our team said out loud. We won 7-0, though the game wasn’t that close. Except for a superb save by their goalie and one by their center fullback when we caught their goalie out of position, the score would have been 9-0. Rhee got a hat trick and I got four assists. After a streaking Heather got a goal less than two minutes into the game, their defense sat back quite a bit, which enabled us to use our getting-tight passing game to jump to a five-goal lead by the half.

I sat for the second half. Padme gave Heather a ten-minute breather in the first half, then played the second half at sweeper. Coach had me make the decisions on who and when to sub. With a grin, I pulled Rhee after she got her third goal and put Tonda in to replace her. That third goal was very pretty, with Rhee, Padme, and Heather passing around and through their defense. Oh, it wasn’t Messi, Iniesta, and Xavi, but pretty, nonetheless. I put myself back in the game to replace Heather, but put myself in Tonda’s position and moved her to right wing when I finally pulled Ann out with about five minutes to go. I hadn’t played center forward since early last year, but we were just playing out the clock. The rest of the scoring was rounded out by Mia, who got two, and Tonda; thus, all goals were scored by front-line players.

Since the game was at our home field, Rhee and I were going to walk to her house where we would shower and hang out. Rhee, though, thought that we should invite Heather to spend the day with us. I agreed, but then suggested that my house might be better for the three of us. Rhee did the inviting, with Heather seeming quite pleased.

“Sure! That’d be great!”

She looked down, briefly, then looked at us again, saying, “I’ve missed hanging out with you guys. The past two days...,” and she trailed off. Then, “Oh, Beth, do you want your gym bag back? I’ve got it here.”

“No, no. Keep it. We weren’t using it.”

“Thanks. I’ll have to check in with my mother, but they’ve all gone to her parents’ and won’t be back until tomorrow. I stayed because of our game, today.”

“Oh,” said Rhee, “do you want to stay over, then? We could all go to practice tomorrow together.”

“That would be great! Thanks. Although, I’ll need some clothes. I didn’t bring a change today.”

I responded, “Hmm. How ‘bout we go to my house and shower, and you could borrow something to wear while the three of us go to your house to get anything that you need. Actually, we could have lunch at my house before we go, then could grab an ice cream on the way to your house.”

Heather grinned and nodded her head.

So, we did just that. We ate sandwiches while wearing our birthday suits; Heather, the new nudist, seeming to revel in that freedom.

On our way to the ice-cream parlor, Heather got a bit nervous, then asked, “Umm, would it be okay if I left my game ball at your house, Beth?”

Before I could ask why, she continued.

“I’m worried that my brother will steal it or do something to it, and,” with her head hung a bit low, “I really don’t want anything to happen to it. I’ve kept it hidden since Tuesday, but...”

I gave her a one-arm hug and said, “Of course. It can live in my room or in the spare bedroom. Since that’s where you’ll be tonight, I suggest the latter.”

“Thanks.”

With a happier Heather, we ate our cones on the way to her house, gathered stuff for two days – you never know, and then traipsed back to my house, returning around 1:30. I grinned widely when the first thing that Heather did upon setting foot back in the house was to strip. She really likes this naked thing. When she looked up after removing her shorts and panties and saw me grinning at her, she got a little pink, then grinned right back.

I texted Mom to tell her that we had a guest for dinner and the night and requested that she warn Dad. I also asked if she’d like us to make supper. Her terse response was, “OK to all. Home ~6.” C home ~5. Invite Carol.”

“Okay, all,” I announced, “if you don’t want Dad to see you in your lovely nakedness, then we need to be dressed before 5.”

Rhee grinned secretly at me, and Heather colored. I then asked Rhee to invite her mother to join us for dinner. We wound up losing track of time watching soccer videos, mostly of the women’s national team, and discussing what other wrinkles we might incorporate into the team’s play. When we heard the garage door opening, we hustled up to my bedroom, Rhee and I laughing most of the way. We quickly dressed and returned downstairs and found Dad in the kitchen, apparently after quickly changing clothes, himself, as he was dressed in old, loose shorts and a T.

“Hi, Dad,” I said as I walked into his arms for a hug.

As he started to say something, Rhee replaced me in the hug.

“Hi, Dad,” she said. “How was your day? Ours was great!”

“Oh,” he chuckled, “how great?”

As Rhee was disengaging, she said, “I’ll let our guest tell you.”

I quickly looked at Heather, who had that deer-in-the-headlights look. However, Dad opened his arms to her, and she walked right into them, lying her right cheek on his chest.

“Okay, spokeswoman, how was your day?”

“Uhh ... it’s been wonderful, so far.”

She didn’t release Dad, instead looked up at him. “Well, we won, 7-0; Rhee got three goals; and Beth got four assists.” She hesitated, then finished with, “And I got a goal.”

“Streaking,” Dad asked.

“Yeah. It was our first goal.”

“What else?”

“Uh, I also got two assists.”

“Come on. Give. What else?”

Dad is just so wonderful. It’s obvious to me that he knows that Heather’s holding back, as is typical for her shyness, or hesitation at talking about herself, apparently due to her home life. So, he’s gently encouraging her to talk about her own deeds, which I infer from things she’s said, that she doesn’t brag about to her family.

“Well ... ummm ... one of those assists came when Rhee and Padme and I passed back-and-forth from the midline all the way to the penalty box; that was Rhee’s third goal. She ... uh, Rhee is so good. You should have seen that shot; the goalie had no chance, as it barely snuck in the top-right corner.”

At that, Dad lifted his right arm from Heather’s back and looked a speaking glance at Rhee, who walked into his hug.

“You know,” he said, “I can take enough time off next week to come to both of your games.”

“That’s great, Dad,” I replied, we’d love to have you on the sidelines.”

Rhee nodded her head enthusiastically.

I turned away to start getting things together for dinner. I left Rhee and Heather where they were, figuring that Heather could probably use all the positive attention from a father figure that she could get and, Rhee, well, you know.

That’s when I noticed that it was only quarter to five; Dad got home early. Hmm. It probably means little but...

By the time that Mom got home just before 6, the first home-made pizza was on the block in the oven and Rhee and Heather were finishing making a huge salad. She sent an unseen, “I’ll be right out,” from their bedroom door; I acknowledged it. A few minutes later, she came into the kitchen wearing loose shorts and a tight T; tight enough that her lack of a bra was obvious. I mean, both nipples were nearly on display. Again, hmm.

I pulled her into a quick hug and went to stand by the oven so that I could immediately switch pizzas when the first one was done. Mom made her way around the kitchen hugging each of the others, even Heather, who seemed a little surprised, but hesitated only briefly. The one that Mom gave Dad was a bit amorous considering the presence of company: it looked like she purposefully rubbed her chest on his, the kiss definitely included some tongue, and she squeezed Dad’s ass with her left hand. I’m probably thinking too much into a whole bunch of things of late, but is she marking her territory?

Right then, Carol came in the back door, hollering, “Toodles.”

As she entered the kitchen, I could see that, like Mom, she had gone uber-casual. Of course, on her, bra-less tits are blatantly obvious. She also made her way on the hug circuit, leaving Heather for last, though with the hug she gave Dad being a bit longer than that of the rest of the hugs.

“It’s good to see you again, Heather. May I hug you?”

I was specifically watching for when Carol got to Heather, so I noticed that Heather’s eyes moistened a bit. She didn’t hesitate, though, at hugging Carol, her head on the pillows of Carol’s chest. The hug was brief and ended right before my timer went off, so I turned to switch pizzas; Rhee had anticipated and helped me in the switch.

As I put the first pizza in the warming oven, I announced, “Dinner will be ready when the next pizza is done. There are two more to go after that one.” We polished off all four pizzas and the huge salad.

Carol suddenly took hold of our post-prandial conversation by asking, “Heather, may we ask some personal questions?”

Heather’s head swiveled back-and-forth rapidly, taking in all at the table; of course, her face went pink.

“Uh, I suppose.”

“Do you find learning very easy?”

“Y-yes. At least, I seem to understand stuff in class more quickly than most,” Heather responded, head held high, despite her face heating more.

“Do you enjoy learning?”

“Yes. Until very recently, learning new things has been one of the few parts of life that I enjoy.”

Carol cocked her head at that, “Recently? Why recently? What has replaced that?”

At those questions, Heather dipped her head a bit, but I could see in her face the purposefulness of raising her head again. She then glanced at Rhee and me, then turned her attention back to Carol. “Having friends.”

“Oh,” Carol reacted. “While that is not the thrust of my questions, am I correct to assume that you have had few friends over the years?”

“Yes. We’ve moved a lot and ... umm ... I’m pretty shy, so I’ve not really had a ... friend for quite a while. I’ve never had girls like Beth and Rhee ... umm ... popular girls, even talk to me, much less invite me to their homes when they hardly knew me.”

Heather, for some reason, was sitting on Dad’s left, in Mom’s usual place. Dad reached his left arm to her left shoulder and gave her a one-arm hug. Heather jumped at first, as she didn’t expect the move, then leaned her head on his shoulder briefly. As Dad pulled his arm back into his space, Carol returned to her questioning.

“These next three questions are all related, and I’d appreciate it if you’d think carefully about each before answering any of them. Do you ever, or regularly, wish that your classes would move forward more quickly? Are you ever bored in class? Do you feel that you learn more on your own than in class?”

Heather obviously thought about Carol’s questions before responding. “The answers to all three are ‘yes.’”

“Please elaborate.”

“Umm, I often know much or most about many classes, particularly those in which I have particular interest – math, science, history – at the beginning of each year. Umm, I read a lot at the library, and I find the classes too easy. Well, most of them.”

“Have you ever told your mother that?”

Heather nodded her head and said, “Yes, a few years ago, but my mother doesn’t like to deal with school, and nothing came of it.”

Carol nodded her head in return, looked hard at Heather, glanced at Charlie, then returned her focus to Heather.

“Okay, I’m almost done with the embarrassing questions. Can you estimate what your mother’s response would be if Charlie and I were to offer to act in her stead with schools?”

Heather abruptly sat even more erect, glanced at my dad, then across the table at me and to her left at Rhee. “Uh ... I don’t know. She ... uh ... does not have a lot of free time, so I know that she would like not having to deal with school. However, I don’t know how she’d react to ... umm... ‘strangers’ ... umm ... horning in.”

Heather then held her hand up to Carol to indicate that she was thinking about what further to say; Carol waited. Heather’s face reddened again as she started to speak.

“My mother has ... uh ... not seemed very interested in being a parent to me, though she dotes on my brother and...” Here, she hesitated, then words poured out of her mouth, as if to get them out too quickly for her mouth or brain to have time to stop them. “She seems much more interested in investing the time necessary in raising my sister than I ever remember her having for me.”

Heather then bent her head and began crying. When Dad immediately turned his chair to her and put both arms around her, placing her head on his shoulder, that crying became louder and more of her body was involved: her chest heaved and her arms clenched Dad tightly. Mom stood up and looked at Rhee with a speaking glance and a rapid raising and lowering of her head. Rhee stood and turned her chair to Mom, who sat in it. Mom then wrapped her arms around Heather and placed her head on Heather’s back. With that, Heather’s crying again increased in volume.

I stood up, looking at Rhee, who had turned to look at me. We both then looked at Carol, who shook her head rapidly, which I took to mean that we should give my parents their head. Carol then used her head to indicate to us that we should leave the dining room to my parents and Heather. As the three of us entered the kitchen, Carol turned to us and pointed upward. We both nodded, and all three of us trooped quietly up to my room.

As we walked in my door, Rhee said, “Poor Heather.”

“Yes,” Carol replied, “‘poor,’ indeed. That incredible girl has been starved for attention and love, yet devoting most of her energy into not being noticed. Not being noticed has probably been a survival strategy in the house, and one that she has extended to, apparently, all facets of her life, and that action has exacerbated her lack of both love and attention. You two have done a great thing, and I bless you and thank you for doing it.”

I don’t know about Rhee, as I wasn’t looking at her, but I suspect that both Rhee and I looked at Carol with incredulity, as Carol’s head swiveled between the two of us. She chuckled.

“Of course, you have! You befriended her, as you do almost anyone that doesn’t actively discourage your attentions. You two apparently do not realize your power. Sandy and I have discussed it, though. You’re not the stuck-up, queen-bee types that usually result from the pretty-girls clique in school. You’re friendly and among the most attractive in your class, so you cannot be ostracized. With your choice of close friends, you empower many of the minorities, which breaks down the barriers between them and the white kids.

“Then, you two, seemingly casually and with no apparent design, pull in the one girl from your team that is most in need of your powers, your help. Just by being you, the two of you crumbled Heather’s façade, the one that made her seem aloof and uninterested in friendship, and got her feeling her feelings, again; those feelings that she has apparently bottled and throttled for years.”

Apparently, Carol saw confusion on our faces, as she continued. “Her home life has encouraged her to close down emotions, feelings. With frequent moves and, probably, changes of schools, she then had no outlet for that need for attention and love in friends, as she was always the new kid and a new kid whose intelligence was off-putting. I imagine that Heather used that intelligence in hopes of impressing those new acquaintances, but, instead, it put them off. That happens a time or two, and she doesn’t try it again, and, without realizing it, I’m sure, extends her inward focus that she learned at home to all other situations.

“I’m somewhat surprised that she started playing a team sport, but it might have been a last-ditch, unknown-to-her-conscious-mind effort to get friends, that is, attention and love. I would have expected that, if any sport, she would have leaned to tennis or cross country, an individual sport. Thank goodness that she ran into you two, as I expect that her life would have been short and horrible.”

Carol then hugged each of us, starting with me. As she was hugging Rhee, I asked a question.

“I expect that I know your answer, but what should we do? What can we do?”

Carol released Rhee, though kept a hand on Rhee’s right shoulder, and looked at both of us.

“Nothing different. Just be yourselves. You’re probably doing this, already, or planning to do so, but adopt her into your gang. I think that she would fit well and having a wider circle of friends – good friends – will help her more than any other single thing that either of you two can do.

“Is she in your school?”

“Yeah, though not in any of our classes,” Rhee answered.

“Good, the chance for her to be with friends in that setting will help. A lot. Particularly with your gang, which, correct me if I’m wrong, is at least friendly with most of your other classmates.”

We both nodded, but Rhee added, “Except for Bradley and the rest of the rich-kids clique of four.”

“Okay. I think that we’ve allowed Heather enough time to get hold of herself.”

As we walked into the kitchen, I could hear Mom murmuring, but could not discern her words. I could see Heather’s head nodding, though, and then Mom straightened and stood. She glanced at me, me in particular, but I wasn’t sure why. She mouthed “Later,” then returned to her chair.

As the three of us sat, Heather stood up and looked at us. No, at me. She then started talking.

“Beth, I apologize for, once again, crying like a baby and making a scene.”

“No apology necessary. At all. I cannot know what your life is like, how you feel, but we’re all friends here, and friends support each other. We will always support you.”

Heather responded by walking around the table to me and hugging me. I hugged her back. Hard. She disengaged and hugged Carol, then Rhee on her way back to her chair. During this time, Mom had gotten out the chocolate milk and Irish cream. She had poured straight Irish cream for the adults and three slightly spiked glasses of chocolate milk for the rest of us. Once we were all seated and had had a chance to take a drink, Carol took the floor again.

“Heather, as I said earlier, I’m nearly done with the questions. Now, it’s time to enlighten you on the reason behind the questions. Charlie and I have discussed you because we see something in you that, apparently, no one outside this room sees. There is one person here, though, that I surmise does not see what I see, and that person is you.

“I have a bachelor’s in psychology, as I told you the other day, and Charlie is, as you might know, a tenured professor at the university. Our assessments of you agree, though they may still be wrong. We see a possibly hyper-intelligent person named Heather, a person that might benefit greatly from a very different schooling situation. You are not being challenged by your teachers or school and that is a cause for concern. There may be a better way. However, access to that better way will require some support from family.

“Both Charlie and I ... and Sandra ... are willing to provide that support, but your mother will have to approve it. Were you even a couple years older, there would be more options, but at your age, you will have to have parental buy-off for us to be, effectively, guardians in the process of looking into a different education scheme for you.

“So, first of all, you come first. Forget self-consciousness and not bragging on yourself. Do you think that you’re capable of more and faster as far as education goes?”

Heather, who had turned bright red at the start of Carol’s expostulation, nodded firmly.

“Are you willing to be extensively tested, knowing that that testing will be not only of your knowledge and learning ability, but of your psychological state?”

Heather jerked back in her chair at the last bit of that question. However, she calmed herself by taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly. She raised her chin and looked Carol in the face.

“I want a better life. A more interesting life. I particularly want this after this week, seeing and being with this family, that there are other options than those few that I’ve seen. I want change more than enough to endure much worse than testing, even psychological testing. This has been the best week of my life, and I want more like it. Many more.

“I ... don’t know how my mother would react to you requesting ad hoc guardianship over me. However, I do think that we may be able to work around my mother, as long as you are comfortable with a tactic that I think will work.”