Chapter 9

DENNIS AND HIS ANGELINES went en masse to the football game Friday night. As they found their way into the bleachers, others seemed to collect around their little cheering section. The first to join them were the five Team B cheerleaders who led cheers at the volleyball games—Rae, Sharon, Doc, Donna, and Rebecca.

“You guys are great!” Lana said. “I know we didn’t have many fans at the game last night, but you kept them with us the whole way. The team appreciates it!”

“You’re so sweet, Lana,” Donna said. “It helps to have a team that appreciates us.”

The rest of the volleyball team joined them. Liz sat beside Karen and Daphne. She was showing improvement in her running already and had placed sixth on the team Monday. Seeing their teammates, many more of the cross country team joined them, led by Janice. And determined not to be left out of the group, most of the boys’ cross country team joined the girls. When they were all assembled, it appeared that nearly all the people who had participated in Dennis’s evening conditioning sessions were seated together as a cheering bloc for the football game.

“And tonight, taking the field for the first time, the Bartley Wolverines welcome you to the inauguration of our new AgCentral Football Stadium!” the announcer said over the recently revamped speaker system. Dennis was unexpectedly proud of the freshly mown field with the five-yard stripes mowed in opposite directions to enhance the look of the field. He’d come out Wednesday afternoon to go over the equipment with Bart Matthews, who had been given the job of mowing. Bart mowed the baseball diamond for practice and had been out to mow the football field before school Friday morning.

Everything about the school looked pristine and ready to welcome the Spartans and their fans. They all cheered at the announcement. After the National Anthem, the field lights were turned on, even though it wasn’t dark yet. The captains met at mid-field and the Spartans won the toss, deferring their option to the second half. Bartley chose to receive. Teams took the field, new uniforms crisply ironed and clean. The kick was up and the clock started running on Bartley’s first loss of the season.

Losing a game had never dulled the Bartley fans’ enthusiasm for their team. They had trained many years as fans of the varsity basketball team facing a losing season. But in all fairness, the Wolverines made a good showing in their first game, the Spartans scored early in the game, but the Wolverines came back, scoring twice before allowing the Spartans two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The final score was 14-20. No one was particularly disappointed and the school used the opportunity to hold a first dance of the school year in the multi-purpose room after the game.

The crew went to the dance and mostly danced as a group to the recorded music. The other athletes who had joined the Angelines at the game stuck around them and the guys were welcomed as well as the girls, even though they were outnumbered three to one.

Until the football team made its appearance. Some of the guys obviously had dates or girlfriends waiting for them. Others were on the prowl, while the majority just sat it out, drinking water and soft drinks. Most of those on the prowl were respectful when the girls in the group turned them down for a dance or thanked them after a dance to return to their group. Occasionally, a guy was too clueless to get the message that his attentions weren’t appreciated. Dennis was ready to ‘have a talk’ with one persistent guy who was pestering Tori, but Dave Overman from the cross country team stepped in front of him and escorted the pest away. Tori turned and took Dennis out for a nice slow dance.

“Are we ever going to get to make love again?” she sighed. “School takes up way too much time.”

“That’s the truth, isn’t it?” Dennis said. “I’m the luckiest guy in the world to have twelve girlfriends and yet I don’t have time to spend with any of them.”

“You won’t forget us, will you?”

“Not a chance, Tor. I confess that I’m having lustful thoughts about you right now.”

“Yeah. I can feel them poking at my stomach. Maybe we can slip away later.”

“Maybe.” The music ended and they were walking toward the tables when a hand stroked his arm.

“What’s a girl need to do to get a dance with the new guy?”

Dennis turned to see Jennifer Eckert next to him. She looked at him curiously. They’d been classmates since kindergarten. As a result, every class photo and every class seating chart showed them sitting next to each other. She wasn’t the top beauty in the class, but she was always the girl nearest to him and, therefore, subject of many of his fantasies as he saw her develop over the years. Hers was the first bra he noticed showing through a blouse.

“I’d love to have a dance with you, Jennifer,” he said. He winked at Tori and she let go of his arm to join the others.

“Wow! You even know my name.” She glanced over at the girls Tori joined. “Um ... Not to be unkind, but I’d be careful of those girls. They’ve got a bit of a reputation.”

“Really? What do you mean?”

“Well, they’re like a cult or something. They all hang together and last year rumor had it that they all shared one boyfriend. Not that he could have been any use to them. He was really a weird little dork. I heard he got arrested last spring right before school got out because of that shooting,” she said. “I guess that was before you got here.”

“Uh ... Jennifer, who has sat beside you in nearly every class since kindergarten?”

“Oh, Chris Davis,” she said. “You’d like her.”

“The other side.”

“That would be that dork I mentioned. I can’t believe every class picture I’ve got has him beside me.”

“Maybe I should introduce myself. I’m Dennis Enders.” She looked at him blankly. “As in Davis, Eckert, Enders. Alphabetical order for the past eleven years,” Dennis chuckled. She looked horrified and stood away from him a step.

“No. That can’t be. He had thick glasses and was, like, four inches shorter than me, and a ... Tell me. You can’t be that dork, can you?” she stuttered.

“I know. Usually, the class dork doesn’t get revealed to be the catch of the class who got away until the ten-year class reunion or something.”

“But your eyes...”

“I had surgery.”

“And you’re, like, tall.”

“Growth spurt.”

“And ... muscles.”

“Been working out.”

“I am so embarrassed.”

“Don’t be. I know what I was. Nobody really knew me until last year when I started managing the Angelines. Then they only knew me because of my girlfriends,” he said.

“They really are your girlfriends?”

“Yeah. It’s not a cult, though. You don’t need to worry. Want to join us?” Her eyes popped open wide. “I mean at the table. Not as a girlfriend or a member of a cult or anything like that.”

“Thank you, but I think I’d better go now. Bye!” Jennifer turned and basically fled across the room to where other members of the junior class were hanging out with several junior football players.

“You’re kidding! She didn’t even know who you were?” Leanne asked. The crew had all met up at the outdoor basketball court Saturday morning and were joined by Daphne, Karen, and Liz for a little practice. The school couldn’t start any kind of official basketball practice until November eighth and it wasn’t yet September. There was nothing against them meeting for a ‘pick-up’ game. Tori and Natalie had spent the night with Dennis and were both in a very good mood.

“I don’t think she was faking it,” Dennis said. “Would you believe people still think I was arrested last spring and the class dork is no longer in school?”

“It’s all a matter of the timing,” Roberta said. “It was the last day of school. There was nobody to set the record straight for people. And with your new eyes and this hunky body, nobody recognizes you for the person you were last year.”

Dennis looked down at himself. His response to Roberta was evident in his spandex shorts. He tried to will it down. Roberta didn’t help it at all when she started dribbling and backed up into him to rub against his protrusion. All the girls were in their sport shorts and bra tops. While the tight elasticity of the tops flattened the girls some, the shorts—like his—showed every subtle curve.

“Come on, you two,” Amy shouted. “No sex at school. Besides, I must be next, aren’t I?”

“Actually, I asked Debbie out tonight,” Dennis said.

“Aw, whatcha gonna do? Go parking?” Liz said.

“No. Dennis promised to take me to a nice movie,” Debbie said. “What’s the name of that drive-in, Dennis?”

“Oh, um ... the Devil’s Playground, I think,” he laughed. They played hard for an hour or more when a voice broke through to get their attention.

“Are those your basketball uniforms?” a shrill woman demanded.

“No,” Tori said. “These are just our play clothes. It isn’t basketball season yet.”

“They’re indecent. Do your mothers know you are out here parading your bodies around like common whores? And with a boy! And his outfit is just as indecent as yours.”

“Girls wear this stuff all the time, Mrs ... Uh ... Whatever,” Daphne said.

“It’s sinful. You raise the lust of men and then complain when they notice you. You cause them to sin.”