Chapter 26

THURSDAY AFTERNOON, Dennis sat with his team after a light practice. They all waited expectantly for his pep talk. They would be playing the Lynx in the semifinal Friday morning at 10:00. The students who had been regularly watching practice, including most of the boys’ team, the JV girls, and junior high girls, sat behind the girls on the bleachers.

“In a way, I’ve been dreading this day,” Dennis began to the surprise of his team. “This is the day that I have to dredge up something unpleasant and apologize to all of you. Last year, we played the team we face tomorrow in the state finals. By some quirk of fate, we ended up in the same bracket this year and tomorrow, we’ll play in the semifinals. I need to apologize to all of you. My so-called heroism the year before made me an enemy who tried to kill me the night before the final game. You all wore patches on your warmups where a bullet intended for me went through them. I caused you to all lose focus for that final game.”

“That’s not true, Dennis!” Natalie yelled.

“Yes, hon, it is true. The entire team was looking over its shoulder for a possible shooter. We didn’t know what might happen or where he might decide to strike next. We all lacked the focus you needed to win that championship game against a team that was absolutely no better than you were. You might be asking why I’m bringing up that unpleasant memory. Well, this year, we don’t have an imaginary shooter. There’s no one on the hunt for us except the Lynx. They think that because they beat us last year, it will be no real problem to beat us again this year. They are already focused on the Saturday night game. They have lost the one thing that we have known about every game this season. We have learned this season that the last shot can determine the outcome of the game. We have honed our skills to never be caught with an inadequate winning margin at the buzzer. We know that tomorrow morning is...”

“ ... the championship game!” the girls shouted.

“And there is nothing to alter our focus going into that game. We are going to throw everything we have at them tomorrow and they are going to see an Angelines team they never imagined existed. And what are we going to do?”

“Beat ‘em!”

“How will we do it?”

“Run, run, run!” By this time, all the fans backing the girls knew the routine and joined in the chant.

“Who are we?”

“Angelines!” everyone yelled.

“The bus boards at 8:00 in the morning. Get rested. Be ready. Be on board!”

It might have been more rousing than the pep rally on Monday.

“Hello?” Dennis said when his phone rang. He hadn’t looked to see who was calling.

“Are you as nervous tonight as I am, Babe?”

“Ardith! Wow! I mean, hi! I didn’t look to see who was calling,” he said. “Nervous? I’m sitting in my bed huddled over a cup of my mother’s Sleepytime tea, hoping I’ll get at least a little rest tonight sometime.”

“I hear you. I can’t believe I just got here and am taking a team to the NCAA tournament. What if they discover I’m just a high school coach?” Ardith laughed.

“What if they discover I’m just in high school?” Dennis responded. “Gosh, babe, what have we gotten ourselves into?”

“A really big adventure. I just wish we were sharing it together like old times.”

“That was sure great. But we’ll be together again next year, right?” Dennis asked.

“Unless you abandon Brenda and me and decide to go to some Div I school.”

“Not a chance,” Dennis said. He took a sip of his cooling tea. “Um ... How do you handle the pressure, Ardith? I mean, the girls are going to play the game, but I feel like the whole weight of the program is on my shoulders. What do I do now?”

“I suppose the same thing I’ll do,” Ardith said. “Uh ... I mean, like, I’m here with a team of girls who held themselves together through a coach’s death—and apparently some other shit I haven’t found out about yet—and won ten straight before I got here. I’ve coached them through another ten wins, but they were already cooking on their own.”

“They depend on you, though. They can’t see when a substitution is needed or when to call a time out. They can’t see the whole game objectively like you can,” Dennis answered.

“See? You just answered your own question. Amy told Brenda about the pep talk you gave the girls this afternoon. You don’t really feel like the loss last year was your fault, do you?”

“Oh. Only sort of. I know all the rational reasons it wasn’t my fault, but I still feel a little responsible. When they came off the court after the finals last year, I could see the hurt in their eyes. They all knew they hadn’t played their best. They all knew we lost to a team that wasn’t as good. And I felt like it was all my fault for getting screwed up with Les Steinman. I didn’t want them to dwell on that part of the message. I hope they got the real intent.”

“Oh, I think so. Brenda said Amy was really fired up.”

“I don’t have any of the girls with me tonight. I insisted they all go home and rest.”

“Mmmhmm. I figured. Brenda is staying over with a teammate tonight. It’s too easy to get distracted when the girls are with their lover.”

“Yeah.”

“Um ... You asked what I do.”

“Yeah. Any tips on how to get to sleep the night before a big game?”

“Well, I guess so. Please don’t ever let this out to anyone. Okay?”

“Sure. But if the solution involves alcohol, it won’t do me any good anyway,” Dennis laughed.

“It doesn’t. Though, I’ve been sipping a glass of wine while we talk. I used to kind of fantasize a little.”

“About the game?”

“No. About you.”

“Really?” Dennis asked in disbelief.

“This is so embarrassing.”

“No! Tell me.”

“Well, you have to get really comfortable. Like I am now. With no clothes on.”

Dennis moaned. Of course, he never wore clothes to bed, but the idea of Ardith naked in bed while they talked started an erection.

“Yeah. Me, too.”

“So, close your eyes and think about me, lying here in bed, naked, and thinking about you.”

“Oh, geez, Ardith!”

“Have you never thought about it before?”

“I ... I have. A lot.”

“What do you imagine we’d be doing?”

“Mmm. Kissing. I really like to kiss,” he said.

“That’s something we have in common. When I think about kissing you, I get ... Um ... My nipples just got really hard and when I touch them it’s like electric shock waves go through my whole body.”

“Is it okay if I think about touching them? I guess I’ve done that a lot.”

“I imagine it’s your hands that are touching me.”

“Can I ... kiss them?”

“Oh, yeah. Kiss. Use your tongue and flick them back and forth. Suck just a little. Yes, like that.”

“Baby, I think you are one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever met. I can’t wait to have my lips wrapped around your nipple. I’ve imagined it a lot.”

“What else do you think about, Den?”

“Remember the time I stopped by your place to talk about the team problems? You’d been working out. You were wearing a pair of those really short shorts. I think a lot about ... touching you there. Feeling your butt in my hands.”

“Oh, god, yes. Hold my butt in both your hands while you’re sucking on my nipples. You’ll always be welcome to hold my butt. And you can move your hands around to the front, too.”

“Do you have any idea how often I’ve imagined sliding my fingers through your um ... pussy.”

“Don’t be afraid to say that word to me, Dennis. I want your fingers in my pussy, just like I want mine wrapped around your cock. I want to feel how hard you get when you touch me.”

“I’m so hard right now, I feel like it will burst.”

“I hope, in a way, it does, but get on top of me first. Yes. I want our first time to be with you on top of me, looking into my eyes while you slide that big cock into my wet welcoming pussy. I want you there, Dennis. I want to feel your hardness penetrating my private places. I want to feel you thrusting in and out of me as I rise to meet each thrust.”

“Ardith,” Dennis moaned. “I’m ... I’m not going to last.”

“Do it,” she said. “Pound into me and let me feel the jets of your come spurting against my cervix. Let me feel you come in my pussy because I’m ... going to ... come on your cock.”

Dennis started spurting, making a general mess of everything. He hadn’t really prepared to masturbate and didn’t have tissues or anything else at hand. The hot slippery goo was all over his chest, his pillow, and his sheets.

“Oh, Ardith. I love you!”

“I love you, Dennis. It’s only a few months before we make that fantasy a reality. But right now, we can both just lie here and bask in the afterglow as we drift off to sleep. Goodnight, lover.”

“Goodnight, darlin’.”

It didn’t take long before both were sound asleep.

Five buses followed the team bus at eight o’clock on Friday morning. For all intents and purposes, the school was empty and those who remained were in an all-morning study hall. An uncounted number of parents and siblings were taking off work and school to drive down to Des Moines for the semifinal game. Everyone was aware that this was the same team that beat the Angelines in the finals the year before.