Chapter 23

The romance between Tessa and Vick took off like a rocket. Tessa was never one to dither when she wanted something, and she wanted Vick in the worst way. He, of course, did not have a chance. Not that he felt tricked or coerced in any way.

Like a lot of the guys at school, Vick had been fascinated by Tessa, but because of her brains and her apparent relationship with Cal, he did not waste any time wishing for her. Finding out that she wanted him was just too good to be true.

Just two weeks after the Pizza Hut attack, there was another away volleyball game, and the six friends were together in the lunch room, trying to organize rides. In completely predictable fashion, Tessa was busily sorting out whose cars were going and who was riding with whom, cheerfully giving out instructions.

When Tessa turned to tell Vick something, she stopped dead when she saw him standing with his arms crossed, grinning down at her. "What?" she demanded.

"Damn, you're cute when you get bossy!" he said good-naturedly.

That was the moment when it hit Cal full force that Tessa would never be his. He had braced himself to watch Tessa light into Vick, but it did not happen. Instead, Tessa blushed and looked down, her expression embarrassed and contrite. Unbelievable!

Vick reacted quickly, enfolding Tessa in his mighty grasp. He had to bend over just to kiss the top of her head, but Cal heard Vick say "Hey, hey! You can organize my life all you want." It was a quick little hug, given the severity of the school's anti-PDA rules, but it was touching and it was telling in its impact.

Cal had known intellectually that he and Tessa were not destined for the long haul. That moment, though, is when it hit him emotionally.

By the next week, Tessa had acquired a whole new closet full of shoes, or so it seemed. With nearly a foot of height difference between her and Vick, she set out to reduce it any way she could. The fact that some kind of raised heel did wonders for her posture and her walk was not lost on her, either.

The very next night after the football game, Teri caught Cal looking at Tessa rather wistfully and pulled him aside. "Us Walts women have kicked your heart around pretty good, haven't we?"

"Wouldn't trade a minute of it," Cal assured her.

Teri held his face in both hands and just stared into his eyes for many seconds. Then, not even bothering to check on Rick, she laid a KISS on Cal, one reminiscent of their days together.

"Can I tell you something I learned from the counselor?" Teri asked. At Cal's confused nod, she went on. "The reason Tessa fell for Vick, at least one of the reasons, is that Vick needs her. He's a great guy and I feel good about her being with him. There's a lot about him for Tessa to respect and admire, too. But it's kinda like me and Rick. I supply something that he is missing. Tessa does that for Vick, and she needs to feel that she is essential that way."

"So you're saying my problem is that I don't need Tessa?"

"Uh huh. Cal, you're one of the most independent, self-sufficient people I know, of any age. I'm sure Tessa loves you, and I know I do. But I complete Rick and Tessa completes Vick. You must see how Bobby completes Rebecca, don't you?"

"So your counselor told you this stuff, huh?"

"Yup. Fortunately, I don't think Vick will let Tessa run over him like Rick did with me", Teri explained. "Besides, she learned a lot from our battles last year, and she is going to the counselor, too. I don't think they will run into the problems Rick and I did."

"So you think they're already a done deal?"

"What do you think, Cal? You called it right with Rebecca." And he knew he had called it right with Tessa, too, right from that first look in the Pizza Hut lot.

When Cal had helped to reunite Teri and Rick, there had been a sense of loss. Teri was Cal's first, after all. But just knowing that the relationship could not be permanent dulled the pain of loss significantly. Throw in concern over the impact of discovery and there were lots of reasons why Cal was not thrown into depression when Teri and Rick were reunited.

With Tessa it was different. Oh, Cal knew from many, many conversations that he and Tessa were not destined for the long haul. Knowing it intellectually, though, and seeing it made certain by her new love affair were two different things. No matter what Cal and Tessa had said to each other, she had always been there, and somehow, the future had always contained her.

Cal was not a depressive personality. His training and his experiences had given him a great deal of control over his emotions. The loss of Tessa would not destroy him or impair any of his activities, but it definitely hurt. It hurt in ways that surprised him.

Working out in the early mornings, Cal often thought about when Tessa told him that she had not fallen in love like Rebecca, or like Teri. At the time, Cal had wondered if it would ever happen to him. He had to admit to himself that what he felt for Tessa certainly went farther toward what he considered true love than anything else in his life.

That brought his thoughts to Cheryl. She was a treasure, for sure, but by her own declaration, that relationship was on a definite timetable, too. After what she had gone through with Greg, just to ensure her chance at an M.D., Cal did not even think about her changing her mind and making their relationship more permanent. He could not feel angry at Cheryl for that. He could only admire her steadfastness and determination. Truth be told, he was not sure his own feelings for Cheryl met the criteria for permanence, anyway. Perhaps he was using his self-control to curtail his own feelings in the face of her imminent departure.

It was only October of Cal's junior year, but Tessa's falling for Vick brought one fact to the front of Cal's thinking. His world, at least his emotional world, was largely built around the three girls, and within a year, they would all be scattered. Where would that leave him?

The same disciplines that helped Cal ride herd on his emotions gave him the ability to focus on the things within his control, and he had to call on those disciplines quite often that fall. In a strange way, the Pizza Hut incident was harder for him to deal with than THE DAY. The battles for Ismi had been so clear-cut and he had been purely the good guy. The problem with the Pizza Hut attack was Cal's lingering uneasiness over how severely he had injured Greg.

Ken had told the group that night at the dojo that he had not lost any sleep over the times when he had meted out his own version of justice. Well, Cal was losing some sleep over wrecking Greg's knee, and the thought of the possible consequences to his friends was sobering.

As always in Cal's life, there were worthwhile things to concentrate on, and that is what he did.

A psychology Ph.D. candidate could have done a thesis on the football team that season. It had been a good team the year before, and the prospects for this year had been very good. However, Vick had been right: there was little team spirit and unity while Greg and Chad ruled. With their departure and Vick's ascendance as the acknowledged team leader, that changed dramatically.

It is hard to say that emotion can make up for pure talent and experience, but that seemed to be what was happening. Because they knew that their teammates would not get down on them for honest mistakes, the younger players became more bold: they did what they were capable of doing, not just what they felt safe doing.

The coach had to change his style to accommodate the new spirit, but he seemed to understand the need. From the tightly controlled style he had always taught, he introduced a lot more risky plays, both on offense and on defense.

On offense, the risk-taking was based on the discovery that Jason, Chad's replacement, was much more of a pure passer and not as good as an option quarterback. Furthermore, he could throw long and very accurately. The team became a passing team almost overnight, learning a pro-style offense very rapidly. The new offense yielded some big plays and some big mistakes, but it generated much enthusiasm from the whole team.

Jeron taking over for Greg was no less of an upheaval. Instead of the big blaster that Greg was, the running attack now depended on the much smaller Jeron's blinding speed.

Risk-taking on defense was not really very risky with a presence like Vick in the middle. Understanding that he was the leader and no longer Greg's follower brought out personality strengths that surprised even Emily and delighted Tessa. It was as if by sheer force of will he could prevent the other team from advancing. All of his defensive teammates picked up the same spirit from Vick.

The previous year, in his backup role, Cal had been put in on a lot of blitz plays. This year, the coach made the blitz almost the standard defense. With the way Vick could tie up two blockers, there was almost always a pathway for a linebacker or defensive back to charge into the opposing backfield. With Cal's excellent sense of positioning and movement, he was responsible for several sacks and tipped passes and forced two fumbles in the early games.

One thing that kept the defensive team's spirit from being what it could be was Rickert. He had not recovered from the loss of Greg. Rickert was a good linebacker and he did not pout or play beneath his ability. But neither did he enter into the encouragement, the congratulations, and the ribbing with the others. Even Cal had loosened up considerably, seeing how it affected the team's play.

The sixth game of the year was special because Pete would be there. His team had an away game in a city with easy connections home. He was given permission to leave after the team's run through on Friday afternoon. The rest of the family would fly back with him late that night and watch him play on Saturday.

Because of the incentive value of having a successful graduate around his players, Coach invited Pete to the sideline when he heard that he would be at the game.

The opponent that night had also abandoned the option play that most teams in the area used. They had gone to the primarily short passing game that came to be known as the 'West Coast Offense'. During the first half, the opponents were quite effective and Cal's team trailed 10-3 at half-time. Only some frantic red-zone defense had kept the score from being worse.

As he watched play, Pete was almost jumping up and down with impatience, and he finally cornered the defensive coach while the offense had the ball. "Coach, we see that offense a lot. Here's what you need to change..."

The defensive coach talked to Coach and Pete was invited to talk to the defense at half-time.

"What you have to do is make them throw long," Pete told the attentive high schoolers. "Anyone within ten yards of scrimmage, you have to be inside their jersey. And remember, within five yards, you can murder them before the ball is thrown."

"But won't that leave us open to the long ball?" one cornerback asked.

"That's the trade-off. But this offense is built on the safe, short, quick passes. Until he proves otherwise, assume the QB can't throw long. Jam everything up close."

"And don't stop the blitzes. Everything depends on timing, so disrupt, disrupt, disrupt. He'll throw before you can sack him, but if you're in his face, he'll make a mistake."

On the first possession of the third quarter, Cal was again on a blitz through Vick's 'hole'. The quarterback saw Cal charging through and threw to his tight end curling into the middle. Vick was between the quarterback and that receiver and he tipped the pass up into the air.

The deflected pass crossed the scrimmage line so neither Vick nor Cal could reach it, but Rickert was right there. He flattened the intended receiver, legally since the ball had been tipped, and made a nice catch of the fluttering ball. It was time for the defense to turn into the offense.

Rickert was six or seven yards deep when he caught the ball, behind and just outside of Vick's tackle position. He wasted no time before heading upfield, probably assuming that he would get only a few yards before being tackled. Vick had other ideas. Looking almost like some cartoon superhero, Vick turned and made a mighty lunge toward the sideline. In the process, he flattened both the opposing guard and tackle. Rickert saw the huge hole and sprinted nicely through it.

When Vick had tipped the ball, the automatic call of 'Ball! Ball!' went up, and Cal had seen Rickert's catch and Vick's plowing job. Once Rickert got past the scrimmage line, only the blocking back and the quarterback were for sure between Rickert and the goal line. Some other offensive players might be able to turn around and pursue, but that was unlikely.

Moments before, the blocking back had been poised to keep Cal off of the quarterback, but their roles were now reversed. Cal made the adjustment faster and was able to deliver a 'brush block' that was enough to allow Rickert to veer toward the sideline and avoid the grasp of the would-be tackler.

That left only the quarterback, who had the angle and a bit of a lead. Cal did not have much momentum, so Rickert was a little ahead of Cal. Forgetting that it was Rickert, or maybe because it was, Cal wanted that touchdown very, very badly. The scrimmage line had been almost at mid-field, so there was quite a bit of room for the play to develop.

Sprints were not Cal's big thing, and he had already expended a lot of energy on the play. In one of those weird flashbacks, he remembered Pete's touchdown after Cal had forced the fumble on a kickoff. Pete had already run a field length and he should have fallen in exhaustion. Somehow, though, he had found the extra energy to carry tacklers into the end zone. Just that memory gave Cal some speed that he never knew he had.

It looked like the quarterback would intersect Rickert between the ten and the fifteen, and Cal desperately hoped he could catch up by that point and provide the key block. As they pounded across the twenty-five, Cal used some of his scarce breath to shout out "Matt!" That was Rickert's first name, and all Cal had the breath to say.

Whatever else Cal had thought of Rickert, he had to admire the linebacker's next move. Rickert did just enough of a hitch in his stride to let Cal catch up, then he slid behind Cal and resumed full speed. The quarterback, who had been intent on knocking Rickert out of bounds, had to try to reverse back to the inside. That left him momentarily facing right at Cal, and that's when Cal put the quarterback on his backside as Rickert went in to tie the score.

Cal had gone down on top of the quarterback, and just as he was about to get up, he was jerked to his feet by massive arms that could only have been Vick's. "Great blocking!" Vick yelled, and together they hurried to join the celebration that was building in the end zone.

Rickert had made it a point to stay as far away from Cal as possible since the attack, but when the offense took the field again, Rickert came and sat right next to Cal on the bench. "Thanks!" was all he said as he stared at the action on the field. After a bit, he asked "How come?"

Cal was tempted to make Rickert say more, even though he understood exactly what the question meant. Instead, he just said "For the team."

Both boys watched the action silently for another few plays, then Rickert spoke up again. "Lacey's been really chewin' on my ass." Lacey was his freshman sister. "She can't understand why I'm pissed at you. Says if it had been her, I'd better have killed Greg. Got Ma on her side, too."

There was no more said on the subject. There were no apologies or pledges of friendship, and Cal did not expect to be eating lunch with Rickert. Cal was sure, however, that it marked the end of Rickert's surly, standoffish attitude toward his teammates.

The third quarter of the game went back and forth with neither team able to score. Pete came up to Cal at the quarter break. "I think they're going to try going long. Watch Nineteen. He'll be the one and he is really fast."

Cal was getting ready for another blitz when the senses that had been sharpened from years of drills told him that something was different with Nineteen. He could not have described the difference, but it could mean only one thing - a long pass.

The cornerback was already lined up to run with Nineteen, and Cal could go ahead and blitz, hoping to disrupt the play enough to spoil the bomb attempt. For the whole game, though, the cornerback had been defending against short hooks, curls, and outs, following Pete's advice. The cornerback had done a good job, staying very close and defending several passes. The sudden post pattern might very well catch him off-guard.

Making a sudden decision, Cal started running in place and edging toward the scrimmage line, something he never did on a real blitz. With more than a little luck, he turned and started sprinting back downfield just one count before the snap. He knew that he could not run with Nineteen, and he needed a good head start. By now, he was convinced of the long pass attempt.

Not even looking back for about twenty yards, Cal heard the clashing sounds of the snap and the charge, then the cornerback frantically calling Cal's name. He looked back to see the cornerback badly faked out of the play and Nineteen sprinting up the sideline at frightening speed.

For the entire game, neither Cal nor his companion safety had moved even thirty yards downfield, and the quarterback just did not look for any deep defense. It looked to him like all he had to do was deliver the ball to his open receiver and he let it fly.

Cal had given himself a six or seven yard head start and he had a good angle on the play. Even so, he was not at all sure he could reach the receiver before the ball did. The receiver was that fast. It only took a little over two seconds before the receiver, the ball, and Cal converged along the sideline. Cal's head start and his frantic sprint allowed him to get in front of Nineteen, forcing him to slow down slightly to keep from running over Cal.

Cal was now where Nineteen should have been and the pass was perfectly thrown. Cal had his first interception, and being shoved out of bounds immediately was not such a bad thing. He had completely exhausted himself on his desperation sprint and he could not have returned it even ten yards.

There was total jubilation on the sideline and Coach just waited for it to subside. The he said to Cal "Nice Blitz." They both laughed at that. "How did you know."

"Not sure. Pete warned me to watch him, and he just seemed... different that time."

Cal had gone out of bounds at the fifteen and they now faced a long field. They absolutely had to have a couple of first downs to avoid giving up field position. Unfortunately, a penalty and three ineffective plays found Cal ready to punt from his end zone on fourth and twelve.

The bad luck did not stop there. The opponents timed the snap perfectly, moving one man to overload the charge from Cal's left. There were not enough blockers, and by the time Cal was taking the first step into his kick, he knew that either of two opponents would certainly block his punt.

Running out the back of the end zone for a safety was the preferred option for that unfortunate situation, and that was Cal's first impulse. He started turning in the direction of the two would-be kick blockers. Rickert was the teammate on that side. He had taken out his man, but could not take on three. Cal saw Rickert putting his man down for the second time, leaving the left side surprisingly open.

Coach had a reputation for playing all of the percentages by the book, and Cal should have continued his turn and run out for the safety. Given how tight the game was, though, he had little confidence that his team could make up the two points.

"Matt!" Cal yelled for the second time in that game. He started out at an angle toward the left sideline. The momentum of the two charging opponents allowed Cal to slip past them. From his original snap position, Cal needed over twenty-five yards for the first down. It was a desperate gamble.

Rickert heard Cal's yell and knew immediately what had happened. He had seen the extra defenders charging past him untouched, after all. At the scrimmage line, there were two linemen just starting to move laterally to head off Cal. Rickert got there first and was able to hold a screening block long enough to allow Cal to pass. Then, it was a reverse of the earlier play, with Rickert trying to catch up with Cal to throw another block.

This time, there was only another ten yards that had to be made, and Cal had no illusions about taking it all the way. The immediate worry was two defenders who were stationed along the sideline short of the first down mark. "Cal!" Rickert barked and Cal instantly broke his stride. As Rickert passed Cal, Cal veered to the inside and Rickert blocked the nearest defender. It was almost a replay of their earlier cooperation, only with roles reversed. The play ended up at the thirty-five, well past the needed first down.

Two first downs later, Cal centered a medium-length field goal that was the last score of the game. It was a special thrill to make the most impact he ever had in one of only three high school football games that Pete would be able to see Cal play.

Somehow, the team was now 6-0! And in a season when Cal was supposed to have ruined their chances by crippling the two offensive stars. Admittedly, it had mostly happened because of defense, but no matter what, they were unbeaten. Team spirit, with Vick acting as star player and main cheerleader, had never been higher.

With the Banners having to hurry to the airport to get Pete back and to watch his game, the usual pizza stop did not happen. Tessa waited for Vick and told him she was taking him home, meaning her house. Vick saw no reason at all to object to that.

It had been a very emotional few weeks for Tessa. She knew, both intellectually and emotionally, that she had fallen hard for Vick. All of the things that she saw in her mother and in Rebecca, she now felt in herself. This was the kind of love that she had lamented to Cal that she had not felt for him.

Cal! He was the cause of most of Tessa's current emotional turmoil. Even though she had never felt the 'forever' kind of love for Cal, she had loved him as long as she could remember. In fact, she had willed herself to feel that love for him, but in her heart she had known it just wasn't there. Now, almost overnight, she had 'dumped' him for Vick. Just a few months ago, Cal's affair with her mother had ended just as abruptly.

Tessa felt bad for her friend Cal. Very bad. On several occasions, the two had talked and Cal consistently assured Tessa that he was OK and that he was happy for her. She believed him, and she saw how happy he and Cheryl were together. All the intellectual belief in the world could not stop the hurt and the guilt she felt for him, though.

When they got to her house, Vick and Tessa had headed right for the rec room. He was barely seated when she curled up in his lap. It was such a wonderful feeling to feel so small and so secure, engulfed in his massive arms.

"Still worried about Cal, Baby?" Vick asked, startling her from her reverie. It had taken them only days to get to the affectionate name stage. As usual, Tessa was not one to dawdle once her mind and heart were made up.

"How do you get inside my head so easily?" she complained good-naturedly. Then, seriously, she told him "It's just that... I owe him a lot."

"You're not the only one, you know," Vick pointed out. "If it hadn't been for that attack, who knows where I'd be right now. For sure not sitting here with this awesome babe on my lap." That earned him a kiss.