Chapter 10

The only good thing about not making varsity was that I got to watch Robbie's games. Most of the time. The freshmen team played on Wednesday nights, the JV on Thursdays, and the varsity on Fridays, though that changed depending on school schedules, weather and stuff.

I was the starting quarterback for the JV. At least I'd skipped the freshman team. Robbie was the backup reserve quarterback for the varsity, though some times she'd go in as an end or on defense. So that also means I got more playing time than she did. I guess that's two things.

So Wednesdays, if the freshmen were at home, Robbie, Ricky, Tami and I would go watch the freshman play. After all we knew everybody. Then Thursdays Robbie, Ricky, and Tami would come watch me, and Fridays Ricky, Tami, and I would come watch Robbie. And if we hadn't had enough, we'd have somebody's house Saturday for college and Sunday for the pros.

Luke and Mikee would join us some of those days. But Luke also had Tuesday night football at the middle school. Mikee was a cheerleader.

Ashley moved at the middle of September. She wasn't into football, but she'd usually come either Thursday or Friday if we were at home, just to hang with the group. As you can imagine, the guys were all over her, but so far nobody had made any headway. Tami told me to make her feel welcome, so I'd make out with here a couple times a week. Maybe feel her up. Yeah, I know I'm whipped. It's hell doing what your girlfriend wants.

Life was Goo... Well, I didn't want to use the G-word. It seems like every time I thought life was... well, you know, then life would come crashing down, and Tami and I would be out of it for months at a time. Not this year.

Every night we weren't at football, Tami and I would take an evening walk around the park, or to the store, through the woods, or some combination. Sometimes Robbie was with us. Or one or both of the girls. Sometimes we'd talk, sometimes just walk in silence.

But I also liked to walk by myself. Just me and my thoughts. That was usually when I had to be careful about thinking life was G. Usually when I was trekking by myself, I was in the woods behind the park. They extended about a half-mile behind the park and about a quarter mile one way and a half mile the other, so there were lots of trails. I always hoped I'd find another owl, but so far no luck.

It was the last Saturday in September, and I was hanging by myself. Ricky and Robbie were at a movie, and Tami had gone shopping with her mother. Robbie was annoyed with me anyway. The JV had won their fourth game on Thursday, and the varsity had dropped their fourth. Which, like a good friend, I didn't mention. But Robbie said I smirked a lot. I don't even know how to smirk.

None of the games on TV interested me. Besides, it was a beautiful day. Indian summer had hit central Washington. I decided to go exploring. There was one corner of the woods that I hadn't checked out much.

I made several sandwiches, then loaded a backpack with them, some cookies, and a couple of cans of Atlanta's finest and headed out. I even stuck in the new digital camera I'd bought with my lawn mowing money. The sun was shining hard, but the temperature was mid-seventies with just a hint of a breeze.

I went past Mr. Lansing's trailer, into the woods, and started taking trails that headed toward the southeast corner. I figured eventually I'd come out on McIver's Way. Then, if I still wanted to hike, I could walk a mile to the state park and hike around there all afternoon.

Birds swooped through the low branches, checking me out, but no owls. I thought I saw a hawk, but it was too far away to be sure. Squirrels were out in force, and I saw a racoon and skunk, too.

I took a lot of pictures. The camera was still new, so it was a toy. I'd bought a one gig card, so I could take all the pictures I wanted. Maybe I'd put them together into a photo report for some class. The skunk picture turned out great. With the zoom, it made it look like I was a daring wildlife photographer right up in his face.

I wondered who owned all this. I'd hate like hell for somebody to turn it into a mini-mall or something.

About the time I figured I should be getting to McIver's, I ran into a tall redwood fence.

Somebody had some bucks. The fence was seven feet high, and I didn't think redwood was cheap.

Idle curiosity made me wonder what was behind the fence. There was a tree next to it, and I hadn't climbed a tree in years. I jumped up and grabbed a branch about eight feet off the ground, then pulled myself up.

The backyard was worth the climb, I thought as I sat on the limb. It was fantastic. Lots of grass, a little creek that started from a four-foot-high waterfall. A dozen different flower beds. On one side of the house was a pool. On the other, a redwood deck and hot tub. This was the kind of place I wanted when Tami and I got a house. Which meant at least one of us had to make some bucks.

I was taking pictures of everything when a girl came out of the house. I zoomed in on her. It was Sally Jeffries in a string bikini that looked like it would be at home on a Brazilian beach.

Yes, I visit those sites on the internet. But it was research. I was doing a report on the Amazon river. And the river empties into the Atlantic ocean. And the ocean has beaches at Rio de Janeiro. And people use those beaches. And some of those people are girls. And the girls in Rio wear really small bikinis. Good honest research.

Sally was a sophomore, a year ahead of me. I realized that I'd never paid much attention to her and wondered why. She had a spectacular body. Then she turned around and leaned over to adjust her lounge chair. She had a spectacular ass which the thong in back of her bikini showed off in every detail.