Chapter 28

"The most beautiful quarterback in football has conveyed to me many interesting things," I said as I walked up to Tami after the bell for lunch. I was in too good a mood for a Monday. I slipped my hand into her back pocket, then pulled her around and gave her a quick kiss.

"The most beautiful quarterback in football?"

"Both American and European."

Tami giggled. "And what interesting things has this beautiful and I assume red-headed quarterback conveyed to you?"

"Well, she told me that our beloved coach has taken pity on our poor bruised bodies and given us the day off. No practice."

"Ohhh, remind me to send the nice man some flowers. I actually get my boyfriend for awhile." Tami looked around and, seeing no authority figures, returned my kiss. With interest.

"But there's more."

"I can't wait."

"You won't have to. She has informed me that her father has gone back to Tennessee til Friday and won't be home."

Tami frowned. "Does this mean she wants your bod?"

"There's more, my love."

"What?"

"She told me that she will not be home until late." Tami smiled. "And she reminded me that I know where they hide the spare key."

Tami grinned. "I always liked that quarterback."

"The coach wants to see us for a few minutes after school, then I'm all yours."

"What about? Are you in trouble again?"

I shrugged. "I don't think so, but you never know. I haven't been suspended since March, you know."

"And I'm so proud of you."

I wish she'd stop taking sarcasm lessons from Robbie.

It had been a hell of a weekend.

Friday night the Huskies came to win, but we wanted it more. Robbie spent most of the night on the field, playing offense and defense. When the gun sounded at the end of the game, the Huskies knew why she was called Monster Girl. Three sacks and an interception on defense, and almost two hundred yards rushing on offense.

Mike was on fire too. He threw pass after pass, right on target. When it was over, he'd accumulated just shy of four hundred yards in the air, missing the state record by a dozen yards, and blasting the old school record.

Larry was the star. Four sacks, five fumble recoveries and an interception that he ran back eighty yards for a touchdown, missing the state record for an interception return by a yard.

We set five school records that night and sent the Huskies home with their tails between their legs and a fifty-six to three loss in their score book.

Saturday should have been a disaster. We didn't get to the hotel in Seattle until after two in the morning and had to play at ten. Then we found out we'd been matched against Cougars out of Pasco. The number one ranked team in the state. We were ranked eighth, but that was before we crushed the Huskies. The Cougars, knowing weeks ago they were in the bowl, had played on Wednesday and were fresh.

A lot of people having tickets for the Halloween Bowl didn't even show up for our game. They missed a hell of a contest.

The Cougars won the coin toss and elected to receive. Bart Hayes, the running back being courted by every college in the country, caught the kickoff and ran it all the way to our eight yard line before I brought him down.

With first down and eight yards to go, ten seconds into the game, it looked like the blowout everyone predicted.

"We get tough or we go home now and beat the rush," Robbie told us as we took our places. Then she showed us what she meant, by sacking the Cougars' all-state quarterback. Larry showed he understood by getting his own sack on the second down.

Being a little more show-offy, I intercepted their pass in the end zone and ran it back twenty-three yards.

They sacked Mike twice before a fumble on our thirty-five turned over the ball again.

That was the story of the first quarter. We never got back across the fifty yard line, but they never crossed our goal line.

The second quarter moved the ball up and down the field. And up and down again. Mike came out after the second play. His arm must have felt like Jell-O after yesterday. Robbie and I split the QB duties. She threw for over a hundred yards in the second quarter, and I added sixty-five to that, but we just couldn't move that damned ball over the goal line. But the good news was, neither could they.

The half ended nothing to nothing.

The coach got us in the locker room. "I know you're tired after last night, and that was a hell of a first half against the toughest high school team I've ever seen." He took a breath and looked around the locker room. "Let's call it a day and go home."

Naturally we shouted him down.

We charged back out on the field as if it were the first game of the season. Unfortunately, so did the Cougars. By the end of the third quarter, Robbie had racked up another hundred and twenty yards in the air and fifty on the ground. I'd gotten seventy rushing and thirty more passing and we still hadn't passed the damned goal line.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm too damned tired to play overtime," Robbie said between quarters.

The fourth started like the third as the two teams danced up and down the field. With just over a minute left to play, we had the ball on the Cougars' twenty on third down. With a nothing to nothing ball game, it was the perfect time to kick. One problem. None of us were any damned good at it.

Robbie stepped up to me, grabbed my face mask and said two words.

I nodded. I signaled the sidelines that I wanted Larry and he jogged out, looking confused. He almost never played offense. I quickly explained what was happening.

We set up for the kick with me taking the hike and Robbie going for the kick.

I called out the numbers. The ball was hiked. I caught it and held it for the kick. Robbie ran forward, and just before the kick, I picked up the ball and started running. Larry moved in front of me and Robbie to the side, and we were halfway to the goal before the shock wore off.

The entire Cougars team seemed to be rushing at me, and I questioned whether football was the sport for me, but then the Rebels caught on and were picking them off one by one. I was at the five, then the three, something hit me, but I took another step, then one more, and lunged forward. I reached the ball in front of me as I went down, several bodies landing on top of me. I held onto the ball and waited for the whistle.

When everyone climbed off of me, I saw my outstretched arms and the ball, a good two feet past the goal line. We scored. I climbed slowly to my feet, wondering if I had a muscle in my body that wasn't complaining. Robbie rushed up and gave me a half hug, half tackle. I winced, but enjoyed it. Hugging Robbie was always fun, though hugging Robbie when we're both in pads wasn't nearly as satisfying.