Chapter 9

"What the hell are they doing?" I yelled, jumping to my feet.

I felt two hands grab my arms and try to pull me down, Tami on one side and Mikee on the other.

"Quiet!" Mikee hissed. "You're not supposed to be here.

I stayed on my feet as the referees untangled the dog pile with Luke Hastings on the bottom. As he stood, Hastings threw the ball on the ground in disgust. I couldn't blame him. The blocking had been horrible, and we got sent for a five yard loss.

I let Tami and Mikee pull me back down to the bleachers.

Sam Woodard, the kid who'd come with Mikee to the game, gave me a scared look. I think he was nervous about being caught around me. On Tami's other side Kelly, Traci, and Peter were looking around to see if anyone was checking us out.

Suspended students aren't supposed to come to football games. Or any other school activities for that matter. But nobody expected me to stay away.

Nobody who knew me, anyway.

So I'd thrown on a sweatshirt and kept the hood up and stayed in the middle of a crowd. I even paid full admission instead of using my student body card. I was supposed to be inconspicuous.

I wasn't sure if Parker could actually keep me out of a game in Richland, but I didn't want to find out the hard way.

We settled in the bleachers in the visitors section and watched as the Bombers, then our team ran onto the field and tried to out-calisthenic each other. I was surprised to see Robbie over talking to a couple of the Bombers before the coin toss, but Robbie's one of those people who gets to know everybody. She probably made friends when we played them last year and the year before. Hell, I knew a couple of them myself.

We'd kicked off to Richland. Then on the third play Larry Gordon stripped the ball from their quarterback and fell on it.

Our ball on the fifty. Life was good.

Then our first play on offense, Robbie at quarterback Mike was sitting on the sidelines for some reason handed off to Luke. Before he got three steps, three Richland defenders hit him. Two more joined the pile before the referees whistled the play dead.

I shook my head. We were better than that.

I watched as we set up again. I'd bet it was going to be a pass, a nice long one right into the end-zone. Robbie called the count. If everybody would shut-up I could hear her. She checked both sides, then took the hike from Alex. She faded back, cocked her arm, and Luke whipped behind her taking the ball. Robbie, instead of faking a pass or trying to pull the defense away, stood up and watched as Luke started running, right into a wall of Richland players.

"They can't do this!" I yelled, jumping to my feet again. Robbie and Mikee tried to pull me down.

"Sit down!" Mikee pleaded.

"They can't throw away the game because of..."

"This isn't about you," Tami said. "NOW SIT DOWN." The last three words weren't loud, or angry, but they felt like they were carved in granite. I'd never heard such authority from Tami. I sat.

The team lined up again. Robbie took the hike, handed off to Luke and... Well, it wasn't pretty.

I looked at Tami. "But..."

She shook her head. "It isn't about you," she repeated. "This is Robbie teaching a lesson about the consequences of lying."

"But..."

Tami stared straight into my eyes so hard that I couldn't have looked away. "You taught me a lesson about the consequences of lying. Trust me, it hurt worse than this."

I shut my mouth and nodded. I didn't want to think about the way I'd treated Tami when she'd lied to me. "But the team? State?" I said softly.

Tami shook her head and grinned. "You know how competitive she is. If you don't think she can teach a lesson AND win the game, you don't know your best friend very well."

I couldn't help it. I grinned back. Then I settled back to watch the fun.

Fourth down with nineteen yards to go. Robbie took the hike, faded back. The blocking was awesome. Nobody was near her. She had all the time in the world. She threw a beautiful spiral right into the arms of Zach Hissman on the thirty. Zach had nothing but clear field in front of him. He took a step and went down on one knee. Parker threw down his clipboard and started yelling. I was glad I couldn't hear. I have delicate ears.

"I guess Robbie's not done teaching," I said with a smile.

"For a guy, you catch on quick," Mikee answered with a giggle.

Parker grabbed somebody by the collar, yelled in his face, then sent him onto the field. As he ran out I saw it was number fifty-four, Tracy Arnolds. He tapped Zach on the shoulder in the huddle and pointed toward the sidelines. Robbie stood up, said a couple words and pointed herself, and Tracy ran back off.

Parker did not look amused. He was yelling something from the sideline, but I couldn't make it out, and I don't think Robbie was listening.

Three plays. Two hand-offs and a short pass to Luke. Three bone-crushing tackles. I glanced at the sidelines. Parker was yelling something at Mike, who was sitting on the bench. Mike was shaking his head.

Fourth down. Robbie took the hike, faded back to pass, but couldn't find an open man. She tucked her head and ran toward a hole in the line. Man, could that girl move. I watched her shake, rattle and roll her way through the defenders and down the field. As she got to the goal line I wondered if she cross or down the ball for another lesson. I'm not sure what she planned, but a Richland defender hit her and they skidded across the line.

The extra point. Robbie handed Luke the ball. It seemed like the whole Richland team hit him.

"She tipped them somehow," I said, more to myself than anyone else.

"What makes you say that?" Tami asked, looking slightly amused.

"Every time Luke got the ball, the Bombers seemed keyed on him. But the two plays he didn't, they were looking for the ball just like a regular game."

Tami smiled. "I'm impressed, there may be hope for you yet. Assuming that Robbie would tip the other team, and I'm not saying she is, if it was you, how'd you do it?"

I thought for a second. "A number in the count."

"What number?" Tami asked.

Now it was my turn to smile. "If our positions were reversed, I'd use thirty-one, Robbie's number. So I'm guessing she's using mine, thirteen."

"Except your positions wouldn't be reversed. Robbie's too smart to let Parker set her up like that," Mikee said.

I used to like Mikee.

The offense ran off the field, except for Robbie, who stayed on, and the defense set up for the kickoff. From the way he was pacing and yelling, I had a feeling that wasn't Parker's idea.

The Bombers took the kickoff and ran it back to the forty. And never crossed the fifty. Monster Girl saw to that, sacking their quarterback twice. If she'd made a deal with them, it was only about Luke.

When the offense charged out on the field, Luke didn't look as enthusiastic as the others. They huddled up. Luke shook his head vigorously. They lined up. Robbie faked a handoff to Luke and handed the ball to Greg Sanders. Greg went around the right end and made six yards.

Next play she rifled a short pass to Zach. He made ten yards and a first down. The team looked like a well-oiled machine, and I didn't think there was a team in the state that could stop them, except maybe the Seahawks. On a good day.

Robbie faked a handoff and snapped the ball into Luke's stomach. Luke looked around and saw a wall of Bomber green and gold. He started scrambling, losing more and more ground before they brought him down on the forty-eight. Second down and twenty-four to go.

Robbie faked a handoff, fell back, and fired a shot straight to Zach on the twenty. This time Zach took the ball and headed for the goal before a last Richland defender managed to take him at the knees on the three.

Another handoff to Luke and we were on the ten instead. I wished I'd brought a radio, 'cause I'd love to hear what the Richland announcer thought about this game. Luke stomped off the field and Brent Thomas came in at halfback. Robbie faked a handoff, then scrammed through a hole in the line and scored. A short pass for the extra point, and we were up by thirteen.

The rest of the game was an anticlimax. Luke never came back in, but Mike moved to quarterback in the second quarter. Richland's only score was on an interception he threw. The final was fifty-five to six, and that was only because Parker played the second and third string in the second half.

Football players MUST ride the team bus home unless released to a parent, so of course Robbie rode back with us. I'd borrowed Mom's minivan since I had too many for my 'stang. Peter and Traci rode in the back seat, Mikee and Sam took the middle, and somehow, Tami, Robbie and Kelly all squeezed into the front.

"Interesting game," I commented as I pulled out of the school parking lot.

"First game of the season," Robbie said. "Still a few kinks to work out."

"Mike usually likes to start the game as QB."

Robbie smiled faintly. "He wasn't feeling well."

"Really?"

"Yep, but you know how dense guys can be. I had to tell him twice."

"Uh huh. Did Luke learn anything?"

Robbie grinned. "Time will tell."

We stopped at a Round Table Pizza about a mile from the school.

We piled out. Well, most of us. It seems like Traci and Peter and Mikee and Sam had better things to do.

"This is on me," I announced. I try not to be vindictive, but there's no rule saying I can't enjoy a little justice. Every now and then, the universe gets one right.

We'd ordered, gotten our drinks, and sent Robbie out to pry to lovebirds apart when the team came in. Parker was the third one through the door.

"Sims! What are you doing here?" he bellowed.

'Man!' I thought. 'When the universe decides to dispense some justice, it goes all the way.'

"Getting a pizza," I said. "Try the Italian Garlic Supreme. It's worth the drive."

"You're suspended. You can't be here."

"I can't?"

"Go home!" he ordered.

I smiled. "I don't think so."

"What?"

"I haven't eaten yet. And like I said, I love their Italian Garlic Supreme."

"I said..."

"Listen, lardbutt. Nobody cares what you have to say. In school, you may be in charge, but we're not in school. We're not even in our county. So I'm going to sit here and have a pizza. If you and your team want to eat, go ahead." I turned my back on him.

"Turn around," he ordered. "I'm not through with you."

I looked at the amazed staff behind the counter. "Would one of you mind calling the cops?" I asked pleasantly. As I sat down, from the corner of my eye I saw Coach Vickers whispering frantically in Parker's ear. Damn! I hate when cooler heads prevail.

"Everybody out," Parker ordered. "We're leaving."

"But we haven't eaten yet, Coach," somebody complained.

"Get your fucking ass on the god-damned bus now, or you'll be walking home and be lucky to make the J.V. tiddledywinks team!"

The team left.

When we left an hour later I was stuffed. I really do love their garlic pizza. And to make the night perfect, in my pocket I had a letter from the manger of the restaurant discussing Parker's behavior in detail, including the profanity he used on the team. It was signed by the manager, all the staff, and about half the customers.

I love the universe.