Chapter 3

We walked to the gym, flashed our ID’s then found seats behind the bench. The players all said they were glad to see me up and around. One of the staff trainers told me to come in Monday to get checked out and then with a smiling leer at Misty, “Don’t hurt our boy here, we need him to play soon.”

Misty laughed before saying softly in my ear, “Don’t you know that guy would love to be in your shoes right now.”

The game was okay; kind of boring as neither team really took control. They just seemed to wander back and forth stalling around until someone would take an outside set shot. Keep in mind that this was ‘way back before shot clocks. The wide free throw lane was still only a few years old.

One of the forwards came off the floor for a break and sat in front me. “We need you Chuck, there’s no one to keep yelling at all of us to set up and make a play.”

“You’re the forward, you’re supposed to do that. Get back in there and start yelling. Pick it up, work the ball inside. Use Bret, the JV center, and post him. The other team is just staggering around out there in a zone defense. Drive on the post. You guys are a team even without me, now do it,” I pep talked him.

Misty was clutching my arm, beaming and trying to show everyone she was with me.

The assistant coach who was coaching the JV game sent Jack, the forward, back in, and then reached back and patted my leg and gave me a smile. “Good job,” he said.

They picked it up and left the other team in their dust. With some enthusiasm, the team functioned with some fire. After a 20 - 20 first half, my guys won 55 - 32. That was a lot better.

When the varsity came out for their game, I noticed that the guy who had knocked me down was not dressed or even there. He wasn’t a starter so it didn’t matter that much, but I did wonder and kept looking around for him when the varsity center, Kenny, came over to me. “You don’t have to worry about Jerry. He’s gone. When the coach ate him out for acting like a baby and told him he was going to sit out a game, he quit. Good riddance, maybe there will be place for you up here on the bench.”

He was checking out my arm hugger and grinned. “Hey Misty, baby sitting tonight?”

“Naw,” Misty said. “I’ve got a date with a good guy. You can report to Mom and Dad about it too.”

When I looked at the center then at Misty with the questioning look, they both laughed. Misty cleared it up. “Kenny is my older brother, by about five minutes. He tattles on me to the folks all the time.”

“You watch yourself with her, she can be a handful. Ah, maybe that isn’t the right thing to say.” He laughed and then went to warm up.

At that, I asked Misty why she wasn’t cheering. “Only about half the cheerleaders cheer at a time at basketball games,” she advised. “Usually the seniors and some of the juniors do the basketball games and hardly ever a sophomore.”

The varsity game was decent. Both teams acted like they wanted to win. Our guys were just a little better than the other guys. We won 78 - 73. After the game Misty and I went to the Student Union for a snack and Coke. She knew most of the guys couldn’t afford to do too much as far as treats. I could afford the ten-cent coke and the quarter hamburger. We joked that Macdonald’s had cheaper hamburgers but these were bigger.

On Friday and Saturday nights the student union used the large rec room for dancing. Student bands used the place for experience, and to showcase themselves for local clubs. We danced a few times finding out that we were pretty compatible. I didn’t want to do any fast dances, as I still wasn’t all that stable. It was getting late so we walked back toward the dorms. Misty guided us toward the maze so we could walk through the dark paths. At a bench, Misty pulled me to sit with her.

“You know I like to be with you.” She was clutching my arm, turned toward me with her other hand under my coat holding my side. “I’m not a baby either. You can kiss me, I’d like that.”

I looked at her with some wonder. She was grinning at me. “That’s kind of forward of me but you’re not being very aggressive.”

I took the back of her head in my hand and pulled her to me. Our lips met in a soft kiss that turned hot pretty quick. She had her mouth open with her tongue between my lips really quick.

“Hmmm, that was nice. You can do that some more,” Misty purred.

We kissed some more and she took my hand and placed it on her breast, a nice, firm, pointy nipple breast. We kissed and I massaged. This was pleasant. It was very nice to enjoy some female companionship. My mind kept flashing on Sarah and the times we had sat on these same benches.

We were shivering from the cold, so I suggested we go back to the dorms. As we walked back, we held hands and walked fairly fast, as it was getting colder by the minute. I expected Misty to give me a hug and peck and then get on the elevator the same as Sarah always did, but she led me into the dorm parlor. It was a large living room with love seats and couches strategically placed to give each setting a little privacy. Misty led me to a loveseat near an alcove on an inside wall. As soon as we sat, Misty took her coat off and pulled me down to sit with her. She instantly had me pushed down half laying on the loveseat nearly on top of me. Wow, she was really after me. We kissed and kissed until I was dizzy from the hormones exploding in my body. Misty had reached down and was rubbing on my hard on. I was so hot I was going to come in my pants if she didn’t quit rubbing on it.

“Misty, you gotta stop. You’ve got me so hot, I’m going to mess up my pants,” I pleaded.

“Ooh that makes me hot Chuck. Am I really making you that hot?” she asked.