I looked at the phone and read the pertinent section.
“Nineteen of the twenty-two starters and the entire coaching staff were not in school today. Over half the student body was out as well,” I said and looked up. “Their athletic director says they will probably forfeit. A decision will be made by the end of the day.”
The table erupted in discussion after that.
Right before the end of lunch, Brook had had enough football talk, and she and Cassidy left. I sent Dare to our lockers to get our books, then turned to the rest of the table.
“I think we need to vote Dare and Brook as Homecoming King and Queen,” I said.
“If you take me as your date, I’ll make sure it happens,” Tracy said.
Pam and Gina each gave her a dirty look.
“As long as you’re okay with me taking Pam and Gina as my dates as well,” I shot back.
Tracy gave Pam a sheepish look and nodded, ‘yes.’ Everyone else thought it was great payback for Cassidy and Brook, who’d planned today’s ambush. Don, Cassidy’s boyfriend, was worried about what she would do to him. I assured him that I would protect him. No one believed me since I was still being carted around. Gina got the honor of being the first of my dates to push me to class.
◊◊◊
Brook was waiting for me when I left my class.
“I hear that you have three dates to Homecoming.”
“Freshman year, I had two. I figured if you weren’t available, I would try to break my record.”
Tracy sauntered up and hip-checked Dare out from behind me.
“Walk your date to class,” she teased him.
“Come on, Dare. They’re just ragging on us,” Brook said.
Brook finally coaxed the poor boy to class. Next period, I would have to let him know that all was well. He would survive my three dates taking over his duties. The plan was for me to try to use crutches tomorrow anyway, so hopefully, his days of wheelchair duty were coming to an end.
◊◊◊
Coach Hope sent everyone a text to meet in the gym before football practice. Mr. Hicks, our athletic director, was waiting for us.
“I just got off the phone with my counterpart at Beverly High. It seems that the flu epidemic has taken them over, and they’re forfeiting their game with us on Friday. I’ve talked to the powers that be, and there is a real concern with this flu. I’ve asked Becky Grimes to talk to you about how to keep from getting it.”
Before Becky could come up front, Wolf shouted to Trent.
“Way to go! You’re undefeated as our starting quarterback.”
That got some good-natured comments thrown around.
“Okay, you knuckleheads, settle down,” Becky said and waited for everyone to calm down.
“We’re in the middle of flu season. My roommate is an ER nurse, and she’s come home with stories of how bad it is this year. I asked her to give me some ideas on how you can keep from getting it. There are only three ways you can get the flu: through your eyes, your nose, or your mouth,” Becky said as she pointed at each so the freshmen would understand. “That means that if you touch something contaminated, then rub your eye … you could get the flu.”
I made sure the underclassmen, and in particular, Yuri, were paying attention. My guess was that if anyone was going to infect the team, it was one of them.
“If someone coughs near you, you can inhale it through your nose and … you could get the flu. If your girlfriend has snot running out of her nose and you kiss her … you could get the flu.”
That brought some chuckles. One of the freshmen said he would risk it. Yep, the little dumbasses were going to get us sick. Becky waited for us to quit chuckling before she continued.
“My roommate tells me that this year’s version is really nasty. It’s killed some people. It has put many people in the hospital, and it’s spreading like wildfire. She told me that one in every eight people coming through her emergency room is testing positive for the flu.
“She shared some horror stories of what she’s seen and heard. Of course, you heard what happened at Beverly. The team visited someone who had it bad enough that he was hospitalized. Guess what. They had maybe fifty boys and coaches who were exposed and either got the flu or were carriers. They all went to school on Monday, and it seems they infected half the student body. Beverly has actually had to close their doors through next week until everyone gets through it.
“Here’s some helpful advice. If you feel sick—stay home! If you’re around someone who’s sick, get yourself some hand sanitizer and … wait for it … use it!” Becky said.
“How long is this flu lasting?” Coach Hope asked.
“Seven to ten days. There isn’t really a cure for it. If you feel sick, you can ask your doctor to prescribe Tamiflu. You must take it within the first 48 hours for it to be effective. It won’t cure the flu, but it might shorten it to five to six days,” Becky answered.
“What can we do at home?” Coach Hope said.
I was sure they’d worked this out beforehand.
