Senior Year Box Set полностью

My brain froze for an instant while I blinked at her.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I only want you,” I said, closing the gap between us.

That must have been the right answer.

◊◊◊

Phil and Jill came back and tried to duplicate Brook’s and my move of just walking in on us. Except I was smart enough to have engaged the security lock, so the door only opened about an inch. They wouldn’t have caught us anyway, but it was fun to see the looks of disappointment on their faces.

“Everyone’s meeting downstairs,” Phil told us.

When we got to the lobby, it seemed it was everyone, including the marching band. We all loaded onto the waiting buses, and they took us the few blocks to the convention center. The Booster Club had reserved a ballroom and was catering tonight’s dinner. When we walked in, all the seniors found their parents waiting for them. I couldn’t believe that they’d pulled off the surprise with so many people involved.

What caught our eyes were the jerseys our parents were wearing. The body was orange with a blue one-inch stripe that ran down each side from the armpit to the hem. ‘Bulldogs’ was written on the front, with our number displayed underneath, both in blue. The shoulders and arms were blue with the outline of our state on top of each shoulder with the words ‘State Champion,’ and the years we’d won.

I teared up when I saw Jeff’s number in the center under the collar, in small script, where it also said, ‘In Memory.’ I about lost it when I spotted his mom and dad. All my feelings about losing my best friend came rushing back. I surged ahead of the group and engulfed his parents in a hug. I admit my allergies acted up. It seemed I wasn’t the only one. It was a classy move to bring them to tonight’s event and include them in Senior Night tomorrow. Jeff would have also been a senior and part of the team.

I was a little disappointed in myself because last season, he’d been on my mind before each game. This season I’d only given him a passing thought now and then. I vowed that I would dedicate the rest of this season to my friend’s memory.

When I turned around, I about lost it. Jeff’s cameraman was in my face. I made myself a promise that if I ever did something like this documentary again, I would be in control of when and where they could film me.

That was soon forgotten when Tami rushed up and hugged me. She was as big a mess as I was. I momentarily thought of Alan, the other missing member of our childhood group. The four of us had been best friends since first grade. It turned out that losing Jeff had been the beginning of the end. At the time, I hadn’t realized he was the glue that held us all together. It made me sad to realize how bad Alan’s and my relationship had gotten. I honestly didn’t care if I never saw him again.

Before dinner, they had an area with a bar and appetizers so everyone could mingle. Tami put her arm around my waist, and I started to make the rounds to talk to everyone, especially the parents. I wanted them to know how proud we all were of their sons and what a wonderful job they’d done so far. When we finally got a break, Tami wanted to talk.

“You continue to surprise me,” she said.

“How’s that?”

“Since I’ve been at Wesleyan, I’ve been invited to similar events for either awards or fundraisers. There are a lot of impressive people who attend. I can’t identify one of them who could have done a better job working the room than you just did. You made each player feel special, and more importantly, you made their parents proud of their sons.”

I looked at her sideways. It wasn’t a matter of working the room; I’d just wanted to let them all know how I felt. More than anything, it was because I wished I could have had a final chance to tell Jeff how much he meant to me.

Someone had said they missed ‘fun David.’ I had to get out of this melancholy that remembering Jeff had brought on. I gave Tami a sideways grin.

“Want to go with me while I tell all the cheerleaders how important they are?”

“Oh, this won’t be creepy at all. I better go along in case one of the dads decides he has to punch you, and you need first aid.”

I missed her not being around all the time.

◊◊◊

Our meal was about what you would expect of a large catered hotel event. I was just happy that it was warm. At the end of dinner, Coach Hope got up to talk. He thanked each of us who were graduating and declared we were the best team he’d ever coached. I suspected he would tell that to every group of seniors.

Then I was in for another surprise. Kitty Ellis, the assistant director who’d taken over for Laurent Vance during the filming of The Royal Palm, walked out and took center stage.

“Some of you might know that David does more than play football. This summer, he filmed a movie called The Royal Palm. Since you all have him busy with football, there wasn’t a suitable occasion to show him the film. With your permission, I would like to do that tonight,” she said as she looked out over the crowd.