Mom was batting a thousand tonight. I thanked Kitty and said goodbye. We had to head back to the hotel. I shook my head at Coach Hope because it was only like three blocks to the hotel. I was confident that with all my security here, I could walk back. If push came to shove, we could get a taxi. Brook and I decided we’d better be good and led Tim and Wolf to the bus so we didn’t hold everyone up.
◊◊◊
When we got back to the hotel, my friends cornered me in the lobby.
“Whose room are we doing this in?” Tami asked.
“Doing what?” I asked.
The looks I received told me clearly what was on their minds. I looked at Brook, and she was of no help. They expected I would be the ringleader in another ‘get-together’ that would include playing with other girls.
“I can’t,” I said.
“What happened to ‘fun David’?” Tami asked.
I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Tracy had better hide, or I might string her up when I saw her next.
“I’ve come to realize that a trip like this is a business trip, and a lot rides on the outcome of this game. We’re on the cusp of doing something special. I don’t want to ruin that by goofing off tonight. There’s still more game film I need to watch, and it wouldn’t hurt to get in a workout tonight.”
It was obvious they doubted me.
“Think of it this way,” I continued. “We’re putting the building blocks in place to make Lincoln High a powerhouse for years to come. We’re the leaders of this team. How would it look if word got out?”
“No one’s going to talk,” Wolf said.
“I thought so last time, too. My best friend let it slip, and it was all over school that something happened. I ended up taking the blame for that one,” I reminded them.
“It’ll be different this time,” Tami assured me.
“Yes, it will be, because we’ll focus on why we’re here, not the fun we can get up to. I bet you that Broadview isn’t focused tonight. They aren’t a team. They’re a bunch of individuals who bailed on their hometowns to look out for their own best interests. Our town believes in us. All you have to do is look at today to realize that. Our booster club laid out a lot of money to pay for hotels, buses, and dinner tonight for you and your families.
“Then there are the coaches. They’ve busted their butts to get us here. Do you really want to lose their trust over some fun? If that doesn’t convince you, consider the long-term. What college coach wants someone who’s going to be doing stuff like that in high school? It will only get worse, as far as they’re concerned. I would like to go to a top school and not have to pick Plan B, C, or D,” I said, to state the obvious.
“Finally, I’ll not blindside Brook and put her in a position where she has to be the bad guy and say ‘no.’”
Tami looked at Brook.
“So, if we can get Brook to agree, you might decide to take a break later?” Tami asked.
We all laughed at that. I could tell that Tami was serious, but chose to treat it as her giving me a hard time.
“You know what would be funny?” Wolf asked. “If Broadview got drunk tonight and was hungover tomorrow.”
Brook suddenly looked intrigued.
“I think I could make that happen,” she said. “Do you know where they’re staying?”
“Next door,” I said.
“You go do your football stuff. All I need is to borrow Paul and have you inform him he has to do whatever I ask.”
Without Destiny to occupy her dark side, I figured it was better to let her work on Broadview. I almost put a stop to it but reminded myself that my first reaction was probably wrong. I should trust my girlfriend to not get into too much trouble. It was handy having Tami’s rule for situations like this.
◊◊◊
Our documentary played in the background as I watched game film on my tablet. This episode featured our facilities. When you compared how it had been with what we had now, it truly was amazing what our booster club had pulled off. Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan gave Jeff a tour. I was glad he had singled them out.
◊◊◊
Chapter 41 – Away Game Thursday November 3
At breakfast, Brook found me alone. I liked to visualize plays on game day; it seemed to help me. I almost told her I needed to be alone, but something told me I’d better talk to her.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Before each game, the cheer captains call each other to plan out who does what and when during a game. You don’t want both cheer squads on the field during a break in the action,” she explained.
“Okay.”
“I called my counterpart last night and invited myself and some of our cheerleaders over so we could meet,” Brook said.
I waited for her to continue.
“Well … uhm … we took a welcome gift,” she said, and then paused.
“And …” I encouraged.
“It was three five-gallon water coolers full of that moonshine drink you tried at Alabama.”
“Oh, dear God, tell me you didn’t,” I worried.
That was about enough to kill a small army. It was little more than flavored Everclear.
“I warned them to go easy on it. I told my girls how drunk you got after just a couple of glasses to convince them not to join in.”
“You told them I got drunk?” I worried.
