“No,” Pam answered for me. “But he treats Little David like he is. You’ll find that Big David is good with all the little ones.”
At that point, I was left out of the conversation. I had nightmare visions of all of them getting together and comparing notes. I guess it wouldn’t be any worse than last year when I was going out with four different girls.
We stopped at the Quickie Mart to get what Ashley needed and then moved on to Granny’s West for the food. I ended up in the back seat on the way home as Pam and Ashley bonded.
When we got back, we found Peggy had arrived with Coby and Little David. Lacy, Pam’s mom, had come from downstairs. I think Dad was happy to see me since he was significantly outnumbered, and the conversation was focused on decorating the apartment. He and I spent time with the little ones while the women plotted. His words, not mine.
I was surprised when Coby got a little clingy. Both Dawson and Allen had been shy around me, and I’d tried to draw them out. Coby didn’t like that one bit. Part of it was that they’d all eaten, and it was time for naps, so I think he was tired. Dad and I got them all down, and he suggested we leave. Sometimes, it’s good to listen to your elders.
◊◊◊
I talked Dad into going with me to see Coach Mason at the hospital. We came in to find him waiting to be released.
“Don’t you have insurance?” I asked.
“David!” Dad scolded and smacked me in the back of the head.
He was big on respecting your elders.
“I wish they would let me do that to him,” Coach Mason said.
He seemed to be able to throw his clipboard pretty accurately. I didn’t need him smacking me in the back of the head, too.
“No, seriously. Why are you going home so soon? I thought you had a stroke,” I worried.
“They got me to the hospital in time and treated me. It wasn’t as bad as it looked,” he assured me.
“Then you’ll be back to coaching on Monday?” I asked, hopefully.
“No, I’m done coaching. They want me to take it easy for a while, and then I’ll be headed back to LA. I understand that you took over the offense and threw everything we’d worked on out the window. What’s this I hear that you switched to fullback for part of the game?”
“Sorry,” I mumbled.
“No, I’m not upset. It took a lot of guts and smarts to look at the situation and make the changes necessary to win,” he assured me, and then floored me. “Coach Hope was just in here, and I convinced him to let you come up with the offensive game plan for the State Championship game.”
“How did you do that?” Dad asked.
“David has more coaching and training on offense than most high school coaches. I’ve worked with him all year on how to watch film and prepare for a game. I view it as though he’s finally graduated and can take the reins of this team. Frankly, he’s already been doing it all year with very little help from me.”
I actually blushed, and if I were being honest, I would’ve admitted to being a little choked up. Coach Mason was a legend, and I’d learned so much from him. I would never take anything away from Bo Harrington, but Coach Mason had lived football for the past fifty years or more. Along with the football lessons he’d taught me, I’d learned that he didn’t hand out false praise. Coach Mason wasn’t from the ‘everyone gets a blue ribbon for participating’ school of thought. He was more of a ‘rub dirt on it and get back in there’ kind of guy.
“Thank you, Coach. That means a lot. I hope you’re able to at least come to the awards banquet and our game.”
“If I’m able, I wouldn’t miss it.”
The doctor came in and kicked us out. Coach Rector was there to take Coach Mason home. I might have mentioned to them that I thought I should never leave the field for the final game. Dad smacked me in the back of the head again! What was the man’s deal?
◊◊◊
Chapter 48 – What Would You Even Do with Three? Monday November 21
The school was in full championship-week mode. We had banners everywhere, and each player’s locker had a poster with our picture on it. I hadn’t seen Brook all day yesterday because she and the rest of the cheerleaders had been decorating. She’d even abandoned me this morning to get in early to finish up.
Fortunately, the weather had changed and melted off all the snow. It really was too early for that kind of nonsense.
I found Dare waiting for me outside. He seemed excited about something.
“’Sup?” I asked.
Dare blinked at my attempt to be cool. Okay, ‘sup’ might not be cool anymore. Then again, it might never have been cool.
“Give me your phone and unlock it for me.”
I looked at him with one eyebrow raised but handed it over. I trusted him not to destroy my phone. If he opened the back of it, I would get worried. Dare downloaded something and then opened his backpack. Inside was the tiny drone I’d ordered for him. He turned it on, and it floated up about ten feet and began to circle us.
“Move around,” Dare told me as he handed me back my phone.
The drone followed me wherever I moved.
