Homecoming Proposal: Book One

Chapter 14 - Locker Conversations

STEVE – Present

Holy Hell!  I nearly burst through my gym shorts with the speed my fellow sprung to attention.  Paul's picture sent an urge so fierce that I had almost forgotten how I reacted to her.  She had to be a witch and cast her spell on me back in junior high.  I wasn't in her circle of close friends, not by a long shot.  I managed to enter the periphery by association with her crew in sports.  She was always there at games, competitions, and quite often in the locker rooms. 

I knew most of the guys knew her well enough they had no shame in stripping in front of her.  I didn't have that degree of familiarity, but I wasn't opposed to her seeing me.  In truth, none of us did.  She never leered.  When someone got a little cocky, she had no issue with putting them in their place with a look, a sarcastic comment, or in some cases, a suggestive dismissal.  I enjoyed her wicked sense of humor.  When she was around, sometimes getting dressed in practice uniforms was excruciating.

The other day at breakfast, Brad brought up seeing her with the coach.  I didn't know anyone else knew anything about it.  I never said anything to Tim about it, but I was aware of whom Brad referred. The surprise on Tim's face had almost made me snort my drink through my nose.  I bet he didn't know we had any first-hand knowledge.  We both respected him as a coach and adored her, so there was never a doubt we'd be her secret keepers.

Being on the outskirts gave me an advantage because I could see more than the others.  I had seen Tim with Carmen multiple times also.  They were very discrete, but I knew where to observe her.  Creepy, maybe, but I loved the goddess and wanted to know everything about her.

I didn't live far from school, so I often walked and got there early.  I wasn't the wisest guy in our class, but I wasn't an idiot either.  As an athlete, I needed courses to keep my GPA up, which is how I became a library assistant.  Our library looked out over the cafeteria, and from the window-side stacks, you could see the front and back parking lots.  It is there I watched over Carmen early every morning.  She never knew I waited with bated breath to see her enter the school. 

Often, a black Mazda driven by Tim, our then assistant football coach and substitute teacher, would drop off a beautifully breathless Carmen.  She would slip out quickly before rushing into the school, avoiding the eyes of staff and students alike.  Other times, he would give her a ride home after practices to prevent her parents from coming for her.  Like I said, super discrete, and I doubt the other coaches ever suspected because this was Carmen.  Her air of innocence allowed her to get away with things that no other teen girl would. 

As I finished my sets for the day, I headed into the locker room for a quick shower.  My phone chimed before I got to my destination.  Speak of the devil.  "Hey, Tim.  What's up?"  I listened a moment before agreeing to meet up.  This year I was helping coach the football team with him as Head Coach.  We would need to discuss the game plan for the season.

I hurried and drove over to Maria's to grab dinner to take over to the school.  It only took me a moment to get there.  I pulled up to the team entrance and parked under one of the shady oaks.  No sense heating my car any more than I had to in this sweltering heat, though I'm sure we would be here till after dark tonight.

Rapping my knuckles on the steel frame caused a metallic echo through the empty hallways.  "Tim?  Got some eats."

The faint but jolly voice broke the silence.  "Here in the office.  Come on back." 

I heard a crack followed by bits falling to the floor.  Looking down, I noticed my workboots were dropping pieces of clay.  I kicked them off in the entryway and padded through the locker room in my sock feet.  I saw Tim through the glass windows of his office as I walked in.