The Perfect Couple

33

There were cries of dismay. That's meant that Coach Barnes had given up hope of winning the game and just wanted to save Alan any more humiliation. Since nothing was expected of Marcus, losing wouldn't be as hard on him as it would on Alan.

I watched Marcus in the huddle, snapping out signals. I wondered if the team had enough confidence in him to even follow his game plan. Some people were already leaving the stands.

I guess maybe they sat down again after Marcus's first play. I wasn't sure because I was on my feet screaming as Marcus put the ball in motion. It was only a short pass, but the receiver ran for a first down. The Eagles had charged Marcus, but dancing around in the pocket wasn't his style of play. He stood where he was like he was rooted to the spot till he'd found an open man, then he took the sack.

Pretty soon there were cries of "Lopez, Lopez!" I joined in, thrilled for my old friend, although my heart was broken for Alan. He hadn't come out for the second half, which meant something must be wrong.

Most players sat on the bench to cheer on their teammates even though they were out of the game.

"I bet Alan is hurt," I told Kim during a timeout.

"I doubt it," she said.

"Then why hasn't he come out to at least root for the team?"

She shrugged. "I wouldn't know."

I knew she had some opinion on it because she had an opinion on everything, but I'd learned not to press her where Alan was concerned. Most of the time I didn't like what she said about him. She probably thought he was being a poor sport.

Marcus kept moving the ball a few yards at a time, mixing up his short passes with running plays. His game wasn't flashy like Alan's, but pretty soon the Cougars had caught up with the Eagles. The game was tied!

It was still tied, with only two minutes to play. Everyone was on their feet, screaming,

"We want a touchdown! Go, Lopez, go!"

Even Kim was excited and we jumped up and down together, yelling, "Come on, Marcus!"

As Marcus went into a huddle with only twenty seconds to play, he held up his hand, asking the crowd to quiet down so the team could hear him call the signals. It was an authoritative gesture that the fans responded to at once and my heart swelled with pride. I'd never dreamed that my quiet, rather shy friend was such a leader.

When the huddle broke up, Marcus fell back and quickly passed the ball off to Liam Holmes. Liam moved to the left and the crowd groaned as he ran into a solid wall of Eagle defenders.

A second later there was a gasp as the fans realized Marcus hadn't passed the ball at all. Holding it close to his body, he'd run to the right and with all the Eagles guarding Liam, he'd carried the ball across the goal line. Everyone went wild.

"What happened?" Kim asked, bewildered.

I could hardly answer for laughing and cheering. "Marcus pulled a quarterback sneak!"

She got it then and we both became practically hysterical, cheering Marcus and the whole team. We'd won the game!

Kim had agreed to meet Tom at The Last Straw after the game and I was glad to tag along. I was so excited, yet I felt so mixed up, too, that I couldn't bear to go home just yet. I was thrilled for Marcus, but still, I was unhappy for Alan and worried, besides. No matter what Kim said, I was afraid he'd been hurt.

The Last Straw was a madhouse. Everyone was there, celebrating Bayside's victory.

There was even a cheer for me when I went in because I was supposed to be Marcus's girl.

Somebody I didn't know saw that Kim and I got a booth and somebody else brought us Cokes.

"Is Marcus coming in later?" I was asked. I had to say I didn't know. My thoughts before the game had been of Alan and I hadn't thought to ask Marcus his plans.

"How does it feel to be a hero's girl?" Kim asked me.

She was acting as if she didn't know the truth about Marcus and me and before I could tell her to get real, Tom joined us.

Kim greeted him with a kiss and I thought how lucky she was not to be leading a double life like I was.

A few minutes later a cheer went up and I didn't even have to look toward the door to know Marcus had come in. I moved over on the bench and grinning shyly, he slid in beside me. I mimicked Kim and gave him a kiss, only I planted mine on his jaw and not his lips. His grin widened and then he stared as somebody set a Coke and a huge dish of fries in front of him.

"What's this for?" He asked the boy.

"Just call it the spoils of victory."

"I didn't expect anything like this," Marcus said in amazement when the boy had left.

"You deserve some spoils," I told him. "All that extra practice really paid off. You're the hero of the game." And poor Alan loses out, I couldn't help thinking.

Tom leaned across the table and whacked Marcus on the shoulder. "You were great, man! I hope Coach Barnes doesn't forget it when he picks his team next year."

Suddenly the place became quiet. You could hear the dishes rattling in the kitchen. I looked toward the door and saw Alan standing there, holding his right arm as if he were in pain. For once Gloria was not with him.

Marcus saw Alan, too and called out, "Rogers! Why don't you sit here with us?"

Alan smiled faintly as he approached the booth. "Thanks." He sat down gingerly, as if the slightest movement hurt him a lot.

"You got a bad flipper?" Tom asked, not sounding a bit sympathetic.

"I hurt my wrist in the first couple of minutes of play," Alan said. "I wanted to drop in here for a minute, but then I'll see the family doctor. I wouldn't be surprised if something is broken."

"What did the trainer say?" Tom asked. "If it's that bad, you'd think he would have at least bandaged it."

"I didn't want him to touch it," Alan replied stiffly. "I'm sure my parents will want me to see a specialist in sports injuries."