The Pieces of Me

Justice

"Spill." I say, Garrett's sat there for 5 minutes eating Aliya's popcorn in silence.

"It's not just a simple thing." Garrett replies, tossing another handful into his mouth, and crunching away. "This could get a lot of boys in trouble."

"All the more reason to tell us!" Aliya exclaims from her seat next to me.

"This information does not leave this room." He states before handing the popcorn back to Aliya. "You'll probably need this."

We settle into our seats, Aliya on one side of me and Garrett on the other. We both turn our bodies to face him as he starts speaking.

"I used to be on the football team. My sophomore year, I was quarterback, and team captain." He pauses for a moment like he's trying to gather his thoughts, "It was my job to take care of the team, I was responsible for us boys."

"Everyone in school knows that year was our best, we were on a winning streak. My throws, plus Austin and Wyatt as my best receivers, we were unbeatable."

"But we threw our playoff game,when we could've made it to state, I threw our playoff game."

"Is that why you don't play anymore?" I questioned although I was already pretty certain of the answer. "Cause you messed up, and you're scared to let people down again?"

"I didn't let them down!" He said angrily, before calming down once again, "I did it on purpose, I made us lose that game on purpose."

"But why?" Aliya asks, the popcorn bowl now entirely empty sitting in her lap.

"Because he wouldn't stop," he sighs, "We didn't deserve to win that way."

"What do you mean Garrett?" I say confused, "Who wouldn't stop?"

"Austin" he says as disappointment and sadness fall upon his features. "I told him to stop and he wouldn't."

"Wouldn't stop what Garrett?" Aliya says now fully invested since she's out of food to distract herself.

"The drugs, he was taking performance enhancers." Garrett turns away from my gaze, looking forward at the bookshelf, "It started out just him, he got them from his cousin, but only enough for him."

"At least at first, after the first couple games, because he saw how well he could play, he wanted more. He started selling, a few other boys on the team bought from him."

"Then boys on track, Beckham on the basketball team, even some of the swimmers were buying. He knew I wouldn't approve so he tried to keep it quiet."

"I found out when one of the track boys offered some to Wyatt. It was the day of our playoff game."

"I told him to stop!" He nearly yells, now getting worked up. "I told him I'd tell coach! But id be benching half my team! And it was too late at that point, we were already nearly done with our season."

"So you threw the game," I say, realization settling in. "It was all you could do."

"It was a sense of justice I guess. I didn't want to ruin their careers by letting it get out. But I couldn't just let it fly." He stands up, slowly pacing around my front room, running his hands through his already messy hair. "So yea, I threw the game, I made terrible passes, and let myself get sacked. I called awful plays over and over again."

"And coach couldn't do anything, we didn't have another player who could play QB. So he sat there, like that whole crowd, yelling, and screaming at me as I let us lose."

"Just like my dad..." His voice trailed off, tears welling in his eyes, he sat down beside me and met my eyes once again. We sat in silence for a moment, I'm not sure Aliya wasn't asleep she was so quiet.

"Just promise me you'll stay away from him." Garrett says softly he lets his hands fall limp in his lap as the mood in the room gets heavier. "Please?"

I reach over in the now settled silence, and touch Garrett's hand. Wrapping it around my own before connecting our eyes again. "I will"

He squeezes my hand in his and I watch as everything around me fades. The last thing I see is his face, morphing from his 18 yr old self sitting in front of me to the young 16 year old boy staring back in the rear view mirror of the car.

"How could you play like that?" Dad said angrily, asking once again, although id already given him an answer.

"Dad I told you it was on accident." I sigh turning to face him in the driver's seat.

"Son, I know how you play! That wasn't on accident!" He yelled at me. Slamming his hands into the steering wheel.

"Fine! You wanna know?" I yelled back, matching his tone, nearly screaming in his face. "You're right! I did it on purpose!"

"Why!" He replied, a screaming match now breaking out inside the small car, "There were scouts there tonight!"

"I know Dad! I know! But I had too, the teams been taking drugs!"

"What!?" He yelled, before settling down, his voice softening as he the light turned red and he stopped. "Garrett....we're you?"

"No dad!" I yell, offended he would even suggest that.

"You did the right thing son," he says softly, "I'm sorry, you're a good player, you'll show the scouts next year, you're just a Sophomore."

"Dad it doesn't matter! It is my fault, to everyone sitting there tonight, and most definitely to my coach." He sighs beside me as the light lit up in green.

"You'll show them better" he states as the car begins to move forward.

"Shut up dad! I'm not coming back from this!"

He turns towards me once again, reaching his hand across the middle console to grab my own and meeting my eyes. He opens his mouth to speak to me but his words are stopped by the deafening sound of crunching metal.

The car stops in its tracks as we're hit on the driver's side the windshield and window shattering on impact as the car lurches towards the right side of the intersection.

The last thing I can see before it all goes black is my father's limp body laying against the steering wheel blood dripping down his face and from his jaw.

"Lily!!" Garrett's eyes come into view, tears now silently falling.