Football is King

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I stacked my books and binders into my locker before first period. Everything that had happened last night still weighed on my mind. From Ben punching me in the gut with the reality that I will probably stay a virgin for the rest of my life because of my over bearing mother. To coming home to find out that Coach had brought my mother to tears. I had stayed up all night, throwing the football to myself. It hadn't helped like it normally did either.

"Hey, ready for that test?"

Shit. Luke stood beside me as I finished grabbing all the supplies I needed. He had an arm around Becky. "I totally forgot."

Luke knitted his eyebrows together in confusion, "How could you forget? It's all you've been talking about for the past week. Calc test this and I have to get an A that."

I nodded and shut my locker, "Yeah. Just some stuff came up last night. It slipped my mind."

His thin lips frowned, "What stuff?"

I shrugged as I zipped up my back pack and headed down the hallway, "Nothing. I'll see you later." I waved at him and Becky over my shoulder and headed toward my first period.

I had planned on studying a little more when I got back from Ben's. But more important things had taken priority and made me lose all focus on school. I had to find Coach. I had to talk to him. I had to figure out what the hell was going on. I shifted my back pack.

A girl's voice broke through my thoughts, "Hey, Tripp."

I stopped and faced her. It was Carly Sheppard. She sat next to me in History and diagonally in English. Her hair always smelled like jasmine when she sat down. I gave her a smile, "Hey, Carly."

"You played great on Friday."

I nodded, "Thanks."

She grinned and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah. So, did you have a good weekend?"

I nodded, "Yeah. Did you?" This conversation felt a little strange. I hadn't ever really talked to Carly before. She was just the girl that was on the dance team who sat beside me in class. She was a pretty girl, no doubt, but I was never all that interested in her. She wore just a little too much makeup and her hair was just a little too blonde to be natural. Maybe she was just being nice though.

She nodded and bit her lower lip, "Yeah I did. It was great." She paused and tucked the strand behind her ear again, "So I heard that you are going to Ben's party on Friday after the game."

I nodded again, "Oh. Yeah. I forgot, yeah I'll be there."

She grinned again, "Great. I'll see you there then."

I shifted my backpack again. I felt like Carly wanted to tell me something more than that I played great and that she'd see me at the party. I waited, giving her the opportunity to add more, but when she didn't I just smiled and said, "Okay. Yeah. Well, I've got to get to Bio, so I'll see you later."

She nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah. I'll see you in History. Bye, Tripp."

I waved, "Bye." And then put myself back on track toward my class.

Connor laughed as she fell instep with me. "What?"

She shook her head and cleared her throat. A small smile still danced on her lips, "That was just really pathetic."

"What was pathetic?" I opened the classroom door for her. 

She walked through and spoke over her shoulder at me, "The poor attempt at trying to get you to notice her."