Masked//Roman Reigns Love Story

28. Walls

Friday, April 3, 2009

9:55p.m.

Quiet was probably the last word I'd use to describe the school bus. Everyone, from the football team to the band kids to the cheerleaders were painfully loud. To say they were excited about our field day victory against our classmates would have been an extreme understatement. If you had an ounce of ego in your body, you didn't want to lose the Georgia Tech field day games. All the crazy, unorganized chaos calmed down when the head coach of the football team confronted one of their star players. 

"Will you be joining the team next year, Mr. Joseph? Or do you have other plans that we don't know about?" his rough voice bounced off the windows.

I tried not to be the one to stick my head in conversations that didn't concern me, but this was something that none of us could just turn our heads to. It wasn't like we could get up and excuse ourselves if we wanted to.

"With all due respect, sir, I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Joe said with a contorted face.

"Your dad called me while we were out today, mentioned to me that you wouldn't be returning next season," the coach announced, causing some of the cheerleaders to gasp and the football players to talk over each other with questions.

I knew something wasn't right because Joseph would have told me something so serious if he were walking away from football. I couldn't fathom it without it, though. Football was his life and Georgia Tech was his home. Why leave willingly? He wouldn't.

"I have no clue what you're talking about," he was taken aback by the confrontation taking place but was trying to keep his cool.

"Don't play dumb. You've been horrible this year, kid. Your grades have dropped, the teachers all complain about your shitty attitude, and that beer ain't doing you any favors. Oh, and let's not forget about the fights you've gotten into in the locker room or out on the field after the games. You didn't think I knew about those, did you? What kind of man do you take me for?"

Okay, it was true. Joe had been very rebellious the past school year. I tried to help him keep his head on straight, but you can't help someone who doesn't want help. I didn't like it when he was so angry at the world and decided to take it out on himself. He was far from dumb, but he missed a lot of class and had no drive to finish his assignments. Joe was having a rough time with his dad hovering over his football career and I think the pressure was starting to catch up to him. Even in high school, he always felt the need to be perfect for the team, perfect for his teachers, perfect for his family. The cost of how much he'd given for a flawless image was high, and I was realizing that he couldn't keep the act up anymore.

"Well, you're not as much of a man as you think you are. You're putting all my business out in the open instead of coming to me in private, for what? I think you're a piece of shit trying to embarrass me like this," Joe said.

"This is the disrespect I'm talking about—"

"My job is to play defensive line for this team. Everything else comes second to me, don't act like you don't know that. I thought you'd have a bit more respect for someone that's a big part of why we won last season," Joe snapped, making everyone on the bus turn their heads.

I looked back and forth between the two, both of them housing a look of frustration and anger. I would not want to be on the bus if either of them were to explode, but just as luck would have it, we were nowhere near close to campus.

"Your father says you're done with football until you pull yourself together, neither one of us know what's gotten into you—"

"I don't give a fuck what my dad says!" Joe yelled, practically leaping out of his seat and into the aisle. A few of his friends tried to reseat him but he overpowered them all and stalked towards his coach.