Join or Die

I: And So It Begins...

The football flies through the air in a perfect circular motion from the quarterback's hand. There is a deathly silence in the stadium and everyone is watching intently as the ball is dragged back to earth thanks to gravity. Before the ball ever has a chance to even think about touching the ground, the wide receiver runs backwards with outstretched arms and lets the ball land perfectly in his hands before spinning around and running only fifteen more yards, crossing the line to make the score.

"Touchdown Westside!" the announcer shouts over the microphone in the press box at Westside Stadium. All of the painted-up senior boys in the student section begin to scream and shout and hit their feet against the tin sheets hooked onto the metal gate in wild excitement. They wait for the kicker to make the extra point before forcing Jack Gilinsky, the seventeen-year-old heartthrob of Westside High, onto the push-up board and telling him to do thirty-five push-ups. He does as he is told, smirking at his girlfriend, Jordan Layfield, while continuously moving up and down on the wooden board and she just bites her lip at the sight of her boyfriend of two years doing push-ups and all that is currently running through her mind is that she really just wants them to go back to her house. Now.

Jack stands to his feet and screams as loud as he can, the student section almost completely overpowering him. The boys lower the board until he finally jumps off, still full of so much adrenaline-and maybe even a little bit of alcohol. Jordan swings her long dark hair over her dark shoulder just seconds before letting her boyfriend pick her up by her thighs and swinging her around in joy. She squeals into his shoulder and continues to cheer alongside her fellow classmates.

"That's it for the first half, folks," the announcer comes back onto the intercom as soon as the clock hits zero. "And the score at the end of the first half is Westside 35, Creighton 28." Jack and Jordan are still holding each other until Sammy Wilkinson, Jack's best friend, walks up behind the couple and clears his throat. Jordan narrows her bright green eyes at Sammy and mumbles:

"Can I help you, Wilkinson?"

"Actually, yes you can," he replies matter-of-factly. "The girls need you to help repaint some of the guys before the second half starts." Jordan groans miserably. Jack helps Jordan back down to her feet, much to the short girl's dismay.

"Do I have to?" she asks. Sammy nods.

"Yeah, sadly you do. I know how much you just want to drag Mr. Sex God over here to his Jeep and give him one of your little "presents" before he has to come back out again, but you are so desperately needed." Jack laughs at Sammy's answer and lets a little "aww" escape his lips as he sees Jordan's bottom lip poke out in a pout. He leans in and kisses her pout away and mumbles:

"Don't worry babe. I'll be right here when you get back."

"Where are you going?"

"Going to get some food with Jack. I'm starving."

"At least bring me back something! I'm starving too!" Jack laughs and kisses Jordan again.

"Chili cheese dog with extra onions, no mustard. Large watermelon slush with a pack of berry Sour Patch Kids." Jordan chuckles.

"You know me so well." Jack grins lovingly at his beautiful girlfriend before pecking her plump lips one last time and says:

"I'll be back in a minute." Jordan smiles and nods before walking off with Sammy and the rest of the seniors to paint over the boys' ruined art on their chests. Jack grins and looks around to find his best friend, Jack Johnson, but he doesn't see the blue-eyed blond anywhere. He assumes that Johnson has already made his way to the concession stand, so he decides to walk over to see if he has already gotten a spot in line. Once Jack is in the practically endless line, he looks around to see if he can find Johnson, but the older boy is nowhere in sight. He furrows his thick eyebrows together in confusion. He decides to pull out his phone from his back pocket and hastily taps his fingers across the screen.