Homecoming

Go, Team, Go

Casey stood at the edge of the field, behind the giant tear away banner the cheerleaders were holding for the team.  This was it - the big game.  Casey tried to calm the anxiety building in the pit of his stomach, but nothing he did was helping calm him. He could hear the cheerleaders doing their thing, he could hear the crowd getting louder as the clock counted down to game time.

"Ladies and gentleman, sports fans, cheerleaders - are you ready?" The announcers voice boomed over the PA system. This was it, the moment they'd been training for - the first home game of  the season, and the final home game he'd be playing with many of his teammates.  He looked around at this teammates, swallowed his nerves, and took some comfort in the fact that they all looked as nervous as he felt. 

"Let's meet the starting players for the out of town team," the announcer, a short man named Grant that Casey had met a few times, bellowed.  Casey could hear the crowd cheering and stomping their feet in the stands.  "First up, junior running back James Fuller." The crowd went wild as the opposing teams starting line up made their way onto the field. The announcer made his way through the rest of the opposing team, and when he finished the crowd really went wild.  

"And now, the moment you've been waiting for, the starting line up for your home team: The Grantsville High Tigers. First up, junior running back Tim Johnson."  The crowd went wild as Tim broke through that cheesy paper banner and ran out onto the field.  "And now, junior fullback Jake Billings," the announcer continued, his voice getting louder with each player. "Ladies and gentleman, now it's time for a real team favorite - he's only a junior but he's already co-captain of the team, and he gives great performances at every game - your starting quarterback - Casey Higgins."

Casey ran through the open hole in the team banner, onto the brightly lit field, and joined his teammates in their lineup.  There were more people here than he had realized. He looked around at the stands - he could see Ingrid sitting there in the front, with a couple of her friends from her drama club. Sometimes he still couldn't believe that he was friends with someone who did drama. She had tried, unsuccessfully, to get him involved in drama since last year.  There was just no way that was happening. He liked watching her do plays, but didn't have any desire to do them himself. 

Casey didn't see Jasmine anywhere though. Maybe she wouldn't show up. He wanted here there, and yet didn't want her to see what would happen if he messed this game up.  Casey shook his head, trying to clear his mind so he could focus on the game.  Once the rest of the players were on the field, the announcer silenced the crowd, a girl dressed in a very loud red dress sang the national anthem, and the game started.

As they played, Casey felt all the knots in his stomach work themselves out.  He started to do what came naturally to him - this field and these people were his home.  This sport was where he belonged. He could hear the crowd cheering with each touchdown scored, and he knew his team was doing well. 

Later, as the game ended, and Casey's team gave their graceful winner handshakes to the opposing team, there was a moment when Casey noticed it - a flash off field, bright white, just the glint of someone he knew was hiding from him, though he didn't know why.  Casey walked off to the field house with the rest of the team, changing as quickly as he could. 

"So, anyone else coming out with me and Jace?  Post-game shakes and shit at Griddles." Miles looked around, his eyes stopping on Casey.  "Casey? Surely our game winning star QB could afford to have some fun?"

"Um, yeah," Casey said, albeit rather unenthusiastically. "I mean, of course.  We just won, we might as well eat some junk food and enjoy it, right?" 

"Don't leave without me," Graham yelled across the room.

"If you'd get your jockstrap off faster, we wouldn't have to," Miles said in response, right before Graham hurled his said dirty jockstrap across the room and hit Miles square in the face. "Oh, you are so dead." Miles threw the jockstrap back across the room, ran towards Graham, and punched him in the stomach.

"Watch it, you almost hit me there," Graham said, wrapping his arm around Miles's neck and pushing him to the ground.  Graham climbed on top of Miles and started leaning towards him, his tongue out.  The rest of the team watched as Graham tried to lick Miles.

"Graham, Miles, what the hell are you doing?" Coach yelled as he came out of his office.  "Why do you always have to act like a bunch of teenage boys."

"Well, I hate to point out the obvious coach, but we are teena-" Graham started to say before coach interrupted him.

"Get off him, get dressed and get out of this field house.  I don't wanna see any of you again until Monday."

The coach waited while they all finished getting dressed, then locked the door after the last of them had filed out.

"Have a good weekend, boys."

"You, too. Thanks coach," various team members called out.

"Casey, you're riding with me," Graham said.  "Get in."

"But, I have my car here," Casey called out, pointing to his rather beat up old Chevy.

"We'll come back to get it later,  I want to talk alone before we get there, though."

Casey groaned. 

"Fine.  Fine." He walked over to Graham's car and climbed into the passenger seat.

Graham got into car, shut his door and started the engine up.  As he started to drive, he looked at Casey briefly.

"So, I heard you were out late the other night, huh?"

"What night?"

Graham glanced at him, his eyes squinted.

"Yeah, look man," Casey said before Graham could say anything.  "I don't know what happened.  Like, one minute, I was with it, at the field house, the next I was in a graveyard surrounded by a bunch of freaks."

"What the hell, dude?  Are you serious?"

"Yeah," Casey drew out slowly. 

Casey finished his story just as they arrived at Griddles.

"I don't think you should share that with anyone else," Graham said.  "Not yet."

"I know what you mean - could you imagine the look on Miles's face if I told him what happened?"

"He'd flip his shit."

Casey nodded as they climbed out of the car and walked in.  Part of him wondered if Jasmine would be there - though he didn't know why he would think that. It's not like she knew everything he did.  He was a little disappointed when he walked in and she wasn't there, though.  He swallowed the lump in his throat and sat down.  Maybe he would get lucky later, he thought.