Loose Lips Sink Ships

by Katrina LaCroix

  *

  Carter had been getting the cold shoulder from his team ever since he walked out on them to meet with Avery. Even his good friends Paul and Daniel would barely look at him while they practiced. It was like he was alone out there, and the other guys would immediately clam up if he approached them while they were joking around.

  “Hey, Carter! Get over here!” Coach Howzer called in the middle of a drill. Sighing, Carter dropped out of the circuit and jogged over to the man wearing glasses and holding a clipboard by the bleachers. His firm face made it clear he had nothing good to say.

  “What’s going on?” Carter asked, putting his hands on his knees. Howzer removed his sunglasses and started eyeing Carter.

  “I’ve been looking at your muscles, and they’re starting to go a little flat. Are you keeping up with the lifting routine? You didn’t stop taking the Gongdong, have you?”

  All of a sudden the coach was in his face, glaring at him.

  “No, I’ve been lifting and drinking the stuff. In fact, I’ve been drinking so much I’m about to run out. I’ve had to cut back on my rations to make it last longer.”

  His whole rebuttal had been a lie. He had stopped taking the supplement as soon as he’d told Avery about it. Fortunately, Coach Howzer seemed so eager to do anything to help the team win that he immediately bought it.

  “Why would you want it to last longer? I mean, you should’ve told me right away you were finishing early. Umm. Here, I’ve got a few more canisters you can have.”

  The coach dove into his duffel bag beside the table, fishing two jars from a hefty sack full of them. Straightening himself, Howzer handed them over, pursing his lips together and taking on a wistful air.

  “Listen here, Carter. In a couple years, when you’re a senior, this is going to be your team. I know it’s not fun to sit the bench, but if you ride that pine hard enough, good things will happen. I promise you.”

  Carter forced a smile in response to his coach’s under-whelming pep talk. The coach had such a smug look of self-importance that Carter couldn’t wait to get out of his sight. He took the jars and jogged to put them away.

  As he walked for the locker room, he spotted Sandra Downing staring at him through the window, and he suddenly felt even more sickened. She seemed to show up every few days or so, stalking him as he left practice. Sometimes he could squeeze in with his teammates and sneak away, but he didn’t have much faith in that considering no one was talking to him.

  Avoiding her, he slipped into the locker room and stuffed the containers into his bag. He heard voices, and that meant the rest of the team was coming in. Keeping his head down, Carter tried to mind his own business. Since the game was only a few days away, they were all excited. There was whooping and hollering, plenty of laughter and some talk of plans for after the game.

  Mark, one of the seniors, climbed onto a bench to address the team. Wearing only a pair of boxer shorts, he rolled up his towel and snapped it at some of his friends.

  “We’re coming up on the start of our championship season. This is our chance to make something of ourselves, show off in front of college scouts, and crush Millbrook before they even know what hit them. I can’t tell you how long I’ve been dreaming of this.

  “But the basketball game won’t be the only competition going on that night. Oh, no! It wouldn’t be right if we didn’t reward our first victory with a little time between the sheets. Every guy who bags a virgin Friday night after the game and shows me a bloody towel or sheet just like this one will get to hang out at my cabin by the lake for the weekend. It’ll be all-you-can-drink all weekend!

  “So start picking out your pieces of ass now. Get ‘em drunk if you have to and slip something in their drink. Slip something in your own drink! I don’t give a fuck. But remember, she’s got to be a virgin. So if your girlfriend has been banged more times than the moles at the arcade, don’t bother coming.”

  Carter knew that last remark had been an obvious shot at him. Snickering and side-comments permeated the room, some about the post-game challenge and some about him. He wasn’t sure which made him feel sicker. When there were this many guys together, getting into an argument was pointless. It’s about sheer numbers, and the only options are to agree or get out.

  Slamming the locker door closed, Carter grabbed his bag and stormed out. One of his teammates reached his hand out to stop him, but Carter brushed him away and didn’t look back. Voices and laughter echoed through the narrow tunnel, which must’ve been much like what Avery heard when he found her crying on the floor just a few feet away from where he was now.

  He could understand her crying, but he admired her desire to fight back. There wasn’t one girl in a thousand with her guts, and he couldn’t wait to see what she would do. Of course, it wouldn’t hurt if he gave her a push and then sat back to watch it all. After getting ostracized from his team, he wanted everyone to pay.

  A quick glance through the main doors revealed that Ms. Downing still waited for him. She had on sweat pants and a hoodie, which were still form fitting but not revealing. The cool air explained her attire, and Carter crossed his arms in front of him, wishing he’d brought a jacket. She began to approach him as soon as he’d blown through the doors.

  “I’m not going anywhere with you. Just get away from me!” he snapped, striding for his Porche.

  “Have you forgotten what I know?” she said, ominous tones in her voice. Carter turned to her and pointed.

  “You can’t hold that over my head anymore. I made it to five strokes today. Pretty soon I’ll be back to normal.”

  “Then I guess I shouldn’t have bothered covering up then, but that’s not what I’m talking about,” Sandra shot back.

  “Then what is it?” Carter asked.

  “I know you care about Avery, even though you’re meant to be with me. Right now, on my desk, I have the form to submit the first quarter’s grades. She’s looking at an “F” every quarter until she graduates. It won’t be hard for me to explain considering her lack of participation and temperament. She’s not the brightest bulb in the bunch, so it’ll kill her mediocre grade point average and probably mean she won’t get into college. Do you really want that?”

  Carter’s jaw hung open for a moment. He was astounded at the lengths this woman was willing to go to for him. After his team just punctured his self-confidence, her advances seemed an awful lot of trouble for a pretty face. Hanging his head, he couldn’t look at her. He wanted to punch her out, but then he’d be at fault. He had to be smarter.

  “Look, why don’t we talk about it after the game on Friday? Are you coming?”

  Sandra Downing smiled, and he let her touch him on the arm. Even though he’d stopped taking the Gongdong, her brief touch made him feel some of that old pressure.

  “There, that wasn’t so hard, was it? You’ll see it was meant to be. And of course I’m coming to the game! I actually volunteered to be the team’s first aid officer. So I’ll be at every single game for the whole season. I can’t wait to see you in action!”

  “But I’ll be sitting the bench the entire time,” he scoffed.

  “That doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty to watch,” she smiled.

  Carter felt a little bit of vomit leap into the back of his throat, but he kept it down and coughed.

  “If I’m going to have time for you Friday, I’ve got to get a lot done now. So can I see you then?” he asked, his voice sounding scratchy.

  “Sure thing,” she agreed, glowing. As Carter marched to his car, he glanced over at Ms. Downing, who was practically frolicking across the parking lot. He wondered if they made straitjackets with enough room in the chest for her.