Yell Out / Do You

by Stephanie Perry Moore

  Though I was hungry, the mall was the last place I wanted to be. When we got out to his car, I laughed. His car door was locked. So even if I had reached his vehicle, I still would not have been able to get to my phone. Of all the times I needed Landon to not be responsible, he was.

  “Blake’s been hitting up my phone trying to figure out where we were. He said his dad was coming down real hard on him about his game,” Landon remarked. “Dads kill me.”

  I did not respond because I wished I was in either one of their situations. My dad being alive to fuss at me would be a joy. Neither Blake nor Landon could comprehend that their lives could be much worse if their dads were absent.

  Landon saw that I thought he was tripping and said, “Why you looking like that? Like we’re not supposed to get mad when our folks get on us? I know it ain’t good to say, but you got it good. Your dad’s gone, just saying.”

  “Boy, please. Don’t even insult me with no foolishness like that. When adults fuss with you, at least they care enough to stick around. My dad’s dead, and my mom has abandoned me. I have no parental support. I have no one bothering me and being overbearing with me.”

  Landon put his hands on my shoulders and said, “Yeah, but sometimes it’s just over-the-top. And they need to chill and let us make our own mistakes. At least you got an angel up there looking out for you.”

  I just nodded. The thought of my father up in heaven looking down on me gave me pause. Was I living my life in such a way that he would be proud? I knew the answer to that was no.

  Yeah, I gave my all on the football field, but I was not giving my all in the classroom. Shoot, socially I had some issues too.

  When we got to the Strong’s house, we did not see Blake’s car. Landon texted him. Blake was such a drama king. He knew we were on our way, so where did he go?

  When Landon did not get an immediate response, he said, “He should be pulling up any sec. He said we were gonna hang out and do something.”

  “Blake ain’t trying to hang out with me,” I said to Landon.

  Landon read earlier text messages from Blake. “He said the party already started. That is code for he has already had a lil’ nip. Trust me, he’s ready to hang out. Right about now his dad thinks more of you than he does of him. His ego is a little bruised.”

  “Like I made his dad compliment my game over and over and over.”

  “Just let’s wait,” Landon said, and he got out of his car.

  We walked into the garage. I had no idea how true those words I spoke to Landon were. I did not step six feet into the Strong’s house before Blake’s mom had an empty rum bottle that she held upside down and square in my face.

  Mrs. Strong ranted, “Leo, this is absolutely unacceptable. I did not think I had to tell you that you are not supposed to be drinking. I know you are not my son, but you are in my home. I have rules.”

  “But, Mrs. Strong, that’s—” Landon said before I grabbed his arm to hush him up. I just let her continue to fuss at me. Obviously, Blake was having some type of meltdown, feeling like I just stepped on his turf. Though I did not want his mother to think I was a bad kid, it was best. With all she was going through, I knew it would be worse for her to deal with if she knew the truth—that her son was the lush.

  She continued scolding. “You’re really gonna have some explaining to do when Coach Strong comes in, young man, because this is not okay. I know you got a lot going on right now, but alcohol is not the way to solve your problems. It only makes them worse.”

  She was so heated. Finally, she turned around and left. Landon looked at me like his eyes were about to pop out. He was jumping up and down like he was trying to bust through the floor.

  “Just hold it in. She don’t need to know it wasn’t me,” I said to my boy.

  “Whatever. It was a full bottle. He chugged it all.”

  “We better find Blake,” I said, knowing he was not a heavy drinker.

  “I do agree with you on that,” Landon said.

  He kept calling Blake, but he did not get an answer. I called Brenton and Amir to see if they had seen him. They had not. We thought maybe he went to the school to watch film with his dad, but we drove in the parking lot and only saw the coaches’ cars out there.

  “You better go in there and explain to Coach Strong what’s going on. You didn’t wanna hurt his wife’s feelings, but his son is somewhere drunk.”

  “It’s just fine,” I said, knowing for me it was not, but I would have to deal with that later.

  “The way Blake’s been treating you, I can’t believe you are standing up for him like this.”

  Thinking out loud I said, “I know how scared I was when I thought my dad was dying. Before I actually knew he was not going to make it at all, I was unable to breathe. It’s just a lot. I can only imagine that he is truly frightened about losing his mom. Being scared is making him do all kinds of stupid things. As his teammate and friend, I want to be there.”

  Landon nodded. We continued searching. I remember he was on-and-off dating this girl named Jackie on the dance team. I had her number and thankfully she answered.

  “Hey, Jackie. This is Leo.”

  “Wassup, guy? You know some of my girls think you got it going on, out there doing your thing on the football team, and handling the Axes too. Everybody thinks you’re the man. My problem is, two of my girls like you. I can send you pictures, and you can let me know which one you wanna go out with.”

  “No, no, no, I’m straight.”

  “Playa Leo is straight. I tried to tell them you didn’t want just one girl, but they think they can settle you down,” Jackie said, misunderstanding me.

  “Look, I’m not calling about any of that,” I said, moving on. “I’m trying to see if you hooked up with Blake today. Y’all still kickin’ it, right?”

  “You know your friend. I was supposed to be seeing him, but he didn’t make it over here.”

  “How long ago was that?”

  “Long enough for him to be here.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, it’s been like two hours.”

  “Aight, well, hit me back if you hear from him,” I urged.

  “You’re not worried or anything, are you?” she asked.

  Not wanting her to panic too, I said, “No, no, I’m just trying to connect with him.”

  “So I can tell my girls they gotta shot,” Jackie diverted back to that.

  “Nah, I’m off the market,” I said, wanting to be clear.

  “What? Who snagged you?”

  “Ella Blount,” I said proudly.

  “Not one of them doggone cheerleaders? Please tell me no.”

  “See, why you hating on the cheerleaders?”

  “They think they are all that, that’s why.”

  “I’m just tired of the beef,” I said, really wanting people to stop the drama. “Can we all just get along for real, for real?”

  Jackie paused and said, “I hear you, as long as you’re happy. Wow, Leo Steele is settling down.”

  “I know, right?” I said. “Remember to call me if you hear from Blake.”

  When I got off the phone, I told Landon that she did not know where he was. I also explained that she said he should have been over there a long time ago. We both got knots in our stomach.

  “I’m worried, man,” I admitted.

  “Yeah, me too,” Landon said. It started getting dark.

  We drove everywhere. We went back to the Strong’s house and retraced the drive from Blake’s to Jackie’s house. There was a steep hill along the route. We saw tire marks in the road, so Landon immediately pulled over and parked the car. Seeing the missing railing made us both clutch our hearts in fear. We looked over the edge and were horrified. We saw Blake’s car smashed into a tree at the bottom of a hill. Just the thought that our friend might be gone was too much.

  CHAPTER 5

  Firmly Secure

  Landon and I took off like we were running a race. Whatever our best times i
n the forty were, at that moment I know we both beat it in the mad downhill scramble. We knew every second was important to get to our friend, who had literally gone off the deep end.

  “He’s moving,” Landon yelled out.

  The front passenger side was smashed into the tree. The back passenger side and the whole driver’s side were untouched. We tried opening the door, but it was locked. Landon and I banged on the window to get Blake to let us in.

  “If he doesn’t wake up, I’m going to bust this window out,” Landon shouted. We were both frazzled.

  “No, no, he’s coming to. Besides, the glass might cut him,” I said. Blake’s head turned toward the two of us.

  “Blake, unlock the door!” Landon called out. Blake complied.

  When Landon opened the door, Blake’s body fell toward us and I caught him. He was conscious, barely though.

  “Where am I? What’s going on? What’s happening?” Blake asked, clearly out of it.

  “Let’s get him away from the car. With that kind of impact, this thing could explode,” I cried.

  Neither of us were doctors, but we knew how to check for signs that a body was in good working order. Since football was such a violent sport, we all kept each other in check. Thankfully, Blake had no bleeding, but he did have a knot on his forehead.

  “He could have a concussion. We need to get him to the hospital,” I said.

  “No, no, ouch, no,” Blake said, coming to. “What happened?”

  Landon replied, “You were drinking. You drank a whole doggone bottle of rum.”

  “Oh yeah, I had a few nips,” Blake said, trying unsuccessfully to stand. “I just need to get home before my parents trip.”

  “Why would you do this, man?” Landon asked.

  Blake responded, “Why do you care? You’ve been all over my case, like I’m the worst.”

  “We both care, all right,” I said to Blake, not needing him to work himself up. “Just stay with him. Let me check the car.”

  One of the cheerleaders, Hallie Ray, had a real cool dad who allowed me to work with him a couple of summers ago. I did not know everything about cars, but I definitely could tell if one was leaking fluids. It was like a time bomb waiting to explode. Blake’s car passed all of the tests other than the impact the front right side took colliding with the tree. The car appeared to be working.

  I looked behind me. There was no way we could get it back up the hill. A few feet below was another road. I went back over to Landon and Blake and explained to Landon what I was thinking. He told me where the road went, and we got Blake in the car. I drove.

  “I’m sorry. Ouch.” Blake said, touching his ailing head.

  “We really need to get you to the hospital.”

  “If I die, so what?” Blake said, sounding stupid.

  “What’s up with you, man? You got everything. You’re the quarterback of our team, you got the looks ladies love. Your parents love you, and you’re smart as heck. Why are you tripping?”

  “You wouldn’t understand. Everything comes easy to you.”

  He had to have a concussion because he was making no sense. Everything came easy to me? Please. I had nowhere to live. What was he talking about? I wanted to go off on him and say, “Why do you get jealous when your dad sings somebody else’s praises? He’s our coach, and he’s a doggone tough one too. If he doesn’t offer a compliment, it means we sucked.”

  We were 4–0. Blake needed to get his act together because some of the teams we had to face down the line were overpowering. We certainly needed our quarterback to have his head in the game. As soon as we pulled up to his house, his mom came rushing outside. I knew at that moment Coach Strong was not far behind. They were like a pair of cleats. One was no good without the other. Sure enough, he came from the garage and freaked out when he shined the light on the damaged car.

  Coach yelled, “What in the world happened to the car?”

  “Oh my gosh, Blake, we need to get you inside right now, and I’m calling Doctor Parker. Bradley, you deal with him,” Mrs. Strong demanded, pointing at me.

  “Leo, what is going on, young man? I bring you into my home, and it’s one thing after another with you, guy,” Coach declared.

  Why were they asking me what happened? Did they think their son was that freaking perfect that he was beyond getting himself drunk and crashing his car? But then I thought about it. The Blake he knew would not make such a stupid choice. Particularly a few weeks back when Blake was caught with alcohol in his car and went to jail. Coach Strong knows everybody and had a friend in the police department who scared Blake straight, or so he thought.

  When Blake got out of jail that night, he told all of us that he wanted no part of trouble and that he was never going to make that mistake again. That is probably why Coach Strong assumed it was me. What really hurt is that he gave me a look like I disgusted him. I did not deserve a medal, but I did not deserve to be shaken either. Soon, very soon, I’d be gone.

  In chemistry class I noticed Ella was not herself. There was no smile was on her face, and she was keeping to herself. When the teacher asked us to do a lab, she was forced to talk to me since we were partners.

  “Hey, you,” I said. “I’m here, talk to me.”

  Dr. Sapp came over the intercom. “Hello, students of Lockwood High, a severe thunder storm is headed our way. All afternoon practices are canceled. Thanks and back to the books.”

  I asked Ella if she needed to talk. She studied my face and saw I was ready to handle whatever she wanted to throw at me. This girl had my heart and it was breaking seeing her somber.

  Finally, she said, “I’ve got some money. Since we don’t have practice, there is a hotel down the street. Can you meet me?”

  The Strongs hated me. I had no desire to be where I was not wanted. I would tell Coach I would be home later. Shoot, it wasn’t his business to know my every move. Actually, he’d probably be happy that I wouldn’t be there.

  I gladly agreed to meet her. I could not wait for the day to be over. If I could have taken her right then and there on the shiny lab table, I would have. Ella had worked her sweet way into my heart and affected me greatly.

  Ella texted me the room number. When I walked through the door, she instantly hopped on me, put her lips to mine, took off my jacket, and then raised up her shirt. She was beautiful. We made our way over to the mattress. I was on top of her, and things were heating up. Bad as I wanted her, I stopped. She was moving too fast. While I wanted to be her first, I wanted her to have no regrets.

  “Is something wrong with me?” she asked.

  “Ella, you are stunning. All I have been thinking about is knocking boots with you. Now that I’m here, I see you are vulnerable. You are shaking. Your first time should not be like this. What’s wrong?”

  Ella broke down and cried. “My dad’s wife-to-be told me to leave their home. I was just getting to know him, Leo. She gave me money to go.”

  I held her. Wanting her to know she wasn’t the only one with deep issues, I told her my woes. I explained that I’d been homeless because my mom moved to New York to be with a thug.

  “How could she? You have no job. Where did she expect you to go? Gosh,” Ella said in a furious tone. “We both understand selfish parents.”

  Opening up completely, I said, “I have never had a girl who has cared for me like you do, Ella. I want to be here for you. You called me your boyfriend and saved me from going to jail. You went out on a limb for me.”

  “I know. That was pretty risky, huh?” she joked. “I did not even give you a chance to let me know if you really wanted us to be an item.”

  I could tell she felt bad for asking me to be her boyfriend instead of the other way around.

  To ease her mind, I asked her to be my girlfriend. She smiled and I kissed her gently. I brought her body to mine. We embraced and fell asleep.

  About thirty minutes later, I woke up. My life decisions were weighing heavily on my mind. One thing I needed to change was my
bad study habits. I had a couple upcoming tests and needed to be ready. I got up and started studying. It did not take me long to get frustrated. I grunted. Unfortunately, that woke Ella up.

  “Math giving you issues?” she asked.

  “I didn’t mean to wake you,” I said.

  “You should have. Let me help you study,” she responded.

  Remembering Dr. Sapp telling me to allow her to help me, I did not resist. Normally, having her sitting on my lap would have distracted me. However, she was a very good teacher, and I was getting the math.

  “I get it,” I said after we did a few problems. “Let me do a couple more.”

  I was pumped that I was getting this. Ella told me she knew I could do it. It felt good breezing through problems. This was a sign I just needed to apply myself.

  After we studied, we talked, ordered pizza, and fell asleep with our clothes on. About eleven o’clock, I felt Ella moving around. She was pretty restless. I understood. It was hard to relax when so much in your life was unsettling.

  I wondered if Coach was going to be angry that I had not shown up. Was my mom even wondering about her son? How could I get Blake some help? Yep, hard to sleep when so much rambled around in the brain.

  Now I had a girlfriend. I had to protect her. I wanted to provide for her. If we could live in this hotel room, life would be simple. Problem was, neither one of us had a job.

  Ella tried to quietly get out of the bed. Putting my woes aside, I wanted to be there for her. I held on to my girl.

  “You okay? I’m not too heavy, am I?” I asked. “Wait, are you crying?”

  Upset, she sniffed, “I’m okay.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  Ella said she wanted to be there for me. She asked me what was going on in my world. Guess I was fidgeting too. I opened up and told her about Blake’s car accident and that the Strongs had accused me of leading their son down the wrong path.

  Ella defended, “What? What did you have to do with Blake’s crazy ways?”

  “I know, right? They didn’t tell me not to come back, but I gotta figure out something else. I just wish I could take care of you,” I said, hugging her.