Fantasy Football

by Jennifer LoGalbo

can so see it!” she coughed out.

  Tuesday was looking bright. I couldn’t wait to help Nikki find a dress, and was so looking forward to seeing the expression on Casey’s over-painted mug when I tell her of the pairing between Boyd and Nikki. Yep, Tuesday would be memorable.

  Chapter 5

  Just for kicks I borrowed a black striped camp shirt from Mariah. It had white buttons down the front and it fit a tad snug around my ribs. The shirt actually gave my body curves in the right places. And with my dark blue skinny jeans, I felt pretty dang sexy!

  I topped off my ensemble with a black headband and black flip-flops. My toes were going to freeze, but I couldn’t care less because I was one hot chick. This didn’t mean I would entirely change my wardrobe. The shirt complimented my torso quite nicely, but I was definitely more comfortable in a T-shirt.

  Mariah and Emily sat at the dining room table scooping cereal into their mouths. Mariah peaked over the cereal box and whistled at me.

  “That shirt looks better on you than me.”

  “I can keep it then, right?”

  “Sure, but it will cost you twenty bucks.”

  Emily nodded in approval and said, “Jeez, Parker. You may want to shove a bunch of Kleenex in your pockets and hand them to the guys who’ll be drooling in your passing”

  Mom entered the kitchen. She was wearing her purple silk robe and no make-up. Her eyes were puffy and the ends of her nostrils were dark pink and raw. She was either sick or just finished one of her crying spells.

  I didn’t know what to say. In fact none of us knew what to say, except to greet her with a smile. My sisters and I gathered what we needed for school and kissed Mom good-bye.

  Before I slipped out the door I heard her say, “Parker, you look very nice today.”

  Nikki’s car came to a halt in front of the door just as I exited. “Who are you trying to impress?” she asked when I buckled myself. “Are you hoping for a second chance with Wayne?”

  “You’re sick, you know that?”

  Nikki laughed. “Well, whose ever thunder you’re trying to steal, I’m sure it will be a mission accomplished.”

  “Thanks. But I’m doing this for me and no one else.”

  Tuesday’s were distribution day for the newspaper. That meant everyone in the class grabbed a stack of papers, and went from classroom to classroom to sell the publication to students and faculty.

  Personally, I thought it was great strategy to help raise money for extracurricular activities. Students were willing to fork over a dollar twenty-five to disrupt their class for fifteen minutes.

  With my camera around my neck, I strolled into first period class and immediately b-lined it to the stack of newspapers to get a sneak peek. Students were always asking about the contents of certain articles and I wanted to be well prepared.

  Casey was on the other side of the table and rolled her eyes at me. “What’s with the camera, Parker? Do you sleep with that thing as well?”

  I lifted my camera chest high and fiddled with the settings before answering. “Have you ever had a premonition? You know, where you knew deep down in the depths of your soul something was about to happen? Something really good?”

  “Only freaks have premonitions.”

  My mouth angled in a half-cocked smirk. “Then I’m glad I have my freak on today. Because my dear friend, something incredible is going to happen very soon and I’m going to be ready for it.”

  “You need a screwdriver, P, for all those loose screws clanking around in your pathetic head.”

  I hated to admit it, but her snappy comeback was great. She must have been up all night Googling, How to Insult Your Archenemies. “Oh, speaking of screwing. You’ll never guess who Boyd asked to Homecoming last night.”

  “I’m sure he asked out Whitney.”

  “ERRR, wrong! Boyd is taking Nikki Chesney.”

  Casey’s jaw dropped and her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. “What?”

  I immediately snapped a photo of Casey with her gaped expression and peeked at the display screen. “Oh, yes. That one is definitely a keeper.” I scooped up a stack of newspapers in my hands and turned to leave. “Later tater.”

  Lunch was fifth period and it took forever and a day for the clock to hit eleven-twenty. My stomach usually began its rumbling fits around nine-thirty. And by ten-thirty I’d start to feel faint. Someday I just might give in and dish out a ridiculous two dollars for a granola bar at the school store.

  Tuesday’s hot lunch was always cheeseburgers and fries. And for an extra fifty-cents, you could add cheese to the fries. I preferred mustard with my fries, where a handful of mustard packets were free.

  As I cautiously ambled across the lunchroom, dodging paper footballs and flying fries, I heard someone call out my name. I turned my head over my left shoulder and saw Trent staring directly at me. Did he just call my name? Nah, not a chance.

  I noticed sitting next to Trent was Devin, and across from Devin was Boyd. Not to look foolish I kept walking, but this time I heard my name even louder. Trent was calling me over to his table.

  Oh boy, I thought to myself. I truly didn’t want to stroll over there. Boyd rapped on the empty seat next to him and said, “Have a seat.”

  With Boyd next to me, I felt a little more at ease sitting at a table overcrowded by the football team. Not so much with Trent. And Devin? I barely knew the guy anymore. Our last conversation took place three years ago when he told me to have a nice summer.

  “Hi, guys,” I mumbled while taking a seat.

  Trent had the newspaper in front of him folded to his picture. “Parker, this is an awesome action shot. You have some serious camera skills.”

  Willie Williams was seated at the end of the table. I swear when he stood up, the entire table lifted two inches off the ground shifting everyone in their seats. “Dude! You’s Superman,” he bellowed.

  I held on for dear life when Willie sat back down. The guy was so big; his ass took up two stools.

  “Thanks, Trent. What do you think about the headline?”

  “It certainly beat what Casey wanted to use,” he sneered.

  Devin smacked the table. “That bitch wanted a headline that would depict our team as being incompetent football players. And that Trent carried the team to a win, single-handed.”

  His remark left me speechless. Maybe because the last time Devin and I spoke, his voice was two octaves higher and cracked every now and then.

  Boyd nudged his shoulder into mine and said, “I told you they hated Casey.”

  “How did you know about Casey’s headline?” I asked Trent.

  “She told me about it when she sold me the paper this morning.”

  I shook my head and stood up. “I should get back to my table. Glad you guys like the pics.”

  “Can’t wait to see what you do next, Parker,” Trent called out.

  For some unknown reasons my hands trembled when I strolled away. My soda can toppled over and rolled across the tray. If I dared to one-hand the tray in order to upright my soda, I knew for sure I’d drop my food. I thought it was best to let the can roll around until I safely reached my table.

  “Collins!” I heard Amber Zell call out from the Bitch table.

  Great. What the hell did she want? I spun on my heels and set my tray down on the edge of the table. Amber was sitting on the last stool, facing the jock table. She had the straight on view of Trent.

  Amber sat amongst most of the cheerleaders and dance squad. She stared up at me with huge brown eyes and a conniving straight teeth grin. She barely touched her sliced red apple with peanut butter. It was no wonder the girl was all skin and bones. Her face was beautiful, but her body screamed, Feed me!

  “You bellowed?” I asked taking a hold of my soda can.

  “What did Trent want with you?”

  All the heavily mascara eyes around the table glared at me. I pondered at what juicy lie I could muster up that would get twisted by the gossip hungry crowd. Oddly, I had
nothing.

  “Why would you care?” Ugh. I was losing my touch.

  “I like you, Parker,” she responded, tucking a long strand of brown hair behind her tiny ears. “I wouldn’t say this to anyone, so take it for what it’s worth. Trent is way out of your league. He’ll never ask you to Homecoming.”

  All the Barbie dolls around the table snickered. “In your dreams, Parker,” Whitney sneered from three chairs over.

  Amber leaned over the table with her arms crossed over her chest. “And you may want to lay off the soda, Collins. You’re about to pop some buttons there, and it’s not due to a bountiful bosom.”

  An objection was long overdue. “Pop is the best,” I said. “It’s full of caffeine, it rots the teeth and best part of all, it’s a blast to shower in.”

  I angled the can in Amber’s direction and pulled the tab. The soda exploded all over Amber’s face and hair. She gasped in surprise and embarrassment. “You stupid whore!” she screamed.

  “Oh, my bad.” I tossed my only napkin at her, even though she needed more like twenty. “I like you, Amber. So I’m going to give you a helpful tidbit. You may want to wash that off quickly before you get all sticky.”

  “I’ll get you for this, Collins!”

  “Get in line.” I leaned in closer to Amber and whispered, “You may want to dab your cheeks. There’s a lot of black goop dripping down your face.”

  That was fun. But now I was out a beverage to wash down my lunch. I hoped to make it to my table before the marching band, thespian club, debate team, or the student council stopped me. Wayne Stevenson and his table of geeks were clapping and whistling, so I was safe there.

  Nikki was already at our table staring at me with raised eyebrows. We had a mix crowd at our table. No one belonged to a sports team or a club. Diversity was more entertaining. Our conversations were of random issues, and we laughed and cackled the most out of any other table. No football talk, no cheer chanting, no debates; just downright lunacy.

  “Parker!” Nikki held her hand over her mouth to stop laughing “That was epic, girl.”

  I sat down across from her and bit into my cold cheeseburger. Even the bun was already stale. Damn it. “Amber is so jaded, and half my soda is gone.”

  Nearly half the people at my table pushed their drinks in my direction. I had my choice of milk, water, lemonade and assorted sodas. Either I had adoring fans, or everyone wanted me to douse the remainder of their drinks on the wicked bitches of Mason High.

  After lunch I had trig. In most of my classes I sat in the back corner and counted down the minutes for the bell to ring. I would yawn every three minutes, daydream through most of the lessons, and text Nikki and other friends.

  But not in trigonometry. Maybe it was the entertaining teaching styles of Mr. Wilkins, or even that Boyd was in my class. Whatever it was, I always raised my hand; I ached in anticipation to be called to the board, and I sat front row and center. That’s right, I was a math geek.

  Boyd sat a few chairs behind me. When he entered the classroom, he winked at me. Nikki was one lucky girl. I was actually envious that she nabbed one of the hottest guys in school. He stopped short at my desk and leaned over to whisper in my ear. His hand rested on my shoulder, and my belly tingled at his touch.

  “Love what you did to Amber today. You’re my hero,” he said.

  If Nikki weren’t my best friend I would have flirted with Boyd. I was always attracted to him, but I only considered him as just a friend and vice-versa. Why did life have to be so complicated?

  When the bell rang to dismiss the class, I bolted out the door. Boyd had my head all clouded and I wasn’t able to concentrate. When I turned the corner to the bank of lockers, my entire body hit a brick wall. Actually it wasn’t a brick wall, but it certainly felt like one.

  My feet slipped out from underneath me and I fell hard on my butt. I went to sweep up my books, but a pair of hands beat me to it.

  “You shouldn’t be doing fifty in a five mile an hour zone,” Devin joked, helping me back to my feet.

  “Sorry. Did I hurt you?”

  Devin snapped his head back, releasing a hearty laugh. “I’m not the one who landed on my ass, doll.”

  He made a valid point. And did he just call me a little girl’s toy? I peered at him over my shoulder as he continued walking down the corridor, watching him as he acknowledged other students with a head bob. Devin had a nice backside, despite his blue jeans sporting a few tears.

  When I finally reached my locker, there was a strong scent of nail polish. I raised an eyebrow at a four-letter word painted across the top of my locker. I wasn’t shocked. After all, I managed to make plenty of enemies in the past two years…mainly today.

  Nikki gasped in horror. “Who did that?”

  “Don’t know and I really don’t care.”

  “It’s horrible to call someone a…” She lowered her voice, “S L U T. It’s so gaudy.”

  I shrugged my shoulders and said, “I disagree. I actually like the color. Not too pink, not too purple.” Nikki dug deep in her purse and handed me a moist cloth. “Do you always carry baby wipes around with you?”

  “It’s nail polish remover, silly.”

  How cute was that? “So no more sticking your fingers in a jar of liquid sponge?” I wiped the nail polish off my locker without using elbow grease. It was like I as doing an infomercial.

  “Jeez, Parker. You need to catch up with the now.”

  Nikki dropped me off at the front door of my house. I told her I could easily just walk the fifty yards from her driveway to my door, but she wouldn’t hear of it. Nikki was odd that way. She wanted assurance of me being home safe and sound.

  As I dragged my feet to the front door I thought about my day. It was long and grueling. Perhaps Tuesday’s should be banned instead of Monday’s. Today was certainly a day of strange and uneventful moments. And when I say uneventful, I mean that sarcastically.

  Trent not only talked to me, but he complimented my photographic skills. I went a few rounds with Amber and prevailed as winner. Boyd whispered sweet nothings in my ear. Devin knocked me flat on my ass, and now my tailbone throbbed. And to add a cherry on top of the dysfunctional cake, a Barbie doll bitch used mauve fingernail polish on my locker.

  What a strange day. I didn’t think it was possible, but it was about to get stranger.

  Chapter 6

  A heavy scent of lavender and vanilla hit me the second I opened the front door. I knew Mom had been shopping earlier in the day. There was a round white marble table that was waist high, propped smack dab in the middle of the foyer. On top of the table was a crystal vase the size of my torso filled with fake tulips, carnations, and cattails.

  To be honest I was clueless on our financial situation. I knew we were well off, but if Mom continued with her shopaholic antics, I wondered if there would be college funds available for Mariah and me.

  “How was school?” Mom asked, poking her head around the kitchen entryway.

  Just hearing a voice nearly had me jumping out of my skin. No one was ever home after school. Mariah had play practice, Emily had school until four, and Mom usually was MIA. What was even more confusing was my mother’s inquiry.

  “Just another typical day in the life of a senior outcast.” I shed my thirty-pound backpack off my shoulder, and I could almost feel myself take flight from the lightness.

  “What does that mean?”

  “Nothing,” I huffed. “I’m starving. Did you buy any snacks today?”

  My mother had a dishtowel in her hand. She was casually dressed in a pair of jeans with a brown silk blouse, and her hair fell straight to just above her shoulders. “I dabbled in experimental pinwheels filled with cream cheese and lunch meat. Want to try one?” she asked, entering the kitchen.

  Most people upon hearing the word, experimental, would turn the other way screaming for their lives in sheer terror. However, since I only had one bite of a stale cheeseburger for the day, I was famished and would
eat doggie treats for survival.

  “Sure.” I snatched a plate from the cabinet and placed half a dozen pinwheels on it.

  “Oh, and I bought Caramel popcorn.”

  “Really?” My heart actually raced with excitement. It had been a long time since I snacked on Caramel popcorn. It was my favorite crap food when I was a pre-teen, and probably the culprit behind the eight cavities I inherited when I turned twelve.

  Mom opened the bag and filled my plate to capacity. “And as much as I don’t condone it, I bought a six-pack of Mountain Dew.”

  This was not my mother. I raised an eyebrow at her odd behavior. Had she fallen victim to the Stepford Wives or Invasion of the Body Snatchers? I didn’t smell alcohol on her breath, so I knew she was sober. Something certainly was amiss with my mother. She was too accommodating and way too vocal.

  I couldn’t help but ask, “Are you feeling all right?”

  Mom suddenly became jittery and stuttered when she responded, “I-I was hoping w-weee could have a chat.”

  Uh oh, wouldn’t you know it. Mom had an ulterior motive behind the snacks. I figured her stuffing my face wasn’t done by the kindness of her hard heart. “I have a ton of homework and I should get started on it right now.”

  I snatched my plate and can of Mt. Dew and stood up from my chair. “Sit down, Parker,” Mom barked in a firm tone.

  Hey, when did my mother grow a backbone? Since I wasn’t one to be disobedient, I returned to my chair and gave her my full attention. “What’s going on?” I asked, leaning back in the dark oak chair.

  “Why do you resent me so much?” she boldly asked. I choked on my own saliva. Who resented whom? “For years you’ve been cold and distant with me. You talked to your father, but never me.”

  “Probably because he never degraded me in front of my friends or made me feel worthless.” I wasn’t about to spare feelings. She started it. “You’re just downright mean, and not much of a nurturing mother.”

  My mother had a blank look on her face. Her eyes glazed over and I waited for the water works to pour down her cheeks, but she refrained. “You feel I’m not a good mother?”