“Look, I’m sorry. Will you just wait up? I’m trying to ask you something.” He caught her arm, tugging her to a stop.
This got her attention right away, and she dared to look up at him, feeling like she’d just plunged head-first into a tangle of ivy. What the hell could he have to say to her? Was he going to ask her the question? The one where she’d get all panicky and say yes to homecoming? “Okay, so what’s up?”
“I wondered if you might want to get a pass to come to my study hall tomorrow so we can start working on that paper.”
Payton frowned, watching all of her dreams shatter in midair. She’d let herself drift on that lovely cloud for a few moments, believing that maybe he wanted to bring her to the movies or perhaps homecoming. Or at least apologize for being a giant asshole these last couple of weeks. But instead it was the dreaded paper—the one on disguises. Well, she’d like to disguise herself right now—perhaps the invisible woman—not like Chance Montgomery would even notice she was gone.
“Uh, yeah—just have your study hall teacher write the pass, and I’ll give it to Mr. Fogg tomorrow,” she said.
Chance seemed relieved as he dashed off down the hall. Like talking to her had been some epic battle or something.
“What was that all about?” Jake joined her, carrying his guitar with him. Mr. Fogg was going to let them have one of the practice rooms so they could start going through the National Anthem. They wanted to come up with a decent arrangement before Jake came over to her house that night to practice.
“He wants me to go to his study hall tomorrow so we can work on that paper for Mrs. Bradford. Because now, all of a sudden, he’s concerned about it, after being a douche bag in class.”
“Oh, like a date,” he said. “Only at school and with none of the fun stuff that comes after. So I wonder what idea he’ll come up with for the paper. Or, I hope, for your sake, he lets you come up with the idea.”
“Oh, stop it. I’m sure he’s smarter than we give him credit for.” She slugged Jake in the arm then flopped into her seat.
Mr. Fogg took roll, then waved Jake and Payton off so they could work on their song.
Jake pulled his guitar out of its case and began tuning it.
“I think we should have a little bit of an intro, where all you hear is the guitar.” He strummed some chords, letting the music fill the air around them.
“Oh, I like that. Did Mr. Fogg say he was going to get those amps and everything?”
“Yeah, he’ll make sure the microphones and speakers are set up ahead of time and promised to do a couple sound checks.”
They worked through the song, adding a lot of harmony spots to it. Their voices blended well together, so much so that Payton actually got chills from it.
“So I’ll meet you at your house after football, right?” He looked over at her as he put the instrument back in its case.
Payton nodded then headed to the locker room. She changed into her practice uniform, rushing out to the field, where Matt and Neal were already sitting on the ground stretching out.
“Hey.” She sat next to Neal and stretched her legs in front of her, reaching for her toes.
“I hope the coach doesn’t make us run laps today—my body can’t take anymore running.” Matt fell backward and just lay there looking up at the afternoon sky, which seemed to be threatening rain.
“I’m not carrying you, man, so don’t even ask.” Neal climbed to his feet, looming over Payton. “You need help stretching?”
“Yeah, can you push my leg back for me?” She lay down, lifting her leg in the air. He stood above her, pushing her leg toward her head. “Damn, you’re flexible.”
“I’m a girl, I’m supposed to be. Besides, I don’t have any junk to get in the way.” She snorted, watching as Matt and Neal nearly fell over laughing.
“Okay, boys and girl.” Coach Youngman blew his whistle. “Let’s bring it in so we can get practice under way.”
Chance came rushing up, looking anything but happy, and Payton wondered what was bugging him. She saw his brother and dad cutting across the field toward the junior varsity practice. Had he gotten into a fight with his family?
“Hi.” She gave a small wave.
He glared, clenching his fists at his sides before turning his back to ignore her.
“That kid needs an attitude adjustment,” Neal said in a low voice.
“Tell me about it,” she whispered back. “I don’t think he’ll ever forgive me for being quarterback.”
“I want to split the offense and defense up so we can run through some drills and plays,” Coach said. “We’ll bring everyone back together at the end to scrimmage for a bit.” He sent them off into their groups and walked over to work with the offense first.
Payton motioned everyone into the huddle and called the play, which would have Chance getting the ball down near the twenty-yard line. But as soon as the ball was snapped, he ran in the opposite direction, not even close to what she’d told him to do, which screwed up the play and the routes. She tossed the ball away as their mock defense chased her down.
“What was that?” she snapped when they got back to the huddle.
“I was running a route,” he challenged her.
“Yeah—but not the one I called! Let’s do this again, and this time try to run the correct one, please.” Payton put her mouthpiece in and took the snap. This time Chance ran the route perfectly, but when the ball hit his hands he dropped it like he was playing a game of hot potato instead of football.
Payton dug her nails into her hands, trying to keep her calm. He’d done that one purpose. What the fuck was wrong with him? Was he trying to make her look bad? Or himself?
“You know what? Visser, I think I’ll pass to you, since Montgomery doesn’t understand the concept of catching the damn ball.” This time she gave the play to Visser, who caught the ball for a ten-yard gain, making it look easy as he leapt into the air.
“Okay, I want you both to go deep.” She gestured to Chance and Neal. “Head toward the sideline then cut back to the center,” she told Chance. Once more they lined up.
Payton watched in disgust when she let the ball go, realizing that Chance had cut his route short, stopping ten yards shy of where he was supposed to. She yanked her helmet off and tossed it on the ground.
“What’s your problem? Why won’t you listen to the calls?” She got in his face, standing only inches from him. Payton knew she needed to settle down. But she was tired of his shit. She took several deep breaths.
“Get out of my face, Carter.” He shoved her away.
“No, not until you quit screwing this up. In case you failed to realize, we’re a team! I can’t have you running whatever the hell plays you want or purposely dropping balls. It could cost us the game.”
“Maybe it’s not me, maybe it’s the quarterback.” His shoulder rammed into her as he pushed passed her.
“Carter, Montgomery—get over here now!” Coach had his hands up in the air. “What’s the problem?”
“He refuses to listen, Coach, and he’s running the wrong routes on purpose.” Her voice echoed off the side of the building. The rest of the team glanced over at them.
“She can’t get the ball to me, so she’s trying to make me look bad,” Chance muttered.
“What? You’re a fricken liar!” Payton started toward him, but Mr. Youngman grabbed the back of her jersey.
“You two got so much energy, do ya? Well, run ten laps. You aren’t leaving until they’re done. We’re a team, and if you can’t grasp this concept, then perhaps some time on the bench will remind you.”
Payton tore off, running up around the uprights, cussing under her breath. She couldn’t afford to sit on the bench and would do everything in her power to avoid that, even if it meant pretending to get along with Chance. She wondered what had happened to the fairy-tale prince she’d been so obsessed over. The one who’d flirted with her when they’d talked for the first time.
By the end
of the ten laps, Payton was drenched with sweat and breathing hard. Any second now she expected her legs to give out on her.
“Okay, everyone bring it in,” Coach Youngman hollered.
Payton tried to fight down the urge to puke as she wiped her arm across her forehead. She stood behind the rest of her team, trying to catch her breath.
Neal fell in next to her, his jaw clenched. “I told the coach it wasn’t your fault. And trust me, if Chance ever tries to shove you again, I’ll lay his ass out.”
Payton’s mouth dropped open as she stared at Visser. She’d never heard him get so pissed before. Neal shifted away awkwardly, but his eyes held the statement as a promise to her.
“I want you all back here, same time tomorrow,” Mr. Youngman said. “And no more B.S. Montgomery, Carter, I want you to stay after for a few minutes. Everyone else, you’re free to go.”
Coach Youngman had Payton sit outside his office while he led Chance in first. Payton heard the distinct sound of papers being shuffled around, then her coach’s voice coming from the open door.
“Okay, son, I want you to take a look at these stats for me.”
She couldn’t help herself and peeked inside to see Chance glance down at whatever papers Coach had on his desk.
“Would you mind telling me which of these two stats are better?”
Chance took the clippings and stared at them. His hair was slick with sweat. “The first one, Coach. They’ve got more passing yards and touchdowns.”
What in the world was their coach doing? Payton just wanted to get home. Although, she did deserve to get reamed out after getting in Chance’s face. She should’ve known better. But damn, he got under her skin.
Coach nodded. “I see. Now I want you to look over these four statistics for me.” He handed Chance another stack of papers to look through. “Which two are the best?”
“These two.” Chance held up two sheets for Coach to see.
Coach Youngman then pulled out the original newspapers that they’d been copied from. “You picked Payton Carter as the better quarterback, and those are her stats compared to what you were getting while top dog in Lawson. That’s why she was picked to be our quarterback, not because we didn’t like you or because she was a girl. It had nothing to do with that. Here in Aller Falls, this game isn’t about male or female or who your parents are. It’s about playing your best, earning your position. It’s about teamwork, Montgomery, and playing because you love the game. Now, the top two receivers happen to be you and Visser … The next closest people are off by about three hundred yards, not to mention four or five touchdowns.”
Payton swallowed hard as she saw Chance’s eyes focus on the papers before picking them up to examine them again.
“Now, do you see why I chose the way I did? It wasn’t because of your lack of ability, but because Carter is the best and she makes you and Visser the best at what you do. I really need you, Montgomery, but if you can’t handle playing under a female, then I’m afraid you’re not going to fit in with this team.” Coach Youngman pushed his chair back and stood. “I asked you when you got the receiver position if you were sure you wanted it, if you’d work hard for it, and you told me yes, you would.”
“I want it, Coach. I want it bad.” Chance’s jaw clenched. “I’m just not having an easy time with … with my dad. He keeps telling me I let him down because I got beat by a girl—”
“I know, but it’s not about your father, Chance. It’s about you and what you want. I promise that if you keep up the good work, you won’t have a problem getting into a good college in a couple years.”
Chance nodded. “I’ll work it out.”
“I hope so. You’re dismissed.”
Payton backed up, pretending to be staring at the wall.
Chance trudged out the door, shooting Payton a quick glance. He looked so mixed up. She frowned. Damn it. She actually felt bad for him.
“See you,” he said.
“Bye.”
“Carter, you’re next.”
Payton stood slowly and made her way into her coach’s office. “I’m really sorry about today. I never should’ve let Chance get to me.”
“I know, Carter. You’ve had a lot of hurdles this year. But don’t ever second-guess why you got this position. I’m sure you heard me talking to Montgomery?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I wasn’t lying. You have the best stats in our league. You just need to keep your focus—and know that Chance will come around. He’s got a lot of outside pressure from his family.”
She clasped her hands together. “I’ll try harder, Coach. I promise.”
“I know you will. Now no more of this nonsense, okay? We’ve got a lot of weapons this year. Between you, Visser, and Montgomery, we might have a shot at the division title—but only if you work together. Now, go on and get out of here. You’ve had a long practice today.”
As Payton made her way out of the stadium she glanced back at the field. She’d love to bring the trophy home for her team. She had to keep her head on straight. No more spaz-outs. She belonged on this team just as much as the guys did. It was time to prove everyone wrong about girls playing football.
Just after Jake left, Payton went out into the backyard. Spotting Bradshaw at the picnic table, she plopped down next to him.
He glanced up from his trigonometry homework. “Hey.”
“Hi, what’re you doing out here?” She folded her arms across her chest, trying to keep from freezing. The autumn chill hung in the air, promising cooler days to come. The dim light was barely illuminating the piece of paper he worked on, but he kept plugging away.
“I don’t know, just wanted some fresh air. To be alone for a while.” He grinned.
“Do you want me to go?” She stood to leave.
“No, but you know how it gets sometimes when everyone gets riled up or is running back and forth.” Brad set his pencil down.
“Yeah, but you know you’d miss it if you didn’t hear Rice playing his video games or Elway and Montana wrestling in the hallway.” She leaned her head on his shoulder. “Next year Marino will be gone.” Her throat tightened. “Then, gradually, you’ll all leave, and it’ll be too quiet.”
Damn. She hated to think about it. Not having her brothers around. But it was inevitable.
“I’m not going anywhere for a while. And just so you know, I’ll miss Marino as much as you will, but let’s not talk about that now. We’ve got some time before it happens.” He shut his book, stood, and pulled Payton back into the house. “By the way, you and Jake sounded awesome together.”
“Hey, you weren’t supposed to eavesdrop. We wanted it to be a surprise.” She glared, then jumped onto his back.
“I know, but when I heard your voice I … It reminded me of mom. You know, when she used to come in and sing us to sleep at night. Tonight you sounded just like her.”
Tears welled in Payton’s eyes, and she clutched tightly to her brother’s neck. She wanted to say something, but she couldn’t form any words. Her mom had had a beautiful voice. The kind that people stopped and listened to whenever she sang. Whether it was in the church choir or performing in the local theatre group. So Payton took it as the ultimate compliment.
It was late when Payton finally made her way downstairs. With a yawn, she tugged her rubber band out of her hair. A lone light shown down the hall, and she spotted Marino’s light still on. The rest of the house was dark. Everyone else had gone to bed about an hour before. But Payton had decided to finish up her laundry so she’d have clean clothes for the next day and football jerseys for later on in the week.
She crept to her brother’s room and knocked softly on the door. “Hey, what are you still doing up?” She went in and sat on his bed. She frowned, noticing the worry lines creasing his forehead and the dark rings beneath his eyes.
“I’m trying to get all this college-application paperwork filled out. And I’m looking through this book about scholarships that Mr. Beasley gave me
.” He rubbed his eyes. “I really need to get in on a scholarship. There’s no way Dad will be able to help us out.” He leaned back in his desk chair.
“You’ll be fine. Besides, with the football season you’re having you’re bound to get noticed.” Payton clutched his pillow to her chest. She stared at his blue walls and all the college pennants and football posters that adorned them. He had football trophies up on his shelves, along with numerous academic awards. Marino was kind of the total package. Brains and brawn.
“I hope so, but even though I’m great here in Aller Falls, it’s a small town. The guys from bigger schools are vying for the same scholarships and positions.” He ran a hand through his brown hair and glanced at Payton.
She climbed up off the bed and went to her older brother. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. “I love you, and I know you’ll be great. So no more freaking out or worrying. You’ll get it figured out, and I’m sure if you need help with any of this Dad would lend a hand.”
“I love you too.” He pulled her down into a headlock. “I’m just scared.”
“Well, don’t be. You’re awesome.”
He let her go and gave her a playful push as a yawn escaped his lips. “I suppose I should get some sleep and so should you.” He pointed for her to go.
“Fine, I’m going, Dad. Night.” She waved then hurried down to her own room.
For the first time in her life, she realized that perhaps she wasn’t the only one in her family who had worries—that high school wasn’t easy for any of them. Maybe everyone went around wearing a mask, pretending to be someone they weren’t or stronger than they felt. Marino and Brad had proven to her tonight that she wasn’t alone, that just like her, they had their own demons to battle.
When she finally lay down to go to sleep, she felt the tears trickle down her cheeks. Now more than ever she wished her mom was around, not just to answer her female questions, but to help her brothers out too.
French Fries with a Side of Guys Page 9
