Joe Football

by Autumn Sand

  Tipping my chin in the direction of Jana, I ask, “What’s with her?”

  “She won’t tell me,” Favor says as she wraps her hands around my waist.

  “Babe I think it is time for us to blow this popsicle stand. “

  She laughs at my words and looks at Jana with concern. “Can she ride with us?”

  “Of course. No questions asked.”

  “Did you find Wayne?” she asks me.

  “Oh shit. I got caught up in Jameson’s family drama, I forgot. Let’s all look for him, so we can all leave at the same time.”

  Everyone agrees, except for Jana. “Wayne shmayne. I won’t ride with him,” Jana announces in a slurred voice.

  “Alright, baby cakes, you’ll ride with me,” Egon says as he holds her up. She gives him a smile then belches. Oh yeah, that’s sexy.

  How did I become the gatekeeper tonight? I rally the troops so we can find Wayne and eighty-six this place. After searching several rooms, we find Wayne standing by himself in a corner.

  “Bro we’re outta here,” Egon says.

  Wayne looks up and takes in Jana’s condition, and then shakes his head. “She’s drunk again?”

  “I’m not drunk,” Jana yells at him. She tries to walk over to him but stumbles again. Wayne moves quickly and catches her.

  “Sure, you’re not drunk,” he says sarcastically as he lifts her into his arms.

  Can this night get any more interesting? Now that we have our full group, we begin to weave through the throngs of people so we can leave. A few people stop us to talk in their drunken banter. As I am talking to one of my teammates, I notice Jimbo pushing up on one of the cheerleaders. She is trying to avoid his advances, but he is insistent. I begin to wonder if I should intervene or not, so I just look on, ready to step in if things escalate.

  “She said no. So, leave her alone.” Jameson’s voice carries across the room.

  Jimbo doesn’t pay his son any attention as he tries again to grope the cheerleader. Jameson rushes over to his father and pushes him, causing him to stumble and fall to the floor. Jimbo tries to stand up, but Jameson kicks him. A crowd gathers around them, watching in horror. Jimbo is too intoxicated to stand up and Jameson takes full advantage of it. He begins punching and kicking his father repeatedly as people scream.

  Everything happens so fast after that. Someone calls the cops. Jimbo lays unconscious on the floor, as the cops remove Jameson from the premises in handcuffs. Jimbo is taken to the hospital. What the fuck just happened?

  Chapter 27

  Favor

  The following day after the party, campus gossip is swarming with the news of Jameson and his father, and Jameson’s arrest. Jameson’s father decided not to press charges against his son, so we expect Jameson to be released sometime today. I always knew Jameson’s father was a jerk, but I never knew it was that bad. Jim is starting to make my father look like a saint.

  I’m getting ready to meet Brice for breakfast, and he should be here any minute. Looking over at my very hungover friend, I ask, “So what happened with you and Wayne last night?”

  “I don’t know what you mean,” Jana pouts. Not the pout that she practices to get her own way; this one is genuine.

  Alright, so we are going to play it that way, are we? “Jana, it’s pretty obvious that the two of you are dating. Did you guys have an argument yesterday?”

  She looks at her fingers, obviously trying to avoid my question. “We aren’t dating.”

  I give her a look, letting her know I know she’s bullshitting me.

  Her eyes open wide. “No, seriously we aren’t dating. That’s the problem. I like him a lot.”

  Sitting on my bed, I ask, “I can tell he likes you also. So…what’s the problem?”

  “He seems to think he doesn’t deserve to be happy.”

  “What? Why?”

  She gives me a stupid look.

  “Oh.”

  “Exactly. Favor, I don’t know what to do. I care for him.”

  “Would you like for me or Brice to talk to him?”

  “No. His mind is made up. I’ll get over it.”

  “Well, I am here for you if you need me.”

  “I know. He was pissed at me for getting so drunk last night. That didn’t help our situation either.”

  “Come on. I know just the thing to make you feel better. Waffles.”

  She turns green and bolts out the door. I just hope she makes it to the bathroom in time. After a few minutes, I check on her and she tells me she is too hungover to go out. I promise to bring something back for her to eat. When Brice and I arrive in town to have breakfast, we see Kevin talking to Cal outside the diner. I squeeze Brice’s hand, and he nods his head, acknowledging he sees what’s going on. We walk within earshot.

  “You better not tell anybody about what happened.” Kevin leans in closer to Cal.

  Cal grimaces at the closeness of Kevin. “I…I won’t.”

  “Tell anybody what?” Brice asks, releasing my hand and taking a step forward.

  “None of your fucking business. This conversation is between me and him,” Kevin says in a menacing tone.

  “Cal, are you alright?” Brice turns his attention to our friend.

  Cal looks at him with an ashen face and trembling lips. Kevin decides to answer for him. “Yeah, he’s fine. I was just leaving anyway.” He slaps Cal hard on the shoulder and begins walking in the opposite direction.

  “Cal, what was that about?” I ask, stepping closer to him. “We’re your friends, you can tell us.”

  “I can’t talk about it.”

  “Listen, we already have a sneaky suspicion that Kevin is the one who beat you up at the club that night. What we don’t understand is, why protect him?” Brice questions, crossing his arms.

  Cal looks around to make sure no one is listening. “Yes, it was him that beat me up,” he whispers.

  “So, tell the police,” I say in a sharp tone.

  “You don’t get it, do you? You could never understand what it’s like being a gay man in society. I only recently came out, just before I started coming to this school. That’s why I ended up here, because my parents are ashamed of me. Then I get beat up because I’m gay? Next thing you know, I’m the gay poster child. I just want to live my life without worry. Why can’t people just accept me for being me?” he cries out, and my heart breaks for him. I guess I never thought of it that way before.

  “Cal I’m sorry. I truly am. But you can’t let him get away with this,” I tell him.

  “And then what? I’m ridiculed at school even more than I am now?”

  “No, you get to put a scumbag in jail before he does it to someone else. He could’ve killed you that night,” I explain.

  “Cal, we are here for you. We will go to the police station with you if you want,” Brice tells him.

  “No. My parents are already ashamed of me. Just back off, please.”

  Brice gives me a look to let the subject go. “We are about to grab some breakfast. Why don’t you join us?” I ask.

  “Thanks, but no. I’ll just head back to campus.” He gives me a hug, and walks off.

  “We have to do something,” I tell Brice.

  “Yeah, I know, but what? We can’t make a confession on his behalf.”

  “I know, but we can’t let Kevin get off that easy.”

  “We won’t. We’ll think of something. I promise.” He kisses me on my forehead.

  ****

  A few days later, Jana and I are walking in town together, window shopping. It’s the perfect girls’ day out. Jana is still semi-sulking about her relationship, or lack of one, with Wayne, but a double shot macchiato latte helps to put a smile on her face.

  “So, when are you setting a date for the wedding?” she asks me.

  “Umm, we want to graduate college first. After graduation, that’s when I’ll start planning. Also, a major part depends on which team he signs with.”

  Jana bounces up and down in her typi
cal happy-go-lucky way. “I’m so excited.”

  “Well, we still have over a year to go.”

  “What are you two going to do for the summer?”

  “We haven’t discussed it yet. I know I don’t want to be away from him for that long.”

  “At least his mother likes you.”

  “Yeah, that helps a lot.” I smile.

  “Hey, let’s stop in the Wreck Room. I’m tired of walking and could use a drink.”

  “Sure.” We go inside the Wreck Room, a local bar where most students from our college hang out. It has video games and sports channels, among other things; it’s like an adult version of an arcade.

  Taking a seat at a booth, we give the waitress our orders. Jana shoots out a text to Cal, who is in town running errands, letting him know to meet us here.

  “Cal said he will be here in ten minutes,” Jana says, placing her phone down on the table.

  When Cal arrives, he and Jana begin doing rounds of shots. Two hours later, I’m starting to wonder if I’m going to have to carry these two out of the bar.

  “I feel like dancing,” Jana announces, as she stands on top of her seat and starts to wiggle her butt.

  “Come on girlfriend, let’s dance.” Cal holds his hand out for Jana to take. They both head to the dance floor, leaving me at the table, shaking my head.

  A few guys approach Jana as she dances seductively with Cal. Jana is playing it up to the crowd as men whistle at her. I roll my eyes because I hate it when she gets like this. She never really knows her limits when she drinks. Jana closes her eyes as she dances to the music and that’s when I see him. Kevin. He comes up behind her, placing his hands around her waist. Jana is too inebriated to notice at first. She keeps gyrating to the music, and Kevin is rubbing against her from behind. I stand up to go get her, but she opens her eyes and turns around. Seeing that it’s Kevin who is holding her, she pushes him away. Anger flashes in his eyes and he moves towards her. I run to the dance floor and grab Jana’s hand, pulling her out of the way. We go back to our table to settle our tab. Sensing it is time to go, I grab Cal and usher them both out of the bar.

  Once inside of my car, my hands are shaking so bad I can barely hold my phone to send Brice a text. He was supposed to meet us at the bar later, with Wayne and Egon. I place the phone down and decide to text him when we get back to my dorm.

  “He is a madman,” Jana says in a shaky voice, the situation having completely sobered her up.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Cal says from the backseat.

  I start the car and begin driving through town. The roads leading to our school are pitch black, and the only lights to be seen are the ones from our tail lights. I maneuver through the winding roads, my hands still shaking from the bar incident. A car comes up behind us with their high beams on. The light is so bright I can’t see where I am going. The car begins honking its horn repeatedly while shining its high beams directly in my rearview mirror.

  “Who is that?” Jana cries out.

  “One guess,” Cal replies.

  “He wouldn’t?” The words leave my mouth but it quickly dawns on me that yes, Kevin would. He is known to be a ruthless player, both on and off the field. My mind begins to race as I try to figure out how to get out of the situation.

  The car pulls up to the side of us as someone throws a bottle at the driver’s side window. The bottle crashes into my window, and I scream out, swerving the car to the side before regaining control. I feel my heart thumping in my chest as adrenaline flows through my body. Think. Pushing my foot on the accelerator, we shoot forward, ahead of the car. If I can outrun him until there is a turnoff, perhaps I can lose him. The car speeds up behind us, hitting us. The three of us jerk forward, and Jana begins screaming. My mind is going a million miles a minute as I try to figure out what to do.

  WHAM. It’s the sound of metal on metal hitting, and the noise is deafening.

  “Oh, my God. What are we going to do?” Jana cries.

  “I don’t…” WHAM. WHAM. WHAM. I try to regain control, but the car veers off to the right, and we fly into a ditch, coming to a stop only when we hit a tree.

  Chapter 28

  Brice

  Wayne and I are sitting in my car as Egon gets a number from a girl he saw walking by. I sure don’t miss those days of picking up girls for one-night stands. I shake my head as I watch him use all his classic moves on her. She is obviously feeding into his bullshit. Glancing at the time, I see that we are running late. Favor sent me a text earlier, and asked if we wanted to join her and the gang at the Wreck Room. I wasn’t really up for hanging out, but decided to go since Egon and Wayne said they were going. I honk my horn at him, and he holds up his hand to give him a second. Shaking my head, I have to laugh.

  “We should text the girls and let them know we’re running late,” Wayne says from the backseat.

  “Yeah. Shoot out a text to them while I keep an eye on jerkoff there.”

  Wayne types on his phone, while Egon slides into the passenger seat.

  “Homerun, my man,” he smiles, holding up his phone.

  “I don’t know why you bother storing their numbers in there. You never stick around long enough for it even to save in the cloud.” I start the car.

  “Hey, just because you’re an old, basically married man now…”

  “Yeah, whatever. Ready?”

  “Let’s roll, bro,” Egon says, slapping me on the shoulder.

  It’s already dark as I make the drive towards town. Egon and Wayne are in the middle of a debate about who is the best guitarist, when I notice something peculiar. Kevin Shore’s car speeds by us, the front a mangled mess.

  “That was Kevin’s car, wasn’t it?” Egon asks, as he turns to look at the tail lights of the car.

  “Sure looked like it,” Wayne says, his head facing the same direction.

  “Wonder if they hit a deer or something,” I muse, keeping my eyes on the road.

  “Must have. The front end of his car was wrecked, bro.” Egon sits back in his seat and plays air guitar to a song on the radio.

  We continue to drive in the dark, down the winding road. Up ahead, I see what appears to be a figure standing in the middle of the road.

  “You see that?” I ask no one in particular.

  “Yeah. Someone is flagging us down.” Egon sits forward to get a closer look.

  I slow the car to a crawl as we pull up closer, and I see it’s Cal. Stopping the car in front of him, the three of us jump out of the car.

  “What happened? Where is Favor?” I ask, as I take in Cal’s condition. He has bruising on his face and cuts on his arms.

  “That maniac Kevin ran us off the road,” Cal tells us, as he points in the direction of where it happened.

  “What? He just drove past us.” Wayne yells out and looks back in the direction of where we last saw Kevin.

  I grab Cal. “Where’s Favor?”

  “The car fell down the ravine. She and Jana are trapped. I tried to get them out.” Cal is already headed toward the car, and we follow behind.

  We make our way down the ravine slowly, as we maneuver around rocks and soft patches of ground, until we reach a drop that has to be about four feet. I make the first jump down and help the others. Turning around in search of the car, we find it partially hidden behind some bushes. Egon hangs back to call 9-1-1 while Wayne, Cal, and I run to the car. It’s on a weird ninety-degree angle, held in place by what seems to be some tree branches. The tree looks sturdy enough, and I hope it can hold up until we can free them.

  Wayne tries the doors but is unable to open them. Jana is awake and hitting on the passenger window. Wayne attempts to reassure her, as I look in the driver side window to see Favor, who is knocked out, a long gash on the side of her left temple. The impact from the hit, along with the air bags, must have rendered her unconscious.

  Thoughts of the possibility that I could lose her go through my head. I can’t let that happen.

  “I got o
ut through the back window.” Cal points, and we all run to the back of the car.

  “I’ll climb in and see if I can get them out,” I say immediately, taking off my coat.

  “Jana’s legs are pinned,” Cal explains.

  I look at Wayne and fear seems to have gripped him.

  “Eg…what’s the ETA of the ambulance?” I yell out.

  Egon walks towards us, his phone still to his ear. “Twenty minutes. I’ll have to climb back to the top and wait for them,” he says as he takes in the whole situation and communicates it back to the operator on the phone.

  “Fuck.” Wayne yells out as he runs his hands through his hair in frustration.

  “We might have to wait for 9-1-1 to get here,” Cal announces.

  Before either of us get a chance to agree or disagree, we hear a loud popping sound. The sound of tree branches breaking. The car makes a downward shift, and then suddenly stops. So much for waiting for 9-1-1.

  “We gotta get them out now,” I say, as I search frantically for something to break the windows with. Wayne immediately catches on to what I am doing, and he begins to search as well, while Cal tries to keep Jana calm.

  Finally finding a broken log, I lift it and try to hit the window. The car shifts again…fuck. Looking over at Wayne, we both know there is only one other way.

  “I’ll go in through the back window,” I tell him. I have to get her out. We have so much to live for together, and I can’t lose her.

  “Bro, let me go in. I owe it to her and her family, and my girl is in there too,” Wayne says.

  “No time to argue, man. I’m going in.” I shake my head at him.

  “No one should go in. We should wait.” Cal tries to be the voice of reason.

  We both ignore him and walk to the back of the car where Wayne gives me a lift up. I place half of my weight on the back of the car, and the car seems to hold. Climbing through the back window, I now have to see how to get the girls out.

  “Oh, my God, Brice. We’re going to die.” Jana cries out.

  “No one is going to die today.” I refuse to let my mind go there.