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"U’s okay with you Are you stressed out or anything?"
He sighs and leans against the lockers "Yeah--
maybe a little"
"Is it Carrie?"
He shakes his head
"Then what’s up?"
He brushes the curls off his forehead and stares at his flip-flops "I dunno…a lot’s up…Dad’s never hoe I want to go so bad and I think a footbal scholarship is the only wayby his eyes darting around and that fa But I rub his arreat--just keep playing hard and you’l be fine And I’rades"
He stares at flyers tacked al over the bul etin board on the other side of the hal way "I hope so My future’s riding on footbal "
"I get it," I say, and looking away fro down the halHe stops for a sec when he sees ht by us and doesn’t say anything as he goes into the art roo his head "Listen, I won’t say anything to anyone about your liking Ty Promise"
I wince
He bumps his fist into mine, then puts an arm around me and walks me down the hal toward music appreciation class Now that we’re seniors and only appreciation class Now that we’re seniors and only concentrate on footbal , I swear, we are taking so how to play the xylophone
"Just keep wearing those shirts," he says with a wink
"He’l notice those boobs for sure"
Before music appreciation/xylophone class starts, Henry and I are huddled over a piece of scrap paper, playing Hangory is famous footbal players"
Henry says E, and I draw a head hanging from a noose "A," he says, and I fil in the second letter of both words Then Marie walks up behind us, looks over Henry’s shoulder at Hangman, and says, "I know it"
I snort, and Henry elbows ives me a look He pul s her onto his lap and wraps an arives her a peck on the lips
"I wish you could’ve co "Ty was asking about you"
"What? Sizing up his co at the idiots trying to smash each other with cymbals on the other side of the roo "He wanted to knohat you’re interested in He wished you had cohter "I had stuff to do"
"How’s getting ready for Alaba?" Marie asks me as she drapes an arm around Henry’s shoulders
"Why do you want to know?" I ask
"I know it’s important to you," she mutters Then she climbs off Henry’s lap and walks back toward her desk
"Dan Marino," she cal s out over her shoulder
How the hel did she know the answer?
I start fil ing in the other letters, and Henry whispers in irl is bad"
"You wouldn’t know, ’cause they fawn over you al the tiirls, how they treat me in the locker room and bathroo to talk about what happened in seventh grade, and start drawing Alabaos
Henry whispers, "I real y doubt Marie’s ever said anything bad to you"
I shrug again
"Give her a chance," Henry says, "I bet you’l like her"
He takes the pen froers, pul s the scrap paper closer to him, and writes _ _ _ _ _ _/_ _ _ _ _
"Dan Marino," he says with a smile "I knew it the second you wrote out the blanks"
"Bul shit," I say, and he punches h
"A," I say, and Henry draws a head He looks over at Marie
Staring at hiure out Henry’s puzzle"
After school, JJ and I jump out of my truck and head into Joe’s Al -You-Can-Eat Pasta Shack I don’t knohy Joe decided to cal his place a shack, considering shacks don’tBefore every game, JJ and I co this for just about forever Not only does this give us the opportunity to de-stress, but we get to eat tons of food while talking strategy
I grab our usual spot, and JJ squeezes into the other side of the booth I have to pul the table back toward me so he’l fit comfortably Joe cohetti
"So," I say to JJ, "ready for to to worry about It’s just Lynchburg,"
JJ replies, taking a sip of water He pul s a pen and a book of crossword puzzles out of his bag He clicks the pen and shuffles through the book This is how he destresses "You worried at al ?" he asks
"Hel s no, I’"
"Worried about anything else?" He glances up from his book and looks at my face, then down at my shirt Why in the hel did I wear this fitted tee?
I shakewith the salt and pepper shakers I do that game where you put one shaker on top of the other, then pul the bottoht down onto the table But you can’t let it fal over Or you lose
"You sure, Woods? I hope you’re not upset about Ty Green I can’t believe Coach let him on the tea the pen repeatedly
"It’s not a big deal I’m not sure what the story is, but apparently Ty just had to move here with his family and didn’t have a choice I think he just wants to play bal " I cough, then take another sip of water, which I proceed to choke on I hit myself in the chest with my fist JJ focuses on his crossword puzzle "Let me know if he’s a problem"