My Share of Sand (A Calabasas Fable)

Part III: Bad Mistakes...12-Football Fight

Monday, September 11

"Didn't you wear that shirt on Thursday?"

"Yeah," Colinda sighed in response to Darius' inquiry as they chatted before first period. "I only have four shirts."

"Officially," he added.

"Right, the rest are in your grandma's bedroom."

"Hi, Darius." He and she both snapped to attention upon hearing the unmistakable velvet voice of Templynn Treat.

"Hi." As soon as he said that, Templynn turned her attention to Colinda. This left him stunned. Was she offended that he didn't go to Homecoming? Did she take it personally? Were they over before they even had a chance to begin?

"Do you have time on Wednesday afternoon to get together so we can get started on this assignment that we're doing?" Templynn asked Colinda.

"What time?"

"Five-ish. I have cheerleading practice right after school."

Templynn was supposed to say no. The Quarles Family Meeting is at 5:45 Wednesdays, after all..."Sure, works perfectly for me."

"We can go to Slide-In to get something to eat, then go to the library to get the books, then go back to my house."

Templynn didn't see Darius when his eyebrows practically jumped up over his forehead as soon as he heard that.

"Cool! Meet you at Slide-In at 5:00 on Wednesday!"

As she walked away, Darius turned to Colinda and flashed her a sly "good job!" grin. She answered back with a "What did I get myself into?" pout.

A couple of hours later, on his way to third period, Darius saw Holden, in a rare moment away from Templynn, and decided he might as well try the same thing. "Hey, do you want to get together sometime this week and get started on that project for World History?"

Holden looked at Darius with a squinty scowl. "That's like, not due for another three weeks, right?"

"Right."

Holden walked away without even another word.

###

In the locker room, Darius was about to put on his shoulder pads when Coach Buchanan's voice blasted and echoed: "Men! Soon as you get dressed we're gathering at midfield for an important meeting!"

Darius had expected to just stand there in the warm breeze, but he noticed that once everyone else got to the fifty-yard line, they gathered in a circle and kneeled down on their right knee, with their helmet on the ground next to them. Well, okay. It doesn't look comfortable, but it's all about teamwork and being a band of brothers and all that.

The circle parted enough so Buchanan could enter the circle's nucleus along with a stubby-bodied grey-haired man wearing sunglasses, shorts and an Adidas tank top. He looked about twenty years too old for his outfit.

"This is Glenn Parsons. A lot of y'all recognize him as Trent's dad"—Buchanan was referring to second-string fullback Trent Parsons—"but he's volunteered to coach special teams for us for the rest of the season. He has some really good ideas and he's talked us into trying them out, so all the specials teams guys, we'll let you go get acquainted with him."

Darius and the others stood up. Buchanan tossed a football to Parsons, and they headed downfield.

"I've been out of coaching for a while. Things are busy at the car dealership. But I was the 2013 Coach of the Year in the Valley Pop Warner Bantam Division. I know a thing or two about football. And that display you put on last Friday was one of the sorriest episodes I've ever seen." Then he suddenly paused, as though he was waiting for someone to call him a liar.