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Because the next game mattered so much, Coach Thomas insisted on closed practices. Normally, football practice drew plenty of spectators.
"You’ll see girls blushing and screaming for you," one player said in the locker room. "You walk over, say, ’Want to get a drink tonight?’ That’s it. Easy."
"There he goes, corrupting the new guy."
Thomas had left, and practice was over. As the players changed, they started talking about the privileges that came with being on the football team.
"My mom’s gone for a few days," Reese said, acne bright across his face. "We should do something big. I’ll call a few girls I know from the clubs and see who wants to come over. It’s getting hot. Perfect time for a pool party."
"Get something good while you’re at it," someone said. "That guy from last time still around?"
"You’d have to visit him in jail," Reese said. "And most important, we need booze."
"I heard there are party planners who’ll get you anything," another player said. "You pay enough, and if you want an elephant at your party, they’ll find one."
"Those are for adults," Reese said, disappointed. "Our IDs won’t get us anywhere."
Los Angeles could be strict about that. Nightclubs checked IDs, and in California, serving alcohol to anyone under twenty-one could mean far more than a fine.
They argued for a while and failed to come up with anything reliable, then left.
Nolan sat nearby, not exactly eavesdropping. His attention was on Adam.
When Adam finished changing and prepared to leave, Nolan stood at once.
"You were really accurate today," he said casually.
Adam, unusually direct, answered before Nolan could ease into it.
"You know I can’t keep teaching you how to throw. I have to follow Coach’s plan. You’re a wide receiver now."
He would not be at BHHS much longer, but he had no interest in second-guessing the coach.
In Adam’s view, Nolan was getting impatient.
"Of course," Nolan said, patting his shoulder. "I’ll remember my mission. Wide receiver. Catch the ball. Score."
For Nolan, the choice mattered to his future.
By high school, a player’s body had usually begun showing where his ceiling might be. In other words, positions started to settle.
Wide receiver was good.
Quarterback was better.
If the quarterback was the brain of a football team, the other positions were the limbs. The quarterback was the soul of the sport, and the money reflected it.
In the NFL, quarterbacks were paid far more than most offensive players.
If Nolan planned to pursue football seriously, becoming a quarterback would be best.
That meant planning early.
The two of them left the field together. Outside, just as planned, Katherine was waiting for him.
Nolan saw Adam’s eyes go still. His steps hesitated for a fraction of a second, nothing like the calm decisiveness he showed during practice.
Then Katherine walked toward them.
Adam stopped. He swallowed, first thrilled, then nervous. He seemed to search his memory for whatever notes he had once written on how to greet Katherine Walker, but under pressure his brain turned to mush.
He managed a smile.
"Ka..."
His hand froze halfway up.
Katherine had slipped her arm through Nolan’s.
That was the kind of intimate gesture couples made.
Happy couples.
A chill swept through Adam from head to toe.
His smile collapsed. For a second, he looked devastated.
"Let me introduce you," Nolan said, pretending not to notice anything. "This is Katherine. You two are in the same grade, so you probably know each other."
Adam greeted her stiffly. During the brief conversation, once he understood that Katherine was Nolan’s father’s goddaughter and had grown up with him, he released a long breath. He looked almost grateful to have survived.
"You all right?" Nolan asked.
"I... I... yeah. Fine."
Katherine had been right. Around her, Adam could barely speak.
The three of them walked off campus together. At the gate, Nolan suddenly turned to Katherine.
"Damn. We may have missed the bus."
Los Angeles transit was thin and unreliable. Most people drove.
Adam had been about to leave. When he heard that, he immediately offered help.
"I can drive you both."
...
Nolan took the front passenger seat. Katherine sat in the back.
"Katherine, I thought you drove to school too..." Adam said, trying to start a conversation.
Nolan cut in with a sigh.
"God has a sense of humor."
Then he began talking about what had happened to his family.
"That is the burden greedy men should carry," Adam said, shaking his head. "But one man’s sins can drag innocent people down with him."
Nolan finally understood why Katherine did not like him.
As a committed pragmatist, she had little patience for boys who spoke in salvation and redemption every time a normal sentence would do.
"Pull over up ahead," Nolan said, pointing at a twenty-four-hour steakhouse. "Let’s eat."
He had no intention of letting Adam know where he and Katherine were living.
Over dinner, Nolan and Katherine discussed what came next.
"I’ve found my footing with the Normans," Nolan said. "Adam has been good to me too. He taught me a lot."
"Thank you," Katherine said with a small nod toward Adam.
It was the first sentence she had spoken to him all night.
Adam hurried to smile back.
"Nolan really does have talent for football," Adam said, speaking honestly. "Actually, for sports in general. That kind of talent shouldn’t go to waste."
"Too bad this is your last year," Nolan said.
Then he turned to Katherine.
"I was thinking Adam might teach me something else. Quarterback passing fundamentals, for example."
Katherine played along perfectly.
"He’s busy. He doesn’t have time to look after you."
"No, that’s not..." Adam said at once.
The two worked him from opposite sides until he took the bait.
With Katherine looking at him expectantly, Adam changed course.
"If Nolan is interested in quarterback," he said, "I can help."
Getting close to Nolan meant getting close to Katherine. Adam would graduate in the spring. Whether he would see her again afterward was uncertain.
He did not want to give up the chance.
"Over the next few days, I’ll train you privately on the basics," Adam said.
"You’ve already helped me so much," Nolan said, pretending to refuse.
"It’s fine. I should."
"Coach Thomas will be angry if he finds out, won’t he?"
Adam thought for a moment.
"Then it’s our secret. By next season, you’ll surprise everyone."
"But practice is packed these next few days..."
Nolan put on a troubled look and guided the conversation toward dates and times.
Under his gentle pressure, he and Adam settled the schedule. Most of the extra training would happen on weekends without games.
Katherine stayed cool throughout, matching the way she acted at school. In truth, she only seemed to smile often when she and Nolan were alone.
At one point, she left the table, probably for the restroom.
When the arrangements were mostly done, Nolan waved for the server.
"I already paid," Katherine said.
On the way out, she had her unfinished steak boxed up.
The three of them parted outside the restaurant. Nolan and Katherine watched Adam drive away, then high-fived.
As they walked back, Katherine told him that two more colleges had sent acceptance letters that day. Including the earlier ones, she had now been accepted by thirteen schools.
She did not look especially happy.
The reason was simple.
A good college was painfully expensive.
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