They laughed, but I could barely think straight. KSLB was our moniker for King Size Levi Bulge.
“That would be KSFB—football bulge,” Katy said.
A hand on my shoulder made me turn. Pete, along with Jim and Steve, stood behind us. “What’s so funny?”
“Hi! I didn’t think you guys were coming.” Act normal.
“Coach called off practice so we could come to the game,” Steve said.
“That was cool of him. I guess he doesn’t have anything against football,” I teased.
Steve leaned over, addressing me. “Let’s just say he supports all the athletic programs, unlike some coaches.”
“In other words, he’s an athletic supporter,” Pete deadpanned.
We all snickered at the jock strap joke.
“Jesus, those dudes are huge,” Jim said, surveying the size of the McClymonds players.
“Tell me about it.” I’m sure we all worried how our Titans would fare.
“I’m glad I’m not out there. I wouldn’t want to embarrass the big guys,” Pete said, garnering more laughs.
The cheerleaders led the spectators in a chant, but I couldn’t hear a word they said over the noise in the surrounding stands. The crowd even muted the band.
McClymonds scored a touchdown and kicked the ball after making the extra point. I tried not to focus on Alec’s actions on the field, but he got the football and ran it for twelve yards, securing a first down. A few plays later, he scored Skyline’s first touchdown from a long pass. The crowd cheered, blasting air horns and waving their spirit sticks. After celebrating his TD, he pointed at me in the stands as if to say, “That one was for you.” I prayed Pete didn’t notice. Katy certainly did, and nudged Michelle.
The rest of the game remained a heated contest. McClymonds stayed in the lead, but we answered every point scored until the last quarter. Even though we gave up fourteen points, our Titans had nothing to be ashamed of, and neither did Alec. He turned out to be an impressive player, both strong and graceful. It bothered me he performed so well. I didn’t want to admire anything about him.
After the game, Mrs. O’Reilly invited us back to the house for dinner. Her husband was out of town and she said she liked feeding an army. I used the pay phone near the gym to call my parents. Getting the okay, I piled into the station wagon with the others. The overcrowded car meant I scored a seat on Pete’s lap. His arms wrapped around me, and I took comfort in their security. The action righted me again, restoring my equilibrium and moving Alec where he belonged—to the furthest recesses of my mind.
At the house, we feasted on pizza and soda. The guys turned on the TV and became engrossed in a war movie while the girls sat in the kitchen listening to Mrs. O’Reilly dispense advice as she smoked her Marlboro Lights and sipped red wine.
Too soon, my mother rang the O’Reilly’s doorbell. I thanked Mrs. O’Reilly and Pete promised to call later.
Happy, I chatted with my mother about the night the entire way home.
I greeted my father.
“A boy called for you,” he said. “Somebody named Alec.”
I sighed inwardly.
“Who is Alec?” my mother asked.
“Just some dumb guy,” I said.
“Don’t you already have a dumb guy?” my father teased.
I grimaced. “Something like that.”
“He didn’t leave a phone number. He said he would call back.”
“Terrific,” I mumbled.
“What?”
“Nothing, Dad.”
“Good game?” My father loved sports.
“We lost, but not by much. The other players were huge. It’s a miracle they didn’t slaughter us.”
“You can’t always be on top. Sometimes when you lose, you work harder to be number one.”
“I guess you’re right.” I yawned. “I’m turning in.”
I changed into a comfortable cotton shirt and slipped into bed. I loved this moment of the day, a private intermission where I could drift and remember the day’s events before sleep claimed me. My entire body relaxed as I mentally reviewed the highlights…except for Alec Mays and the way he tried to insert himself into my life.
The jarring ring of the phone woke me, and I floundered in the darkness, disoriented from sleep. I grasped the receiver and drug it to my ear.
“Were you asleep?” Alec.
“Yes,” I answered, groggy.
“I’m sorry, Sleeping Beauty. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“What time is it?”
“A little past eleven.”
My parents were not going to be happy. “Oh.” I yawned.
“Go back to sleep, Anna. I only called to wish you sweet dreams.”
I should have hung up. But I didn’t. “You were good out there today.”
He chuckled. “Thanks. I knew you were watching.”
“Seriously, you’re talented.” I’m not sure why I kept reiterating this point.
“Did your friends approve?”
Oh, God! “Of what?”
“Weren’t you pointing me out to them?” He chuckled softly again.
I cringed. Yes, yes I was. “Shut up.”
“Too bad your boyfriend showed up.”
I rearranged my T-shirt, which had bunched around my torso “What do you mean by that?”
“You would have been less distracted.”
He was hella conceited. “I’m sure you had the eye of most of the girls at Skyline.”
“But I only want yours.”
Why did that make my heart palpitate? “Well, I…you know I have a boyfriend.”
“Let me ask you, what do you know about O’Reilly?”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
“He may not be the guy you think he is. I heard he’d badmouth his own mother. And I know for a fact he’s two-faced liar, saying one thing and doing another.”
What BS. Alec would say anything to turn me against Pete. “He’s been plenty nice to me so far.”
“You could always dump him now before that changes and date me instead.” Alec spoke with a gutsy
