That was the thing about Janie. She said things like that which could sound totally depressing, but it wasn’t her intent. She was simply being practical and realistic. Adulthood couldn’t come fast enough for her, whereas I was suddenly wishing I could hold on to being a teenager a little longer.
“You know it’s not going to be all fun and games for me, either, this year,” I said cautiously. “I got a job.”
It took a second for Janie to acknowledge what I said. Her eyes were on the field where Chas had thrown a pass to Ed. She watched as Ed got tackled hard to the ground only to quickly bounce up and make some pointing motion with his hand indicating something good had happened. She sighed then turned her heard toward me.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“I got a job,” I repeated with a shrug. Because it was not a big deal. Plenty of kids our age got after school jobs. Maybe not in Haddonfield, but I was sure it wasn’t as uncommon as our town made it out to be.
Her eyes narrowed for a second then she opened her mouth as if to ask one question, closed her mouth then quite clearly decided to ask something else.
“Where are you working?”
“At The Club. Bussing tables. Maybe if I get lucky, actually waiting on people.”
She nodded slowly. “Good for you. It’s important, I think, for people to step out of their station in life and see how others live. It gives you perspective, helps you become a more fully realized adult.”
Leave it to Janie to find philosophical meaning in me picking up people’s discarded napkins. Little did she know, I was only in it for the money.
We turned our attention back to the field. The Bulldogs were making progress moving down the field and I clapped and cheered to aid their progress. Then I watched as a particularly fast defensive player blew past our guy who was trying to block him and crashed into Chas just as he was throwing the ball.
Both Janie and I groaned as Chas was flattened, his head slamming into the field. Immediately the coach called timeout and raced onto the field. I glanced over at Star, who was standing with the cheer squad, nervously biting her lips. The other girls with her all clasped hands then took a knee once the other Bulldogs on the field did the same.
Chas, fortunately, was now sitting up. Although it was clear he was still a little out of it as he struggled to get to his feet. With the support of the coaches and the school nurse, who was in attendance just for these types of incidents, they got him up and he managed to walk off the field.
Seconds later Fitz was jogging out, helmet in hand.
I could feel my heart racing in my chest, a delayed reaction, no doubt, to Chas’s injury. Fitz joined the huddle of his teammates and quickly started issuing directions. There was no point in not acknowledging his leadership skills. He stood taller, commanded everyone’s attention and when he clapped his hands once, the team scattered to their assigned roles.
This time that same defensive player again blew past our guy who was trying, and failing, to block him. Only Fitz was ready. He juked left, the defensive player missed him to the right and Fitz found Ed in the end zone for a touchdown.
“He really is so good at everything,” Janie shouted as the crowd took to their feet in excitement.
“So good at everything,” I muttered.
* * *
The game was over,and Janie and I made our way down to the field to meet up with Reen. Star had already taken off to find Chas and see about his condition. The most likely conclusion: he’d suffered a concussion. Given that his parents were both physicians, he’d probably be treated at home.
“Hey, girls, exciting game no?” Reen asked, bouncing over to us. It took her time to transition from cheerleader back to normal person. Usually an hour or so.
Janie shook her head. “Chas most likely sustained a brain injury, which could have permanent repercussions in his life going forward, most concerning would be early onset dementia. Scientific studies have shown even a single concussion can have lasting effects.”
“But we won!” Reen proclaimed, intentionally blowing off Janie’s dire predictions.
You needed to do that with Janie sometimes.
“Right,” Janie smirked. “So it was all worth it.”
“Exactly,” Reen said. “Are we going to The Woods? Locke texted me, so that’s a good sign this evening might be super interesting.”
The Woods were a cluster of tightly packed trees about a thousand square feet in size, adjacent to Pennypacker Park. There would be a small fire, a keg, Red Solo cups and all the weed a person could smoke.
For the more adventurous there would be Ecstasy. And for the truly reckless some coke.
I stayed away from all of it. I didn’t particularly like the taste of beer and I figured it was important one of us maintained a clear head at all times. Reen would not be that person.
She couldn’t afford the E or the coke, which was probably the only thing that kept her from trying them. As she often stated, life was about experiences and the more she had, the more she knew she was living.
