Chapter8
Kelton
Years ago…
The smell of bacon and eggs had woken me from my dreams. I’d lain in bed for a few minutes more before my father had pecked on the door. That was his way of saying good morning and that the shower in our one bathroom home was free.
After a shower and shaving a few whiskers that had grown in overnight, I’d thrown on a blue and white jersey sporting number 7.
This jersey meant everything to me.
I was a god.
I was their god atEast Cannan High School. Tonight, we would play our rivals the Madisonville Rams and surely defeat them.
“Morning mom,” I dropped a kiss on my mom’s cheek.
“Morning baby boy,” she looked up from the paper.
“Ready for the game son?” My father’s stern voice cut through.
He of course had something invested in the game. This was going to be his last season as the head coach for East Cannan before moving on to another school district. A beep from a truck horn caught my attention.
“Yes sir,” I nodded shoveling a scoop of eggs into my mouth and picking up two slices of bacon. “Gotta go. See y’all tonight.”
“You barely ate,” my mom called out to my retreating back.
“Sorry!” I hollered picking up my matching blue and white Adidas gym back positioned perfectly by the door.
Slinging it over my shoulder I came out onto the porch to find Henry Kent sitting in the middle of the road, revving the engine on his old beat up camouflage colored Ford. “Ladies and gentleman! The man, the myth, the God of East Texas!”
Laughing I jogged off the porch and hopped into my friends truck, dapping up the three who had hitched a ride in back as well.
“Whats up fellas?” I hollered out the back window of the truck as we start pulling forward.
They all nodded in reply. Henry’s face is locked deep in thought just as a car pulls out in front of him from a neighbor’s house. I knew whose house this belongs to and I’m cringing inwardly.
He slammed on breaks to avoid hitting the dark green Toyota Corolla that sits fours houses down from my own.
“Fuck,” he hisses and the driver gets out and I see who it is.
“Hey watch it asshole,” Simone Crane pops out from the driver side to yell at Henry.
He leans out the window. “I’m sorry!”
“You should be, this is a residential area. Not a red neck race track!” She shoots him the bird. My eyes were on Silver who’s in the passenger seat, and I know she’s refused to look up. This girl hardly ever acknowledges my presence and every day her sister drives her to school and drops her off before heading off to parts unknown.
As the Corolla speeds away, Henry grins like an idiot.
“What?” The question leaves my mouth.
“Simone Crane is fine as fuck, I’ve had a crush on her since she used to babysit me,” Henry regains his senses.
“Yeah, she’s a firecracker,” I nod and begin fiddling with the radio station.
“She’d never go for me,” Henry said as he looked over at me.
A laugh escapes from my lips as Train’s,Hey Soul Sisterbegins to play. I start to enjoy it before Henry switches the station to hip hop and Eminem begins to blare through the truck.
