“As players arrive, I’d like you to stand at the table and make sure it’s stocked with drink options and various fruit cups. They’ll grab what they want on their way in and then you’ll replenish it.”
“Okay, I’ll get right on it.” I nodded and looked around.
“The front office has sandwiches sent in for the coaches. They should be here in about fifteen minutes. So do what you can before then, then come to the office so you’ll have something for dinner.”
“Okay, thank you.”
As soon as the coach left, I hurried to the towel cart and got to work. As I folded the towels, I looked around the locker room. Each player’s station had their jersey already pulled over their pads. The jerseys were turned around so the player’s name was visible across the back. I only knew the name of one player, and my eyes scanned the jerseys until I found it.Number twenty-four… Hawkins. He was the star and the only sophomore on the team.
I had all of the towels folded in about ten minutes and pushed the cart around the room and draped one over each chair. By the time I finished, it was time to go see if the food was here. As I approached the coaches’ office, I saw them all standing and gathered around one desk.
“How’s it coming?” one of the assistance coaches asked me as another handed me a paper plate.
“Good. The towels are already done. I’ll take care of the socks and granola bars when I go back.”
The desk had a sandwich platter and there were a few bags of chips, some soda bottles, and foam cups. I put two ham and cheese sandwiches on my plate and a handful of chips before I sat down beside my backpack. The coaches each went back to their desks, but all of them focused on the whiteboard and some plays.
I could say without a shadow of doubt that this was the best detention I’d ever served. Not because I sat and ate, but because I felt like I was part of something. I carried my plate to the trash can and thanked them for dinner before I headed back to the team room.
I hurried through the tasks of setting socks and granola bars at each player station and went to the table where the coach asked me to set the fruit and drinks out. I didn’t see this as grunt work or a punishment at all. I found that I really enjoyed being needed and helpful. I lined up a few varieties of sports drinks and the two different kinds of the fruit cups. I stood proudly behind the table as players arrived.
Normally, I despised jocks, but not today. Though I was clearly there to help, most of the guys didn’t say anything or seem to notice me. Which usually would piss me off, but today it didn’t matter. I felt good about what I was doing.
“Um…” one of the players mumbled as they glanced at the fruit cups. He picked up a wrapped plastic spoon and then looked at me. “Is there one without the melon slices? I’m allergic to melon,” he said.
“Oh, um…” I quickly scanned the containers, desperate to find one without melon.Found it!“These three right here don’t have melon,” I said.
“Perfect, thanks.” He took two of them and a bottle of the lemon-lime sports drink and headed to his station. His last name was Davidson.
As I replaced items on the table that a few players had just taken, I heard a coach holler a name that made me look in the direction of the door.Hollis.
“Hollis! Is Chet in there yet?” the coach yelled.
Hollis Hawkins stepped into the team room and quickly looked around before going back through the door.
“Not yet!” Hollis called out to the coach.
I tried not to stare at him when he walked in. I was sure he was used to lots of kids staring at him and wanting his attention. My heart pounded as he neared the table.Look up, Hollis.He picked up a bottle of the lemon-lime sports drink and walked to the side that the fruit was on. My eyes followed him. He really was a big kid. Despite our similar heights, he was much more solid than I could even dream of being. I bet Dad and Sebastian would leave me the fuck alone if I was built like that.
“Hurry up, man,” some kid said to Hollis as he examined the fruit cups. I wanted to punch the kid for rushing Hollis.
“I’m finding the one with the most grapes,” Hollis said to the impatient kid. I quickly started scanning the cups for one that looked like it had more grapes.
“Maybe this one,” I said quietly as I pointed to one.
“Ah! Yes!” Hollis agreed with me and reached for the cup. He looked at me and smiled, but it didn’t look like he remembered me.How could you not remember me? Are you that much of a daily fucking hero that you don’t even remember who you stand up for?“Thanks, man,” he said.
He didn’t remember me.
I wasn’t worth remembering.
Even the kid who stood up for me didn’t even remember me.
No one would fucking notice if I wasn’t around anymore.
“Is there anymore of the lemon-lime one? Hollis snagged the last one that was out,” another player asked.
Without a word, I pulled another bottle of the lemon-lime stuff from the cooler behind me. I handed it to the kid and then he moved along.
