I watched Hollis eat and drink as he sat in his chair. All these kids wanted to be part of the conversation with Hollis. He was just that fucking popular. No wonder he didn’t remember me. And why the fuck should he? I interrupted his damn lunch that day.
As the players began to get into their uniforms, I put the fruit back in the fridge and the bottles beside them. While I wiped down the table everything had been on, I glanced in the direction of Hollis. Very few of the players had muscle definition like he did.
How the hell does someone my age get to look like that?
“Hollis, what are you doing this weekend?” a kid asked him.
“He’s probably banging that hot girlfriend of his,” another one answered and high-fived another kid.
“Probably tonight,” Hollis said. “I have karate and jiu-jitsu tomorrow.”
Karate? Is that the reason he looks like that? No wonder he wasn’t afraid to stand up to anyone; he was trained in self-defense. I needed to get into something like that.
I was out on the field with the team for the game. I’d never actually been to one of the football games, or any school sporting event, because I hated the jocks. I thought they were all obnoxious pricks and probably part of me was jealous that I’d never taken up something athletic. Though, I was thinking about it now. I’d start looking into karate this weekend, and maybe next year I could make the junior varsity football team.
I manned the water table during the game, which wasn’t bad or boring. It was kind of interesting to watch everything going on. The stands were packed with parents and students, even though it was raining a little. I spotted Hollis’ hot girlfriend sitting with what I assumed was his family.Wow, look at them. Both parents and possibly grandparents. I couldn’t be sure, but it looked like maybe a younger sibling. Every single one of them in school t-shirts or sweatshirts.
As the fourth quarter started, anxiety settled in the pit of my stomach. I didn’t want to go home. As stupid as it sounded, I wanted to stay here in this safe bubble. I didn’t care if I got rained on. I just didn’t want to go home.
The Wildcats won on a scoring drive from Hollis, of course. As I loaded the huge thermoses onto a flatbed cart, I watched as some of the players spoke to family or friends in the stands after their victory. Some took pictures of their sons, some congratulated them on the win, some made plans for after the game. But me? No plans for me. I was going back to my hell.
Back in the locker room, I helped a few other kids who were here for detention put a stack of towels by the entrance to the showers. I was depressed enough and didn’t need to see any of the muscled football players naked. I took the thermoses down to the utility closet where the sinks and washers and dryers were. After I emptied and cleaned out the thermoses, I went back to the shower area to collect the bin that the guys had thrown their socks in. The other two detention kids were separating the laundry bins of jerseys and pants and I jumped in to help. Whose naked body did my eyes find? Hollis’. I wasn’t surprised that he was well hung too.Of fucking course. Seeing him completely naked made me hate life and myself more.
“If you guys want to bring me your papers after you’re done sorting those, I’ll sign you out for your detention,” the coach said to us as he walked by.
The three of us worked quickly and were finished by the time all the guys were done in the shower. We wheeled the bins to the utility room and loaded the pants in the washer.
“Here’s another bin from the team room,” one of the assistant coaches announced as he pushed another laundry bin into the utility room.
“Man, fuck!” one of the other kids said as soon as the assistant coach left.
“We’re never getting out of here,” the other one said.
“You guys can go and I’ll do it,” I offered.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Go. I don’t have plans and don’t need to be home at a certain time. When you check out, just tell the coach I’m still back here sorting the last basket.”
“Thanks.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Both the guys took me up on the offer and left me alone in the utility room to sort the other bin. Down the hall I could hear the coaches talking to players and then most of the kids leaving.
“Hey, you’re still here?” the coach asked as he walked by. I was just tossing the rest of the socks into one of the washers.
“Yeah, but I’m just about done. Socks are in this washer and the pants are already started in that one,” I said and pointed to the middle washer. “I’ll start the jerseys in the other washer and be done.”
“Great, thank you for helping us out today.”
“No problem. It was much better than cleaning up in the courtyard.”
“I bet.” The coach laughed.
“Hey, um, would it be okay if I took a shower before I left?” I asked. Taking showers at home was just another opportunity for Sebastian to be a prick and start something.
“No problem at all. Help yourself and then come check out. The players are all leaving and the coaches will be in the office.”
