Chapter One

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“You guys! You know what I just realized? It’s the penultimate Thursday of May!” Tamara Glenn announced, stepping out into the sunshine with two huge, whipped-cream-topped iced mocha lattes. “Do you realize what that means?”?

Drew Benson looked at his friends, amused, and a couple of them rolled their eyes. Tamara was always psyched up about something. In fact, a lot of Drew’s friends found her constant optimism irritating. But Drew kind of liked it. It was nice to have someone around who was always looking on the bright side. Plus, Tamara was not bad to look at, with her perfect dancer’s bod and her long blond hair. Drew hadn’t been interested in her that way since they’d gone out back in eighth grade (back when everyone called them Ken and Barbie), but she had always been a good friend. So he decided to humor her.?

“No. What does that mean?” Drew asked, kicking back in his chair outside Washingtonville’s very own Starbucks. The sun was shining as it started to dip toward the horizon, and half the school was either loitering on the sidewalk in the center of their quaint Pennsylvania town or hanging out inside the coffee shop. In the warm air, Drew could practically taste the impending summer and all the delicious freedom it would bring.?

“It means that in exactly six weeks, graduation will happen, and we will officially be seniors,” Tamara announced.?

That got the entire table’s attention. Drew and his friends whistled and cheered, lifting their iced teas and lattes toward the sky. Drew reached across the table to slap hands with Jason Szonyi, his best friend and fellow football player, enjoying the camaraderie of the moment. Every time Drew thought about being a senior, he felt a lightness in his chest that he’d never experienced before.

Senior year. The entire social hierarchy of Washingtonville High was going to change, and Drew Benson, as president of the senior class and starting quarterback of the football team, was going to be on top. He and his friends were going to rule the school and dominate on the field. Best of all, Drew’s older brother, Trey, would finally, finally, be gone. The great Trey Benson was actually going to be forced to abdicate his throne.?

“Yeah, everyone except me,” Sally Chou lamented with a sigh. Sally was Tamara’s sophomore friend and the new girlfriend of Clay Carradine—a defensive lineman from the team. She rested her chin on her folded arms and pulled her long, black ponytail over her shoulder to chew on the end.?

“Hey. Don’t be harshing my vibe,” Tamara joked, shoving her lightly.?

“Dude, I cannot wait,” Clay said, leaning his elbows on the table, causing his massive lineman’s biceps to bulge. “A whole new flock of freshmen females to plunder.”?

“Ew! Clay! That is so not what I meant,” Tamara said, whacking his hulking shoulder.?

“Yeah, man. Have a little respect,” Drew said.?

Drew’s friends jeered, but Tamara shot him a thankful look. Drew smiled back but then, the second her back was turned, wagged his tongue at her comically. All the guys cracked up.

“She’s right, though, guys,” Drew said, lifting his red and white Washingtonville High baseball cap off his head to scratch at his blond hair. “This is big stuff. Senior year. We have to make sure that we don’t waste a second of it.”?

“Yeah,” the guys muttered in agreement, nodding and looking around.

Chapter One

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Drew felt a rush of adrenaline. For a second he thought of his brother. This must be what Trey felt like whenever he made his captain’s speeches before taking the football field. This was how Drew was going to feel every Saturday next year.

“No matter what, we have got to make sure that this is the best year ever,” Drew said, standing, enjoying the attention that was riveted on him. “From the first day of the first practice, we have to—”?

“Hey. Isn’t that your brother?” Clay asked, looking through the plate glass window into Starbucks.?

Drew’s jaw dropped in indignation at having his very first speech truncated so abruptly. But sure enough, there on the TV screen behind the counter was Trey himself, smiling and chatting with the hot reporter woman from the local news.?

“Hey! Trey is on the news!” Tamara shrieked.?

And instantly, every single kid on the sidewalk crowded through the doors and into the tiny coffee house. Unbelievable. The adulation these people heaped on Drew’s brother was simply unbelievable. Drew’s shoulders slumped as he reluctantly followed the throng inside. Part of him wanted to stay out in the sun, away from the Trey Benson love-in, but he didn’t want to appear perfidious. Because he wasn’t. Drew loved his brother. He truly did. No matter what triumphs Trey achieved or how many accolades were heaped upon him, his brother was always both humble and magnanimous. An indisputably good guy. But Drew still could not wait for Trey to get his butt in the car and move out of the house. He had lived in Trey’s shadow for far too long.?

“Turn it up!” Tamara shouted to the kid behind the counter.?

He did, and just then the cameraman gave the world an extreme close-up of Trey’s handsome, smiling face. The whole Starbucks crowd exploded with cheers.?

“Shhhhhh!” Jason scolded.?

Everyone fell silent to listen to Trey’s response. The whole shop was captivated.?

“Of course I can’t wait to get to Penn State and get to work with the team,” Trey said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to miss all the people back at Washingtonville High.”?

More cheers. One of Drew’s friends slapped him on the back. Little did he know Drew’s heart felt nothing but sour.?

“Well, I’m sure they’re going to miss you, too, Trey. You became a sort of paragon for that team last season,” hot reporter lady said.?

“Well, I don’t know about that. But I do know that I’m not leaving the team totally bereft of talent. They’ve got a ton of returning starters, and, in fact, my brother Drew is gonna be taking over as starting quarterback. And let me tell you, the rest of the league better watch out,” Trey said, looking into the camera and winking. “They won’t know what hit them.”?

This time, the place erupted in an even bigger cacophony, and Drew couldn’t help smiling. Trey’s mention of him assuaged his jealousy a bit. The guy really had a penchant for saying the right thing. It was as if he knew Drew was watching and knew exactly how he’d feel.?

“There you have it, former Washingtonville High football star Trey Benson, future quarterback for the Penn State Nittany Lions . . . as humble as ever,” hot reporter lady said. “And now for a story that could have a major impact on Trey’s alma mater, Washingtonville High, we go back to Jane in the studio. Jane . . .”?

“Omigod! This is it!” Tamara cried.?

“Everyone shut up!” Drew shouted.?

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The place went deathly silent as Jane Grady, the news anchor, faced the camera. “It’s a story of slashed budgets and broken hearts, a story that may reach its conclusion this very evening,” Jane said seriously. “It was announced in January that, due to budget cuts, the state had decided to close the doors of Corinth High School in Corinth, Pennsylvania, for good this coming fall. But the question remained, where would the students of Corinth High wind up?”?

“Not at our school!” Clay shouted, earning a round of cheers.

Tamara glared at him and rolled her eyes, but Drew held his breath.?

“It was believed that one of three local schools would absorb Corinth’s students. Either Jefferson High, Plainsboro High, or Washingtonville High. Well, tonight the school boards of Washingtonville and Corinth are meeting to decide whether their two schools would make a good fit. There has been no official decision as of yet, but we will be keeping an eye on the story and let you know as soon as anything new develops.”?

Groans abounded, and Drew and his friends headed back outside to reclaim their table.

“How could they even think about combining us with Corinth?” Marisa Wise whined, shaking her black curls back from her face. Marisa was a cheerleader and daughter of one of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ assistant coaches, which basically made her one of the richest girls in the already wealthy suburb of Washingtonville. And the most popular. “We’re too different. We’d never coalesce.”

“It’s never gonna happen,” Drew said confidently, even though he felt anything but confident on the inside.

“Uh, I hate to break it to you guys, but if the state decides that Corinth is going to Washingtonville, there’s nothing our school board can do to preclude that event,” Jason said. “My mom and dad were up all night talking about it.”?

Jason’s mother was president of the school board, and Jason had, therefore, been the students’ eyes and ears ever since this whole noisome mess had begun.

“Our school board will find a way to circumvent the system,” Drew said testily. “Let those losers go to Plainsboro. They’d fit in better over there anyway, and everyone knows it.”?

The guys muttered their assent as they pulled out their chairs.?

“Oh, why? Because they’re not as affluent as we are? Because they don’t all live in ostentatious houses and get their own cars for their sixteenth birthdays?” Tamara griped. “You guys can really be so obnoxious.”?

“Whose house is ostentatious?” Marisa asked defensively, knowing full well that her own McMansion on the outskirts of town was one of the showiest homes around.?

“Look, all I know is, if they come to our school, our senior year is gonna be a calamity,” Drew said. “They’re gonna want to take over everything. Our clubs, our student government—”?

“Our starting positions,” Jason mumbled.?

Drew felt a dart of pain through his heart. This was, of course, what he was really worried about. Everyone knew that Corinth High’s Samson Hill was one of the best quarterbacks in the state. He’d been starting since he was a sophomore and had led his team all the way to the state semifinals the year before. If he came to Washingtonville, it would mean that Drew’s dreams would be over before he even had a chance to realize them.?

“Well, I think it could be beneficial,” Tamara said, sipping her iced coffee. “You guys could use a little mind opening, if you ask me.”?

“Yeah, you won’t be saying that when they swoop in here and take half the spots on your precious dance team,” Clay snapped. “You could be bilked right out of your spot, and you were one of the people who founded the damn thing.”?

Tamara’s blue eyes widened for a split second, but then she remembered herself and scoffed. “I can hold my own.”?

I hope I can, too, Drew thought, his fists clenching under the table.

Just then, a black Jeep Wrangler came zooming around the corner and careened to a stop right in front of the cafe. Jackson Lyle, the editor of the school paper, put it in park and jumped out. He ran through the door and stopped just inside, all out of breath and blotchy. Drew’s stomach clenched.?

“Jackson? Are you okay?” Tamara asked.?

“They voted yes,” Jackson said. “We’re absorbing Corinth.”?

Everyone gasped in shock. Drew felt as if his chair had just been yanked out from under him. “No way.”?

“It’s a ruse,” Marisa said, forcing a laugh. “One of your lame-o jokes, right Jackson?”?

“Sorry, guys. It’s true. I was covering the meeting for the paper,” Jackson said, pushing his glasses up for a second to rub his eyes. “It’s over. It’s done. Our school is no longer our own.”?

Master the vocabulary from this chapter.
Vocab Flashcards >>     Vocab Quiz >>

Vocabulary Drill

Chapter One

abdicate · step down from

abounded · prevailed

abruptly · suddenly

accolades · praise

adulation · flattery

affluent · rich

assent · agreement

assuaged · calmed

beneficial · helpful

bereft · lacking

bilked · cheated

cacophony · din

calamity · disaster

camaraderie · friendship

captivated · enthralled

circumvent · go around

coalesce · meld together

conclusion · end

deathly · deeply

dominate · prevail

hierarchy · ranking

hulking · massive

humble · unpretentious

humor · indulge

impending · close at hand

indignation · anger caused by injustice

indisputably · unquestionably

jeered · heckled

magnanimous · generous

massive · huge

noisome · troublesome

optimism · hope

ostentatious · showy

paragon · standard

penchant · fondness

penultimate · second-to-last

perfidious · treacherous

preclude · make impossible

quaint · charming

riveted · fixed

ruse · trick

scoffed · exhaled with contempt

throng · crowd

truncated · cut off

Chapter Two

Page 1

The morning of the Washingtonville Eagles’ first summer practice was marked by a blue sky and a brilliant sun. It was going to be a hot one, Drew could tell, and he could only hope that Coach Davidson would get in most of the tougher drills before noon. Heart pounding with nerves and dread, Drew shoved his gear into his big black-and-red duffel bag and hoofed it downstairs. If at all possible, he wanted to get out of the house before his father even came out of his bedroom. The last thing he needed this morning was an elucidation of his many flaws by his old man. He was tense enough as it was, thinking about Samson Hill and the Corinth team invading his field.?

“Good morning, hon!” Drew’s mother greeted him the moment he stepped into the open, airy kitchen. “Grab a plate! I made you breakfast.” She was fully dressed in her workout gear and had a pan full of scrambled eggs working on the stove. Drew’s heart dropped. So much for a quick getaway.

“Actually, mom, I was just gonna grab an iced tea,” Drew said, reaching for the door of the stainless steel fridge.?

“Oh, no you don’t. I know you’re all hyped up, but that’s all the more reason to eat some real food,” his mother said, patting him on the back.

“Mom—”?

“Consider it mandatory,” she said, her blue eyes serious. “You’re not leaving here without some breakfast in you.”?

She turned him around and pushed him down into one of the kitchen chairs.

“You really are freakishly strong,” Drew said to his mother.

“Where do you think you boys get it from?” she asked with a smirk. “It’s certainly not from your father.” Drew laughed, and his mother pointed her spatula at him. “But if you tell him I said that, I’ll deny every word.”?

Drew nodded as she placed a plate of eggs and toast in front of him. He could hear his father moving around in his room, closing the closet, turning off the morning news. Any second the man was going to join them in the kitchen, and the very thought made Drew feel morose—a feeling he did not need on a day when he had to be at the top of his game.?

He heard the bedroom door close, and his heart skipped a beat. At that very moment, the phone rang. Drew dove for it.?

“Hello?”?

“How’s the Eagles’ starting quarterback?” Trey’s jovial voice greeted him.?

Drew was flooded with a mixture of relief and trepidation. “I’m not the starter yet.”?

“Don’t deprecate yourself. You will be,” Trey said confidently. “I just called to wish you good luck.”?

Drew smiled, rocking back on his feet. It meant a lot to him that his brother had gotten up early, taken time out of his own ridiculously busy schedule, just to call him. “Thanks, man. I’m gonna need it.”?

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Trey blew out a sigh. “Look, man, I know that Samson Hill is a reputable quarterback—”?

“Reputable? Try renowned,” Drew corrected. “You should see the coverage he’s getting from the papers. It’s like he’s a golden god.”?

Drew heard his father’s footsteps on the stairs. He turned his back toward the kitchen door as his dad entered.

“He’s not a golden god,” Trey said. “You can be just as good as he is. All you’ve got to do is delineate your goals. Make sure you know exactly what you want to do, then go out there and execute. Show him what you’re capable of. Get under his skin. The guy’s not impervious. Work hard, be diligent, do your thing, and you’ll throw him off his game.”?

“You think?” Drew asked, feeling a flutter of hope inside his chest.?

“Dude, I know you can do this. You totally have it in you to foil this guy,” Trey said. “I know it sucked having to play backup the past couple of years, but you were the best JV quarterback the Eagles ever had, don’t forget that.”?

“Thanks, Trey,” Drew said. He could feel his dad watching him, and he turned toward the wall to hide his smile. “That means a lot coming from the paragon of the program.”?

Trey laughed. “You gotta get off that bandwagon, man. Don’t forget, I’m starting over here, too. I’m nothing but a neophyte now. Last night the seniors grabbed all the frosh from their beds and hosed us down in the middle of the field. The Trey Benson era is officially over.”?

“You’re kidding me,” Drew said, stifling a laugh.?

“I wish,” Trey said. “Listen, I gotta get to practice, but just remember: Immerse yourself in your game. Live it, breathe it, and you’ll be fine. Confidence is paramount, Drew. I can’t stress that enough.”?

“Thanks, Trey,” Drew said, feeling more confident than he had in weeks.?

“You got it, man. Good luck,” Trey said.?

“You, too,” Drew replied.?

They hung up, and Drew felt a smile forming on his lips. Trey was right. He could do this. Samson Hill couldn’t be that deft a quarterback. It wasn’t like he’d been recruited by any big schools yet. As long as Drew showed fortitude and focus, he had a shot.?

“Was that your brother?” Drew’s dad asked, sipping at his coffee.?

Drew glanced at his father’s hulking frame, pressed into his dark blue suit, his neck straining at the tight collar of his shirt. His father’s brown hair had gone iron gray on the sides, which somehow only made his overall look even more intimidating.?

“Yep,” Drew answered curtly. He didn’t want to invite a conversation, even though he knew he couldn’t avoid one. He sat down again and started shoveling scrambled eggs into his mouth.?

“He didn’t want to talk to me?” his father asked.?

“Nope,” Drew replied, enjoying the pang he knew this would give his father.?

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“Well, I’m sure he’s got to get to practice. That boy is focused,” Drew’s father said, checking out the newspaper on the counter. “You could really take a page out of his book.”?

Drew felt the color rising in his cheeks. So much for his good mood. Highs were always ephemeral when his father was around. “I am focused, Dad.”?

“I sure hope so, because you’re really going to have to step up your game this year, son,” his father said. “That Samson Hill is no joke.”?

“I know this, Dad,” Drew said, shoving his plate away. He stood up and grabbed his bag, more than ready to make his escape.?

“Don’t you snap at me,” his father warned.?

“Can we not do this today?” Drew’s mother begged. “I mean, really. Can we have one morning of peace, please?”?

“I’m sorry, Claire. I just want to make sure that your son understands how important this is to this family,” Drew’s father said, squaring off with Drew. “You have a legacy to protect, Drew. It’s up to you not to debase your brother’s good name. We cannot have a Benson playing backup.”?

Drew felt as if his father had just punched him in the gut. Did he not understand how much the things he said hurt? Was he really that oblivious??

“We already did have a Benson playing backup, Dad, remember?” Drew said. “I played backup to Trey last year. And, by the way, led the JV team to an undefeated season. Or has that just slipped your mind?”?

“There’s that tone again. Where does this penchant for effrontery come from? Your brother certainly never gave me this kind of attitude,” Drew’s father said.?

Yeah, well you certainly never gave Trey so much crap, Drew thought.?

“Look, son, I just want to make sure you understand what you’ve gotta do here,” his father told him, holding up a hand. “You go out there and show this Hill kid what this family is made of.”?

What this family is made of. Not what I’m made of. It has nothing to do with me and my talent, Drew thought. But he knew there was nothing he could say to get his father to back off. His father was implacable on this particular subject. Until Drew actually performed on the field—actually showed his dad that he was just as good as his brother—the man was never going to get it.

“Don’t worry, Dad,” Drew said through his teeth. “I’m on it.”?

He was on his way out the door when his mother yelled after him. “Drew! Your breakfast.”?

With a groan, Drew came back, grabbed the toast, kissed his mother, and walked out. After all, she was the one who actually cared about him. There was no reason they should both be crushed right now.?

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Considering the dark cloud of doom that was hanging over Drew’s head that morning, he wasn’t sure what kind of locker room he was going to be walking into. Would it be a jubilant scene, full of laughter and the voices of his teammates recounting their ?summer exploits? Or would everyone be lethargic and down, feeling the same sense of dread Drew was harboring? Were the Corinth guys already in there, staring down the Washingtonville guys, making trouble? Drew’s heart pounded as he approached the locker room door. He took a deep breath. This was it. The moment of truth. However he came off in the next five minutes could determine his position on the team for the next four months. Would he be a leader or a pushover? Drew knew which one he wanted to be. He squared his shoulders and shoved through the heavy door.

Instantly he was surrounded by the familiar laughter and mirth. He stepped into the wide room with its red lockers and white cinderblock walls, and his tension was all but quelled. There wasn’t an unfamiliar face in the group, aside from the skinny, servile freshmen who were already fetching water and oranges for the seniors. For a split second, Drew imagined that he’d dreamed up the whole Corinth thing, that everything was back to the way it should be. Then Jason walked over to him, pulling on a brand new set of shoulder pads over his head.

“Whaddup, Drew? Where’s the evil empire?” he quipped, glancing around.

“Their absence is salient, isn’t it?” Drew said, tossing his bag down on the nearest bench.?

“Maybe they decided not to show,” Clay suggested, lowering his huge girth onto the bench. He was already completely suited up and looked like a block of cement in all his pads and his workout jersey. “I bet the idea of competing with us for the starting spots scared the little buggers off.”?

I wish, Drew thought. But he said nothing. He wanted to give off an air of placid indifference.

“If I were them, I’d jump at the chance to play for us,” Jason said, rolling his shoulder under his new pads, trying to get comfortable. “Corinth was struggling, man. No lights on their field, been wearing?the same hand-me-down helmets for the past five years, all their equipment was pretty much obsolete. Coming here would be a wet dream for those guys.”

Clay laughed at the crude joke, and the two of them slapped hands. Jason winced and adjusted his pads.?

“Although I wouldn’t mind having my old, broken-in pads. At least they were pliable,” he complained.?

Drew shot Jason a look of tacit disapproval.

“I’m just saying,” Jason said, blushing slightly.?

“Dude, I hope Samson Hill shows up,” one of the younger kids in the next row of lockers said. “I wanna see if this kid’s as meritorious as everyone says.”?

“I know. I hear he was recruited by myriad schools over the summer,” another kid answered. “He must be freaking awesome.”?

Clay stood up, fists and jaw clenched. “I’ll kick their asses for ya, cap,” he said to Drew.?

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But Drew held up a hand, telling Clay to chill. He wanted to hear what these sophomoric rookies had to say.

“I heard he had five different coaches who wanted him to sign letters of intent. That’s a lot of prospects,” the first guy said, impressed.?

“I heard he already signed with Ohio State,” a third kid joined the conversation.?

“No way.”?

“Way!”?

Drew’s jaw dropped. Ohio State? That was one of the top programs in the entire country. If Hill was good enough for Ohio State . . .?

“Dude, now I really hope they show,” one of the kids said. “I wouldn’t mind going to States in my first season.” All the kids laughed, and Drew felt as if someone had chopped his legs off at the knees.

“All right, that’s enough,” Drew said under his breath.?

He skirted the lockers and stood in front of the group of sophomores and freshmen, putting a quick end to their revelry. They all paled when they saw who was casting the rather large shadow. Good. At least they had the sense to be timorous in his presence. They weren’t total morons. There was no room for total morons on his team.?

“You were saying?” Drew asked, crossing his arms over his chest, which he knew made him even more intimidating. Clay and Jason stepped up behind him and stared the kids down as well.?

“Uh . . . nothing,” the biggest kid in the crowd said bravely, standing up.

“No, really, I’m interested,” Drew prompted. “Exactly how incredible have you heard Samson Hill is?”?

The kid looked around for help. All his little buddies looked away. Drew seethed. He couldn’t believe none of these kids were going to help their friend out. What kind of weak-ass losers were going out for this team??

“Uh, nothing. I haven’t heard anything,” the kid said finally—the only intrepid one in the bunch.

“Really? ’Cause I’ve heard he threw for twenty-two touchdowns and over a thousand yards last year,” Drew said, raising his voice so that the entire locker room could hear. “We all know he was All State last year. What does that tell you?”?

The poor kid looked at Drew, totally perplexed.?

“What does that tell you!?” Drew shouted, his voice echoing through the room. It was met with total silence.?

“It means he’s good,” Drew said. “But guess what. I’m better.”?

At that, all the players cheered.

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“So I don’t need your compassion. I don’t need you tiptoeing around me,” Drew continued. “Because this year, I am going to lead this team to States! We are going to get there together!”?

The locker room exploded in raucous cheers, and Drew felt the last of his uncertainty melt away.?

“You’re our QB, Benson,” the kid told Drew as the cheers died down into general chatter. “We’re totally your partisans. Right guys?”?

“Right!” They all agreed. At least they had the sense to speak up now.?

“Good. Then maybe you should start acting like it,” Drew said. “What’s your name, kid?”?

“I’m Derek Workman,” the kid said. “Freshman, Center.”?

“Good to meet you, Workman,” Drew said. “You’re the only non-idiot I’ve met today.”?

Derek smiled a toothy smile as the rest of his friends hung their heads. “Thanks.”?

“Don’t let it get to your head,” Drew told him. “Now get your asses in gear and get out onto the field! That means all of you guys!” Drew shouted, his voice filling the room. “The languid days of summer are over! Rouse yourselves from this pastoral torpor, and let’s get this season started right!”?

A few of the junior players led the charge out of the locker room toward the field.

“That was not bad, Cap,” Clay said, knocking Drew on the back so hard he almost fell over.?

“Had to be done,” Drew said with a nonchalant shrug.

Now if the Corinth guys would only continue to be MIA, maybe he could hold onto this confidence.?

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Half an hour later, Drew and his teammates were still sedentary, kicked back in the bleachers as the sun rose steadily over the verdant, freshly watered field. Drew’s heart was pounding with nerves as the guys around him started to grumble and complain. Down below on the track that surrounded the field, Coach Davidson conferred with his assistants, his irritation manifest. Coach had been running the Washingtonville program for ten years, but some of his assistants had been brought over from Corinth. Drew could tell he was upbraiding these guys under his breath, trying to find out where the hell the Corinth team members were.?

“Should I do something?” Drew whispered to Jason.?

“Like what? Produce these jerks out of thin air?” Jason asked, shifting on the hot metal bench.?

“No. I don’t know. I’m captain, right? Maybe I should go down there and tell coach we’re ready to go. Remind him that there are some dedicated players up here that are more than willing to get to work,” Drew said.?

Jason scoffed. “Your funeral.”?

“You think? I’ve been vacillating about this for, like, twenty minutes,” Drew said. “I mean, maybe he’d appreciate my tenacity. Maybe it would even mollify him a little, you know, if he knew that we were raring to go.”?

“Yeah, either that or he sends you out on twenty laps for speaking up,” Jason replied. “If there’s one thing that man appreciates, it’s his own status as a potentate.”?

“Yeah. That and punctuality,” Drew replied under his breath. He turned around and looked at the back of the bleachers, where he had his new best bud Derek Workman keeping a vigilant watch on the school. “Yo! Workman,” he hissed. “Anything?”?

“No sign of ’em, Cap,” Derek replied.

“All right, enough is enough,” Drew said to himself.

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He was just about to get up when Coach Davidson blew his whistle and glared at the team, clearly vexed. “All right, team. Let’s take the field!” he shouted. “We’re not waiting for these miscreants any longer.”?

Drew exchanged a look with Jason as they shoved themselves up from their seats. It was next to impossible for him to keep from smiling. The feeling of triumph welling up inside of him was that sublime. Maybe Clay was right. Maybe the Corinth guys had decided to give up. Or take a stand in protest. Whatever. It didn’t even matter. Because even if they showed up now, there was no way Coach was going to let them practice. Being this late, this insubordinate, was tantamount to revolution in Coach Davidson’s eyes. He would never tolerate this kind of insolence.?

“Try not to look so smug, Benson,” Coach said as Drew jogged by him.

Snagged, Drew quickly put on his game face. The last thing he wanted to do, even under these new and favorable conditions, was start off on the wrong foot.?

“All right, it’s been a long seven weeks. Let’s see what kind of condition you men are in!” Coach called out. “We’ll start with jumping jacks. Benson! Count ’em off.”?

Drew felt a flutter of pride at being singled out. A feeling he was apparently going to have to get used to. “Ready?!” he shouted, deepening his voice. “Go!”?

“One! Two! Three!” the team counted off.?

Drew concentrated on keeping his smile in check as his heart rate started to jump. This was it. The first practice of his senior year. The defining year of his life. It had come so very close to being completely obliterated, but here he was. Captain. Starting quarterback. Counting off. Working out his team. This was the moment he’d been waiting for his entire life.?

Coach Davidson roamed back and forth in front of the squads, shouting abstruse commands and criticisms—difficult to hear over all the counting and the clicking of pads. And a new sound. The sound of car engines. Loud music. Squealing brakes.

What the . . .?

Drew saw that a few of the coaches were all staring off toward the back of the field. There was a small parking lot back there, used mainly for the coaches’ cars and the emergency vehicles required at all the games. Drew refused to look over his shoulder, knowing that stopping in the middle of drills was unacceptable. But after a few minutes, he could tell the guys behind him were starting to slow, and even Coach Davidson was distracted. Finally, Drew’s determination to keep practice going started to wane. He stopped jumping and turned around, his heart seized by a fist of dread.?

The parking lot was partially obscured by a line of trees, but Drew could still make out a pack of nondescript clunkers crowding the small space. Doors slammed. Music was cut short. All the kids on the field stood there, stupefied, as dozens of guys in full football gear made their way down the path toward the field. An acute dart of what could only be called fear slammed right through Drew’s heart. They were here. They were really here. And just like that, his good mood was gone.?

“Unbelievable,” Dirk Knight, Drew’s first-string wide receiver said, stepping up next to him. “They’re wearing their old uniforms.”?

“The audacity,” Drew said under his breath.

He tried to scoff to show how very unaffected and unimpressed he was, but it fell flat. The players from Corinth found their way to the one gate accessible to the field and filed through one by one. They were as silent as the grave, their faces set in masks of utter acrimony as they approached the team. The closer they got, the bigger they all appeared. Maybe it was the fact that they were wearing the Corinth blue and gray—the colors of Washingtonville’s former rival. Or maybe they really just were bigger than the Eagles players. But either way, their dramatic entrance had its effect. As they all lined up on the track in front of Drew’s neatly formed squads of players, everyone was deathly silent, and Drew’s heart was in his throat.?

Samson Hill himself had lined up dead across from him. The kid had to be six-foot-four and 220 pounds. Perfect quarterback stature. His head was all but shaved, and his dark skin already glistened with sweat, probably from driving all the way over here in full pads. He stared Drew down, unblinking, unmoving, his helmet resting casually between his wrist and his hip.?

Drew had never felt so venomous in his life. Who the hell did this kid think he was, coming in here like this? This was Drew’s team. Drew’s future. He had no right.?

Just wait, he told himself. There’s no way Coach is going to let them get away with this. This is pure anarchy. Leniency is not an option.?

For a long, tense moment, the two teams just stood there, staring each other down, waiting for someone to make the first move, say the first word. Or maybe, just maybe, to throw the first punch.?

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Vocabulary Drill

Chapter Two

abstruse · hard to understand

accessible · reachable

acrimony · harshness

acute · sudden and sharp

anarchy · chaos

apparently · seemingly

audacity · bold, arrogant

conferred · consulted

curtly · shortly

debase · degrade

dedicated · devoted

deft · able

delineate · define

deprecate · condemn

determination · resolve

diligent · determined

dramatic · striking in appearance

effrontery · rudeness

elucidation · clarification

ephemeral · short-lived

execute · perform

favorable · agreeable

foil · defeat

fortitude · resolve

freakishly · unnaturally

girth · body mass

harboring · to hold, in the mind

immerse · submerge

impervious · impenetrable

implacable · unmovable

indifference · without care

insolence · rudeness

insubordinate · disobedient

intimidating · threatening

intrepid · fearless

invading · raiding

jubilant · overjoyed

languid · slow and sluggish

legacy · tradition

leniency · mild and permissive

lethargic · sluggish

mandatory · required

manifest · obvious

meritorious · deserving honor

mirth · happiness

miscreants · hoodlums

mollify · calm

morose · miserable

myriad · countless

neophyte · beginner

nonchalant · casual

nondescript · indisctinct

obliterated · destroyed

oblivious ·

obscured · hidden

obsolete · out of date

paramount · most important

partisans · supporters

pastoral · peaceful and idyllic

perplexed · confused

placid · calm

pliable · bendable

potentate · ruler

prospects · possibilities

punctuality · being on time

quelled · quieted

quipped · joked

raucous · noisy

recounting · narrating

renowned · famous

reputable · held in esteem

revelry · noisy merriment

revolution · uprising

roamed · wandered

rouse · awaken

salient · prominent

sedentary · unmoved

seethed · smoldered with rage

servile · subservient

skirted · went around

smug · self-satisfied

sophomoric · juvenile

stifling · smothering

stupefied · stunned

sublime · excellent, wondrous

tacit · unspoken

tantamount · the same as

tenacity · steadfastness

timorous · timid

tolerate · put up with

torpor · lethargic trance

trepidation · anxiety

unaffected · unmoved

upbraiding · scolding

vacillating · wavering

venomous · poisonous

verdant · green

vexed · annoyed

vigilant · alert, careful

wane · fade

welling · rising

Chapter Three

Page 1

“Sorry we’re late, Coach,” Samson Hill said, breaking into a wide smile. “We got a little lost. The roads are tortuous up in these hills.”?

The Corinth guys broke ranks and laughed a bit, and Coach Davidson eyed them all with clear disdain. The enmity in the air between the two teams was palpable. Drew glanced at Jason, Clay, and Dirk. They were all waiting for the tirade. These Corinth guys clearly had no idea who they were dealing with. But they would find out in the next five seconds. Coach Davidson was known for his punitive creativity. Once, when he’d found out that the offensive line was chugging Red Bull before games, he’d had them all drink a case apiece the following Monday before school. The guys had panic attacks all day. Everyone thought Coach would be fired, but he defended himself to the school board and somehow came out with nothing but a reprimand.

“Do you think this is funny, Hill?” Coach demanded vehemently. His nostrils flared, and his already sunburned face practically glowed.?

The grin fell right off of Samson’s face. Drew tried not to laugh, but not too hard. This kid was toast. He’d made his first impression, and it was irrevocable.

“No, Coach,” Samson said quickly.?

Coach looked down the line of Corinth players with a dour expression.

Come on. Let’s just dispense with these guys already, Drew thought hopefully.?

“I can’t believe they’re wearing their old uniforms,” Jason ?whispered to Drew. “Don’t they know their team is defunct?”?

“Yeah. If they want to wear the blue and gray, let ’em go back to their derelict school,” Clay added. “Soon as they step on this field, it’s desecrated.”?

Drew’s heart clenched. Clay was right. This was sacred ground. And he was sure that these guys didn’t have even a modicum of respect for that. How could they? Some of them had spent the last three years of their lives psyching themselves to come in here and tear Washingtonville apart. They had been trained to loathe Washingtonville just as much as the Washingtonville guys loathed them.?

“All right. I’m gonna give you a pass for today since it’s your first time here, but tomorrow I expect all of you to be here half an hour early and ready to go,” Coach Davidson said. A bunch of the guys behind Drew grumbled. He knew they were thinking the same thing he was. How could their venerable coach let himself by placated by such an obvious lie? He was way smarter than this. “Your teammates here had to wait for you, and you’re gonna make that time up to them, got it?”?

“Yes, Coach,” the Corinth players said halfheartedly.?

“I said, got it!?” Coach barked.?

“Yes, Coach!” they all shouted in reply.?

“Good! Now take the field! Defense to the left, offense to the right!” Coach demanded. “And I want the Corinth players mixed in with the Washingtonville players. This is one team, now, people! Get used to it!”?

Drew swallowed the lump in his throat as the players walked by him to take their spots in line. His pity faded the second he saw Samson Hill striding down the line, chin up, checking out the Washingtonville guys. All Drew wanted to do was trip the kid as he walked by. Or better yet, shove him. Show him exactly how welcome he and his crew were. But he knew that instigating a fight would not go over well with Coach.?

Chapter Three

Page 2

“Hey. Drew Benson, right?” Samson said suddenly, stopping in front of Drew.

Drew hesitated a second. Why was this asshole talking to him? “Yeah.”?

“I’m Samson Hill,” he said congenially, offering his hand. “I played against your brother last year. That boy had skills.”?

Drew stared at Samson’s outstretched hand. He was kidding, right? Was he really standing there complimenting Drew’s brother? The guy Drew would rather never have mentioned on this field again? Drew looked around and saw that pretty much everyone on the field was watching them, wondering what Drew would do next. He knew they were also enjoying the juxtaposition of the two quarterbacks. They were obviously sizing them up, making their judgments. Oh, this kid was good. Clearly this was all an act—an outward show of benevolence for the benefit of his new coach and teammates. Let them see how very mature and agreeable he was.?

Suddenly, Drew hated him more than ever.?

“It’s nice to meet you, man,” Samson said. “If you’re anything like your brother, I’m glad we’re not gonna be on opposite sides of the field.”?

Intimation? You’re not as good as he is, and we all know it. God, what Drew wouldn’t give to strangle this kid right here and now.?

Drew could feel Coach Davidson’s eyes on him. He could feel the tension mounting in the air around him once again. One misspoken word and there could be a throwdown right here, right now. Considering all the negative emotions roiling around inside of him, Drew wouldn’t have minded a fight, but he knew what Coach would want him to do. He’d want him to mitigate the situation, not perpetuate it. Drew would have to save all this pent-up adrenaline for the field. Which, he knew, would probably be a good thing.?

“Yeah,” Drew said finally. “Sure. Nice to meet you.”?

Then, reluctantly, he shook hands with Samson Hill.

“Good. Glad to see you two are getting along,” Coach Davidson shouted, striding over to them. “If you two are going to lead this team, you’re going to have to work together.”?

Drew dropped Samson’s hand. “I’m sorry, Coach. If we’re gonna lead the team?”

“That’s what I said, Benson. Hill here was elected captain of his squad last year, just like you were elected captain of yours,” Coach said, putting one hand on Drew’s shoulder pad, the other on Samson’s. “So from this moment on, the two of you are co-captains, got it?”?

Drew’s skin felt as if it was about to melt off his face. His dad was going to love this. “Co-captains,” he said through his teeth.?

Samson merely nodded. “Thanks, Coach.”?

“You got that, team?” Coach shouted. “Greet your new captains, Drew Benson and Samson Hill!”?

Drew had never heard a more lackluster round of applause in his life. No one on this field liked it. Not one soul. But there was nothing any of them could do about it. Drew’s frustration coiled every muscle in his body. Now he really needed an intense practice.?

“Now let’s get to work!”?

Chapter Three

Page 3

“What the hell are you doing out there, Hill?” Coach Lewinter shouted, as Samson missed an easy pass to his wide receiver. The rotund quarterbacks coach from Corinth seemed to have a chip on his shoulder that was even bigger than his massive butt. “You look about as adept as my son’s peewee QB out there!”

Samson hung his head and jogged back to the line. Drew almost felt badly for the guy as he ripped his chin guard down and endured the impassioned rantings of the chrome-domed coach.?

“Who is this guy?” Drew said under his breath to John Washburn,?the sophomore Washingtonville quarterback who would probably be starting on JV. “What the hell happened to Tomlinson?”

“I heard he got a head coaching job in Jersey,” John said, shifting from foot to foot.

“God, it’s like they got rid of all our coaches,” Drew said. “I’d say there was collusion against us, but he seems to be just as willing to berate Samson as he is the rest of us.”?

“Yeah. He’s obviously not biased,” John replied, as Coach Lewinter smacked Samson hard on the helmet. “I think he wants us all dead, actually.”?

Drew laughed and Lewinter turned his beady eyes on him, which shut him right up. “Something funny, Benson?”?

“No, Coach!” Drew barked.?

“I didn’t think so. Let’s see what you’ve got!”

Drew’s heart pounded as he jogged over to the line and plucked a ball from the pile. In his mind’s eye, he saw his brother running four thousand of these drills over the past three years. Completing pass after pass after pass. He shook his head and tried to banish the image. He couldn’t be comparing himself to his brother right now. Yes, Trey was a great quarterback. A patient, smart quarterback who could read defenses like nobody’s business. But Drew had his special talents, too. He was agile. He was fast. He was daring. And, if he had anything to say about it, he was about to show how these attributes distinguished him from Samson Hill.

“Let’s go, Benson!” Samson cheered, clapping. “Do it up!”?

Drew glared at the kid. Enough with the cohesive team crap. Did he really think he was impressing the coaches??

“Knight! Run the out route!” Lewinter shouted.?

Dirk nodded, looking Drew right in the eye as he walked by. Drew knew exactly what Dirk was thinking. Let’s show these losers how it’s done. Drew felt a flutter of excitement within his chest. This was it. Time to separate the men from the boys. Time to debunk the pervasive theory on the field, in the papers, throughout town, that Samson had already won the starting job.?

“Ready?” Coach Lewinter shouted.

He blew his whistle. Dirk sprinted toward the end zone. Drew palmed the ball and dropped back three steps. He and Dirk had been playing ball in their backyards ever since they could walk. Drew knew exactly where his receiver would be. Knew it without even thinking about it. He let the ball fly. Dirk made an abrupt turn and accelerated into the right corner of the end zone. The pass was perfection. It sailed through he air, and Dirk caught it easily.?

“Nice work!” Lewinter called out as Drew and Dirk slapped each other’s backs. It was one completed pass, but Drew felt as if it were a momentous occasion. Samson Hill had completed two for five. Drew had completed his first. Now all he had to do was keep it up.?

Chapter Three

Page 4

“All right. Now let’s see you complete it to an unfamiliar receiver,” Lewinter said, smacking Drew’s shoulder. “Lazarus! Get over here!”?

A tall, lanky player from the Corinth team jogged over from the middle of the field where the offensive lines were practicing. Drew looked him up and down in an appraising way as he approached. He looked to Drew to be all limbs and walked like a puppet with oiled joints. There was no way this kid could be coordinated enough to be a receiver.

“Adam Lazarus, meet Drew Benson,” Coach Lewinter said.?

Adam lifted his chin at Drew and looked him up and down like he was dirt. His demeanor was all defiance. Drew felt a sliver of dread run down his spine. What if this kid decided not to catch the ball just because of Drew’s affiliation with the Washingtonville team? What if he tried to make Drew look bad??

“Run the out route,” Lewinter told Lazarus. “Let’s see how you two work together.”?

“You got it, Coach,” Lazarus said.?

Drew lined up with the ball. The coach blew his whistle. Drew’s heart pounded in his ears. He watched Lazarus carefully. He wasn’t as quick as Dirk, but he was taller and clearly had a larger wingspan. All Drew wanted to do was throw the ball, but he forced himself to wait, taking uncharacteristically measured steps as he dropped back. Lazarus was just steps from the end zone when he made his turn, and Drew let the ball fly. Drew watched, wide-eyed, as it arced through the air. He could feel Samson Hill’s eyes on him the whole way.?

Please catch it. Please, please, please catch it, Drew thought.?

Adam Lazarus reached his arms up and caught the ball easily.?

“Yes!” Drew cheered.?

“Yeah, baby!” John shouted.

“That’s the way you do it!” Samson Hill clapped his hands, walking over to Drew. “Nice one,” he said amiably, slapping Drew on the back.

“Thanks,” Drew replied with a benign smile. Of course, inside he was both cheering and jeering like a madman.

Who’s inefficacious now, bitch? He thought, eyeing Samson up and down. Suddenly he didn’t find the guy quite so intimidating.?

For the duration of the afternoon, Drew, Samson, John, and Troy—Corinth’s backup guy—ran drill after drill, while both Lewinter and Davidson kept a keen eye on them. Lewinter spent so much time screaming and shouting at them, Drew was pretty sure the guy was going to bust something, but he forced himself to heed all of Lewinter’s directions, playing the compliant, good little soldier. By the end of the day, Drew was well-versed in Samson’s game, and he felt as if the differences between them were negligible. This guy was no football god. Even his own quarterbacks coach from his own school didn’t seem all that impressed with him. He’d missed as many passes as he’d completed. Maybe even more than Drew had missed. Was it possible that his talent had been overrated? The idea made Drew immoderately happy and confident as he jogged off the field at the end of the day.?

“Benson!” Coach Davidson shouted as Drew passed him by.

“Yeah, Coach?” Drew asked, pausing to catch his breath.?

Davidson walked over to him, glancing past both his shoulders as if he didn’t want anyone to overhear what he was about to say. He knocked Drew on the shoulder with his clipboard and smiled a rare smile.?

“Nice hustle out there today, son. Really nice work,” Davidson said with a wink.?

Drew grinned like he’d just been handed the starting job. “Thanks, Coach.”?

After that, nothing, but nothing, could diminish his glee.?

Chapter Three

Page 5

“Mom, this chicken is impeccable,” Drew said as he scarfed down his second helping that night.

Drew’s mother laughed as she poured herself a fresh glass of water. “I’ll tell the people at Boston Market that you think so,” she said wryly.?

“And I’m sure they’d be happy to know they inspired you to gluttony as well,” his father put in, watching as Drew pulled the bucket of mashed potatoes toward him.?

Drew felt a pang in his heart as he always did when his father tried to goad him into an argument, but he let it pass. He shoved the serving spoon into the potatoes, lifted up a huge helping, and slapped it down on his plate, smiling at his father through the whole show. His father smirked in reply.?

“So, shall we talk about the subject we’ve all been so cautiously avoiding?” Drew’s father said, folding his fingers together on the table and using them to shove his plate back.?

“What subject is that, father?” Drew said facetiously, enjoying the moment.?

“Practice, son. How did practice go? Do I even want to know?” his father asked.?

Drew’s stomach turned, but again, he ignored it. He was not going to be disheartened by his father’s attitude. He’d had a good day. A day that had left him with this euphoric feeling he could hardly control. He wasn’t going to let his father, of all people, bring him down.?

“Jim, do we really have to talk about this at the table?” Drew’s mother asked.

“Yes, Claire, I think we do. Did you take a hit on the head, son? Is that why you’re acting like this?” his father asked.

“Yeah, Dad. I am just that inept,” Drew said sarcastically. “In fact, I didn’t even make it to the field. Yeah. I tripped over Jason’s helmet in the locker room and went straight to the hospital.”?

“Well, if this is how deferential you were to your coaches, I’d be surprised if you were still on the team,” Drew’s father said, the color rising in his cheeks. “What makes you think it’s appropriate to take that kind of tone with your elders? Your brother would never—”?

“No he wouldn’t, would he?” Drew said. “Trey doesn’t have a sarcastic bone in his body. But you know what else Trey doesn’t have? The chance to put the great Samson Hill in his place. The chance to depose the prince of perfection.”?

Drew’s father laughed, which cut Drew to the very core. He did everything he could, however, not to let his pain show on his face.?

“You. You’re going to win the starting spot over Samson Hill,” his father said, shaking his head like he just couldn’t fathom such a miracle occurring.?

“Is it that impossible to believe, Dad? I can’t even remember the last time you saw me play. How is it that you’ve decided I’m so egregiously inept at this sport without having ever seen me in a game?” Drew demanded.?

“Like I’ve always said, son, there was no way I could come to your games. JV plays right after school on Fridays, when I’m at work. What do you want me to do, skip out on my job to come see a game that has no consequence anyway?” he asked, apparently having no clue how badly his words stung. “No. I’ll come see you play when you’re starting varsity,” his father said in a condescending tone.?

God, he was an asshole. Drew’s hands curled into fists as he glared at his father. “Well, why wait, Dad?” Drew said defiantly. “You don’t believe I have a shot at starting? Why don’t you come out to practice tomorrow and assess the situation for yourself?”?

“You want me to come to practice?” his father said dubiously.?

Chapter Three

Page 6

Drew hesitated for a split second. What was he thinking? Did he really want to bring his father out and give him a chance to shout at him and embarrass him in front of the whole team?

But if practice tomorrow goes as well as it did today, he’ll have nothing to yell about, Drew thought.?

“I just invited you, didn’t I?” he said, staring his dad in the eye. “I don’t know how much more incisive I can be.”?

Drew’s father stared back at him. He was clearly surprised by the invitation. Maybe even a little bit impressed by it.?

“I think it’s a good idea,” Drew’s mother piped in finally. “Maybe it will engender some understanding between you two. Which would be nice, fellas, because I, for one, can’t take another meal like this. I mean, some level of civility at the dinner table would be nice.”?

“Sorry, Mom,” Drew said quickly.

“What the heck happened out on that field today?” his father asked.?

“Samson Hill was denigrated,” Drew said firmly. “And I had a great day.”?

“You’re fabricating this,” his father said with a scoff. “This is some kind of joke to you.”?

“This is no joke, Dad.”?

“Just go, Jim. Let him evince whether or not he’s telling the truth,” Drew’s mother said.

“I think you’re both forgetting that I have work,” his father said, pushing back from the table and clearing his plate. He was trying to elude their arguments, Drew realized. The man was scared that Drew might actually be right. “I can’t exactly just take a midday excursion whenever I want.”?

“Why not? You are the boss,” Drew’s mother said. “What’s the point of being the boss if you can’t take advantage of it sometimes? It’s just one day, Jim.”?

Drew’s dad dropped his dishes in the sink and sighed. He and Drew’s mom exchanged a long look.

“You know what? Fine,” he said finally, turning the water on full blast. “I will accord you the honor of my presence tomorrow, Drew. Let’s see what you’re made of.”?

Drew felt a flutter of nervousness in his chest, but it was quickly squelched by a sense of triumph. Forget Samson Hill. Drew had just won his first ever standoff with his greatest adversary—his father. Now if he could just perform tomorrow the way he had today, maybe he would achieve the impossible. Maybe, just maybe, he would elicit some approval from the man.?

Chapter Three

Page 7

Samson dropped back to pass. The lines slammed into each other, and out of nowhere, Clay Carradine, All-County linebacker that he was, broke through.?

Get him, Clay! Please just give me this one thing! Drew urged silently. One small victory in this horrific, horrific day.?

Clay reached out for Samson’s arm, but Samson evaded the sack and rolled out to the right. Clay fell flat on his face, and Drew winced. He could practically feel his father’s eyes boring holes in the back of his neck. It had been like this all day. Samson showing his lithe grace, his innate skill. While Drew had been sacked, smacked around, and generally discomfited over and over and over again.?

Downfield, Jason threw his hands up, waving to Samson that he was open. Drew felt the sting of betrayal as the ball hit Jason right in the numbers, and he made a clean catch. Couldn’t the guy have at least dropped the ball one time? He and Drew had only been friends forever.

“What’s with him today?” John asked, his uniform clean as a whistle next to Drew’s dirt- and grass-stained uni. “I mean, was he just dissembling yesterday? Is he that mendacious? I mean, clearly the guy is NFL material.”?

“Would you shut up?” Drew barked. “You’re not helping.”?

John’s face went pallid, and Drew felt a pang of guilt. John was just a kid. Just making conversation with a teammate. It wasn’t his fault that Drew was hovering on the precipice of total failure over here. It wasn’t his fault that Drew’s father was watching his ignominious descent into nothing. The last thing poor John Washburn deserved was Drew’s ire. But he couldn’t help it. He had to take this awful, gut-clenching feeling out on someone.?

“All right, Benson! You’re up!” Coach Davidson shouted, as Samson got his backslaps and congratulations from the team.?

A sick feeling of dread engulfed Drew as he rejoined the line. Their doubt of him was pellucid in the way they avoided his gaze and talked with one another as he joined them. It impinged on his heart. Apparently, the rest of the team was slowly coming to the conclusion Drew had feared all along. That Samson was the man for the job. Not that he could blame them. Samson’s manifold talents had really come through today, while Drew hadn’t been able to accomplish a thing. And it wasn’t as if the team was inhibiting him in some way. They had been playing their hearts out for him—especially the Washingtonville guys. But Samson and his ESPN abilities had gotten under his skin. Drew was shaken and he knew it. And he had no one to impute this to but himself.

“All right, let’s see you run the same play,” Coach Davidson said, slapping Drew on the back. “Show me something, Benson.”?

“Okay, Coach,” Drew said with a nod.?

His fingers trembled as he lined up behind his center and looked up and down the line. He checked the defense, even though he knew what they were bringing, and saw all the Corinth guys staring him down ominously. His heart rate accelerated.?

You can do this, Drew. Come on! Get something done today.?

He made the mistake of glancing at his father. He was sitting back in his bleacher seat, his arms crossed in judgment, staring Drew down without even the slightest pittance of hope, pride, or encouragement. He looked like a man who had just swallowed an entire lemon in one gulp.?

And suddenly, Drew heard a pair of commentators start up a play-by-play in his mind.?

“Drew Benson, who hasn’t been able to do anything right today, steps up under center,” a guy with a nasal voice said.?

“Let’s see if any of those abilities he showed yesterday were anything but a fluke . They’ve been all but dormant out there on the field this afternoon,” another man added.?

“Ready! Hike!” Drew shouted.?

“And he drops back to pass,” nasal voice said. “But, oh! Here comes the Corinth defense!”?

Drew saw a huge guy coming at him from the right. Some dude who was hiding a Mohawk under that helmet, but whose name he had yet to learn. He looked downfield desperately, just hoping that someone, anyone, was open. But there was nothing.?

“He’s in a quandary. Let’s see what he does next,” the commentator said.?

“Throw it! Throw the ball!” his father shouted from the stands.?

“He can’t throw the ball,” nasal voice said. “All his men are covered. It’ll be an interception for sure.”?

Mohawk man was still coming at him.

Chapter Three

Page 8

Be patient. Roll out. Wait for an opening, Drew told himself. But he couldn’t. Those guys were completely covered. Mohawk was so close he could practically smell him. In two seconds, he’d be sacked. Dropped for a loss. Humiliated. There was nothing Drew could do but run.?

“Oh, crap,” he said under his breath, tucking the ball.?

He found his huge center with his eyes and rushed in behind him, hoping against hope that the guy would block for him and at least get him a few yards. The center threw one guy aside, and Drew saw his hole.

“And the kid’s got a hole!” the commentator announced gleefully.?

Thank God! Drew thought, rushing ahead.?

And then, out of nowhere, a lineman came in and slammed his helmet right into the ball. Drew felt the rock slip from his fingers as he sailed over the lineman on a crash course with the ground.

“No!” Drew shouted, bracing for impact. He could see the ball bouncing along the ground, just out of reach.?

“Fumble! He lost it! He lost the ball!” nasal voice shouted. “I hate to disparage a young kid like this, but what’s he even doing out there?” ?

As Drew watched helplessly, one of the defenders fell on the ball, blocking it from anyone else’s grasp. He’d fumbled. He’d turned the ball over. He’d committed one of the worst mistakes a quarterback could make. He’d made an impetuous decision, and it had cost him dearly.

“I think that’s the death knell for our young Drew Benson’s fledgling career,” the commentator said sadly. “After this performance, and the way Samson Hill played today, he’ll be relegated to second string for sure.” ?

“What the hell was that, Benson?” Coach Davidson shouted, storming over and forcibly yanking Drew up by his shoulder pad. “What the hell are you doing? What’s the number one most important thing out here? What do I always say?”?

“Protect the ball, Coach,” Drew said morosely.?

“And what did you just do?” the coach shouted, all up in Drew’s face.?

“I’m sorry, Coach. I just saw a lane and I—“?

“Did I ask for your excuses?!” Coach Davidson shouted. “Protect . . . the damn . . . ball! I don’t care if you have to take a sack! This is not about you and your precious stats. This is about the team! And guess what, son! You just lost your team the game!”?

Drew’s throat closed over. He knew he was expected to say something, but if he opened his mouth he was either going to choke or cry. Neither option appealed.

“Get your ass on the sideline,” Coach Davidson said brusquely. “I don’t want to see you out here for the rest of the day.”?

Hanging his head, Drew jogged over to the sideline. He felt that his coach’s display of anger was a bit gratuitous, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He was just going to have to swallow it, as awful as it was. Everyone had a bad practice every once in a while. Drew knew that. He just wished it had been any day but today. Any day but the day his father had shown up.?

Ever so slowly, Drew forced himself to look up at the stands. At the very least, he could be man enough to take his father’s rancor. But what he saw there in the bleachers was even worse than he had expected. His father was already walking away.?

Master the vocabulary from this chapter.
Vocab Flashcards >>     Vocab Quiz >>

Vocabulary Drill

Chapter Three

abrupt · sudden

accelerated · sped up

accord · grant

adept · capable

adversary · opponent

affiliation ·

agile · quick, graceful

agreeable · likeable

amiably · pleasantly

appraising · judging the worth

assess · judge

attributes · traits

banish · get rid of

benevolence · kindness

benign · harmless

berate · scold

biased · prejudiced

brusquely · bluntly

civility · politeness

cohesive · united

collusion · secret plot

compliant · obedient

condescending · showing superiority

congenially · pleasantly

consequence · importance in outcome

debunk · disprove

deferential · respectful

defiance ·

defiantly · challengingly

defunct · no longer existent

demeanor ·

denigrated · belittled

depose · overthrow

derelict · abandoned, run down

desecrated · violated

diminish · make smaller

discomfited · embarrassed

disdain · scorn

disheartened · made spiritless

disparage · badmouth

dispense · get rid of

dissembling · hiding true appearance

distinguished · separated

dormant · asleep

dour · harsh

duration · time remaining

egregiously · apallingly

elicit · evoke

elude · avoid

engender · start

enmity · hate

euphoric · elated

evaded · avoided

evince · reveal

excursion · trip

fabricating · making up

facetiously · sarcastically

fathom · imagine

fluke · stroke of luck

gluttony · overindulgence

goad · incite

gratuitous · excessive, unneeded

halfheartedly · spiritlessly

heed · pay attention to

ignominious · humiliating

immoderately · more so than usual

impassioned · full of feeling

impeccable · flawless

impetuous · thoughtlessly quick

impinged · enchoached

impression · display of a trait

impute · give credit for

incisive · direct

inefficacious · ineffective

inept · incapable

inhibiting · hampering

innate · inborn

instigating · inciting

intimation · unspoken meaning

ire · anger

irrevocable · cannot be undone

juxtaposition · being placed side by side

knell · indication of the end

lackluster · without energy

lithe · gracefully flexible

loathe · hate

manifold · diverse

measured · careful

mendacious · dishonest

mitigate · make less harsh

modicum · a little bit

momentous · important

morosely · gloomily

negligible · nearly unnoticeable

ominously · with menacing foreshadowing

pallid · pale

palpable · capable of being felt

pellucid · lear

perpetuate · extend

pervasive · widespread

pittance · small amount

placated · soothed

precipice · cliff’s edge

punitive · regarding punishment

quandary · perplexed state

rancor · bitter ill-will

relegated · sent to a lower level

reprimand · formal scolding

roiling · stirring

squelched · stopped

tirade · angry rant

tortuous · twisty

uncharacteristically · unusually

vehemently · powerfully

venerable · respected?

wryly · humorously, clever

Chapter Four

Page 1

Drew drove around town for hours, making up reasons to avoid going home. He walked around the Gap on the square, checking out their new fall stuff to see if there was anything he wanted for school. He bought himself an iced tea at Starbucks and hung out talking to Layla Li, one of his classmates who worked there, for at least half an hour. He even snagged a newspaper at the drugstore and sat on a park bench, reading it from cover to cover. Anything to deter himself from returning to his house and his father.

But soon the sun started to go down and Drew knew he was being fatuous. He was going to have to go home eventually and face his father’s invective. All he was doing was postponing the inevitable. So he screwed up his courage, tossed his empty cup and newspaper, and headed for home.?

“Where the hell have you been?” his father demanded the moment Drew walked through the door. He was standing right there in the entryway, poised to pounce like a drooling Doberman. “Your mother’s been calling your cell phone incessantly.”?

“Sorry. I had some errands to run,” Drew said. He slipped past his father, stepped into the kitchen, and kissed his mother hello. She shot him a look of understanding and sympathy. She knew exactly why he had stayed out so long. “So he told you, huh? Bet you got a whole catalog of the many things I did wrong.”?

“Of course I told your mother!” Drew’s dad said, hands on hips. “She has a right to know how you abased both me and your brother out there today.”?

Drew felt the sting of the insult and dropped his bag on the floor with a thud. “Wow, Dad. That was callous even for you.”?

“Callous? Callous?” his father reiterated.

“Yeah. How about a little empathy for God’s sake?” Drew shot back. He yanked open the refrigerator door just to give himself something to do. “If Trey had had a bad practice like that, you wouldn’t have started chastising him the second he walked through the door.”?

“He has a point there, Jim” Drew’s mother observed.?

“Oh, so you’re on his side, now?” his father demanded. “Well, I’m sorry to have to point this out, but I see a tiny little flaw in your argument, there, son. A wee little chink in your armor. Want to know what it is?” He smiled evilly. “Your brother . . . would never have had a practice like that in the first place.” He finished with a wicked gleam of satisfaction.

“Oh my God!” Drew exclaimed. He grabbed a bottle of water and let the refrigerator door slam. “Dad, you are so enamored of Trey it’s blinded you! I mean, do you even hear yourself? You really think that in four years playing ball for Washingtonville, he never had a bad practice? You just weren’t there to witness it.”?

“Well, I wish I hadn’t been there to witness this one,” his father said. “In one afternoon you just effaced any hopes I had of watching another of my sons lead his team to glory.”

“Jim! That’s enough!” Drew’s mother snapped.?

Drew’s jaw clenched, and tears filled his eyes. How could his father be such a bastard? Did he really hate Drew so much that he felt the need to belittle him at every chance he got? What the hell did he get out of it, anyway? He felt a tear start to spill over and he turned away, leaning his hands into the counter as he got control of himself. There was no way he was going to give his father the satisfaction of seeing him cry.?

“Look, Dad, I’m sorry if being there today aggrieved you so much,” Drew said finally, firmly. “But I’m doing what I can.”?

“Your brother consigned this team to you, Drew. Not to some interloper from Corinth High,” his father said. “You have to show them whose team this is. There is no room for error,” he added adamantly.

Drew wished there were some way to make his father see and hear how incredibly evil he sounded. He wished he could concoct a way to force him to understand how his words and his opinions cut right through Drew’s heart and gut and made him feel worthless. But after years of coming in second to his brother, he knew that getting through that thick skull was impossible. The only way to end this torture was to say what his father wanted to hear.?

“Well, I accede to your judgment,” Drew said, drawing himself up. “I know you don’t want to believe this, Dad, but it was one bad practice. And Samson was just showing off. It was a fluke, and it’s not gonna happen again.”?

“I hope not. Because I will not abide failure in this family,” his father told him. “It is not an option.”?

“This is my school, Dad. My team. My time,” Drew said “We’re gonna put these guys in their place, whatever that entails.”?

The angry color finally drained from his father’s face, and Drew knew that he was out of the woods—for now. “You’d better, kid,” his dad said calmly. “You’d just better.”?

Chapter Four

Page 2

The first thing Drew noticed on the first day of school was a confluence of Corinth students, most wearing blue and gray varsity jackets, hanging out in the arbor near the front door of the school. Instantly, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. The arbor was a grassy area, surrounded by thick trees and dotted with benches. It had been the gift of some ancient senior class, and everyone just sort of knew that it was an area reserved for seniors. As freshmen, kids would scurry past the arbor nervously, and as sophomores and juniors they would watch in envy, waiting for their chance to claim the primo pre-school spot. Now, the hallowed space had been taken over by Corinth before Drew and his friends ever had the chance to occupy it.

Drew stormed past the arbor and joined a group of his friends near the door. He could tell from the malevolent look on Clay’s face that Clay was more than ready to throw down.

“Who the hell do these guys think they are?” Drew demanded, casting a furtive glance over his shoulder. All around him, packs of Washingtonville students and packs of Corinth students eyed one another with curiosity and disdain. The tension in the air was patent.?

“It’s larceny, man,” Clay said, shifting from foot to foot like a bull about to be released from its pen. “The arbor is sacred space. They can’t just take it over.”?

“And check the jackets,” Marisa said with a sneer. “Totally garish. Maybe if they didn’t spend so much money on extraneous patches, they would’ve been able to keep their school open.”?

Drew and the rest of the group laughed, and Marisa grinned, happy to have lightened the mood even slightly.?

“Uh, guys? That’s not the only thing they’ve pillaged,” Jason added, lifting his chin.?

Drew turned around to find Tamara and a few of her girlfriends, including Clay’s girlfriend Sally, joining the group in the arbor, greeting the Corinth guys and introducing themselves.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Drew said through his teeth.

“I think it’s time to go over there and remind them who enjoys hegemony around here,” Clay said, pressing his fist into his palm.

“You got that right,” Drew said. “This is our school. Those are our women. They’re at Washingtonville now.” He looked around at his friends, all business. “Let’s go.”?

The crew moved as a pack toward the arbor, with Drew at the forefront, his hands clenched into angry fists. His heart pounded wildly as he approached the obstreperous crowd, but he didn’t slow down. It was imperative that he prescribe the law of the land for these guys. If he didn’t do it, no one would. He lifted his chin and tried to appear impassive. All the better for maximum intimidation.?

The group fell silent as Drew and his friends arrived. Adam Lazarus and Lance Crowe—aka Mohawk Man—turned around to greet them with inimical expressions.?

“Sally!” Clay barked.?

Instantly, Sally Chou turned away from the Corinth girl she was talking to and stepped right up to Clay’s side, wrapping her slim arm around his wide girth. Smart girl.?

“Problem, man?” Adam asked Drew, rolling his shoulders back.?

Drew’s jaw almost dropped at the absolute impudence. Was this guy really going to give him attitude on his turf??

“Yeah, I’ve got a problem. It’s this,” Drew said, flipping open the front of Adam’s jacket. “What the hell are you doing wearing Corinth colors around here? You don’t go to Corinth anymore, man. Corinth doesn’t exist.”?

The crowd behind Drew murmured in appreciation. A few more guys stepped up behind Lazarus and Crowe. Drew noticed with interest that the garrulous QB was not, however, present. Maybe Samson liked to come to school fashionably late and make a superstar’s entrance.

Chapter Four

Page 3

“I know you didn’t just touch me,” Adam said, staring Drew down.?

“Oh, I think I did,” Drew replied, staring the lanky guy down.?

“Drew,” Tamara interjected, throwing in a nervous laugh. “What are you doing?”?

“I’m just trying to talk our new teammates here into having a little school spirit, that’s all,” Drew replied without even looking at her.

“Actually, I think you’re just being fractious for the sake of being fractious,” Tamara said nervously.?

“It’s all right, Tamara. We got this,” Lance said, his voice deep and rumbling.

Unbelievable. They were on a first-name basis already?

“You wanna back up a step, QB two?” Lance said with a smirk.?

That got a gasp from the crowd and a laugh from the Corinth guys. Drew felt his face go hot and took a step forward. “What did you just call me?”?

“Well, you did look like kind of a novice during those last few practices,” Adam said, smiling. “We just assumed—”?

“You son of a bitch!” Drew shouted, pulling his fist back.?

Tamara screeched, and the crowd tensed for the first punch, but Drew’s arm was suddenly grabbed in a two-handed clench, and he was yanked backward.

“All right! Break it up!” Mr. Robinson shouted. He was a math teacher, but from his husky build could have been a linebacker himself. He shoved Drew away from the Corinth crowd and insinuated himself between them. “Is this really the way you want to start the year?”?

Drew straightened his jacket as he seethed, staring Adam and Lance down over Robinson’s shoulder. God he would give anything to pummel something right then.?

“Look, guys, I know that combining our two student bodies is going to be difficult, but this kind of flagrant misbehavior isn’t going to help. It will only exert a pernicious effect,” Robinson said. “How about we all go inside and get to homeroom and cool off?”?

Drew didn’t want to be the first to back off, but he also knew that it was the mature thing to do. And if he did the mature thing, maybe Robinson wouldn’t report his little infraction to the vice principal, or worse, to Coach Davidson.?

“Fine,” he said finally. He glanced at his friends. “Let’s go, you guys.”?

“Yeah. Come on,” Adam agreed, rounding up his own group.?

Drew shot him one more death glare before turning and heading for the front door. His blood still pounded in his ears, but he took a few deep breaths and tried to let it go. He’d have to save it for the field.

“Assholes,” Jason said under his breath as he opened the glass door at the top of the stairs.

“Tell me about it,” Drew replied. “I so wish they had found some other school to invade. I wouldn’t mind if I never set eyes on another Corinthian again.”?

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Drew caught a glimpse of long, red hair. He paused as the single most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on floated toward the door. She was tall and slim, with skin so pale it was practically translucent. Her dark red hair was brushed back from her lovely face and hung down her back in natural waves. She looked up as she glided along, with a small faraway smile on her untouched lips. Drew put out a hand to stop Jason before he cut her off and held him back so she could go through. He watched her the whole way, enthralled.

Jason whistled long and low. “Well, at least they brought some hot girls with them.”?

Drew grinned wolfishly. “I always did have a predilection for red hair.”?

The guys laughed and slapped hands as they headed inside to start the new school year.?

Chapter Four

Page 4

Drew would have given anything to be able to put the Corinth people out of his mind and get on with his day, but they were just everywhere. They crowded the halls and the bathrooms, commandeered all the good seats at the back of every classroom. He would have thought they would be punctilious and respectful, being guests in someone else’s school, but they acted as if they owned the place. As the morning wore on, Drew found himself ruminating more and more about what had happened that morning and wishing that Robinson had at least let him get one good punch in. He had to show these people who was in charge around here. He had to figure out a way, or his senior year was going to be ruined. All morning long in all of his classes, he was completely obsessed with the problem. There was little else he could think about.?

Then, on his way to Spanish class, a vicissitude. The red-headed girl from that morning was wandering down the hall, looking lost and confused. For a long moment, Drew stood outside his classroom and watched her, relishing her beauty. The sunlight streaming through the high windows accentuated the luminescent glow of her skin, and he noticed for the first time that her light pink sweater was adorned with tiny specks of glitter that sparkled when she moved. Underneath she wore a delicate gray top and a long, soft-looking skirt. No one at Washingtonville dressed like this—all sweet and girly. They were more about the latest trends, however severe and downright trashy they might be.?

Drew took a deep breath and realized that, for the first time all day, he didn’t feel angry or heavy or annoyed. Just watching this girl had palliated his annoyance. He had to meet her. He pushed himself away from the wall and stepped in front of her. She looked up at him, startled.?

“Sorry,” he said. “I just . . . you looked lost, and I figured that, as a person who’s been going to this school for three years, I’d be remiss if I didn’t offer to help.”?

The girl just stared at him for a long moment. Drew started to feel a bit awkward. That had been a genial enough greeting, hadn’t it? He thought he’d done a good job of appearing sanguine considering how very clenched he was feeling inside. What was she, an exchange student? Did she not speak English??

“Are you okay?” he asked slowly.?

Slowly, she reached up and pulled a pair of ear buds from her ears. For a split second he heard the loud classical music before she reached into her bag and turned off her iPod. Drew laughed.?

“Sorry. They were hidden by your hair,” he said.

She gave him a perfunctory look and glanced up at the nearest classroom door. It was like she was repulsed by the sight of him. Which, for some reason, only made Drew want her more. Maybe she was just diffident. Or maybe she was intimidated by him. Some girls were, although he never really understood it. Drew knew he was okay looking, but it wasn’t like he was Trey or something.?

“Two-twelve?” she asked.?

“Hey! That’s where I’m going,” Drew said with a smile. “Lucky me.”?

Okay, I’m flirting as best I can here. How about a little reciprocation? Drew thought.?

But she just stared at him quizzically.?

“Okay,” Drew said, feeling like a heel. “It’s right over here.”?

He pointed out the room.?

“Thanks,” she said as she slipped by him.?

Drew shook his head. Had he said something profane without realizing it? Had he somehow offended her? What was up with this girl??

He followed her into the classroom and resolved to give it one last try. He took the seat next to the one she’d chosen and leaned across the aisle.?

“I’m Drew Benson, by the way,” he said, hoping on some level that she might recognize his name.

“Lily Winters,” she said succinctly, but without warmth, as she pulled a notebook out of her canvas bag.?

Abort! Drew’s inner voice shouted. She’s totally rebuffing you, dude. Have some pride.?

“Nice to meet you, Lily,” Drew said. “Welcome to Washingtonville.”?

She glanced at him but didn’t smile. “Thanks.” Then she faced forward with a staid expression as Mr. Trull, the Spanish teacher, closed the door.?

Drew’s face fell. Well, that was a scintillating conversation. Unreal. Here his women were welcoming the Corinth guys with open arms before the first bell, and Drew couldn’t even get this girl to say more than two words to him.

All right, dude. Chill. Maybe she’s somnolent. Maybe she was nervous about starting a new school and didn’t sleep all night. Or maybe she’s just not naturally verbose.

But neither of these wishful platitudes made him feel better. This day had started out sucky, and it had just gotten suckier. For the rest of the period, Drew sat back in his seat and wallowed in his own bad mood.?

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Vocabulary Drill

Chapter Four

abased · lowered in esteem

abide · endure

abort · stop before finished

accede · give in

accentuated · intensified

adamantly · strongly

adorned · decorated

aggrieved · upset

arbor · plant-covered latticework

belittle · iminish in stature

callous · hard-hearted

chastising · scolding, condemning

commandeered · took over

concoct · create

confluence · gathering

consigned · gave

deter · keep from doing

diffident · shy

effaced · made vanish

empathy · caring

enamored · infatuated

entails · involves

enthralled · captivated

extraneous · excess, unneeded

fashionably · stylishly

fatuous · foolish

flagrant · egregious

fractious · quarrelsome

furtive · secret

garish · gaudy

garrulous · chatty

genial · friendly

hallowed · sacred

hegemony · authority

impassive · expressionless

imperative · vital

impudence · bold cockiness

incessantly · nonstop

inevitable · certain

infraction · violation

inimical · hostile

interjected · interrupted

interloper · intruder

invective · insulting speech

larceny · theft

luminescent · as if giving off light

malevolent · evil

novice · beginner

obstreperous · noisy

palliated · soothed

patent · obvious

perfunctory · cursory

pernicious · harmfull

pillaged · plundered

platitudes · boring remark

predilection · preference

prescribe · dictate

profane · obscene

pummel · pound

punctilious · conscientious

quizzically · curiously

rebuffing · rejecting

reciprocation · equal exchange

reiterated · said again

relishing · thoroughly enjoying

remiss · negligent

repulsed · repelled

ruminating · pondering

sacred · holy

sanguine · heerful

scintillating · dazzling

scurry · scamper

somnolent · sleepy

staid · serious

succinctly · sharply

translucent · see-through

verbose · talkative

vicissitude · change of events

wallowed · remained helpless

Chapter Five

Page 1

Drew arrived at lunch early. There was no way he was going to let the Corinth guys usurp his table like they’d taken over the arbor that morning. When he got there, the only people in sight were a few freshmen sitting at a table near the wall and a janitor wiping a spot on one of the plate glass windows. Drew walked over to the senior section, a raised area all along the sun-streaked windows, and put his stuff down on a chair at the best table—the table Trey and the rest of the senior athletes had always used the year before. Then he took a few books out of his bag and spread them out at other chairs, just to be safe. There was no room for complacency in the lunch room. This was war.?

Drew walked up to the kitchen to get his lunch—two cheeseburgers, two fries, and an iced tea—then sat back down to wait.?

Five minutes later, the noise level had gone from a buzz to a blowout. Unlike last year, when half the tables in the sprawling cafeteria had been empty, every table was full with laughing, chatting students. The decibel level was out of control. Drew could tell that most of his fellow students were enjoying the excitement, the unfamiliarity of it all. Unfortunately, the din only aggravated his already frayed nerves.?

“Whaddup, man?” Jason asked, nudging Drew with his elbow as he slid into the chair next to his.

“You’re in a good mood,” Drew grumbled.?

“Dude, the day’s almost half over,” Jason said as he shook up his iced tea. “One day of school down, only a couple hundred left to go.”?

Drew managed a scoff. He took a bite of his burger as he stared across the senior section at the table Samson and his friends had appropriated for themselves. If looks could kill, every one of the people over there would have keeled over. Tamara Glenn was sitting at the end of the table, right next to Samson himself, tossing her hair and laughing. Half the other girls were over there as well, chatting up the enemy. Even Marisa was standing near the wall, looking up at Adam Lazarus with wide, admiring eyes as if she were enchanted by his incredible wit. Drew had never felt so betrayed.?

“Crap, they got Marisa now, too?” Clay said, shoving a chair out with his leg and dropping into it. “By the end of the day they’re gonna have expropriated all our women.”?

“What the hell are they thinking?” Drew said through his teeth.

“Come on, guys. You know Tamara. She’s a people person,” Jason said, popping a fry into his mouth. “She probably just wants to make them feel welcome.”?

Drew watched as Tamara laid her hand on Samson’s arm—on the arm of his Corinth varsity jacket, to be precise—and he felt like hitting something. It wasn’t as if he wanted Tamara for himself anymore, but he thought they were friends. Did she have to throw herself at the one person he abhorred more than anyone else in the world??

“This is a debacle,” Clay said, shoving half a burger into his mouth. “Unless—”

“What?” Drew asked. He sat forward, hoping to hear something that would alleviate the gut-clenching anger and hurt he was suffering with.?

Clay took a moment to chew and swallow, which Drew appreciated. “Well, maybe Tamara is just feigning her interest in those guys. Maybe she’s over there spying on them for us.”?

Jason laughed, but Drew looked over at the table hopefully. Tamara was in the middle of telling some story, and everyone at the table was completely riveted. Then Samson cracked up, and Tamara threw her head back, giggling gleefully.?

“No. Not possible. Remember the spring play? Girl’s not that good of an actress,” Drew said. He slumped back in his chair. “But I’ll bet you a million dollars it’s all an affectation on Samson’s part. He’s just trying to piss me off.”?

“Why do you say that?” Jason asked.?

“Because. Look at him. Why pick Tamara out of every girl in school? He must know we went out,” Drew said. “He’s just trying to make me jealous.”?

“But you’re not, right?” Jason said. “’Cause you’ve already moved on to Red over there.”?

Drew’s heart thumped extra hard as he followed Jason’s gaze. It took him a moment to find Lily, because she wasn’t sitting in the senior section. Instead, she had chosen a small table for six in the middle of the cafeteria. She sat flanked by two empty chairs, her headphones on, completely absorbed in a hardcover book she was reading. Apparently, she was the cerebral type. She may have been alone, but she looked anything but forlorn. She looked, in fact, quite serene and content as she munched on her baby carrots.?

“That girl?” Clay blurted.

Chapter Five

Page 2

“Yeah. You got a problem?” Drew asked.?

“Naw, man. She’s just kind of atypical for you,” Clay replied.?

“Yeah, well, maybe I’m sick of the typical,” Drew said, taking a bite of his burger. “Doesn’t matter anyway, she’s not interested.”?

“She shot you down already? Burn!” Jason shouted, laughing with his mouth full of food.?

“Shut up, man!” Drew said. He felt his face start to heat up and tried to put on a carefree façade. Jason’s shout had drawn some attention, and he knew Tamara and some of those guys at her table were watching.?

“Sorry. Tell us what happened. Come on, man. Maybe we can help,” Jason cajoled, enjoying this way too much.

“Just forget it, all right?” Drew said through his teeth.?

They were definitely watching now. Definitely wondering what had Drew so embarrassed and what Jason and Clay were so amused about. This was so wrong. There had to be some way to get back at these assholes. Some way to show them that they couldn’t get away with their stupid games.?

Just then, the door to the girl’s bathroom opened, and out walked three Corinth High girls. He had noticed one of the girls that morning. She was beautiful in a showy way, with long, dark, glossy hair, lots of makeup, and an outfit worthy of a Pussycat Dolls video. She walked like she owned the place, which on one of her male counterparts would have annoyed him, but which he kind of liked on a girl. She and her friends started to take a circuitous route around the tables, heading for the kitchen, and Drew felt an inkling of an idea forming in his mind. Unfortunately, there was no time for deliberation. They were about to strut by his table.?

On pure compulsion, Drew reached out and grabbed the wrist of the dark-haired girl. Her face screwed up in exasperation, but then she took one look at Drew and settled into a flirtatious smirk.?

“And you’re touching me why?” she asked.?

“Couldn’t help myself,” Drew said with a grin.?

The girl looked at her friends, and they all smiled, rolling their eyes.

“I’m Drew Benson.”?

“I know who you are,” the girl said. “I’m Crystal Marx. This is Jackie and Jenny,” she said, gesturing over her shoulder.?

“Hi,” the girls chorused.?

“Hello,” Jason said, sitting up straight.?

“Ladies,” Clay added with a nod.?

“You’re sitting with us,” Drew said, pulling out a chair for her.

Crystal laughed. “Oh, are we? Well then, I guess you guys are buying.” She perched on the edge of the proffered chair, and her friend settled in around the other guys. “We’ll all have salads and bagels and water.”?

Drew looked at Clay and Jason. “You heard the lady.”?

Instantly, his friends jumped from their chairs. “We’re on it,” Clay said.?

Jason put his hands on Drew’s shoulders as he passed by and leaned in. “I just want to say that I fully espouse this plan,” he whispered.?

Drew nodded in self-satisfaction, then leaned in toward Crystal. “So . . . how do you like Washingtonville so far?” he asked smoothly.?

Crystal grinned back at him. “I’m liking it more every second.”?

“That’s what I wanted to hear.”?

Drew sat back and took a sip of his iced tea, taking the opportunity to cast a surreptitious glance over at Samson Hill’s table. Sure enough, Hill and his friends were now glaring right at Drew.

Two can play at this game, Drew thought, as Crystal put her hand on his knee and chattered away. And really, it’s just way too easy.?

Chapter Five

Page 3

Drew sat under the blazing sun in the bleachers that afternoon, his arm feeling like a huge dead weight after two straight hours of throwing drills. He’d gone through it all with perfect alacrity, putting on a positive face for the coaches, but the act had only made him more tired. He wished Davidson would just shut up already and let them go before he died of heat exhaustion. Did he really have to go over every last line of the Athlete’s Code of Conduct? It wasn’t as if they weren’t all going home with a copy.

“Why is he reading this to us?” Drew groaned under his breath.?

“Probably worried these guys can’t read,” Clay joked back.?

Drew laughed, but when he looked up, he saw a few of the guys on the other side of the aisle staring them down. Apparently, Clay’s whisper hadn’t actually been a whisper. Unaffected, however, Drew glared right back. He was so sick of these guys and their bad attitudes and their crappy-ass uniforms. And Clay was probably right on some level. All the Washingtonville guys knew the code of conduct backward and forward. Coach had probably called this little meeting on behalf of the newbies.?

“All right, that’s it,” Coach Davidson said finally, rolling the page up and sticking it in his pocket. “Any questions?”?

Drew could practically feel the rest of his teammates dying to go, but he raised his hand anyway.?

“I got a question, Coach!” he shouted.?

There were groans and grumbles all around. Coach glanced at him, clearly hesitant. Drew wondered if he sounded as irritated as he felt.?

“What’s up, Besnon?” Coach asked.?

“When are we gonna get these guys some Eagles gear already?” Drew asked, gesturing toward the Corinth section. “Everyone’s getting a little sick of them flaunting the blue and gray everywhere.”?

There was, predictably, an explosion of jeers and grumbles from the Corinth side of the bleachers as they all took exception to Drew’s tone. Even Coach gave him a grave look. Drew cleared his throat and sat up.?

“What I mean to say, Coach, is that having two different unis on the field is deleterious to our team spirit,” Drew said seriously. “I think it would benefit all of us if we could feel more like one cohesive unit.”?

Behind him, Jason snickered into his hand. The Corinth guys weren’t entirely buying it either. A bunch of them scoffed and gestured at him in a dismissive way.?

“Well put, Benson,” Coach said, his tone slightly caustic to show that he knew Drew was at least partially pulling his leg.

“Coach, there’s no point in us changing out all our gear when no one’s even decided which mascot and colors we’re using,” Lance said.?

“Actually, son, this team is and will be the Washingtonville Eagles,” Coach Davidson replied.?

Drew and his friends cheered and slapped hands as the Corinth guys protested with serious ardor—like this was the most catastrophic announcement they’d ever heard. A few of them even stood up, shouting down angry questions. Drew couldn’t believe they actually found this announcement so confounding. How could the Corinth guys have thought it would be any other way??

“Settle down, settle down!” Coach Davidson said, waving them back.?

“Coach! Coach!” Adam shouted, standing up as the rest of the guys sat, however disconcerted they were. “Don’t you think that’s showing a bit of favoritism toward your own team? Why should they get to keep their mascot and colors? It’s not fair.”?

“It’s not fair,” Clay mimicked under his breath, but in a much more whiny voice.?

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“Yeah. It’s like you’re trying to totally eradicate our team. Our history,” Lance put in. “I mean, this is a colossal insult!”?

“He didn’t eradicate anything!” Drew said, turning around in his seat. “The state did. God, at least we gave you a school to go to. That should be some consolation.”?

“Well gee, thanks, your majesty,” Lance shot back. “We’re so grateful that you deigned to allow us into your hallowed halls.”?

There were more grumbles and shouts, and this time it took a bit longer for Coach Davidson to quiet them down. Drew sat back and shook his head. The fact that they were upset was comprehensible. It was a sucky situation. But shouldn’t they have gotten over this last spring? Complaining about it now was futile.?

“Coach, I have something to say,” Samson Hill said, standing.?

“Oh, here we go,” Drew whispered to his friends.

“Go ahead, Hill,” Coach Davidson said with a weary sigh.?

“It’s just, Adam is right. We’re the ones who had to switch schools, and we’re the ones who have to get bussed all the way out here and back every day,” Samson said. “It’s not like it was our fault our school closed. Don’t you think we should get something?”?

“Yeah,” his friends said, backing him up.?

“And when was this decision made? Why wasn’t it disclosed to us?” Samson asked.?

Drew looked at his friends. Samson and the others really hadn’t known that they had no shot at retaining their mascot and colors? He had a hard time believing that.?

“I’m sorry, Hill. The decision was made at the school board meeting when it was decided that the schools would combine,” Coach Davidson explained. “It was an open forum. Anyone could have spoken up at that time.”?

“Well, no one told us that,” Samson protested.?

“I’m sorry about that, but the school board made this decision, and it’s final,” Coach Davidson said.

“We have a very astute school board,” Clay joked.

“Shut up, man,” Jason said, clearly feeling for the Corinth guys as the truth of this sunk in. “You’re just gonna exacerbate the situation.”?

“Listen, guys. Sure, in hindsight, I can say that maybe this was a fallacious decision on their part, but it is what it is,” Coach Davidson said. “You’re gonna have to give up your uniforms. We’ve already ordered new ones for you, there was just a deferment in the order—something to do with dye lots or something—so they’re late. Otherwise you would have had your practice set on day one.”?

“I can’t believe this,” Adam said vehemently as the rest of the team mumbled around him.?

“Look, I’m really sorry you guys didn’t know about this from the outset,” Coach said, lifting both hands. “But we’ve gotta look forward, not back. Let’s all just hit the showers, and we can start fresh tomorrow, okay?”?

His words were met with an angry, tense silence. Coach sighed and looked at the ground, clearly at a loss. Drew had never seen this normally formidable man look so small. Apparently this melding of the two schools wasn’t just taking its toll on the students.?

“Team dismissed.”?

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The next day, Coach was back in tough form and seemed determined to erase any memory of his moment of weakness the day before. After a long and demanding practice, he set the team out on an endurance run, following the path laid out for cross-country track meets. The course seemed interminable. Around each bend was another long straightaway into the woods or through a field or up a hill. Drew always forgot there was so much open space around the school until Coach got it in his head to send the team out on one of these torture runs. And he always respected the cross-country team more after completing one.?

Today was worse than usual, of course, because Drew made sure to match Samson step for step on the long run. Together they led the pack for most of the course and were yards ahead of anyone as they came out of the trees surrounding Washingtonville Stadium and headed for the end zone.?

Drew had been cognizant of Samson’s breathing for the past few minutes, as it grew more and more labored. His own chest burned like a forest fire, but he was still feeling pretty strong. He glanced down at Samson’s feet and noticed that his stride was weakening. Drew felt a flutter of hope in his chest. He was loath to let this guy beat him at yet another test—especially one that he was clearly so capable of winning. He looked up and saw Coach Davidson along with the rest of the crew, waiting at the end zone with his stop watch. That was all he needed. He turned on the sprint.?

“See ya,” he said to Samson.?

And just like that, he was gone. Drew crossed the finish line a good twenty seconds before Hill and threw his arms up as Coach hit the button on his watch.

“Eight-thirty-two! Nice time, Benson. Better not let Coach Hiller hear about this. He’ll try to steal you away.”?

Drew nodded, gasping for breath as he walked along the track, trying to get his heart rate down. By the time Samson jogged over to him, heaving like crazy, Drew was entirely composed.?

“Nice run, man,” Drew said, feeling munificent after his win.?

“Yeah. You too,” Samson replied with a nod.

Drew walked over to the water jug and filled a plastic cup and then collapsed onto the ground as the rest of the team slowly started to make its way over the finish line. Samson grabbed himself a drink and sat down as well. Drew eyed him with curiosity. What did this guy think he was doing? Did he think they were going to be friends now, just because Drew had said one nice thing to him??

“Your coach runs a tough practice,” Samson said, extricating a towel from the equipment bag under the bench.?

“Always has,” Drew said. “He’s pretty obdurate, especially when it comes to any sign of weakness. So if you don’t think you can handle it—“?

“Oh, I can handle it,” Samson said with a smile. A totally genuine smile.?

“Well, good.”

Drew looked away. He just did not get this guy. On the first day of practice he had been so sure that Samson would be this conceited braggart, he had assumed that the guy was mocking him by bringing up Trey. But ever since then, Samson had been nothing but supportive, amicable and fair. Either he was the greatest actor on earth, or he was actually a nice guy with no agenda.

Or he saw Drew as such a nominal threat he didn’t even feel the need to be cold toward him.?

“So, when we were running the two-minute drill before, I noticed that you have a kind of tell,” Samson said as his breathing returned to normal.?

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Oh, no way. There was no way that this guy was going to sit here and try to give him tips. Did this guy not understand that he was the bane of Drew’s existence? He could think of no one he would less like to take criticism from, except for maybe his father. Drew crushed his plastic cup and held it tightly in his fist.

“Oh really? What’s that?” Drew said gruffly.?

Samson looked at him for a moment, as if surprised by his tone, but gamely continued.

“Well, when you come off the line you tend to look right at your intended receiver,” Samson said. “If the defense is paying any attention to the turn of your head, they’re going to know where you’re going every time. You should try using your peripheral vision a little more. Or glancing the opposite way to throw them off. It’s an easy fix.”?

“Wow. Thanks so much for sharing your expertise with me,” Drew snapped, shoving himself up off the ground. “I don’t know what I’d do without a consummate quarterback like you around to point out my faults.”?

“Dude, don’t take umbrage,” Samson said, hoisting himself up as well. “If you saw something I could do better I’d want you to tell me too. I thought there was parity between us. Helping each other helps the team.”?

He was so disingenuous Drew wanted to spit at his feet. No ?one could possibly be this mature and accepting of the horrendous situation they were in. He couldn’t actually want to help the ?competition. Was he insane??

“Well, you were wrong,” Drew said finally. “There’s no parity here. And your advice is officious, so you can take it and shove it.”?

Samson stared back at Drew, clearly thrown and appalled by his behavior. A few of their teammates had started to gather around the water jug, and he glanced at the audience, as if he was hoping that someone there could help him out with his next move. But no one said a thing. Finally, Samson shrugged.?

“Fine, man. Whatever,” he said with obvious disdain. “I’ll keep my mouth shut then.”?

For a split second, Drew felt almost guilty. If the guy really had just been trying to be nice—however ill-advised his methods were—then Drew had completely crushed him. But Samson couldn’t really be that naïve. He couldn’t actually think that the two of them could ever be friends. And if he did, then Drew couldn’t help the guy.?

“Good,” Drew replied.?

Then he turned on his heel, grabbed his helmet and pads from the sidelines, and stormed off toward the school. Before long, he heard jogging footsteps, and Jason caught up to him, still panting.?

“What the hell, man. Did you just finish?” Drew snapped.?

“Yeah. Guess I should augment my cardio workouts some,” Jason said lightly. “So what the hell just happened? John Washburn said you and Samson had a fight?”?

“You weren’t there?” Drew asked.?

“No. What’s up?”?

Drew shrugged, the humiliation washing over him all over again. “Nothing, man. He wanted my help with his timing or something. Total loser.”?

“Yeah. Like you’re gonna help him,” Jason said with a laugh and a cough. “You guys are totally enemies.”?

“Exactly,” Drew said, feeling slightly better at having someone agree with him. “Come on, man. Screw the showers. Let’s just hit Teresa’s. I could eat a whole pie on my own.”?

“Dude, I am so there,” Jason said. “Should we wait for Clay and the other guys?”?

“Nah. Let’s just go,” Drew said. Clay had been among the guys who had seen what went down, and he didn’t want to be around anyone who knew what had actually happened. That Samson had been beneficent enough to try to help his poor little backup and that Drew had taken it like anything but a man. “I just want to get the hell out of here.”?

Master the vocabulary from this chapter.
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Vocabulary Drill

Chapter Five

abhorred · hated

absorbed · deeply involved

affectation · act

aggravated · made worse

alacrity · enthusiasm

alleviate · lessen

amicable · agreeable

appalled · horrified

appropriated · taken over

ardor · passion

astute · smart

atypical · out of the ordinary

augment · enhance

bane · curse

beneficent · kind

cajoled · coaxed

catastrophic · disastrous

caustic · witty

cerebral · brainy

chorused · said together

circuitous · roundabout

cognizant · aware

colossal · huge

complacency · inaction

composed · under control

comprehensible · understandable

compulsion · impulse

conceited · self-centered

confounding · puzzling

consolation · comfort

consummate · accomplished

content · satisfied

debacle · disaster

decibel · loudness

deferment · delay

deigned · condescendingly offered

deleterious · harmful

deliberation · mulling things over

din · racket

disclosed · revealed

disconcerted · unsettled

disingenuous · insincere

dismissive · rejecting

enchanted · spellbound

endurance · sustaining stressful effort

eradicate · do away with

espouse · support

exacerbate · make worse

exasperation · frustration

exception · objection (with took, take)

expertise · skill

expropriated · taken possession of

extricating · freeing

faade · face, outward appearance

fallacious · erroneous

favoritism · partiality

feigning · faking

flanked · in between

flaunting ·

forlorn · sad

formidable · fearsome

forum · meeting

frayed · ragged

futile · in vain

gamely · eagerly

genuine · real

gleefully · with joy

grave · somber

gruffly · grumpily

hallowed · sacred

hesitant · uncertain

hindsight · retrospect

hoisting · lifting

inkling · hint

interminable · unending

loath · opposed

melding · mixing

mimicked · imitated

munificent · generous

nave · innocent

nominal · insignificant

obdurate · stubborn

officious · meddlesome

outset · beginning

parity · equality

proffered · offered

retaining · holding on to

riveted · fixed

serene · peaceful

surreptitious · secretive

tell · xign that reveals a weakness

umbrage · offense

usurp · take over

vehemently · powerfully

Chapter Six

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Sweat poured down Drew’s neck as he focused on his breathing and kept his feet as high as he could. His eyes followed Coach Halloran, the offensive coordinator, as he trolled the sidelines.?

Just blow the whistle already, Drew thought, clenching his fists. Blow the damn whistle!?

All around him in their perfectly aligned squads, guys grunted and shouted in extreme duress. Halloran had woken up today with some kind of nefarious need to torture the team. He’d had them doing the stutter-step drill for what felt like an eternity. Samson was lined up directly behind Drew, and Drew wondered how his winsome teammate was doing with this particular task. He hoped the guy would pull something.?

It was all their fault that they were being put through this crap. All Corinth’s fault. Drew knew Halloran well enough to know that he was making a point. He didn’t want to hear any lip from the disgruntled Corinth players about something as trite as uniforms, so he was trying to sweat the fight out of them.

“All right! That’s enough!” Coach Davidson shouted, joining Halloran.?

Halloran, finally, mercifully, blew his whistle. Every last one of the guys collapsed to the ground. Practice hadn’t even begun yet, and Drew’s legs were quivering like his grandmother’s Easter Jell-O mold.?

“All right, people, listen up!” Coach Davidson announced. “Today and tomorrow we are going to run nothing but position drills.”?

The entire squad groaned. Drew shoved himself up into a seated position and glanced over at Samson, who had his knees up and his forearms resting over them as he caught his breath. Unusually taciturn, Samson glanced away. That was fine with Drew. He was impenitent about their altercation as well. And the last thing he needed was Samson trying to be all friendly and understanding. Hopefully that particularly cloying side of Samson Hill was gone for good.?

“We will be running these drills because after practice tomorrow I intend to post the starting lineup for varsity,” Coach continued.?

That got everyone’s attention. Drew’s heart dropped as the field fell silent.

“Right here I have a list of criteria by which we will be judging each of the starters,” Coach Davidson announced, holding up his clipboard. “After practice today and tomorrow, all the coaches will convene and make our decisions. The pressure is officially on, gentlemen.”

Yeah. Like it wasn’t before, Drew thought.?

Ever so slowly, Coach Davidson made eye contact with each and every one of the players. Drew felt his adrenaline surge as Coach finally held his own gaze.?

“Let’s see what you’ve got.”?

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As the afternoon wore on, the disparity between Drew’s and Samson’s playing styles grew more and more clear. Samson was patient. He sat in the pocket and waited for his moves to become clear. As long as he was in the pocket, he was perfect. Didn’t miss a pass. But when he was flushed out, when the blitz was coming, he went down or threw the ball away nine times out of ten. As far as Drew could see, he had no speed. No dexterity. His arm and his aim were perfect, but he wasn’t the greatest on the fly.

Every time Samson was sacked, Drew felt the accretion of his own confidence. Because no one could catch him. He had a fabulous acumen when it came to defenses—was able to read them with no problem—and he had the speed to escape if his O-line went down. He gave himself and his receivers extra time just by being able to scramble out of the pocket. And that time was incredibly valuable. When it came right down to it, he had to say, he was a much more dynamic quarterback than Samson Hill. Maybe not as accurate, but he could run with the ball, he could protect the ball—he hadn’t fumbled since that awful scene in front of his father—and he could manage the game. These were all qualities a good coach looked for in a QB.

“All right, guys. Nice work,” Coach Lewinter said after an hour of practice. “Now let’s have a little fun.”?

Drew glanced at Samson, whose curious look mirrored his own. They had been equally aloof to each other all afternoon, and Drew wanted to kick himself for this one second of connection. This guy was the enemy. The enemy. They were not in this together.?

“Coach! We’re ready for you!” Coach Lewinter shouted.?

Across the field, Davidson raised an arm and blew his whistle, stopping all the other drills in their tracks.

“What’s up, Coach?” Samson asked finally.?

“You’ll see,” Coach Lewinter said with an almost sadistic smile. “You boys step to the line,” he said, indicating the fifty yard line.

Drew’s heart started to pound. All around him, the rest of the team was starting to gather. Coach Lewinter grabbed two bags of balls and created two piles in front of Samson and Drew, allocating them each about twenty balls. Drew glanced at Jason and Clay as they took their spots along the sidelines. They both shrugged. No one seemed to know what was going on, but the entire team now circumscribed the practice area.?

“I got a bad feeling about this,” Samson said under his breath.?

“You’re not the only one,” Drew replied.?

Standing there in front of all those people, Drew did a complete 180. Suddenly he was grateful for Samson’s presence. Whatever this was, it was probably not going to be pretty.?

Then, all the way down at the top of the end zone, the coaches rolled out a pair of receiving dummies. One for Drew, one for Samson. Everyone on the sidelines laughed. Drew, however, felt the color rise in his face. What was this, some kind of joke??

“Langford! Carradine! Get over here!” Coach Davidson called out.?

Clay and Corinth’s Tank Langford, the two behemoths of the team, hopped to and jogged to the end zone.?

“All right, guys, here’s how this is going to work!” Coach Lewinter called out. “Tank and Carradine over here are going to push these dummies back and forth so you guys will have moving targets. You’ll pass from fifty yards until you complete a pass. Then forty, then thirty, then twenty and so on to the ten.”?

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Drew said under his breath. His tenuous hold on his temper started to slip. This was so not what he needed. This drill was tailor-made for a quarterback like Samson. But for Drew, it would be a nightmare.?

“Whoever completes from each yard line first is the winner,” Coach Lewinter finished.?

“Uh, Coach?” Samson said lightly, raising his hand. “Any way we can abstain from this one?”?

“Sorry, Hill. You gotta do what you gotta do,” Lewinter said. “Everybody ready?”?

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Page 3

There was a vociferous roar from both sidelines. And why not? These guys got to take a break from practicing to watch this ridiculous sideshow. Drew stepped up to his pile of footballs. His heart slammed around in his chest and his palms were slick with sweat. He wiped them on his pants and looked over at Samson. The guy looked as calm as a puddle.?

Okay, temperance, Drew told himself. You can do this. Just concentrate. Be the ball. See it going through the hole.?

Quietly, a chant started to go up from the sidelines. “Benson . . . Benson . . . Benson . . .”?

Drew’s heart fluttered with pride, and he looked around at his teammates. Jason was obviously leading the chant, and as more people joined in, the cadence began to speed up.?

“Benson! Benson! Benson!”?

Drew grinned. Of course, the second he did, the Corinth guys started to chant as well. “Hill! Hill! Hill!”?

Soon the field was engulfed by the warring voices.

“Ready!” Coach Lewinter shouted.?

Drew held his breath, and the whistle blew.?

Drew grabbed up his first ball. Downfield, Tank shoved the dummy back and forth with quick, jerking motions. Drew set his feet, pulled back, and let the ball fly.

Please, God . . .

It hit the side of the dummy, right next to the hole, and ricocheted off.?

“Dammit!” he shouted.?

I am so screwed. I am so, so screwed! My accuracy is for crap.?

“It’s okay, man!” someone shouted from the sidelines. “Go again!”?

Drew grabbed another ball. He tried to quiet the negative voices in his head—voices that sounded so much like his dad. He gave it an extra moment this time, attempting to be patient, which was next to impossible with Samson breathing down his neck. Suddenly, the Corinth guys erupted with cheers. Samson had made his throw. Cursing under his breath, Drew pulled back and let fly. The second the ball left his fingers, he knew there was no way . . .?

But then, it slipped through the hole. The Washingtonville guys went nuts. Drew was so stunned he didn’t move for a good second. It was a miracle.?

“Go, Drew! Get your ass in gear!” Jason shouted.?

Drew grabbed another ball, ran to the forty, and let fly. The ball got nothing but net.?

“Yes!” Drew cheered, pumping his fist as he ran back for a third ball. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Samson miss a throw. Feeling vindicated, he shouted a cheer as he grabbed another ball and raced to the thirty.?

Tank was sweating and panting as he shoved the heavy dummy back and forth. The guy was slowing down, which ameliorated Drew’s situation, improving his chances considerably. He took a deep breath as the Corinth guys cheered for Samson, and then he threw the ball.

It went right in.?

I’m on fire! I so have this! Drew thought.?

He sprinted back to the pile, relishing his own speed, and grabbed his fourth ball. Back at the twenty, Drew made another perfect pass. Samson wasn’t even in his line of vision.

One more. Drew ran past Samson, who was making a pass, and grabbed another ball. It was a facile pass from the ten. Tank was barely moving anymore. The pass went right through the hole, and Drew thrust his arms in the air in triumph. The Washingtonville guys poured in from the sidelines and crowded around him, slapping him on the back, jumping up and down and cheering. Drew shouted and laughed and came dangerously close to crying. He couldn’t believe he’d just done that. He’d just beaten the great Samson Hill at an accuracy drill. How was it even possible??

“You did it, man!” Jason shouted, hugging him. “You just validated what we all already knew! You’re the quarterback of this team!”?

“Benson! Benson! Benson!” the guys shouted over the blowing whistles and the shouts of the coaches to break it up. Drew just took it all in, savoring his moment. For the first time since last May, he truly believed he could win this job.?

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“Trey, you have no idea. It was so amazing,” Drew said into the phone that night, pacing back and forth at the foot of his bed. Normally he wasn’t one to emote, especially when it came to hope, but tonight he couldn’t help it. “Honestly, until today I think most of the coaches thought I was a travesty of you, but I don’t know . . . I seriously might have changed that.”?

“Dude. No one thought you were a travesty,” Trey said with a hint of amusement in his voice.?

Drew paused and stared out his window at the glimmering lights along the pathway up to his house. “Well, Dad did. Does. Whatever,” he said, his heart suddenly heavy.?

“Oh, please. You can’t listen to him,” Trey said. “Look, I know Dad carps about football to you, but I think he just wants to make sure you’re working as hard as you can.”?

“What makes him think I’m not? That’s what I want to know. I mean, no offense, but if you didn’t exist, I would have been starting last year. You’re the only reason I wasn’t.”?

“No offense taken. I totally agree with you,” Trey said. “Dad just has a harder time seeing the big picture.”?

“It’s just so exasperating,” Drew said, turning away from the window. He crossed over to his desk chair and sat down and started to spin himself.

“At least he takes an interest in your life. Not a lot of guys can say that about their parents,” Trey said.?

“Dude, I almost wish he were apathetic. At least then I’d get some peace,” Drew said, only half-joking.?

“All right, let’s get off the topic of the despot,” Trey said jovially. “How’s the team doing in general? I’ve been worried about whether the coaches were going to be able to amalgamate the two teams into one.”?

“Yeah, well, sorry to say I can’t allay that concern,” Drew replied, giving himself one last spin. “These Corinth guys have no interest in being Washingtonville Eagles.”?

“Well, you can’t really blame them,” Trey said. “They supported their school as peewees, then played for them for years, and now they have to just give that all up. It can’t be easy.”?

“But it’s not like it’s our fault. They act like the rest of us are totally anathema to all of them,” Drew replied.?

“Yeah, and how are you guys treating them?” Trey asked knowingly.?

“Fine,” Drew lied.?

“Uh-huh. Somehow I don’t quite believe that,” Trey chided. “Look, Drew, you’re gonna have to find a way to cleave the two sides before your first game. This team is going nowhere if it’s at war with itself.”?

“How am I supposed to do that? Believe me, when I say there’s no love lost between the two schools, I’m telling the truth. There’s a complete dearth,” Drew told him.?

“You’ll figure it out, bro. You’re the smart one,” Trey said.

Drew laughed, enjoying the compliment. “You’re right. I am the smart one. So why am I always trying to emulate you?”?

“Search me, dude,” Trey said. “In fact, I should probably go. I have to amend this paper for my World Civ class. If I don’t get it up to my professor’s standards, they’re gonna chuck me out of here before I even get a chance to play in a game. I’ll be looking for a new vocation in no time.”?

“Come on. Seriously?” Drew said. He doubted the veracity of that statement. Everyone knew that athletes—especially ones of Trey’s caliber—got about twenty strikes before they were out. “It’s, like, your first paper.”?

“College isn’t like high school, Drew,” Trey said wistfully. “I mean, I knew that was the case, but I didn’t really think about it. I was too busy focusing on the football part, but I’ve gotta keep my grades up to keep my scholarship. Could you imagine the fit Dad would throw if I got booted?”?

Drew couldn’t imagine it. He couldn’t imagine his father ever saying one negative word to or about Trey. Their relationship had just never been as contentious as the one between Drew and his father. Not even close. But he decided to play along.?

“Yeah, I’ll get to work on your elegy,” he joked.?

“Thanks. Make me look good,” Trey replied. “I’ll talk to you later. And Drew, no matter what happens tomorrow, you’re a kick-ass quarterback.”?

“Thanks, Trey,” Drew replied. “Good luck with your paper.”?

“Thanks.”?

Drew hung up the phone and let his head hang back for a moment, staring up at the glow-in-the-dark galaxy he’d stuck up on his ceiling back in second grade. If only the coaches were in consensus with Trey. Tomorrow could be one of the greatest days of his life. He half-considered asking Trey to call them and talk to them on his behalf. Everyone loved the guy, after all. Maybe a reminder of how much it would mean to Trey if they let Drew carry on his legacy would be a good thing.?

Drew snickered at himself and sat forward again. Like he would ever actually do that. He wasn’t that pathetic. He could stand on his own feet. He could attain his goals without the help of his brother. He’d done a great job that afternoon, and tomorrow would be his coronation as starting quarterback of the Washingtonville Eagles.

It had to be. It just had to be.?

Chapter Six

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Drew sat outside Coach Davidson’s office on Friday afternoon, feeling as if he were on the verge of combustion. Coach had posted the starting roster outside the locker room fifteen minutes before, and total mayhem had ensued as everyone shoved and jostled to the front, trying to get a look at the list. The whole team was animated as they congratulated each other or commiserated over their failures. Their reactions only compounded Drew’s desperation to learn his fate, but when he’d made it up there—about two seconds ahead of Samson—he’d found a note at the very top of the page that read, “Quarterbacks, see me in my office.” And so, there he sat all alone, his anxiety mounting with each passing moment.?

Finally, Samson came around the corner at the end of the hallway, his duffel bag and backpack slung over his shoulder, and slowly approached. He sat down in the chair next to Drew’s and let out a sigh.

“So, why do you think he wants to talk to us?” Samson asked.?

“I have no idea,” Drew replied curtly.?

Samson’s legs bounced up and down, and he shifted in his seat. Drew felt like punching the guy. He was tense enough as it was without Samson acting so edgy right next to him. This whole thing shouldn’t have even been happening. This starting position was supposed to be Drew’s. It was always Drew’s. Until Samson and his teammates descended on Washingtonville like a blight.?

Samson checked his watch and looked at the closed door, the shade drawn over the window that had Coach’s name etched into it.

“Well, this sucks,” Samson joked.?

“For you, maybe,” Drew snapped.?

Samson glared at him, and Drew, as always, felt instant regret, but he didn’t have the time to even think about expressing it. At that moment, the door opened. Drew and Samson jumped to their feet.?

“Gentlemen?” Coach said. “Come on in.”?

This was it. The culmination of all Drew’s hard work, all his hopes and dreams. In five minutes, he would know his fate. He stepped into the tiny office ahead of Samson, and as he sat down in one of the two chairs across the desk from his coach, he studied the man’s familiar face. He tried as hard as he could to construe his expression and figure out what he was thinking, but Coach kept his eyes turned down as he shuffled some papers on his desk.?

He has to grant me clemency, Drew thought. This is my coach. He’s known me for years. He’s worked with me and my brother for years. He has a great affinity for me and my family. And he knows how much this means to me. He has to give me the job. He just has to.?

“How are you guys doing?” Coach asked, looking up for a split second.?

“Good, Coach,” Drew answered automatically.?

“Fine, thanks,” Samson added, clearing his throat.?

“Well, I’m going to be as concise as possible here, guys. No florid speeches or anything. I could sit here and extol your virtues for hours—the both of you—but there’s no point in that. I know this is a tough situation—it’s been a tough decision for me and the other coaches—and as much as I’d like to, I can’t forestall it any longer. We need to start practicing game situations, and for that we need to know who our starting quarterback is.”?

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Drew held his breath. His heart constricted to the point of pain. His anguish was almost blinding.

Please say it’s me. Just say it. Please, please, please.?

He saw himself out on the field, his helmet caked with mud, rain pouring down as he picked out his receiver and made the winning throw. Saw his father cheering for him in the stands. The hope was almost more than he could take.?

Please just say it’s me. Please.?

“Drew, I’m so sorry to have to do this, son, but Samson is our starter.”?

The film playing in Drew’s mind snapped with a sudden violence. Drew felt as if the entire room had just collapsed in on his head. His fingers gripped the arms on his chair, the color drained from his face.?

“Samson, congratulations,” Coach added.?

“Thanks, Coach,” Samson answered.?

“No,” Drew heard himself say.?

“I’m sorry, Drew. This is in no way meant to demean your talents. You’re a great quarterback,” Coach Davidson said. “I just . . . I have to do what’s right for the team.”?

“No, Coach,” Drew said pleadingly, standing up. This could not be happening. There had to be some way to dissuade him. “You can’t do this. You can’t—”?

He looked down at Samson, who was studiously avoiding his gaze. Drew didn’t even know what he was doing, what he was saying. All he could see was Trey celebrating victory after victory. His father’s pride whenever he looked at his brother. All he could see were the many daydreams Drew had fostered over the years, of being carried off the field by his teammates, of being awarded a scholarship to a good school, of celebrating with his family and having that look of pride bestowed on him, go up in smoke.?

“Please,” Drew beseeched his coach. “Please, Coach. Don’t do this.”?

“Drew,” Coach said, clearly affronted by Drew’s weakness. “Keep your equanimity, son.”?

Then this man, this venerated man, looked at Drew with pity in his eyes, and that was all Drew needed to push him over the edge. His anger was almost feral. He’d just been condemned to a life lived squarely in his brother’s shadow. He was never going to get his shot, never going to be able to prove what he could do. For the rest of his days, he was going to have to live vicariously through Trey. He’d have to sit back and watch his brother ascend to new heights while he went nowhere.

“Screw you!” he shouted, grabbing up his stuff. “You and your idiot staff! You have no idea what you’ve done! No clue!”?

“Benson!” the coach shouted, angry now. “I understand that you’re upset, but—”?

Drew didn’t even wait around to hear the rest. He couldn’t spend one more second in the same room as Samson Hill, the epitome of everything that was wrong in his world. He slammed the door as hard as he possibly could, and ran.

Master the vocabulary from this chapter.
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Vocabulary Drill

Chapter Six

abstain · withdraw

accretion · increase

acumen · insight

affinity · liking

affronted · insulted

allay · calm

allocating · distributing

aloof · remote

altercation · argument

amalgamate · meld

ameliorated · helped

amend · revise

anathema · something hated

anguish · pain

animated · lively

apathetic · uninterested

attain · reach

behemoths · giants

beseeched · pleaded

bestowed · given

blight · plague

cadence · tempo

caliber · degree of excellence

carps · complains

chided · scolded

circumscribed · surrounded

cleave · join

clemency · mercy

cloying · overly sweet

combustion · bursting into flame

commiserated · sympathized

compounded · added to

concise · brief

consensus · agreement

construe · read

contentious · touchy

convene · assemble

coronation · crowning

criteria · standards

culmination · conclusion

dearth · lack

demean · degrade

despot · tyrant

dexterity · agility

disgruntled · dissatisfied

disparity · difference

dissuade · deter

duress · pressure

dynamic · energetic

elegy · funeral song/poem

emote · display emotion

emulate · imitate

engulfed · overwhelmed

epitome · embodiment

equanimity · composure

exasperating · frustrating

extol · praise

facile · easy

feral · wild, animal-like

florid · fancy

forestall · delay

impenitent · not sorry

jovially · warmly

mayhem · chaos

nefarious · evil

roster · list

savoring · thoroughly enjoying

studiously · carefully

taciturn · quiet

temperance · self-control

tenuous · weak

travesty · parody

trite · boring, ordinary

validated · confirmed

venerated · respected

veracity · truth

vicariously · secondhand

vindicated · proved correct

vocation · job

vociferous · loud

winsome · charming

wistfully · with yearning

Chapter Seven

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“This isn’t happening. This is not happening,” Drew rambled under his breath as he drove his red XTerra aimlessly through the streets of Washingtonville. The sun poured down on the meticulously kept yards and the expensive cars parked in each and every driveway. A couple of middle school kids tossed a football outside their house and laughed. Drew tensed even further, his fingers gripping the steering wheel. Their happiness seemed to mock him. Those kids still had their whole lives ahead of them. There were still endless possibilities open for them. But for Drew, it was over. Just like that. Every last dream, gone.

Over the years he had invested so much time in dreaming of the day that he’d be out from under Trey’s shadow, gearing himself up for his one chance—his chance to show the world what he could do. His chance to get recruited and earn the accolades and be the one in the spotlight. But now it would never happen. All thanks to Samson.?

And the worst part about it was his complete and total impotence. The lack of control he had over the most important thing in his life. He couldn’t stop Samson and his buddies from invading his school. He’d been forced to accept it. So he’d done that. He’d sucked it up and competed for a job that was supposed to be his from go. And he’d done his best. He’d left everything he had out on that field for the past few weeks. But it hadn’t been enough. The decision, in the end, was his coach’s decision. Drew was powerless to change it.?

He just could not wrap his brain around Coach Davidson’s hypocrisy. All Drew had heard from the man in the last three years was how there was nothing more important to him than Eagles football. But now, in one fell swoop, he’d completely betrayed the entire Eagles team—handing it over to a pack of Corinth Lions. How could the man live with himself? The Corinth guys were ruining everything his team had ever stood for.?

“Why did they have to come here?!” Drew said through his clenched teeth as he turned onto his street. “Why can’t they just go back to their sorry-ass town where they belong?”?

He pulled up in front of his house, and his heart hit the floor. His father’s car was already in the driveway. Drew’s palms started to sweat. There was no way he was going in there. He couldn’t face his father right now, couldn’t even begin to conceive of how he would tell him this news. He saw something move at one of the kitchen windows and slammed on the gas, his heart pounding. That was going to have to wait. That particular torture could wait all night.?

For a long time, Drew just drove without stopping. The moment his cell phone rang, he turned it off and shoved it into his glove compartment.

“Who the hell do these guys think they are?” Drew said to himself. “This was supposed to be my year. My time. They can’t just come in here and take that away from me.”?

Right then, a precipitate idea came to mind. Drew knew exactly what he had to do. At the next light, he hooked a quick left and leaned on the gas. Fifteen minutes later, he was driving past the hackneyed, old street sign that read “Welcome to Corinth.”?

The sun was just starting to dip below the horizon when Drew pulled into a strip mall parking lot. He left his engine running as he jumped out of the car and grabbed the phone book off the shelf under an old pay phone.

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“Hill . . . Hill . . . Hill . . . ,” he repeated as he ran his finger along the listings. Luckily, there was only one Hill in Corinth. He tore the page right out of the book and walked into the convenience store.?

“Excuse me?” he asked the older man behind the counter. “Do you know where River Drive is?”?

The man gave him a dubious look. “Yeah, kid. It’s the next left,” he said pointing out at the street.?

Drew’s heart leapt as his adrenaline pumped faster in his veins. “Thanks.”?

He turned around and shoved his way out into the warm evening air. Five minutes later, Drew pulled up in front of Samson’s house. It was a meager cottage-type home, but it was immaculately clean, and the yard was bursting with plentiful flowers. This town didn’t seem to be ridiculously poor to Drew. Couldn’t they have just kept their damn school open one more year??

Drew killed the engine and, functioning on pure ire and vengefulness, stormed up the front walk. He pounded on the door with the side of his fist.

“I got it! I got it!” he heard Samson shout from inside.?

The door swung open, and there he stood. His brown eyes registered surprise. “Drew, man. What’re you doing here? You wanna come in?”?

“No, man,” Drew said, his nostrils flaring as he attempted to keep his breathing even. “I think you should come out.”?

Samson’s expression darkened as he glanced down at Drew’s clenched fists.

“Samson! Who is it?” a woman called out from inside.?

“Just a friend from school, Mom,” Samson said dryly. “I’ll be right back.”?

“Okay, but dinner’s in fifteen minutes!” she called back.?

“Don’t worry. This won’t take long,” Samson told her. He closed the door behind him. “So we’re gonna do this now, huh?” he said, crossing his arms over his chest.?

“Yeah. We are,” Drew said, backing up a few steps.

All he wanted to do in the world was punch Samson in the face. He wanted to see the guy go down. He wanted, for once, to feel like he had some kind of power over his situation.?

“You couldn’t have picked a more opportune time?” Samson asked casually, like this was just a social call. “My mom and brothers are right inside. We’re about to sit down to dinner, for God’s sake.”?

“I care?” Drew said.?

“So, what are you hoping to accomplish here, man?” Samson asked, lifting his shoulders. “You think kicking my ass is gonna make you feel better?”

“It’s a start,” Drew said.

“You have no clue what you’re doing, Benson,” Samson said, standing in the center of his yard.

“Oh, I don’t?” Drew spat, his anger growing.?

“Let’s say we do get into it. Let’s say we beat the crap out of each other right here and now,” Samson said. “How’re you going to explain it to coach? How’re you going to justify the fact that we’re all bruised up with, what, broken fingers and sprained wrists and whatever else? You think that’s really gonna win you points? You think us killing each other is really gonna integrate our team?”?

“I don’t give a crap about integrating the team!” Drew shouted. “You came in and took my team away from me! So what the hell do I care what happens now?”?

Samson pulled his face back as if he’d just been slapped. He looked at Drew like he was out of his mind.

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“You have no idea what you did to me when you transferred. You have no freaking clue,” Drew continued, pacing in front of him. “My brother is a football prodigy. I have lived every single day of my life overshadowed by his perfection. And the only way I have gotten through the past seventeen years—the only way I have been able to preserve even the tiniest hope, was knowing that one day he would graduate and the team would be mine. That one day I would have my shot. But no. No! Instead, you just waltz right in and take over. Thanks to you, I have nothing!”?

Drew glared at Samson, waiting for all this to sink in, waiting for him to grasp the depth of disappointment that Drew was dealing with. Waiting for even the slightest remorseful response. But instead, Samson smirked.?

“Wow, man. How very prosaic. Poor little rich boy. You want me to shed a tear for you?”?

Drew clenched his teeth, shaking his head. This guy had no idea who he was dealing with. “I swear to you man—”?

“You think I wanted your stupid-ass team? You think I like this situation?” Samson shouted. “I would love to know where your closed little mind comes up with these notions of yours. Are you really that ineffably stupid?”?

“What did you just say to me?” Drew asked, advancing a step.?

Samson didn’t even flinch. “Come on, man! It’s not like I wanted to come to your damn school! Do you realize what this is like for me? I had to start at a whole new school my senior year. I had to give up my old team, my colors. I had to swallow my pride and go to play for our rivals! And every single day I walk through those doors I got people looking at me like I’m a pariah, when I used to be the school hero. But oh yeah. This was all a machination on my part. I couldn’t wait to get to Washingtonville and take over your precious team,” he finished sarcastically.?

Drew’s mind felt suddenly hollow. He opened his mouth to respond, but he’d been rendered inarticulate. The truth was he’d never really seen it that way, never really tried to look at the situation from Samson’s point of view.?

Clearly, coming here tonight had been a major indiscretion. It hadn’t made him feel any better. If anything, he felt worse. His adrenaline rush started to wane, and he looked at the ground.?

“It’s a heinous situation, man,” Samson said finally, quietly. “But we’re both in it.”?

Drew shook his head. No matter what Samson said, Drew still couldn’t see the two of them as being on an even keel. Samson still had a future, he was still getting every single thing that Drew had ever wanted, and Drew was still screwed. There wasn’t even a remote similarity between their conditions.?

“Yeah, well, at least you’re gonna play in college, Hill,” he said sorrowfully. He lifted his face and looked Samson in the eye. “I’m not even gonna play in high school.”?

And with that, with his entire life reduced to that one sorry statement of fact, he turned around and walked back to his car.

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Page 4

“Oh, what—are you kidding me?!” Coach Davidson roared from the sidelines on Monday afternoon. “I cannot recall a more sorry showing by a group of receivers in my life! What is wrong with you people today!?”?

Tossing a ball back and forth on the track with John Washburn, Drew could barely repress a laugh. All afternoon he’d been working out the second-stringers, but they were currently on a break while the first-string offense practiced against the first-string D. Samson had been throwing passes for two full hours, but he was only completing about 25 percent of those passes. His accuracy with the Corinth guys wasn’t half bad. But with the Washingtonville guys he was somehow having less success.

Possibly because all the Washingtonville guys had sworn their allegiance to Drew before practice and had spent the whole day making imperceptible shifts to their sprints and routes, just to throw Samson off.?

“Run it again!” Coach screamed, looking like he was about to burst a blood vessel.?

“This is ridiculous,” one of the second-string guys from Corinth said to a friend. “Could it be any more obvious what they’re doing?”?

“Adam and Lance are gonna go off at the Corinthian tonight,” the kid replied.

“No doubt. It’s gonna be even worse than last week.”?

Drew glanced at John, curious. What were these two morons talking about? Did the Corinth guys have weekly meetings to discuss their scorn for their Washingtonville teammates? And why hadn’t Drew thought of that??

Out on the field, Samson was attempting to talk to Dirk. Dirk was boldly ignoring him.

“I said run it again!” Coach shouted.?

The guys lined up, but Samson was shaking his head in frustration. Still, he did as he was told. The center hiked the ball. Samson dropped back. He lobbed a perfectly arcing pass to Dirk—and the ball bounced right off Dirk’s hands.?

“Dirk! What the hell?! This is pathetic! You could catch that ball with your eyes closed!” Coach shouted. “What’s the problem today?”?

“The problem is your quarterback is incompetent,” Drew said under his breath.?

A few of the Washingtonville guys on the sidelines laughed this time. They couldn’t help it. The day was getting long, and they’d been holding back forever. Coach whirled on them, his eyes aflame, and slowly, realization dawned on his face. Glaring directly at Drew, he lifted his whistle and blew. Hard.?

“Team! Get your asses to the fifty!” he screamed. “That means all of you!”?

“This should be interesting,” Drew said under his breath to John as they jogged to the center of the field.?

“Better stay a safe distance,” John replied, holding his helmet ?by the grill. “He explodes and we could all be propelled right into next season.”?

Drew did his best to hide his smile as they joined the rest of the team, who, for the first time all year, were all wearing the red and white. The practice uniforms had finally arrived, and the Corinth guys had been forced to give up their old colors before practice—finally. Although not one of them had been happy about it. As the team gathered, the first-stringers were all out of breath, sweat pouring down from their temples and soaking the collars of their mostly new shirts. Drew crossed his arms over his chest, eyeing them with envy. What he wouldn’t give to be half dead right then. To be part of that starting unit.?

“Take a knee,” Coach ordered.?

The team dropped as one, leaning on their helmets. The rest of the coaching staff gathered around Coach Davidson.?

“Well, men, we are off to an inauspicious start here, I must say,” Coach said strolling along the front of the group. “I am just mystified by your performance today,” he continued, in a dramatic tone that told them all he knew exactly what was going on. “Guys who could catch a 747 last week seem to be afraid of a hard pass today. Your routes are all off. Your speed is lacking. To what could we possibly attribute these strange anomalies?”

He looked the squad over with his discerning eye. “Anyone? Samson? You got any clue?”?

Samson cast a sidelong glance at Drew. “No, Coach.”?

“What about you, Benson?” he asked.?

“I’m just second string, coach,” Drew replied, earning a round of chuckles from his friends.?

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Page 5

Coach narrowed his eyes. He stood before them and crossed his arms over his chest, drawing himself up in a way that made him appear somehow larger than life.

“Well, let me explain something to you gentlemen,” he said. “There is absolutely no way this team is going to rise to any level of prominence in this league if this kind of buffoonery continues. That is nothing but an immutable fact!” he shouted. “Now if you all think that this school has to have a football team, then you are operating under a grave misconception.”?

A bunch of the guys laughed and started jawing at that one.?

“Do I look like I’m kidding?!” Coach blared, silencing them.?

Drew swallowed hard. Coach had to be jesting. There was no way the school board wanted to dissolve the varsity football team. It was a completely irrational idea. The program was the pride of the school, of the whole damn town.?

“Coach, you can’t be serious,” Clay said bravely.?

“Believe me, kid. I’m not kidding,” Coach Davidson said. “The possibility has already been discussed by the school board. And right now, I’m not all that optimistic about our chances. This team is supposed to be the pride of this school. You’re supposed to engender school spirit, not help rend the place right down the middle. The last thing the school board wants is for you guys to become a detriment to the school’s integration. If that happens, then all we are is a mockery of what we used to be.”?

Drew looked over at Jason, who was hanging his head. This was very not good.?

“If you guys don’t suck it up and get your act together, if you don’t restore some pride to yourselves and your team, there will be no salvaging this season,” Coach continued, unrelenting. “And trust me, if you seniors don’t play this year, you won’t be reaping the rewards you’ve been expecting. We’re talking no scouts, no scholarships, no nothing.”?

Drew automatically, inexplicably, looked over at Samson, and Samson glared right back.?

“Now I am not going to spend my season mediating between two groups of overgrown children with egos the size of my Buick!” Coach Davidson continued. “That is just a waste of my time! Do you want to waste my time?”?

“No, Coach,” the team answered half-heartedly.?

“Is that really all you’ve got!?” he shouted.?

“No, Coach!” the replied, a bit more loudly.?

Coach Davidson’s face was lined with exhaustion and disappointment. “You know what? You aren’t even worth impugning further,” he said, waving a hand. “Get the hell out of my sight.”?

Drew’s heart was in his throat. There was still an hour left of practice. Nobody moved a muscle.?

“What are you—deaf now too?” he shouted. “I said get the hell out of my sight!”?

A bunch of the guys jumped up, and Drew followed slowly. He had never heard of Coach calling a practice early. Usually, Coach was inexorable about his punishments. They included more physical torture, not less.

“He must be really pissed,” Jason said under his breath.?

“You use this reprieve to think about what you want out of this season,” Coach called after them as they trudged as a group toward school. “I had better see some penitent faces on this field come tomorrow!”?

“No kidding,” Drew said.?

He and his friends glared at Samson and his pack of followers as they stormed by, all stone-faced and indignant. As if Drew’s friends were the cause of all this.?

“This is just perfect. Thanks to these assholes we might not even have a team anymore,” Clay said.?

“What the hell are we gonna do, Benson?” John asked.?

Drew clenched his jaw, feeling a rush of pride. They were still looking to him to lead, even after everything that had happened. Even after his own coach had stripped away that right.?

“We’re gonna start fighting back,” he said.?

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Page 6

That night, Drew drove around Washingtonville on a mission. He had called Clay and Dirk, two guys with more school spirit than anyone he knew, and informed them of his plan, knowing full well that they were just reckless enough to participate. Then he had called Jason as well, but with his best friend he held back on the details. Jason had always been a bit more prudent than the rest of Drew’s friends, and he had a feeling that if Jay knew the truth he’d beg out.?

When he pulled up in front of Jason’s house with Clay and Dirk kicked back in his backseat, Jason was waiting on the front step in his varsity jacket.

“Dude! Come on! Let’s get this party started!” Dirk shouted out the window. Jason jumped up with a grin and jogged over, more than ready to join in the merriment. He opened the side door and dropped into the passenger seat, reaching for the seat belt.?

“What’s up, guys? Where’re we going? I’m starved,” Jason said. “My mom is making meatloaf in there, and it was all I could do to keep from scarfing the whole thing down.”?

Drew caught Clay’s glance in the rearview mirror, and they both laughed.?

“You are such a mama’s boy, Jay!” Clay cried, bringing his huge hand down on Jason’s shoulder.?

“Yeah, yeah,” Jason said, blushing as Drew peeled out. “So where do you want to go? Chili’s? McMurray’s? I could go for a burger—”?

“Actually, I’ve already predetermined our destination,” Drew said as he made a right at the end of Jason’s street.?

“Oh yeah?” Jason asked cluelessly. “Where’re we going?”?

“We’re checking out a new place,” Dirk said from the backseat. “It’s called . . . the Corinthian Diner.”?

As Clay and Dirk cackled and slapped hands, Drew looked at Jason out of the corner of his eye. Jason’s face had lost all color.

“The Corinthian Diner,” Jason repeated flatly. “Isn’t that where all the guys from Corinth hang out?”?

“Don’t worry, man,” Clay said as he cracked each knuckle one by one. “I hear they’ve completely refurbished it. It’s less of a hellhole now.”?

“Yeah. It’s just a hole,” Dirk joked, which doubled Clay over.

Jason shook his head and stared out the window, his jaw set. “I don’t believe this. This was your plan from the beginning, wasn’t it?” he said to Drew. “You tricked me into coming on this suicide mission.”?

“You make it sound so insidious,” Drew replied, clucking his tongue. “It’s not a suicide mission.”?

“Oh, so you don’t think we’re gonna walk in there and get our asses kicked,” Jason replied.?

The guys in the backseat cracked up laughing all over again. “Dude. Grow some balls!” Clay shouted.

“Don’t worry, Mary. We’ll protect you,” Dirk added, reaching over the back of his seat to ruffle his hair.?

“I don’t need you to protect me,” Jason replied, shoving Dirk’s hand away. “I just want to know what, exactly, the objective is here. What are you hoping to accomplish by striding into the middle of their sacred ground?”?

“I just want them to see how it feels, that’s all,” Drew said, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. They were just passing the town line and entering Corinth. There was no turning back now. “They’re the ones who set the precedent. We’re just returning the favor.”?

“And has it totally escaped your attention that those guys didn’t want to invade our space?” Jason pointed out, turning his palms up in his lap. “Don’t you think it’s a little indecorous to just try to take over theirs?”?

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Page 7

Drew’s skin felt tight. He could feel Jason staring him down, but he chose to ignore the semi-decent point he made.?

“Dude, why did we pick this guy up?” Dirk asked, miffed. He sat back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re just bringing me down, man.”?

“Well, I apologize for trying to be the voice of reason,” Jason replied.?

“Here’s some reason for you, Einstein. It’s a free country. There’s no statute against guys from Washingtonville eating at diners in Corinth,” Clay said, his eyes flashing with anger. “Just like there’s no statute against the damn state opening up our school to whatever losers they want us to take in.”?

“There it is!” Clay announced, leaning forward again.?

Up ahead on the four-lane road, the neon Corinthian Diner sign was illuminated against the rapidly darkening sky. Drew’s heart pounded swiftly against his ribcage, feeling much like it did right before every JV game he’d played in the last two years. He knew this feeling. Relished it. He was primed for battle.?

Drew pulled into the parking lot, a hodgepodge of older, bruised and battered vehicles, and started searching for a space. A family of four stared at his car as it rolled by. Drew supposed his brand new red XTerra wasn’t exactly inconspicuous among the used autos that prevailed.?

“Oh God. They’re all staring at us,” Jason said, glancing up at the diner windows. Sure enough, a dozen curious faces looked down from booths—some of which Drew recognized from school—scrutinizing Drew’s ride. He fixed his eyes straight ahead, trying to look unaffected and failing miserably. “There’s no way they’re gonna even let us in there.”?

“You really think they’re gonna prohibit us?” Clay asked. “What, do they have bouncers at the diners on this side of the tracks?”?

“We can still bail, man,” Jason said, ignoring Clay.?

“No we can’t,” Drew said. “Especially not if they’ve seen us.”?

Drew finally pulled into a spot and killed the engine. He was shaking a bit as he got out of the car, but he ignored it. He refused to look up at the windows again. There was no way he was giving those guys the pleasure of seeing him sweat.?

“Let’s do this,” he said, once everyone was out of the car.?

Drew led his pack of peers over to the front door. He drew himself up to his full height as he walked inside, squaring his shoulders and lifting his chin. The atmosphere in the diner was convivial. Lots of chatter and laughter and clanging of plates. The only area of the restaurant that had fallen silent was the back corner, where it seemed every singly guy from the Corinth football team sat at five smaller tables pushed together. Around them were another half dozen tables of girls and guys Drew had seen around school. All told, Drew and his friends were probably outnumbered six or seven to one. Bad enough odds to repel anyone with a brain and send them right back out the door. Adam Lazarus, Lance Crowe, and Samson Hill all stood up, looking like an indomitable wall of humanity. For the first time, Drew was overcome by a momentary lack of confidence about this plan. Then Clay brought his hand down on Drew’s shoulder, and he remembered—he had his own indomitable wall of humanity with him. Samson’s friends were inconsequential next to Clay and Dirk. Hopefully.?

“Can I . . . uh . . . help you?” a middle-aged woman asked, coming out from behind the register.?

“Yes, please. Would you mind procuring a table for us?” Drew asked politely.?

“Are you sure?” the woman asked, glancing over her shoulder at the Corinth guys, who were now whispering to one another. Gradually, all the other Corinth people were taking notice, turning to stare.?

“Unless we needed to reserve something ahead of time,” Clay put in, with a smirk in his voice.?

The woman shot him a look. She was not amused. She grabbed four plastic menus out of a basket. “Right this way.”?

As Drew took his seat in the vinyl booth, the family across the way eyed him and his friends like they were an aberration, sitting there in their Washingtonville jackets in the middle of Corinth. Drew felt that unmistakable thrill of victory, along with a sizzle of what was to come. The infiltration was complete, but the real fun was just about to start.?

Vocabulary Drill

Chapter Seven

aberration · abnormality

aimlessly · without destination

anomalies · irregularities

attribute · designate

buffoonery · clowning

convivial · friendly

detriment · something harmful

discerning · shrewd

dissolve · break up

dubious · questioning

engender · start

heinous · monstrous

hodgepodge · jumble

hypocrisy · two-facedness

illuminated · lit up

immaculately · spotlessly

immutable · unchangeable

imperceptible · barely noticeable

impotence · helplessness

impugning · verbally attacking

inarticulate · speechless

inauspicious · unimpressive

incompetent · useless

inconsequential · irrelevant

inconspicuous · hard to notice

indecorous · rude

indiscretion · mistake

indomitable · unconquerable

ineffably · unspeakably

inexorable · relentless

infiltration · penetration

insidious · sinister

integrate · combine

invested · put in

ire · anger

irrational · foolish

jesting · joking

justify · rationalize

machination · plot

meager · small

mediating · reconciling

merriment · fun

meticulously · carefully

miffed · annoyed

misconception · delusion

momentary · brief

mystified · bewildered

notions · ideas

objective · goal

opportune · appropriate

optimistic · hopeful

overshadowed · dwarfed

pariah · outcast

pathetic · feeble

peers · companions

penitent · regretful

precedent · standard

precipitate · sudden

predetermined · arranged

procuring · obtaining

prodigy · phenomenon

prominence · distinction

propelled · pushed

prosaic · dull

prudent · careful

rambled · talk wanderingly

reaping · gathering

recall · remember

refurbished · renovated

registered · displayed

remorseful · regretful

remote · distant

rend · tear

rendered · made

repel · keep away

repress · hold back

reprieve · pardon

restore · reestablish

salvaging · saving

scorn · contempt

statute · rule

unrelenting · unceasing

vengefulness · bitterness

Chapter Eight

Page 1

Drew feigned interest in the standard diner menu as the boisterous atmosphere returned to the diner. He could feel the guys from Corinth staring him down from the opposite side of the room—could practically hear them plotting their next moves—and wondered when they were going to get this thing started already.?

“So, what looks good to you guys?” Drew asked loudly.?

“Nothing. This place is a dive, man,” Dirk replied in a booming voice.?

Jason hung his head, which just irritated Drew. He had known that Jason wouldn’t love being pulled into this without his knowledge, but he had assumed that once he was in, he would have Drew’s back. Instead, he was sitting there looking guilty as sin. The last thing he wanted Samson and his pals to know was that one of Drew’s right-hand men was actually a dissenter to this whole plan.?

Drew was just about to say something to Jason when he saw Samson make his move out of the corner of his eye. He walked away from the rest of his friends, making placating hand motions like he was telling a bunch of rabid dogs to stay. As he headed down the aisle between booths toward Drew, Drew warned his friends.?

“Here it comes,” he said through his teeth.?

They all struck poses of complete innocence as Samson finally arrived.?

“What are you doing here, man?” Samson asked, crossing his arms over his Corinth jacket.?

“Getting something to eat,” Drew replied nonchalantly. “Actually, the confections in the case over there look simply scrumptious,” he joked, lifting his chin toward the glass dessert case. “What do you recommend?”?

“I recommend you get up outta that seat and walk your ass out the door before you get yourself killed,” Samson said acerbically.?

Clay and Dirk snorted. Jason shifted his seat, slumping and bringing his hand up to his forehead like he was wondering how he’d gotten there. Drew simply stared up at Samson.?

“Wow. What happened to the always cordial and conciliatory Samson Hill I’ve grown to know and love?” Drew asked sarcastically.?

“I am being cordial,” Samson replied. “Trust me, man. You don’t want to be here right now.”?

Drew glanced past Samson at the back of the restaurant. There were more guys standing now, glowering in his direction. Samson did have a point. If this went down the way he knew it would, he was going to end up pulverized. But backing down now would be even worse. Backing down now would make him a coward.?

“Well, you make a compelling argument,” Drew said finally. “But I think we’ll stay.”?

“No one wants you here, man,” Samson said loudly, causing the noise level in the diner to dim slightly.

“I have to disagree with you there, Samson!”?

Crystal Marx sauntered up behind Samson and sat down next to Drew, brazenly lifting her leg and hooking it over his, since there technically wasn’t room for her on the small bench with him and Jason. Drew nearly balked at the totally daring and inappropriate move but managed to keep a straight face. Demure, Crystal was not, and today it served his purposes. He wanted to antagonize these guys, and from the sudden murmur in the back of the room, he could tell that her move had done just that.

“How you doing, Drew?” She asked, throwing her arm around his shoulder to better get her balance. “Welcome to Corinth.”?

Behind Samson, Drew saw the colossus that was Tank Langford rise out of his chair for the first time. His expression was beyond belligerent. Drew swallowed back a sudden lump in his throat but kept right on with his plan.?

“Thanks, Crystal. At least someone around here is accommodating,” he said, smiling up at Samson.?

“Yeah, well, Crystal’s never been known for her discretion,” Samson said, his expression darkening, as Tank slowly walked up behind him.?

Crystal laughed and rolled her eyes. “Ouch. That hurt,” she said flatly, making it clear that it didn’t hurt at all.?

“Crystal,” Tank said, his voice rumbling. “Get away from these guys.”?

Drew glanced across the table at Clay, who raised his eyebrows with interest.?

Chapter Eight

Page 2

Crystal laughed, clearly loving the attention. “What are you afraid they’re gonna do, Tank? Abduct me and take me off to live in some ivory tower in Washingtonville? Well I’ve got news. It’s not a crime if I go willingly,” she said, reaching down to squeeze Drew’s knee, which almost made him jump.?

Tank’s eyes narrowed. “I said get your ass off that boy’s lap.”?

“Tank, we broke up, remember?” Crystal said, running her fingers up into Drew’s hair on the back of his head. “I can sit my ass wherever I want to.”?

“Get up right now,” Tank demanded.?

Drew’s heart started to pound anew. Crystal was all defiance. “No.”?

“Get up!” Tank shouted, grabbing for her arm.?

Crystal jumped off the vinyl seat and wrenched herself away from Tank. Suddenly Drew found himself standing as well, getting between her and her aggressor, whose nickname was well deserved. He had two inches on Drew—who was one of the tallest guys he knew—and was about as broad as a bus.

“I don’t know about you, man, but where I’m from we don’t treat girls that way,” Drew spat, looking Tank up and down with antipathy.?

“Then you don’t even want to know how I treat punks who get in my way,” Tank said, stepping right up to Drew. Clay and Dirk shoved themselves out of the booth as a bunch of guys from the back of the diner rushed forward. A few chairs toppled along their way, and a glass shattered somewhere. Even Jason attempted to get up, but couldn’t, since Drew and Tank were blocking his way out of the booth. He ended up half kneeling on the bench, his fists clenched.?

“Hey! Hey! Hey!” An older man in a button-down sweater and slacks came running over and got in behind Drew. He was clearly the manager of the place and was obviously scared out of his mind. “If you kids are gonna continue to accost each other, I’d rather you take it outside before things get out of hand and you completely deface my business.”?

Drew stared Tank town, his nostrils flaring as his breathing came hard and fast. He looked around at the families in the nearby tables—at a couple of little girls looking timidly up at them. The last thing he wanted to do was capitulate, but he didn’t want anyone else to get hurt either. Besides, in the parking lot there were fewer potential weapons lying around. No forks, knives, glasses, plates, ketchup bottles. Could be better for everyone.?

“Fine,” Drew said finally. “Let’s take this outside.”?

He turned around to head for the door, and someone shoved him in the back with two hands. Drew’s stomach swooped as he flew forward and just had time to brace his hands against the floor before his knees slammed down on the linoleum. There was a huge ruckus behind him, and by the time he had shoved himself to his feet, the entire diner had descended into chaos. The innocent bystanders flew in all directions, looking for a safe route to the door. Fists flew, jaws cracked, someone had their fingers gripped around Jason’s face and was shoving him to the ground.

That was all Drew needed to see to spur him into action, and he threw himself into the melee. All around Drew, plates crashed, curses were flung, guys shouted out in pain. Random body parts hit him in the jaw, the neck, the stomach. Before long, Tank found him in the mess, yanking him off of Adam Lazarus, who had pinned Jason to the floor. Drew didn’t even have time to react before Tank’s huge oven mitt of a fist came down right across his face. His eye popped, like it was coming right out of its socket, and blood spurted from his nose. Drew reeled around and punched at random, somehow landing a solid right hook across Tank’s face, but then someone else grabbed him around the neck and dragged him away, choking for air.

Drew grabbed behind his head, trying to get a hold of whoever had a hold of him, his legs flailing for purchase. He saw a coffee mug on a table as he was being hauled by and groped for it, then slammed it back into the side of the guy’s head. The guy groaned and let him go. Drew gasped for breath as he hit the floor. When he turned around he saw Samson Hill holding his skull with both hands.

“What is the matter with you, man?” Samson demanded, checking his hand for blood and finding none. “Do you have some aversion to logic?”?

Drew reached out and shoved him backward, where Samson slammed into the counter. The middle-aged woman, crouching behind it, screamed.

“Let’s do this!” Drew shouted, his adrenaline taking over.?

Samson glared at him. “Fine. If this is what you really want, then fine.” He yanked his jacket off and threw it on the counter. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”?

Drew hated him for his total calm and poise. Seething, he grabbed hold of Samson’s sweatshirt with his left hand while pulling back with his right. This was it. He was finally going to get a chance to show this guy what he was made of. His fist came forward and met the side of Samson’s jaw with a satisfying crack.?

And at that moment, a dozen Corinth cops rushed the diner.?

Chapter Eight

Page 3

“How am I supposed to get my car?” Drew demanded from the back of the police cruiser as it made its way back toward Washingtonville. He pulled the piece of bloody gauze away from his nose and checked it, trying to discern whether he was still bleeding. The stain looked old—dark and stale. No fresh red in sight.?

“Maybe you should have thought about that before you came over to Corinth to start trouble,” the short, squat officer behind the wheel suggested.?

“You do realize those guys are going to defile my car,” Drew said, sitting forward. He shoved the used gauze in his pocket, figuring this guy wouldn’t exactly condone littering in his vehicle. “They’ve probably already taken a baseball bat to the headlights. They probably started in on it the second you guys were gone.”?

“My condolences,” the cop said with a laugh.?

Drew’s face turned beet red. “What the hell kind of cop are you?” he spat.?

“The kind that doesn’t appreciate being talked back to by a spoiled brat who caused a huge fight that I had to break up when I was right in the middle of my meatball sub,” the cop replied, meeting Drew’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “Now I suggest you sit back before I decide you deserve more than a censure for tonight.”?

Finally, Drew did as he was told. Next to Drew, Jason let out a despondent sigh, staring out the window in an abject pose as the street lights flashed by. He had a nasty-looking bruise forming around his right eye and a scratch that ran from his chin all the way up to his ear. Drew half wanted to apologize, half wanted to throttle the kid. Didn’t he realize that tonight had to happen? Who cared if they were all battered and bruised? They had to go over to Corinth and show those guys that they weren’t going to just back down. Didn’t Jason have any pride??

“Unbelievable,” Drew said under his breath. “These guys are totally biased. They grabbed all of us at the diner and totally gave the Corinth guys time to disperse. Now he’s treating me like this is all my fault.”?

Jason looked over at Drew, his expression incredulous.?

“What!?” Drew blurted.?

“Dude, this is all your fault. You’re the one who thought it would be such a fabulous idea to go over there,” Jason admonished. “My mom thought I was going out for a burger with my friends, and now she’s gonna look out the window and see me getting dragged home by the cops. Do you have any idea the level of hissy fit she’s going to throw?”?

“Hey, I am not totally culpable for what went down tonight,” Drew replied. “We could have just walked in there, had some food, and left. They’re the one’s that got all up in our faces.”?

“Yeah, and you weren’t at all thinking that us walking in to their hangout would inspire an adverse reaction from Samson and those guys,” Jason said. “Please, Drew. Everyone in this car knows why you really went over there.”?

“Dude, shut up,” Drew said under his breath, his eyes darting toward the cop. His head was pounding, and the pain was not at all abated by Jason’s little tirade.?

“He’s not going to arrest you. He already told us all we were only getting a warning,” Jason said as the cop chuckled under his breath. “I just don’t want to sit here anymore and pretend like we don’t all know what’s going on. You have a death wish, man,” Jason told Drew, his green eyes flashing.?

Drew’s jaw dropped. “I do not!”?

“Yeah, you do. But I don’t. So I’d appreciate it if, next time you decide to throw yourself to the wolves, you don’t take me with you,” Jason said.?

The cop pulled up in front of Jason’s house and put the car in park. “This it?” he asked.?

“Yeah, this is it,” Jason said with a sigh. He reached for the door handle, but there was none. He shot Drew one, last, annoyed look as the cop got out to set him free.?

“Thanks,” he said to the officer.?

“Sounds like you should maybe be more canny about whom you choose to hang out with in the future,” the cop told him.?

“He’s a good guy,” Jason said diplomatically. “It’s not his fault he’s so pissed off.”?

Chapter Eight

Page 4

Drew’s fingers curled into fists as the cop laughed. He couldn’t believe his best friend was talking about him like he wasn’t even there. Normally he was a big fan of Jason’s candor, but just then he wished he could knock the guy’s mouth off.

The officer got back in behind the wheel. Drew clenched his jaw, his pulse racing faster and faster the closer they got to his house. Maybe his parents wouldn’t see the police car pull up. Maybe he could just disavow the whole thing. But even if he could get inside the house without incident, his dad would notice that his car was missing in the morning. Unless he could sneak out before his dad and maybe get a ride back to Corinth to get his car. Then he could just say he went out early to work out. Yeah. That could work. That wasn’t a bad plan at all . . .?

But when the house finally came into view, he felt like two tiny vices were compressing his head from either side. His mother and father were already waiting at the living room window. Either Dirk’s or Jason’s parents had already called them. This was not going to be pretty.?

“All right, kid. Here we go,” the cop said, stopping the car. “Now I’d like to kindly ask you to eschew all future field trips to my humble town. We don’t want an encore of what happened tonight. ’Cause next time, you won’t be getting just a warning.”?

He got out of the car and came around to open Drew’s door. Drew put his feet out on the curb, but hesitated. His parents were at the door now. His mother looked concerned. His father was all ire.?

“What’s the matter? Aren’t you happy to be home?” the cop asked with a laugh in his voice.

“Ecstatic,” Drew replied sarcastically.?

He got out and, after trying to level the cop with a glare and getting nothing but a jolly wave in return, headed across the lawn.

“What the hell is the matter with you, Drew!?” his father greeted him. His mother grabbed his face with both hands to check the damage.?

“I’m fine, Dad, thanks for asking,” Drew said flatly, freeing himself from his mom and walking right past him and into the house.?

“I really want to know what you think you were doing!” his father shouted, slamming the door behind him. “Going over to Corinth to pick a fight? In all the years your brother played in rivalry games with the high security and the taunting and the threats, he never once did anything so downright disaffected and stupid as—”?

Something inside of Drew snapped. The cumulative effect of years and years of being negatively compared to his brother finally broke the thin protective wall around his heart. And he let it fly.?

“Of course he didn’t!” Drew shouted, whirling on his father. His mother flinched backward, nearly taking out a priceless vase, but Drew couldn’t stop himself even for her. “Of course the exalted Trey Benson was never quite as dumb and pugilistic and talentless as I am! Well here’s some news for you, Dad. I’m not Trey!” he screamed, feeling as if every vein in his body were splitting open. “And I am sick and tired of being compared to him. I am not Trey, and I will never be Trey! But I get the message, all right? I do. Trey is the one that you want. And I am the antithesis of every single thing the golden boy stands for. So fine. You don’t give a crap about me, then why don’t you just leave me…the hell…alone!?”?

With that, Drew turned his back on his stunned parents and stormed upstairs to his room.?

Chapter Eight

Page 5

Drew rose early on a cloudy, drab Tuesday morning, exhausted and feeling as if he weighed two thousand pounds. He dragged himself into the bathroom and looked at his disheveled appearance in the mirror. There was a bruise on his cheekbone that overnight had darkened into a nice purple, and the cut near his eye was caked with dried blood. Bracing himself for an unpleasant experience, Drew got in the shower. The cut stung like mad when the shampoo hit it, and his elbow and shoulder radiated pain every time he moved. For the first time since losing his starting spot to Samson, he felt lucky to be a second-stringer. There was no way he could throw a ball with this arm, let alone hundreds of them. After dressing carefully, Drew snuck downstairs, wincing with every creak of the boards under his feet. He paused in the foyer. He could hear his father getting ready in his bedroom at the back of the house. Perfect. Drew grabbed his keys off the table near the door and walked out, closing the door behind him with an almost inaudible click.?

Freedom. Drew took a deep breath of the cool, moist, morning air and turned around. He could not wait to get behind the wheel of his truck and go. But the moment he saw the configuration of cars in the driveway, he stopped. Last night, after letting him cool off for an hour, his mother had knocked on his door and suggested they go pick up the XTerra, which Drew had been more than happy to do. When they’d gotten home, Drew had parked his car behind his mother’s, as always, with his father’s next to his mom’s. But now, his car was in the front spot with both his parents’ cars parked behind him, blocking him in.?

Still groggy from a long night with barely any sleep, it took Drew a long moment to recover from his surprise and deduce what had happened. But when he did realize the truth, his face prickled with heat.?

His father. His father must have stolen out here in the middle of the night and shuffled all the cars around. His passive-aggressive way of telling Drew that he was grounded.?

The door behind Drew opened and out stepped his father, all smiles. “Oh, good morning, son,” he said cheerfully. He snatched the keys that were still dangling from Drew’s hand. “Good. Glad you’re up early. You’re going to need that extra time to walk to school.”?

Next door, Mrs. Shahanian came out of her house for her paper and waved. Drew lifted a hand, trying to pretend everything was fine.?

“You couldn’t just tell me that I was grounded?” Drew asked through his teeth.?

His father was already halfway down the walk, but he turned and looked at Drew quizzically. “And how, exactly, was I supposed to do that when you were spouting insults in my face?” he said loudly.?

Mrs. Shahanian paused. Across the street, Mr. Cross looked up with curiosity as he made his way to his car,.?

Drew’s stance shifted. Suddenly all the grogginess was gone. “Insults? I was insulting you? That’s hilarious, Dad.”?

His father cocked his head. “How so?”?

“Because all you ever do is insult me,” Drew replied.?

“I think you’re exaggerating just a tad there, don’t you, Drew?” His father looked down his nose at him.?

Out of the corner of his eye, Drew saw a blue Ford Focus pull slowly around the corner. Something about it was familiar, but he wasn’t sure why until it paused in front of his house and he could see the driver. His heart dropped. It was Samson Hill. Suddenly, all of Drew’s anger evaporated. All he wanted to do was cut this thing short so that Samson wouldn’t witness his father verbally castigating him in front of the entire neighborhood.?

“Dad. Come on,” Drew semi-begged as Samson got out of the car. “Let me have my keys.”?

Samson closed his car door, and for the first time, Drew’s father noticed they had a visitor. He recognized Samson instantly. Drew could tell by the contemptuous look his father gave the star quarterback.

“Look, Drew. If you’re going to go out on a school night and stir up trouble with your new friends,” he said with a sneer, “you’re going to have to suffer the consequences. You have disgraced yourself, your family, and your team. You will not be driving your car to school for a week.”?

“But Dad—”?

“Want to make it longer?” his father blurted, his face turning an unpleasant shade of purple.?

“I’ll convey you to school, man,” Samson announced, striding across the lawn.?

Chapter Eight

Page 6

Drew looked at him, stunned. It took a split second for his father to recover from his shock, as well.

“Excuse me, but you’re encroaching on a private conversation between myself and my son,” he spat at Samson.?

“With all due respect, sir,” Samson said, glancing around at the neighbors. “I don’t think it’s exactly private.”?

Drew was frozen with fear and awe. Fear that his father might suddenly rip Samson’s head off, and awe that Samson was standing there putting his father in his place with such ease. For a long moment, they just stared at one another, and then Drew’s dad narrowed his eyes.?

“Do whatever you want,” he said to Drew. “But it just became two weeks.”?

Then he turned and strode off to his car.?

“Sorry about that, man,” Samson said as soon as Drew’s father was gone.?

“Sorry about what? That was amazing, dude. I’ve never seen anyone shut my father up before,” Drew said, momentarily forgetting that this guy was his sworn enemy.?

“Yeah, but I got another week tacked onto your sentence,” Samson said. “I guess that’s one of the drawbacks of having your own car. It can get taken away,” he joked.?

“Whatever.” Drew waved a hand. It wasn’t like he was unaccustomed to dealing with groundings. “Besides, you’ve got a car,” he said, glancing at the street.?

“Nah. That’s my mom’s. She got a ride to work and let me borrow it for the day,” Samson told him. “So. That was your dad.”?

“That was my dad,” Drew confirmed.?

“Cantankerous guy, huh?” Samson asked, staring after the car.?

Drew’s shoulders tensed. Samson had just witnessed the most humiliating aspect of his life. How could he have let that slip by him??

“I don’t really need your commentary on my family,” he snapped.?

Samson raised both hands. “Sorry.”?

“What are you doing here, man?” Drew demanded.?

Samson glanced at him with a sour expression, obviously irritated by the shift in attitude. “I figured you paid a visit to my house. I might as well return the favor.”?

“Well, now you’ve done it, and I have a long walk ahead of me, ?so . . .” Drew started across the lawn, but Samson wasn’t having it.?

“I just wanted to tell you that I’m not going to back down,” Samson called after him.?

“What?” Drew blurted.?

“You can have your guys drop every pass and run the wrong routes. You can come over to my town ready to rumble. You can do whatever the hell you want. Nothing is going to make me quit this team. Nothing is going to divert me from my goals,” Samson said eloquently, walking over to meet Drew in the center of the yard. “You may not give a crap about your future, but I do care about mine.”?

“Oh, I don’t give a crap about my future?” Drew retorted.?

“If you think you do, you’re deceiving yourself,” Samson replied, putting his hands in the pockets of his Corinth jacket. “Look around you, man.” he said, opening his arms along with his jacket. “Look at this capacious house. That insanely expensive car. You can have any future you want, and instead you put it all on the line like you did last night. What kind of crap is that?”?

Drew looked at the ground. If someone had told him that Samson Hill was going to come over to his house and lecture him and that he would stand there and take it, he would never have thought it conceivable. But somehow, he couldn’t move.?

“And the kicker is, you’re clearly a natural leader,” Samson continued.?

Drew snorted. “Yeah, right.”?

“You can’t tell me you weren’t head demagogue in charge of that debacle last night,” Samson said. “You’re extroverted, and the guys love you. You exemplify everything a person needs to lead. I mean, you led them into the lion’s den last night, and they just followed. You could be using that talent for good, but instead you discredit yourself every chance you get. You’d rather be pissed off and fight all the time than try to improve our situation.”?

Drew looked at Samson, his eyes hard. “You don’t know anything about me, man.”?

“I know a little. You told me all about the thing with your brother,” Samson said. “And now that I’ve met your dad I understand where all the belligerence comes from.”?

Drew snorted and looked away. Did this guy really think he could walk in here and analyze him??

“I’m just sick of being your disputant when I’ve done nothing but try to be your friend,” Samson said finally. “Now, do you want a ride to school or not?”?

“No thanks, man,” Drew said, shaking his head and turning his back on Samson. “Last thing I need is to be showing up in the parking lot with the enemy.”?

“Nothing’s ever gonna change at that damn school unless we change it!” Samson shouted after him.?

Much to his chagrin, Drew felt the sting of truth in that statement, but he just ducked his head and kept right on walking. He just couldn’t bear the idea of letting Samson know he might be right.?

Vocabulary Drill

Chapter Eight

abated · stopped

abduct · kidnap

abject · misreable

accommodating · accepting

accost · assault

acerbically · harshly

admonished · scolded

adverse · unfavorable

antagonize · provoke

antipathy · hostility

antithesis · opposite

aversion · dislike

balked · stopped

battered · beat up

belligerence · hostility

belligerent · aggressive

boisterous · energetic

brazenly · brashly

candor · honesty

canny · careful

cantankerous · cranky

capacious · big

capitulate · give in

castigating · punishing

censure · scolding

chagrin · annoyance

colossus · giant

compelling · convincing

compressing · squeezing

conceivable · imaginable

conciliatory · peace-making

condolences · sympathies

confections · sweets

configuration · xetup

contemptuous · scornful

convey · take

cordial · friendly

culpable · to blame

cumulative · swelling

debacle · disaster

deceiving · fooling

deduce · figure out

deface · ruin

defile · vandalize

demagogue · misguided leader

demure · shy

despondent · hopeless

diplomatically · tactfully

disaffected · rebellious

disavow · deny

discern · determine

discretion · tact

disheveled · messy

disperse · scatter

disputant · adversary

dissenter · one who is against

divert · distract

drab · dreary

drawbacks · disadvantages

ecstatic · overjoyed

eloquently · smoothly

encore · repeat

encroaching · intruding

eschew · avoid

exalted · illustrious

exemplify · represent

extroverted · outgoing

flailing · thrashing

glowering · scowling

inaudible · xilent

incredulous · disbelieving

melee · brawl

nonchalantly · casually

placating · soothing

poise · composure

pugilistic · tending to fight

pulverized · crushed

quizzically · curiously

scrumptious · delicious

seething · raging internally

taunting · jeering

tirade · angry rant

unaccustomed · unfamiliar

Chapter Nine

Page 1

Drew paused in the main hallway at the sight of a ruckus up ahead. Two guys were going at each other like wild animals, throwing each other up against the wall. He saw a few sophomore girls flee down the stairs to avoid getting hit by an errant appendage. Seeing the fear on their faces, Drew raced toward the fray to see what he could do. He was about three feet away when Mr. Demas, the vice principal, tore in from the office, grabbed the two kids who were now entangled on the floor, and yanked them apart.?

“Enough! Enough!” the veep shouted as the kids continued to try to reach each other.

“What the hell happened?” Drew asked Tamara, who was hanging out near a wall, looking pale.?

“I have no idea. I think one of them bumped into the other one and then all of a sudden it turned into battle royale,” she said. “God, the people in this school are just combative today. All anyone wants to do is fight,” she added, looking at Drew in an accusatory way.?

“What? Like it’s my fault?” he asked.?

“I heard what you and the guys did last night. I didn’t want to believe it, but that bruise on your face says it all,” she said. “You can’t think that’s not contributing to the erosion of the situation around here. This is the third fight I’ve heard of today.”?

Drew sighed, embittered. He was so sick of everyone acting like he was somehow responsible for everyone else. “Yeah, well, contrary to popular belief, I don’t control the entire Washingtonville population.”?

Tamara stood up straight, pushing herself away from the wall as the crowd dispersed and the combatants were tossed into the vice principal’s office. “Maybe not. But you do set an example,” she said. Then she shrugged and walked away.?

Drew took a deep breath and shook his head. Like he wasn’t under enough pressure already. Now Tamara and Samson wanted him to be some beacon of morality and goodness. He didn’t even have a clue how to begin to do that.?

“I heard Drew Benson broke Samson Hill’s arm.”?

Drew paused. Whoever was talking was standing just around the corner.?

“No way,” another voice challenged. “It was Clay Carradine who did it. He just told everyone Drew did it so Drew could have the glory.”?

Drew saw red, but he forced himself to chill. Going ballistic now was not an option.?

“I saw Samson Hill this morning. His arm’s fine. I heard Corinth gave our guys the drubbing of the century.”?

Drew clenched his jaw as he came around the corner into the social sciences wing. The three freshmen who were completely distorting last night’s events fell silent at the sight of him. Even as depressed as he was, Drew almost smirked at their reaction. He was still new to being a senior and wasn’t used to having such a daunting presence.?

“No one broke Samson Hill’s arm,” Drew told them, as they cowered timidly before them. “And there was no drubbing. The whole conflict lasted about two-point-five seconds. Now why don’t you go spread the truth around instead of standing there like a bunch of twits?”?

The three kids took off so quickly it was as if they had dissipated into thin air. Drew rolled his shoulders back, feeling as if he’d done something positive, but he winced as his shoulder panged with pain. He turned and ducked into his history classroom as the bell rang, hoping against hope for a movie. Instead he found his teacher, Mrs. Lasky, handing out stapled papers to the entire class, some of whom were standing.?

“Here you go, Mr. Benson,” the young, irritatingly enthusiastic teacher said.?

“What’s this?” Drew asked.?

“First semester project,” she announced with a flawless grin.

The entire classroom—Corinth and Washingtonville students alike—groaned. One of the first times Drew had seen both groups agree on anything.

“Now, now. None of that. Before you start demonizing me, remember that in an AP class such as this one, most teachers won’t even give you a list of suggestions like the one I was so kind as to prepare for you,” Mrs. Lasky said, tossing her short hair back off her face. “This should not be too hard. We’ll be spending this period in the library so that you can contemplate the list of topics and do a little research—find out what might be interesting to you. There is an extensive amount of information available about the Second World War, so you should have no trouble finding what you need. And if you think of something that’s not on the list, feel free to pitch it to me. You know how I love creative thinking.”?

“Yeah, great,” Clay said. “Creative thinking in history. Isn’t that, like, an oxymoron or something?”

Drew snorted a laugh.

“All right, people. Let’s move out the door in an orderly fashion and head for the library!” Mrs. Lasky trilled, clapping her hands.?

Chapter Nine

Page 2

Drew slipped through the door, scanning the list as fast as possible. In this situation it was always essential to find the easiest topic and claim it before someone else had the chance. Decisive action was key. His eyes landed on the perfect topic. Analyzing the themes of Clint Eastwood’s two World War II films, Letters from Iwo Jima and Flags of Our Fathers. Drew had loved those movies. He couldn’t believe his luck. He turned around to talk to Ms. Lasky.?

“What the hell’s your problem, man?” Lance Crowe shouted, shoving Clay away from a water fountain.?

“I was here first,” Clay said with a shrug, leaning over the fountain again.?

“Get your grubby lips away from my water,” Lance retorted, shoving him again. This time, Clay stepped on Jenna Warner’s foot, and she shouted out in pain.

“Look what you made me do!” Clay shouted, shoving Lance with both hands.?

“Gentlemen!” Mrs. Lasky shouted.?

But it was too late. Clay and Lance converged in the middle of the hallway, shouting barely coherent insults as they grabbed at each other’s clothes and dragged each other around.?

“You guys! Come on!” Drew shouted, frustrated. Were they really going to tear each other apart because of a water fountain? Tamara was right. This crap really was getting out of hand. “Cut it out!”?

The girls in the class screeched and moved off down the hall. Drew saw that the guys had no intention of stopping this fight themselves, and scrawny Mrs. Lasky certainly wasn’t going to get in the middle of it. But if it went on for two seconds longer, they were going to get caught and suspended, which the team couldn’t very well afford right now. It wasn’t much of a conundrum, really. He had to do something.?

“Dammit.” Drew dropped his books and flung himself at Clay, tearing him off of Lance. He used every ounce of his strength to shove his much bigger friend backward and hold him there. Meanwhile, a couple of Lance’s friends stood in front of him, preventing him from taking another swipe at Clay, which he looked more than ready to do.?

“What the hell, man?” Clay said to Drew, struggling to catch his breath.?

“Bag it, Clay,” Drew said, holding a hand up. “You can’t get kicked off the team right now.”

“But he—”?

“Screw him,” Drew said. “It’s over. Let’s just go to the library.”?

Clay shook his head. “Whatever,” he said, grabbing his backpack off the floor. He straightened his jacket and stormed off.?

“Well. That was invigorating,” Ms. Lasky said nervously. “Mr. Crowe, kindly sit on the opposite side of the library from Mr. Carradine.”?

“Fine,” Crowe said under his breath.?

Drew bent to pick up his books and topic list, feeling more frustrated than ever. Last night he had really thought that fighting Samson and those guys would make him feel better, that it would help him expel some of his negative energy—just get it out of his system. But instead, it had only made things worse. Being beaten down and challenged only pissed people off more. How could he not have realized that? He lived it with his father every day of his life.?

“Thank you for that, Drew,” Ms. Lasky said, laying a hand on his shoulder. “For your peacekeeping efforts, you can have your pick of projects.”?

“You’re not going to report them?” Drew asked.?

Mrs. Lasky sighed. “The vice principal is having a hard enough time clamping down on the situation today. He doesn’t need another headache,” she said kindly. “But I do hope he finds a way to counteract all the violence and negativity around here soon. Otherwise this school is going to be effectively demolished by its own students.”?

Drew nodded, his heart heavy with guilt, and followed her down the hall toward the library. He wished he could believe what Samson and Tamara had both said to him—that he could somehow make a difference, but he just couldn’t. He wasn’t Trey Benson. He was Drew. Second-string, screw-up, worthless Drew. And as much as he hated feeling the way he did at that very moment, he also felt powerless to change it.?

Chapter Nine

Page 3

In a completely antisocial mood, Drew snagged one of the two-person tables in the corner of the senior section at lunch and hunkered down there with his copy of The Canterbury Tales. He put his bag on the second chair to discourage anyone from sitting with him and buried his face in the book. Soon his friends arrived in a big clump, gibbering on about the fight between Clay and Lance and marveling at the fact that Mrs. Lasky hadn’t taken them right to the principal’s office.?

“You don’t think she actually condones fighting,” Jason said doubtfully, placing his backpack on his the floor next to his usual chair.?

Drew peeked over the top of his book. None of the guys had noticed him. He saw that Jason’s face was a bit more swollen than it had been last night, and he swallowed back a lump of guilt. Most of the guys, in fact, were pretty torn up. What had he been thinking??

“Who knows? She went to Washingtonville back in the day. Maybe she still has some school spirit in her,” Clay suggested, tossing his bag on the table.?

“So, dude. What’s this new plan you wanted to tell us about?” Dirk asked. He grabbed a seat and leaned into the table.?

Drew’s ears pricked up. New plan? He hadn’t heard about any new plan. New plan to do what??

“I’m calling it Operation Eliminate the Egotist,” Clay said in a loud whisper. He glanced over at the table where the Corinth guys usually sat, but it was empty so far.?

“Oh, God. Here we go,” Jason groaned.?

“Don’t worry, Mary,” Clay said with a dismissive look. “You’re not on D, so you and your delicate sensibilities don’t have to have anything to do with it.”?

Jason shook his head, annoyed, and opened his bagged lunch. Clay, meanwhile, commanded the attention of the other guys.?

“It’s time to take corrective action,” he told them, pressing a fingertip into the table. “As of today, we start showing our fidelity to our QB in a major way.”?

“Corrective action?” Dirk asked.?

“That’s what I said,” Clay confirmed emphatically, clearly relishing his new role as firebrand. “After what I’ve got planned, Coach will have no choice but to restore Drew to the starting position. Give him back what is rightfully his.”?

Drew’s heart started to beat erratically. His palms began to sweat. He liked the sound of that, obviously. But what the hell was Clay planning??

“What’re you gonna do? Kill Samson?” Jason asked with a laugh.?

Clay merely looked at him matter-of-factly. Drew’s heart dropped.?

“Clay. Come on,” Dirk said. “You’re not really gonna—”?

“We’re not gonna kill him,” Clay whispered as a group of younger kids passed close to the table. “Of course not. I’m just talking about roughing him up. Injuring him. We do a good enough job of it and he could be out for the first few games. Maybe even for the season.”?

Chapter Nine

Page 4

Drew suddenly felt sick to his stomach. Could Clay really be so incredibly crude? Could he really purposely hurt someone? Someone who had done next to nothing to deserve it? If they hurt Samson badly enough, they could affect his scholarship—his entire future. Of course, Drew had been ready to beat the crap out of Samson himself, but that had been face-to-face. Letting his massive linebacker friend do the dirty work while Drew kept his hands clean was not exactly what he’d had in mind.?

“Actually, it’s not a bad idea,” Dirk said.

“What?” Jason blurted.?

“Come on. If Drew got the chance to start a few games, he could win the starting job for real,” Dirk replied.

“Okay, let’s ignore your blatant disregard of everything we’ve ever been taught about teamwork and uh . . . morality,” Jason said, tossing his sandwich down. “But do you really think that Coach is going to let you get away with this?”?

“Dude, it’ll be over before Coach even knows what’s happened,” Clay said flippantly. “It’s not that complex. We don’t have to harass the guy all practice. All we have to do is set up one good, well-placed hit.”?

Some of the other guys murmured their assent, and Clay went about describing his plan and delegating assignments.

Drew could not believe this was happening. He couldn’t believe he was sitting here listening in on a clandestine meeting of his friends as they planned to take out the best quarterback in the state. And all on his behalf. It was flattering, sure, but it was also horrifying. He couldn’t believe his friends had sunk so low as to plan something like this.?

There was no way he could let them go through with it. He’d have to tell Coach Davidson about it, or warn Samson. Something. Drew felt guilty enough as it was. He wasn’t sure he could handle letting his friends purposely injure someone for him. This particular plan could be hazardous, not just for Samson, but for all of them—for their futures on the team and at school. Ratting his friends out wouldn’t feel good either, he knew, but it was preferable to watching Samson get his leg broken. Or worse.?

“I can’t be a part of this. This is just wrong,” Jason said suddenly, standing.

“No. What was wrong was Drew’s degradation from starter to second-stringer,” Clay said. “And I intend to do something about it. I intend to show that haughty bastard that we take care of our own,” he added, slapping hands with a couple of the guys.?

“You guys are sick,” Jason said.?

“Thanks for the condemnation. I wasn’t expecting that at all,” Clay said sarcastically.

Jason rolled his eyes and made a move to leave, but Clay got up and slapped his huge hand down on Jason’s shoulder.?

“If anyone tries to stop us, if we encounter any kind of hindrance from the coaches, we’re gonna know who told them,” Clay said in a threatening way. “And if that happens, you better watch your back too.”?

Jason paled slightly. “Some friend,” he said. Then he extricated himself from Clay’s grasp and stormed out of the cafeteria.?

Drew took a deep breath. Great. Now he couldn’t tell Coach. If he did, Clay was going to turn on Jason big time. The last thing the team or his friends needed right now was another rift.?

What the hell was he supposed to do now??

Chapter Nine

Page 5

Drew stood on the sidelines at practice, the rain beating down on top of his helmet, his hands tucked under his arms as he gripped at his own practice jersey. Out on the field, Clay and his cronies were putting their plot into effect, and the weather—gray and storming and messy and muddy—was only helping them conceal their odious actions.?

Samson called the play. The center hiked the ball, and Samson dropped back, gripping the ball with his wet fingers. Drew saw Clay and another lineman bust through the O-line, clearly flouting the defense Coach had called and going for the blitz instead. Going right for Samson.?

“No! No, no, no!” Coach Davidson called out as the play continued.?

Drew felt as if he were going to explode. He clenched his teeth together so hard he could hear them grinding. He hated this feeling.?This feeling of utter helplessness. He stood there and watched as Clay reached for Samson’s head like he was trying to break the guy’s neck. It was a totally grievous hit and would have warranted a penalty flag on any game day in any stadium. Samson went down hard, bending awkwardly like a snapping branch. All the second-string and JV players around Drew winced and groaned. Clay and his friends weren’t kidding around out there. They were really trying to expunge Samson Hill.?

“Clay! What are your men doing?” Coach Davidson shouted fervently, barely audible over the sound of the driving rain. “Quit taking cheap shots! This is not a game! This is your quarterback.”?

“Sorry, Coach,” Clay called back, spitting muddy water out onto the field.?

“I know it’s a morass out there, but that’s no excuse for sloppy play,” Coach added. “Let’s run it again.”?

Samson, hardy athlete that he was, refused all the helping hands of the Corinth players and pushed himself up off the ground. He was slow getting back to the line, however, and Drew could have sworn he saw a slight limp. The situation was exigent. As much as Drew would love to have the starting spot, he didn’t want to get it this way. Not like this.?

“This has to stop,” Drew said under his breath, shivering slightly as the rain permeated the T-shirt under his jersey and pads and sluiced down his back. “Someone has to stop this.”?

You set an example, Tamara’s voice said in his mind.?

Nothing’s gonna change at that school unless we change it, Samson added.?

As the team lined up for another play, Drew looked around at the coaches, standing on the sidelines with their hoods up against the rain. Lewinter and Davidson whispered to one another as they looked over the offense. Halloran wiped some water from his brow. It hardly seemed plausible to Drew, but it was as if none of the coaches realized what was really going on out there.?

Do something, Drew’s conscience urged him. You can make them stop. But if he went out there, if he said one word, he would be risking total ostracism by all his friends. They were doing this for him, after all, as sick and twisted as it might be.?

The team lined up to run the play again. Drew held his breath.?

Chapter Nine

Page 6

“Red thirty-six! Red thirty-six!” Samson called out, his voice raspy. “Hike!”?

Once again Samson dropped back to pass. Once again two guys took on Tank Langford and threw him to the ground. Clay stepped right on Tank’s back and threw himself at Samson. Samson tried to cut to the right, but his feet slipped in the mud and Clay came right down on top of him with his full body weight. There was a sickening thud, and Samson was crushed into the muddy field.?

Drew’s heart slammed against his ribcage. Samson looked like a broken rag doll, flattened beneath Clay’s bulk. Something inside of Drew snapped, and before he even knew what he was doing, he had crossed half the field.?

“Get the hell off him, Clay!” he shouted. “Get up!”?

He grabbed his friend’s pads through his jersey and yanked with all his might, throwing Clay off to the side, his biceps straining against his friend’s massive weight. The coaches’ whistles bleated like mad, but Drew barely heard them. He crouched next to Samson.?

“You all right, man?” Drew asked.?

Samson managed a nod. “I think I’ll live.”?

Drew offered Samson his hand, which Samson accepted this time, and Drew pulled him up. Samson coughed, doubling over slightly, and Drew noticed a long laceration on his forearm, dripping blood into the puddle at Samson’s feet. He turned to face the team, his face on fire.?

“What the hell are you guys thinking?” Drew shouted. “Are you out of your minds? You could have killed him!”?

“Dude, we’re just trying to get some real practice in. He’s gonna get hit like that in games. He should be ready,” Clay explained innocently, lying right to Drew’s face.?

“Oh, yeah. I’m sure that was what induced you to nearly break your own quarterback’s neck back there,” Drew spat. “What do you think you’re gonna do on opening day without him, huh? He’s kind of an integral part of the offense, jackass.”?

“What did you just call me?” Clay demanded.?

“You heard me!” Drew shouted. “What you guys are doing out here is just plain wrong. In fact, it’s insane. This is a team, remember? This is about checking your egos at the gate, coming out here and playing your heart out for the team. And Samson, he’s your leader now. This totally insane behavior has to stop, and it has to stop now.”?

He looked around at the players—Washingtonville and Corinth alike—and saw that they were all rapt with attention. Some of the Washingtonville guys, Dirk included, looked at the ground, contrite.?

“We’ve all been acting like a bunch of querulous morons,” Drew continued as the rain started to lessen. “None of us likes this situation, but it’s about time we reconcile with it. Because Corinth is not reopening. These guys are not going anywhere. They are a part of our team now, and we’re a part of theirs. So I suggest you all start acting like it. Because otherwise, this formerly indefatigable team is going to be nothing but a joke.”?

Drew glanced at Jason, who was looking at him with respect and pride in his eyes for the first time in a while. That one look buoyed Drew even more.?

“So get your crap together, guys. Because all this whining and complaining is starting to make me sick! I’m over it. It stops now.”?

With that, Drew turned and stormed off the field, half expecting someone to throw a helmet at him along the way. But even though there was a lot of grumbling in his wake, there were no insurgents. In fact, the only person who followed Drew off the field was Coach Davidson.?

Chapter Nine

Page 7

“Drew! Drew! Wait up!” he called out, jogging to catch up. Drew kept walking until he reached the track, then paused. He turned, ready for the tongue-lashing of a lifetime. No one stopped practice other than Coach. And no one ignored the whistle. Ever.?

“Yes, Coach,” Drew said, averting his eyes.?

“Drew, that was . . . that was incredible, what you just did out there,” Coach Davidson said.?

“Really?” Drew asked.?

“Son, I’ve been waiting for you to step up like that for weeks,” Coach said. “I’ve been so hoping that this downcast attitude of yours was temporary, because I’ve always known you could be a great leader. And you’ve just proven it.”?

Drew was flabbergasted. This was the last thing he expected to hear at this moment. He looked around, glanced up at the sky as the sun started to break through the thinning clouds. “Coach, I don’t mean to be pertinacious, but if you always thought I’d be a great leader, why didn’t I get the starting job?”?

Coach let out a sigh and put his hand on his hip, looking out at the field where the other coaches were splitting up the team to run drills. “I was put in an impossible position this year, Drew. All of us were. Don’t think that these changes were any easier on the staff than they’ve been on you all. I lost half my coaches, and I was faced with the prospect of disappointing half my team—guys I’ve grown to respect. Guys like yourself, whom I had high hopes for.”?

Drew took a deep breath. His heart hurt. He hadn’t even thought about the coaches, hadn’t considered how their job had become fraught with difficulty. Suddenly Drew felt ashamed at his self-centered behavior.?

“What it comes down to is I had to pick somebody. One of you was going to be crushed,” Coach said. “But that’s what happened at every single position this year, not just yours. I had to crush fifty different guys. Doing it to you was just . . . well, it was harder than most. I know how much this team means to you, and I know how you’ve been looking forward to taking over for Trey.”?

Drew felt sick to his stomach as his obliterated dream was laid out before him.?

“But I had to do what I thought was best for the team. That’s my job.”?

“I’m sorry, Coach,” Drew said, shaking his head as he stared at the track. “I didn’t think. I’m just . . . I’m really sorry.”?

“Don’t be,” Coach Davidson said, putting his hand on Drew’s shoulder. “Watching what you just did out there, I feel like I have you back.”

“Yeah. It felt kind of good,” Drew admitted, hazarding a smile.?

“I hope so,” Coach said, grinning in response. “And kudos on the way you tossed Carradine out there, kid. How the hell did you do that?”?

“I don’t know. Adrenaline, maybe?” Drew said with a shrug.?

“I knew you were a strong kid, but not that strong,” Coach said with a whistle. “That was something else.”?

“Thanks, Coach,” Drew said. He glanced at the field and saw one of the other coaches approaching. “You’d better get back. The team needs you,” Drew told him.?

Then he took off around the track at a jog, hoping to rid himself of the rest of his nervous energy and sort out all the new emotions roiling around in his chest.?

Vocabulary Drill

Chapter Nine

antisocial · unsociable

appendage · limb

assent · agreement

buoyed · uplifted

clandestine · secretive

coherent · understandable

combative · warlike

condemnation · disapproval

condones · supports

contemplate · think about

contrite · remorseful

conundrum · mystery

converged · came together

corrective · counteractive

counteract · neutralize

crude · unsophicticated

daunting · intimidating

decisive · determined

degradation · demotion

delegating · assigning

demolished · destroyed

demonizing · label as evil

disregard · disrepect

dissipated · scattered

downcast · depressed

drubbing · beating

embittered · feeling bitter

emphatically · forcefully

entangled · entwined

erosion · breakdown

errant · stray

erratically · unsteadily

exigent · tricky

expunge · delete

extensive · broad

extricated · freed

fidelity · loyalty

firebrand · troublemaker

flabbergasted · shocked

fraught · filled

hardy · tough

haughty · arrogant

hazardous · dangerous

hindrance · obstacle

indefatigable · untiring

induced · caused

insurgents · dissenters

laceration · cut

morass · swamp

obliterated · destroyed

odious · hateful

ostracism · alienation

oxymoron · self-contradiction

permeated · soaked

pertinacious · stubborn

plausible · believable

querulous · complaining

rapt · captivated

reconcile · make one’s peace

relishing · thoroughly enjoying

rift · split

sensibilities · feelings

sluiced · flowed

Chapter Ten

Page 1

At the end of practice, Coach Davidson called a meeting on the fifty-yard line. The sun was shining now, and droplets of water shimmered as they clung to the grass, casting an iridescent glow over the field. Drew expected a harangue after what had gone on that day, but Davidson said nothing about it. He merely handed out the game schedule for the year and dismissed the team.?

Drew pushed himself up and trudged off the field with the rest of the team. Clay grumbled as he strode past him and shot him a rancorous look, as if Drew were a traitor. Drew’s heart skipped a beat, but he ignored it. Sooner or later Clay would have to realize that his plan was totally inane. He’d have to know that what Drew had done was for the best.?

Then he felt a hand grab his shoulder pad, and his heart swooped. What now??

He turned around to find Samson standing before him, all blood and mud and grime.

“What?” Drew blurted, clueless as to what Samson might be thinking.?

“Look who became a maverick today,” Samson said, tossing a football up and down with a grin. “What happened between this morning and this afternoon?”?

“Oh, so you’re gonna get all maudlin on me now?” Drew asked lightly. Jason walked by and lifted his hand for a slap as he went. Drew obliged, his heart feeling lighter as he knew that his friend was starting to forgive him for last night’s transgressions.?

“No. Just curious,” Samson replied.?

Drew lifted his shoulder. “I guess I’m becoming inured to the situation,” he said. “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, right?”?

“Very pragmatic of you,” Samson said.?

“I’m sorry about those guys, man,” Drew said honestly, letting out a sigh of relief. “They can be pretty incorrigible. But I’m even worse. I should have stopped it before it even started.”?

“Maybe. But at least you stopped it,” Samson replied.?

“Still. It doesn’t expiate what they did. What we all did,” Drew said, shaking his head as the rest of the team trailed off the field, some casting curious glances in their direction. “I feel like an idiot. Like I’ve just been acting so—“?

“I know, man,” Samson said. “It’s cool.”?

“Thanks,” Drew said.?

“I’m surprised the coaches didn’t stop it, actually,” Samson said. “What they were doing was limpid to anyone with eyes. But I guess they figure I shouldn’t be inviolable. Clay was right about that, at least. I think I’ve gotta toughen up,” Samson said, rolling his shoulder and wincing.?

“I was wondering about that too, but after I stepped in, Coach was so laudatory . . . I got the feeling they were actually waiting for one of us to jump into the maelstrom and sort it out.”?

“Yeah? Well then I’m glad you did, because another ten minutes and I was done for,” Samson joked.?

Drew shook his head as they turned toward the school. “You’re insane, you know that? If I were you I’d be so beyond pissed right now.”?

“Yeah, well, I’m not exactly doing cartwheels, but after today I have some hope that things are gonna get better,” Samson said.?

“Really?” Drew asked.?

“Yeah. In fact…” Samson paused near one of the sideline benches and peeled off his pads and jersey, stripping down to his T-shirt and football pants. He picked up the ball again and tossed it at Drew’s chest. “Let’s have a catch.”?

Drew eyed him dubiously. “A catch?”

“Yeah. Let’s see how your hands are, Benson,” Samson chided, jogging back to the field.

“My hands are fine,” Drew replied, throwing the ball to Samson.

“Oh yeah?” Samson taunted. “Prove it.”?

Chapter Ten

Page 2

He set up and threw a perfect spiral to the center of the field. Drew sprinted out to catch it.?

“Nice one!” Samson cheered.?

“Dude, who do you think Trey threw balls to in our backyard our entire lives? The guy was insatiable when it came to practice,” Drew said.?

Samson clapped his hands, then raised them over his head. “Come on. Throw me the ball.”?

“You do realize that if anyone from the team sees this, they’re gonna mock us to the ends of the earth,” Drew said, tossing the ball back.?

“Come on. What’s more innocuous than a game of catch?” Samson said. “Besides, we’re supposed to be putting our differences aside. If they see us hanging out, I think that would be a good thing.” He backed up a few paces. “Go long, man.”?

Drew did as he was told, racing across the field. The sun warmed his back and the wind tossed his wet hair as he looked over his shoulder for the ball. Samson threw a perfect spiral, and Drew reached up and plucked it out of the sky. Then, just for fun, he ran the last ten yards into the end zone.?

“And Hill completes to Benson for the score!” Samson shouted, raising his arms in the air.

Drew grinned. Somehow, this little game of catch was having a pacific effect on his nerves. For the first time all year, Drew was enjoying football. He threw the ball back to Samson and they ran another play. This time, the throw was off, and Drew had to launch himself into the air and dive for it. He came down hard on his side, clutching the rock.?

“Damn, man! What’s up with these skills?” Samson asked, jogging over to help him up.

“Please. I’m not that good,” Drew said with a scoff.?

“Are you kidding? It took some prowess to catch that ball,” Samson said. “Does anyone know about your latent catching abilities?”?

“Not really. My brother, I guess. I’ve always played quarterback,” Drew said with a shrug, knocking some of the mud off his arms. “Never really had the inclination to do anything else.” He nodded at Samson. “Your turn. Go deep.”?

“All right,” Samson said.?

He turned and sprinted down the field, and Drew tossed him an arcing pass. Samson caught the ball, turned, and immediately threw it back. Drew raced about twenty yards to catch it, and they both cheered. It was the first time the two of them had hung out without pretense, and Drew was enjoying their new rapport. It was amazing how much could change in twenty-four hours. Yesterday, Drew had wanted nothing more than to beat this guy down. Today he was finding his company palatable. More than palatable. He was actually having fun.?

“Know what I think?” Samson said, catching his breath as they came together at the middle of the field again. “I think you’re not a half bad-person, Benson.”?

Drew laughed. “Don’t promulgate that opinion. All your friends will turn on you.”?

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Samson said, dropping back with the ball again. “And Hill takes the ball. The defense is coming on the blitz!” he called out in a commanding commentator’s voice. Drew laughed and raced across field. “He looks left, but Lazarus is covered. He looks right. Szonyi is covered too. Carradine is coming right at him. He looks out for blood, folks. This could get messy!”?

Drew laughed as he looked back for the ball. “But wait! Hill has an open man down field! Benson just put a sick move on the defender, and he’s free and clear!” Drew called out.?

“Hill pulls back. He fires!” Samson shouted.?

He chucked the ball in a high arc as if he were really shooting over the defensive players’ heads. Drew was perfectly positioned. He caught the ball and dove into the end zone.

“Another stellar play!” Samson shouted. “And the crowd goes wild!”?

Drew got up and over his shoulder saw Coach Davidson standing near the parking lot watching them. From so far away, he couldn’t exactly tell what the coach was thinking, but Drew thought he saw a hint of a smile.?

Coach was proud of him, proud of Samson, enjoying the nascent friendship between them. Maybe Samson was right after all. Maybe there was hope for this team yet.?

Chapter Ten

Page 3

The next morning, Samson was waiting outside Drew’s house to drive him to school. He hadn’t offered. He was just there. Drew paused on the front step, clinging to his backpack strap, uncertain of what to do.?

“You sure this is prudent, man?” Drew asked. “Driving with the enemy?”?

“Hey. If we’re gonna foster team spirit, may as well start now. Besides, your sorry, grounded ass needs a ride, right?” Samson asked with a grin.?

Drew laughed and jogged across the lawn. All the way to school, he and Samson talked about nothing but the first game against Johnstown and how redoubtable their defense had been on both their teams the year before. By the time they got to school, Drew was so caught up in the conversation he forgot that he and Samson were doing anything out of the ordinary by hanging out together. But the moment Samson pulled into the parking lot, Drew knew that something was wrong.?

“What the heck is going on up there?” Drew asked. There was a huge crowd gathered in front of the arbor, and every last one of the kids in it was wearing blue and gray. The number of people dressing in Corinth colors had grown by increments over the last week, but today it looked like they had made a school-wide agreement to sport their former colors.?

“Oh, crap. Looks like Adam’s giving one of his famous orations,” Samson said, taking the first space he saw.?

“Orations?” Drew repeated. Then he saw that Adam Lazarus was standing a few heads above the crowd, up on one of the benches. Drew felt a hot, poisonous dread flood his veins. “What the hell does he think he’s doing?”?

“Being incendiary. Adam just loves to hear himself talk. But he loves it even more when he can make other people listen to him talk,” Samson said matter-of-factly. “I knew he was pissed about what happened at practice yesterday, but I was hoping he wouldn’t go this far. Come on. We better get up there.”?

Drew and Samson got out of the car and raced up to the arbor. Gathering nearby was a large group of Washingtonville students and players, all of whom looked less than pleased. Drew glanced at Samson. “I’ll see if I can get them to back off before they become intractable,” he said.?

“Me too,” Samson replied. “Good luck.”?

The two quarterbacks split up before anyone had even seen them together, completely negating their plan to lead by example.

“We had to give up our entire school! Our entire history!” Adam was saying, riling up the Corinth students. “But today we show them we’re not going to give up everything so easily. We will not forsake our colors! We will not forsake our pride!”?

The Corinth kids replied with plaudits and cheers. Drew cut through the crowd until he found Clay, Jason, Dirk, and the others.

“What’s going on, guys?” Drew asked.?

“Can you believe this, man?” Dirk said, raising a hand at Adam. “How puerile can they be?”?

Yeah, and you trying to permanently injure Samson yesterday wasn’t immature at all, Drew thought. But he held his tongue.

“We may have had to move here, but we’re not nomads. We’re not going anywhere else. We’re here to stay, and these people need to get used to it!” Adam continued.?

“We should do something,” Dirk said, clenching his fists. “Shouldn’t we do something?”?

Chapter Ten

Page 4

Drew looked around at the angry faces of his classmates. It seemed like every single kid in school—Corinth and Washingtonville—was gathered outside. This thing was going to turn into a quagmire quickly if he didn’t do something about it.?

“They’re just upset, you guys,” Drew said, glancing at Clay’s stony expression. “Imagine if it was the other way around. What if we had to give up our school and our colors and our team?”?

“Yeah, but Drew, you’ve got to admit that holding a rally is a little rash,” Jason said. “After everything you said yesterday . . . it’s like they didn’t even hear it. All this is gonna do is make everyone even more insular than before.”?

“Well, at least they’re being ingenuous about it,” Drew said as another cheer went up behind him. This one, however, died quickly. He turned and saw Samson pulling Adam down, whispering something urgently to him. “At least they’re not sneaking around and plotting,” Drew added, glancing at Clay.?

“Dude, I was just trying to help you out,” Clay shot back, his eyes fiery. “Don’t expect me to be all repentant about it now. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. You, however, have apparently turned on the rest of us.”?

“No I haven’t, man,” Drew replied. “I’m just trying to keep this situation from getting any worse. I’m just trying to hear these guys and understand where they’re coming from.”?

Clay stared Drew down like he was some sort of reprobate. “Good luck with that. But I don’t need to stand here anymore and forbear about the noxious crap that kid is spewing. They’re on Washingtonville ground now. They best start acting like it.”?

Clay turned around and cut through the crowd, heading for the front doors. A few other kids followed, but many more stayed outside, and Drew felt the tension mount.?

“Come on, you guys. Let’s just go inside,” Drew said. “Just let them do their thing. All they want is for the administration to listen to them. It has nothing to do with us.”?

Yeah, right, Drew thought. They’re looking for a fight just like I was on Monday. And everyone here knows it.

At first, the crowd was resistant, and Drew was starting to think that all hope was lost. There was going to be a throwdown here no matter what he did. But he refused to give up, and as he continued to urge his classmates on, Jason and Tamara joined his pleas. Finally, they started to slowly disperse. Drew brought up the rear of the crowd, shepherding the Washingtonville kids inside. Behind him, a few Corinth people shouted and jeered at them for walking away, but Drew ignored them. At least he’d helped avoid what could have been a huge riot—for now.?

As he left the Corinth crowd behind and stepped inside, Drew saw a flash of red hair out of the corner of his eye. He paused and saw Lily stepping through the doors and into the school, looking blithely up at the crowded stairs as if nothing were amiss outside. She was wearing her usual palette of pastels and neutrals—no Corinth colors for her. Either she hadn’t gotten the memo, or she chose not to buy into the crap about taking sides. Drew had a feeling it was the latter, and his already immoderate feelings for the girl increased profusely. He smiled, stepping aside so that she could get ahead of him, and she smiled ever-so-slightly in return, though looking at him as if she’d never seen him before. Drew, however, had gotten used to that. And even though she’d barely spoken to him since that first class together, this quotidian glimpse of her was the best part of his day.?

It even made him, temporarily, forget about the trouble brewing outside.?

Chapter Ten

Page 5

The locker room was eerily quiet before practice. Drew noticed that Clay and the others were dressing in a dilatory fashion, as if they wanted the Corinth guys to get out to the field before them. He had no idea what the Corinth guys were doing, since they had been occupying the far side of the room exclusively for the past week or so. Drew had been hoping that his outburst yesterday might chill everyone out a bit—lessen the animosity between the two factions—but after the Adam Lazarus show that morning and now this strange silence, he was getting the feeling he’d been totally wrong.?

The locker room door swung open, and Coach Davidson stuck his head inside. “Benson! Hill! In my office, now! The rest of you get your asses in gear. The other coaches will meet you on the field in two minutes!” he barked. “Go! Go! Go!”?

Drew shot a bewildered look at Jason as he grabbed his jersey, pads, and helmet to follow after Coach. Jason shrugged in response, but Clay, who had ignored him most of the day, pounded his shoulder with a solid rock fist.?

“You go, QB,” he said with a wink.?

Drew’s heart stopped as, at that moment, Samson appeared around the side of the row of lockers. Their eyes locked. That couldn’t be what this surprise meeting was about, could it? There was no way that Coach was going to make Samson relinquish the starting spot.

In grim silence, Drew and Samson both emerged into the hallway. Coach was already at least twenty paces ahead of them.

“What the hell is this about?” Samson asked under his breath.?

“I have no idea,” Drew replied. He found, much to his surprise, that he didn’t feel excited at the prospect of switching places with Samson. As much as he would have loved to run out on that field on opening day as the starting QB, he knew that Samson would be brutally disappointed. And somehow, he didn’t want to see that happen. The discrepancy between his current state of mind and the way he’d been feeling just a couple of days ago was almost insane. And he could only imagine what his father would say if he could read his thoughts.?

He’d probably throw me out of the house and disown me for good, Drew thought.?

But he and Samson were just starting to become friends, and Drew really respected the guy. He didn’t want to see him crushed.?

“Take a seat,” Coach said, holding the door to his office open for the two of them.?

Samson did as he was told, dropping his pads and helmet on the floor near the wall. Drew hesitated a split second, recalling with shame the last time he’d been in this office and the way he’d conducted himself. It seemed illusory now, like it had happened in another lifetime. Still, his skin prickled with embarrassed heat at the memory.?

“What are you waiting for, Benson? An engraved invitation?” Coach asked.?

“Sorry, Coach,” Drew said. He sunk into the second chair, his face burning.?

Coach, meanwhile, settled into his chair and sat back, lacing his fingers on his stomach as he looked at the two of them. Drew glanced at him quickly and was at a loss to determine what the man was thinking. He had a sparkle in his eye—an almost jovial look about him. There was no way he was about to crush Samson’s hopes. So what the hell were they doing here?

“Well boys, I know this little meeting probably seems enigmatic to you, so I’ll get right to the point and divulge my plan,” Coach said.

Samson tensed up. Drew stopped breathing.?

“Drew, I want to try you out at tight end,” Coach announced?

Chapter Ten

Page 6

Drew’s jaw hit the floor. He looked at Samson and saw an exact mirror of his own face. “What?” they both blurted.?

Coach sat forward on his chair and leaned into the desk. “I saw you two tossing the ball around yesterday, and suddenly it hit me with perfect clarity,” he said with a smile. “Benson is the archetypal tight end. Not only do you have great hands, kid, but the way you tossed Carradine yesterday . . .” He paused to let out an impressed whistle. “I think you’d be a great blocker, and Hill here needs some added protection since his mobility needs some work.”?

Samson scoffed, but not in an irritated way. He seemed more amused.?

“Plus, tight end is one of very few spots where this team has a real deficiency. Our only guy is a freshman and way too green. And that kid from Corinth is all thumbs. After seeing the way you played yesterday, it’s clear that they’re not even comparable.”?

“Well, you’ve got that right, at least,” Samson said, in a tone that let them both know he thought Coach’s earlier critique of him was wrong.?

“You could really enhance the offense, Drew,” Coach continued, looking directly at him. “And I think you two could really complement each other out on that field. Plus, I wouldn’t mind having both my varsity captains actually playing. So? What do you say? Will you try it out?”?

Drew could hardly process what he was hearing. The only position he had ever played was quarterback. The only position he had ever wanted to play was quarterback. He could hardly even imagine himself lining up to the left or right side or going in motion or actually trying to run into defenders. It was all so surreal.?

But he also couldn’t stop smiling.?

“Are you sure about this, Coach?” he said finally, shifting in his seat. “I’ve only ever played QB.”?

Coach glowered. “Are you contradicting me, Benson?” he barked.?

“No, Coach,” Drew said, startled.?

Then Coach Davidson laughed. “I’m just kidding. Sorry. I think I’m a little punchy today,” he said, waving a hand. He took a sip of his coffee, and Drew and Samson glanced at one another, incredulous. Coach was acting a bit more than punchy. He was giddy. A very strange sight to Drew, considering he’d hardly ever seen the guy smile.?

“Well, of course I’m not basing this on any factual evidence aside from what I saw yesterday. There’s gonna be a period of evaluation,” Coach Davidson explained, putting his coffee cup down. “You’ll have to learn the fundamentals of the position, and we’ll have to be sure that this is the right decision, but I’m pretty confident it’s going to work.”?

“Oh, I know it’s going to work,” Samson said with a grin. “Don’t you worry about it, Coach.”?

“Well, your assurance means a lot in this case, Hill, because the two of you are going to have to be assiduous about your drills,” Coach told him.?

Drew’s heart skipped a few elated beats. He was getting a chance to get back in the starting lineup. Back on the field playing the game he loved. He could hardly even believe his luck.?

“What do you say, Drew?” Coach asked. “I hated curtailing your hopes last time. The last thing I ever wanted to do was exclude a hardworking leader like yourself from our roster. But I think this solution could be really advantageous to you and the team. We all know that you being on the field means an infusion of energy and determination to the whole squad.”?

Drew grinned, his heart welling with pride.?

“But I digress,” Coach said, standing. “What I really want to know is, are you in?” He held out his hand to Drew over the desk.?

“Coach,” Drew said, finally feeling able to speak through the lump of emotion in his throat. An emotion that felt a lot like ecstasy. He stood up and grasped Coach Davidson’s hand. “I could not be more in.”?

Vocabulary Drill

Chapter Ten

advantageous · beneficial

animosity · hostility

archetypal · classic

assiduous · tireless

assurance · pledge

bewildered · confused

blithely · without care

clarity · clearness

comparable · equal

complement · balance

contradicting · opposing

curtailing · cutting off

deficiency · weakness

digress · go off point

dilatory · lazy

discrepancy · inconsistency

divulge · reveal

ecstasy · elation

elated · overjoyed

enhance · improve

enigmatic · mysterious

evaluation · assessment

exclude · leave out

expiate · make up for

factual · based on fact

forbear · show patience when provoked

forsake · give up

foster · encourage

fundamentals · basics

giddy · happily excited

harangue · lecture

illusory · unreal

immoderate · excessive

inane · silly

incendiary · inflammatory

inclination · tendency

incorrigible · unruly

increments · small quantities

infusion · injection

ingenuous · honest

innocuous · harmless

insatiable · unquenchable

insular · isolated

intractable · unmovable

inured · accustomed

inviolable · sacred

iridescent · sparkling

jovial · jolly

latent · hidden

laudatory · praiseful

limpid · clear

maelstrom · storm

maudlin · sadly sentimental

maverick · rebel

nascent · newly formed

negating · canceling out

nomads · people without permanent homes

noxious · poisonous

orations · speeches

pacific · peaceful

palatable · pleasant

palette · array of colors

plaudits · applause

pragmatic · sensible

pretense · deceit

profusely · greatly

promulgate · spread

prowess · mastery

prudent · careful

puerile · childish

quagmire · mess

quotidian · commonplace

rancorous · bitter

rapport · relationship

rash · hasty

redoubtable · formidable

relinquish · give up

repentant · sorry

reprobate · criminal

shepherding · leading

stellar · outstanding

surreal · dreamlike

welling · rising

Chapter Eleven

Page 1

On their way up to the football field, Drew had to concentrate to keep from laughing. He couldn’t help it. If someone had told him a couple years ago that he might be playing tight end his senior year, he would have thought it was utterly ridiculous. But now . . . now it was his ray of hope. And it seemed so obvious. He was fast. He was elusive. He was strong. He could read a defense like nobody’s business. Why not be a lead blocker? Why not be the guy who had to evade the defense and tear down field, then batter his way for a few more yards? He couldn’t be more excited to get started.?

Plus, he could not wait to see his father’s face when he told him. Drew had no idea whether his father would be excited or annoyed, but either way he’d be stunned. That was going to be fun.?

Drew, Samson, and Coach Davidson crested the hill, and the field came into view. Drew paused. What he saw before him meant the complete erasure of all his happy thoughts. There were two distinct groups of guys on the field. To the left were the Washingtonville guys in their red and white practice uniforms. To the right were the Corinth guys, each and every one of them wearing a full Corinth uniform. Silver pants. Blue jerseys with gray numbers. Silver helmets with lions on them. Not even practice uniforms, but game unis. They were dingy and dated, with their big old lettering and baggy look, but they got their point across. The Corinth guys were mad as hell and they weren’t going to take it anymore.?

Drew glanced at Samson from the corner of his eye, and Samson looked nauseated. He was wearing the red and white. Clearly, his Corinth buddies had not disclosed their plan of action to him. Drew wondered how that made Samson feel. His guess was not good.?

“You didn’t know about this, huh?” Drew whispered.?

Samson shook his head. “I don’t even know how they acquired the helmets and pants. School only let us keep the jerseys at the end of the year. Jackasses must’ve busted into the old locker room.”?

Drew looked at the Corinth guys in awe. To do something like that, they must have been really serious about making this statement.?

“What’s going on here?” Coach Davidson shouted.?

As they drew closer to the field, Drew could hear both sides grumbling as a couple of the coaches put their heads together to try to figure out what to do.?

Adam, Tank, and Lance stepped forward and approached Coach Davidson. Instantly, Clay, Jason, Dirk, and a few others emerged from the Washingtonville side, as if ready to defend Coach from an attack. Drew half expected to see them brandishing weapons. His heartbeat pounded in his ears as he broke out in a cold sweat. This was not going to be pretty.?

“Coach, our school may have been dissolved, but our team is extant,” Adam said to Coach Davidson. Clearly he had emerged as the dominant voice for his cause over the last twenty-four hours, and from the look of the Corinth guys, his determination was contagious. “As a team, we’ve decided that we’re not going to wear another team’s colors anymore. The memory of our school deserves a little dignity.”?

Coach turned to Samson. “Were you a collaborator on this, Hill?” he asked.?

“No, sir,” Samson said bitterly, eyeing his crafty friends.?

Coach took a deep breath and blew it out audibly, looking at the grass. “Kids, I don’t know what to tell you, except that this type of showboating isn’t going to help this team. It’s nothing but divisive.”?

The Washingtonville guys muttered their assent.?

Chapter Eleven

Page 2

“That’s not our fault, Coach,” Lance piped up. “We have to stand up for what we think is right.”?

“Yeah, and we don’t think the school board’s decision was evenhanded,” Adam added. “Clearly they didn’t even care to hear our thoughts or concerns about this. They didn’t even try to come up with a compromise.”?

The Corinth guys shouted and hollered, and Drew felt his shoulders tense.

“How can you make assertions like that? None of us were there,” Drew shouted over the din. “We have no idea what went into making their decision.”?

“Oh, what a shock! Benson is concordant with the school board and the Washingtonville people,” Adam spat in reply. “Dude, have you ever had an original thought in your life, or do you just regurgitate everything your perfect brother and your perfect coach think and say?” he asked, getting right in Drew’s face.?

“Hey, man! Back off,” Samson shouted, shoving his way in between them. He pushed Adam back, and the guy almost fell into his friends.?

“And you! You’re such a fraud!” Adam blurted at Samson. “Look at you! You were supposed to be our captain, and you’ve totally defected to the other side.”?

“That’s a total calumny,” Samson shot back. “No one even told me about this little standoff of yours. But you know what? Even if they had, I wouldn’t have gone along with it. It’s time for you guys to quit your bitching and start acting like a team!”?

“Oh, yeah? Well maybe no one told you about it because we all knew you’d already bailed on the ethos of our team. Hanging out with Benson, giving him rides to school,” Adam replied snidely. “It’s about time you remember where you’re from,” he added, giving Samson a little shove.?

“All right, that’s enough!” Coach Davidson roared. He threw his clipboard down and stepped up, his face a heinous shade of purple. “Lazarus, these two men are your captains,” he said, pointing a shaking finger at Samson and Drew. “You will show them the respect they deserve.”?

Adam’s face screwed into a defiant smirk, and he spat at Samson’s feet. No one moved. No one breathed. There was no sound except the roar of a plane flying somewhere overhead.?

This is it. He’s going to throw us all out of here. He’s going to call up the school board and tell them to disband the team.?

“Well. That was discourteous,” Coach said finally. Flatly.?

“Traitors get spit on where I come from,” Adam replied.?

And that was all Coach needed to hear.?

“Fifty laps!” Coach Davidson shouted in Adam’s face. “You just earned yourself fifty laps, Lazarus!”?

Drew watched Adam as he glared at the coach. There was no way he was going to do it, no way he was going to let his team see him cave.?

“It just became sixty,” Coach said, stepping even closer to Adam, so close their chests collided. “Care to make it a hundred?”?

Adam shook his head derisively and bent to pick up his helmet. He jogged away from the team, bypassing eye contact with any one of them.?

“Come on, you guys. Let’s start practice,” Samson said, pulling his helmet on.?

“Yeah. Let’s go,” Drew added, jogging into the open space between the two groups.

At first, only a few brave souls followed them, but then Coach Davidson blew his whistle, and the rest of the team grudgingly hopped to. Drew breathed a sigh of relief as he fell into line to start warm-ups, but he couldn’t fully relax. Everyone around him was tense, and the specter of Adam running his sixty laps was a constant reminder of the animosity that permeated the field. As Drew started to count off jumping jacks, he had a feeling that this was going to be a very long practice.?

Chapter Eleven

Page 3

Drew caught the confused looks of his teammates as he approached the offensive line for the first scrimmage after warm-ups. He stepped up next to Samson as Coach Davidson brought up the rear.?

“What’s up, Coach?” Jason said lightly. “We’re going for a two-quarterback offense this year?”?

A few of the guys on the line laughed, though only Washingtonville guys, Drew noticed. Coach shook his head and smirked.

“Ah, Szonyi,” he said, putting a hand on Jason’s shoulder pad. “Trust you to always come to the most implausible conclusion.”?

Jason blushed, but more guys laughed at that one, so his embarrassment was for a worthy cause. Anything that could cut the tension on this team even slightly was totally worth it.?

“All right, guys, we’re going to try something new today,” Coach Davidson announced, shoving his clipboard under his arm. “Jackman, you’re out. I’m trying out Benson at tight end.”?

“What? No way,” Clay blurted, shocked.?

Alex Jackman, the freshman tight end, looked almost relieved to be pulled from the lineup. Not that Drew could blame him. Practice today was likely going to be intense. The kid jogged his butt to the sidelines so fast it was like he was being chased.?

“Yes way,” Coach replied. “Let’s run the blitz and see if your captain can block!” he shouted, backing up.?

Drew wanted to shoot his coach a “gee thanks” look but managed to check himself. Instead he took his place on the line and prepared himself for combat. This was it. This was his chance to show what he could do. To win a place on this team. There was no way he was going to fail. Even if that gargantuan Tank Langford was growling like a pit bull and seething in his direction.?

Coach blew his whistle with a flourish, and Drew threw himself into battle.?

Chapter Eleven

Page 4

An hour later, battered and parched and exhausted, Drew launched himself into the air over two defenders and just prayed that the ball would land in his fingers. He felt the pigskin and clutched at it, pulling it to his chest just as the two guys—one Washingtonville and one Corinth—collided with each other and with his legs from either side. Drew closed his eyes and tucked his head as he careened head over heels toward the ground over their backs. He slammed into the turf, the wind knocked out of him, and opened his eyes.?

I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe, he thought for a wild second.?

But then the air flooded his lungs and he coughed and sputtered. Two seconds later, Clay, Jason, and Dirk all appeared around him.?

“Do I still have the ball?” he asked.?

“You bet your ass you do,” Clay said, yanking him up and smacking his helmet. “Dude! You’re killing us out there!”?

Ten straight completed passes. Drew could hardly believe it. Looked as if his career as a tight end was off to an auspicious start. He wished his father were here. Or his brother. They were never going to believe this.?

“Where the hell did these extreme skills come from?” Dirk added.?

“I have my hidden talents,” Drew joked, gasping for breath.?

“Dude, you should conserve your energy,” Jason said, slapping the top of his helmet. “I have a feeling you’re gonna be starting every game this year.”?

God, I hope so, Drew thought, smiling. A couple of other Washingtonville guys slapped his shoulders as they made their way across the field. It seemed like his new position had distracted the team—the Washingtonville guys, at least—from the earlier discord. The Corinth guys didn’t seem all that happy to have him back on the field, but so far they had kept their mouths shut about it. Practice had been way more passionate than usual, with some nasty hits and a lot of cracking helmets, but the team was forging ahead without incident, and Drew was starting to think it might actually be possible to get through this day without a throwdown.?

One could hope.?

“How did Coach come up with this idea?” Jason asked Drew.?

Drew glanced over at Samson. “Actually, I’m indebted to Hill for that,” he said. “Coach saw us playing catch yesterday and got the idea.”?

He reached out his hand, which Samson slapped. Drew glanced around at the huddle, hoping they’d take the cue. If he and Samson could get along, they could all get along. But everyone just glowered in response.?

“Wait a minute…so it’s true? You two were hanging out yesterday?” Clay derided them.?

“Back off, Carradine,” Drew said, annoyed. “We’re just trying to make the best of a sucky situation.”?

“Yeah. Whatever,” Clay said.

“All right, you guys! Let’s run that play one more time!” Coach Davidson called out, blowing his whistle.?

Drew lined up behind the tackle. Across the line he could see that Tank was no longer the only defensive player out for blood. Clay was now glaring at him too. What was wrong with this guy? So Drew was trying to make friends with Samson. Was that really so inflammatory? How could these guys not see that something had to change around here?

“Blue, thirty-eight! Blue, thirty-eight!” Samson shouted.?

Clay stared into Drew’s eyes. Drew stared right back, all the tiny hairs on the back of his neck on end.?

“Hike!”?

Drew jumped off the line. He was supposed to go in motion to the right, but instead he threw himself right at Clay, who he knew was gunning for him. Clay had clearly been expecting to catch Drew on the run, so when Drew hit him directly in the chest, he was flung backward, off balance. Drew threw Clay to the ground, jumped over his prone body, and sidestepped Tank. He raced down the center of the field, wide open. No one had been expecting him to breech the center of the line, so the corners were miles away from him.?

“Hill!” Drew shouted, raising a hand in the air.?

Samson saw him and let the ball fly. It was an easy catch, and Drew sprinted into the end zone. A couple of guys raced up to hug him, and then Samson was there as well. The two of them jumped in the air, high-fiving over their heads, exultant.?

“We are unstoppable!” Samson shouted.?

“You bet your ass!” Drew replied happily.?

Chapter Eleven

Page 5

But their celebration was finite. Behind Drew there was a shout, then another. As he turned around, he saw Clay and Tank wrestling each other to the ground. Then Lance shouted something crass about Dirk’s mother, and Dirk threw his helmet off and assailed Lance. They hit the ground, and Dirk tore off Lance’s helmet, all the better to pummel his face with his fist. It all happened so fast, Drew had no idea what the catalyst had been.?

“Damn it!” Drew shouted, racing toward the fray with Samson in tow.?

By the time they ran the fifty yards, half the team was embroiled in the melee. Bodies were flung aside. Blood spurted across white jerseys. Epithets filled the air. Drew was just about to fling himself at a Corinth guy who was beating the hell out of John Washburn, when Coach Davidson met him with the force of a Mac truck and threw him back.?

“Stay out of it!” Coach shouted at him and Samson. “Get back!”?

Drew stopped, heaving for breath, as Coach turned and pulled the guy off of John. Along with the other coaches, he dove in, pulling kids out one by one and backing them up. Drew looked at Samson, who had likewise stopped, and they both went about trying to keep their friends from rejoining the fight. He brought John over to the bench near the track and grabbed a towel for him to hold against his bleeding nose.?

“You all right, man?” he asked.?

John held his head back and managed the tiniest nod. “Go help them.”?

Drew didn’t know whether he meant help the team or the coaches, but he turned around and went back to see what he could do. Clay was whaling on one of the defensive players from Corinth, and Drew and Dirk grabbed him from either side and dragged him away.?

“I wasn’t done with him, man,” Clay shouted, still ready to go, even though blood was pouring from his mouth.

“What the hell is the matter with you, Clay?” Drew asked. “I’m so sick of this crap. Why do you have to be so confrontational?”?

“Look who’s talking, Mr. let’s-go-to-the-Corinth-diner-and-just-see-what-happens! Where do you get off being so sanctimonious all of a sudden? Why are you castigating me?” Clay replied, spitting again. “You’re the one who kept saying they were contaminating our school. But all of a sudden it’s like you’ve forgotten all about that. What’d you get—a lobotomy?”?

“No. I’m just trying to change,” Drew replied. “I’m just trying to save this team. But if this is the way it’s gonna be, maybe it’s not worthy saving.”?

He turned and stormed off, helping a couple of coaches separate a pair of combatants. It took just minutes to break the whole thing up, but it felt to Drew like hours. When the last few guys were peeled away from the pile, a sickening sight greeted all of them. Jason was lying on the ground—seemingly pressed into the ground—bloody and unconscious, a contusion from his temple to the center of his forehead.?

“Oh my God. Jason,” Drew said, rushing over to his friend’s side.?

“Call 911!” Coach Davidson shouted.

Lewinter pulled out his cell and dialed. Everyone was suddenly still as death. Drew and Dirk knelt next to Jason with Coach. His skin looked waxy and green. Drew saw his lifelong friendship with Jason pass before his eyes. Their first trip to PNC Park to see the Pirates, riding bikes in the summer during middle school, climbing the trees outside Tamara’s house trying to see in her windows. Jason’s idea, of course. He felt like his chest was going to explode.?

Please just let him be okay, Drew thought. I’ll take the blame for everything. I’ll atone for everything I’ve ever done wrong. I’ll quit the team for good. Just let him be okay.?

“Is he breathing?” Drew asked, his voice cracking.?

“Barely,” Coach replied gravely. “We have to get him to a hospital. Now.”?

Vocabulary Drill

Chapter Eleven

assailed · attacked

assertions · claims

audibly · so to be heard

auspicious · promising

awe · wonder

brandishing · holding aggresively

calumny · slander

careened · lurched

catalyst · trigger

collaborator · partner

concordant · in agreement

confrontational · provoking

conserve · save

contagious · infectious

contaminating · ruining

contusion · bruise

crafty · shrewd

crass · crude

crested · reached the top

cue · signal

dated · out-of-date

defected · left

defiant · disobedient

derided · ridiculed

derisively · contemptuously

din · racket

dingy · grimy

disband · break up

disclosed · revealed

discourteous · rude

distinct · separate

distracted · diverted

divisive · disruptive

dominant · strongest

elusive · hard to catch

embroiled · involved

epithets · disparaging words

erasure · removal

ethos · guiding beliefs

evenhanded · fair

extant · still in existence

exultant · jubilant

finite · limited

flourish · showiness

forging · moved slowly and steadily

fraud · fake

fray · fight

gargantuan · gigantic

glowered · stared sullenly

grudgingly · reluctantly

implausible · unbelievable

indebted · thankful

inflammatory · inciting

nauseated · sickened

parched · dehydrated

pummel · pound

regurgitate · repeat

sanctimonious · self-righteous

specter · image

Chapter Twelve

Page 1

“Drew, you should really sit,” Coach Davidson said, leaning forward in the plastic waiting room chair. “We could be here a while.”?

Drew paced up and down the aisle in the brightly lit, antiseptic yet chaotic ER waiting room. All around him, his teammates talked in low tones. In the chairs beyond them, little kids sniffled and coughed, a guy about his father’s age held his arm, which was obviously broken, and a few other sorry-looking characters stared into space or called for doctors. Drew’s heart was pounding so hard he couldn’t even imagine trying to sit still.?

“I can’t,” he told Coach, stepping over Dirk’s outstretched legs. “I can’t sit.”?

There would be no relaxing for Drew. He was going to practice abnegation until he heard that his best friend was okay. No matter what Drew did, he just couldn’t stop seeing Jason’s gray, limp body. His friend had never regained consciousness as they loaded him into the ambulance. And when his mother had arrived with Jason’s little brother in tow, she’d been a hysterical mess. And why? For what? Because of some stupid rivalry between Corinth and Washingtonville? It was all so pointless.?

“Damn it!” Drew shouted, bringing his fist down into the seat of an empty chair.?

“Drew!” Coach barked, surprised.?

“Dude. You’ve gotta calm down,” Samson said, standing up from his own chair.

“I can’t. I feel execrable,” Drew said, pressing the heels of his hands into his forehead. “This is all my fault. My best friend . . . basically the nicest guy on the planet . . . is in the hospital unconscious, and it’s all my fault.”?

He felt so desperate, so alone. So completely and totally stupid. Encumbered by all his emotions, he finally dropped into a chair and put his head in his hands. He knew the rest of the team was staring at him, but he didn’t even care. Nothing mattered right now except for Jason.?

“Drew . . . son, let me exculpate you right now,” Coach Davidson said, putting his arm around Drew and squeezing his shoulder. “You didn’t start this fight. You weren’t even in on this fight. You and Samson were trying to change things. This isn’t your fault.”?

Drew sniffled and looked up, constraining a few tears that threatened to overflow. A few of the kids from Washingtonville were whispering and laughing, telling stories about Jason. Drew’s heart felt like it was about to burst.?

“Do you see that? They’re telling anecdotes about him. Like this is his wake. Like he’s already dead,” Drew said.?

“He’s gonna be fine,” Samson told him. “The doctor seemed optimistic. You’ve gotta try to cultivate some hope.”?

Drew took a deep breath, staring out over the waiting room. The Washingtonville guys were on one side. The Corinth guys—the few who had bothered to come—were on the other. They weren’t acknowledging each other or even looking at each other. The whole thing made Drew so sick he wanted to spit.?

“They should just raze the field already,” he said bitterly. “This isn’t a team. It’s never going to be a team.”?

Coach Davidson shifted in his seat. He slipped out of his jacket and folded it on his lap with a sigh. “To be honest, son, after today, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the school board decided to abjure the team and abrogate the program. At least until next year.”?

Chapter Twelve

Page 2

“What?” Samson blurted, as if wondering whether his coach’s thesaurus had gotten stuck open to the pages spanning abhorrent through abrupt.?

“Well, all we’ve proven since day one is that you guys don’t know how to get along and that I can’t keep control of you,” Coach said, looking grim and sad. “Now one of my players has landed in the hospital. This is not a propitious situation. There’s a school board meeting next Wednesday, and my guess is once they hear about this, the team will be on their agenda.”?

The sliding doors opened with a hiss, and a sacerdote walked through holding a Bible. Drew’s heart all but stopped. It felt like a presage of doom.?

Please don’t be here to give anyone last rights, he thought.?

The door behind the desk opened, and Mrs. Szonyi walked out, holding Jason’s little brother Eric by the hand. Her blond hair was back in a ponytail, and her usually made-up face was wan, having been wiped clean by tears and tissues. She deposited Eric in a chair near the wall with a book and walked over to Coach. Every player in the room either stood up or at least sat up straight. Drew was on his feet in a second.?

“Is he okay?” Drew blurted before Jason’s mom could even get a word out.?

She smiled weakly. “He’s going to be fine.”?

“Yes!” Drew cheered, feeling his entire body lighten. All the other guys cheered and hollered as well, hugging and celebrating in their ebullient way until one of the nurses told them to cut the crap. Then they instantly fell silent, blushing like mad.

“That’s great news, Jenny,” Coach Davidson said, squeezing Mrs. Szonyi’s arm.

“They were circumspect at first,” Jason’s mother explained, taking the chair Drew had vacated. “They didn’t want to say anything, basically, until he woke up. But he finally did about fifteen minutes ago, and he answered all their questions correctly, so . . . as long as they keep him awake for a while, they think he’ll be fine. The only problem is that since he needs to stay awake, they can’t give him anything for the pain in his leg yet.”?

“His leg?” Drew asked.?

“It’s broken,” she replied, reaching into her purse for a tissue, which she pressed to her nose. “Other than a concussion, that’s his worst injury.”?

Drew felt sick to his stomach. Someone had broken Jason’s leg? Who the hell could do such a thing??

“It probably happened in the pile-on,” Samson said, as if reading Drew’s thoughts. “I’m sure no one meant for anything like this to happen, Mrs. Szonyi.”?

“I know. It seems like a lot of you boys are worse for the wear,” she said, glancing around at all the cuts and bruises around her. She closed her eyes and held her breath for a moment. “I’m sorry. I just have such an aversion to hospitals.”?

“Is there anything I can get you?” Drew asked automatically.?

“Can I dispatch you in search of some coffee?” she asked, her voice meek. “That would be so helpful, Drew.”?

“I’m on it,” Drew said, happy to have some kind of task to perform.?

“Can I come?” Eric asked, jumping out of his chair.?

“Sure, little man,” Drew said, ruffling the kid’s curly hair. Eric was always following him and Jason around, and sometimes his precociousness annoyed Drew, but tonight he welcomed the kid’s company. It made him feel closer to Jason somehow.?

Chapter Twelve

Page 3

He walked over to the nurses’ station and inquired about the coffee machine, which was in a nearby nurses’ lounge. Once he found it, the thing was so elaborate he had no idea what to do. Did she want decaf or regular? Flavored or unflavored? He finally decided to just make as many different kinds as he could carry.

“Grab a seat, dude. This could take a while,” Drew told Eric.?

Eric did as he was told. He sat at a round wooden table and opened his book again.

“Wow. You’re really into that, huh?” Drew said, choosing one of the one-serving coffee packets and tossing it into the machine.?

“It’s homework, but I like it,” Eric said, shrugging his thin shoulders.?

“What’s the book?” Drew asked.

“It’s an anthology of Greek myths.”?

Drew scoffed. “You’re learning Greek mythology in fourth grade?”?

“It’s for advanced reading,” Eric replied, turning the page.?

Drew grinned. “Ah. That explains it.” He wandered over to the refrigerator while the first cup of coffee was brewing. Inside was a plethora of different sodas. “You want a soda?”?

“I can’t have sugar after six p.m.,” Eric said matter-of-factly.?

Drew laughed. “Eric, man, you’re ten.”?

Eric looked up from his book. “So?”?

“So, live a little,” Drew replied.?

He placed a root beer in front of Eric and popped open a soda for himself as he sat down. Eric pulled the soda to him, his eyes wide with the crime of it all, and Drew slid Eric’s book over to him.?

“Let’s see this thing,” he said, taking a slug of his soda. He closed the book to check out the cover, and instantly the world stopped moving. Somewhere overhead, a PA system called for a doctor. Behind him, the coffeemaker burbled. Eric sucked down half a can of root beer in record time. But all Drew could see was the illustration on the front cover of Eric’s Greek mythology book.?

It was a perfect epiphany. Something he’d heard about, but had never actually experienced himself. Suddenly he knew how to fix everything between Washingtonville and Corinth. Or, at least, how to start.?

“Oh. My. God. This is it,” Drew said.?

Drew stood up, clutching the book, and grabbed the one cup of coffee that was just finished brewing.?

“What? What’s it?” Eric asked, jumping up as well.

“Here. Give me that,” Drew said, snatching the can out of Eric’s hand. It was already empty. “Wow. You have a serious propensity for root beer, kid.”?

“I like it okay,” Eric said. “Can I have my book back?”?

“In a second,” Drew said, heading for the door. “I have to adumbrate my idea to Samson and Coach.”?

“What idea?” Eric asked, jogging to catch up with him.?

“I don’t know. It’s all kind of amorphous right now. But if it works . . . God. I think it could actually work,” Drew said, feeling truly energized for the first time all evening.

He walked into the ER, where much of the team was starting to disperse, having heard that Jason was okay. After handing the coffee to Mrs. Szonyi, Drew held out the book to Samson and Coach and started to explain his plan. Gradually, their eyes lit up, and Drew knew he was on to something.

“This could actually work, kid,” Coach Davidson said proudly.?

“But we’ve got a lot to do,” Samson put in.?

“So you want to help?” Drew asked.?

“Definitely, man,” Samson replied, slapping Drew on the back. “This is our team. Let’s save it.”?

Chapter Twelve

Page 4

When he walked into Spanish class on Friday, Drew was pleased to see a television and DVD player at the front of the room. There was nothing like a movie day to lift his spirits. Especially considering that next week’s school board meeting and his plan to save the team had become an obsession for him. Now he could use this period to work on the plan. He headed for his usual seat near the back of the room and pulled out his notebook, turning to a clean page.?

Two seconds later, Lily strode in, looking as ethereal and beautiful?as ever in a soft pink sweater and long brown skirt. As always, Drew was momentarily distracted by her stunning eyes and her blemish-free skin, but he managed to avert his gaze before she saw him staring. He’d started to adjust to her complete indifference toward him and, to preserve what was left of his ego, hadn’t even said hi to her in days.?

“All right, class. Today we’re going to start watching one of my favorite Spanish-language movies, Volver,” Mrs. Trull announced, dousing the lights. “Sit back, relax, and pay attention. There will be a quiz next week.”?

Everyone groaned except Drew and Lily. Drew saw her slip her ear buds back into her ears as the movie started up. He stifled a laugh and started to sketch with his pencil. If he and Samson were going to make a presentation to the school board, they needed it to look impressive and well thought out, which meant having visual aids. Drew was anything but adroit at drawing, but he’d seen some of Samson’s attempts at this, and between the two of them, he was at least marginally better. Still, his childlike figures irritated him every time he tried. After his third attempt, he felt a compulsion to tear the sheet off and crumble it, but he had a feeling Mrs. Trull might frown on that. It might interrupt this banal movie she was forcing them to watch and stir the rest of the class from their ennui.?

Drew turned the page and started a new sketch. After a few minutes he started to feel like someone was watching him, and he looked up quickly, expecting to find Mrs. Trull breathing down his neck. Instead, his eyes met the beautiful yet stunned eyes of Lily Winters. Drew raised his eyebrows, and she blushed and quickly looked away. She rested her elbow on her desk and covered her mouth with her hand, but she was clearly trying to hide a smile.?

Drew’s heart fluttered. “What?” he whispered. “Is it that bad?”?

She gave the drawing another cursory glance. “A for effort,” she said not unkindly.?

Drew chuckled quietly. He looked at his admittedly simple drawing, then back at her desk. Lily was using a purple pen to embellish the edges of her notebook page with flowers. Flowers that had shading and nuance and depth. Drew blushed with hot embarrassment.?

“Guess I’m not that much of an artist,” he whispered.

She smiled her agreement.?

“But you have a real aesthetic sense,” he commented, shifting a bit so he could better see. He didn’t want to be pert and say too much, considering this would technically be the longest conversation they had ever had, but he decided he had to try. “Listen, hypothetically, if I were to ask you for a favor, what would your response be?”?

“That would depend on the hypothetical favor,” she replied without looking up.?

“Mr. Benson, Ms. Winters, do I need to separate you two?” Mrs. Trull asked suddenly.?

“No ma’am,” Lily said automatically.?

“No. We’re good,” Drew put in.?

He sat back in his seat and focused his eyes on the screen, his pulse racing in his ears over the admonishment—and the headway he seemed to be making with Lily. Two seconds later, a folded piece of paper landed on his desk. Surprised, he slid it into his lap and unfolded it. It read, simply: Talk after class.?

He glanced at Lily, and she didn’t look back, but he knew it was from her by the purple ink. And suddenly he couldn’t wait for the bell.?

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Page 5

After twenty anguished minutes, the lights were finally on and everyone was blearily gunning for the door. Drew and Lily both took their time and hung back. She lifted her tattered messenger bag over her shoulder, crossed her arms over her chest, and looked at him expectantly. Drew looked at her for a good ten seconds before he realized this meant it was time for him to talk.?

“Okay, well, have you heard about what’s been going on with the football team?” he asked, starting for the door.?

Lily followed slowly, her long skirt kicking out in graceful flutters. “Of course. You are fairly notorious,” she replied. “I hear you’re a pretty bellicose group.”?

Drew’s skin warmed with embarrassment, and he paused to let her through the door first. “We have been, I guess. In fact, I think our behavior has been pretty corrosive to school spirit and to the school itself. But I’d really like to implement a change.”?

“Okay,” Lily said with a nod.

“My friend Samson and I . . . we have this plan that we want to present to the school board on Wednesday, and I think that our argument is well thought out and cogent, but there’s one problem,” Drew explained, ushering her to the end of the hall.?

“What’s that?” Lily asked, focusing her eyes on his face.?

Drew’s heart skipped a beat at her sudden brazen behavior. Brazen for her, anyway. He wasn’t sure if she’d ever fully looked at him before. And she was still looking. And growing kind of disturbed actually.?

“Oh! Right!” Drew blurted suddenly, feeling like a moron. It was just hard to remain lucid in the face of all that beauty. “The problem is, we need art. You know, visual aids? But neither one of us can draw.”?

“Oh. Okay,” Lily said, finally getting it. “So you need an artist.”?

“Yeah. Basically. And you seem to be an artist . . .” Drew said in a leading way.?

“What would you need me to draw?” Lily asked, turning a corner and walking toward the main hall—in the opposite direction from where Drew needed to be.?

“Actually, it’s kind of a long story, and I have to get to class,” he said reluctantly. “Is there any way you can meet me in the library after school? Would you be amenable to hanging out for, like, an hour? I’m pretty sure that’s all it would take.”?

Lily regarded him for a moment as he backed down the hall slowly, biting her lip in an adorable way. Her left ankle collapsed and straightened, collapsed and straightened, like it was helping her think it through. For an agonizing few seconds, Drew thought she was going to turn him down, but then, finally, she capitulated.?

“Okay, fine,” she said finally. “You’re in luck. Friday is my only free day after school.”?

“Mine too!” Drew said, throwing his arms out in glee. “What are the odds?”?

Lily laughed. It was a beautiful, musical laugh that lit up her entire face. “But I’m not guaranteeing anything. I need to hear this ingenious plan of yours first.”?

“You got it!” Drew shouted. “And thank you!”?

Then he turned and jogged off down the hall, feeling lighter than he had all year.?

Chapter Twelve

Page 6

Drew straightened the sleeves of his one and only suit and took a deep breath, checking himself out in the mirror. His palms were already sweating, and his heart felt like dozens of tiny ants were tap dancing all over it. Part of him wanted to just change back into his sweats, sack out in front of the TV, and let someone else deal with the eminent school board. But this was his plan. His moment. And he wasn’t going to let himself or his team down.?

He picked up his folder with his speech and papers inside, and headed downstairs.?

“Wow! What a metamorphosis!” Drew’s mother said as he walked into the living room. She stood up and dusted off his shoulders and straightened his tie. She looked pretty herself, with her blond hair down over the shoulders of a pressed blue shirt. “We should have sent you to a private school. You look so good in suits.”?

“Yeah. I clean up well,” Drew joked, even though the ants had ratcheted up the tap dance a notch. His father was staring at him like he’d never seen him before.?

“Where are you going dressed like that on a Wednesday night?” his father asked, muting the television.?

Drew steeled himself as he turned to his dad. They had barely spoken two words to each other since the incident at the Corinthian Diner, and Drew had been enjoying his hiatus from criticism. But he had also decided that he was no longer going to be fettered by his fear of his father’s scorn, by their contentious relationship. He was proud of what he was about to do. For the first time in his life he felt like he was making the mature move, acting like an adult. So he’d decided it was time to start acting like one with his father as well.?

“Actually, Dad, I’m going to the school board meeting to present a plan for the football team,” Drew said, clearing his throat.?

Drew’s father scoffed and waved a hand, sitting back in his chair. “It’s too late for that. Everyone in town knows that the board has already decided to denounce you all. I wouldn’t be surprised if they proscribed football entirely in this town. After everything your brother built, your name is going to go down in infamy as the player who destroyed the Eagles.”?

Drew felt like he had just been punched in the gut, but he refused to let it show.?

“Actually, I think Drew’s plan is a judicious one,” his mother began, attempting to defend him as usual. “If you would just hear him out—”?

“It’s okay, Mom,” Drew said.?

He walked over and stood in front of the TV, blocking his father’s view. He was so sick of his dad’s imperious ways, all he wanted to do was give the same attitude back. His dad glared up at him, annoyed.?

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Page 7

“I’m sorry you feel like my name’s going to go down in infamy,” Drew began, his free hand curling into a fist that steadied his resolve. “But this stuff about the school board making a decision already is apocryphal. It’s just a rumor that people have been propagating to give themselves something to talk about. The board knows that Samson and I are coming tonight. They put us at the top of their agenda. And I think their going to listen to our plan and see that we are more than willing to change. That we aspire to a better future for the team. And I think they’re going to let us keep playing.”?

Drew’s father seemed amused. “Well, that’s very presumptuous of you.”?

“Well, I guess you’ve got to be a little quixotic when you’re in my position,” Drew said. “All I know is that when Jason got hurt, that was the nadir of my life, and I have to do something to fix the situation that got him there. I have to believe that the people on the school board are going to see that and that they’re going to want to help me. I know, at least, that Jason’s mom is on my side, and she has one vote.”?

“Well, good luck with that, son,” his father said with just a hint of sarcasm.?

Drew’s jaw clenched. Screw him, he thought. Just give this up. Walk the hell out of here.?

But he couldn’t. He was not going to let his dad bring out his pugnacious side. Not tonight. Drew had decided on a course of action, and he was going to stick with it.?

“Actually, Dad, I was hoping you and Mom might come,” Drew said, and then he held his breath.?

His father sat up straight. “You want us to come to the school board meeting with you. Now,” he said flatly.?

Drew swallowed back a lump in his throat. “I could use your support,” he stated.?

“It’s kind of short notice, isn’t it, Drew?” his father asked, lifting the remote again. “We’re already settled in for the night.”?

Drew felt as if the house were crumbling down around him. He hadn’t really expected his father to say yes. The man had never been there for him in his life. But to be blown off so casually was almost more than he could bear.?

“Well, I’m going,” his mother said, standing up and grabbing her purse. “Come on, Drew. You don’t want to be late.”?

Drew started after her for the door, but he paused. There was one question he suddenly wanted to ask, just ask in plain terms.

“Dad, if I were Trey, would you be getting up to get changed right now?” he asked tremulously.?

His father stared at him. There was a rebuke in his eyes, but then it somehow shifted to doubt.

“Honestly. I’m not going to get upset. I just want your honest answer. If Trey had walked in here and asked you to go watch him give a speech in front of the school board, would the TV be more important?” Drew asked. “Because you’ve ignored a lot of the little moments in my life, and I’ve never said much about it. I’ve just let that go while you were off watching Trey win or helping him with his form or doing whatever. But this is big, Dad. This could be one of the biggest things I’ve ever done. And it would mean a lot to me if you were there.”?

Drew’s father stared at the TV for a long moment, thinking. Drew and his mother both were frozen in place.

“You really want me there,” his father said finally. “Really?”?

Drew somehow managed to nod. Slowly, his father pushed himself up and turned off the set.?

“I’ll get my jacket,” he said.?

Drew couldn’t believe it. He stood there, rooted to the spot with his jaw hanging open until his father was out of the room. When he turned to his mom, her eyes were shining with pride.?

“Well. That was quite a coup,” she said with a smile.?

“I can’t believe it,” Drew said. “He actually acquiesced.”?

“You did it, babe,” his mother said, giving him a firm hug. “I think this bodes well for the rest of the night, don’t you?”?

“God, I hope so. I really hope so,” Drew replied.?

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Page 8

The frenetic atmosphere outside the school board meeting did not help soothe Drew’s nerves. The story of the fight that had landed Jason in the hospital had hit the local papers over the weekend, and even though Jason was now back at home, reposing in the living room with two hundred DVDs and all the Burger King he could eat, they made it sound like he was on the brink of death. Now the press had figured out that tonight would be the night the team’s fate was decided. As Drew, Samson, Coach Davidson, and Coach Lewinter stood outside the meeting, photographers snapped their picture and tried to pry them aside for questions.?

“Are we really doing this?” Drew asked Samson.?

“Don’t worry man. It’s going to be great. We’re going to go in there and kick some ass,” Samson said, pressing his fist into his palm.?

“Don’t be too bombastic,” Coach Davidson warned, looking around at the press like he was worried they might suddenly swarm and trample them. “If you come off as cocky, they’re not going to take well to it.”?

“Got it,” Samson said, shoving his hands in his pockets. “We need to be humble.”?

“This is some caucus,” Drew’s father said, whistling as he looked around. “Are there always this many people at this thing?”?

“Only when the smell of blood is in the air,” Lewinter replied acerbically.?

Drew pulled out his speech for one final perusal. Coach Davidson,?who was holding the poster Lily had drawn for them, glanced over his shoulder to read.?

“This is good, son,” he said. “Keep it simple. No grandiloquence.”?

“Got it,” Drew said with a nod.?

“Now Mrs. Gramble, the school board president, is going to be your main inquisitor,” his mother said under her breath. “She can be a bit tough, but don’t be intimidated. You have to engage her. Make her an interlocutor instead of a judge.”?

“Your mother’s right. Don’t be impertinent,” his father added. “If you point out to her that it was their misjudgment that started this whole problem in the first place, she’ll shut you right down.”?

Everyone gaped at Drew’s father.?

“What? We all know they’re not beyond reproach,” he whispered. “They didn’t let those Corinth kids maintain a shred of their identity.”?

“Jim!” Drew’s mother said, shocked.?

“I’m a constituent in this town,” he said. “I’m allowed to have an opinion.”?

“Yes, you are,” Drew’s mother said with a laugh. She put her arm around his dad. “I think we’re just surprised you have that opinion.”?

A Washingtonville police officer stepped out of the cafeteria door, where the meeting was being held. “Everyone! If you’ll come inside!” he called out. “They’re about to get started.”?

Drew’s heart slammed painfully in his chest.?

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Page 9

“Give ’em hell, son,” his father said, slapping him on the back.?

“Uh, thanks, Dad,” Drew said, marveling at his father’s turnaround. He supposed he should have taken the mature, calm route with him a lot earlier in life.?

“I’m so proud of you, Drew,” his mom added with a kiss on his cheek.?

Drew took a deep breath as he watched them go. There was a sudden paucity of saliva in his mouth. We’ll see if they still are when this is over. He turned around and paced away from the door as dozens of people flooded inside. “I can’t do this. All those people? The cafeteria is replete!”?

“Dude, are you not president of the student body?” Samson asked, coming up next to him.?

Drew nodded.?

“Well if you’re this scared of public speaking, how the heck did you manage that?” Samson asked.?

“That’s school,” Drew replied. “This is . . . adults.”?

Samson glanced around at the curious onlookers who were tarrying outside the building. “I see your point. But seriously, what’s the worst that can happen? You go in there, you lay out your plan, and hopefully we’ll all come to some kind of congruity.”?

“And if we don’t?” Drew asked.?

Samson shrugged. “Well, then, they condemn the team. Either way, in an hour, all this is over and you don’t have to stress about it anymore.”?

Drew laughed, shaking his head. Samson was out of his mind, but Drew did feel slightly better. “Thanks, man.”?

“No problem. Let’s get this show on the road.”?

They were just about to head for the door when Lily came walking up the steps from the parking lot. Drew couldn’t have been more shocked to see her if she were wearing a French maid’s uniform. The girl wasn’t usually the gregarious type. This jam-packed meeting was the kind of thing a shy girl like her would probably avoid. Was she there to—dare he think it—support him??

As she strode by, he lifted his hand in salutation. Lily merely smiled and then ducked her head and slipped inside.

“All right, man,” Drew said, smacking Samson on the shoulder. “Let’s do this.”?

Twenty minutes later, after everyone was settled and the minutes?from the last meeting were read, Drew and Samson were called to the front of the room. Flashbulbs flashed, and murmurs filled the room. Drew’s knees quaked so violently as he walked that he was sure he was going to fall over and crash into the podium. But he made it there all right, and Mrs. Gramble called the room to silence.

“The floor is yours, boys,” she said, lifting a gnarled old hand in their direction.?

Drew took a deep breath and looked at Samson, who nodded resolutely.?

“Ladies and gentlemen of the school board, members of the faculty, students, and members of the Washingtonville and Corinth communities,” Drew began. “I know you’ve all heard about what’s been going on with our newly integrated football team, and I know you feel that you’re at the end of your rope. But Samson and I, as players on the team, have a better understanding of the actual issues than anyone outside of it can hope to have. So we’re here to tell you about our experiences over the past couple of weeks, and then to present a plan that—while it may not be a panacea—will hopefully help us begin to improve the situation.”?

At the long table, a few of the school board members shifted forward in their seats, giving Drew their full attention. He stifled a smile, but he knew at that moment that he had them. All he had to do now was bring it home.?

Vocabulary Drill

Chapter Twelve

abjure · disown

abnegation · sel-denial

abrogate · abolish

acerbically · harshly

acquiesced · gave in

admonishment · reprimand

adroit · skillful

adumbrate · disclose

aesthetic · artistic

amenable · open

amorphous · shapeless

anecdotes · short, amusing stories

anthology · collection

antiseptic · sterile

apocryphal · dubious

aspire · aim

avert · turn away

banal · boring

bellicose · aggresive

blemish · flaw

bodes · indicates

bombastic · overbearing

capitulated · gave in

caucus · assembly

chaotic · hectic

circumspect · cautious

cogent · convincing

compulsion · impulse

congruity · agreement

constituent · citizen

constraining · holding back

contentious · touchy

corrosive · damaging

coup · triumph

cultivate · develop

cursory · brief

denounce · condemn

dispatch · send

ebullient · cheerful

elaborate · complex

embellish · decorate

eminent · distinguished

encumbered · weighed down

engage · make involved

ennui · boredom

epiphany · moment of realization

ethereal · otherwordly

exculpate · free from blame

execrable · terrible

fettered · chained

frenetic · hectic

gnarled · twisted

grandiloquence · extravagant language

gregarious · outgoing

hiatus · break

hypothetically · theoretically

hysterical · frenzied

imperious · domineering

impertinent · impolite

implement · apply

infamy · disgrace

ingenious · inspired

inquisitor · questioner

interlocutor · participant

judicious · sensible

lucid · coherent

marginally · slightly

marveling · amazed

meek · timid

metamorphosis · transformation

nadir · low point

notorious · infamous

nuance · distinct traits

panacea · cure-all

paucity · shortage

pert · animated

perusal · examination

plethora · variety

precociousness · early maturity

presage · omen

presumptuous · arrogant, bold

propagating · spreading

propensity · penchant

propitious · encourging

proscribed · banned

pugnacious · aggresive

quixotic · idealistic

raze · tear down

rebuke · reprimand

regarded · studied

replete · full

reposing · resting

resolutely · with determination

sacerdote · priest

salutation · greeting

stifled · held back

tremulously · shakily

wan · pale

Chapter Thirteen

Page 1

Drew walked into the cafeteria at lunchtime on Friday with trepidation, his shoulder muscles coiled and tight. The tension in the air was palpable. It had been all day. Tomorrow was the first game of the season against one of Washingtonville’s biggest rivals, Johnstown High, and today was the first big pep rally of the year. Normally, the student body’s wardrobe was invariable—everyone would be sporting the red and white. The faces of the seriously dedicated would be painted to show their school spirit. Everyone would be psyching themselves up for the big game. But nothing about this day was right.?

Drew himself wasn’t wearing school colors. Every other guy on the team was sporting his game jersey over jeans, but Drew had decided against it and gone with a plain T-shirt. He knew that his friends were saying highly pejorative things about him behind his back, but he also hoped they’d understand once his plan came to light. If, of course, he had the chance to tell them about it. At this point he was starting to doubt whether the school could make it to the eighth-period pep rally without a riot breaking out.?

Drew walked over to his table and dropped his huge history tome at his seat. A few Corinth guys—in full gray and blue—shot him a scathing look from the next table, as if he’d just destroyed their tranquility. As if there were anything tranquil about the murmuring and back-talking that ran rampant through the room.?

“What are you guys looking at?” Samson asked the Corinth kids, coming up behind Drew.

The two kids grumbled and went back to their lunches. Drew dropped into his chair, and Samson sat at the end of the table, catty-corner from him. That one move drew more disgusted stares than Drew could count.?

“Am I paranoid, or does it seem like the entire school is about to blow?” Drew asked under his breath.?

Clay, Dirk, and a few of Drew’s friends dropped their stuff at the table and headed for the lunch line, grunting their hellos.?

“You’re not paranoid. You’ve just got serious perspicacity. The resentment in this place is ubiquitous. I think even the cafeteria workers are taking sides,” Samson replied, glancing around the room as if to surmise where and when the first fight of the period would break out. There had been a few tangential skirmishes in the halls during the first four periods of the day, but Drew had heard they’d been subjugated fast. “At least we can say we’ve got a preponderance of school spirit,” Samson added.?

“Yeah. It’s just that no one can figure out who their spirit is supposed to be for,” Drew said as a group of Corinth girls cut off a group of Washingtonville girls on their way into the bathroom. As they finally jostled their way inside, Lily glided through the cafeteria door wearing a lavender sweater and a denim skirt. Drew was temporarily distracted by her pulchritude, and he couldn’t help wondering if she’d worn that sweater to support him. Then he caught Adam Lazarus, in his blue and gray Corinth jersey, glaring at him and Samson from across the senior section and was brought right back to earth. “Tell me again that we’re doing the right thing, keeping this on the down-low until just before the pep rally,” he said.?

Chapter Thirteen

Page 2

“We are,” Samson replied. “If you let it leak out, the whole point would get muddled. You know how these things work. Everyone would misunderstand what we’re trying to do. They’d have a zillion questions and they’d make up their own answers. They’d decide it was a bad idea before they even had the facts, and that would negate all our work.”?

“Right. Right. Okay. All we’ve got to do is make it to eighth,” Drew said with a nod.?

“Exactly. With any serendipity, by tonight, this school will finally be unified,” Samson agreed.?

Drew took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his frayed nerves. “You want to go up there?” he asked, nodding toward the food line. “I’m parched.”?

“Yeah, man.” Samson slapped him on the back as they stood and they walked together along the far wall toward the line. Drew felt as if every single pair of eyes was on him and Samson, looking at them like they were a couple of traitors. All he wanted to do was tell them off, but he wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of seeing him riled. Besides, if he got into a fight today it would jeopardize everything. The school board was counting on him to set an example, and he was not going to let them down. He stared obstinately ahead and got in line.?

“I hope they have pizza today,” Drew said, making a lame attempt at small talk.?

“Dude, the pizza here rocks,” Samson replied with forced jollity.

A couple of girls looked at them like they were on something, and Drew laughed, but before he could even reply, one of the many truculent people in line finally snapped.?

“Hey! I was next!” a Corinth girl shouted loudly.?

The Washingtonville guy who had cut in line said something that Drew couldn’t hear, but from the gasps of the crowd, it was rather scurrilous.?

“What did you just say to her?” Tank Langford asked, stepping out of line.?

“Oh, God. Here we go,” Drew said.?

“We better neutralize this fast,” Samson added.?

They ran over and Samson grabbed Tank’s arm, pulling him back. Austin Harrow, the Washingtonville guy who had started it, was all red in the face and primed for a fight, but was also about one-tenth Tank’s size. Drew got right in his face and pushed him back.?

“Walk away, Harrow,” he said through his teeth. “It’s not worth getting pulverized over.”?

Harrow looked Drew up and down, noting his non-Washingtonville wardrobe, and sneered. “Some captain you are,” he spat. But he, at least, took Drew’s advice and strode off.?

He had barely made it halfway across the room when another fight broke out among the freshmen. Samson turned away from Tank, whom he was still talking into submission, and glanced at Drew.?

“Still think we can make it to eighth?” Drew asked in frustration, jogging to break up yet another fight.?

“I don’t know, man, but if they rescind the deal and the football team goes under, maybe you and me should go partners in a bodyguard business,” Samson joked.?

And Drew actually managed a laugh as they jumped into the fracas.?

Chapter Thirteen

Page 3

“You two ready to do this?” Coach Davidson asked as he, Drew, and Samson stood outside the locker room that afternoon, loaded down with boxes. On the other side of the gym, they could hear hundreds of buzzing voices as the student body made its way to the bleachers.

“Just waiting for one last thing,” Drew said, glancing over his shoulder toward the gym entrance.?

“What do you have up your sleeve, Benson?” Coach asked.?

Just then, outside the glass door, Jason appeared, making his way slowly up the steps on his crutches. His mother ran forward to open the door for him, and Jason edged his way through. His brow was sweating, but he grinned when he saw Drew and the others.?

“Hey, man! Glad you could make it!” Drew dropped his box on the ground and went over to slap Jason’s hand.?

“Dude! It’s good to see you,” Samson added, joining them. “I thought you were just malingering.”?

Jason laughed. “Well, maybe I was. A little.”?

“He figured out if he whined enough I’d make him just about anything to eat,” Mrs. Szonyi said, rolling her eyes. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s already packed on five pounds on ice cream alone.”?

“Better truncate that habit if you want to be back in form for basketball season,” Coach Davidson said, slapping him on the back so hard he almost fell forward.?

“You got it, Coach,” Jason said with a laugh. “So…are we going in there or what?” he asked, glancing at the locker room door.?

Drew took a deep breath. This was it. The moment of truth. He turned and picked up his box with both hands. “Let’s go.”?

Coach Davidson opened the door for him, and Drew led his little band of followers into the locker room. The mood inside was not exactly positive. There were no cheers or pep talks or shouts going on, only the muttering of malcontents. Drew walked over to the first bench, which Clay and Dirk were straddling, and dropped his box onto it with a thud. The two guys got up to greet Jason, and some of the other Washingtonville guys gathered around him as well.

“Varsity!” Drew shouted at the top of his lungs. “Huddle up!”?

His heart pounded as the kids around him eyed the boxes quizzically. It seemed to take forever for the petulant team to gather together in this, the largest open area of the locker room. Once they were all gathered around the walls and benches, fifty of the biggest, most opinionated guys in the school, Drew’s heart really started to pound. For the first time, he thought they might actually shoot him down, but if that were the case, he wasn’t going down without a fight. He took one look at Samson for a final bolster and then launched into his speech.?

“All right, everyone. As you all know, the school board met this week to decide the fate of our team, and as I’m sure you’ve heard by now, they’ve decided to give us one last chance to show them that we can actually be a team,” Drew began. “But to be honest, we don’t think that can happen.”?

There was some grumbling at this announcement.?

“At least, we don’t think that can happen if we keep going on the way we’ve been going,” Samson added, cutting them off. “So Drew came up with a plan.”?

“What kind of plan?” Adam asked loudly.?

Drew smirked. He knew Adam just wanted to be the center of attention, as always. “Well, I’m glad you asked that, Adam,” he said. “We’ve all been talking a lot about how we have to check our egos, accept what’s happened to us, and move on. But it’s become clear that, as long as we identify ourselves either with the Washingtonville Eagles or the Corinth Lions, we’re never going to be able to do that.”?

He was pleased to see some of the guys nodding in agreement.?

Chapter Thirteen

Page 4

“We have to face it,” Drew continued. “We’re never going to be able to replicate what we had with our old teams, but who knows? Maybe we can have something even better. But I realize that we need something tangible to help us move on. To help us feel truly united.”?

“We have to drop all vestiges of our old teams, fellas,” Samson said, crossing his arms over his chest. “We have to quit being so damn solipsistic and realize that there are other people on this team who are counting on us—and that we can rely on them.”?

“And we believe that we can do that, if we give ourselves the chance, but that means being willing to change,” Drew added. Slowly, he opened the first two flaps on the box in front of him. “That’s why, last week, Samson and I went in front of the school board to lobby them for that chance. And after much deliberation, they decided to give it to us. Under one condition.”?

“That we move on and get over ourselves,” Samson said, leveling the team with an admonishing stare.?

“But luckily, we think we know just how we can do that.” His pulse pounding in his ears, Drew reached into the box and pulled out a brand new purple jersey with white and gold lettering. His number nine was on the back with his last name spelled out in block letters across the shoulders. “Gentlemen, you are all now members of the Washingtonville High School Gryphons football team,” he announced.?

His words were met with dead silence. Tank stared at the jersey as if it was a mirage. For a long, dreadful moment, Drew was sure he was in for a total renunciation of his whole plan.

“What the hell’s a gryphon?” Tank asked finally, earning chuckles from a few of the guys.?

“It’s a mythical creature,” Jason answered. “Half eagle, half lion.”?

Drew turned the jersey around to show them the growling gryphon on the front.?

“Shut up.” Tank was incredulous.?

More laughter.

“Damn, man. That’s sweet,” Dirk said.

He reached over and took the jersey right out of Drew’s hands, whistling long and low as he inspected it.

Then, just like that, the entire team was pressing forward, jostling for the box, liberating all the jerseys from inside and pawing through to find their names. Drew’s happiness and pride were overpowering as he watched the guys who had been so recalcitrant and angry the day before, helping one another locate their names and ripping their old jerseys off to replace them with the new.?

“Wow. This is high-quality gear,” Lance said when he found his jersey. “They weren’t penurious with these.”?

“You can thank Coach for that,” Drew told him, grinning. “He signed the requisition form.”?

“Thanks, Coach,” Adam said, coming up behind Lance. “And thanks, you guys,” he said, looking at Drew and Samson. “This was a killer idea.”?

Drew knew how much pride the guy had to swallow to say that, and he reached out to slap his hand.

“It was all Drew,” Samson said modestly.?

“Yeah, but you came up with the colors,” Drew reminded him.?

“Aw, you guys are so cute!” Clay said, coming over in his new jersey to pinch their cheeks. “Are you going to prom together too?”?

Everyone cracked up laughing as Drew shoved Clay off of him. There was a quick, good-natured scuffle, and then Clay raised his hands and the guys, for the most part, quieted down.?

“No, but really, you guys. This was a good compromise,” he said. “I would never have thought this team could reconcile, but you guys were persistent. You refused to give up. And I think this is a good start.” The team cheered and voiced their agreement. “To the captains!”?

Everyone cheered like mad, slapping Drew and Samson on the back and shaking their hands. Then Drew grabbed his new jersey and yanked it on over his head.?

“To the Gryphons!” he shouted, thrusting his arms in the air.?

This time, the cheer was deafening, and Drew led the team out to the lobby, where they would wait to be introduced to the crowd. All that remained now was to present the new mascot and colors to the rest of the school and just hope that they would be as open to change as the team had proven to be.?

Chapter Thirteen

Page 5

Drew peeked through the slim glass windows into the gym as Coach Davidson stepped up to the microphone. As predicted, the crowd in the stands opposite the door was completely variegated, all blue on one side, all red on the other. Everything that had happened in the last few weeks had completely polarized the student body. Drew had to wonder if a mere color change and a new mascot would really be enough to fix all that.?

“What’s going on in there?” Samson asked nervously.?

“There’s a legion of people,” Drew said, turning away from the window. “Even the kids that usually cut out of pep rallies showed up. I guess everyone wants to see a fight.”?

“Well, they’re not gonna get one,” Lance said, rounding his shoulders. “At least not from us.”?

“Can I have your attention please?” Coach Davidson shouted into the mic. There was an instantaneous peal of feedback that deafened everyone in the gym and brought the strident noise level down to a low murmur. “Welcome, everyone, to this year’s first Washingtonville High School football pep rally!”?

There was a respectable number of cheers, but all from the Washingtonville side of the gym. The pessimism on the Corinth side persevered.

“As you all know, tomorrow is our first game of the season, against a worthy opponent, the Johnstown High Panthers,” Coach continued gamely. “This game is going to be special for innumerable reasons, not the least of which is our newly integrated team.”

There was some irritated muttering in the crowd, and Drew could only imagine what people were thinking. Some still hated the very idea that the schools had been forced to combine. Some, after hearing all that had gone on at practices, thought the team was full of thugs and should just be disbanded. Still others probably just thought jocks were annoying—full stop. And many were, he was sure, restive—dying for the team to join them so they could get on with whatever drama was going to unfold.?

“I know that you’ve all heard a lot of negative stories about this year’s football team, but I’m here to tell you that all of that is going to change. These guys have been working their butts off for you, and after what I’ve just seen in the locker room, I can honestly tell you’ve I’ve never been more proud of a group of players in my life,” Coach rhapsodized. “But I know you didn’t all come here to hear me talk. You want to see your team. Are you ready?”?

“Yeah!” about half the gym cheered.?

“All right, you guys, this is it,” Drew said. “Bring it in.”?

The team gathered around him, placing their hands in the center of the circle.

“I said, are you ready?” Coach shouted.?

The cheers were a bit louder this time.?

“To the seminal season of the Washingtonville Gryphons,” Drew said, looking around at his teammates.?

“Gryphons on three,” Samson said. “One! Two! Three! Gryphons!”?

They all clapped and cheered as they parted, and inside the gym Coach finally announced them: “Students of Washingtonville High, I give you your mighty, fighting Gryphons!”?

Drew flung open the door of the gym and led the team in, running toward the center of the basketball court, clapping and shouting and cheering. The kids in the stands instantly fell silent. They stared down at the team as if they were wondering if this were some kind of prank. Even the cheerleaders, who had yet to hold new tryouts and were still wearing the red and white along the front of the stands, were stunned.?

Chapter Thirteen

Page 6

Drew glanced at Tamara, who was gaping right at him, and shrugged his apology. He supposed now, in hindsight, that he might have been negligent by not including the cheerleaders in their plan.?

“And now, your captains!” Coach Davidson continued, as if nothing were amiss. “Quarterback Samson Hill and tight end Drew Benson!”?

A few people clapped, but most were still shocked silent. “Tight end?” someone in the stands blurted as Samson and Drew walked over to the microphone.?

Drew took the mic from Coach. “That’s right, tight end,” he said into it. “There’s been a lot of change lately. And in order to honor that, we’ve decided to meld our two mascots.”?

“What do you get when you combine an eagle and a lion?” Samson asked, leaning into the microphone.?

They both stepped back and whipped the sheet off of the easel behind them. On it was Lily’s perfect rendition of a growling Gryphon.

“The Gryphon!” Drew and Samson said in unison.?

There were a few cheers as people started to grasp what they were going for, but most of the crowd remained inflexible. Drew started to feel sick to his stomach. He glanced at Lily, who was sitting in the front row, far away from the rest of the seniors, and she shot him a helpless look.?

“And what do you get when you combine red and blue?” Samson added, forging ahead. “Purple!”?

“So we expect all of you to go out and buy up all the purple gear you can find, because you’re gonna need it,” Drew joked.?

Nothing. No response.

Drew covered the microphone with his hand. “Okay. We need to do something,” he said to Samson, feeling an inordinate amount of wrath undulating toward him from the crowd. Apparently they were not quite as tractable as he’d hoped.?

“I got it,” Samson said. Then he cupped his hands over his mouth and started to chant, walking toward the stands. “Gryphons!” he clapped twice. “Gryphons!” Two claps. “Gryphons!” he shouted, glaring over his shoulder at Drew.?

Drew cleared his throat and joined in. “Gryphons!” Two claps. “Gryphons!”?

He looked at Tamara, who caught his plea and jumped up to face the crowd, dragging Marisa and another few girls with her.

“Gryphons!” she shouted, pumping her pom-pom in the air. “Gryphons!”?

Ever so gradually, the cheers started to revive the crowd. A bunch of seniors from both sides of the gym roused themselves from their seats and chanted along.?

“Gryphons!” they shouted, spontaneously stomping their feet. “Gryphons!”?

Before Drew knew it, the whole crowd was on its feet, inundating the team with cheers and chants and hollers. Drew grinned and looked around at his teammates in triumph. At that moment, Dirk and Adam raced forward, jumping up and down. Soon the whole team was gathered in a huddle, jumping on each other’s backs and raising their fists in the air. This time, the pile-on was a good thing. It was full of laughter and hope and cheers. Drew laughed as he went down under the weight of Tank Langford, and the whole crowd went wild. For the first time all year, Drew was no longer nostalgic for the past, or for the daydreams he’d cherished since childhood. He was looking only toward the future.?

THE END?

Vocabulary Drill

Chapter Thirteen

admonishing · disapproving

amiss · wrong

deliberation · mulling things over

fracas · brawl

hindsight · retrospect

inflexible · unmoved

innumerable · countless

inordinate · excessive

instantaneous · instant

inundating · overwhelming

invariable · set

jeopardize · endanger

jollity · cheerfulness

jostling · vying

legion · crowd

liberating · freeing

lobby · try to influence

malcontents · unhappy people

malingering · exaggerating an illness

meld · mix together

mirage · hallucination

muddled · confused

mythical · imaginary

negate · undo

negligent · lax

neutralize · defuse

nostalgic · wistful

obstinately · stubbornly

opinionated · narrow-minded

overpowering · overwhelming

palpable · capable of being felt

paranoid · unreasonably worried

peal · loud succession of sound

pejorative · negative

penurious · stingy

persevered · was maintained

persistent · unrelenting

perspicacity · insight

pessimism · negativity

petulant · irritable

polarized · forced apart

preponderance · excess

primed · ready

pulchritude · beauty

quizzically · curiously

recalcitrant · headstrong

reconcile · make one’s peace

renunciation · rejection

replicate · copy

requisition · request

rescind · withdraw

restive · fidgety

rhapsodized · spoke of emotionally

scathing · scornful

scurrilous · insulting

seminal · determining

serendipity · luck

solipsistic · self-centered

spontaneously · without planning

straddling · sitting astride

strident · loud

subjugated · controlled

submission · compliance

surmise · guess

tangential · peripheral

tangible · concrete

tome · book

tractable · controllable

tranquility · peace and quiet

trepidation · anxiety

truculent · hostile

truncate · cut

ubiquitous · everywhere

undulating · rolling

variegated · multicolored

vestiges · remnants

wrath · anger