Emerson's Fury : L.B. Pavlov (7 page)

“Yes,” I answered meekly.

“And what did I tell you about riding on that bike?” he added, anger rising in his voice at my deceit.

Cross turned to look at me once again, completely unaware that I had been asked not to ride on his bike.

“Cross, it seems I can’t trust my daughter right now, so I am giving you a chance man-to-man to respect my wishes. You will get one chance at this, so don’t mess it up,” he said, staring intently at Cross.

“No, sir, I won’t mess it up,” Cross said, looking my father straight in the eyes.

“Emerson is not to go to that fight club. Ever. No exceptions.”

“Yes, sir,” Cross said quietly.

“She is also not to ride on the back of your bike. Now, I respect that you ride a bike, but I don’t want my daughter on the back of one. They are too dangerous.”

“I understand, sir,” Cross said, still looking my father in the eyes.

“You are welcome to use Emerson’s car or any of our family cars to take her out. You can park your motorcycle here, and you can drive her in one of our cars when you come to pick her up. Is that a fair deal?” my dad asked, clearly lightening his mood.

“That’s more than fair, sir,” Cross said, looking over to me now.

“OK. I trust that you will both make better choices from here on out,” he said, looking at us.

“I’m sorry, Mom. Sorry, Dad,” I said, looking at them sadly.

“Emerson Grace, we were worried sick. We had to have Uncle Carlos send someone out to see where you were,” my mom said, clearly shaken by the evening.

I realized that C. J. must have cracked under pressure and told Uncle Carlos where I had gone. I couldn’t be mad at him. I couldn’t expect him to lie when being questioned. I should have known my father would suspect something. I had been very nervous on the phone. Poor C. J., I had put him in a terrible position. I would definitely owe him an apology too.

“Emerson, we didn’t raise you to lie to us. We allow you a lot of freedom because we trust you. But if you start lying to us, you will lose our trust. Do you understand that?” my dad said, and I could hear how much I had let him down.

“Dad, I’m really sorry. I promise I won’t do this again,” I said around the lump forming in my throat, and then the tears started to stream down my face.

My mom came over and hugged me. “Emerson, everyone makes mistakes. It’s what you do with those mistakes that matters. You can either learn from them or repeat them,” she said, hugging me tightly.

“I promise I will learn from this,” I said as I started to sob. I was so ashamed that I had lied to my parents. I hated that I had let them down.

Cross grasped my hand and squeezed it. I could see how upset he was when I looked at him.

“I believe you will both learn from this,” my dad said, placing his hand on my shoulder.

“I give you my word, sir,” Cross said strongly. “I’m very sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Hollingsworth, for causing you worry tonight.”

“I know you are, Cross,” my mom said sweetly.

My parents told me it was time to say good-night to Cross, and they walked to their room to allow us some privacy while I walked Cross to the door. He wiped away the tears that were streaming down my cheeks, and he grasped my hands. “I’m so sorry, Emerson,” he said, and the look in his eyes was heartbreaking.

“You didn’t do anything. I should have told you about the bike. And I knew they wouldn’t let me go to the fight, but I did it anyway. This was my fault,” I said, looking at the floor.

“No, I pulled you in to this. Your dad is right. I shouldn’t be hanging out at that place either. I give you my word: I will never take you back there,” he said. He gently kissed me on the lips and squeezed my hand before going out the door.

I walked into my room and fell on my bed. I couldn’t believe how easily I had lied to my parents. I had never lied to them before. I was as disappointed in myself as they were in me. I just wanted to be there for Cross. But I was wrong to lie to them, and I was wrong to ride on his bike after my father told me not to. I slipped into bed, and I cried myself to sleep.

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c h a p t e r    f i v e

The next couple of weeks went by quickly. I was increasing my training as track season grew closer. Cross was very busy training for the state championship that weekend. St. Viator’s would be playing Mt. Horizon for the state championship, and the game was being held at St. Viator’s. I felt bad because no matter who won, either Finn or Cross would end up losing. I just hoped for a good game.

My parents were no longer mad at me, and life had gone back to normal. I never went back to the fight club, and I never rode on the back of Cross’s bike again. I had learned my lesson, and I still felt terrible about lying to my parents. Cross would come to our house, and we would take my car if we were going out. He always drove because he insisted on driving me. My parents really seemed to like Cross. He spent a lot of time at our house. I had never been to his home, though, because he always avoided taking me there. He said that there wasn’t room for guests. However, I had met his grandmother at the last home Colts game. My father had invited Cross and his grandparents to join us in the box once again. His grandmother, Mary, was such a special woman. We connected right away. We both adored Cross, and she told me funny stories about him as a kid. I could tell that Mary was deeply saddened about her daughter but that Cross had brought some joy back into their lives.

Cross had fought only one more time since the fight I had attended. I begged him not to, but his mother claimed she needed the money to make rent; otherwise she would be out on the streets, which he feared would lead her back to drugs. Personally, I didn’t believe a word she said. I guessed that she was still using, and she was manipulating him to feed her addiction. But it wasn’t my place to accuse her. I hadn’t seen her again, and I hoped I never would. Cross made $1,000 on his last fight, and his mother took $850 of it. It made me sick. He had come over the day after his fight, and he had a big cut on his neck. I knew it was from the fight. I gently cleaned it and put on a bandage. I wished I could take away all of his wounds, both the physical wounds and the emotional ones.

Cross and Finn had grown very close, and Indy had been home a few times over the last few weeks, and he and Cross had hit it off as well. The only friend Cross had introduced me to was John, his best friend. He seemed apprehensive about taking me to his neighborhood and opening up his world to me. John was wonderful. He was a good friend to Cross, and I could see why they were best friends. They had grown up together, and they were more like brothers. They teased each other relentlessly, but you could see how close they were when they were together. I hoped that at some point he would open up his world to me and trust that I would not be judgmental about where he lived.

We had the state football game on Friday night, and it was Cross’s birthday on Saturday. I was taking him out to dinner. I had also bought him a letterman jacket when I found out he didn’t have one. He had commented on mine, and when I inquired about his letterman jacket, he said he didn’t have one and didn’t need one. I asked what he did with all of his patches from football, and he said that his grandmother kept them in a box. I had phoned her, and she brought over the patches for me. I had them all put on the jacket for him. I couldn’t wait to give it to him. This was the best gift I had ever gotten for someone, and no one deserved it more than Cross.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

The last few weeks had been the best in my life. Emerson was the most amazing person that I had ever met. She made me look at life differently. For the first time in my life, I was making decisions that were good for me. I was actually
considering accepting the scholarship to Notre Dame instead of becoming a full-time fighter, which was what my mother was urging me to do. I was fighting less, and I was working harder in school than I ever had. Emerson made me feel as if I was worthy of all the things that I wanted.

I still hadn’t brought her to my house. I felt self-conscious about sleeping on the couch and not having a room. My home was not like hers. I also felt uncomfortable bringing her to my neighborhood. Her father wouldn’t allow her to go to the fight club, and my neighborhood was not a whole lot different. Emerson was innocent, and I certainly didn’t want to be the one to expose her to things that were dangerous.

We had the state championship that night, and I was feeling nervous and excited. I hoped that Mt. Horizon would win the state title, but I had made a bunch of friends on St. Viator’s team through Emerson, and I knew that they wanted it too. Her brother Finn was a cool kid, and I knew it would mean a lot for him to win a state title, so I was torn. Regardless of the outcome, I just wanted to play my best.

I had tucked some of the money away from my last fight and was hoping to treat Emerson to dinner the following night. I knew that she would want to buy because it was my birthday, but I wanted to be able to cover the bill for us.

My mom was hounding me constantly now. No amount of money seemed to be enough for her. She was angry that I didn’t want to fight as often as I had before. She was constantly telling me that I needed to start fighting full-time as soon as I graduated from high school. She resented the time that I spent with Emerson. My mom thought my taking a scholarship offer would be selfish. It would postpone becoming a contributing member of the family. I felt guilty that I wanted to go to college. But my grandparents had actually encouraged me to go to school and continue my education. They had no idea that my mother was encouraging me to fight after high school. My mom said that they would support it if they knew how much money I could make as a fighter. I was torn over what to do, and I would have to decide soon.

Emerson’s parents were very forgiving about me taking her to the fight club. I felt terrible about upsetting them. They were good people. They were such an incredible family, and they adored their daughter, just as I did. I was very thankful that they gave me a second chance to redeem myself, and I would never betray their trust again. They had been so good to me. They had included my grandparents at the last football game, and they had really welcomed me in their family’s life.

When I boarded the bus to go to the game, my nerves were already in high gear. We warmed up when we got to the field, and I kept looking up in the stands for Emerson. For some reason, just the sight of her always seemed to calm me. She believed in me, and when I looked in her eyes, I could see that.

The game got off to an aggressive start. This was typical of a state game because there was a lot on the line. There were several college coaches watching the game, and everyone wanted a state title on his list of accomplishments. Our quarterback, Patrick, threw me the first pass, and I ran it in thirty yards for a touchdown. The crowd was going crazy, and it was a great way to start the game.

Finn started as quarterback for St. Viator’s. Our eyes met on the field at one point, we smiled encouragingly at each other. But this was a game, and we had to battle to see which team would win. Finn threw a great pass, and St. Viator’s quickly tied up the game. We went back and forth, bringing the score fourteen to fourteen at halftime. As we exited the field to go into the locker room for the halftime pep talk, Emerson was waiting at the side of the gate. She gave me a big hug. I had never felt this way about anyone in my life before. I thought about her every second that I wasn’t with her, and I dreaded leaving her when I was with her. She kissed me on the cheek and wished me good luck on the second half of the game.

The second half seemed to move quicker than the first half. I scored a touchdown in the third quarter, and Mt. Horizon took the lead. With three minutes left on the clock, St. Viator’s attempted to score, but we held them off. The game ended with a score of twenty-one to fourteen, and Mt. Horizon won its first ever state title. Our team was celebrating and running all over the field. I tried to celebrate quietly because I realized how horrible a loss it was for St. Viator’s. I looked for Finn, but I couldn’t find him in all the chaos. I was standing on the sidelines in the midst of madness, and when I looked up into the stands, I locked eyes with Emerson. It was insane that we could connect in the midst of all this activity. We just stared at each other for a moment, and she smiled. She was proud of me, and at that moment, that was all that mattered to me.

I was leaving the field and hoping to go find Emerson. When I made my way through the crowd and found her, she was standing with her father as well as Coach Dixon, the head football coach for Notre Dame. Emerson came running toward me and jumped into my arms.

“I’m so proud of you!” she shouted.

Mr. Hollingsworth walked over and shook my hand. “I’m proud of you too, son. That was some great football,” he said proudly.

“Thank you so much, sir,” I said, shaking his hand.

“Hi, Cross. We’ve spoken a few times. I’m Coach Dixon from Notre Dame. That was some impressive football you played today. We’d like to have you come play for us. Would you like to come out and see the school sometime next week?” he asked kindly.

Emerson squeezed my hand with excitement, and I gazed into her perfect green eyes. I turned to Coach Dixon. “I would be honored, sir. Thank you,” I said proudly.

He shook my hand and Mr. Hollingsworth’s hand, and then he turned to Emerson. “OK, Miss Hollingsworth, we will be watching you this track season! You continue to make your home state of Indiana proud!” he said with a smile, and he walked away.

Finn came bounding up to all of us, and we all hesitated at first, waiting to see how he was handling the loss. “Stop acting weird! I’m fine! Plus, I had to let him win, he’s an old man! I’ve got three more years to get a state title!” he said, laughing. He shook my hand and told me congratulations. Finn was a good kid. The best athletes handle loss with grace and wins with class, and Finn had modeled that.

“Good game, buddy,” I said, pulling him in for a hug.

I brought Emerson over to meet a bunch of my friends on the team. I knew that it was important to her that I share this part of my life with her. They were all happy to finally meet the girl whom I talked about constantly. Emerson was beaming with pride. She squeezed my hand and smiled as she talked with my teammates.