Authors: Tim Green
Perfect Season (4 page)
TROY DIDN'T MISS A
beat. “Sure.”
“Great, I'm off to Europe for a few days, but I'll be back in time to see you all there.” Mr. Cole waved and the Mercedes sped off.
Troy swallowed. He wouldn't be bringing anyone to the concert, but the lie came off his tongue slick as spit. He couldn't even help it. It bothered him no end that he was like that. It reminded him of his father, smooth and slippery and sliding through the cracks in life. That was no way to be. Now he had an even bigger problem.
“That was as friendly as I've ever seen him.” Thane stared at the SUV. “What concert?”
“Mr. Cole gave me some tickets and backstage passes for the Helena concert at Yankee Stadium,” Troy said.
“But he lost them on a bet.” Ty acted as if Thane were one of them.
Troy winced. “I'll get them back.”
“Oh. Wow. Well, okay.” That was all Thane said about it, but Troy could see the concern on his face.
They got into Thane's Escalade and headed to Troy's place for dinner. On the way, Thane treated them to more Dairy Queen, then picked up two loaves of fresh Italian bread and a cheesecake at a local bakery.
“Don't want to show up empty-handed,” Thane said.
Even in the evening light, Troy's rental house seemed shabby, and when they pulled up behind the VW Bug in the gleaming new Escalade, Troy thought of the new Mustang he told Ty about wanting to get for his mom. The little bug of a car and his big talk made Troy feel ashamed.
Troy forced a chuckle and shook his head. “I know you guys aren't used to digs like this, but it's only temporary.”
Ty smiled. “You don't have to use a broken Porta-Potty for a bathroom, do you?”
Troy's mouth fell open.
Thane laughed. “Our uncle Gus had Ty shacked up in a place that makes this house look like the Ritz.”
That raised Troy's spirits a bit, but it was still a dump.
Inside, the smell of tomato sauce and sound of sausage snapping in a sea of onions led them right to the kitchen.
Thane sniffed. “Smells good.”
Troy's mom turned to face them, smiling. “And you all are looking at the new PR manager for McArdle & Swain
.
”
“Huh?” Thane looked confused.
“It's a law firm. I got the job!”
“That's great, Mom,” Troy said.
“Congratulations! Let's celebrate.” Thane showed her the cheesecake.
“Very nice. Thank you. Sit right down, boys. There's a pitcher of iced tea on the table.” Troy's mom pointed with a wooden spoon.
Troy and Ty sat down, but Thane stayed by the stove and asked if he could help.
Ty leaned toward Troy and whispered, “âGet back the Helena tickets?' How are you gonna do that?”
Troy pointed at his mom and shook his head not to discuss it. Under his breath he said, “Later.”
He had a forkful of spaghetti halfway to his mouth when they heard the purr of an engine and the crackle of gravel and tires in the driveway. Footsteps on the front porch were followed by a knock on the screen door. Whoever it was didn't bother waiting for an answer. The door squeaked open and the footsteps continued into the house and through the front hall. Before Troy could turn his head around, his mom's mouth went slack. Her eyes widened in shock and she covered her mouth as she struggled to rise from her chair.
“Oh, my gosh.”
TROY'S HEAD SWUNG AROUND,
even as his mom dashed from her place to meet Seth Halloway halfway across the kitchen floor. She hugged him and he picked her up and swung her in a big circle.
“Seth!” Troy beamed and stood up, too.
Seth grabbed him and pulled him and his mom into a hug. “Thought I'd surprise you both!”
“Oh, my gosh.” Troy's mom glowed and she brushed some fallen hair from her face. “Seth, you remember Troy's cousinsâour cousinsâThane and Ty.”
Seth shook hands with the two brothers he'd met in Miami the previous winter during Super Bowl week. “Hey, guys.”
“Sit down. Eat.” Troy's mom was already reaching for the cupboard.
“I didn't mean to barge in on you, but I figured the surprise was worth the risk,” Seth said.
“So, what happened?” Troy's mom gave Seth a plate and sat back down. “I thought you were fly-fishing in Montana before you went back to help out at Furman.”
Seth cut a meatball in half, stuck a piece in his mouth, and chewed. “Well, I
was
fishing, then I got a call about another job.”
“Another job?” Troy's mom raised a single eyebrow.
Seth swallowed and took a drink. “You know the thing at Furman was only as a volunteer anyway?”
“I think you mentioned it,” Troy's mom said, “but you have to start someplace.”
“Yeah, but then I heard about this other thing. It's not that I need the money. I'm set, you know that, but it is nice to get paid. Makes you feel like you're worth something, even if it's a couple of thousand dollars.”
“What âother thing'? Stop with the suspense already, will you?” Troy's mom nudged Seth's shoulder.
Seth glanced at Troy. “Word is, there may be a job right here, in Summit.”
TROY'S MOM LAUGHED OUT
loud. “What? What job?”
“At . . . Troy's school.” Seth spoke carefully. “Well, the high school.”
Troy looked down at his hands. He hadn't been certain Seth was even listening to him when he called him up the other night.
“He's in junior high,” Troy's mom said.
“But he could play in high school, right?” Seth said. “We go pretty good together, don't you think? The Georgia Junior League state title?”
“I don't know.” Troy's mom began to sputter. “I've never heard of an eighth grader playing in high school.”
“I have.” Seth twirled a bundle of spaghetti onto his fork. “He has to pass a physical test and you need a doctor to sign off, but a high school coach can bring a kid up to varsity from junior high if he's good enough. Ha. And we all know Troy's good enough.”
Seth jammed the spaghetti into his mouth and looked around the table to see if anyone disagreed. A current of excitement pulsed through Troy's body at the mention of playing on varsity.
“How much have you grown the last few months?” Seth asked him after swallowing.
“Four or five inches. I'm five ten.” Troy sat up straight.
“Big enough.” Seth went back to eating.
Troy's mom looked at Troy and spoke slowly. “Was all this . . . your idea?”
Troy shrugged and forced a smile. “Sort of.”
“Sort of?” she asked.
“Well,” Troy said, “really it was Mr. Bryant's idea.”
She frowned at Troy and said, “A pipe dream, isn't that what he called it? But I thought I made it pretty clear that was the end of it.”
“I told you Seth would like the idea.” Troy clenched his hands beneath the table. “Mom, what's
wrong
with it? Aren't you glad he's here?”
“Of course I'm glad.” His mom blushed and turned to Seth. “But I know what you want to do and where you want to be. I can't believe coaching some terrible high school football team in New Jersey is going to help you get there faster than Furman.”
“I think you made it pretty clear after Troy signed his contract that you weren't twisting my arm to leave everything and come here,” Seth said, “but I hope you're not gonna twist it for me to leave, either.”
Everyone in the room looked at Troy's mom. The others might not know the importance of her reaction, but Troy did. He knew if his mom didn't want him there, Seth would be back on a plane to Atlanta by midnight.
His mom kept her hands in her lap and looked down at the table. Troy studied her face. He could see she was thinking, but didn't know what. He had stopped a while ago trying to figure out why adults did some of the things they did, especially when it came to loveâand he was pretty sure his mom and Seth loved each other.
Finally, she cleared her throat and stood up.
TROY'S MOM MOVED OVER
to where Seth sat. She put her hands on his cheeks and kissed his forehead.
“I think I needed you to come up here in spite of me, not because of me,” Troy's mom said. “Does that make sense?”
“Honestly? Yes.”
Troy looked at Ty and rolled his eyes.
“Good.” Troy's mom straightened up and then sat back down. “Now all we have to do is figure out how to get you that job.”
“Well, I'm already working on it,” Seth said. “I landed at one and went right to the school. Mr. Bryant helped me get an application together and he introduced me to the athletic director, Ed Biondi . . . Mr. Biondi to you guys. Great guy. He's going to interview me tomorrow. You should have seen the look on his face. He was pretty excited not to have to coach this year.”
“Is he the one who does the hiring?” Troy's mom asked.
“Biondi said he wants the principal involved, too, so he has some support from her. Then it goes to the school board. If they approve it, I'm in. Should be easy.”
“And . . . what about a place?” Troy's mom asked.
Seth looked at his spaghetti. “I got a hotel room in town, and if I get the job, I planned on finding an apartment. This isn't about me invading your life.”
“I
feel
like you should be staying with us,” Troy's mom said. “Until you're settled in. We've got an extra bedroom.”
“I appreciate that,” Seth said, “but I snore and it'll look better if I'm on my own. It's not gonna go down well with some people if Troy ends up as our starting quarterbackâwhich I'm sure will be the case. If I'm staying here, it'll only make it harder.” Seth's face lit up. His voice bubbled with excitement. “Honestly, I know it sounds crazy, but I think it's my best opportunity to make a name in coaching. With Troy as my quarterback?”
Seth chuckled. “Heh, we'll turn mud into money. If I turn a program around overnight, I'll have all kinds of offers. People respect a guy who starts on the ground floor.”
“What about the basement?” Troy couldn't help the sharp comment, and he wondered if Seth knew how terrible the team really was. “They haven't won a game in two years.”
“Oh, it can't be that bad.” Seth snorted and shoveled more spaghetti into his mouth.
“I'm serious.” Troy wanted Seth to coach the team, but he also wanted him to know how hard it would be. “Right, Ty?”
“They're supposed to be pretty bad,” Ty said. “But I haven't seen them play.”
Seth wiped his mouth on a napkin. “At the high school level, trust me, it's about coaching. I played in a town with a horrible coach. He got fired my sophomore year and they brought in George O'Leary.”
“The coach at UCF?” Thane asked.
Seth nodded. “We won the league championship my junior year and the state title the year after that. That's what good coaching does.”
“They had
you
,” Ty said.
“Right, and we'll have you two guys.” Seth smiled at them all.
Thane cleared his throat. “Uh . . .”
“âUh,' what?” Seth asked.
Troy dipped his face into one hand and shook his head.
“TY IS ALL SET
up to go to St. Stephen's.” Thane's face grew long. “It's a private school. It's a powerhouse.”
“Really?” Seth looked at Troy.
“I . . . I guess I thought maybe he might change his mind?” It was the best Troy could come up with. He never said Ty was going to Summit, but he didn't tell Seth he wasn't, either. They both knew Troy would need a fast receiver, and they both knew there were few people faster than Ty.
“Yeah, I mean, if I'm coaching the team, we could end up as a powerhouse, too,” Seth said. “With Troy at QB, you know Ty is going to get a ton of balls thrown to him.”
“Will you guys run a spread offense?” Ty asked.
Seth nodded. “For sure. Hey, it might take us a season or two to turn it around completely, but can you imagine five years of you guys playing together?”
Troy pumped his voice full of excitement. “And if we turn it around, you know other players from Summit are gonna think twice before they go to St. Stephen's.”
“That's what happens now,” Ty said. “All the best players leave. St. Stephen's recruits them right out of Pop Warner.”
“Wait,” Troy's mom said. “I thought you can't recruit in high school.”
“St. Stephen's is a private school,” Thane explained. “They can pretty much do what they want. They say they're recruiting
students.
”
“Students who just happen to be the best football players in the state,” Ty said.
“When they find out Seth's coaching,” Troy said, “I bet not only will kids in Summit stay in Summit, kids will move
into
Summit to play. He'll get coaches just as good as St. Stephen's has, and it's free.”
“Maybe,” Seth said. “It happened in my town growing up. Kids want to play for a good coach.
Parents
want their kids to play for a good coach.”
“Wait a minute.” Troy's mom held up both hands and they all turned to her. “That's recruiting, right? You can't recruit high school kids unless you're a private school, can you?”
“It's not recruiting if you don't ask them to come,” Seth said. “Anyone can move anywhere. Kids move into school districts for all sorts of reasonsâa good band, a science program, special needs. You just can't try to lure them in by giving them something.”
“Well,” Thane said, “it
would
be good if someone could compete with St. Stephen's. Right now, they slaughter everyone. The only time it's even a contest is when they go play some powerhouse from Florida or Ohio or something. That's how good they are.”
“They're
that
good?” Seth asked.
Thane nodded. “Their second string could probably beat the rest of the teams in New Jersey.”
“Well, let's see if we can give them some competition. Man, I'm having fun already. So, what about Ty?” Seth gave Thane a serious look. “Are you gonna let him play for me?”
Thane tightened his lips, then spoke. “Honestly? I don't know. Maybe. I want to see how this whole thing shakes out. Come on, don't look at me like that, Seth. You know as much as I do that if a kid isn't in the right situation, it can end his football career before it even starts. Our parents are gone, so I have to fill in. I don't want to mess anything up, so no promises, but I'll think about it.”
Troy nudged Ty under the table and gave him a questioning look, hoping for reassurance. All Ty did was force a smile and shrug. Troy looked to his mom for some support, but she wore a frown.
Seth turned to Troy's mom. He saw her look, too, and gave her a puzzled look in return. “What's the matter?”
“Nothing,” she said. “I just think Thane's got a point. Education comes first.”
They all sat quiet for a moment, then Troy's mom's cell phone rang.
She answered it.
“Hello, Mrs. McGreer.” She smiled.
Troy grinned at the mention of Tate's mom and he caught Ty's eye. Ty faked a look of confusion, as if he didn't know why Troy was looking at him, but Troy winked at his cousin and when Ty looked down at his plate his cheeks reddened. Troy loved Tate like a sister, but his certainty that Ty cared for her a little more than that went up a bit at the sight of his blushing.
“Oh, no.” Troy's mom's voice sank, dragging her face, and Troy's stomach, with it.
“I'm so sorry.” Tears filled Troy's mom's eyes. Her hand trembled and she sniffed. “Yes, yes, of course. You do that, please. We're here for you. I am so sorry. You will all be in our prayers, Mrs. McGreer.”
She hung up.
“Mom?” Troy choked on his words. “What happened?”
