glued to the game. The coffee table was covered with empty bottles. Two big bowls were half full, one with chips, one with pretzels, and a round container of dip sat between them with streaks of the stuff spattered around it.
Demarrio Williams looked up and said, "Hey, kid."
The others noticed them and did the same but went right back to the TV.
"Aren't you going to ask us to sit down?" Tate said, still glaring at Seth. "Maybe if we want a drink or something? My mom would kill me if I had your manners."
Seth twisted up his mouth and somewhat sarcastically waved his hand toward the couch and said, "Won't you please sit down, Madam Queen?"
"Thank you," Tate said primly. She patted the cushion next to her, looking back at Troy and motioning with her head.
"And to drink, Your Majesty?" Seth said, bowing.
The players all looked sideways at him, chuckling, then right back to the game.
"Iced tea is fine," Tate said. "Arizona Green Tea, if you have that."
Seth made a circle with his mouth and put his hand to it, gasping and raising his eyebrows. "Can Her Majesty forgive me? Nestea is all I have."
Tate shrugged and nodded, turning her attention to the TV. The Jets were playing the Giants.
"Okay for you too?" Seth asked Troy, going behind the bar and opening the refrigerator there.
Troy nodded and sat beside Tate. He nudged her ribs with his elbow and said, "Take it easy, will you?"
"Just do your genius thing," she said, "and don't worry about me. When you're a girl, you gotta assert yourself. That's what my mom says. Watch."
Seth set the drinks down in front of them.
"Yes, I would like some chips, thank you," Tate said, looking up at him.
Seth crossed his arms, staring back at her. Finally, he laughed and grabbed the bowl, setting it in front of them.
"Just in case," he said, pushing the dip her way too.
Then Seth stepped back and took out his cell phone again.
"Hello? Harvey?" he said into the phone. "Yes, this is Seth Halloway at 2112 Jackson Drive. I may have a problem, Harvey, and I just wanted to see if you might be able to send a man over here."
Seth looked at them, raising an eyebrow, and said, "No, not right yet. I'll call you. The problem might take care of itself. I'll see. Just wanted to check. Thanks."
Seth snapped the phone shut again. He put his hands on his knees and leaned close, staring at Troy. "Pressure."
Troy clenched his teeth and turned his attention to the game. The Giants runner Tikki Barber ran the ball across the fifty to the forty-five, giving his team a first down. Troy watched the defense change players.
He let the room drift away and his mind soak up what he saw without thinking. The Giants came out with two running backs, two tight ends, and only one wide receiver.
"Angle route weak to Tikki," he said, describing the pass pattern that would look like a sideways V if drawn on the chalkboard, "with Toomer on a deep crossing pattern as the secondary route."
He didn't really see, but felt the Falcons players' eyes go from him back to the TV. The Giants ran the angle route, with Manning completing the pass to Tikki. Tate jumped up and whooped. Troy focused on the game.
The Giants didn't change players. The Jets brought in an extra linebacker and took a cornerback out.
"Jets will blitz Manning from the weak side with that linebacker who just came in," Troy said, his voice sounding distant, coming out in a flat tone from his trance. "He'll either get sacked or pass it to the tight end down the seam."
It happened the way he said it would, Manning getting mowed down by the blitzing backer before he could get off the pass.
"Did you see the tight end run free up the middle? Right up the seam?" Demarrio Williams said to Seth. "Just like the kid said."
"I did," Seth said, crossing his arms, looking from the TV, to Troy, and back, "and the sack. What now?"
Troy didn't even have to see what players the Giants were going to use.
"That same screen pass, but this time to the fullback going
Demarrio Williams looked up and said, "Hey, kid."
The others noticed them and did the same but went right back to the TV.
"Aren't you going to ask us to sit down?" Tate said, still glaring at Seth. "Maybe if we want a drink or something? My mom would kill me if I had your manners."
Seth twisted up his mouth and somewhat sarcastically waved his hand toward the couch and said, "Won't you please sit down, Madam Queen?"
"Thank you," Tate said primly. She patted the cushion next to her, looking back at Troy and motioning with her head.
"And to drink, Your Majesty?" Seth said, bowing.
The players all looked sideways at him, chuckling, then right back to the game.
"Iced tea is fine," Tate said. "Arizona Green Tea, if you have that."
Seth made a circle with his mouth and put his hand to it, gasping and raising his eyebrows. "Can Her Majesty forgive me? Nestea is all I have."
Tate shrugged and nodded, turning her attention to the TV. The Jets were playing the Giants.
"Okay for you too?" Seth asked Troy, going behind the bar and opening the refrigerator there.
Troy nodded and sat beside Tate. He nudged her ribs with his elbow and said, "Take it easy, will you?"
"Just do your genius thing," she said, "and don't worry about me. When you're a girl, you gotta assert yourself. That's what my mom says. Watch."
Seth set the drinks down in front of them.
"Yes, I would like some chips, thank you," Tate said, looking up at him.
Seth crossed his arms, staring back at her. Finally, he laughed and grabbed the bowl, setting it in front of them.
"Just in case," he said, pushing the dip her way too.
Then Seth stepped back and took out his cell phone again.
"Hello? Harvey?" he said into the phone. "Yes, this is Seth Halloway at 2112 Jackson Drive. I may have a problem, Harvey, and I just wanted to see if you might be able to send a man over here."
Seth looked at them, raising an eyebrow, and said, "No, not right yet. I'll call you. The problem might take care of itself. I'll see. Just wanted to check. Thanks."
Seth snapped the phone shut again. He put his hands on his knees and leaned close, staring at Troy. "Pressure."
Troy clenched his teeth and turned his attention to the game. The Giants runner Tikki Barber ran the ball across the fifty to the forty-five, giving his team a first down. Troy watched the defense change players.
He let the room drift away and his mind soak up what he saw without thinking. The Giants came out with two running backs, two tight ends, and only one wide receiver.
"Angle route weak to Tikki," he said, describing the pass pattern that would look like a sideways V if drawn on the chalkboard, "with Toomer on a deep crossing pattern as the secondary route."
He didn't really see, but felt the Falcons players' eyes go from him back to the TV. The Giants ran the angle route, with Manning completing the pass to Tikki. Tate jumped up and whooped. Troy focused on the game.
The Giants didn't change players. The Jets brought in an extra linebacker and took a cornerback out.
"Jets will blitz Manning from the weak side with that linebacker who just came in," Troy said, his voice sounding distant, coming out in a flat tone from his trance. "He'll either get sacked or pass it to the tight end down the seam."
It happened the way he said it would, Manning getting mowed down by the blitzing backer before he could get off the pass.
"Did you see the tight end run free up the middle? Right up the seam?" Demarrio Williams said to Seth. "Just like the kid said."
"I did," Seth said, crossing his arms, looking from the TV, to Troy, and back, "and the sack. What now?"
Troy didn't even have to see what players the Giants were going to use.
"That same screen pass, but this time to the fullback going
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