the other way, to the weak side," Troy said.
He was right.
The Falcons players let out a cheer, and Tate slapped him on his back. Seth tossed the cell phone over his shoulder. As it clattered on the floor, he asked if the kids wanted some leftover pizza.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
SETH DROPPED TATE OFF in front of her apartment building, but not before he held out his hand and she slapped him five.
"I was just saying that stuff," she said, grinning. "You're everybody's hero. You still would be, no matter what some girl kicker says."
"Well, I'd hate to think how mean you'd be if you were an offensive lineman," he said. "But the best thing about sports is the friends you make, so I figure Troy here is pretty lucky."
"Her too," Troy said, and they all had a laugh.
Troy liked riding up high in the H2. He wished Jamie Renfro could see him, sitting there with Seth Halloway. Troy looked over at the player's face, the muscled jaw.
"So, you got a girlfriend?" Troy said without thinking.
Seth's face colored just a bit. He glanced at himself in the rearview mirror, then looked at Troy.
"A couple girls you might call friends, I guess. Nothing serious."
"You got kids?" Troy asked.
"Hey, not me," Seth said.
"If you did, you probably wouldn't just take off like they were never born, I bet."
They rode for a few minutes in silence before Seth said, "No. Probably not. But sometimes things happen that people can't help."
"Like what?" Troy asked. "Like aliens come down in a spaceship and take you away?"
Seth shrugged. "I'm no school psychologist, kid. All I know is, things happen. Unless you're the one they're happening to, you usually can't understand it. Most people are good people. I believe that, and now we're at your driveway."
They pulled off Route 141 and started down the twisty dirt lane.
"You wanna just let me out here?" Troy asked.
"Why's that?"
"Just better if I get out and walk from here," Troy said. "I'd rather tell my mom about all this when the time's right."
"Which is when?" Seth asked, slowing down.
"I don't know," Troy said. "Not now."
"You gonna lie?" Seth asked, stopping the truck.
"No. I'm just not gonna say anything," Troy said.
"What if she asks?"
"Then I'll think of something," Troy said.
Seth stared at him for a minute, then asked, "Want me to do you a favor?"
"What favor?" Troy asked.
"It's something good," Seth said. "Trust me."
"Sure."
"Okay," Seth said. He put the truck into drive and started toward the house.
"Hey," Troy said, bracing his hands on the dash. "She'll ground me for life."
"You want to do something," Seth said, glancing at him, "you gotta do it right. You don't start right, you won't finish right."
"What's the favor you're doing for me ?"
"This is the favor," Seth said. "Making you tell the truth. It's something pretty important that you need to know."
"I know that already," Troy said, slumping down into the seat and turning his head toward the door. "You don't think I know?"
"You know," Seth said, "but what you don't know is that it's important enough to get in trouble over. The truth is more important than the trouble it brings. The truth is everything.
"If you and I are gonna do something," Seth said, "we gotta do it right. Just tell her the truth. I got your back."
They pulled up in front of the house. The door swung open and his mom stepped out onto the porch, hands on her hips.
"Troy? What in the world?"
"It's okay," Seth said, holding up his hands to calm her.
"You told me you and your friends were walking the tracks," she said, glaring at Troy.
"We were!" Troy insisted. "And then...then..."
The answer came to him, slick and easy. A story about Tate going through the wall earlier in the day to see Seth's house and later realizing she lost the necklace her mom let her wear and her being in tears and begging Troy to go back with her to help find it and him feeling sorry for her and how he knew it was right to stick by your friends when they were in
He was right.
The Falcons players let out a cheer, and Tate slapped him on his back. Seth tossed the cell phone over his shoulder. As it clattered on the floor, he asked if the kids wanted some leftover pizza.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
SETH DROPPED TATE OFF in front of her apartment building, but not before he held out his hand and she slapped him five.
"I was just saying that stuff," she said, grinning. "You're everybody's hero. You still would be, no matter what some girl kicker says."
"Well, I'd hate to think how mean you'd be if you were an offensive lineman," he said. "But the best thing about sports is the friends you make, so I figure Troy here is pretty lucky."
"Her too," Troy said, and they all had a laugh.
Troy liked riding up high in the H2. He wished Jamie Renfro could see him, sitting there with Seth Halloway. Troy looked over at the player's face, the muscled jaw.
"So, you got a girlfriend?" Troy said without thinking.
Seth's face colored just a bit. He glanced at himself in the rearview mirror, then looked at Troy.
"A couple girls you might call friends, I guess. Nothing serious."
"You got kids?" Troy asked.
"Hey, not me," Seth said.
"If you did, you probably wouldn't just take off like they were never born, I bet."
They rode for a few minutes in silence before Seth said, "No. Probably not. But sometimes things happen that people can't help."
"Like what?" Troy asked. "Like aliens come down in a spaceship and take you away?"
Seth shrugged. "I'm no school psychologist, kid. All I know is, things happen. Unless you're the one they're happening to, you usually can't understand it. Most people are good people. I believe that, and now we're at your driveway."
They pulled off Route 141 and started down the twisty dirt lane.
"You wanna just let me out here?" Troy asked.
"Why's that?"
"Just better if I get out and walk from here," Troy said. "I'd rather tell my mom about all this when the time's right."
"Which is when?" Seth asked, slowing down.
"I don't know," Troy said. "Not now."
"You gonna lie?" Seth asked, stopping the truck.
"No. I'm just not gonna say anything," Troy said.
"What if she asks?"
"Then I'll think of something," Troy said.
Seth stared at him for a minute, then asked, "Want me to do you a favor?"
"What favor?" Troy asked.
"It's something good," Seth said. "Trust me."
"Sure."
"Okay," Seth said. He put the truck into drive and started toward the house.
"Hey," Troy said, bracing his hands on the dash. "She'll ground me for life."
"You want to do something," Seth said, glancing at him, "you gotta do it right. You don't start right, you won't finish right."
"What's the favor you're doing for me ?"
"This is the favor," Seth said. "Making you tell the truth. It's something pretty important that you need to know."
"I know that already," Troy said, slumping down into the seat and turning his head toward the door. "You don't think I know?"
"You know," Seth said, "but what you don't know is that it's important enough to get in trouble over. The truth is more important than the trouble it brings. The truth is everything.
"If you and I are gonna do something," Seth said, "we gotta do it right. Just tell her the truth. I got your back."
They pulled up in front of the house. The door swung open and his mom stepped out onto the porch, hands on her hips.
"Troy? What in the world?"
"It's okay," Seth said, holding up his hands to calm her.
"You told me you and your friends were walking the tracks," she said, glaring at Troy.
"We were!" Troy insisted. "And then...then..."
The answer came to him, slick and easy. A story about Tate going through the wall earlier in the day to see Seth's house and later realizing she lost the necklace her mom let her wear and her being in tears and begging Troy to go back with her to help find it and him feeling sorry for her and how he knew it was right to stick by your friends when they were in
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