trouble.
"Then what?" his mother asked.
Troy swallowed. "The truth is, I wanted to go to Seth's to show him what I showed Gramp."
He looked up at Seth, who grinned and nodded his head.
"Tessa," Seth said, talking fast, "he is what he says. It was a preseason game Krock showed him. I thought it was pressure. You should have seen him just now. The guys are over, watching Sunday Night Football . He nailed it! He's a genius. A football genius. I'm not kidding."
His mom studied Seth for a minute before finally saying, "Do you want to come in?"
"I want to talk to you," Seth said, following her through the door.
"Coke?" she asked, leading them into the kitchen and pulling out a chair for Seth.
"Sure," Seth said, sitting down.
His mom opened two bottles and set them down on the table. She poured a glass of milk for Troy and put out a plate of her special chocolate chips made with dark chocolate. Then she sat down, put her elbows on the table, and braced her chin on her hands.
"He's twelve," she said, as if that were the beginning and the end of an argument. "I need this job."
"We had a rough start with Krock," Seth said. "But he's not the head coach. That's my plan. Go right to Coach McFadden."
"Didn't they bring Krock in because if Coach McFadden doesn't win, he's going to replace him? Even I know that," Troy's mom said. "Playing one off against the other? There's almost no way you can win and lots of ways you can lose."
"When they see what he can do, we'll all win," Seth said. He pushed the Coke aside and leaned toward Troy's mom with his muscular arms on the table. "We're oh and two, but we're a good team. With Josh Lock, and Troy, we could win it all. Everything. You know what that means?"
"I'd like the team to win," his mom said, "don't get me wrong. But winning or losing doesn't make or break me. Losing this job does. If this falls through, my old job is already gone. I've got bills. A mortgage. Credit cards."
"Mom," Troy said.
"Okay, okay," Seth said, holding up his hands. "I'll put my money where my mouth is. Ten grand. I get that as a bonus for every quarterback sack, so it's not that big a deal. If this doesn't work and you lose your job, that'll give you enough to get things going."
Troy looked at the player's face. Seth wore an easy smile and the eyes of a man who was used to helping people out of jams, happy to do it. Then he looked at his mom and watched the storm roll in. Her mouth turned down and her eyes got squinty.
"You can take that Coke with you, thank you very much," she said in a slow, seething voice. Her arm extended slowly out and her finger unfurled, pointing toward the door. "I won't tell you what you can do with it."
"What'd I say?" Seth said, touching his fingers to his chest.
"I've gone twelve years without handouts from any man," she said. "I sure as heck am not going to start now. You think I was asking you for money? Please. Just leave."
"I didn't mean--"
"I'm doing just fine. I didn't ask you to come here, remember? I know you're a big NFL star and people don't ask you to leave, but I'm asking and I'd appreciate it if you'd go. Now."
Seth clamped his mouth shut.
"Mom," Troy said when he could finally speak.
"You?" she said, shooting her eyes at him. "Lying. Sneaking around. Is this how I raised you? Gift from your father? Maybe that's it. Not listening. The gift of putting yourself before everyone else."
Seth's chair scraped back and he stood up. Troy's mom looked down at the table, still pointing her finger toward the door. Seth walked out, letting the screen door slam behind him, and a fat tear spattered the place mat beneath his mom's nose.
Troy felt too wounded by her words to feel sorry for her tears.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
IF HAVING SETH WALK out on him wasn't unpleasant enough, Troy got to look forward to giving Jamie the ball he owed him the next day at school. He'd rather give up the ball, though, than listen to Jamie and his friends calling him a welcher all day
"Then what?" his mother asked.
Troy swallowed. "The truth is, I wanted to go to Seth's to show him what I showed Gramp."
He looked up at Seth, who grinned and nodded his head.
"Tessa," Seth said, talking fast, "he is what he says. It was a preseason game Krock showed him. I thought it was pressure. You should have seen him just now. The guys are over, watching Sunday Night Football . He nailed it! He's a genius. A football genius. I'm not kidding."
His mom studied Seth for a minute before finally saying, "Do you want to come in?"
"I want to talk to you," Seth said, following her through the door.
"Coke?" she asked, leading them into the kitchen and pulling out a chair for Seth.
"Sure," Seth said, sitting down.
His mom opened two bottles and set them down on the table. She poured a glass of milk for Troy and put out a plate of her special chocolate chips made with dark chocolate. Then she sat down, put her elbows on the table, and braced her chin on her hands.
"He's twelve," she said, as if that were the beginning and the end of an argument. "I need this job."
"We had a rough start with Krock," Seth said. "But he's not the head coach. That's my plan. Go right to Coach McFadden."
"Didn't they bring Krock in because if Coach McFadden doesn't win, he's going to replace him? Even I know that," Troy's mom said. "Playing one off against the other? There's almost no way you can win and lots of ways you can lose."
"When they see what he can do, we'll all win," Seth said. He pushed the Coke aside and leaned toward Troy's mom with his muscular arms on the table. "We're oh and two, but we're a good team. With Josh Lock, and Troy, we could win it all. Everything. You know what that means?"
"I'd like the team to win," his mom said, "don't get me wrong. But winning or losing doesn't make or break me. Losing this job does. If this falls through, my old job is already gone. I've got bills. A mortgage. Credit cards."
"Mom," Troy said.
"Okay, okay," Seth said, holding up his hands. "I'll put my money where my mouth is. Ten grand. I get that as a bonus for every quarterback sack, so it's not that big a deal. If this doesn't work and you lose your job, that'll give you enough to get things going."
Troy looked at the player's face. Seth wore an easy smile and the eyes of a man who was used to helping people out of jams, happy to do it. Then he looked at his mom and watched the storm roll in. Her mouth turned down and her eyes got squinty.
"You can take that Coke with you, thank you very much," she said in a slow, seething voice. Her arm extended slowly out and her finger unfurled, pointing toward the door. "I won't tell you what you can do with it."
"What'd I say?" Seth said, touching his fingers to his chest.
"I've gone twelve years without handouts from any man," she said. "I sure as heck am not going to start now. You think I was asking you for money? Please. Just leave."
"I didn't mean--"
"I'm doing just fine. I didn't ask you to come here, remember? I know you're a big NFL star and people don't ask you to leave, but I'm asking and I'd appreciate it if you'd go. Now."
Seth clamped his mouth shut.
"Mom," Troy said when he could finally speak.
"You?" she said, shooting her eyes at him. "Lying. Sneaking around. Is this how I raised you? Gift from your father? Maybe that's it. Not listening. The gift of putting yourself before everyone else."
Seth's chair scraped back and he stood up. Troy's mom looked down at the table, still pointing her finger toward the door. Seth walked out, letting the screen door slam behind him, and a fat tear spattered the place mat beneath his mom's nose.
Troy felt too wounded by her words to feel sorry for her tears.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
IF HAVING SETH WALK out on him wasn't unpleasant enough, Troy got to look forward to giving Jamie the ball he owed him the next day at school. He'd rather give up the ball, though, than listen to Jamie and his friends calling him a welcher all day
Similar Books
