Page 54 of Notorious Man on Campus

“Whew. Alright then. You’re right of course, but… I have to ask—how does he feel?”

“How do you think? He feels like it would be a betrayal of his brother—you, Jimmy—if he had any feelings for me.” I don’t bother addressing Brick’s long-standing eschewing of all romantic entanglements for deeper reasons because, well, there’s no point. Jimmy already knows all about that.

“Message received.” He clears his throat. “It’s the kind of thing I’ll need to talk to him about in person, Nyla.”

“You’re coming up to the homecoming game tomorrow—”

“No. We—dad and I—had a last minute change in plans.”

“Change them back. Please, Jimmy. It’s homecoming and, well, things are all messed up.” He makes me tell him the whole problem with Willow and the homecoming party, the negative social media, the football program’s reputation and complaints from donors about the bad press.

“It must be pretty bad if Voland is covering the shit-storm on the AP sports wire.” H goes silent for a few beats, but it sounds like he’s doing something, moving around, and I realize I called him in the middle of his work day. My face heats up at how ballsy, self-centered and inconsiderate I’ve been, but I’m not sorry. I can’t be sorry when I think of Brick sitting in Ethics class with Willow, knowing he would rather be anywhere else, probably even in hell, than with her.

“Okay, I think I can swing it. I’ll be there for the game, but Dad won’t be coming.”

“Thank you, Jimmy. You can sit with me and Dooley and talk to Brick after the game, before the Homecoming party.”

“I’ll do it. And you’re right even though you were gracious enough not to say so, it’s something I should have done long ago.” He pauses a beat. “In fact, I bet I can help with Brick’s predicament. I’ll stay over and come to the homecoming bash and help him out of his Willow trap.”

We wrap up the details of meeting up and when I end the call I heave out a breath and jump to a stand. I feel like pumping my fist and shouting in celebration, but when I see Dooley coming, I run to him instead, grab his hands and swing him around like we’re kids in a playground.

“I did it, Dools! Jimmy’s coming up tomorrow!”

After I tell Dooley all about my conversation with Jimmy, I talk him into being my date for the homecoming dance only because I promise he’ll get to meet the great SPU football legend Jimmy Blanick, famous for the spectacular crash and burn. Jimmy was at SPU four years ago, a year before Dooley got here. But he heard all about him. Everyone’s heard all about him. His trophies and multiple awards and photos of him adorn the halls of the Student Union and Field House.

I wonder if Willow knows about him.

Chapter 24

Brick

Homecoming Game

Slamming through the locker room door I seethe with anger at myself as I slam my butt on the bench and wait for the team to fill in the room, for coach to chew my ass. The humiliation of being down thirty-five to three at half time to a team we were supposed to beat, a team we need to beat, isn’t the worst of it. The worst part is that it’s my fault, that I let my team down. That I fucking sucked because I can’t get either Nyla or Willow out of my head. WTF? Since when do I lose focus because of girls? Never.

There’s some grumbling in the room, but no one talks as Coach Radz paces back and forth right in front of me and I’m waiting for the fucking hammer from hell to drop on my head. Bring it on. I need a head adjustment.

“Thirty-five to three?” His voice booms and he stops in front of me. Some of the guys startle, but I don’t. I’m already shell-shocked and disgusted and filled with seething anger at myself so nothing he says can get me any more riled up than I already am.

“And you.” He points a finger in my face. “An interception and a fumble? In the first quarter? My grandmother could throw a better spiral than you did today so far. You got NFL scouts here and your brother is here. And this is how you perform?” I jerk my head up and stare at him. He nods. The team buzzes.

“Your brother wanted to surprise you but if it helps get your head out of your ass, then you should know now. Your brother is watching you play so make him proud.”

My heart thuds like wild. Jimmy’s here witnessing this horror show? He and Dad haven’t made a game since the season opener. Dad said they had a convention in Vegas this week that they had to go to for the business. I didn’t know if I believed him, but now it doesn’t matter. The disappointment disappears and my family’s legacy rises up to its proper place of importance. The importance of their acceptance means everything to my soul.

I didn’t come home to brownies every day after school the way I longed for, but I had football after school instead. It was a sport I could work hard at and do well, where I had a team if not a family. As QB I could control the game even if I couldn’t always control the outcome, but most times the outcome was in my favor and winning was the best replacement I had for comfort and love and not nearly as risky.

Winning football is the best most reliable positive in my life and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let my team lose today.

The coach drones on in a loud voice but I don’t pay attention. I’m too busy getting my head on straight, running plays in my head and revving up my determination to where it should have been in the beginning. When he’s finished, I jump up and stand on the bench.

“Let’s play angry. Let’s beat their asses. We can do this.” I jump down, waving my helmet and run for the door, leading my team back onto the field. I am one hundred percent confident that we will win this game.

* * *

After the game is over and my teammates carry me off the field, after everyone slaps me, hugs me, bumps helmets with me and shoves me in congratulations, I stand on the field with chaos surrounding me, with the jumbotron still flashing the score thirty-eight to thirty-five in our favor. My heat thuds hard and strong, still pumping the adrenaline through my system while deep satisfaction fills my belly. I look up in the stands for Jimmy and spot him rattling down the stadium stairs to the field, but before I can lift my arm to wave, I stop dead.

Nyla is with him. He’s holding her hand. And they’re both smiling. What? My heart squeezes and my gut churns until I can taste bile. Panicked confusion floods me as I try and make sense of what I see. Are they back together again? I shake my head, but she’s still there with him, alongside my brother and coming closer.