Look out for the <>!

Happy Wednesday!!!!

"So, the big opening game is two days away. Are you ready for it, Shelly?" the professor asked in class.

Shelly smiled as he looked around the room, making sure people were watching. "Yeah, and Nora and coach have been doing great at prepping us."

Instantly my cheeks turned hot as I shrunk in my seat. I didn't understand why he always wanted to wrap me into any conversation about football. It was a constant reminder for the class to not forget who I was. All eyes fell on me, making my stomach tie into knots.

"So, if it doesn't go well, we can blame her, right?" the professor asked with a smirk.

I shrunk deeper into my chair, wanting to be anywhere but here. I wished he never brought it up. Best not to give the class any ideas. The last thing I needed was getting death threats if the team lost.

"Nah, it wouldn't be her fault. If anything, it would be our problem not listening to her," Shelly said with a chuckle.

When I signed up for this course, I thought it would be my favorite, but with Shelly, it drained all the fun from it. In fact, it was the class I dreaded. I even thought about dropping it until I realized it would only postpone graduation.

"You heard it here then, class. Ok, so let's get started. Who did the assigned reading?"

I raised my hand along with half of the class. The words from the article floated around my mind forming thoughts, arguments, and anything I could use in the discussion. I was just glad I could squeeze the reading in the night before while I sat in dad's office waiting for him.

The professor looked at me through his round glasses and smiled. "Managed to read even while helping the team? Look at Nora, use her as an example. Go on Nora, want to share some insights?"

My mouth turned dry as my thoughts vanished from my mind. Suddenly, I wished I hadn't raised my hand. Not only did Shelly remind the class of who I was, but the professor did a fine job at that too. I didn't want to be used as an example.

With a deep breath, I quickly formed a few sentences together, crudely explaining the reading.

As the class continued, I thought about the past few practices. We were so close to the opening game, but Dad seemed more stressed. For someone that was so cheerful I could see the pressure he felt.

The team was still doing a poor job working together, because of that, the plays were rough and unorganized. As much as I had tried helping, I realized that only they could build friendships with one other.

Everett was the starting quarterback, it was his job to lead but he wasn't doing that. Leaders lead by doing but his refusal to do anything was infuriating. And it's not like I could help when he had not talked to me since our walk. He probably was still mad at me.

Before long, I found myself standing on the field right beside dad as he talked to the team about the upcoming match. Time was running out and the sense of urgency consumed the field like a coming storm cloud.

The way Dad chewed on the corners of his mustache; I knew he was stressed. He delivered on good rankings last year, so the school wanted him to continue even though things have changed.

"So today, Nojo has the team-building activity for you all. Nora, want to explain?" Dad asked as the team stood around us.

I looked around the team and nodded as I stood up a little taller. "Telephone. Have you played it before? All of you line up and whisper the sentence to the other and see if it is the same sentence that started."

The team looked around at me and followed my instructions.

"Who's going to be the one that starts the sentence?" Rick asked with concern.

I smiled, already having an answer to this. "I will."

The team lined up, but as they did so, someone stepped in front of Everett. Before the person had time to apologize, Everett pushed him to the side and took his spot. The other player glared at Everett but did nothing as Everett adjusted his shirt.

Anger boiled through me, causing my fists to ball up. "Did you see that?" I asked Dad as I scowled at Everett, even though I knew Dad missed it, like he always did.

Dad put down his phone and looked around. "See what?"

I sighed. Everett was such a problem, but Dad often missed it. In fact, I think he paid little attention to Everett's actions, which allowed him to get away with so much. Like a fire spreading uncontrollably, he was there, burning down the forest. "Nothing."

"Hey, towel boy, I need a drink," Everett said, calling Tad over as if Tad's name wasn't worth remembering.

"Coming!" Tad said as he ran up to Everett with a cup of water in his hands.

My fists grew tighter, causing my nails to dig into my palms. I wouldn't take his attitude any longer. People would know that Everett wasn't the tallest person, Everett wasn't the mountain. "Hey, Everett, he has a name. Why don't you use it?" I spoke up.

It felt like everyone froze to look at me.

Everett's face remained unchanged as he stared.

He might have scared the rest of the team, but I wasn't afraid of Everett. "What's his name, Everett?"

"I don't need to tell you since you clearly know it," he sneered.

I bit my tongue as I took a deep breath. Breathe, Nora.

That kind of response made my blood boil. His attitude, his eye roll, I couldn't stand it. It didn't matter if he was a skilled player; he was a terrible person. "I need you to say it. The way you treat him is not acceptable. What's his name?"

The corner of his mouth turned downwards for a second before spitting out the name, "Tad," as if it was poison.

"See, that wasn't hard."

"Ok, oh boy oh boy. Now wasn't that a move I didn't see coming. Kind of like that streaker on the field last year during half time. Anyhow, let's get this game started," Dad said, trying to change the topic quickly.

He brushed it aside like he didn't want them to remember. But I wanted them to remember. I wanted them to know that Everett wasn't as unstoppable as they thought. If little Nojo could call him out, they could too.

"Nora, get to the front of the line and tell Rick what it is," Dad said.

I nodded as I walked up to Rick.

"That was bad ass, Nora," Rick whispered with a grin on his face.

"I know."

"Remind me not to get on your bad side."

I smirked, then whispered the sentence into Rick's ear. Then with my head held high, I walked back over to Dad to watch as the players whisper the sentence I made up.

"Well, goodness me Nora, I didn't expect that from you," Dad said as he put sunscreen on his nose.

I shrugged. "Well, Everett was being a dick."

"Ope! Nora, you owe a dollar to the swear jar. That's the first time I heard from you. Are these players wearing off on you?"

I didn't want to admit it, but maybe they were. I spent hours with them every day, they were bound to wear off on me. But maybe that wasn't a bad thing. Maybe this new Nora was better. "I guess I do," I said as I handed him a dollar from my pocket.

He took it then walked towards the last player in the line. "Ok Ethan, what's the sentence?"

Ethan, who was a freshman, looked so unsure of himself. He shifted on his feet before looking at his teammates. For a second, all of us waited on pins and needles as he mustered up the courage to speak. "If there's a swear word in the sentence, do I need to owe you a dollar?"

Dad shook his head as he glanced towards me, questioning what I told Rick.

"The damn OSU brand is the loudest of all the brands."

"Is that right Nora?" Dad asked, turning the attention back to me.

I shook my head with a frown. "Sorry. The sentence was The OSU band is the best damn band in the land. You were close though."

Ethan muttered something as he frowned at the ground.

"Yeah, that's right, all of you are disappointments," Rick spoke up as he pointed to the rest of the team.

"Shut the hell up, Rick," Everett shouted, stepping out of line and walked towards Rick.

Rick flinched for a second before glancing at Dad.

"Whoa now," Dad said as he jumped in front of Everett and Rick before a fight broke out.

The two glared at one another in silence before Dad spoke up again. "Ok, how about this? We try one more time and I'll give the sentence. We'll start with Ethan."

Dad placed his hand on Everett's shoulder which he shook away.

"You're the problem," Everett said, pointing to Rick before falling back into line.

Silence engulfed us as Rick shook his head.

"Do any of you understand why we're doing this game?" Dad asked with a tired sigh.

No one said a word.

"You have to understand that rumors and whispers spread and change context so quickly. You need to understand that rumors can destroy anything. But if you work together and really try to understand each other, you'll be able understand the entire story." He then quickly whispered something into Ethan's ear, then Ethan whispered something to his neighbor.

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By time the team was successfully retelling sentences, practice was over, but frustrations were high. For such a simple game, I never thought that a group of grown men would have such a problem whispering sentences to one another.

"Hey, Nora, I'm going to get my sweater. I'll meet you by the car?" Dad asked as he walked off the field.

I nodded as I finished the last bit of water in my water bottle. "Sure. See you there."

He smiled, then left, leaving me almost completely alone.

I grabbed my backpack as I thought about the mound of homework to do tonight. It was already seven and I felt a little worried that I wouldn't be able to manage the homework before I slept. Mentally, I made a list of the most important things to do as I walked towards the car.

"That game you game up with was odd," Everett said, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I glared at him as I walked past him leaning against his car in the parking lot.

This was the first time he said anything to me in over a week, couldn't he think of something more creative to say? "I don't really care what you think."

The corners of his mouth turned downward for a second before returning to his standard face. He brushed his wet brown hair from his forehead, hinting he just got out of the shower. "Listen, I'm trying here."

Trying what? To be less of a dick? I shook my head. "You aren't."

"How do you know that?" he asked, his voice raising.

"Do I need to spell it out for you? You aren't friendly, you don't talk to me, you don't talk to your teammates. Hell, I watched you push Mike today just for stepping in front of you."

"I pushed him out of the way because he stood in my place."

I let out an exasperated sigh. "Does that even matter?"

"It does."

I frowned, convinced he was a child. "You're infuriating. Do you know the damage you caused to the team?"

"And do you know what damage the team has done to me?" he shouted.

His sudden outburst caused me to shut my mouth as he took a step back, realizing what he said. Almost instantly, my defensive tone eased like melting ice as I tried to pry more information from him. "What happened?"

He shook his head as he stuffed his hands into his pockets, then left without another word.

"Damn it, Everett," I muttered under my breath.

"That's another dollar you owe me," Dad's voice spoke up from behind me.

I turned towards him and handed him another dollar. Owing him a few dollars was the least of my concerns. "There."

"Looks like Everett is going to get another ticket, CampusParc isn't going to like where his car is," Dad said, pointing to where Everett let his car. "Anyhow, what did Everett do?"

"He said that this team caused him damage, but when I tried to ask about it, it shut down."

Dad frowned.

"What happened last year?"

He sighed as we walked up to the car. "Charles picked on him relentlessly. I was so caught up in winning that I forgot about the health of the players."

There was disappointment in his eyes, upset that he didn't do more, but I knew Dad and I was sure he tried his best. There couldn't have been anything more he could have done. He was a good man, and this was a terrible thing, but it wasn't his fault. I was sure of that.