Chapter 3: Date

Luckily, we managed to make it to class on time, though I had to separate from my friends after walking with them to their classes. Rachel and I are pretty smart so we're in AP classes together. That's how we met in the first place, which is a funny story…

…Flashback to freshman year. "Robert Linder." The teacher calls my name and I stand up to get my test from her. "Congratulations Mr. Linder, you received full marks on the mock exam. I look forward to teaching you this year," she says. "And I look forward to your tutelage," I reply though I honest-to-god could care less what this woman has to teach. It's nothing personal it's just, school is so damn boring. I mean it's just too easy. I don't even have to pay attention in class and I can just kinda listen with like half my brain and still get full marks or damn near it.

"Rachel Harper" the teacher's voice snaps me out of my musings as I feel movement near my desk and look up in time to see the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. The first thing that strikes me about her is her height.' She's tall, like very tall, for a girl our age, or at all. She's at least 5'9, maybe 5'10, though I think 5'10 is pushing it. She has long silky dark brown, almost black, hair that is draped past her shoulders. It ends in a V shape, just below her shoulder blades. She has a very small waist, not so small that she looks unhealthy but just small enough that it brings out the natural perfection of her beautiful perky buttocks. This then taper's into her long, fabulous legs before ending at her narrow ankles and small feet concealed by her shoes. "Congratulations to you as well on achieving full marks. I'll also look forward to teaching you this year." the teacher says as the girl nods and turns around to move back to her desk. As she does so, the site that greets me is much too difficult to put into words. Mildly tan skin that implies she spends time under the sun, but still not so tan that she appears dark. Full eyebrows and long eyelashes that accentuate her beautiful blue eyes which are gazing right back into mine. A small straight narrow nose that ends just above her beautiful full pink lips. All of which is set on high cheekbones and a perfectly angled jawline that is angular but not too much so.

Time seems to stop for a moment as we continue to gaze into each other's eyes before she resumes her journey to her desk, which is right next to mine. As I look at her I can't help but wonder about how I failed to notice her earlier but then I realize as I look at her now. She had her head buried in a book much like she does right now. Wondering what she is reading my curiosity got the better of me and I couldn't help but lean toward her desk to ask "Excuse me but, What ya reading that seems to have enraptured you so?". "'The Hobbit'." she says, to which I reply in turn with "Ah I always did like 'The Hobbit'", however, I can't help myself but add "Though I found 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy better". This seems to do the trick as she looks up at me and asks in a somewhat disbelieving tone "You've read both 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings'?". "Yes." I reply in mock offense as I continue "I'm very well-read. From the Novels of J. R. R. Tolkien to Jules Verne and C.S. Lewis, I've read them all" I finish with a hint of pride. Flashback end…

After that she and I would meet up in the library from time to time during our free periods or we would occasionally sit together at lunch and talk. After a week or two we traded numbers and began to talk or text one another over the phone from time to time. At first, it was just about novels, but eventually, she opened up more and more and we began to talk about anything and everything. After about 2 months of just talking like that, I asked her to Homecoming and we have been dating ever since.

"—der. —inder. Linder!!" the teacher, Mr. Johnson, practically shouts my name to get my attention. "Still with us?" he asks now that he has it. "No sir," I reply with my patented grin. "I just got back from an excellent trip to the moon, sir. You'd have loved it." I say earning a few chuckles from my classmates while the teacher just stares at me with his typical judgemental look. He just sighs and says "Pay attention, Linder. How are you going to continue making good enough grades to pass these classes if you don't put in the necessary effort, son?". Although it may have sounded like a question it was anything but and I couldn't help but ground my teeth silently in annoyance. I mean it's not like his class is anything difficult, it's just pre-calc, PRE-CALC, of all things. If we were learning actual college-level calculus it might warrant me paying a little more attention, but this shit, nah-ah, no way in hell.

"What are you thinking about so hard that you spaced out in the middle of class?" Rachel asks me. "Well if you must know, my love, I was thinking about you, specifically the day we first met," I reply. "Ah, the day where you drooled with your mouth open, while ravishing me with your eyes," she says with an air of superiority and mock disgust. "I know for a fact I did not drool with my mouth open while looking at you. Furthermore, we aren't legal now and we sure as hell weren't legal then, as such I do my best to maintain a PG rated atmosphere in our relationship. Furthermore, it has always been you that has tried to seduce my innocent mind into doing PG-13 or, God forbid, R-rated things." I finish with a smirk.

She just stares at me with a deadpan look before stating "You and I both know that that is a bold-faced lie." I can't exactly come up with a concrete rebuttal to her statement, so I just shut up. I mean she's not entirely wrong after all. Although I have never done anything untoward to her, she and I have talked at length about such topics. We decided to wait until we were both eighteen just to avoid any legal fuckery that would happen if we got caught or she got pregnant or something like that. I mean neither she nor I, nor our families, wanna be on MTV, ever, for any reason. We've even talked about proper protection, precautions, and even about waiting till marriage and things like that. Moving on…

Time flies by, school ends, and football practice begins. I finish changing into my pads and pants and lace up my cleats before heading out there a few minutes early for warm-ups with my position coach. Joshua Fuller, AKA Coach Fuller, is a former pro-quarterback for the Texans. Another fun fact about him is that he was born here, in College Station, Texas, as well. He graduated from Texas A&M before being drafted in the first round by the Browns before eventually being traded to the Raiders a few years later. He played for the Raiders for about five years before being traded to the Texans where he finished his career after playing for them for ten years and exiting the pro-stage as a Hall of Fame quarterback.

After Retiring he returned home and after a few years of doing nothing he couldn't take the boredom anymore and wound up taking a job as the position's coach for QBs. This makes him my Coach, a role he takes very very seriously. Case and point… "JOHNNY! DO YOUR FUCKING STRETCHES PROPERLY FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!" he shouts at me not two seconds after I'm on the field and stretching, even though he knows damn good and well that my stretches are fucking perfect and that no one does a better job stretching than me.

'Fucking hard ass' I can't help but think to myself before I feel someone slap me upside the back of the head. I turn around to glare at the fucking numbskull dumb enough to slap me upside the head but before I can turn around I'm slapped upside the head again. Then I hear Coach Fuller's voice behind me "Quit fucking badmouthing me in your mind and focus on your stretches. If you pull something and go down because you didn't stretch properly it isn't just you that will suffer but the whole team. So quit being a jackass." he says emphatically before walking away, though I could of sworn that that fucker had a smirk on his face as he walked away.

After about ten to fifteen minutes of stretching, the coach and I run through various mobility, form, and footwork drills before the rest of the team finishes trickling in and assembling on the goal line for team stretches. The shrill of Head Coach Anderson's whistles marks the start of practice as everyone finishes assembling into roughly fifteen lines each five men deep. Coach Anderson's whistle sounds again and we begin stretching as the first row of every line moves forward as if we were one body. We, being the more senior players, have learned the hard way that if we don't move as one unit Coach Anderson will either run us to exhaustion or just make us stretch over and over again until we get it right. I shiver as I remember the time sophomore year when we literally spent three hours on a turf football field, in full pads, on one of the hottest August afternoons in history, doing nothing but stretching, over and over, again and again, with no rest or water of any sort. 'That was probably the most miserable practice I've ever had to go through and I do not want a repeat of it.' I think to myself as I continue with the various team stretches. However, as I look up toward Coach Anderson after finishing the first round of stretches, I notice a scowl on his face, and my heart sinks.

'Great, just fucking great.' I can't help but think to myself as I realize that Coach looks pissed, like really pissed, but as I look around, I realize it isn't just Coach Anderson that Looks pissed, it's all the coaches. Coach Norton, the Offensive Line Coach looks pissed. Coach Klein, the Safety and Cornerbacks Coach, and Coach Calvin the Linebackers Coach, both look pissed as well. Coach Emery and Coach Avary who coach the offensive backs, and wide receivers respectively also look upset. Coach Fox, the special teams coach doesn't look happy either, which I didn't believe was possible since I've never seen that man not smile. The Defensive Line Coach, Coach Brett, and the Defensive Coordinator, Coach Verne both look pissed too. And finally, the Offensive Coordinator Coach Taylor is showing no emotion on his face, which is more emotion than usual.

'Fuck! Who or what could've pissed them off all at once like this?' I think to myself helplessly. 'Well, I'm sure Coach Anderson will explain the situation after we're done with team stretching, once he's finished explaining today's practice schedule. And if he doesn't I'm sure one of the other Coaches will explain it, eventually. Regardless I need to mentally prepare myself for the shitshow that is about to be this practice. God, I hope he doesn't keep us till dark again today' I pray in my mind as I resign myself to whatever fate has instore for me. "It's gonna be a long fucking day isn't it?" I question in a quiet voice to no one in particular while I look up to the sky and let out a sigh. 'On a positive note, thank God I gave Rachel the keys to my Porsche 911 Turbo otherwise she would've been baking in this fucking heat like the rest of us.' I nod to myself while affirming my earlier good judgment in my mind.

"Phwwhht", "Phwwwwwwwwwwwhht". The shrill coach's whistle rings out, after we finish our stretches, to signal us to all gather around him for his announcements. 'Well, time to face the music I guess.' I think to myself as I hustle to be there before anyone else. It just wouldn't do well for a team captain, like myself, to be anything but first to the coach's position after all, to set a proper example for the underclassman, of course. This has absolutely nothing to do with my competitive streak, nothing to do with it at all.

…

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"Phwwhht, Phwwhht, Phwwhht, Phwwwwwwwwwwwhht," Coach Anderson's whistle signals for the end of practice and boy was I right that it was gonna be a miserable practice. Coach kept us out here till at least 8:30 p.m., though I'll only know that for sure after checking my phone. Just for reference, school ends at 3:00 and practice starts at around 3:45. After the team stretching was over Coach Anderson announced our first official game had been moved up to this week instead of the initially planned for two weeks from now. Furthermore he announced that the opponent that we had initially been scheduled to play against had been swapped at the last second for our cross-town rival, West High. After that, we practiced as if we were about the play in the State Championship game. We went through our entirety of both the offensive and defensive playbooks and both sides of the ball did their best to mimic West High's playstyle, so that both the offense and defense could get a feel for what they'll be up against this Friday night. 'No wonder the Coaches were so pissed. They quite literally had the rug ripped out from under them' I think to myself as I head towards the locker room to take a shower and change for my mini date with Rachel.

Coach Anderson had announced after practice that he and the other coaches would get together and would have a complete game plan ready by tomorrow and that we would tweak it as the week progresses. He also said that the film on the other team would be uploaded to the 'Ballr' website by midnight so that we could look at the film when we come in at 6:30 tomorrow morning, which judging by his tone will not be an optional film meeting. 'Fucking hell.' I think to myself as I strip off my equipment and walk to the showers with a bar of soap in one hand, shampoo in the other, and a towel around my waste.

After a quick five-minute cold shower, I come back to my locker refreshed and ready for my mini-date with Rachel. I change into a pair of clean gray athletic shorts and a black t-shirt, that hangs loosely over my very well developed body, while finishing the ensemble with a pair of ankle socks and tenni-shoes. Once I'm done getting dressed, I begin packing all my equipment and clothing so I can wash them when I get home tonight. After I finish packing I leave the locker room and head to my car in the parking lot. I open the trunk and put my football bag in there and then I open the driver's side door and throw my backpack into the back of my Porsche. I get into my car, but before I can buckle up and pull out of the parking lot my girlfriend grabs me and pulls me in for a deep, long, and passionate kiss.

Once we've finished and she pulls away slightly breathless I can't help but poke fun at her by saying "A little aggressive today aren't you." to which she turns beat red. Almost immediately realizing the state of her face she tries to hide it but I can still see the red tint on her ears. I lean towards her ear and continue to tease her by saying "You know year ears are still beat red by the way.". What follows is her blindly flailing her arms in my direction while calling me names like 'stupid meanie' or 'idiot' etc. etc.

After she calms down I put my seat belt on, put a CD in the CD player and crank up the volume so that it's practically blaring me and Kerry's newest song, and pull out of the parking lot. Once I'm outside city limits and on the open road, I floor it as fast as I can to a nice little spot my mom informed me about a few nights ago. I haven't told Rachel about it yet because I want to keep it a surprise which is also annoying the ever-living crap out of her, and me by extension, as she has been pestering me nearly the whole ride about where we're going.

I turn down a gravel road and begin to travel uphill. After about five or so minutes of travel, we reach it. A beautiful plateau that overlooks our little city. From here we can see everything, even see the massive agri-farms to the east of the city. "Johnny, what is this? How did you find this?" she asks, and I can't help but think 'Johnny you may have outdone yourself with this, you perfect bastard'. "Truth is I didn't find it at all babe," I say and she turns her head to the side while raising an eyebrow in question practically demanding that I continue, so I do. "Truth is, since I knew you were gonna be back this week, I've been trying to figure out something special we can do together. After a couple of days of looking for something that I thought would do the trick I came up empty-handed, so I went to my dad to ask him for advice.".

"And your dad told you about this place?" she asks. "No. No, my dad just said we should have sex, but both my mom and I shot that down." I say with a chuckle, while Rachel blushes once again. "No, it was my mom who told me about this place. Apparently, it was a popular attraction back in their day." I say as I finish my explanation with a gentle smile. "So what do you think?" I ask. she replies enthusiastically "I think it's absolutely amazing. It's so beautiful. I can't believe I've lived my whole life in this city without knowing a place like this exists. Thank you for finding this place and sharing it with me. You really are the best boyfriend I could ask for, that any girl could ask for. You know that right Johnny?"

"Of course, I do love, and don't you ever forget it," I say as I spread my arms wide for a hug that she rushes into. "I love you, Rachel Harper, with all my heart." I say to her as I give her a gentle squeeze which she reciprocates with an equally gentle squeeze before replying "And I love you, Robert John Linder, with all my heart and soul. Don't you ever forget it." And like that we just stayed there, embracing each other, and enjoying each other's warmth, while standing underneath the moon and stars while gazing upon the city that illuminated the night sky like the first rays of a morning sun. Afterward, we just talked about various little things, before getting back into my Porsche, turning around and driving away in order to get Rachel home in time for her parents' curfew, leaving the lovely location behind for now.

Needless to say, I got Rachel home in time for her parent's curfew, though her father did give me the stink eye while complaining about how I cut it close and whatnot. Only after saying one last goodbye to Rachel and pacifying her father, the pastor, by telling him I would be in church this Sunday, did I leave. Of course, I may have failed to mention the fact that I was going to be sitting with Rachel, but I'm sure it'll be fine. I think both of our families will get a few laughs out of it. 'Well everyone except Mr. Harper, that is. HaHaHaHa.' I think to myself as I drive through the neighborhood's streets, towards my home.

A few minutes later and I am pulling up the driveway and into my home's garage. After grabbing my backpack and getting all my football crap out of my car, I close the garage bay door while opening the door to the house and heading inside. After coming inside I immediately close and lock the door. With that taken care of, I set off to the laundry room to put all my practice clothing into the washing machine.

Just as I'm finishing up my mom comes in and asks "So? How'd she like the spot?" I flash my mom a huge grin before replying "She absolutely loved it. Thanks for telling me about it". "Good. Glad she liked it." she says before continuing, "There's some food in the fridge that needs to be warmed up if you're hungry. Make sure to clean up any mess you make because I cleaned the kitchen today," she says before beginning to walk away towards her and dads room. "Thanks, Mom. I'll make sure to clean up after I'm done," I say before closing the laundry room door. "Oh Mom, before you leave I just wanted to let you know, I have to leave early tomorrow morning, so don't stress too much if I'm not here when you and Dad wake up. Ok?". "Yeah, sure thing hon. Make sure you eat before you leave, and drive safely. Goodnight son," Mom says before entering the master bedroom where I can see Dad is passed out on the bed already.

After eating a very large and calorie-dense dinner I head back to the laundry room to flip over my laundry before heading to my room, extremely grateful that I don't have homework to do tonight, before collapsing in bed. But before I fall asleep I manage to text Rachel 'Goodnight' before passing out myself. My last thought before my mind surrenders to the embrace of sweet sweet sleep is 'God what a long freaking day'. And with that, everything fades to black.