Chapter 8

"Good morning boys!" Coach Samuels said happily, walking around the weight room wood floor in front of us.

We were lined up against the mirror, while he walked in front of us, acting really creepy actually.
It was 7 in the morning.

Sunday morning.

"Don't ya'll have church?" I groaned, rubbing my tired eyes.

"This ain't Texas." Hank rolled his eyes from down the line.

"What were you up to last night?" Coach Samuels asked, standing directly in front of me.

I stood up a little bit straighter.

"I was at Nolan's." I replied.

"And then?"

"And then I went home."

"And then?"

"And then I talked to my friend on the phone."

"And then?"

"And then I went to sleep."

"And then?"

"And then I was woken up at the crack of dawn by you in my bedroom. What is this? A police interrogation?" I raised my eyebrows.

Coach Samuels narrowed his eyes at me before turning to face Brian.

"What were you up to last night?" Coach Samuels asked him.

"I was at home?"

"And then?"

"I was on Skype with my girlfriend all night."

"And then?"

"And then Jason came home and talked my ear off about his- about the girl he used to mess around with this summer." Brian replied.

That was a complete lie.

But it made me look like such a wuss in front of the team.

He'd pay for it later.

"And then?"

"And then I went to sleep." Brian replied.

Another lie.

But Coach didn't need to know that.

"What's going on?" Buddy asked from down the line.

"Someone was drinking last night. And I'm going to find out who." He announced, walking away from Brian and I.

I subtly looked at Brian, who was staring straight ahead, his jaw set.

"Well it ain't me. Ya'll know that." Hank laughed.

"Quiet please." Coach said once everyone had started laughing.

"How do you know someone was drinking?" Someone asked.

Coach held up an empty beer can.

I instantly relaxed.

That type of beer made me gag. He'd caught someone else other than Brian and I last night.

Thank goodness.

"I found this, on the football field after I was called by a policeman at 2 in the morning. I will assure you, I will find out who you are, and you will be benched for the next two games." Coach Samuels said.

My eyes widened.

"That much for just having a drink?" I asked in shock.

"Things may be different in Texas, Charleston, but I assure you, underaged drinking will not be tolerated." Coach Samuels said, walking towards me.

He stared straight at me.

"However, if the guilty person would come forwards right now, you will only miss one game, and you all won't be subjected to the worst conditioning of your life this morning." Coach said, his eyes straight on me.

"Oh I promise you that wasn't me. A, that's lite, and any guy who drinks lite is lame. B, I tried that kind at one of Hannah's parties this summer and nearly threw up it was so disgusting. So I promise you, that wasn't me." I laughed, shaking my head.
"Besides, I was in my room all night, ask Brian."

Brian nodded. "I was there." Brian agreed.

This time, we weren't lying.

We were definitely in our room all night.

Getting drunk off of our asses to celebrate the call from UT.

"Well then let's get started." Coach said happily. "100 push ups. Together. Charlestons count."

Brian and I looked at each other.

We just might get discovered this morning.

Everyone groaned, getting down to the ground.

"1... 2... 3... 4..." Brian and I started counting, easily pumping out the push ups.

The rest of the team was even more tired than us by the time, and I was pretty sure that most of them hadn't had as much to drink as us.

By the end of the condition session, even I was sore. And that was saying something.

"Tomorrow morning before school. 6 am. In here. We're going everyday until I found out who did it." Coach Samuels said once we were all done.

Once we got back to Grandma's house, I went up to my room and slept for the better part of the rest of the day.

I knew the she was having other people over to play cards today, so Brian and I avoided going downstairs for as long as we could.

But when she called us down for dinner, the house was empty and we were the only ones there.

She told us all about her card game, thinking we actually had an interest.

But we just smiled and nodded along.

"I need a beer." I sighed, my muscles whining as I stood up from the table.

I winced, putting pressure on my right leg.

"Your hip okay?" Brian frowned.

I waved him off, making my way to the fridge.

I opened up a beer and immediately took a big sip.

A content sigh escaped my lips.

"If anyone asks, I'm too old to know that you're drinking beer." Grandma teased as Brian carried the plates to the kitchen sink.

I laughed, taking another sip.

Brian suddenly gasped.

"Coach is here." He said quickly.

"Davis?" I furrowed my eyebrows, taking another sip of the beer.

"Samuels!" Brian exclaimed, turning to face me.

My eyes widened.

The first thing that flashed through my mind was to drink the rest of the beer as fast as I could.

"Jason!" Brian exclaimed, grabbing it from my hand.

The beer dribbled down the front of my shirt as he pulled it away from me.

We both just stood there, beer down my front, Brian holding it in his hand, and a knock coming from the door.

"Well get the door!" Brian exclaimed as he began to pour the beer down the drain.

"Don't waste it!" I whined.

"Jason! The door!" Brian said, giving me a look.

I pulled off my shirt, tossing the beer stained fabric into the front closet as I grabbed a handful of mints from the little table near Grandma's door.

Grandma was trying not to laugh as I opened up the door, smiling at Coach Samuels with a mouth full of mints.

"Hello Jason." Coach Samuels said, holding a playbook in his hand.

"Hi." I said, a mint falling out of my mouth.

"Where is your shirt?" Coach Samuels asked, raising his eyebrows.

I shrugged, the mints still filling up my mouth.

"Can I come in?" Coach Samuels asked suspiciously.

I nodded, stepping back from the door.

Grandma was still giggling at the table, Brian had his hand in the sink, which was filled with dishwater, no doubt his hand keeping the beer can underneath the water.

Coach raised his eyebrows at the sight.

Dirty plates on the counter, Grandma losing her shit, and Brian with a stupid smile on his face.

I spit the mints out into a napkin and tossed it in the trash.

"What can we do for you?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "Would you like some lasagna? We've got some leftover in the oven and-"

"No, actually, I'm here to talk to you about the game on Friday."

I raised my eyebrows.

"I want you to learn all of my plays. Thoroughly and accurately. I won't have you making up plays on the field and running things that I didn't tell you to." Coach Samuels said seriously, setting the play book down on the table. "And Brian what the hell is your hand stuck in the sink for?"
Brian looked down at his hand, then slowly back up at Coach.

"Something is stuck in the drain." He mumbled, wiggling his hand around a bit.

He was getting his shirt absolutely soaked with dishwater, and it was all I could do not to laugh.

"Knock knock." Someone said from the door, stepping in through the door that I'd forgotten to shut.

"Carly! Hello darling." Grandma smiled at the younger girl. "Come in, come in. Our show starts in just a few minutes."

"Your show?" I raised my eyebrows.

Carly glanced at me, her eyes widening slightly.
She didn't do a very good job at hiding the fact that she was staring at my shirtless body. But I liked it.

I really liked it.

"Yea we watch Masterpiece Classic every Sunday." Carly replied. "Tonight is Downton Abbey."

"Exciting." I laughed, pushing my hair back from my face.

"Right well I'll be on my way then. Know those plays by Tuesday." Coach said. "Lovely to see you Mrs. Charleston." He added before walking out of the house.

"That's the last time I'm covering for you!" Brian exclaimed, pulling the soaking wet beer can out of the sink.

"I didn't ask you to shove your hand in there!" I exclaimed, opening up the closet to pull my shirt out.

"Well you're the one who thought it would be a genius idea to try and chug the whole thing!" Brian replied loudly, drying off his hands.

"And it would've worked too if you didn't detach it from my lips." I rolled my eyes, sniffing my shirt. I grimaced, it smelled like beer.

"And what did I just walk into?" Carly laughed.

"Don't mind them, let's go watch our show." Grandma said as she stood up.

"I'm going to go shower." I announced, a smile crossing my face as Carly got that look on her face.

"No! No wait Jason I need to shower too and you always use up all the hot water!" Brian exclaimed, frowning.

"No I don't." I rolled my eyes.

"Yes you do! You take the longest showers known to man!" Brian rolled his eyes.

"That is so not true." I laughed, walking towards the stairs.

"No! No I'm going first this time!" Brian exclaimed, running towards the stairs.

"Don't you dare!" I exclaimed, shoving him back as I tried to get up the stairs.

"You owe me! I covered your ass for coach!" Brian yelled, pulling my arm back.

"I need to shower!"

"So do I!"

"Get off!"

"No you get off!"

I beat him to the bathroom, but as I turned on the water, Brian appeared out of nowhere with a towel. He wrapped it around my head and shoved me out of the bathroom before locking the door.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, pounding on it. "No fair!"

"You snooze you lose!"

"You stole it from me!" I yelled, letting out a groan. "Dammit Brian!"

"Now I'm going to use up all the hot water and you can see how it feels!" Brian yelled.

I swore at him before heading down the stairs.

"You could always use my shower darling." Grandma said as I opened up the fridge.

"Thank you for the offer, but I'll wait for Brian to get his fat ass out of there." I laughed, grabbing another beer.

My heart dropped when I saw that it was the last one. We'd brought some up from Texas, and I knew that I'd never get away with buying it here...

I'd just have to get some when I visited UT.

"Oh hey Grandma, is it cool if maybe Brian and I drive down to Texas in a week or two?" I asked, leaning against the doorway to the living room.

Carly looked like she was about drooling again, causing a smirk to form on my face as I took a sip of the beer.

"Of course darling, what for?" Grandma asked curiously.

"So you know how Brian's going to Baylor for college next year? Well they've got a super good football team and they're in the Big 12 conference, and another one of the schools in the Big 12 conference is the University of Texas at Austin. Last night they called me and asked to set up a meeting to see if I'd like to play for them."

"Is that good?" Grandma asked, raising her eyebrows.

"It's amazing." I laughed, nodding my head. "So Brian and I will probably drive down on a Friday of a bi-week or something, take a few days off of school, go to a Gators game, buy some beer, hang out with everyone, and then go to the meeting."

"Beer?" Grandma raised her eyebrows. "You know how I feel about you drinking without your father around... I heard you boys last night and I didn't like it one bit."

"Not excessive drinking, don't worry. Brian will keep me honest." I laughed, looking at Carly again.

"Just give me a bit of notice before you leave so we can get some gardening done first."

"Absolutely." I nodded, smiling at my Grandma.

"Shower's all yours. I'm actually a nice person and didn't waste the water." Brian called from the top of the stairs.

"Aw thanks man!" I called, taking a huge swig of my beer. "I left you half a beer!" I called back, setting it on the kitchen table.

"Wow! You rock!" Brian called sarcastically as I headed up the stairs.

I grabbed a towel from the hall closet and a pair of underwear from my room before heading into the bathroom.

Now I was self conscious about how long my showers took, and tried to take as little time as possible.

I shampooed my hair, washed my body, shaved my face, stood under the hot water for a while... The usual...

I turned off the water as it started to get cold, and grabbed the towel as I got out of the shower.

I'd just secured it around my waist when there was a tentative knock on the door.

"Just a minute!" I called.

"Oh okay sorry." Carly called through the door nervously.

I felt a smirk form on my face as I opened up the door.

"All yours." I said, stepping out into the hallway.

"Thanks." She muttered, her cheeks turning pink as she stepped inside.

And then I was waiting in the hallway in just a towel, dripping wet.

Poor planning on my part.

"I'm done." Carly said, appearing in the hallway again.

"Great thanks." I said, stepping past her to get inside. "Hey, by the way, do you want to go out sometime?" I asked, giving her a smile.

Her eyes widened.

"Wh-what? M-me?" She asked in shock.

I laughed. "No the gorgeous girl standing behind you." I teased.

Carly actually turned around.

"Of course you. You're the only gorgeous girl in the hallway." I laughed, leaning against the doorframe. "Thursday night. We have a short practice. I'll pick you up from work at 6. We'll go to dinner." I said.

Carly just nodded. "I mean it's hard to say no when a super hot football player is asking you out in just a towel."

My mind became a whirlwind of questions.

She didn't strike me as the kind of girl I'd go with in Texas, but then again they were all cheerleaders.

And even the cheerleaders were different.

You had people like Hannah, who'd read your mind and have you shoved up against the wall in the bathroom before you even had to ask.

You had people like Katie, who'd blush and giggle and end up giving you the best head of your life.

And then you had people like Audrey, who'd just get really nervous at your suggestion and quickly leave, whispering to her other friends that Jason Charleston just asked her to hook up.

"What are you thinking about?" Carly laughed, raising her eyebrows.

"Just how excited I am for Thursday." I admitted with a shrug. "I'll see you tomorrow morning." I winked before walking into the bathroom.

My phone was on the counter, and I quickly picked it up, dialing a familiar number.

"I was wondering when you'd call." Hannah giggled. "Thought you were ignoring me after that picture yesterday."

I opened my mouth to reply, and then wondered what the hell I was doing.

I just asked a girl out on a date.

And now I'm calling another girl who'd willingly have sex with me anytime?

"Hannah?" I asked, deciding to start spinning lies like my life depended on it.

"Uh, yes?" Hannah laughed. "Wait shit is this Brian?"

"No it's Jason but uh, I meant to call Dane..." I lied. "Sorry..."

I could just hear Hannah rolling her eyes.

It was the pissed off but trying to be sexy roll of the eyes that she'd do when I said I wasn't in the mood...

"You're serious? You did get the picture I sent yesterday, right?" Hannah frowned.

"What picture?" I asked, deciding to mess with her a bit.

Hannah gasped.

"Holy shit who did I send that to?"

"Calm down calm down." I laughed, leaning back against the counter. "Yes yes I got the picture."

"And?" Hannah asked, immediately changing the tone of her voice.

"And why do you have to do that to me when I'm across the country and there's nothing I can do about it?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Just felt like making an awkward situation for you."

"Yea I was watching football with my grandma and Brian." I laughed, deciding to leave Carly out of the story.

And that's when I knew I was doing something I shouldn't be.

Lying, when it could potentially hurt others, is something I hate to do.

"Okay but in all honesty, Hannah I had a great time with you this summer, but I-"

"You've got a whole new crew of cheerleaders to choose from?" Hannah sighed. "I get it, I mean I expected it to happen."

"No no no no. Oh hell no the cheerleaders here suck. Ew damn I wouldn't go anywhere near them." I laughed.

"So what is it then?" Hannah asked. "Come on you're not going to hurt my feelings, bud."

I laughed, biting my lip. "This is going to sound really weird but I think I like someone." I admitted with a shrug.

Hannah gasped. "No way really! Oh my... Jason Charleston actually has feelings! Who would've known!"

I rolled my eyes. "Okay okay, Hannah." I laughed.

"Who is she?"

"Uh, she's this girl in my homeroom that works at a diner every morning and I run there and she's like friends with my grandma or whatever. And she thinks that alcohol is like a sin or something it's adorable. And she doesn't get football. And she's never been out of Michigan." I said, looking down at my feet.

"Damn boy could you pick anyone more opposite than you? Doesn't drink, doesn't get football... That's like you in a nutshell. Alcohol and sweaty boys tackling each other." Hannah laughed.

"We sure you not talking about yourself?" I teased, raising my eyebrows.

"Oh whatever. I'll stop sending you pictures I guess then... And hey, next time you in Texas, hit me up, and tell me all the details about this new girlfriend."

"Aw now let's not go that far she ain't my girlfriend yet." I laughed.

"I'll talk to you later, Jason." Hannah laughed.

"Alright, bye Han." I replied, hanging up the phone.

Once I was dressed in some sweatpants and a t-shirt, I headed downstairs to see what everyone was up to.

"Please explain to me why Hannah just texted me and told me that I had to, quote, 'keep an eye on your boy because he just turned down phone sex from the hottest girl in Allison'. End quote." Brian raised his eyebrows.

My grandma gasped.

"Brian! Watch your mouth!" She exclaimed, lightly hitting his arm.

Carly's eyes were wide, looking as if she'd much rather be somewhere else.

I shrugged, giving Brian a look.

"But seriously? After what she sent you yesterday?" Brian raised his eyebrows.

Carly looked even more uncomfortable.

I shot Brian another look, trying to tell him to shut his fat mouth.

Brian just tilted his head.

"I mean if we were in Texas you'd be all over that." Brian added.

"Okay I'm going to go. Lorraine I'll see you tomorrow." Carly said quickly, grabbing her purse before practically running out of the house.

"You asshole!" I yelled at Brian, holding out my arms. "Why the hell did you have to go and mention that in front of her! I just asked her out on a damn date and now you go and bring up Hannah what the fu-"

"Watch your mouth!" Grandma exclaimed, giving me a look.

Brian's eyes widened.

"Her?!" Brian exclaimed.

"Yes! She's beautiful!" I exclaimed, running my hands through my hair. "Dammit Brian! Now she thinks I'm some man whore!" I yelled.

"I'm sorry I didn't know I-"

"From now on the only girl you're allowed to bring up from Texas is Jess!" I yelled at him before walking into the kitchen. "Dammit!"