DISCLAIMER: If it is illegal for you to read stories involving sexual activity or if you are offended by homosexual content please leave.
If not then grab some popcorn and soda and on with the show...
FIRST THINGS FIRST: Once again, I can't say this enough. The feedback on this story has been incredible. Honestly, this was supposed to just be a little side story on top of my other ones but so many people have asked me to turn it into a saga. You guys have been amazing...keep the emails coming. If anyone wants to have an actual conversation with me instead of just email I'm in the #Niftywriters chat room a lot. I'm actually an op there so stop by and we'll chat. If I'm not there just leave your name with one of the guys there and they'll tell me you were looking for me.
This is all based on a true story although the names have been changed to protect people.
Go check out my other stories: "Nick and Ashley" (boy-bands directory) "Rival Hearts" (boy-bands directory) "Finding Support In Each Other (young friends directory)
Pytn18@hotmail.com for comments and suggestions.
Timmy's Love-Chapter Three
I drove up the scenic road that I had taken so many times before and pulled into the parking lot of my old high school. I shut the car off and got out. I still had about 20 minutes before kids would start getting here for the Saturday dryland practice so I decided to take a walk around and reminisce. I walked through the doors and into the hallways.
Flashes of kids flying past me or freshmen running into me when I was a senior came into my head. I always hated the hustle and bustle of running to class but I loved the feeling of people around me. I came upon my locker, 661. This was my locker for all four years. I looked at it as all the memories came flooding back. I must have been staring at it for a long time cuz it was like I was knocked out of a trance when I heard a voice behind me.
"I can't believe it."
I turned around and saw Oscar. With all of the good fortunes that came to me in life, I always tried to be modest and nice to people. I felt bad for a lot of the janitors in my school, especially one black man named Oscar. Since I went to a college prep school, uniforms and all, a lot of the kids were stuck up and snobby.
They always looked down on the help, especially the minority help. I felt for these people so I reached out to them and tried to use my popularity to make people avoid doing this. Oscar was always my favorite.
I looked at him for a second. Age was getting to him, his gray hair coming out from under his hat. I paused for a second then pulled him into a hug.
"Oscar, it's been too long" I said as I pulled out of the hug.
"About four years I'd say." Oscar replied.
"Yeah well I was kinda busy" I said in the joking manner that we always had with each other.
"I heard, how's the leg?" He asked
"Well, it's still attached. I guess I can't ask for more than that." I said with a laugh.
"It's good to see you again Matt. What are you doing back here?" Oscar asked
"I'm back coaching hockey." I said.
"Well look who's back. How's the team this year?" He asked
"Got a really good bunch of guys this year. A lot of hard workers." I said.
"You got that one kid, the goalie, what's his name? Tom?" Oscar asked
"Tim" I said.
"Yeah that's it. He's a real good kid. He helps me out with the other kids a lot. Makes them shut up when they're acting like assholes." He said.
"Oh he does?" I asked with a proud look on my face
"Yeah, reminds me of another goalie I remember." Oscar said with a smile.
"I wonder who that could be" I said as I punched him in the arm. "Look Oscar I gotta get going, we got practice in the gym at 12 but it was good seeing you again." I said
"Hey Matt, if you need anything just tell me ok?" He said
"Thanks buddy. I will. See ya." I said as I walked towards the gym.
I walked towards the gym and heard the kids talking. I peeked in and saw them all standing in a circle, joking with each other. It was so hard to get a bunch of random kids to come together and play for a unified goal. If they didn't play as a team then they wouldn't win one game let alone the whole thing.
It wasn't that individually each one of them didn't want to win. It's just that they have to think as one...together for one goal. They still seemed kinda awkward around each other. This would change in the next five minutes however as I watched on and saw the captains engage in a conversation purposely done in front of the rest of the team.
"Hey Timmy, what did you do last night?" Bobby said loud enough so that everyone would listen to them.
"Oh man don't you know that me and Wes's mom went out on the town last night." Tim said with that shy smile he always had.
The mom joke. I'd seen it a thousand times but it always worked.
"Come on now guys. Why you gotta be dissing my mama. Now I can't take Bobby's mom to the prom." Wes said as everyone began to realize that they were just playing with each other and started to laugh.
"Come on now let's get off moms since I just got off Tim's." Alex said as everyone started to laugh and play with each other.
They were jumping all over the place and playing the usual punch guys give each other as I smiled. These were the right captains for the job. I decided it was time to start practice. I walked in and blew my whistle. Everyone stopped playing around and faced me.
"You guys are like an army brigade." I said with a smile on my face.
Just then Scott, one of my forwards, jumped up to the front and saluted himself in an over exaggerated manner and screamed out "SIR, YES SIR" then jumped back to his spot.
I tried to play the hard ass coach approach but I couldn't help from breaking down and laughing. The rest of the team watched me laugh at a joke and saw that it was ok. I was a mean cuss when I wanted things done but I was also human. It was an emotion they needed.
"Alright you clowns, let's go run." I said.
"Did I hear 'let's' coach?" Bobby asked.
"You got it. I asked you guys to come together and do things as a team so why should I not do things with you. I'm one of you guys down to the finish and we're gonna do this together." I said
"Alright then, let's run" Bobby said with a smile.
The whole team followed me as I took them on the same running path my team used to use. It gave a beautiful view of the entire high school campus. This was one of the best prep schools in the state and was a real privilege to come here. On top of that it was gorgeous.
We were running for almost a half hour when we came upon the lacrosse field. To keep in shape for hockey I always played lacrosse in the spring. I made a lot of close friends there and was also one of the captains for that team too. I actually helped start the team with some friends. One of them lay in the ground in front of me with a tombstone coming out of it.
I stopped as the team behind me did also and caught their breath. This was the grave of my friend Kenny that I was very close to in high school. He died our senior year in a car crash. This was the first time I had been to his grave since the wake. It was just too hard to deal with.
I knelt down in front of it and closed my eyes. I dug my hands into the ground and picked up some dirt and grasped onto it. I said a small prayer and let the dirt sift through my hands. I felt a hand on my shoulder.
"Matt you ok?" Tim asked
I opened my eyes and got up. I turned around to face them.
"Guys, this was a friend of mine. Look at his grave. I want you to take a close look at it. He died at the same age some of you are right now. This is your reminder fellas. This is your chance to live life like you'll never live it again. Play like you mean it boys and make sure people remember you by what you did and what we did together. Kenny died because he felt like he had no one else in the world. He let too much get to him and couldn't relate to anyone. He went out driving to get his mind off of it one day and never came back." I said as I paused
I had every one of their attentions.
"Look around you. If we come together right now on this field I guarantee you will find 20 other faces around you that you can confide in and look to for support." I said as a tear fell from my eye.
"Coach is right. We come together right now and we can be more than a team...we can be a family. We're not teammates, we're brothers!" Alex said out loud as the team rallied around him and started to cheer. Everyone pulled the rest of the group into a hug, even me. The team stood as a pillar of strength, never swaying. In the background was the grave of someone who was with them in spirit.
After a good workout up on the field I brought them back down to the school and into a classroom that Oscar had left open for us while he cleaned. We called it "hockey classroom". The team would go over films, strategies and scouting reports. It was a nice place to sit down, relax, and talk some hockey with the team. It was a good way to present a unified effort towards one goal.
"So as you guys can see, we have to hit early and often to set the tempo. We have enough depth that the scoring will come. If we go out there and send our message out early they will back off the puck right away." I said as I pointed out some stuff on the dry erase board.
I saw a hand go up. It was Scott, the one who could never seem to concentrate on anything.
"Yeah Scott go ahead." I said
"What was it like to get as far as you did in hockey?" Scott asked
"That really doesn't have much to do with team strategy does it?" I asked trying to stay on topic and avoid other certain topics.
"Come on coach tell us, we're curious." Another player said.
I looked over at Timmy for support but he seemed to give me a look that he wanted to know also.
"Ok, I'll tell you guys." I said as I put down the marker and spun around on the desk I was sitting on.
"I'll be honest. It's the greatest feeling in the world. It's awesome to know that people keep considering you for higher and higher positions in life. One day it could all be taken from you though so always have something to fall back on in life." I said trying to give them good advice.
"Do you think any of us will ever make it that far?" Bobby asked
"Well, if you follow your hopes and dreams far enough they'll take you to a place where you belong." I said
"What about you coach? You tell us to follow your hopes and dreams but you won't give yourself another shot at the pros." Wes said from the back.
"I had my shot, I promised too many doctors I won't give it another one." I said
"Come on coach, we've seen you on the ice. You can still skate with the best of them. You just ran right along side of us like it was nothing. The surgery healed it. Give it another shot." Wes said
"Don't do this guys. Let's get back to the game film." I said trying to regain control.
"How about if we do it for you?" Timmy spoke up from the other side of the room as he got up out of his chair.
"What are you talking about?" I asked curious.
"If we win the division and the playoffs this year, you have to go try out for a minor league team." Tim said.
I thought about it for a long time as the entire team watched on in silence awaiting my response. Winning the division would be an extremely tough task. I figured we would finish 3rd or 4th and push our way through the playoffs to the finals but I figured what the hell. If it would give them something to play for, why not.
"Alright you're on. Win the division and I'll try out." I said.
The whole team started clapping and cheering as I looked back at Timmy who just had a smile on his face.
TO BE CONTINUED...
<<<< Sorry for the lack of sex but the first two chapters had plenty. I needed to set up the storyline a little more. Pytn18@hotmail.com for comments and suggestions. >>>>
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