Men, Women & Children (7 page)

Coach Quinn said, “I don’t know what in the hell is going on, but that’s the second play this game that I’ve called that got changed in the huddle. Now who’s doing it?”

None of the players said anything. Coach Quinn said, “Well, it can only be one of two people. It’s either the guy I sent the play in with or Danny. So who is it?”

Again, no one said anything. Danny was surprised that Tanner Hodge, the tailback who had brought the original play into the huddle, said nothing. Tanner wanted to win the game as much as anyone else and also recognized that Coach Quinn clearly had some personal reasons for calling running plays that were not working.

As the referee blew the whistle to resume play, Coach Quinn said, “Fine. We’ll be running extra laps tomorrow. Right now, you run the five-three-four flip. Got it?”

The entire team responded in unison, “Yes, sir!”

As they took the field, Danny called a huddle and said, “Guys, I was the one changing the plays, and I’m going to do it again right now. If we’re going to win this game, it’s going to be with a pass to Chris. Are we all cool with that?”

The other members of the Olympian offense nodded or answered in the affirmative. Danny had their support. He said, “Okay, then, we have thirty-four seconds left and about fifty yards to cover. Coach Quinn has no more time-outs, so let’s do it in two plays. First one, Y left hook, on two. Ready—break!” Danny passed the ball for a gain of twenty-four yards, leaving the Olympians with twenty-eight seconds and twenty-three yards to the end zone. Coach Quinn sent in Randy Trotter with a new play—a running play. Danny looked over to the sidelines. The coach was looking directly at Danny. He knew that Danny was the one calling his own plays. Danny understood that he was already going to endure some punishment for what he had done, so he had no reason to run Coach Quinn’s play at this point. He called the Z cross, another pass play to Chris Truby, and executed it for a touchdown. After the extra point, the Olympians were ahead twenty-one to twenty with less than ten seconds left on the clock. The Park Panthers were unable to score again in that time, resulting in the Olympians claiming a victory in their first game of the season.

As the players ran off the field toward the field house, Hannah Clint found Chris Truby and said, “Hey, you were seriously awesome out there.”

Chris said, “Thanks,” as he stared at her breasts.

She said, “You’re cute,” quickly kissed him on the lips, and then giggled and ran off with the other Olympiannes. Chris continued on into the field house thinking about how underwhelming his first kiss had just been.

In the parking lot after the game Jim, Don, and Kent stood near their cars waiting for their sons to be released by Coach Quinn. Jim said to Don, “Well, it looks like our kids are going to be carrying the team this year.”

Don was drunk. He said, “Guess so.”

Jim said to Kent, “If Tim was out here, it wouldn’t have even been a close game.”

Kent said, “Yeah, I know. That kid they got playing his spot is pretty terrible.”

Jim said, “You should really talk to him.”

Kent said, “Yeah.”

T
he Olympiannes came off the field and out into the parking lot. Dawn found Hannah and said, “Hey, I got some good shots.” Hannah said, “Cool. I tried to really pop my boobs out. Did you get that?”

Dawn said, “Yeah, I think so. You looked great.”

Brooke and Allison left together. Brooke’s mother, Sarah, was waiting in the parking lot. She said, “How was the game, girls?”

Brooke said, “We won and Danny threw the winning pass. It was awesome.”

Sarah said, “That’s great. Allison, your mom called me and asked if I could give you a ride home, so you’re with us tonight.”

Allison said, “Thanks, Mrs. Benton.”

In the field house, the team celebrated and congratulated Danny and Chris on their successful plays, the plays everyone correctly recognized as being the sole reasons for their victory. Coach Quinn was livid. He said, “Everyone sit down and shut up!” He knew it would go against school district policy to curse at a student, even in the current context of a sporting event outside of school. He found it difficult to control his temper, but managed to say, “I know we won, and that’s a good thing, of course, but the way we won is not a good thing. You all know I don’t like singling people out, but tonight one person on this team undermined my authority, and I can’t have that if we’re going to have a team that works together as a unit. Danny Vance, you played a hell of a game, there’s no question about that, but you played that game for yourself, not for your team.”

Danny tried to protest, “Coach, we wouldn’t have won without—”

Coach Quinn said, “That’s enough! You don’t know what we would or wouldn’t have done if you would have run the plays I called. Now, like I said, we won, that’s a good thing. But next week, Danny—since you proved tonight that you’re not a team player—you’re benched. Kramer, you’re starting. And that’s the last we’re talking about it. Go home tonight. Be happy we won and come back Monday morning ready to put in some hard work at practice. We have Irving next week. They may not seem like much, but we can’t take them for granted. So let’s get it done. Everybody in.”

On Coach Quinn’s command, the entire team gathered in the center of the room and put their hands together. Coach Quinn said, “One, two, three,” and everyone in unison screamed, “Olympians!” Then Coach Quinn headed to his office in the field house, leaving the team to gather their equipment and file out into the parking lot, where their parents were waiting.

On the ride home, Jim told Danny how immensely proud he was of the way he played. He went on to explain that he thought the team couldn’t have won without him, and that Coach Quinn should be calling far more passing plays than he did. A few minutes into the ride home, Danny received a text message from Brooke that read, “Great game, babe. Ur super hawt. Movies 2moro?” He replied, “Sure. Cu 2moro.” Danny made no mention of his reprimand, or of the fact that he wouldn’t be starting the following week.

chapter

six

I
t rained on Saturday. This made parking at the Westfield Gateway Mall more tedious than it usually was for Dawn Clint. As she drove through the rows of cars looking for a parking space that was close enough to the main entrance for her liking, she envied her daughter, who sat in the passenger’s seat sending and receiving text messages at a rapid pace. Dawn said, “Who’re you texting?”

Hannah said, “Just a friend from school.”

Dawn said, “Uh-oh. Just a friend from school whose name you won’t tell me. I think my daughter’s texting with a boy. What’s his name?”

Hannah said, “Chris.”

Dawn said, “And is Chris cute?”

Hannah said, “Yes.”

Dawn said, “Am I going to get to meet this Chris?”

Hannah said, “Um . . . I’m pretty sure you can let me text without the inquisition.”

Dawn said, “Sorry. Sorry. Just curious.”

Hannah and Chris had been texting that morning about nothing in particular. The conversation was initiated by Hannah, who sent a text message that read, “How u feelin after the big catch last night?” to which Chris replied with a text message that read, “Pretty good I guess. What r u up 2?” Hannah described a day at the mall with her mother, which was a usual occurrence for her on the weekends. Chris described a day at home with his parents, watching college football with his father, which was a usual occurrence for him on the weekends.

At one point Chris sent a text message that read, “What wuz up with the kiss last night?” to which Hannah replied with a text message that read, “I like you, dummy.” This shift in the conversation, from the mundane outlining of their day’s plans to their attraction to each other, led down a path that prompted Hannah to send Chris a text message that read, “Have U ever had sex?” to which Chris replied with a text message that read, “No. Have U?” to which Hannah replied with a text message that read, “Only oral.” This text is what made Chris leave the living room, where he was watching football with his mother and father, and go to his room, where he masturbated in his bed throughout the rest of the conversation.

Through these text messages, Hannah admitted that she had performed oral sex only once before and she might need some practice. Chris offered to be her practice partner as he continued to masturbate. Hannah said she’d think about it. Chris asked her to tell him exactly what she’d do to him if they were to be alone together. Hannah took a few seconds before responding. She wondered if someone other than Chris could possibly see these text messages. Up to that point, they had written nothing pornographic, but she was approaching the line. She ultimately decided that, even if Chris were to show these text messages to any of his friends, like Danny Vance, they would only make her more desirable to the rest of the male population at Goodrich Junior High School.

As Dawn pulled into the closest parking space she could find, Hannah sent a text message to Chris Truby that read, “I wud totally suk ur cok until ur cum dripped down my throat. GTGFN. At the mall.” Despite the arousal he was experiencing as a result of the text message conversation with Hannah, he found himself unable to achieve orgasm. He turned his laptop on, went to a site called Tnaflix.com, and searched specifically for a streaming video of a man receiving oral sex from a woman while another woman slid a phallic-shaped glass rod into his anus. Chris had recently discovered a type of pornography that dealt with prostate stimulation and submissive male sexual behavior, and it seemed to be the only type of pornography that would arouse him enough to achieve orgasm. He tried to think of Hannah performing oral sex on him while she inserted a dildo in his anus. That thought, along with the image of the man in the video being fellated and simultaneously penetrated, was enough for Chris to ejaculate as his parents watched the second quarter of the Nebraska-Colorado game come to a close.

D
anny Vance and his father, Jim, were also at the Westfield Gateway Mall that morning. Jim had promised Danny that if he threw a touchdown pass in their season opener, he would buy him a new Xbox 360 game. Jim also thought this would give him a chance to engage in the conversation about sex with his son that his wife demanded occur.

As they walked from the main entrance of the mall toward GameStop, Jim said, “So, what’d Brooke think of how you played last night?”

Danny said, “She was into it.”

Jim said, “I bet.” Not knowing how to ease into the conversation, Jim said, “You get a little action after the game or what?”

Danny said, “What?”

Jim said, “I don’t know. I just . . . I was joking, I guess.”

Jim was relieved to arrive at GameStop, which brought an end to the conversation. As Danny browsed various games, Jim took the time to attempt to formulate another plan of attack. It involved lunch at Danny’s favorite place to eat in the mall: Chick-fil-A.

After purchasing the latest edition of
Madden
for Danny, Jim and his son walked toward the food court in silence. As they approached the expanse of tables and fast food restaurants, they became aware of a large crowd of parents and children in the middle of the food court, forming a large line that ended at a table where people seemed to be turning in applications of some sort and then having their photos taken. Danny had no interest in whatever it was. Neither did his father. They ignored the line of people and proceeded on to Chick-fil-A, where Danny ordered a Number 5 twelve-piece meal with large fries. Jim got a chicken sandwich and they sat down to eat.

Jim said, “So, you and Brooke, are you guys, you know . . .”

Danny said, “Are we what?”

Jim said, “You know it seems like you’re getting kind of serious. You see each other a lot, you know . . .”

Danny said, “Yeah, I guess we’re serious.”

Jim thought about when his father had this exact conversation with him. His father was far blunter about it than Jim found himself capable of being. One morning, when Jim was fifteen years old, his father had walked into his bedroom and said, “If you feel the need to have sex with some girl at your school, make sure you use a rubber. I don’t care if you do it in our house, but make sure you use a rubber, that’s the most important thing. Having sex with a girl is fun, and I know you’re going to do it at some point, if you haven’t already, but having a kid is not fun. I mean, you’re an okay kid and everything, and so is your sister, but you should use a rubber every time. We good?”

Jim took a bite of his chicken sandwich and sat across from his son in silence wondering why he found it so difficult to engage in what should be a normal conversation that all fathers have with their sons at some point.

A
cross the food court, Hannah and her mother entered the mall and saw the line of people leading up to the table and photographer. They were both immediately curious. As they approached the table, they found out that a new reality show called
Undiscovered
was in the process of a nationwide talent search in malls across America. The show was going to focus on twelve kids aged six to sixteen who were in various parts of the country but who all wanted to eventually get to Hollywood to pursue careers in the performing arts. Hannah and Dawn were both more than excited. Dawn took an application and sat down with her daughter to fill it out.

The two-page application included standard profile information like height and weight as well as a résumé section that Dawn filled with Hannah’s numerous local theater roles. A line on the application indicated that a website could be included if the applicant had one. Dawn thought about including Hannah’s website, but ultimately chose to omit it.

The application also contained an essay section in which the applicant was asked to write about where he or she saw him or herself ten years in the future. Hannah enjoyed filling out this section of the application. She thought very often about what her life would be like in the future. She knew it would include living in a large house with a swimming pool in Los Angeles, and she knew she would have an attractive boyfriend who would probably also be famous, but maybe not quite as famous as she was. She knew, also, that she would have a nice car and get to go to parties with famous people every night if she chose. She rarely thought about what she would do, specifically, to get these things, but she was sure she would have them. She mentioned all of this in her essay.

After turning in the application, Hannah posed for a photographer who took a few pictures of her, which were filed along with her application. They were told by one of the people collecting applications that they would hear something within a few weeks if Hannah was selected to move to the next step of the casting process.

As Dawn and Hannah made their way back out into the mall, Hannah said, “How cool would that be, to, like, actually be on a show?”

Dawn said, “Pretty cool.” She thought about how difficult things had been for her in her attempts to be an actress in Los Angeles. For her, the path to getting on television included years of acting classes, bad auditions, and drinks and dinners with various denizens of the town who claimed to be able to offer her help on her path but in reality only wanted to have sex with her. And, worse than all these things, her path included endless rejection from producers, agents, managers, and so on. Now, it seemed, things had changed. Her daughter might never have to endure any of the things she did in her attempts to become an actress. For her daughter it might all be as simple as filling out a two-page application. She envied her daughter and wondered how different things would have been in her own life if she had been born twenty-eight years after she actually was.

O
n the ride home from the mall, Jim felt some anxiety. His wife had specifically told him to have the conversation about sex with their son before they returned. In preparation for this conversation, Jim had stopped at Walgreen’s on the way home from work two days before. He was more than familiar with aisle 12 of the Walgreen’s near his office. He had been purchasing condoms from the family planning section in that exact aisle ever since Danny was born and his wife, Tracey, decided not to return to her regiment of using oral birth control. But he found that walking into the family planning section of aisle 12 in Walgreen’s was difficult for him when his intent was to buy condoms for anyone other than himself, especially for his son. Far more difficult, however, was bringing a box of twelve Trojan latex condoms with spermicidal lubricant to the front register and thinking the entire time about the possibility of his son actually using them. He had such a high level of anxiety about the entire incident that he offered certain unsolicited information to the seventy-four-year old woman who checked him out. He said, “These aren’t for me.” When she said nothing in return, Jim said, “They’re for my son.” He knew the memory of the event would probably stay with him until he died.

In the car with Danny, Jim said, “Why don’t you open the glove box?”

Danny said, “What? Why?”

Jim said, “Just open it.”

Danny did as he was instructed. Inside the glove box, amid the clutter of receipts for oil changes, pens, napkins, Taco Bell mild sauce packets, and the owner’s manual for the car they were riding in, was a Walgreen’s bag.

Danny said, “Okay?”

Jim said, “Well, open the bag.”

Danny opened the Walgreen’s bag to find a box of twelve Trojan latex condoms with spermicidal lubricant. He said, “Uh . . .”

Jim said, “I’m sure you already know all about sex and how to do it and how to use condoms, so I’m just telling you to use those if, you know, if you and Brooke, you know . . .”

He looked at his son, who stared at him with what Jim interpreted to be a half-horrified, half-insulted expression.

Jim said, “I know this is weird and I’m probably the last person on the planet you want to have talking to you about this shit, but that’s the way it has to be. Would you rather be talking to your mom about this right now?”

Danny said, “No.”

Jim said, “Exactly, so just know that your mom and I don’t care if you and Brooke start, you know . . . I mean, we care. You should definitely not be doing it anytime soon or anything, and you should wait until you’re ready and all of the other crap I’m supposed to say here, but I know how it goes. I was young once. I had urges, too.”

Danny said, “Dad. C’mon. Do we really have to do this?”

Jim said, “Just let me finish, then it’s over. Now, like I said, your mom and I aren’t trying to convince you start having sex or anything. We’re not doing that at all. But if you do get to a point where you think you’re going to do it, we’d rather have you doing it in our house, where it’s safe, than in some parking lot or something. And please just use those every time if you start doing it, okay?”

Danny said, “Okay.” Then he took out his phone and sent Brooke a text message that read, “My dad just gave me condoms,” to which she sent a text message that read, “Gross,” to which Danny sent a text message that read, “I know.” Despite their text messages, both Danny and Brooke began to think about actually having sex with one another in a more concrete way than they had previously. Brooke had certainly thought about it more than she would have admitted to anyone, but the act of performing fellatio on Danny had made her more than apprehensive about attempting anything sexual again. She felt like she had taken an important first step and had attained what she felt was the highest echelon of sexual experience of any of her peers, and she was comfortable with remaining at that level of progression for the immediate future. But with Danny’s father essentially giving them his blessing, she began to think about the exact scenario in which she might lose her virginity to Danny—about the fact that, if she were to have sexual intercourse, she would be on an even higher echelon of sexual experience, one that she alone occupied, sharing nothing with Hannah Clint, being above Hannah Clint, better than Hannah Clint.