Authors: Gina Buchanan
Roy's and Aaron's eyes lit up and they wasted no time congratulating their friend.
“Apparently, they need another guitarist. Isn’t that perfect timing?” Amanda added enthusiastically, wrapping her arms around Jake’s shoulders and squeezing him.
“How do you think your dad’s going to take it?” Roy asked, munching on a cracker he had pulled out from the basket on the table. Roy had known Jake for about three years now, having met him their freshman year on the junior varsity football team. Roy knew all too well how obsessed Coach Harmon was about Jake’s successful performance on the football field. In fact, Harmon's quest for his son to become a professional football player like he had been before his knee gave out had started early. Every year Jake had been a little league football player with his father acting as team manager and coach. Mr. Harmon had been hard on all the players, with the parents backing his controversial coaching style. They deferred to Coach Harmon's method of training the boys because his former status as an NFL player made him a local celebrity and well-respected pillar of the community. Also, his methods resulted in consistent wins. No one questioned him when it came to coaching football. While he was hard on the boys, he was even harder on Jake. It wasn't uncommon to see Coach Harmon ordering Jake to run extra laps for minor mistakes on the practice field. And it also wasn't uncommon to hear the coach's bellowing, raspy voice directed at Jake, berating him for slack performance. Jake very much understood Roy's concern, as he himself felt it too. But he refused to let his father dictate the direction of his life.
“My dad doesn’t need to find out right now. As long as I keep showing up for football practice and playing every Friday night like he wants me to, it won’t matter.”
“Let’s just hope you don’t have to play with the Flaming Dogs on a Friday night during football season,” Roy reminded his friend, popping the remaining remnants of the cracker into his mouth.
Jake was a bit worried about that as well but refused to show it. He shrugged to appear calm and cool about it and said simply, "It'll be okay. I'll figure it out."
The waitress then appeared at their table to take their orders, her pen and pad ready. She looked immensely pleased as she eyed her patrons and smiled sweetly at Jake and Roy.
“Well, we got us some local celebrities in here,” she said, flipping her curly blonde hair back and popping her chewing gum. “Two of Clanton’s finest. Congratulations on your win against Lakewood last Friday.”
“Thanks,” Roy said, grinning widely. He enjoyed the attention that their athletic status bred.
“Ya know, it’s been the talk all around Clanton that there were some college football scouts at that game last Friday. It makes me wonder if I shouldn’t be getting your guys’ autographs right now,” the middle-aged waitress stated, winking playfully.
“Can I have a strawberry milkshake?” Amanda interjected unexpectedly, growing impatient. Aaron tried to hold off a smirk. He knew his twin sister too well. She had a low tolerance for superficial frivolity and could be a hard-ass sometimes. She hadn't been the easiest person to grow up with, as her mostly blunt and to-the-point personality and inability to sugar coat things necessitated thick skin. But beyond her tough, tomboyish exterior she was one of the most down-to-earth, caring persons he knew. He was amazed, though, how despite their being twin siblings, their personalities had diverged completely. While Amanda was tough and into sports, Aaron was sensitive and into reading, math, and science. While Amanda was built for physical pursuits, his frail frame was built for mental pursuits.
Following Amanda's brusque comment, the waitress glared at her for a brief moment, then hesitantly wrote down her order and asked the others what they wanted. After she had finished writing everything down, she looked up and said to Roy and Jake in a flirtatious tone, “We’ll continue our conversation later, boys.”
With that, the waitress winked at the two male athletes and sauntered away.
“Ugh, I’m getting so tired of this place. Do we always have to come here?” Amanda mumbled under her breath, appearing agitated.
“I knew there were scouts at that game,” Roy said enthusiastically, ignoring Amanda's query. “I’ve seen them at the practice field, too, after school.”
“Maybe they’re here to check you out, man. You’ve scored more touchdowns than anyone on the team. The Panthers wouldn’t have made it this far without you,” Jake said.
Roy grinned and returned the favor. “I wouldn’t be able to help the team like I do without the best quarterback throwing me the ball.”
Roy’s jovial demeanor suddenly transformed as he said in a solemn tone, "I just hope I get recruited. I really need something to happen. This is our last year of high school.” He leaned back and stared dreamily into space. “I’m hoping Texas picks me up.”
Roy’s face was more serious than Jake had ever seen it. Jake just nodded.
“What about you?” Roy asked Jake.
“I’m hoping this music stuff works out,” Jake replied matter-of-factly.
Aaron, who had been consumed with an article in a science magazine, now joined the conversation. “What if you get the chance to go pro like your dad? Isn’t that what he wants?”
Jake just shrugged his shoulders and leaned back, feeling awkward in the ensuing silence as everyone waited for his answer. He didn’t know what to say at this point. He decided to change the subject to avoid further discussion on a topic that garnered so much uncertainty and apprehension.
“Where’s Carly? She was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago."
Jake reached into his pocket for his cell phone, but never got to dial her number because Roy soon announced her arrival. Jake glanced outside the large eatery window and saw her swinging into the parking lot in front of the diner.
“It’s about damn time,” Jake grumbled under his breath.
Before long, Carly had joined them, sliding into the booth between Jake and Aaron.
“Where’ve you been? We were about to send out a search party,” Roy teased while also rewarding her with his amazing grin that always brought out the dimples in his handsome face. She reciprocated the smile. She also couldn't help noticing how the tight tank top Roy wore accentuated his athletic build. It was hard not to take note of Roy's impressive physique, which probably explained to a large extent why he was one of the best players on Clanton's high school football team. That body also required discipline to maintain. Roy worked out at least 15 hours a week at the school gym. He also ran laps around the track every morning before school. Jake also had a toned body that corroborated his strong athleticism, although he was not as muscular as Roy. Jake was, however, taller than Roy. Whereas Roy was 6 feet 1 inches in height, Jake nearly hit 6 feet 4 inches. Jake was also a hot topic among the female student population. But then, most of the football players were. Jake, however, stood out for three reasons. He was the quarterback of the Lakeview Panthers, which naturally added to his prominence. He was also expected to eventually be recruited in the NFL just like his father had been. Of this, everyone had no doubts. Coach Harmon made sure to push Jake hard enough and the old man still had connections in the industry. Finally, his looks were beyond handsome, they were completely mesmerizing. It was easy to get lost in the depths of his large, light blue eyes. And the boyishly handsome smile on his chiseled face could make even the most prude girl blush crimson. Jake’s dark blonde hair had grown thick and ran nicely down the nape of his strong neck. Carly always seemed to notice that when Jake perspired from either a long workout in the gym or a Friday night varsity football game, the damp hairs curled slightly around the sides of his neck. She didn’t know why she’d notice such a minute thing like that. In fact, it was somewhat unnerving, considering Jake was her best friend.
“Sorry, guys,” Carly said to placate them, “but practice ran a bit late.”
“Ah,” Amanda replied in a mocking tone, “the important world of cheerleading. What happened? Was there a cheerleading crisis?”
Carly shot Amanda a disapproving glare before explaining.
“There were some issues with getting an extension just right. But we eventually got it. Susan always likes things to be perfect.”
Carly knew that Amanda couldn’t stand the cheerleading squad, particularly the head coach of it, and she definitely made her disdain known at every available opportunity. Amanda was not the cheerleader type. She was more of a soccer player type and had the body to prove it. Her athletic tone was most apparent in her strong legs, and Carly always marveled at the thick muscles of her calves. The female twin also wasn't into excessive primping as she usually had her long black hair swept back into a ponytail and only wore minute amounts of makeup on her face. Her tomboyish demeanor did nothing to hide the fact that she was a pretty girl, though. In fact, Carly admired Amanda's porcelain complexion that glowed in contrast to her black hair and shockingly green eyes. Aaron, of course, was the antithesis of his sister. Carly could still recall the day she and Jake had first met the twins. She had been over at Jake's house that day playing video games. He always did have the latest gaming system along with the latest game to go with it. They had played a car racing game for what seemed hours that afternoon. After finally boring of that Jake had suggested heading to the creek, which was a place she was not allowed to go. But no one had been there to stop them, save the inattentive baby-sitter. As was customary, the teenager hired by Mr. and Mrs. Harmon had simply greeted the kids, plopped down at the kitchen table with her school books, and immediately got on the telephone. Seeing the baby-sitter at the Harmon house had become more commonplace than seeing Jake's parents. Mr. and Mrs. Harmon were hardly ever home. Of this Carly was somehow grateful because Mr. Harmon intimidated her. He was such an imposing man and almost always had a characteristically stern look on his face. He was tall and athletic, definitely bigger than her own father. Mr. Harmon reminded Carly of some of Jake’s action figure men, strong and unyielding. There was another completely different side to Mr. Harmon, though, that revealed a very laid-back and easygoing nature, something Jake had inherited. This alternate nature often surfaced when Mr. Harmon was seated in front of the television watching a football game on a lazy Sunday afternoon. The tense and rigid Mr. Harmon popped back up when he was studying game footage from a Friday night high school football game. Mrs. Harmon was the exact opposite of what her husband personified. She was a petite woman with dark blonde hair, a pretty face, and friendly blue eyes. Fragile and dainty, she reminded Carly of a Barbie doll because she always looked so stunning in her beautiful dresses and with her carefully made-up makeup. Jake inherited his mother’s light blue eyes and dark blonde hair, and he inherited his father's enormous build.
She remembered that the sun had begun to descend into the horizon when she and Jake had hopped on their bikes. On the way down Winchester Road to the edge of the neighborhood where the woods started, their attention had suddenly been diverted to a green moving van parked in front of the huge brick house that had been vacant for almost half a year. They stopped their bikes and viewed the procession of furniture and boxes being hauled into the house with curious eyes. Their curiosity rose two-fold when they noticed the two children sitting on the front stoop, their hands cupping their pale, miserable faces. Both children seemed to be about the same age as Carly and Jake, and both seemed to be fraternal twins judging by their similar age and appearance. Both had the same wavy black hair, except the girl’s hair was a lot longer than her brother’s and was pulled back into a ponytail. The boy was a bit smaller than his stouter sister and also seemed to be the more miserable of the two. Jake’s curiosity grew to the point that he decided to postpone their trip to the woods. Carly reluctantly followed him to the house, all the while marveling at how bold and outgoing he was.
“You guys just move here?” Jake asked. The girl looked up at him and tried to smile in greeting, but her melancholy conquered the effort.
“Yeah,” she answered, her frown deepening. “I really don’t like it here. This place looks boring.”
“It’s not that bad. There are some fun things to do. My friend and I are on our way to the creek right now. If you want, you can hang out with us,” Jake offered.
He waited for a response. The girl finally allowed a grin to form on her lips and she said in a grateful tone, “That would be cool. What’s your name?”
“Jake.” He turned to point at his female comrade. “And this is Carly.”
The female twin introduced herself then nodded at her brother and said, "This is Aaron."
“We just moved here from Florida,” she continued.
“Florida!” Jake’s eyes lit up, “Wow, you guys seen real alligators down there?” At the mention of alligators, Amanda livened up a bit and started to reveal the tinges of a rather talkative nature. In fact, she explained to Jake all about the alligators she had seen at a sanctuary she had been to.
After the topic of alligators had lost its appeal, Amanda had asked, “So, what’s your school like?"