Authors: T. Glen Coughlin

One Shot Away (30 page)

BOOK: One Shot Away

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Jimmy could say
I wanted to
, but says, “I can't stay long. The guys were lining up for eats.”

Jane leans between the seats. “Bones was grabbing chicken like a crazed zombie.” She laughs.

“Every year the food blows,” says Diggy. “Catering by White Castle would be better.”

“Come off it,” says Jimmy. “It's not that bad.”

“That's because no one on the Minute Men knows better.”

Jimmy doesn't care what Diggy thinks. If he were on the team, he'd be at the buffet fighting over the last banana pudding.

Diggy tugs a bag from the backseat and slings it on Jimmy's lap. “There's beer in there with your names on them.”

Jimmy removes a beer and twists off the cap. He hands the bottle to Jane. He cracks another for himself. He doesn't want to drink but doesn't want to be a buzzkill. He's only in the car because Jane asked him five times. “Some of the guys are saying you're going to crash the dinner,” he says.

“Some of the guys talk more crap than the radio.” Diggy's eyes flash, then his face softens. “I guess Crow's going to win Most Improved.”

“He's this year's supernova,” says Jane sarcastically.

“From scrub to golden boy.” Diggy laughs. “You want to know what's really whacked? I was four pounds away, four pounds from one-fifty-two. Do you know what I weigh now?”

Jimmy's seen his fat face in the halls.

“One-eighty. Can you believe that?”

Jimmy has to laugh. “Dude, come on, twenty L-Bs in two months!”

“He's my cuddly bear,” says Jane in a baby voice.

Diggy looks at her as if seeing her for the first time.

“Okay, sorry.” She puts her hands up.

“All I know is, I could have wrestled one-fifty-two if I really wanted it,” says Diggy. “Don't forget, I'm the one who quit. Greco wanted me to stay on the team. If anyoneâ”

“It's spent, okay? Over,” says Jimmy, cutting him off. “No one gives a rat's ass anymore.”

“Yeah, well, maybe they should. All I did was pull a prank that went bad. It was nothing more than that.”

Jimmy knows Diggy doesn't really believe this. How many pranks put your teammate in the hospital and get his dog run over?

“We should have a toast.” Diggy inhales deeply and raises his bottle. “To the first Masters NOT getting his senior-year letter and NOT making the Wall. Let's drink to that.”

Jane reaches for him. “I'm not drinking to that.”

He pushes her hand away. “Why not, it's true.” The hurt in Diggy's voice is naked, completely unconcealed. He still cares. Every wrestler cares. You have to earn the Wall and Diggy didn't come close. In one week, Jimmy will have his chance to make the Wall as a State Champion.

“Jimmy, I hope Greco's letting you give Jane her flowers. You're the captain.”

“Chill out,” says Jimmy. “You're sabotaging the surprise.” He's sure Diggy would give anything to be in his place, presenting the bouquet to his girlfriend.

“It'll be the first time anyone ever gives me flowers,” says Jane.

“Diggy, are you going to Springfield with Nick?” asks Jimmy.

“I was, but I'm putting in some hours at my old man's dealership.” Diggy sighs. “I mean, I'm not brain dead. Randy has a good thing going. What am I supposed to do, act like he doesn't own the largest dealership in the county?” Diggy finishes his beer and drops the bottle in the bag. “I heard about your scholarship. If I stayed on the team, I could be looking at a full ride too.”

Jimmy smirks. Even Jane remains quiet. Man, Diggy is so full of crap.

“I'm going on cruise control for a while,” he continues. “I just have to get the monkeys off my back. That's what Greco would say. You come to practice with a dozen monkeys on your back and you leave with none.”

“That's a good practice,” they say together.

Diggy turns to Jimmy. His eyes are intense. “Remember when you told me about you being in trouble with your old man? I never snitched to anyone. You blew that match against the Colts, and I still never ratted.”

“Diggy didn't even tell me until the article was in the paper,” says Jane.

Jimmy knows Diggy's waiting for him to say thank you. But should he have expected anything else?

“I'm just saying, keeping that on the down low, it should mean something.”

“I only told you because I trusted you,” says Jimmy with exasperation.

“How is your old man holding up?” asks Diggy.

Jimmy can't admit he hasn't visited him yet. It sounds heartless. After a pause, he says, “My father knows how to take care of himself.”

“I always liked your father,” says Jane. “He was the only one who bought me a soda at the matches.”

Jimmy didn't know this. “Really?”

“Yeah. He was kinda cool, with the blond hair thing going on,” she says. “I know one thing, he was always giving you props andâ”

“I don't want to talk about my father.” His words were supposed to come off as light and casual, but Diggy's eyes drift to Jane's, then back to him. “I mean, I do miss him and everything.” Jimmy searches for words. “It's just that he â¦”
What? Almost put me in jail? Got our door knocked off the hinges? All of the above?

“Forget it,” says Jane. “It's like all fathers have the same disease, terminal assholeness.”

Diggy puts his hand on Jimmy's shoulder. “We should hang out again, like the old days. Remember we used to do that Slip 'N Slide on the side of your house? If you went off the end, your butt got smeared with mud.”

Jimmy wants to laugh. “That was like in the seventh grade.”

“Yeah, but we still did it.”

“I'm not saying we didn't.” Jimmy looks toward the stucco hall, with its corny fountain. He wants to be free of the car and back inside.

“We could hit the raceway on monster trunk night,” suggests Diggy.

“My brother knows someone at the gate,” says Jane with enthusiasm. “He could sneak us in for free.”

Jimmy's sure they are never going anywhere together and doesn't feel like pretending. He wants to be with the wrestlers returning from the buffet, his plate stacked with veggies, salad, and chicken.

“Here's another toast,” says Diggy.

“I really have to get back inside,” says Jimmy.

“How about to our graduation?” says Jane, raising her bottle.

“Sure. To graduation.” They clink, then Jimmy hands back the beer. He opens the door and puts one foot on the asphalt. “Jane, you coming?”

“Nah, go ahead. I'll be in later.”

Jimmy holds the door as Jane moves into the front seat. He gets this strange feeling that he's never going to see them again, like the two of them are already like that Slip 'N Slide on the side of his house. A cool but faded memory. “Stay chill,” he says. “I'm outta here.”

He jogs across the parking lot into the lobby, then sprints the carpeted hallway into the banquet room. Guys are already seated and digging in. He snatches a plate and gets behind Greco, who's last on the buffet line.

“You're not on line for seconds already?” asks Greco.

Jimmy releases a long, slow, calming breath. “You think they have any of those five-pound oranges left?”

Greco smiles and squeezes his arm.

About the Author

T. GLEN COUGHLIN
is the acclaimed author of two novels,
THE HERO OF NEW YORK
and
STEADY EDDIE
, as well as a number of short stories. An avid wrestling enthusiast, Glen began attending matches and tournaments in 2002 when his son started wrestling as a high school freshman. He still actively follows high school and college wrestling. He was raised in New York and currently lives in New Jersey with his family.

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Credits

Cover art Â© 2012 Steve Hockstein/
Star-Ledger
/Corbis
Cover design by Tom Forget

Copyright

HarperTeen is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

One Shot Away: A Wrestling Story

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Coughlin, T. Glen.

One shot away : a wrestling story / by T. Glen Coughlin.â1st ed.

Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â p. cm.

Audience: 13 up.

Summary: “Three high school seniors face mounting pressures, at home and school, as they start their last season on the varsity wrestling team”âProvided by publisher.

ISBN 978-0-06-208323-4 (hardback)

EPub Edition Â© JULY 2012 ISBN: 9780062083258

[1. WrestlingâFiction. 2. High schoolsâFiction. 3. SchoolsâFiction.] I. Title.