Perfect Season (5 page)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

TROY'S MOM WIPED HER
eyes and sniffed again. “It's Tate's father. He was in San Diego on business and he got into a bad accident. They don't know if he's going to make it.”

Troy's mom looked down at her hands. She folded them together and said a silent prayer before she looked up.

“Tate's mom is going out there tonight. She asked if we can take Tate until things work themselves out. They're heading for the airport and there's a flight to Newark leaving soon. Of course, I told her we could.”

Troy felt a wave of relief, then a backwash of guilt. The fear that something had happened to Tate made him sick, and that was gone now. He felt bad about her dad, but Troy didn't really
know
her father. He was just a big guy who liked the Chicago Bears. It was the kind of thought, he knew, that came directly from his father's side of the family tree—selfish.

They finished their meal in relative silence. Everyone helped clean up, and Seth decided to stay so he could drive Troy and his mom to the airport to pick up Tate. Troy could tell by the look on Ty's face that he wanted to join them, but Thane insisted they get home.

Thane ended all discussion when he said, “I've got an early morning workout.”

Later, on the way out to the airport, Troy's mom played the radio low and no one said anything until his mom shut it off completely. “Puts things into perspective, doesn't it? Here we are all worried about a football program.”

“Actually,” Seth said, “I was thinking that life's short, and you gotta make the most of it.”

Troy's heart soared at the words. Football ran through Seth's veins, and Troy knew from many of their private discussions that attitude was what got Seth into the NFL in the first place. Troy nodded, even though no one could see him in the backseat.

Seth waited in the truck while Troy and his mom went inside. After an airline representative escorted Tate through the security checkpoint, Troy's mom hugged her tight. Tate sniffed, and fought back tears without much success. Troy's mom waved him over and they did a group hug right there in the middle of the terminal with people streaming by.

“I'm okay.” Tate nodded and set her jaw. “He's gonna be all right. My mom said God won't want him any sooner than He has to take him.”

Tate laughed, and so they all did. Troy's mom called Mrs. McGreer on her cell phone and left a message so she'd know Tate was safe and sound as soon as she landed in San Diego. She and Troy then put their arms around Tate and they all walked down to the baggage claim to get a big suitcase that Troy rolled out to Seth's truck.

“How's the toughest girl I ever met?” Seth leaned into the backseat and kissed Tate's cheek.

Tate blushed. “My mom is trying to get me to become a young lady.”

“Doesn't mean you're not tough—look at Tessa.” Seth held up a hand and Troy's mom growled and pretended to bite it.

Tate bit her lower lip and her eyes got moist. “I missed you guys.”

Troy put his hand on her neck and gave it a squeeze. They kept Tate's mind off her father by telling her everything that had happened and why Seth had joined them in Summit that same night.

When they got home, Seth carried Tate's suitcase upstairs to the extra bedroom across the hall from Troy's room and said his good-byes once she was settled.

Later, when Seth was gone and the house was dark and quiet, Troy lay awake, staring at a beam of moonlight that streaked across the wall. After a soft knock, the door swung open. Tate came in and sat on the edge of his bed.

“Can't sleep?” Troy patted her shoulder.

Tate shook her head. “Bad things aren't supposed to happen to good people.”

“He's gonna be okay, Tate. I know it.”

She turned her big brown eyes on him and they glittered in the moonlight. “Is it like when you know what plays a team is going to run?”

Troy's chest tightened. He wanted to say it was like that, but it wasn't true. He didn't know her father would be all right, and for once his ability to lie quick and smooth failed him. “No, I just think so.”

She let out a two-ton sigh. “That stinks about what your dad did.”

“He should have been in the car accident.”

“You don't mean that, Troy.”

It got so quiet, Troy could hear the hiss of leaves outside the window.

“No. You're right. That's bad, but he's crazy, Tate.”

Troy told her about his father's secret visit and made her swear she wouldn't mention it around his mom. Then he recounted his father's final words about being there when he needed him.

“Well, that's something,” Tate said.

“Yeah.” Troy stared out the window where a sea of dark leaves flickered and waved. “Something.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

THE NEXT DAY, TROY'S
mom took Tate with her so the two of them could get their nails done.

“Nails?” Troy twisted his face. His mom, he understood. She was starting a new job, but he had a hard time believing that Tate had slipped so far toward girly things in just one summer. He was glad when they dropped him off at the front door of the Jets facility, where Ty was waiting for him. Ty dashed out to the car. When his head appeared in the window, Troy sat for a minute to see what he would do.

“Umm.” Ty stared hard at Troy's mom, but Troy could see his cousin's neck, straining to keep from looking back at Tate. “Hello, Ms. White.”

“Ty, you can call me Tessa,” Troy's mom said. “Troy calls your brother Thane.”

“Okay.” Ty clapped his mouth shut, though.

“Ty, aren't you gonna say hi to Tate?” Troy tried not to grin.

“Oh! Hi, Tate.” Ty's face went beet red. “What are you up to?”

Tate stuck her face up between the seats, frowned, and tilted her head. “Ty, I just texted you. You
know
that we're going to get our nails done.”

Troy choked back a laugh and had to open the door and spill outside to keep from embarrassing Ty. They all said good-bye and Troy's mom drove off.

Troy stood with Ty on the curb. “I think she likes you.”

When he looked to see what Ty's reaction would be, he had to hustle to catch up. Ty was marching toward the complex, eyes on the ground, face even redder than before.

Troy stopped torturing his cousin and changed the subject as they went through the building together.

“Where's Thane?”

Ty looked at him suspiciously and spoke with caution. “They're doing patterns inside. We got the field to ourselves.”

“Great.” Troy clapped him on the back and swung open the outer door. As they reached the edge of the field, Troy was surprised to see Chuku Moore right there out on the grass where they'd been the day before. There was no sign of his dad.

Chuku saw them and made a beeline. “Hey, what's up, Pokey? Genius?”

The Pokey comment made Troy flush with anger, but Ty bumped knuckles with Chuku and didn't seem to mind one bit. Troy looked at Chuku's outstretched hand without doing anything.

“Why are you here?” Troy asked.

“What? You don't like dudes calling you Genius?” Chuku flashed his brilliant smile before buttoning it up. “That some kind of insult to people from Atlanta? In Baltimore, that's hot. People
like
being smart in Baltimore.”

“Whatever.” Troy shrugged and started to walk past Chuku.

“I'm here because the Jets got themselves a new linebacker,” Chuku said. “Thought maybe you dudes might want to hang out. I don't know where we're gonna live, get some apartment or something close by, but now I know . . . you don't like my kind.”

Troy froze, then turned around. He scrunched up his face. “Your
kind
?”

“Yeah. The dark kind.” Chuku held up his arm and pointed to his skin.

Troy felt embarrassed, even though he didn't think his reaction to Chuku had anything to do with his skin color. He felt trapped and confused and didn't know what to say.

Then he got an idea.

An idea so good, he thought it was genius.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

“YOU ARE SO WRONG.”
Troy shook his head. “I don't care if you're black, blue, white, red, or green. I don't even think like that. But you're right. I
am
mad, mad because you're faster than Ty and I didn't think that was possible.”

“And I got your Helena tickets,” Chuku said.

“That, too, but I got an idea that'll prove I don't care what color your skin is,” Troy said.

“Yeah? What do you got?” Chuku raised an eyebrow and Ty moved closer to hear.

“Have your dad get a place in Summit. You and me—and hopefully Ty—can play on the same team together.”

“How's the team in Summit?” Chuku asked.

“Butt-ugly.” Troy folded his arms across his chest.

Chuku laughed. “So why would I move into a place with a butt-ugly team?”

“Because it's not gonna stay that way,” Troy said. “You heard of Seth Halloway, the all-pro linebacker from the Falcons? He's gonna be the coach,” Troy said.

“For real?” Chuku tilted his head.

“And bring me—and Ty if he's there—and I'm sure you up to the varsity team.”

“Dude, I'm faster than any high school kid. I
know
I'll be varsity, but you
look
like an eighth grader. I'm about ready to shave. See this?” Chuku poked his tongue up under his top lip so that it curled out to display a few tufts of fine, dark hair. “They don't put eighth graders on the varsity in
football
unless you're ready to shave. Maybe soccer or wrestling I heard of it, but not football.”

“It happens sometimes.” Troy rubbed his own empty upper lip. “How would you like to catch the ball for five years in the same system? An NFL system with a spread offense? How'd you like to have colleges from everywhere recruiting you?”

“That's my plan,” Chuku said.

“Well,” Troy said, “what do you think? Do you want to try to do it?”

Chuku stared at him, frowning. “You know what you are?”

Troy swallowed. “No, what?”

CHAPTER TWENTY

“YOU'RE CRAZY . . .”

Suddenly, Chuku's smile lit up his face like candles on a birthday cake. “But I happen to like crazy people, so why not?”

“Do you think your dad will go for it?” Troy couldn't help himself from grabbing Chuku's hand and shaking it.

“He might,” Chuku said. “Talk about crazy . . .”

Chuku nodded toward the building and Troy turned around. Chuku's dad emerged and was heading their way.

“Dad, this is Troy and Ty. Ty is Tiger Lewis's little brother.”

“And you're the kid from ESPN.” Mr. Moore spoke in a deep, strong voice that vibrated the air like a sports car with no muffler. “The secret weapon that's not so secret.”

Troy's hand got lost in the iron grip of Mr. Moore's hand. It was all he could do to keep his bones from snapping like toothpicks.

“You should see him throw. He looks like RG3. Just zips it. I swear, he could throw into double coverage,
triple
coverage, and get the ball there.” Chuku spoke with an admiration that belied the conflict between the two of them. “These guys say we should move into Summit so we can all play on the same team. You remember Seth Halloway? He's gonna coach the team.”

“Seth Halloway from the
Falcons
Seth Halloway?” Chuku's dad screwed up his face. “He's up here in New Jersey?”

“He's a family friend,” Troy said.

“Can we do it?” Chuku asked.

Mr. Moore studied Troy as if to see whether his son was for real. Troy gave an encouraging nod.

Mr. Moore laughed. “Well, we got to live somewhere. We'll see if there's anything decent there. Come on, Chuku. Time to go.”

“Can I stay and catch with these guys and you pick me up later? They're gonna throw the rock around.”

“Sure,” Chuku's dad said. “I've got a couple of things I can do. I'll be back in an hour, though.”

The three of them got down to the business of throwing and catching the football, running patterns and making up plays. Troy was in heaven. As good as Ty was, Chuku had an even sharper break out of his patterns, and even when Troy had a grossly errant throw, Chuku twisted and turned like a snake and came down with the ball effortlessly. It was impossible not to be impressed.

After one jumping, spinning, one-handed catch of Chuku's, Troy couldn't contain himself. “Guys, do you know what will happen if I have
both
of you to throw to? I mean, one of you would be awesome, but
both
? Defenses
can't
cover two deep speed guys. One, they can always double-cover with the free safety, but
two
? It'll be impossible! We will slay people!”

Chuku and Ty nodded at each other and exchanged high fives, then they got back to work.

Troy's arm grew sore, but he felt like a kindergartner with his Halloween candy spilled out on the floor. He wanted to have it all. When Ty ran a deep post, Troy's arm flagged and the ball drifted behind him. Ty spun and got a hand on it, but bobbled and ultimately dropped it.

“Come on, Troy. Get that up.” Ty kicked the ball.

The criticism burned Troy and his head grew hot. “If you get your hands on it, you're supposed to catch it. Watch Chuku.”

“Ha!” Ty marched back toward the fifty-yard line, where Troy was standing. “My brother says when Sanchez underthrows the ball
he
takes the blame for the drop. He might not be a football
genius
, but he's got a
rocket
for an arm
.
I guess that's the difference . . .”

Troy had ten mean things to say about Ty's brother on the tip of his tongue when a horn beeped from the parking lot. It was Chuku's dad in a big white Mercedes sedan.

“Well, ladies . . .” Chuku gave them fist bumps and a grin that ignored their bickering. “You saw how masterful I was on the football field. Now it's time for me to take my skills to the home front and make sure we wind up in Summit.”

“What's the plan?” Ty asked.

Chuku's face went flat. “Guilt.”

“Guilt?”

“Dawgs, Denzel Washington's got nothing on Chuku Moore. ‘Dad, I left all my friends in Baltimore and now these guys and I got something going and you just got to help me out by getting a place in Summit.'” Chuku let his whimpering words echo in their ears as he nodded with satisfaction. “I can make a grown man cry.”

“Your face could make a grown man cry,” Troy said.

Chuku leaped at Troy and put him in a playful headlock. Troy slipped out of it and bear-hugged Chuku and they rolled on the ground, wrestling and laughing until Chuku's dad beeped again and Chuku sprang to his feet.

“Gotta go, dawgs.” Halfway across the field he shouted over his shoulder, “See you in Summit!”