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front on all of them and even took Carter on a couple where he was getting his wind. Boomer ate me up on the first five just to let me know how it was and then dropped back with the pack for the rest.
    I felt good heading back to the lockers, all things considered. Losing to Boomer hacked me off some, but then there was never any question about which of us had the talent. Measured up against myself and the rest of the mortals, though, I looked pretty good.

CHAPTER 4
    When school started and two-a-days were just a miserable memory, we started looking forward to playing some actual football. By that time I’d nailed down the end position and also a linebacker spot on defense. Goin’ both ways. Lednecky and Madison were really impressed by my attitude, and I was silently thanking Dakota for building a fire under me. My status with Lednecky seemed to be a rung or so below Boomer and Carter, so I was feeling pretty cocky, like one of the guys that makes things happen. I did my share of dumb-butt things related to that—forgetting what size pond I was in a lot of the time—but all in all, I handled it pretty well. I mean, I never came right out and bragged all over the place like some guys, though I think I did develop a little Clint Eastwood hitch in my walk there for a while.
    And I had it bad for Becky. Who didn’t? Every guy in school was in love with her. You were considered weird or homo or something if you weren’t. But I had it bad. Worse than bad. I talked to her a few times—every chance I got—and I saw her out on the field, practicing with the other cheerleaders, and she was pleasant enough; but I couldn’t tell if she liked me or anything. Carter usually helped me out on the field by giving me at least one diving attempt at a ball he’d fire within inches of where they were practicing, but it was just hard to get anything going.
    God, she was something. Tall—about five feet nine inches—and strong with long dark brown hair and these green eyes that made you ache. Smarter than hell, and she could get you to do anything she wanted with a smile. You would’ve thought she’d have ended up with Carter. He’s about the only guy that would dare consider himself in her league, except for Boomer, and he’d consider himself equal to anyone he could conjure up a wet dream over, which I would say includes every girl in town and several barnyard animals. He sort of works on a sliding scale.
    Anyway, I didn’t have a lot of close contact with her until Thursday of that first full school week, when she walked right up to me over by the book lockers andasked if I’d like to have a Coke with her after the Tamarack Falls game, which was the next day. She walked right up and asked me that. It didn’t embarrass her or anything, at least not that I could see. To tell the truth, I’d have walked across ten thousand miles of burning sand in my bare feet to see her cheerleader panties go by in a laundry truck, as Dakota says, but I was pretty cool, all things considered, and said yeah, I’d like that.
     
    The Tamarack Falls game was a romp. Boomer ran for two touchdowns in the first quarter, and by halftime we were up 35–zip. I didn’t score any points, but I had three receptions, one that was nothing but class when I caught a perfect strike at the three yard line just as two of their guys high-lowed me. Carter said I landed on my head. I held onto the ball, though, and Boomer went over on the next play. None of the first-stringers played much of the second half, and I found myself thinking way more about having a Coke with Becky than football by the time the fourth quarter started.
    In the locker room everyone was pretty high. People were laughing and joking about the great plays they’d made, and Lednecky came in and gave us an extra hour that night. There was supposed to be a record dance inthe gym, and he was letting us stay till the end.
    Boomer made sure all the second-stringers were branded on the butt with a