Chapter 134
Back at the lockers, Reggie still hadn’t let it go. “Man, you just walked into that dealership and asked him what it was going to take to put you in a Monterrey that day, and you walk out of there with a job and the keys to your own car?”
“In fairness, I walked in there with enough money to buy the car. I’ve been working on my dad’s farm since I was twelve, you know.”
“Must be nice to live with rich folks,” Reggie muttered. He had no idea what Elliott had escaped, though he did know that Frank and Peggy weren’t really his parents, even if he’d taken to calling them Mom and Dad after they asked him to a couple of years earlier. Jimmy, on the other hand, had started calling Peggy Mommy by the end of the first week after they moved in.
“Listen, Reggie, I work hard for what I have. All of it. And if you think you can get your shit in one sock and work hard, maybe I can talk to Mr. Anderson about getting you a job at the dealership, too.”
“You think?” Reggie asked.
“Sure. But like I said, it’s gotta be on the back of hard work. None of that, ‘I’m too tired,’ bullshit you pull when your ma asks you to help out around the house.’”
“Man, that’s just ‘cause I don’t want to do the dishes,” he protested. “All right, man. You get me a job at the dealership, and I’ll be your best friend for life.” He offered his hand, and Elliott took it, thinking he’d be his best friend for life anyway.
They cleaned up after themselves and grabbed the equipment that needed to go home with them, heading out the door when Elliott heard a stern voice behind him. “Hey, Sanderson!” Slowly, he turned around to see Cliff Humphrey staring at him, his brown eyes narrowed.
“Whatcha want now, Humphrey?” Elliott asked, smirking. “You gonna apologize for makin’ us spend so much time on the field? I mean, it’s okay. Everyone throws a pick every once in a while.” He chuckled, as did the few guys that were still hanging around the locker room, everyone but Humphrey.
“You going out to Lawson’s Point with my girl?” His arms were folded across his chest, his pecks straining against his black, sleeveless shirt, his biceps bulging. He was all lean muscle, but Elliott wasn’t frightened. He knew Cliff wouldn’t do anything to mess up his throwing arm since he was planning to play at OU next year. Or his face, which he thought was his ticket to replacing Nancy.
“Nah, I ain’t takin’ your girl anywhere,” Elliott replied with a shrug. Then moving a step closer, he added. “I’m takin’ my girl to Lawson’s Point.”
Cliff launched himself at Elliott, his fist in the air, but two of his friends grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him back, reminding him that it wasn’t worth it. If coach caught them fighting in the locker room, he’d bench them, even if it did cost them state.
“You better be careful, Sanderson. You don’t know what you’re dealing with. I got friends, you know? Connections!”
Elliott stared at him for a moment, not sure what to make of the threat. The boy’s eyes were still narrow, and his skin seemed sallow. There was a flicker of something behind his eyes that made Elliott think perhaps he wasn’t bluffing. Would he try something tonight at Lawson’s Point? Surely, he wouldn’t send anyone after him when Nancy was out there and might get hurt. He really was all show; he probably told his friends to hold him back. “You can keep your empty threats to yourself, Humphrey. I ain’t scared of you or anyone you know.” He turned on his heel and headed for the door, Reggie next to him.
“Just remember,” Humphrey shouted as Elliott’s hand hit the door, “you’re getting my sloppy seconds. Hope you like your women all stretched out like a train tunnel, cause that’s what my dick did to your girl!”
Elliott spun around and closed the distance, his fists clenched, but Reggie yanked him back by his shoulders as Cliff’s friends did the same. “Don’t you dare talk about Nancy that way!” Elliott shouted. A few other boys came over and started pushing him toward the door, picking up the belongings he’d dropped in his rage and handing them to Reggie as they reminded him that Cliff was just trying to make him angry. Before he turned around, Elliott saw Cliff make a V with his finger and stick his tongue through it, waggling it around. Elliott wasn’t even sure what that meant, but he wanted to punch the guy in the face even harder now.
“Come on, man! He’s just trying to make you mad!” Reggie assured him once they were out in the hallway and the other team members had released him.
“I’m goin’ back in there, and I’m gonna pound his face in!”
“No, you’re not. You’re going out there,” Reggie pointed to the exit, “and drive over to Lawson’s Point to see your girl. You know he ain’t never gone down on Nancy Farr, and as far as that stupid tunnel comment? Shit. We’ve showered in the same damn locker room as Cliff Humphrey all damn season. He ain’t stretched out the hole in a Donette.”
Elliott thought Reggie had a point. He hadn’t meant to, but he had once marveled out how a senior in high school could be so ill-equipped for the demands of manhood. They made their way across the parking lot. “Shit. I just hate that he’s talking about my girl that way,” Elliott muttered, opening up the trunk of his Monterrey and tossing in his equipment. Reggie did the same before they both climbed into the front seat.
“I know man, but you gotta remember, this is hard for Cliff. He’s been the big man around here for so long, and then you show up and just basically tell him how it is. And he’s two years older than you.”
“One year,” Elliott reminded Reggie as he backed out of the parking lot. Reggie was actually a true sophomore. Elliott should’ve been a junior. Sometimes his friend forgot that.
“Right. But that don’t matter. He’s just trying to get you riled up, get you to do something stupid, that’s all.”
