In Between Codes

Chapter 5

Taking a deep breath, Tomy forced himself to move. He shuffled awkwardly toward Mr. Lopez, who was now watching the boys with a scrutinizing eye, already barking instructions at them.

"Coach," Tomy started, his voice barely more than a whisper.

Mr. Lopez didn't hear him. He was too busy organizing the dodgeball teams. Tomy cleared his throat and tried again, a little louder this time.

"Coach?"

This time Mr. Lopez turned, surprised to see him standing there. His brow furrowed, his patience already wearing thin. "What is it, kid?"

Tomy swallowed, suddenly aware of how small his voice sounded in such a large gym. He tried to speak, but the words were almost inaudible.

The coach's irritation was apparent as he leaned in closer, his expression hardening. "You new here or something?"

Tomy quickly shook his head. No.

The coach squinted at him, clearly confused. "Then what's the problem? Are you lost or something?"

Tomy shook his head again. He couldn't even tell if the coach was paying attention, or if he was just trying to get through the moment as quickly as possible.

"What do you want, son?" Mr. Lopez asked, a little more sharply now.

Tomy's chest tightened as he finally managed to get the words out. "My name is... Tomy Pierce," he stammered, hoping his voice wouldn't crack under the pressure.

The coach blinked at him, clearly lost. His brow furrowed, but there was no recognition in his eyes.

Nothing.

Tomy felt his stomach drop. He had been hoping that, at the very least, Mr. Lopez would remember him from previous gym classes, but it became immediately clear that wasn't the case. He'd spent the entire semester trying to be invisible, keeping to the sidelines and using Samantha to avoid participating in any sport related activity.

The coach, still waiting for an explanation, stood there, scratching his head, clearly not understanding.

Tomy took another shaky breath. "I—I'm the only Pierce in school, my name is not Tamy" he added, trying to clarify, but the coach's face remained blank.

Tomy took a step forward, trying to make himself clear. "I was put on the cheerleading team by mistake. Not the dodgeball team."

Mr. Lopez blinked again, clearly processing what Tomy was saying, but still visibly confused. The gears were turning, but it didn't seem like they were clicking into place just yet.

Tomy, feeling the urgency building inside him, added, "There must be a typo. You called me Tamy and put me in the cheerleading team. Can I... can I switch to the dodgeball team?"

The coach's face shifted, finally understanding. However, the annoyance was clear in his eyes now.

"There's an even split on each team, kid," Mr. Lopez said, his voice dropping a little. "If I move you to the boys' team, I'll throw everything off balance. I don't want to deal with a bunch of teenagers whining because their teams aren't even. That's the last thing I need today."

Tomy's stomach sank.

"Sorry, Tony...I mean Tomy, right?" the coach said with a sigh, not even looking him in the eye anymore. "Teams are final for today. You'd better get to your group and make sure that choreography looks good. We've got inspectors coming, remember?"

Tomy's shoulders were tense and his eyes burned with quiet frustration. He didn't notice the sudden movement in the gym until it was too late.

THWACK.