What makes you Happy (ON HOLD)

Part V- Surprises- Aaron

"Do you think I'm good enough at football to make the school team?" I ask Shaun over the phone the next week. Tryouts are on Wednesday. 

"No." he says. 

"Wow. Thanks buddy. That's encouraging." I say sarcastically. 

"I don't want to encourage you, meat. You'd go out on the Field and make a foo' of yourself!"

"I was on the team last year at Junior high! And what's a foo?"

"A foo'! An Idiot!  A simpleton! A dolt! A nincompoop! A lug-nut! A-" I cut him off. 

"Okay, Okay. Great synonyms," I say. "That still doesn't explain what a foo is,"

"F-O-O-L! That spells foo'!"

"...No, that spells fool. You keep saying "foo."  I hear the shuffling of paper, a loud grunt, then Shaun says importantly,

"A person who acts unwisely or imprudently, I.E. What a foo' I was to do that!" 

I realize he is reading from a dictionary. I decide to fight fire with fire. I yank a fat, red hardcover off my bookshelf and flip to the F section. 

"A military artillery observer or spotter is responsible for directing artillery fire and close air support (ground attack by aircraft)." I read. 

"Wassat?" Shaun says. 

"That, is a foo. What you said earlier, is a fool."

I hear only silence on the other end of the line. I smirk. Shaun knows when he's beaten. 

"Whatever, Meat!" he says. "You gotta trust me- you ain't fit to be running laps and tackling those bulldogs out there!"

"Our mascot is a Bobcat. Not a Bulldog."

"I hate football. You going get creamed!"

"Whatever. I'm trying out," I tell him. Shaun sighs, then says, 

"What about that girl you met? The one with the Aussie accent?" 

"Athena?" I reply. 

"Yeah, you ask her out yet?"

"Uh...I met her less then a month ago..." 

Shaun continues to torture me, but I manage to get him off the subject of Athena. We hang up, but it gets me thinking- If I made the football team, would Athena even consider me? Everybody knows that I'm sort of a geek. I get 90's in math, I hate hockey, I'm not bad at chess, I have brown freckles, and I have in fact worn suspenders on the odd occasion...Okay, okay. I'm a total loser- But that's why every guy has to get on the football team- after that, nobody cares what you used to be like- all they see a man in a varsity jacket. 

                                                                                 **********

As I stand on the field in my tie-dye shorts and lime green polyester gym uniform, I start to question why I'm here. There are probably about forty-five guys on the field. Most of them look pretty bulky, and they sort of look stupidly nervous. I'm trying to walk with my head high but my shirt is too small and if I raise my arms higher then my mid-torso, my Calvin Klein's show. I glance farther down the field, and see the cheer leading tryouts going on. About thirty girls in lulu lemon attire and pleated skirts chat animatedly and stretch. I see only a few girls I know, and...Athena? That's odd. I never pictured her as the cheer leading type.

"Alright, Runts," calls Mr. Drimshaw. "Let's see some warm up laps. I will be noting the first few people to finish three times around the field."

We take off. I keep getting distracted, watching the cheer leading tryouts near the pine trees at the other end of the field. We finish the laps and crowd around Mr. Drimshaw, puffing,  as he tells us the next activity.

"Throws and receiving," He announces. "everyone find a partner and show me your best overhead throws. Your partner will catch it and throw it back. I'll be watching," he adds threateningly. Everybody rushes to find a partner that can actually throw. I grab the guy beside me- It's Glenn, yet another one of Mark's minions. I figure he'll bash my face in and I'll never play football again because of the dent in my skull, but he just nods absently and we throw to each other. I suppose we both had the same thought- Just make the football team. We do drills, kicks, plays, and tackling, until finally, Mr Drimshaw calls us in for a group huddle.

"Okay, Runts," He grunts, "nice job out there. I've got my work cut out for me; you boys were great. I'll have a list posted outside the gym by Thursday, at the latest." He dismisses us, and we walk away. Just as I jog back to the boys change room, a tall, thin-lipped woman with heavy eyelids jogs up to me. I greet her with a nod and stop.

"Hey son." She has a twangy, Texan accent and she waves at me as she walks over. "I saw your tryout. You seemed like a solid player, but I doubt you'll make it."

I feel stunned. She came over here to tell me I wouldn't make it?!

"If you do, you can ignore what i'm about to say- but I think you're an athletic boy, with a light yet solid frame and a good additude. We're running low on leaders this year."

What was she saying?

"Sorry, who are you?" I say rudely. I'm not really listening to her. I see Athena walking by behing the woman.

"Mrs. Glinde. I'm holding tryouts over there, and I want you to join the cheerleading team."