Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 ï>¿The Trailer Park: The Fifth Year: Part 1: Words And Music A Story in the
Wynter/Trailer Park Universe by Wizard CopyrightÂ(C) 2007 by Wizard

   Chapter 51

   As soon as Tami and I got to school, three basketball players grabbed me
and started carrying me around the halls.  Mike, Luke, and Robbie were
getting similar treatment.  And it didn't stop when the bell rang.  Not
that the teachers tried.

   We'd had an assembly scheduled for second period, but with most of the
student body roaming the halls chanting, clapping and stomping, Mr.  Reed
moved it up.  I was carried triumphantly into the gym.

   Mr.  Reed caught my eye and tilted his head to the lectern that had
already been setup in front of the bleachers.  I nodded with a grin.  The
basketball guys set me down.  I decided that I could get used to treatment
like this.  Maybe I could get the wood shop to build me one of those chairs
that Roman lords used to ride around in.  Of course, I'd use basketball
players instead of slaves for propulsion.  I walked over to the lectern
while teachers tried to get everybody else settled into the bleachers.

   I switched on the microphone.  "I think somebody forgot to tell you." I
paused as the last few stragglers found seats.  "We lost." There was a
stunned silence for a second, then somebody laughed.  Then everybody
laughed.  "Again," I added.

   I looked around the bleachers when they finally quieted.  "Varsity, get
your butts down here!" The team started working their way out of the
bleachers and forming a line behind me.  I glanced at the side of the gym.
Mr.  Butz was standing next to Mr.  Reed, and from the look on his face,
didn't appreciate my choice of words.  It's not like I said, 'Get your butz
down here.'

   I smiled.  "J.V., what are you waiting for?" I spotted some junior
varsity players.  They looked confused but gradually got the idea and came
down and joined the varsity.  "Freshmen, what, you need an invitation?"
Looking surprised, members of the freshmen team moved quicker than the J.V.

   "And cheerleaders.  We need cheerleaders." The varsity cheerleaders
started down out of the bleachers.  Knowing how my mind works, Paula
signaled the J.V.  and freshmen squads to come down, too.  By the time
everyone was standing behind me, it was a pretty good sized mob.

   "These are all the people to blame for us losing," I shouted, not being
able to hide my grin.

   Somebody in the stands booed, and a couple more joined in.  I held up my
hands, and they quieted.  "Actually, I'm pretty proud of our loss.  For the
second year in a row, we're the second best team in the state." Scattered
applause.  "To some of you, that may not mean much, but it means a lot to
me.

   "Last year, Pasco beat us.  Barely.  This year, they didn't even make
the playoffs."

   "Go Rebels!" someone yelled.

   "This year, the Tigers beat us..."

   "Barely!" half a dozen voices yelled from the bleachers.

   "But last year, they got put down in the first round of playoffs.  But
the Rebels made it all the way to the championship two years, and we're
going to do it again next year!"

   "Rebels!" a lone voice called out, then the whole bleacher was chanting,
"Re-bels, Re-bels, Re-bels!" As they stomped and clapped, I wondered if the
bleachers could take it.

   "There are a lot of people down here with me," I said when it finally
quieted.  "That's because it takes a lot of people to go all the way to the
championships three years in a row."

   I looked back.  "Freshmen, take a couple of steps forward." When they
had, I continued.  "This is your freshmen football team.  They were seven
and one this year, one of the best records the freshmen have ever had. 
Because they were so good, the J.V.  played harder, 'cause nobody wanted to
lose their spot to some snot-nosed freshman." I grinned at the group and
waved them toward the bleachers.

   One ran over to the microphone.  "And we're not going to the
championships three years in a row, we're going five!" Tanner Boyd the
freshmen captain yelled, then sucker punched me softly and joined his team
back in the bleachers.

   "J.V.," I said over my shoulder, and they moved forward in a mass. 
"This is your Junior varsity squad.  Six and two for the year, a pretty
good record.  There's a lot of talent in this group.  They played hard, and
they made us on the varsity play harder to keep our spots."

   The J.V.  players formed a circle and started chanting, "J.V., J.V.,
J.V.," about a dozen times, finishing with a loud "Rebels!" and jogging
back to the bleachers.  I grinned at their backs.

   "You may think this is all political correctness, but in sports, knowing
there's someone good behind you makes you push that extra little bit.  Luke
Hastings, who the smart money says will be all-state, worked a little bit
harder knowing that Jack Hild on the second string and Brian Donaldson on
the J.V.  wanted his spot." Okay, truthfully, Luke probably didn't even
know who they were, but he should.  "Mike Reed pushed a little harder
knowing that Monster Girl and I both wanted his, but we had to work that
much harder 'cause Jason Greene from the J.V.  wants to show us all up. 
The freshmen and the J.V.  are as much a part of our season as we are."

   Somebody started clapping and the applause lasted several minutes.

   "Something else that can make you give that extra ten percent, to play
better than you are, is when the crowd gets behind you.  And these ladies
really know how to work up a crowd."

   The cheerleaders, none in uniform, waved.

   "Of course, beautiful girls like these can get the male part of the
crowd worked up just by breathing..."

   Robbie stepped forward and slugged me in the arm.  Several girls in the
bleachers applauded.

   "I was going to add it's nice when the female part of the crowd gets
worked up too, but I think I'll stick with, 'Ow.'"

   When the laughter died down, I continued.  "I know there are some of you
who think cheerleaders are old fashioned.  Even sexist.  That they present
the wrong image for modern women.  But let me tell you that all these girls
are real athletes.  If you don't think so, try doing what they do.  And
while me and the other wimps on the football team get to rest during
halftime, these ladies work even harder.  Your Rebel Cheerleaders!" I
yelled and waved my arm back at the girls.  The applause was loud and long.

   "And while I'd like you to believe especially if you're cute and female
that the Rebels went seven and one in the regular season, ten and two
overall, because of my incredible talent, the truth is, there are some
people who know even more about football than I do.

   "For the freshmen, Coach Allen and Coach Bales."

   The two coaches walked over, waving.

   "For the J.V., Coach Henley and his assistant Coach Croft."

   The next two coaches came over and waved.

   "And for the varsity, Coach Vickers and his assistant, Coach Sharpski."
I'd thought about adding something about Parker, but it didn't seem the
right time to trash him, and I just couldn't bring myself to say anything
nice.

   I yielded the microphone to Coach Vickers.  "Those of you who are
religious may want to acknowledge a miracle.  Tony Sims admitting that his
coaches know more than he does."

   "I didn't say they knew a lot more," I added, leaning in from the side.

   Coach Vickers is a better man than I am.  He did say something about
Parker and made it seem like he contributed.  Then he handed out
certificates for participation, then for the school, district, and state
records we'd broken.  Then awards he and the other coaches had selected. 
Everybody got something: most improved, most inspiring, that sort of thing.
Robbie and I shared one as the heart and soul of the team.  It probably
would have hurt my macho image if I cried.

   Robbie got MVP again, the award voted by the team, and this year it was
unanimous.  Maybe Mike was growing up.

   Robbie handed out the awards that she and I had created.  Mark got
Best-Kicker-in-the-State-Wearing-Clown-Shoes.  We gave Mike
Most-Likely-to-Make-Bad-Action-Movies-After-Football and Luke
Most-Likely-to-Go-to-Mike's-Movies.

   When there were two left, Robbie grinned over at me.  "Last year Tony
got voted Most-Likely-to-be-Traded-by-Every-Team-in-the-League," she said,
picking up a certificate.  She created my award, and I'd made hers.  "But
since we wouldn't trade him for anything or anyone, Tony Sims,
Most-Likely-to-be-a-Rebel-Forever."

   Someone started clapping, and a few seconds later, everyone was on their
feet applauding.  It almost made me sorry for Robbie's award.  Almost.

   Robbie picked up the last certificate as the applause died down and
started reading.  Then she turned red.

   "You have to read it," I said.  "It's your job as captain."

   Robbie shot me an unfriendly look.  "And last, Robbie Tate,
Most-Likely-to-be-the-First-NFL-Quarterback-on-the-Cover-of-Sports-Illustra
ted's-Swimsuit-Edition," she announced, turning redder with each word.

   Mark yelled "Monster Girl!" and the chanting began.  "Monster Girl,
Monster Girl!" Tami had been sitting on the bottom row of the bleachers. 
She stood, walked over, and grabbed me by the ear, twisting it and pulling
me toward the door like a teacher with an errant six-year-old.

   "Was that really necessary?" I asked when she released me at the door.
Mr.  Reed had moved in front of the bleachers and was trying to send kids
back to class.

   Tami grinned.  "You're still breathing aren't you?"



   Chapter 52

   "Take five!"

   "But, we're..."

   I took a couple quick steps and jumped up to the stage.  "We're taking
five," I said firmly.  I took Robbie's hand and pulled her toward the exit.
Outside, I took a deep breath of the cool night air, then pushed Robbie to
sit on the low concrete wall by the door.  "Want to talk about it?"

   "There's nothing to talk about."

   "Okay." I sat next to her, taking her hand again.

   We sat like that for several minutes.  Robbie tried to stand, but I held
her in place.  "Can we go now?" she asked in exasperation.

   "Are you over it?"

   "There's nothing to get over!" she snapped.

   "Then we can't go now." I squeezed her hand.  She tried to pull it away,
but I held on.

   "There's nothing wrong, and if there was, what makes you think it's any
of your business?"

   I sighed.  "What you're feeling is none of my business if you don't want
to share." Robbie looked satisfied and tried to stand up, but I still held
her in place.  "But that's my sister you're jumping on.  And my friend
Peter you sniped at.  And my girlfriend.  And..."

   "I...  Have I really been that bad?"

   "Yes," I said simply.  I could have softened it, but this is what she
needed to hear.

   Her hand relaxed, and I let go.  "I'm sorry."

   "I'm not the one you need to apologize to."

   "I didn't jump on you?"

   "You took some shots, but I've been tackled by you, I'm not going to get
hurt by some words.  Do you want to talk about it?  Is it the game?"

   "No.  I don't want to talk, and it wasn't the game.  I'm over that."

   "Really?"

   "Mostly.  The assembly today helped.  I liked when you pointed out that
Pasco and the Tigers were one year deals, and we keep coming back." She
leaned over and laid her head on my shoulder.  "I wanted to win, but we
played hard and did our best, I'm happy about that."

   "So you're not bummed about the game.  You're a little stressed about
the play on Saturday, but it's more than that.  What is it?"

   "It's noth...  Okay, I'll deal with it." She stood, and this time I
didn't try to stop her.  I follower her back inside.  Tami was running
Peter and Traci through one of their scenes.  I replayed the day in my
head. I couldn't think of anything that had happed, but it occurred to me
that maybe something was missing.

   "Your best friend is going to get her head slapped off."

   I looked closely at Tami to see if she'd been replaced by an evil twin.
"MY best friend?"

   "Yeah.  At the moment, I ain't claiming her."

   I sighed.  It had been a rough couple of days.  Robbie had been down on
everyone.  In fact, I knew a couple of teachers who wanted to trade her to
North Lincoln.  Even Mr.  Reed had looked like he wanted to strangle her.

   "Any idea what's bugging her?  And how long it's going to last?  It
ain't her time of the month."

   I sighed again.  "A small one, not a clue, and I know."

   Tami cocked her head.  "So are you going to tell me?  Or is it one of
those secrets that aren't yours to tell."

   I looked at my watch.  We had about ninety seconds before debate. 
"Close your eyes," I said putting my hands on her shoulders.  "Now
visualize Robbie for the last three days."

   Tami nodded, eyes closed.  "Okay.  It's Robbie, ready to kill or maim
for any reason."

   "Now think about your question Sunday night and put that with your
vision."

   Tami's eyes popped open.  "What happened?"

   I shrugged, put my arm around her, and started us toward debate. 
Neither of us put into words the question of the day.  Where was Cody?

   "Do you think there's any question that I could squish you like a bug?"

   Luke Reese looked up at me.  He'd been sitting on a bench in front of
his P.E.  locker, tying his shoe.  He glanced around and realized that we
were the last two in the locker room.

   "I...  you wouldn't do that," he said.

   He was right, but I wasn't going to tell him that.  Luke had been my
best friend the first year I'd moved here.  Though Robbie replaced him as
number one, we were still friends, but that didn't mean I wasn't above a
little intimidation to get what I wanted.  "Are you sure?"

   "Uh, you don't have a reason." Luke didn't look sure at all.

   "Luke, all day you and almost every other guy in this school have been
giving me looks.  I'm tired of it and I want to know why."

   Luke hesitated, then he stood up and closed his locker.  He looked at
me, but couldn't hold my eyes and looked down.  "I guess...  I think we
need to talk."

   The bell rang, but I ignored it.  "So talk."

   "Not here." To emphasize his point the door slammed open and
half-a-dozen freshmen rushed in, already starting to strip off shirts. 
"Meet me on the stage in five minutes."

   I nodded and grabbed my stuff.  I hoped Mr.  Walker wouldn't be mad
about my missing journalism.

   "First, promise that you'll remember I'm just the messenger."

   We were sitting in the Zoe's bedroom set for the play.  Luke sat on the
bed, and I was in the desk chair.  "What?"

   "Look, Tony, I know you weren't going to beat me up down in the locker
room.  But I also know how you feel about promises.  So promise me."

   I wondered if I was supposed to stand and put my hand on a bible.  We
had one.  Robbie, as Zoe's mom used it in act two.  "Luke, I promise I'll
remember that you're just the messenger."

   Luke looked relieved, and suddenly I wondered if I really wanted to hear
this.

   "I know Robbie's been sleeping with Cody." Luke didn't meet my eyes as
he said that.

   "How would you know that?" I snapped.

   Luke pointedly looked down at my hands, at my fists.

   I uncurled them.  "Reflex action," I apologized.

   Luke nodded but didn't relax.  "I don't want to get between you and
Cody."

   "Cody?  Why would you get between me and..."

   "Cody's been telling anybody who'd listen about nailing Robbie Saturday
night."

   I looked down where my hands had curled back into fists.  I flattened
them.  "There's more?"

   Luke nodded, the look on his face said he'd rather be in a Kansas
cornfield trying to hold back a tornado than be talking to me.

   "Luke, you're my friend, and I appreciate you telling me this.  If you
want to go, we're still friends.  But Robbie's my friend too.  If there's
more, it'll help me to hear it."

   Luke nodded again, looking not exactly relaxed, but resigned to his
fate.

   "According to Cody, he fuc...  he had sex with her Sunday too, at her
house.  He said she fucked...  she did sex good, but now he was ready for
some fresh meat."

   Now it was my turn to nod.  Cody wasn't the first guy I'd known who was
all about the conquest.  "Thanks Luke.  I know you didn't want to say
anything, but..."

   Luke had stood and headed for the door of the set.  He stopped and
turned around.  "There's more."

   "More?"

   "Cody's got a list.  He's doing it by categories."

   "I don't get it.  Categories?"

   "Like I said, he's got a list.  He's done cheerleaders, ballet students,
softball players, thirty-five different categories.  Now the bottom of his
list says quarterback."

   I felt numb.  "Thanks, Luke.ï You'd better get to class."

   Luke left without another word.

   I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes.  I wished I was eight
again.  When the hardest thing I had to handle was remembering I before E
except after C on the spelling test.

   "How about Christmas in Jamaica?"

   "Jamaica?" Tami asked as I swung into the seat beside her.

   "Yeah mon," I said in a bad Jamaican accent.  "Dad still owes me a
couple of thou.  You and me and some white sandy beaches until the New
Year."

   "It's Robbie isn't it?" Tami asked without hesitation.  I nodded.  "Why
Jamaica?"

   "'Cause if we time it right, by the time we come back the body will be
buried and the whole thing forgotten.



   Chapter 53

   "Are you planning to be a playwright?"

   I smiled and shook my head.  "Robbie may make me write one more, but
after that I'm done.  I'm just a dumb jock."

   Janet Martin smiled back.  "That's like saying Albert Einstein counts
good."

   "Where is Miss Tate?" Robert Annoly asked.

   "She, uh, wasn't feeling good.  She went home after the curtain," Tami
said.

   Before the play, Robbie had apologized to everyone for being a bitch all
week, then after the last curtain, had snuck out as fast as she could. 
Cody's sitting in the third row with Anna Bolan, the captain of the
swimming team, hadn't helped.

   "That's too bad," Janet said.  "We remember her from last year."

   The Zoe's Song cast was sitting down backstage with the judges from the
Prentiss Foundation.

   "We appreciate that you were able to move us to the bottom of the list,"
Tami said.  The foundation had rescheduled our performance so that we were
the last play they saw before announcing the regional winner.

   "Normally we try to keep the performance schedule completely random, but
Mr.  Reed explained that your school had some injured students, and their
play dropped out, and you were trying to stage yours in a hurry," Robert
Annoly, the chairman of the committee said.  "Tony, I understand you outdid
yourself."

   "Sir?"

   "Well, last year Mr.  Mulino told us how you and your group put together
a show in a week.  Mr.  Reed says you did this one in a night."

   Mr.  Reed was standing behind us.  I looked back at him.  "Tami told
me," he said with a shrug.

   I looked back at the committee.  "I don't know if he told you, but we
had a real friend named Zoe who was the inspiration for this.  She died
last year.  We originally submitted a different play, a comedy/drama called
The Basement, and lost out in the selection process.

   "Afterward my sister, that's Traci," I said pointing at the squirt,
"suggested that we should have stuck to a musical 'cause that's our
strength.  Then Mikee," she was sitting next to me, and I reached over and
squeezed her knee, "suggested Zoe as the basis for a new story, and I got
inspired."

   "My sister and I were spending the night with Traci, and he totally
ignored us," Kelly added.  She was sitting on the other side of her sister,
so I couldn't smack her.

   "Toby and Sally had the hard part.  They wrote the music," I said
acknowledging our musical component.  "Anyway, we put it all together,
planning to do it next year.  Then the car accident, and Mr.  Reed called
and said we could go for it, and the rest..." I waved my arms to encompass
the set.

   "So, you think you're good enough for Seattle?" Tom Baxter spoke for the
first time.

   "Tony didn't even think we'd get here," Tami said.

   "He thought we'd get beat by Romeo and George," Traci added.

   "Romeo and George?"

   "It was a play based on a short story on the net," I explained.  "Romeo
pretended to like Juliet but was really in love with her brother George.  I
thought it would appeal to the student body's prurient interests."

   "So you don't think you're going to win?" Annoly asked.

   I shrugged.  "In the school I had the advantage of seeing both of the
competition plays, and I was still wrong.  For the region, I know North
Lincoln did Midsummer Night's Dream, but I don't know what the other
schools did."

   "That's a good point," Janet said.  "Next year we should send a list of
each school's entries to the other schools." The other two nodded.

   The committee stood up.  "We enjoyed the performance, and we enjoyed
talking to all of you," Annoly said.  "It was too bad we missed Miss Tate.
The official announcement is next week, so of course we can't say
anything."

   Janet Martin winked.  "But you might not want to make any plans for the
second week of January."

   Tami and I exchanged looks.

   Silly me.  I kept thinking that life would get simpler.



   Chapter 54

   "Have you talked to her?"

   Beside me, Tami shook her head.

   "Damn!" I said as I pulled my car into the middle school parking lot.  I
parked next to the gym.  We got out and headed inside.  I hadn't seen
Robbie since the play Saturday night.  She'd missed three days of school,
which was one more than she'd missed in the last three years.  I'd called
several times, but her dad said she wasn't feeling up to taking calls. 
This was not Robbie.  "So who goes over tonight and barges in, you or me?"

   Tami hesitated.  "Maybe we should just give her some space."

   "Okay, me."

   Tami shot me a dirty look.  In the gym, the girls were stretching, so I
pulled Tami back out the door.  "You're the one with telepathy, so you tell
me.  But right now I think she needs a good kick in the ass, not space."

   Tami opened her mouth, then changed her mind and nodded her head. 
"Maybe you're right.  Mind reading only works on you, so I'm just
guessing."

   "I'm guessing too.  But I think right now Robbie's hurting and doesn't
know how to deal with it."

   "Robbie?  Not know how to deal."

   I nodded.  "Robbie's so damn good at everything she does that she's
never really had to deal with failure."

   "But she's lost before.  You've lost football and baseball games.  We
lost the play last year."

   "That's losing.  Yes, she's lost before, but football and baseball,
that's part of a team.  Even the play was part of a team.  When she's by
herself, she likes losing even less.  Monopoly doesn't bother her much,
'cause she knows how much of it is luck.  But watch her when she loses to
me in chess.  You can see her going back over the game, figuring what she
could have done different.  She hates it, but she accepts it, eventually at
least, figuring she lost to a superior player."

   "Mr.  Superior."

   "Sometimes.  But it's still losing.  But there's a difference between
losing and failing.  In Robbie's mind, a big difference."

   "You think she sees this as a failure?"

   I nodded.  "Depending on how much she's heard, either she failed to hold
onto him, or she failed to see him for what he was."

   The girls were just finishing their stretches as Tami and I walked back
in.  "Vaulters!" I yelled and pointed toward the end of the vault runway.
We were in a lot better shape than last year.  We had at least six girls in
every event, which meant we could compete the girls who were doing the best
that week.  It also meant that in the meets, we'd be able to drop the
lowest score.

   Nine girls lined up at vault.

   I set the springboard on its side next to the runway, about ten feet
from the vault, then walked back to them.  "Ladies, sprints!" The girls
took turns standing at the end of the runway, then running toward the
vault. "That was pathetic," I said when they'd all finished.  "My
three-legged dog runs faster than that."

   "You don't have a dog," Kelly pointed out, "three-legged or otherwise."

   "You've never had a dog," Traci added.  "Dad's allergic."

   Mental note: never coach neighbors or relatives.

   "I was trying to make a point here."

   "By lying?" Kelly asked.  "I don't think you're setting a very good
example for impressionable young minds."

   I aimed a swat at her butt, but she jumped out of the way.  Kelly and my
sister stood just out of my reach, grinning at me.  I grinned back.  "Who's
that hottie you two are always whispering about?"

   Both girls turned red.

   "The one you said was the sexiest in eighth grade," I prompted.  "Funny
name?"

   "You mean Casper Portwood?" Susie Calloway asked.

   "That's the one.  Okay, ladies, I want you to imagine that superstud
Casper is down by the vault and you want to be first to ask him to the
Sadie Hawkins Dance.  Go!"

   Susie was first in line and took off like a shot.  That boy must be
something.  One after the other, the girls took off, all of them shaving
time off their first sprint, even Kelly and Traci who took time to give me
dirty looks before starting.

   "That's what I'm talking about," I said when they'd all come back.  I
walked down the runway and set up the springboard.  "Okay, straight jumps.
Explode and stick." Susie was first again.  She ran down the runway, hit
the board, and exploded into the air, her body straight and tight.  As she
landed, she flexed her knees but didn't take a step.

   "Beautiful.  Now you see why she's my favorite." Susie turned red but
grinned.

   "I thought I was your favorite." Kelly said with a whine.

   "Can you do that good?"

   Kelly nodded, turned, and ran.  Her straight jump was just as high and
tight as Susie's, and she stuck her landing.

   "I guess I have two favorites." A few minutes later, I had nine.

   "Okay, here's the drill.  Everybody's doing five vaults today.  You're
all starting with handsprings."

   "But I..." Susie started, and I noticed Kelly's mouth open to voice her
own appeal.

   I leaned down until I was nose to nose with Susie.  "I don't care what
vault you competed before or what you think you're doing this year. 
Everybody's doing a handspring first, then I'll tell you what vault I want
next.  Any questions?"

   Susie shook her head, her nose bumping mine in the process.  I grinned
to myself as I jogged toward the vault.  A handspring is a pretty easy
vault.  Basically you run, jump, land in a handstand on the vault table,
then pop off and land on your feet on the other side.

   "Marissa!" I yelled.  Marissa Lind had been watching Tami work with a
girl on the beam.  I pointed at a folding chair I'd set up a few feet from
the vault.  "Sit, watch."

   Susie Calloway was up first.  The blond eighth grader had grown about
two inches since last year.  She was planning to compete bars and vault
this year.  Her vault was explosive, but she took a step on the landing. 
"Half," I told her for her next vault.

   Kelly was next, one of the three girls who wanted to go all-around.  Her
vault was just as explosive as Susie's.  "Half."

   Brianna Lane, the third of my six eighth graders was next.  Brianna only
competed vault.

   Traci was fourth.  Hard to believe the brat was an eighth grader now. 
Last year she'd competed vault, bars, and beam.  This year she'd hinted she
might try to add floor and go all-around.

   Cheyenne Morris was fifth, another eighth grader.  She hadn't competed
for us last year 'cause she lived in Iowa.  My second all-arounder, her
biggest problem was that she knew how good she was.  She was competing
level seven at the club in town, and I'd had a few problems with her there.

   The last eighth grader was Rachel Clark.  She didn't vault and was
working with Stephy on the floor.

   Cassie Williams was the first of my seventh graders.  She was doing
vault and bars.  She had short red hair a little darker than Robbie's.  As
she ran I admired a major set of tits as they bounced.  I remembered a
cartoon of a girl doing high jump or pole vault or something with big
floppy tits and the black eye she had for the punch line.

   I motioned Cassie closer.  "Are you wearing a bra?"

   She turned deep red.  "What business is it...  ?"

   "Put one on.  And if I have to have Tami or Stephy check you every time
before we vault, I will." She stomped off, hopefully to put on a jogging
bra.

   Abbie Hart was next.  A blond seventh grader though she looked about
nine.  She was a level five at the club and wanted to go all-around.

   Taylor Brent was my eighth vaulter.  Another blond and another seventh
grader, she'd been a level six when she was nine, but then dropped out
after breaking an arm.  Bars was her other event.

   Miranda Caster was my last vaulter.  Also seventh, she had long black
hair that was fun to watch as it steamed behind her when she ran.  She was
planning to do vault and floor.

   Three more seventh graders made up the team.  Holly Vickers on beam and
floor.  Mari Byers just on floor.  And Marissa Lind, who wanted to compete
but didn't know what she wanted to do.  Marissa had been a level five until
a couple years before.

   The nine girls ran through four more vault each, Kelly and Cheyenne
finishing with Tsukaharas, a vault where the girls did a half twist before
landing on the vault in their handstands, then a back flip off. 
All-in-all, it was going to be hard to pare the nine down to six girls for
competition.

   When the others had finished and gone off to other events, I brought
Marissa over and ran her through some vaults.  She'd vaulted as a level
five, and it all came back quickly.

   Correction: it was going to be hard to pare the ten girls down to six
for competition.

   "Sorry, Tony, but she doesn't want to see anybody right now."

   "Then you'd better call the sheriff 'cause I'm going up, and I don't
think you can stop me." Robbie's dad looked almost relieved when I wouldn't
take no for an answer.  I pushed by him and headed up the stairs.

   Outside her door I took a deep breath and grasped the doorknob.  I
didn't knock.  Why bother?  She'd just tell me to go away.  I opened the
door.

   Robbie was sprawled on her bed wearing one of the rattiest bathrobes I'd
ever seen.  The stereo was playing...  Donna Summer.  Disco!  Things were
worse than I thought.

   "Robbie?" I said softly.

   Robbie spun, and suddenly I wondered if this was such a good idea.  Tami
said she needed space, and the look on her face at the moment encouraged me
to give it to her.

   I heard something behind me and looked over my shoulder.  Darlene was
standing there.  I mentally kicked myself.  I had a spy in the household
I'd forgotten all about.

   "Go away," Robbie said, her voice somewhere between a whine and an
order.

   Darlene retreated.  I stayed put.  Mental note: check for genetic mental
defects before kids with Tami."

   "I'm not going anywhere," I said quietly.

   "I don't want to talk if that's why you're here."

   "Naw.  I just want to hang out.  I missed you." I smiled.  "That robe
sure has seen better days."

   "It's the only thing I have of my mother's."

   She's wearing her mother's bathrobe and listening to disco.  We might
have to find a priest for an exorcism.

   "Cool.  But when I'm depressed and wear my mother's bathrobe, people
laugh."

   For just a second the corners of her mouth turned up; then it was gone.
"I don't need you making lame jokes and trying to cheer me up.  I'm not
depressed."

   "What do you call it?"

   "I'm...  I don't have to explain anything to you."

   "Probably not," I agreed."

   There was a long silence between us, broken only by another disco song I
didn't recognize.

   "You're not going away, are you?"

   I smiled again.  "Not anytime soon."

   She stood and faced me.  "Now what?"

   I shrugged.  "You got me.  I haven't got a plan, I'm just playing this
by ear."

   "Tony, the white knight."

   I nodded.

   For a second I thought she was going to tackle me, and I was conscious
of the railing behind my back and the twenty foot drop into the dining
room. Then she was in my arms, crying.  It seemed so unnatural.

   "I've been such an idiot," she said between sobs.

   I decided the only thing to be gained by agreeing were bruises and
broken bones, so I just held her tighter.  In my mind's eye I saw two tall
pine trees bent almost double, the tops of the trees tied to the ground. 
Cody between them, a rope around his waist tied to one, a second rope
around his balls tied to the other, and me with an axe to release the
trees.

   "I guess it wasn't enough."

   Tami laid her head on my shoulder as we walked.  It had rained earlier
and probably would again, but we managed to get our walk during the lull.
"You thought you'd have your talk with her last night, and today she'd be
back in school just like always?"

   "Something like that."

   "Tony, Tony, Tony," she said sadly.  "You forgot to tell her the most
important part."

   "What?"

   Tami told me and I decided that checking for the genetic mental defects
was a priority.  Couldn't have my kids growing up as stupid as I wa.

   "Get dressed," I ordered.

   Robbie had been lying on her bed looking out the window.  At least the
disco was gone.  The stereo was playing something classical: Liszt, I
thought.  Robbie's dad had gone to work, so I'd let myself in and come
upstairs.

   "You can't just come in here and order..." she said, rolling over to
look at me.

   "There's something you haven't thought about."

   "I've done too much thinking," Robbie said, rolling away from me again.

   "Well, I've got one more thing for you to think about; then I'll go wait
in car for you."

   "It could be a long wait."

   I stood watching her back and waited.

   "What?" she asked finally.

   "This is all a game to Cody.  How many girls can he get in their pants?
Can I do a softball player, a swimmer, a girl from the chess club, THE
quarterback."

   "So?" she asked without turning.

   "Like I said, it's all a game to him.  And every minute you're up here
pouting or sulking or whatever the hell you're doing, he wins." I turned
toward the hallway.  "I'll wait in the car."

   I didn't think I'd have that long to wait.

   "You're a bastard."

   I didn't think it was the right time for my standard comeback that I'd
seen the paperwork on my parents' marriage and my birth certificate and
done the math.  We were in my car speeding toward second period.

   "Sometimes I have to be."

   "I'm looking forward to your song tonight."

   Robbie stared at Mr.  Wade's back as he walked down the hall.  "What's
he talking about?  I'm not in the concert, I didn't sign up."

   I tried to look innocent as she turned back to me.  "Did I forget to
tell you?  They cut two of my songs yesterday, so I signed you up."

   "Why'd they cut your songs?" Tami asked to break the rising tension.

   "Apparently Parker said something to Butz about me trying to monopolize
the show, Butz remembered, and when he saw I was doing three songs..."

   "But Mr.  Wade asked you to do three."

   I shrugged and opened my locker.

   "So what song is Mr.  Wade expecting me to do?" Robbie asked calmly.

   I pulled out my MP3 player, found the song in the library and handed it
to her, along with a sheet of lyrics.  "Toby and Sally already know it."

   Tami arched an eyebrow as she read the title on the lyrics.

   I shrugged.  "It was that or I Will Survive, and I figured she'd had
enough disco."

   The spotlight focused down on me.  "I know a lot of you are tired of me
dedicating songs to one certain girl, so I won't even bother.

   Toby started the melody and Sally joined in with just a tambourine.

   "I hear some people get married in the park on Sunday afternoon, And all
their friends bring pretty flowers while the band plays a happy tune.  Now
do you want me, do you need me, Do you love me like I love you?  Ooo

   What are you doing Sunday baby?  Would you like to marry me?  What do
you say now?  If it's a nice day now.  What are you doing Sunday baby? 
Gee, I wanna marry you.  Oh, what are you doing Sunday afternoon?

   Somebody started clapping along, and quickly the whole auditorium joined
in.  It was an old Tony Orlando number and could be a little infectious. 
Tami was in the first row and grinning up at me.

   Maybe we should wait 'til night to join hands 'neath the stars above. 
And we'll be kissing our first kiss by moonlight as we vow eternal love. 
Now do you want me, do you need me, Do you love me like I love you?

   Ooo

   What are you doing Sunday baby?  Would you like to marry me?  What do
you say now?  If it's a nice day now.  What are you doing Sunday baby? 
Gee, I wanna marry you.  Oh, what are you doing Sunday afternoon?

   Now do you want me, do you need me, baby?  Love me like I love you?

   What are you doing Sunday baby?  Would you like to marry me?  What do
you say now?  If it's a nice day now.  What are you doing Sunday baby? 
Gee, I wanna marry you."

   As the music ended, I waved at the crowd and jumped off the stage to hug
Tami.  I'm sure Butz was around there somewhere thinking dire thoughts
about public displays of affection.

   "Let the sun refuse to shine"

   Robbie's voice sounded plaintive and sad as she sat on the high stool
looking out at the audience.  She sang softly.  Toby had switched from his
keyboard to a piano.

   "It won't be long before the days are brighter.

   If every step's an uphill climb, Oooo,

   Carry on until they feel much lighter.

   For all the clouds up in the sky, Ooo,

   For all the teardrops in our eyes.

   It can get only get better.

   Be still my heart,

   It can only get better.

   We've come this far,

   It can only get better.

   I know it hurts,

   For what it's worth,

   It can only get better.

   If he should ever come our way,

   Dry the tears and look somewhere above him.

   Might be easier to say, than to do,

   But just pretend that you no longer love him."

   Robbie let her voice get stronger, more confident.  As her voice got
stronger, the music behind her Toby's piano seemed to get fuller.  The
whole effect worked to create the sense of a girl getting the strength to
move on.

   "When your back's against the ropes, Ooooo,

   When you miss someone the most,

   It can get only get better.

   Be still my heart,

   It can only get better.

   We've come this far,

   It can only get better.

   I know it hurts,

   For what it's worth,

   It can only get better."

   Toby and Sally gave her a brief musical bridge, then,

   "I know it hurts,

   For what it's worth,

   It can only get better.

   I know it hurts,

   For what it's worth,

   It can only get better."

   As Robbie let her voice fade out there was an almost stunned silence
about the auditorium, then someone clapped, then everyone was on their feet
applauding.  I would have been offended they clapped for me sitting down
but I was applauding as loud as anyone.

   "Am I forgiven for sticking you with a song hours before performance?"

   "No," Robbie said with a smile that made her words a lie.

   Tami slipped her arm around me, her hand sliding into my back pocket. 
"It's not like Robbie would ever do that to you." Tami slapped her forehead
with her other hand.  "Oh, wait, she did." She looked Robbie in the eye. 
"Eighth grade year, end-of-school talent show."

   "Yeah but that was about getting Tony to open his eyes to..." Robbie
grinned.  "Message understood."

   "You sang the song, now live the song," I suggested.

   "Robbie, that was incredible," Cody gushed as he walked up to us.  "I
never knew you could sing like that.  Maybe we could..."

   "Tony, the song was right," Robbie said, slipping her arm around me. 
The three of us turned away from Cody and headed for the parking lot.  "It
can only get better."