Page 102 of Sass in the Grass

The affair was going to be amazing, and for every person showing, twenty-five dollars would be the entrance fee, all going for the camp, and all the special things would be split in half with the club.

Tallying it all up, he thought. Unless the camp owed a million dollars, they’d likely be saved.

Thefirsthourafterwaking and finding the note saw Cherokee sitting in the back, staring off at his plants. That was his place of peace, where the hurt the world could dole out went away.

That morning, it didn’t work.

Instead, it riled him to the point he called Jovian twice, and when the little fuck didn’t answer, he ran, literally ran, to thecamp and to Cabin C, where he found Jovian’s friends bent over their phones. “Can I talk to you?”

Kathy yipped and paled, but Alan wouldn’t even meet his eyes. “Hey, Coach. What’s up?”

“Don’t pull that bullshit with me, Alan. He’s your friend and I can tell just by looking at you that you know what’s going on.”

Mike stood and said, “Coach, it’s nothing bad. In fact, it’s really great, what he’s doing.”

“What the fuck is that?”

Alan shook his head at Mike when Mike looked at him for help. “Don’t. He’d kill us.”

“He’s ninety pounds soaking wet. This one, on the other hand…”

“Will bust some heads open if you don’t tell me right fucking now!”

Mike laughed nervously. “Yeah, that was my next sentence. Anyway, Coach, he’s…he’s trying to save the camp.”

“Mike,” Kathy gasped.

“I don’t care. He didn’t want the recognition, but for one thing, I don’t want Coach thinking Jovian doesn’t love him.” Looking at Cherokee, Mike said, “He’s crazy about you, Coach. Has been since he first saw you. And…well, it’s the camp. He met you here, we befriended him, so he took it on himself to save it. For all of us.”

Cherokee sat hard on Kathy’s bunk, and she wrapped her arm around Cherokee’s shoulders. “He does really love you.”

He looked at Kathy, who’d had her own troubles all her life, but she wanted to help them, wanted Cherokee and Jovian to be nothing but happy. “Kathy, I love that little fucker. Why didn’t he just tell me?”

“He doesn’t want the credit. He didn’t want pats on the back. He was set to send the money anonymously and everything, but…he’s been coordinating this via his phone, terrible receptionbe damned. He drove all the way to Apishipa Creek to enlist the help of two men that used to own the club in Denver he frequents.”

Alan and Mike were sitting across from them and he asked the three, “That’s where he went that day, missing the survival class?”

“Yup,” Mike said. “He’s funny about it. I mean, of anyone that wouldn’t want credit for something like this, I’d never guess he’d be the one.”

“And not only that,” Alan said. “He was worried it wouldn’t work, so he didn’t want anyone to be let down.”

“I can’t even believe this.”

“Well, it’s true. The event is tonight, starting at eight at Chaps. If this works out, and True and Bernie don’t have to give up the camp, you could push the survival camping trip back a few days and go see him,” Alan suggested.

Kathy asked, “Wouldn’t that make him mad? That we told?”

“I don’t give a shit,” Cherokee said. “Alan, get the others that were going on the survival camp and let them know it’s postponed. Kathy, you and Mike get everyone to the Mess Hall this morning. Even the ones that don’t eat breakfast.”

“Sure. Why?” Mike asked.

“We’re all going to Denver. I think we should be there to support him, don’t you?”

“Road trip,” Alan said, laughing. “I have to admit, I was dying to go!”

“Me too,” Kathy confessed, then blushed. “I’ve never been to a club, you know, likethat.”

Cherokee did more running, getting to the office to find Bernie and True staring off at the wall in their defeat. “Get that old bus going, Bernie. Between that and personal cars, we’re convoying it to Denver.”

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