Page 109 of Third and Ten

“Do you think he’ll be awake when we get there? That we’ll be able to talk to him?” Ethan asks after a minute.

“I hope so. But even if he doesn’t respond, it’s likely that he might be able to hear us. And if we don’t make it back in time for that, at least we’ve made sure that he knows how we feel about him, right?”

He swallows hard. “Yeah. But I’d still like to tell him again.”

“Me, too.”

CHAPTER 32

JD

“Coach JD, Principal Soileau would like to see you in his office during your planning.”

I shoot my class a dirty look when they all ooh at my intercom court summons. “What did you do, Coach?” asks one particularly annoying sophomore boy.

“Nothing…yet,” I grumble. I cross my arms over my chest and stare at him a second longer. He quickly turns his attention back to his work until the bell rings, as do the rest of them.

The truth is that getting called to the principal’s office is just as scary for a teacher as it is for a student. It usually results in one of two things: a reprimand because of a parent complaint or an added duty because no one else can be trusted to do it. And even though I doubt I’m really in trouble, the invitation still feels like blue lights in the rearview mirror.

“Hey, E,” I call as the class files out. Ethan reluctantly turns and waits for the rest of them to leave. “You okay?”

He shrugs as he looks down at his feet, shifting them around.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, but I know it’s a loaded question. He’s been struggling since his grandfather passed away a few weeks ago, just as I feared he would. On top of that, his first real girlfriend has apparently dumped him, though he won’t share much about it.

“Everything,” Ethan answers quietly, making my heart ache. I reach out and pat his shoulder, wishing I could take up some of his burdens.

“I’m sorry, man. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?”

“I’ll be fine,” he mumbles. “But thanks, Coach.”

“Why don’t I ask Tenley if I can help her make your favorite stew for dinner? I was planning on coming over to watch football, anyway.”

“Sure, that’d be cool,” he replies, his voice still flat. “As long as you don’t put on a show again, like you did for my birthday.” He attempts a smile and reaches out for a fist bump, but he’s obviously making an effort for my sake.

“I can’t make any promises when it involves Tenley’s corn bread,” I say, trying unsuccessfully to get a laugh out of him. I watch him go before I text Tenley about my plans for dinner, just as the tardy bell rings for my off hour. She goes for it, even though she adds a line about wanting to turn in early tonight.

I purse my lips as I stare down at her last message. Things have been going fine for us, but that’s also sort of the problem. I guess I expected to see more progress in our relationship after we both declared our feelings a few weeks back, but it almost seems like Tenley’s been purposefully tapping brakes since then. Well, maybe not the brakes—we’re still spending most of our free time together and getting to know one another, and she certainly doesn’t seem to mind kissing me. But she hasn’t really used the word “love” since that first time, and she always pulls away when things get really heated or when the conversation gets too serious. Unfortunately, that means we haven’t continued moving forward at the speed I hoped for.

In other words, I am really, really thirsty.

It turns out that I’m no less attracted to Tenley on any given day, despite her theories about fertility and pheromones. I want her all the time, think about her constantly, and have reached the point where I’d do just about anything to take our relationship to the next level, permanently. But I’ve had to settle for working off my frustration in the gym, instead.

I’m sure a lot of Tenley’s hesitation comes from the loss of her dad, not only because she’s still mourning, but also because she’s concerned about Ethan. By the time I made it home the morning after that playoff game, Father Conrad was there to anoint Mr. Jude. I stayed with them until well after it was all over, despite it being such an intimate family moment. I couldn’t imagine leaving Tenley, Ethan, or Mrs. Therese after having promised Mr. Jude that I’d take care of his family. So I lingered and waited patiently in the background for any opportunity to be helpful.

Tenley seemed to embrace me at first, finding comfort in my arms for that first day or so, until she flipped a switch and became distant and withdrawn at the funeral. I wasn’t sure if it was the presence of Ethan’s teammates, since the whole football team showed up at the funeral, or maybe just her way of grieving, but she avoided me the entire time. And it’s not like her refusing to hold my hand or sit beside me really matters, except that I could tell she wanted me to comfort her, and I still don’t understand why she wouldn’t let me.

Since then, I’ve dropped a few more hints about going public with our relationship. But Tenley’s still adamant about not wanting to pile anything else on Ethan’s shoulders for now and needing to make sure the second custody hearing goes well before purposefully outing ourselves. Meanwhile, if it were up to me, I’d happily move all of Ethan and Tenley’s things into my house before dinner tonight.

So here we are, unable to sit together in church or go out to dinner around town, basically dating in neutral. And, although I’m desperate for it to happen, a large part of me is still hesitant to initiate the next level of physical intimacy as long as she’s afraid of being seen in public with me.

I redirect my attention to the stack of ungraded tests on my desk until I receive another text from Tenley.

TENLEY

Do you know a Ryan Jameson?

JD

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