It was an exceedingly rare week when Finn did not stop by Lawndale Mall. His reasons for doing so was as varied as his wardrobe, but today, his reason was simple: His father's birthday was coming up, and Finn was past the age of the pipe cleaner craft project. Golf clubs were out of his price range, but Finn had a few creative ideas to surprise his father.
"My favorite game." Finn thought with a smile. He only had so much money to spend, so Finn tried to make things more exciting with presentation. One time, he had assembled an ensemble he bought around a "mannequin" made from balloons.
"Maybe I could ask Jane for...hey, is that Kevin?" Finn thought as he watched Kevin, with Brittany wrapped around him, walking down towards the food court.
"Hi, Finn!" Brittany cheered excitedly, as she always did whenever she met him. At his own insistence, Finn did not associate with Brittany and Kevin on a regular basis, and, with the latter, never off of the field. Brittany still had not given up the idea of cheating on Kevin with Finn, and Finn didn't want Kevin to get the wrong idea. As for Kevin himself, while Finn did not normally care about people's intelligence, he had his limits. Kevin possessed the intellectual fortitude of a piece of pie, and was just as flaky.
"Oh, hello, good afternoon." Finn engaged the two pleasantly whenever they addressed him. Manners prevented him from simple ignoring them.
"Have you noticed anything different, bro?" Kevin asked.
"Are you referring to that leather jacket?" Finn asked. Kevin practically wore his Lawndale Lions uniform everywhere he went, and now he was wearing a black leather jacket overtop.
"Was that a gift?" Finn asked, wishing the two would just go back to their normal position of making out in public.
"Naw, man, it's a statement!" Kevin cheered.
"We're rebelling!" Brittany eagerly agreed.
"Against what?" Finn asked.
"Huh?" Brittany twirled her hair around her finger.
"When you rebel, you take a stand against something. That's what it means." Finn instructed, wondering how in holy hell the two of them couldn't even know that. Even Finn knew that.
"Ummm...We're rebelling against..." Kevin started looking frantically around.
"Don't strain yourself on my account." Finn thought.
"Anyway, you might want to reconsider wearing that with your uniform pants. It makes you look like you weigh fifty pounds more than you do." Finn remarked, although that wasn't entirely a bad thing. Kevin only looked big because of his uniform's shoulder pads. Without them, he was scrawnier then Finn was.
"You'll think it's cooler when I get my motorcycle!" Kevin stated.
"You're getting a bike?" Finn asked, cocking his eyebrow.
"Yeah, I mean, Daria said we can't have a jacket like this without a motorcycle." Brittany remarked. Finn could only think of a few things that would happen with Kevin Thompson on a bike, and almost all of them ended with a visit to the hospital. If he was lucky.
"I didn't know you knew how to drive stick." Finn remarked.
"Huh?" Kevin asked.
"Motorcycles. They're manual transmission." Finn informed. "You know, if you don't know how to..."
"Hey, my dad showed me how to do that." Kevin returned.
"Kevin, I'm not trying to insult you, I'm trying to tell you not to get a motorcycle just because you bought a motorcycle jacket."
"But we can't return it!" Brittany stated. "Gimme Some Skin doesn't accept returns!"
"So you're going to buy a motorcycle to compliment your jacket?" Finn asked.
"And Mom thinks I have wardrobe issues." Finn thought.
"Yep! Isn't it rebellious!" Brittany cheered.
"You know, you still haven't told me what you were against." Finn remarked.
"Ummm...just the rules, man!" Kevin stated quickly.
"Which rules?"
"All of `em. Rules are lame. I do what I want to do."
"And yet, you're buying a motorcycle because Daria told you. It's so funny, it hurts." Finn thought.
"Well, we gotta get to the store before it closes!" Arm in arm, Brittany and Kevin wandered off.
"They'll forget about it soon enough." Finn thought. Probably once they passed the jewelry store, and Brittany saw the latest necklace she always wanted. And Kevin? Well, jewelry was remarkably shiny.
But Finn's assertion proved incorrect the next day, when, as he waited in front of Lawndale High for Stacy, he heard the metallic whir of a motorcycle. Sure enough, Kevin and Brittany soon rode up in a motorcycle.
"And he actually rode in well enough?" Finn was amazed. He knew where Kevin lived, and the fact that he made it from home, to Brittany's, and to school was an accomplishment. Perhaps he did know how to drive one. Finn strode up to meet the two, where a small crowd started to assemble.
"Finn!" Brittany cheered. "Don't we look like rebels?"
"In pink sunglasses?" Finn wondered. The motorcycle Kevin was driving reminded Finn more of a motorized scooter then a true motorcycle. They didn't look like rebels, they looked like two gullible teenagers on a motorcycle.
"I just hope you don't try to make out while riding." Finn thought.
"So, you got a bike." Finn remarked. He was certainly not impressed with Kevin's bravado. Or the fact that he wasn't wearing a helmet. Motorcycles were not like cars. There was no airbag or seat back for protection. Kevin didn't obey speed limits anymore than Finn did. One accident, and he would be gone. And Finn didn't wish that. While Finn did not like practically anything about Kevin, he wished him no harm. Kevin was too oblivious to be heinous.
"Hey, what's this?" Mack, along with Joey, Jamie, and Jeffy, strode up to discover what a crowd had gathered for.
"Yo, Mack Daddy!" Kevin always had a different way of talking to Mack, something Finn knew the captain despised. And, despite what anyone said, Kevin just wouldn't listen.
"Yo, dude, pop a wheelie!" Joey asked eagerly. Finn's eyes went wide at his buddy's suggestion.
"I wouldn't..." Finn started, but his protests were immediately drowned out by Jeffy.
"Yeah, wheelie!" Jeffy cheered.
"Wheelie! Wheelie!" Jamie eagerly joined in, which was quickly followed by the other members of the crowd, minus Finn and Mack.
"Kevin, don't!" Finn protested. "You're just going to get hurt."
"What, you jealous, Finn? Jealous I'm more rebellent?" Kevin did not appreciate Finn's suggestion.
"I'd listen to him, Kevin." Mack cautioned.
"I'll be fine, Mack Daddy. Wheelie time!" Kevin eagerly drove off down the street to get enough speed.
"I'm going to get the school nurse." Mack told Finn as he went away from the crowd.
"But no one...oh, you mean you're getting a head start." Finn realized. "Good luck." Mack smiled before departing towards the school.
The loud whirring noise of Kevin's motorcycle started down the street, and Finn wondered whether or not he should actually watch this. He knew this would end poorly. He silently criticized his buddies' desire to see Kevin pop a wheelie, even though Finn knew Kevin was really to blame for deciding to actually do this stupid stunt.
For a second, Finn wondered, if, maybe, this wouldn't end as badly as he thought. Kevin was able to drive the motorcycle, after all. Perhaps he did know how to pop a wheelie. Perhaps Kevin, while not bright at all, could handle some basic functions. He did just fine on the football field.
Kevin drove in sight. He swerved his motorcycle onto the sidewalk to avoid a parked car, and Finn was certain, at that moment, that the promised wheelie would not be performed. And that was at best.
Finn was about to shout for everyone to get back, but before he could, Kevin's motorcycle came in front of the Tommy Sherman Memorial Tree. The motorcycle crashed into the trellis around it, and Kevin flipped over the handlebars, right on top of the tree. The little sapling was crushed under Kevin.
"Agh! My knee!" Kevin moaned as he clutched his leg in pain. The crowd stood in shock and watched as Kevin whined in pain.
"Well, is someone going to do something. Go call an ambulance!" Finn ordered the crowd, who dispersed under his instruction. Finn sighed as he turned towards Kevin. Finn decided against trying to assist him himself: Finn knew nothing of first aid, and would only make things worse.
Mack showed up a few minutes later with the school nurse. He took one look at Kevin, and left the nurse to her work. The captain and the center shrugged for a moment before walking back into the school.
Kevin was carted away in an ambulance just before school started. Finn knew that Kevin wasn't going to be in any serious danger, and probably didn't need an ambulance anyway, Ms. Li would certainly not allow the possibility of the school getting sued.
"Hmmm..." Finn thought. There were some tough games coming up in the next few weeks, and Kevin's injury hinged on his ability to play. Finn didn't know the second-string quarterback well, but these next few games determined whether or not Lawndale would compete in the Regional Championship, and then, State. This was too important to trust to someone of B-quality. The team actually had a good shot at that this year, and, Finn had been getting psyched about it. The victory was nice, but nothing made his father happier then seeing Finn win a prestigious or challenging game.
Finn surprised himself a little that he wasn't thinking more of Kevin. True, his injury was practically self-inflicted due to his own stupidity, but it was an injury nontheless. But the ambulance people and the hospital had him. They were better at that stuff than Finn was. He could think about other things.
There was a practice after school today, and unsurprisingly, Kevin was not there to participate. Finn asked Coach Gibson if he had news, but the man did not.
Mack started throwing passes to Joey, Jeffy, and Jamie, who were admirable receivers. But Finn knew that Mack hesitated a lot when he threw. He was begging to get sacked. Jeffy threw the ball back, but he threw it too far, and Finn ended up scooping up the ball first.
"Go long!" Finn instructed Jamie. Jamie ran deep, and Finn threw the ball long.
"Hey, nice throw!" Mack praised as Jamie caught the ball.
"Thanks. But without a catch, what is it?" Finn remarked.
"Incomplete." Mack returned, and the two men shared a quick chuckle. The ball returned to Finn, and he took over throwing passes to his buddies. Finn concentrated on throwing and catching the football, and the rest of the world faded away from him. He didn't want to think about Kevin's stupid blunder, or that he could have been seriously hurt and not known about it.
Finn was no good at those things. He knew this for a fact. This was just like Tommy Sherman's death. He didn't like to think about things like that. He just wanted to do what he did best.
Brittany called Finn a little after practice. He was initially surprised that she had his number, but she probably got it from another member of the team. Maybe Mack, who knew that Finn was curious about Kevin's injury.
"The doctor said it was a sprained knee." Brittany remarked.
"Okay. Nothing serious." Finn thought. Sprained knees sucked, but there were a part of what happened in football.
"He's going to be on crutches and everything. And crutches are so clunky. They just get in the way when Kevvy and I are making out!"
"Brittany, I really don't need to hear about you and Kevin making out." Finn remarked.
"I get enough of that just by seeing it in public." Finn thought.
"So will Kevin be ready for the game this Thursday?" Finn asked.
"I said so, but Kevvy said now he watches Touched By An Angel." Brittany's voice squeaked.
"What does that mean?" Finn asked.
"I don't know!" Brittany squealed.
"Listen, Brittany, I gotta go. I'll talk to Kevin tomorrow." Finn hung the phone up. As he figured, Kevin's injury was not severe. But, from what little he could gather from Brittany, Kevin was really upset about it.
This didn't surprise Finn: Kevin had a bad habit of blowing things out of proportion, particularly about himself. Quarterbacks always were a bit larger then life, and Kevin was no exception. Completely full of himself, but thankfully, not as bad as Tommy Sherman.
But if Kevin refused to play, for whatever reason, there was going to be problems with the team. And when the team failed, things didn't go well elsewhere. The people at the mall treated the players differently when they were winning and losing. Negotiating good deals and haggling for merchandise only worked when the team did well.
"I mean, I guess I can't force Kevin to do anything. Maybe I'll get Mack's help on this one. He knows Kevin better than me."
Kevin was back in school tomorrow, when Finn asked Jane between classes. Finn made it a point to walk by Kevin's locker between every class. Eventually, Finn found him, without his uniform and with crutches, talking with Mack.
"That's not a good sign." Finn thought. Kevin wore his uniform everywhere; football defined him. That he wasn't wearing it could only mean one thing.
"You gotta play, man." Mack was stating to Kevin. And that was an even worse sign.
"What's going on?" Finn asked pleasantly.
"It's over, Finn." Kevin moped. "The team doesn't need a guy with one good knee."
"Kevin, you just sprained it. You can still play."
"How am I supposed to play with this bad knee?" Kevin remarked. Finn did agree that a knee injury would have affected Kevin's game, particularly on running plays, but that didn't mean he needed to give up completely. All the players risked injury on the field to begin with. It's not like Kevin's knee would get any worse.
"Okay, maybe you need some rest, but you don't need to quit the team. Your knee with heal really quickly. Enough to get you back moving again." Finn remarked.
"Just give it up, Finn. It's over. The only sports I'll be playing are the ones in video games."
"Kevin, you act like you've got cancer or something. Chill out!"
"Hey, I might have a sprained knee, but I can still..." Kevin became incensed and brought his fists up to bear. Doing so, however, caused Kevin's crutches to clatter to the ground. Without them, he quickly lost his balance.
Finn sighed as Mack helped Kevin to his feet.
"Maybe you should stop until the painkillers wear off." Mack instructed Finn.
"Or until he takes them." Finn returned. Mack did not smile. Finn turned around and walked down the hallway again.
"Great. Now I'm all mopey too." Finn sighed as he thought of his abysmal failure trying to convince Kevin to remain on the team.
Finn couldn't concentrate on his next class, but at least it was Mr. O'Neill, who was probably already doing his own mopey little whining. Between Kevin's fatalistic whining, which bothered Finn more then he thought it would, and his concern about the future of the football team, Finn couldn't care less about F. Scott Fitzgerald, or that book he wrote about the 1920's.
As Finn walked down the hallway, he wondered what Mack would do to keep the team's spirits high. Finn did not know Mack as well as some of the other members of the team. But Mack was a good captain. While Finn was the one who picked out the defense's flaws, and would adjust the plays accordingly, the plays themselves came from Mack and Coach Gibson. They had invented manuevers Finn had never seen done before, and taught the team to use tricky moves Finn thought existed in theory only.
With Kevin on the bench, Mack would be in the quarterback's shoes, probably. And Mack had his problems there. People were always harder on the captain, the leader, than on anyone else.
Mack was too good a person to be blamed for such a thing. While Finn knew Mack was infinitely the person most frustrated with Kevin, the two of them had a friendship, and his friend being injured was going to be hard on him. If the team started losing, that would just make the awesome Mad Mack feel worse.
Finn resolved to do his best on the field at the game. He would do whatever it takes to cheer the team up. Maybe Mack could get Kevin to come back if he wasn't worried about the team losing.
When the game came on Thursday, Kevin didn't even bother showing up, and the entire team was down once they realized it.
Both Mack and Finn tried to motivate the team. The two of them pulled every motivational line they could think of. They tried to say that Kevin was in the stands, and was rooting for the team's victory. They tried to say that Kevin was with them in spirit. Finn kept quiet about the idea that the team could actually perform more complicated, tricky moves to bluff the defense now that Kevin was gone. Nothing seemed to work. But when Oakwood pulled ahead by two touchdowns, and the Lions hadn't scored even one simple field goal, Finn started to wonder whether or not morale was the problem. Mack was substituting for Kevin, but Mack's problem of carefully chosing who to throw to caused him to get sacked. A lot.
"I'm sorry, guys." Mack would always say whenever he got sacked.
"This is really bad." Finn remarked. "We need to think of something fast." Halftime had come around, so the team finally had some time to get into some real strategy. Finn made his way over to Coach Gibson and Mack, where the substitute quarterback was being chewed out by Coach Gibson.
"Hey, come on, Coach, why don't we yell later. What are we going to do on the second half."
"We do get the ball." Mack replied. "Let's figure out a strategy."
"Here's the problem." The coach scowled angrily. "Everytime you throw, you get sacked." While the coach was exaggerating, Finn knew he wasn't wholly imprecise. The sacking was the only problem Lawndale really had. The defensive line was still performing up to par.
"Oakwood's got great defense against rush plays." Finn remarked. He knew this from all the previous games they had played. "We aren't going to be able to get through those guys." Finn remarked.
"Our passing game is pathetic." The coach remarked.
"They are always on Jeffy, true. But you know something, their defense on Jamie is lacking. They like to play four-three. So if we use a five-wide formation..."
"Finn, have you lost your mind?" Mack interrupted. "It's hard enough to choose a target to throw to. We want to lose our extra backs for that?"
"No, it's a fantastic idea. With the right quarterback, we can make a lot of progress. Oakwood won't be able to cover them all."
"It could work, but we're not doing so well on forward passing." Mack remarked.
"Correction, you're not doing well on forward passing." Coach Gibson remarked. "Finn, you're going to be the quarterback."
"What!" Both Finn and Mack were surprised.
"You can throw well enough." Coach Gibson remarked. "And you're better at spotting where the gaps lie in the team. So, here's your chance, hotshot."
"I appreciate..." Finn started, but halftime was starting to end. He had no more time to protest.
"Go on, Finn. Do it!" Coach Gibson instructed.
"Oh. Wow. Hey, Mack..." Finn started to apologize to his teammate.
"We have a game to play." Mack remarked, and Finn detected a slight bitterness in his voice. Sighing, Finn put his helmet back on.
"And with the half ending, Lawndale is down fourteen points." Upchuck, who provided commentary for all the football games, started on his commentary. The Lions managed to gain some impressive yardage from the punt, but the true test of Finn's strategy would come once they were on their first down.
"And what's this? It seems our Lions have changed coats. Our replacement quarterback, Mad Mack, is being replaced himself by the ferocious Finn Morgendorffer. What tricks is this center going to be pulling?"
Finn tried to ignore everything else and concentrated on Oakwood's line. Mack took Finn's position as the center. That team did not deviate from their four-three lineup, and Finn knew exactly what he was going to do.
"Red 15!" He shouted, even though it was the center, not the quarterback, who shouted out such calls. Old habits died hard, it seemed. Mack turned around and looked back at him briefly before hiking the ball. In a fast move, the wide receivers and tight ends took off down the field. Finn scouted around the field and saw exactly what he wanted. While Oakwood, treating Finn as though he was the hesitating Mack and tried for a blitz, Finn was already throwing the ball towards Jamie, who was as open as church on a Sunday. The ball arced gracefully through the air. Jamie started to run towards the ball, and expertly caught the throw.
"And what's this!" Upchuck cheered excitedly. "It seems our new quarterback has thrown a 30 yard pass on his very first try." Jamie covered some pretty good distance before he was tackled. But the entire team was reinvigorated by Finn's throw. The stands were on fire, the cheerleaders regained their bounce. Even Ms. Li, who usually attended the football games with a dour look on her face, was applauding the throw.
The team was excited too. But Finn had no time for celebrations. They needed to get those touchdowns quickly. There was no time for field goals or celebrations.
Oakwood had a difficult time adapting to the five-wide formation. They were used to Kevin, who, like his idol Tommy Sherman, liked to run in the plays himself. The fact that someone else could have an entirely new strategy seemed almost foreign to them. When they tried to cover Jamie more, Finn simply threw the ball to Joey, one of the team's normal wide receivers. When they covered him, Finn threw to Jeffy, another wide receiver. Oakwood simply didn't have the manpower to cover everyone at once. And Finn, whose original position as center, who spent his time checking for such gaps to call out, knew exactly what the other team thought he would do. With so many targets to throw to, it was easy to get a touchdown.
"And Finn Morgendorffer leads the team to a touchdown!" Upchuck called from the commentator booth.
"Lawndale, Lawndale!" Brittany was leading the cheerleaders in an invigorating chant, even though that normally just meant calling out the school's name over and over. The cheerleading team needed to hire some poets or something.
"Well done!" The team was cheering.
"You're awesome, Finn!" Joey cheered. Finn smiled. He felt good when the team won. But Mack said nothing to him at all.
"There's no way he's jealous. Mack isn't like that." Finn thought. While Mack did enjoy playing a prank or two on Kevin, or a highbrow insult to him, that was common among, well, everyone at Lawndale. Even the freshman wailed on his legendary ignorance. Mack was a great guy in many ways, and he would never share in such a base emotion as jealousy. He was absolutely not like Daria.
By the end of the third quarter, Lawndale had managed to get both another touchdown and a field goal once Finn realized they wouldn't have the time to get a second one. The cheering of the crowd was infectious, and soon the entire crowd was calling his name. Finn could see his father, with two large pennants, cheering even more loudly than he normally did. And that reinvigorated Finn, and made him rack his mind even more to keep the one-up on Oakwood.
The game ended 31-14 with a Lawndale victory. Finn was still surprised he managed to run in that last touchdown. Oakwood had finally started to get wise to the five-wide, and planned for it, but Finn quickly reasoned that using the ace formation would be effective, since they'd expect a pass anyway. And, sure enough, they performed to expectations, and Finn managed to squeeze out one more touchdown. From there, it was simple enough to run down the clock.
Inside the locker room, the entire team was jovial. Finn was getting handshakes, pats on the back, and one-armed hugs from many different people. And Finn was happy for he felt as though he earned it.
"Finn, come in my office." Coach Gibson instructed before Finn even changed out of his uniform. Finn entered to see both Mack and the Coach together.
"Finn, you were absolutely incredible on the field today." Coach Gibson praised.
"Um...thanks!" Finn smiled.
"You managed to pull victory from certain defeat. And you knew how to crush those Oakwood bastards! Finn, from now on, you're our quarterback until Kevin gets back. And maybe for longer, if you keep this up."
"Really? Well, uhhh...wow!" Finn was a little sheepish.
"Aren't we jumping the gun on this, Coach?" Mack asked. "Kevin's knee is only sprained. I'm surprised he isn't back now."
"Mister MacKenzie, there's no need to rain on your teammate's parade." The Coach replied. "Can't you be happy for this victory?"
"I am." Mack replied. "But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Yeah, Finn, you pulled some pretty sweet moves out there, but..."
"I don't think you should be criticizing, Mack." Coach Gibson lectured. "After all, Finn wasn't the won making us lose."
"Now, Coach, isn't that a little..." Finn started.
"Keep this up, Finn, and there will be more for you then just quarterback. I can smell that State trophy. And maybe you'll be our new captain."
"Whoa!" Finn was so surprised, he could barely get out his exclamation.
"What about me, Coach?" Mack did not seem pleased.
"Do you really need to ask, Mack?" Coach Gibson remarked. "The team's a winner because of Finn." And Coach Gibson left his office.
Finn knew that Coach Gibson took football seriously. Indeed, the entire town did. Victory and defeat spread to every resident.
"Mack..." Finn started, hoping to clear the air with his teammate.
"Finn, you don't need to apologize. We both know he was just acting up." Mack replied.
"Oh. Well, good." Finn smiled. "I mean, I didn't want you to think I was trying to, you know..." Finn had absolutely no desire to usurp the position of captain from Mack.
"I mean, just because you sucked today doesn't mean you're a bad captain." Finn chuckled. Mack, however, did not seem amused by that.
"Oh, I mean, uhhh..." Finn stuttered, but was really uncertain about what to say. He didn't want to offend Mack, but, the truth did stand. Mack sucked as a quarterback. He was bad at throwing, he knew this before the game, and yet, the team went on the whole first half without fixing it. What the reason was, Finn didn't know. But blame for that rested on Mack's shoulders.
"Thanks, Finn." Mack remarked sarcastically before walking out the office.
"Dammit. And blame for that is all me." Finn thought.
"And there's my little quarterback, yeah!" Jake cheered when Finn returned home following the game. Jake was seated on the couch reading the newspaper, but it was clear to Finn that Jake was only just passing the time until Finn got home. Probably because he was holding the paper upside-down.
"Thanks, Dad." Finn chuckled sheepishly. Praise from his father was common, but it always embarrassed Finn each and every time. Probably because it meant so much to him.
"And to think I started you on...hey, honey!" Jake noticed the door opening, and Helen Morgendorffer, her hands full of files.
"Oh, hello!" Helen remarked.
"You'll never guess what you missed at Finn's football game today. They made him the quarterback. And he won!"
"Well, that's fantastic, Finn." Helen remarked.
"My first well, I guess you'd call it official quarterback game is next Monday." Finn instructed. "I hope you guys will come."
"Yeah, no sweat, Finn!" Jake cheered.
"Oh. Well, I wish you had told me earlier. Eric is having a meeting." Helen remarked.
"Of course." Finn thought bitterly. "Tell me you're so sorry. You don't care. It's not important to you. But if Daria was winning some writing girl award, you'd use a vacation or a sick day or something." It was just like his mother to ruin the mood.
"Well, I'm gonna go call Aunt Rita." Finn went upstairs to his room.
"She comes to more games than you, anyway." Finn thought.
Finn was greeted with more cheers and appreciation then he usually got. But Finn tried to ignore it. He wanted to set the record straight with Mack. He found his comrade putting his books away in his locker.
"Hey, can we talk?" Finn asked.
"Sure." Mack seemed pleasant, but he always seemed pleasant. Finn had no idea if he had insulted him.
"Listen, I didn't mean to..." Finn started to apologize. He couldn't worry if the comment actually insulted the man later. But, before he could get the comment out, a group of freshman girls cheered in delight at seeing Finn.
"Thank you, thank you, but I really need to talk to my friend here. Another time?" Finn turned his flirting charms on, and the girls quickly departed.
"Mack, I didn't mean to be mean yesterday." Finn got out.
"Hey, it's okay. I've heard it from the rest of the school already. I might as well hear it from you."
"Mack, I'm sorry, okay? I don't want my stupid insult to get in the way of our friendship." Finn stated, but then another group came to greet Finn. These were a group of guys in Finn's own grade. Members of the lacrosse team, if he remembered.
Finn tried to brush them off, but they were persistent, and it took a remarkable amount of effort to be rid of them.
"Okay, so, Mack..."
"I'm not angry, dude." Mack returned. "If the coach wants to change the captain, he can do that. The team will probably vote for you. It's not going to offend me."
"Oh, come on, no one's that well adjusted." Finn noted.
"Finn, my life doesn't revolve around football." Mack replied. "And I'd still be on the team. It's about what's best for the team. You know that as well as anyone."
"But Mack, I don't want things to..."
"There's nothing bad between us. You made a stupid crack and you owned up to it." Mack returned. "I'm just glad you stepped up and lead the team to victory. I'm not ashamed to admit you did a better job than me."
"Oh. Well, I'm glad...that things are cool." Finn remarked.
"You would make a good captain." Mack remarked. "To tell the truth, I always figured you'd be the one to be the captain. I just figured I'd appoint you when I graduated."
"Oh, well." Finn started to blush. A compliment from Mack was not won easy.
"You have a lot of influence with the team." Mack remarked. "You should be a leader more often."
"Well, I...I try to come up with some good strategy."
"That's not what I meant." Mack remarked before heading down the hall.
Aunt Rita expressed her willingness to attend the game next Monday.
"I was planning on seeing Ralph, that actor, up in New York, but I can reschedule that." Rita remarked. "Your first quarterback game."
"Well, officially." Finn returned. "But I'm glad you're coming, Aunt Rita."
"I'm glad too. I've got to get going. I'll watch at the game, see you after."
"Count on it." Finn was ecstatic. He returned to his desk. Finn did not own many books, but he did have a few on football strategy and impressive plays, and he was determined to know them as best as he could.
"How did Kevin manage to perform without these?" Finn thought. Kevin's idea of strategy was that he always got the ball and did whatever the hell he wanted with it. He usually did pretty good at handing the ball off to the proper person, but not always. Relying on Kevin's intelligence was not the smartest thing Finn had ever heard, but he was the quarterback. He received the ball on almost every play. Like it or not, he was a part of that.
There was a knock on his door. Without asking for a command, the door opened and in stepped Finn's mother.
"Yes?" Finn asked. "I gotta get to work on these..."
"Finn, when is that game?" Helen asked pleasantly.
"Oh? Well, it's at the school, and it starts at 6." Finn answered. His mother nodded, but said nothing else.
"Were you planning on coming?" Finn tried to hide the hope in his voice.
"Well, I do have that meeting." Helen commented.
"Well, what else?" Finn thought dryly.
"Okay." He returned to strategy.
"Finn?" Helen stated.
"Yes, Mom?" Just as he tried to hide his hope, he tried to hide his annoyance.
"You're..." Helen trailed off.
"You're...taking this very seriously." Helen remarked.
"It's important." Finn returned. "But I know you find football boring. Don't worry about it. Enjoy yourself at that meeting thing."
"I know that's what you'd rather be doing anyway." Finn thought.
"Finn, I'm..."
"Mom?"
"It's...it's nothing." Helen remarked after a long pause. "I'll try to make it in." And Helen left the room.
"Liar." Finn said very softly as he considered the best course of action for Robert, who was now the running back now that Mack was taking Finn's original spot as center.
Helen sat at the kitchen table, trying to concentrate on the work in front of her, but her thoughts kept drifting back to home. It was a total surprise to hear that Finn was played in the quarterback position. Helen only knew enough about football to get her through Super Bowl parties at the firm, although a life with both Jake and Finn taught her a bit more as she went along.
Helen was happy that her son was so happy and applying himself diligently, but she wished it was, at the very least, he'd apply the same sort of effort to his academics.
"If he did, he'd have straight A's and be the team MVP." Helen thought. But this, along with other sports, was the only thing he ever applied himself at.
This game on Monday was going to be very important to him. Helen heard Finn talk to Rita about the game, inviting her to participate. And she was coming, Helen knew. Finn had stated as such.
"How long will that meeting be?" Helen wondered. She wondered if, perhaps, if it was quick, she could hurry to the school and, at least catch part of the game. If she caught maybe the second half, she could speak of that.
It wasn't exactly the most virtuous approach, but this meeting had already been called. Helen needed to impress the senior partners in order to become a partner herself. Once she was a partner, there would be time. Helen knew that there would be time.
"But maybe you can head to the office early? You can't reschedule the meeting, but maybe if everything is done early, Eric will call the meeting early." Helen smiled at her idea. It was a long shot, but worth doing. Turn in a little earlier on Sunday, and she could pull it off.
There was no school on Saturday, but Finn was so excited he could barely sit still. There was no official practice scheduled, but Finn called his buddies in order to work on his throwing down on the field. He wanted this game to be perfect. To set a high bar.
"And soon, regionals. Maybe even State, if I try hard enough." Finn thought. His buddies were very eager to get out of the house. The guys practiced for a long time. Finn informed them of the strategies and ideas he had.
"Cool!" Jamie exclaimed.
"I wanted to try something like that!" Joey remarked. "But with Kevin, we were never able to try that."
"We could only do it in backyard games." Jeffy noted.
"Hey, I needed to ask you guys something." Finn stated. He figured it as time to test the waters about the whole captain thing. He had absolutely no desire to take such a position from someone as cool as Mack, and, if they thought otherwise, he needed to squash it now.
"Did Coach Gibson talk to you guys, about...well...me replacing Mack as captain?"
"No." Jamie remarked.
"Thank God!" Finn exclaimed.
"Why would he?" Jeffy asked.
"Because he did to me after the game on Thursday. And Mack." Finn answered. "And I don't want people thinking that. I don't want it."
"Dude, you would be a good captain." Joey praised.
"That's not the point!" Finn returned. "I don't want to be a usurper. I mean, I'm quarterback because Kevin went all AWOL on us, but Mack is still the captain. And that's how it's going to stay."
"Okay. That's what you want." Jamie remarked.
"Whatever, dude." Jeffy added.
"Good. Now let's get back to practice." Finn sighed with relief, and started throwing more passes. As he continued to throw the ball, he was completely surprised by how quickly those guys listened to him.
"Is that what you meant by influence, Mack?" Finn wondered. "Because everyone listens to me? I guess that makes sense. This does happen. So what does the leadership part mean?"
Practice lasted another two hours before the guys had to go off and do other things. Finding himself hungry, Finn decided to hit Pizza Palace. He was not surprised when he saw Jane and Tom sitting there, enjoying a slice.
"Hey, guys!" Finn eagerly went over to them. "Do you mind if I join you?"
"Sure." Tom agreed.
"Daria's not with you?"
"No. No worrying about snipers." Jane teased.
"Congratulations on your football win." Tom remarked.
"You heard about that?" Finn asked.
"I told him, numb nuts." Jane teased.
"Next game's on Monday. You wanna come?"
"I'll go." Jane offered. "I don't have any other plans."
"We don't have to do body paint, do we?"
"Scared of a little color, or that I won't like what I see when I get that sweater off you." Jane teased.
"See what I put up with, Finn?" Tom teased. All three shared in a quick laugh.
"So you'll come?" Finn asked.
"Yeah." Tom agreed. "My school is throwing a fund-raising dinner. I'd rather go somewhere pleasant."
"Thanks." Finn smiled. "I'm glad everyone I care about is coming."
"Ah." Tom replied. "Well, I'll be waiting for Monday's game. I gotta get going." Tom remarked.
"I'll go with you." Jane remarked.
"You read my mind." Tom chuckled. "Later, Finn."
When Monday rolled around, Helen had her game plan set up perfectly. She woke up at 4:30, made herself a quick cup of coffee, and was out the door by five. She headed quickly to the office and got started on all the work that needed to get finished.
"I'm glad I showed Eric my willingness to come in early so he could give me the keys and the code to the alarm." Helen thought with a smile. She attacked her work with a passion.
"Helen!" Eric arrived in the office a little before seven.
"Hello, Eric!" Helen remarked.
"You're here early. I like to see that!" Eric chuckled. "Go- getter, not afraid of long hours. That's why I like you!"
"Well, I'm not afraid of a little time. Investment, innovation and effort. Three codes of business!" Helen remarked. She and Eric laughed.
"I'm just hoping we can get everything done so we can start that meeting as soon as possible." Helen remarked. "Get everything nice and accomplished."
"What's the occasion? Wedding? Funeral? I wish you invited me." Eric laughed again, and Helen wondered if he had too much coffee. Or spiked it with something.
"No occasion." Helen lied. She couldn't tell Eric she wanted to go see her son's football game. He took objection to anything like that. He didn't even like vacation time.
"I just want everything done." Helen noted.
"That's why we're working late tonight, too!" Eric remarked. "We got a call last night from Vanguard Pharmaceuticals."
"Really? They're huge." Helen remarked. Vanguard, if she remembered correctly, made medicines for people with liver conditions.
"I don't have all the details yet. That's what the meeting is about! We're going to strike it big with this one, Helen. Tell your husband to order a pizza, you'll be here all night! You and me, straight to the top!"
"Ummm, Eric..." Helen tried to interrupt him, but Eric was already practically singing.
"To the top!" Eric ran out of her office, pumping his fists in the air as he went down the hall to his own office.
"Oh. Fantastic. What now, Helen?" She thought glumly as she looked at the paperwork in front of her.
Finn couldn't even concentrate on school on Monday. He didn't care how much hell Barch would give him for not paying attention. Tonight was too exciting. Finn considered asking Ms. Li if he could spend the rest of the school day practicing, but he decided against it. He would just tire himself out.
"This is it!" Finn thought with a cheer. Things were cool between him and Mack. The captain knew that Finn was not trying to usurp him. Finn could perform to his best with no worries about hurting anyone.
Finn passed Kevin in the hallway. He was still on his crutches, although Finn wasn't surprised. It hadn't even been a week yet.
"Hey, dude, feeling better?" Finn asked.
"Yeah." Kevin was still gloomy.
"Hey, dude, what's wrong."
"I'm the QB no more, dude. That's you now." Kevin remarked.
"Kevin, I'm only subbing until your knee gets better." Finn returned. "Once you're well enough to play, things will go back to the way they were."
"No they won't!" Kevin returned. "They'll all be like, why aren't you as good as Finn. He saved us against Oakwood, you're not as good as he is. There's no place on the team for me now, dude."
"That's not true, Kevin. The team still needs you."
"And what would I play?"
"Well..." Finn thought for a minute. Kevin was pretty scrawny, so any position on the line was out. He wasn't very fast, so a back position wasn't good either. Joey and Jeffy were better wide receivers, and Jamie was a better tight end. Truly, aside from quarterback, Finn couldn't see what Kevin could do for the team that someone else couldn't do better.
"Well, why don't we discuss it when you get better?" Finn offered, grateful to find an easy way out. "Since you're not playing anyway."
"Yeah, I guess." Kevin slumped and hobbled on his crutches away. And Finn, for the first time, actually felt bad for the guy. Kevin was truly nothing without football. If he was off the team, he truly would have nothing. He'd be devastated.
"Is this what you meant, Mack?" Finn wondered. "Telling Kevin he has no place on the team? That's hard. I don't know if I can do it? Is it even the right decision? Now what, Finn?"
Finn didn't leave the school after the game ended. The team had a short practice, just enough to warm up with, just before the game started.
"How's my ringer doing?" Coach Gibson asked Finn.
"Psyched." Finn remarked. "I'm ready to go."
"That's what I like to hear." The coach replied. "You know how to do this. Just go ahead." The coach returned to the other players, and Finn chuckled just a little bit before looking at the stands.
"Finn!" Finn caught the eye of his father almost immediately. He was loud enough to be heard from space.
"Dad!" Finn shouted and walked his way over to him. His father had already taken his place in the bleachers, and right beside him was Aunt Rita.
"And Aunt Rita too!"
"Hello, Finn." Aunt Rita said pleasantly. "It's a good thing your father was here so early. A lot of people came out today. I was worried we might not get good seats." Rita remarked.
"Well, I'm just glad you made it."
"Don't let us distract you." Rita remarked. "Just focus and you'll do fine."
"Thanks, Aunt Rita. I've been pumped for this day for a while."
"I thought the first time was just last Thursday." Aunt Rita remarked.
"It's felt a lot longer." Finn smiled. "Well, I should probably get back to warm-ups before I get killed. My friend Stacy is helping run the concession booth, and she knows my dad. Don't worry about paying for that stuff."
"I'll keep that in mind." Rita laughed. She bent down and gave Finn a peck on the forehead.
"Do your best, sweetie. I don't know much about football, but I do love seeing you happy when you do it." And Aunt Rita made Finn blush as he walked back to the team.
Helen sighed when Eric started setting up the phone for the meeting. It was going to be over the phone with a few members of Vanguard.
Conference calls always took forever, because they were so full of chatter. Helen despised chatter even when she wasn't on a time crunch. Now, it was going to be murder.
She looked at her clock. Close to 5. It took forty-five minutes to reach Lawndale High from her office. She'd have time to find a parking space and make the kickoff.
"Eric, what can you tell me about this case already?" Helen asked politely. If she got the details hammered down, perhaps she could move the meeting along. She planned for the meeting to end at 5:30. There'd be some traffic, and she'd miss the first bit of the game. But she'd be there for most of it. She remembered football games had four fifteen-minute periods, although she did remember Finn saying that high school games were a bit shorter, although she didn't know by how much. Other things made it ran a little longer, but planning on that would make her relatively accurate.
"They have a new medicine they called Phoenix. Supposedly helped regenerate damaged tissue much faster. Looks like...agh!" An errant move from Eric caused him to drop the handset of Helen's phone.
"Eric, why don't you get the IT guy to take care of that?" Helen offered.
"No way. I can fix it. Eric Schrecter can perform and deliver!"
"Having problems with your wife again?" Helen thought to herself. At no other time did he denigrate into such double entendres.
"Eric, do you know much about football?" Helen asked.
"Sure I do!" Eric cheered.
"Well, Eric, you remember Finn, right? My son?"
"How is the boy?" Eric continued to fiddle with the phone.
"He's playing his first game as the team quarterback tonight." Helen delivered a backup plan she thought of at the spur of the moment. Eric always had masculinity issues, and perhaps the raw, virile sport would appeal to him. Helen would bring Eric to the game if it meant she could go see her son. She'd even buy his ticket if they could leave now.
"Wow!" Eric remarked. "And you're going to spend it with me instead. I knew you had partner-quality written all over you. Putting the firm first, I like that!" Eric completely misinterpreted her point, although Helen honestly expected that might happen.
"Well, it looks like the phone is all set up. Expect the call in fifteen minutes." Eric stood up. Helen sighed. Fifteen minutes to start? She'd miss the kick if she left when it started. Who knew how long the ending would take.
"Oh, Helen, that's your son, right?" He pointed to a picture on her desk.
"Yes, that' him." Helen remarked. Jake had given her this picture recently; he took it on their last father-son outing just last week.
"Just last week?" Helen moaned. When was the last time she had mother-son bonding with him? Longer than that, that's for sure.
"He certainly is built. Maybe I should ask his advice sometime. Do you think my abs look good for my age?" Eric pulled up the front of his shirt to expose his stomach.
"Eric, shouldn't we be waiting for the phone call. You'll need to rush back to your office to get it, and then they'll hear you breathing heavy."
"Oh, I'm not worried. Those guys said they'll probably be a few minutes late anyway."
"Goddammit!" Helen thought.
The visitor team won the coin toss, so they would receive the ball first.
"It's the only thing you'll win." Finn thought as he played attention to all the defensive players on his team. Defense was not Finn's area of expertise, but he knew enough from his time spotting the opponent's defense during his time as center.
"Show me some good." Finn thought.
"Hey, dude, you look excited." Mack came over to Finn and sat beside him.
"Aren't you?" Finn returned.
"Well, yeah." Mack shrugged. "Big game for you, huh?"
"The first of many, I hope." Finn smiled.
"You mean as quarterback?"
"Where I'm best suited. Whatever that means. Doesn't matter where I want to go." Finn stared at the field, and watched as the defense, while not as great as he would like, managed to keep the offense from gaining too many yards. They got a fresh set of downs with a good throw, but the defense picked it up later, and soon the visiting team was going to punt.
"Guess they're not stupid." Finn remarked. "Was kinda hoping for a turnover. Well, Captain, shall we get ready to kick some ass?"
"There's more important things than winning." Mack returned.
"Yeah, but winning isn't a bad thing provided it's won fairly." Finn returned. "Besides, won't we win by performing our best?"
"Now you're talking my language." Mack put his helmet on.
Finn knew that many of his friends and family were watching the game, but he tried to blot them out of his head. He remembered last Thursday, when he was sacked only once. And the reason why was simple: He looked at his father. As much as Finn knew he desired the support of those he loved, he had to ignore them to give them what they wanted.
Finn always found it hard to focus on anything that wasn't a game. But Finn's world ended with the girdiron. There were only the football and the players. And then Finn received the ball. To his surprise, it felt different than he did on Thursday. He almost forgot to throw it. But he quickly made a lateral pass to Robert, who managed to get five yards.
"Attrition." Finn thought. "You have four downs." The team returned to formation, and Finn heard Mack shout "Green 13." A codeword that meant the opponents were more prepared for a rush from the weak side.
"Let's see what you bastards think of this." Mack hiked the ball to Finn, and quickly, the new quarterback threw the ball to Jamie. The tight end performed almost as well as he did against Oakwood, and now there was a fresh set of downs.
"Maybe this was the best thing for the team to happen since ever." Finn laughed, and looked at the cheering crowd. The love was overflowing for the team from the fans.
"Keep a goin'-Finn. They want a show. And, unlike that show in Fremont, a show you have no problems doing."
The conference call started at around 5:25. Helen could barely hide her annoyance. And the case itself was hardly anything spectacular. Although Vanguard itself was a large company, this case was so ridiculously simple that it didn't even warrant Helen's attention. Was this just some sort of test to see if she was ready for senior partner? Was this all a farce, to see how she'd react?
"It better not be." Helen thought angrily. She managed to keep her calm, and the phone call took about forty-five minutes.
"The game is already started, Helen!" Her mind hissed at her when she hung the phone up. 6:05. It would have just begun. If she left now, she'd only catch maybe the last quarter of the game.
"That might be enough." Helen thought. She hung the phone up and quickly shut everything down in her office. It would have been a record, had she bothered to check the time.
"Helen, where ya going?" Eric called. "We should be celebrating!" Eric had a flute of champagne in his hand. He always kept some in his office.
"Eric, I do really need to leave. Finn's football game has already started."
"Helen, you'd never make it in time. There's an accident on the freeway."
"What!" Helen cursed.
"Yeah, Mindy called and told me about it." Eric knocked back his champagne. Mindy was the name of Eric's wife.
"I still should get going. I can take the back roads. I just need to get there in time." Helen turned around and sprinted down the steps, not bothering to wait for the elevator. By some miracle, her heels did not break. She got in her minivan and took off down the road. Sure enough, Helen noticed a lot of backup on the freeway, but she knew the back roads. Not very well, but she remembered road names and turns, and that would be enough.
Helen turned on the road feeling great. Her time was off, but she could make the end of the game. She would see the score for herself. And when Finn spoke to her, she would not lie, but she would be able to cover as best as she could. He would know that he asked her to come, and she did. That was what mattered.
And all of her hopes shattered when she made the second turn, and saw the slow moving line of red lights from the other people who thought the back roads would be another quick way home.
The visiting team was a lot better than Oakwood, and Finn only managed to get one touchdown in, using a trick play, nonetheless, by the time the first quarter ended. But the crowd was still excited to see Lawndale at 7, and Gregory Bishop, the visitors, at zip.
"Step it up, Finn!" The coach remarked in the short break between quarters.
"You bet." Finn smiled. He looked into the stands to see his Dad, who was cheering with both fists in the air. Aunt Rita sat beside him, elegantly sitting down with a smile on her face. Further down the stand, Finn could pick out Jane, seated with Tom. Jane was apathetic, and Finn knew she didn't care much for football, but Tom was making a small racket of cheering.
"Maybe just to mess with Jane." Finn chuckled. And then he noticed Kevin, looking as gloomy as he did at school today.
While Finn may not have been performing as well as he wanted to, he was still succeeding. Kevin was probably taking this as his march to execution.
For a brief moment, Finn considered dropping down from the game. He loved the game very much, but he never wanted his skill on the field to hurt someone else. Not even Kevin. Finn actually felt sad when he saw the morose former quarterback. Kevin was an idiot, a jerk sometimes, and completely full of himself.
And that's when Finn dispelled the thought of throwing the game. Kevin had no one to blame but himself. He got himself into the accident, his performance at quarterback was passable. But passable did not win State. Neither did it grant tenure.
"Maybe I should talk to him after I win the game, maybe figure out what position he can play. But I can't throw the game for someone else. I am not the team. Even if Kevin hates me for this, the other guys don't deserve to be called losers because of me." And with that sacrilege dispelled, Finn went back to the game. And, thanks to a fantastic interception from one of the seniors Finn didn't know too well, Lawndale was able to make another touchdown within three minutes of game time.
Helen cursed even more as the slow march of cars drug on.
"That's it." Helen hit the steering wheel of her car with frustration.
"I'm not going to make it." Helen thought glumly. Nothing short of teleportation would get her there now. She could no longer focus on it.
"Finn will go out to celebrate his victory, of that I'm sure. Rita is coming,, so he'll definitely go out to eat with her." Helen could waste no more time thinking about the game. She needed to focus on Finn now.
"I should do something. He would never believe there was traffic. What need would Finn have to check traffic reports; he's playing football. So let's try..." Helen thought quickly. Once she saw a chance to veer onto a road, she took it. She made her way back to a major road. There was still some traffic, but she pulled off into a nearby grocery store. She immediately made her way to the bakery department, and picked out a small sheet cake.
"White frosting with green trim. Finn's favorite color." Helen thought. She called over the bakery associate.
"Could I have you write something on this cake for me?" She asked the teenaged girl.
"Sure." The girl replied with the bored apathy common to high school grocery workers.
"I want it to say 'Congratulations, Finn' and that's with two n's." Helen returned.
"Okay. What color?"
"Green, like the trim." Helen waited anxiously as the woman completed her job. The job she did was positively horrific, but it was legible. That was what was important now.
"Thank you." Helen grabbed the cake and quickly paid for it, and then made it back to her car. The traffic was moving slightly faster as she got back on the road.
"Surprise him with a congratulations and then you can tell him about traffic. He will believe it. After all, it's true." Helen smiled as he pulled onto the street.
At halftime, Lawndale was still up, but the score was 14-10, and Finn was starting to get a little nervous. The entire team was amazed at the marvelous execution of the hook and ladder that Gregory Bishop pulled.
"And I wanted to do that. At least we receive." Finn thought. He called over Mack, Robert, Joey, Jeffy, and Jamie.
"We need to change things up a bit." Finn remarked. "Guys? I'm thinking flea flicker."
"That's pretty risky." Mack cautioned.
"I know, but we need to get the pressure off. We need another touchdown." Finn returned. Four points was not a lot of points to get in football, particularly when it was only halftime.
"I'm in." Robert replied.
"Joey, the defense is weakest on you. Can you do it?" Finn asked.
"Yeah!" Joey cheered. After the punt, the Lion attempted the classic play.
"And Morgendorffer laterals the ball to...and what's this?" Upchuck commented from the booth.
"It seems our halfback is throwing the ball back to...and Morgendorffer makes a long pass. It's going...going. And Joey Nelson catches it! Your very own Lawndale Lions show their trick claws. It's the first time this announcer has seen the classic flea flicker performed successfully at Lawndale High! And with forty yards gained, who can complain?" The crowd erupted into cheers. The team quickly cheered each other.
With so many yards gained, morale was high among the Lions. The team was able to get out another touchdown. But Finn knew he couldn't get lazy for a moment. He could collapse in the car if he wanted to. Now was not the time.
Gregory Bishop responded more aggressively following the flea flicker, and they managed another touchdown and a field goal. But that was not enough for victory, and the game ended with a final score of 21-20, Lawndale victory. Finn was a little disappointed, as he figured he could do better.
But he could worry about that when he was with the team, reviewing footage that Ms. Li would eagerly provide. She video-taped every football game.
"That woman has an obsession with..." Finn thought. The entire team was in a jovial mood when they got changed. But Finn changed quickly; he needed to see his father and Aunt Rita. Sure enough, they were waiting just outside.
"That's my boy!" Jake cheered.
"Well done, Finn." Rita encouraged, giving him a hug.
"Careful, I'm still sweaty." Finn felt so much better seeing everyone. Jane would have known that Aunt Rita was attending, and would not interrupt family time for Finn. And Tom would have followed Jane.
But no one else came to the game. Not Mom.
"Why do I kid myself?" Finn thought. She had a meeting. She had her job. That was the most important thing.
"Well, I guess I was wrong too. Daria's not with her. I guess it's not just about her, then." Finn thought to himself.
"Let's eat." Rita remarked. "Anywhere you want."
"Dad?" Finn asked. "Which of your clients has the best food?" Jake eagerly gave them the name of a restaurant.
"I've got an early day tomorrow. I'll see you. Congratulations, Finn!" Jake cheered before going back to his Lexus.
"You did so well, Finn. I'm glad I got to see you play." Rita remarked.
"Yeah. Thanks, Aunt Rita." Finn smiled as the two went off to eat.
"Why can't you do things like this, Mom? Why?"
When Helen arrived at the house, she was surprised to discover Jake's Lexus was already there. But all the lights were off in the house.
"Finn shouldn't be home yet." Helen thought. Perhaps Jake decided to call it an early night?
"No big deal." Helen thought. Jake would have already celebrated with Finn. Helen eagerly went into the kitchen carrying the cake and set it neatly on the kitchen table in front of her, taking off the plastic lid. And then, she sat patiently.
"I can wait for you, Finn. I know that you will come home." Helen sat patiently, rehearsing what she wanted to say in her mind, to smooth out the cracks in the speech. And she waited. Patiently. An hour passed, then two. It was starting to get rather late, and Finn did have curfew.
"Wait, he's out with Rita. Like she'd ever let him acknowledge curfew." Helen started to get impatient, but she did not leave. Her eyesstarted to grow heavy. It had been a very long day, and traffic always exhausted her. Sitting in the car waiting for slow people to actually have reaction time was the most tiring thing Helen could imagine.
And her head started to dip a little, but she tried to fight it. It worked for a time.
"Where are you, Finn?" Helen thought. It didn't take this long to celebrate. Even with Rita. Helen's eyes started to get away again, and the world seemed to spin a moment. Early mornings were tough on her.
And then Helen stood up to get some water. And, after that entire day of running around, was the time her high heel finally broke. Helen stumbled and grabbed the table for balance. However, her hand grabbed the plastic tray the cake was resting on. Helen and the cake both fell to the floor.
"Oh...Oh no!" Helen moaned as she saw the now ruined confection. Everything she did today to show Finn today her appreciation, and all she had to show for it was a car nearly out of gas, a broken high heel, and a buttercreme disaster splayed out on the floor.
Helen sobbed drastically as she cleaned up the floor.
Finn stayed out for three hours with his Aunt Rita. Even the place he went to, a popular Italian restaurant, had many people who knew about the game. Some teammates, but mostly fans, came over to offer their congratulations. There was even a reporter from the Lawndale Herald who wanted to interview Finn. He accepted, but commented to wait until after he was finished his dinner. Football was hungry work.
Aunt Rita was encouraging him. Although it was abundantly clear that she didn't know much about the technical aspect of the game, she still praised his level head, his quick decision-making.
"The things Mom never tells me." Finn thought bitterly. Aunt Rita did not stay the whole time; she wanted to give Finn the opportunity to speak to that reporter. The reporter, like a true shark, came over to the table shortly after Aunt Rita left, and started to drill him. Finn tried to answer as best as he could.
When Finn returned home, the house was quiet. Finn went straight upstairs to his room and fell on the bed. He wanted to sleep for days, but he had to wake up for school tomorrow. Finn made sure to get ready and wake up for it, however. At school, the reactions of many of the students was exactly what Finn thought it would be. Praise and lots of it. They loved him, they were happy for him. And Finn was enraptured.
"You see, Mom. I can do something right." Finn thought bitterly. This was the biggest game he had yet, except maybe his first one ever. And, just as it was back then, his mother did not care. She did not show up to them, at all. Finn knew the number of games she had shown up to: Four, in total. In two years, she'd only seen him play four times. And she was on the phone with Eric during the entire time, talking about whatever stupid idea crossed that guy's mind.
"I guess I know where I stand." Finn thought as he headed to Mr. O'Neill's class.
Helen figured that there would be an article about the football game in the Lawndale Herald. The entire town took it's high school football team seriously. Sure enough, a large article, complete with a picture of Finn on the field, dominated the paper. According to the article, it was the masterful playing of the quarterback that defeated the visiting team, Gregory Bishop, who apparently, usually defeated Lawndale.
Helen was angry that she missed it. Now Finn would think that she spent all night helping companies cheat on their taxes, or coddling Eric, or whatever it was he thought she did.
"Am I just going to have to do what you said, Eric? Buy him a new pair of cleats and hope it'll just blow over?" Helen thought. Immediately as she thought of it, she immediately thought "no." Perhaps this would blow over, as all things did, but she was not going to get suckered into such apathy.
"Okay. So you don't want to take the hard way out. Good for you. Now, how do you do that, Helen?" She thought. Finn was going to be in school now. But if the case with Vanguard was as simple as she thought, perhaps she could take a personal day once it was done. She was already taking one shortly to get a check-up and visit the dentist. That was only an hour or two. There would be the entire rest of the day for Finn.
"But wait, Finn would be at school." Helen dismissed. And who knew what his schedule would be like now that he was the quarterback of the team. The doctor and dentist could be handled with Finn at school, assuredly. Perhaps a snow day? No, Finn's grades were still not at the level Helen liked. He could not afford to miss school.
"Why is this so hard?" Helen wondered to herself as she heard Marianne, her secretary, come into the office.
"Good morning, Helen?" Marianne smiled. "I'll get right on fixing that letterhead for you." Marianne immediately shuffled to her desk.
"Marianne has children." Helen thought. Marianne, if she remembered correctly, had two children. Two sons, if she remembered, all alone. Marianne never spoke of her husband often. All Helen knew was that there had been an accident.
"Marianne?" Helen posed.
"Yes, Helen?" Marianne was skittish, almost as if she expected Helen to drop a load of paper the size of a small country in her lap.
"How old are your children? You have two boys, right?" Helen asked. Marianne was surprised as the comment.
"Well, Scott is twelve and Tony is ten." Marianne answered nervously.
"What are they like?" Helen asked.
"Umm...Helen, you're not...going through...err.." Marianne stuttered.
"Why is it anytime I show the slightest interest in my children, everyone thinks it's menopause?" Helen cursed.
"Marianne, answer the question." Helen demanded. Marianne shrunk in her chair a little.
"Well, Scott likes detective novels and computer games. And Tony loves soccer. Tries all the time."
"He sounds like Finn." Helen reflected with a smile.
"I read the paper this morning." Marianne seemed to relax a bit, a rare occurrence for her. "That was your son?"
"Yes. That's him." Helen smiled.
"And weren't you here with Eric last night?" Marianne asked.
"What, you think I'm a bad mother?" Helen immediately became defensive.
"N...no, I would never say that!" Marianne remarked. Helen was about to chew the woman out for thinking such a thing, but she bit her tongue. She needed this woman's help right now.
"I've never understood sports much. What does soccer mean for Tony?" Helen asked.
"It's...it's hard to explain." Marianne returned. "I try to follow it, but I could never get into it. It just seems so pointless, to kick a ball into a net. Plus, well, my husband loved soccer." Marianne's eyes went misty a moment.
"But anyway." Marianne tried to perk up. "I don't really know that much about it. But I learned at least the basics. So if Tony talks about it, I can ask him questions. Sometimes I think he thinks I'm an idiot. But at least I try. But I'm sure you know all about that, Helen."
"Huh? I don't know the first thing about soccer."
"I mean with Finn." Marianne answered. "He's certainly did well at that game."
"You went?" Helen asked.
"Oh yes. My brother's son goes to Gregory Bishop. Can't say he was pleased with what happened."
Helen thought briefly that she could ask Marianne all the details of the game. The small things, the things that never made it into the paper. Finn would certainly not know of Marianne's nephew on the other team, and Helen could easily fool her son into thinking she went to the game and couldn't find him to congratulate him.
But, just as the thoughts with the cleats, Helen dismissed it. She'd just get caught. Finn would hate her when he found out, and he'd be right.
Helen sighed.
"Helen?" Marianne asked.
"Nothing. Go and get back to work on that letterhead." Helen returned to her desk. Marianne turned back to hers. There was only the sound of working in the office.
Coach Gibson asked Finn to meet him after school. Once he got to his office, the Coach gave him an impressive pat on the back.
"Well done, Finn!" The coach remarked.
"I wish I coulda done better." Finn remarked. "We only won by one point."
"Yeah, but we'll address that at the next practice tomorrow." Coach Gibson returned. "You've got the making of a star quarterback in you, Finn. I haven't seen a player as good as you since Tommy Sherman."
"You don't have to compare me to him." Finn remarked. Finn's opinion of Tommy Sherman hadn't changed since the latter's death. The guy was still a total jackass. Even when it was about football, Finn hated the comparison. Tommy Sherman ran in all the touchdowns himself; Finn played on a team.
"You're going to be my quarterback from now on." Coach Gibson remarked. "Mack will take over as center."
"Well, what about Kevin?" Finn asked.
"Kevin's no good." Coach Gibson dismissed. "Not as good as you. He'll be second string. Already told him this just before you got here."
"You...you did?" Finn remarked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Yeah. He's not taking it well. Who does?"
"What about...err...the captain thing."
"Not right now. Don't want to rush that one. Anyway, rest up tonight, good night's sleep, eat healthy. I want you ready for the next game! And Finn, well done." Coach Gibson praised. Finn, however, walked somberly out of the coach's office and back home.
He knew he shouldn't feel bad, but he couldn't help but feel bad for Kevin. Without football, truly, what did he have? He didn't play other sports, and he certainly had no other activities, other then cheating on Brittany.
"God, Finn, you really are a softie, aren't you?" Finn criticized himself. He wanted to clear the air with Kevin, but Finn had no idea how to do that.
"Hey, Kevin, sorry I kinda stole QB from you and ruined your entire high school life. Yeah, rousing. That doesn't make me want to kill you with a rusty shovel." Finn criticized. He supposed he could just ignore Kevin, but then, things would just be awkward. Really awkward. And who knew what sort of revenge Kevin might take. Kevin wasn't intelligent enough to think of anything besides picking a fight, but there was such a thing as a lucky shot.
Finn headed back home following the Coach's advice. He thought briefly about calling Mack or Jodie for advice. The former knew Kevin well, and the latter knew social graces like the back of her hand. But he realized he needed to do this himself. This was his problem.
"Finn! I've been looking for you!" Helen's voice sounded from the doorway of his room. Finn didn't even hear her come in. Did he fall asleep at his desk, or were his thoughts about Kevin so unproductive that even the idea of thinking about it died.
"Oh, err...Mom. Hi." Finn acknowledged her, but he had no time for her insincere comments. He already knew she didn't care. There was no need to fake it. Child Services wouldn't arrest her for that.
"Finn, I wanted to congratulate you on that game you played yesterday."
"Thanks." Finn replied.
"Your father can't stop talking about it." Helen remarked.
"Heh, that's nothing. At the game he was quite the livewire. I could tell where he was from the field." Finn noted. It wasn't true, but his father was happy to be the uber-fan.
"I actually stopped by with a cake yesterday." Helen remarked. "But unfortunately, well..."
"I saw the mess in the garbage." Finn answered.
"Finn, what was that game like?" Helen asked.
"Huh?" Finn wondered.
"That football is really important to you, isn't it?"
"Well, I wouldn't play it if it wasn't." Finn remarked. "Anyway, I'm not sure how to answer that. Playing and watching are two different things. Ask Dad or Aunt Rita."
"Finn, I'm asking you." Helen returned. "I know I don't play football or box like you do, but I want to know."
"Well, what does it feel like when you...uhh...lawyer? Does that work as a verb?"
"It's complicated to explain." Helen returned. The world of law was excessively complicated, and sometimes, she did things that skirted gray areas, things Finn would never understand.
"Well, it's complicated to explain this too." Finn remarked. Helen didn't know how that would be possible. Football may be more complicated then getting the ball across 100 yards, but there was still a playbook. You didn't get a CliffNotes version of the world of law.
"Finn, do you want me to say please?" Helen remarked.
"Well, it's a rush." Finn said after a long pause. "You have a split second to think and act. The ball comes at you and you need to catch it. Then you need to decide what's the best move. Do you run it, do you pass it. If you pass it, where? Behind? In front? Is the best course of action not to get it at all? Play a straight play, play a bluff? What's the defense planning, how do you react? You might think it's boring, but every play is different, and there are many plays."
"That's...interesting." None of it made any sense to Helen.
"Well, like I said it is hard to explain." Finn returned to writing in a spiral notebook on his desk.
"I guess you had to be there." Helen heard Finn say as she started to leave his room.
There was only practice, no other games, this week. After practice on Wednesday, Finn decided to head to Pizza Palace to meet Jane and Tom.
"You did very well." Tom remarked. "You've got a great forward passing game. You do favor throwing to your tight end, I noticed."
"I know. I really gotta watch that." Finn remarked. "But thanks. I'm glad to know you care enough to help me out."
"Your man-talk is all Greek to me." Jane quipped.
"You think this is bad, wait till we get to the size jokes." Tom garnered.
"Jane, I'm glad you showed up." Finn remarked. "I know you're not a football fan."
"I can be persuaded for a friend." Jane noted. Finn blushed a bit.
"Hey, is that Kevin?" Jane pointed. Sure enough, Kevin was seated alone in a booth, quietly noshing on a slice of supreme.
"He's still wallowing in self-pity?" Tom asked.
"More then that. He's not the quarterback anymore." Finn returned.
"Oh!" Tom was surprised. "Well, Finn, you know that's not..."
"...My fault, I know." Finn interrupted. "Sorry. It's just I've been thinking about it all week. I just want to cheer him up, you know. Or at least make sure I don't have to worry about being jumped in an alley somewhere."
"So why are you sitting here complaining about it?" Tom remarked. "That's what he's doing."
"So I can figure out how to do it right. I'm no good at this."
"Good or not, at least give it your best." Jane answered. "We were about to leave anyway."
"Thanks. For reminding me." Finn smiled. Jane and Tom smiled back, and they left the store. Finn took a deep breath, sighed, and made his way over to Kevin's table.
"This seat taken?" Finn asked.
"Come to laugh at the no-more QB." Kevin said spitefully.
"Kevin, this wasn't my decision." Finn reminded. "I had nothing to do with you getting bumped to second-string."
"Second-strings a bunch of losers."
"Kevin, you can't blame Finn for this." A voice both men knew well sounded from behind them. Finn didn't have to turn around to know that it was Mack. The captain took a seat next to Finn. Jodie, who apparently came with Mack. Took a seat next to Kevin.
"You're taking his side, Mack Daddy? I thought we were buds."
"Kevin, we are friends, nothing's going to change that." Mack returned. "But you did a stupid stunt on a motorcycle and took yourself out of the game. Rather then give back to the team, you thought of yourself and spent all your time whining how you couldn't date Brittany since you weren't a football player." Mack's voice was firm, and not a single drop of venom was in his tone.
"But I couldn't!" Kevin shouted.
"What he means, Kevin, is that you put yourself ahead of the team. You always tried to run in plays because you liked the glory of scoring the points. You liked the prestige of being the QB more than being the quarterback."
"But I was the QB!" Kevin remarked. Finn sighed. He had thought of that one a few days ago, and now the insult was ruined.
"Kevin, if it bothers you that I'm quarterback, how about, instead of whining about it alone, you start making yourself a better player. Actually learn some good moves on the field. When Coach Gibson shows you a play-by-play of the game, take notes and don't make the same damn mistakes again. Quit relying on bulk-up powder and train your block off. Use your head. Learn something from this, quit moping." Finn remarked.
"Ummm..." Kevin didn't know how to answer.
"Kevin, Finn became the quarterback for those reasons." Mack quickly chimed in. "I'd listen to him."
"I...gotta go train!" Kevin scarfed down what was left of his pizza. Sensing a bolt to the door, Jodie got up so Kevin could leave.
"Not bad." Mack praised.
"Thanks." Finn remarked. "I needed that backup."
"You guys think anything will come of this?" Jodie asked politely. A valid question, considering Kevin's legendary forgetfulness.
"Maybe. It was worth doing." Finn remarked. "You can only get better by learning more at football."
"That's true for any topic, Finn." Jodie corrected.
"He probably won't get anymore byes on tests since he's not first-string." Mack noted. "He'll either get better or drop out. Either one."
"Sink or swim, I suppose." Finn remarked.
"I think Kevin will listen, in his own special way." Mack remarked. "Emphasis on special."
"That's mean." Jodie remarked, but she laughed a bit as well.
"Byes." Finn commented. "I never got those. I get my C's on my own, thank you."
"That's nothing to be proud of." Jodie remarked.
"Sorry I can't be perfect, Mom." Finn commented sourly.
"I'm not talking about perfect, Finn." Jodie remarked.
"Finn, you're not dumb, and you can't convince anyone you are. Not even your sister." Mack returned. "And I know I told you this before, but life isn't just about football." And Mack and Jodie departed, leaving Finn to sit alone, mulling over the words that were starting to depress him.