The first three, maybe five, minutes of the ride were quiet and peaceful. Then....,

"Why don't you go ahead and say it?" Sheri demanded of Gerry. "I know you want to, so just say it and get it over with!"

"Say what?" Gerry replied, slightly confused.

"I told you so."

"I wasn't going to say that."

"Yeah, right." She scoffed. "I've known you since we were babies. You were going to say it."

"Really, I wasn't," he shrugged.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Oh."

"But, since you brought it up, I did tell you so," Gerry continued.

Julius shook his head. Gerry just wouldn't quit when he was ahead.

Sheri turned to look out the window. "I heard you and Emma broke up."

"Did Alan tell you that?" He asked.

"No. You know Alan don't get in the middle of us." It was true. Ever since they broke up, they had put Alan in a hard place, but to his credit, he always managed to find a way to be there for both of them with out being in the middle. "Jenn told me."

"Yeah, I should have known that. I didn't know you cared so much about what I did," Gerry replied.

"I don't."

"Then why did you say anything?"

"Look, just forget it," she snapped. "Just shut up and drive."

"I'm trying to," Gerry replied. "You're the one acting like a baby. You need to calm that hot-headed temper down, cause I really, really don't want to hear it right now."

"Fine."

"You know what....," Gerry started. He was looking at her and not paying any attention to the road. THAT was making Julius very nervous.

"Gerry," he interrupted. "Gerry, man, could you PLEASE drive on your side of the road?" He didn't want to interrupt what had probably been needing saying for six months, but Gerry was going 70 down the wrong side of the road, and he didn't want die tonight.

"Sorry." Gerry swerved back into his lane. "You know what your problem is?"

"No. But, I'm sure you are going to tell me," Sheri answered.

"You cannot stand to be wrong." He replied. "And when you are wrong, you'd rather argue than admit it."

"I do not," she shot back.

"You do too," he laughed. "You're doing it right now."

"I am n..," She paused, then laughed. "I guess I do."

She laid her head against the window. She hadn't meant to be agrueing with Gerry. It just sort of happened and she was talking to keep from thinking. She didn't want to think, because if she had to think, then she would think about what had just happened. She knew it could have been a lot worse and that she was very lucky, but it still hurt that someone she considered a friend, had broken her trust, and quite frankly, it scared her to see that part of Ray. He had actually assualted her. She gently rubbed her wrist. A sob escaped her throat and she quickly wiped at her eyes.

Gerry looked over at her.

"Aw.., man." She was crying. Sheri never cried. "Sher? What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "Nothing, Gerry, just take me home. I want Coach."

He pulled over. "Don't give me that. In seventeen years, I've seen you cry twice. That's more than long enough to know you don't cry about nothing."

He got out and walked around to the passenger side and opened her door. "Come on," he held out his hand to her.

"What?"

"Come here." He caught her hand and gently pulled her out of the car.

"What are we doing? Gerry, please take me home," she cried.

"Shh..," he soothed, holding her against him. "I'm going to. I'm going to. Julius is going to drive, though, and me and you are going to talk. Like we used to. No fighting, just talking, okay?"

She nodded.

Julius had already made the switch without having to be told. He gave her a small smile, and squeezed her hand as she crawled into the backseat. "Where do you live?"

"Crystal Creek Road. The last house, you can't miss it, the road dead ends into our drive way."

"Okay," he nodded. "I know where that is."

Gerry slid in beside Sheri and wrapped his arms around her, holding her as tightly as he could.

She resisted for a minute, then slid her arms around his neck and cried.

"Sheridan, did he..?"

She shook her head. "No, I told you. I kicked him, then I left."

"Then why are you crying so hard?"

"I don't know. It just scared me, I guess. I can't believe I did something so stupid." She replied.

"Shhh..., you are not stupid. You didn't do anything wrong." He kissed her forehead. "Ray did. Calm down. There's no reason to be upset now."

He pulled her closer, if it was possible. He was inwardly seething. How could Ray have pulled this crap with her? She wasn't just some random girl, not that it would be alright then, either. But, she was one of them. He should have had more repsect for her than that. "Shh.., baby, it's okay. You're okay." He kissed her again, this time on the cheek.

She relaxed, finally, and quit crying. She let her arms fall from his neck and snuggled up against him. She realized she loved him. No matter what had happened in thier past, she still loved him. He was always there for her, even when she didn't know she needed him.

He held her hand, gently rubbing it.

She winced and jerked it away when his fingers grazed her wrist.

He pulled her arm back and pushed her sleeve up. There was a bruise already forming there.

"Sheri, what happened to your arm?" He questioned.

"Nothing." That wasn't a complete lie, just not a complete truth.

"That looks an awful lot like fingerprints to be nothing," he replied. "Did Ray do this?"

"Gerry, don't get upset. It don't matter." She answered.

"Yes, it does matter! He hurt you! I'm gonna kill him!" Gerry shot back.

"No. You're going to calm down and listen to me." She replied, more calmly than she felt. "You aren't going to do anything, but let me handle it. Nothing'll come of you losing your temper and going of half-cocked and getting into a fight with him. Nothing but you getting into trouble and probably kicked off the team. Do you want that?"

"I doubt Coach would kick me off for that," Gerry scoffed.

"Coach isn't the one who makes that decision anymore."

"Coach Boone wouldn't either, he's whole deal is respecting people, and Ray disrespected you, if nothing else!"

"Let me handle this, Gerry," she warned.

"You won't handle it. You'll just pretend it never happened and he'll get off again, and he'll do it to somebody else, who may not be as strong willed as you." He replied.

"No, he won't," she tried to convince him.

"Sheridan, he did it to Emma!" Gerry finally exclaimed. "Only, she agreed. So there was never a need to force her."

"I forgot he dated Emma," Sheri said quietly.

"How did you think I knew where you were?" He hugged her again.

"Gerry, just promise me you won't do something stupid."

"I won't," he replied.

"Promise me."

"I promise."

"Okay." She snuggled up against him again. She wasn't completely convinced that he wouldn't go after Ray, but then, she also wasn't completely convinced she didn't want him too.

When they reached her house, Gerry walked her to the door. "Where's Coach?"

"Gone over to the Boone's to go over the game films before they sent them to Herndon," she answered. "He should be home soon."

"You want us to stay until he gets here?" Gerry offered.

"No, that's okay, you couldn't come in anyway, without Coach here. You know that." She replied.

"You sure you'll be okay?"

"Yeah, fine, Coach'll be home any minute. It's already ten and I had to be home by eleven and you also know he's always here when I get home."

"Yeah," he softly laughed. "Well, if you're sure, you'l be okay..."

"I will, I'm fixin' to go call the Boone's and tell Coach I'm home in case he hasn't left yet, then he will come on home," she answered. "Thank you anyway."

He nodded.

She unlocked and opened her door.

Then she called out, "Bye, Julius!!"

He waved at her.

She turned back to Gerry. "Geez," she thought, "even our first date wasn't this awkward." To him she said, "Thanks, for everything,....... Lancelot."

"No, problem." He stared at her for a second longer.

Before she could talk herself out it, she kissed him. Quickly, and more on his cheek, than his lips, but she still kissed him. "Night Gerr."

She went in the house and shut the door.

Gerry walked back out and got in the car.

"What are you going to do now?" Julius asked.

"I'm gonna have a little talk with Ray."

"But you just said, you promised to let her handle him," Julius pointed out.

"No, I promised not to do anything stupid and this, won't be stupid." Gerry corrected .

"Man, I hope you know what you're doing," Julius said.

"Don't worry, I do."

"Good, cause, whatever it is, I'm with you." He continued. "Sheri's my friend too."

Gerry looked at Julius, slightly surprised. He had expected that reaction for Alan, but not Julius. He couldn't believe Julius was eilling to put his football career on the line for someone he had only known a week. He was seeing more and more that Julius wasn't just a good person, he was a good friend.

"Thanks, man, I might just need your help."