Disclaimer: TC Williams High School and its environs belong to the city of Alexandria, VA. The original Titans belong to themselves. The fictitious characters from the film Remember the Titans belong to Disney. The title of this chapter comes again from the ROXn Carole King. I do not own that, nor do I own any of the book or song titles mentioned in this chapter. I also do not own Vanderbilt University. I only own Tamsin, Jonathan, their house, and miscellaneous Titans and TC Williams students.
Technical Notes: I haven't forgotten that Ronnie got a call from Ohio State in Part 10 of this story. I just wanted to show that other colleges were interested in recruiting him, too.
Big Julius' locker room speech is taken from Shakespeare's Henry V. I first heard in the Danny DeVito army comedy Renaissance Man. If you read the play, you'll understand why it's so popular with military-themed movies.
Author's Notes: Special thanks as always to Livia Liana for her invaluable help with the football scene. Thank you for being so patient with my numerous technical errors! Thank you also for the review, and to Rhia and iceeblue for their own feedback.
Well, I guess you've waited long enough…here's the latest complete chapter. The next one is still being written — I swear I'm uploading too fast for my own good! Enjoy!
Chapter Eleven — Sweet Seasons
The next week was a whirlwind of last-minute projects and assignments as students rushed to fulfill all their requirements before the start of final exams. "And just when you thought the worst was over," Ronnie said as he and Tamsin took a break from studying to wrap Christmas presents one afternoon during finals week, "you have the finals themselves."
Tamsin laughed as she folded brightly-colored wrapping paper around Ronnie's present for his mother. "I heard that."
"I don't know why everything has to happen all at the same time. All this last-minute stuff to do, all those tests, crammed into a couple of weeks; and on top of that the recruiters pick this time of year to come around…I feel like I'm being pulled in a million different directions."
She rubbed his arm sympathetically. "We all do."
The arm she was rubbing wrapped around her and drew her close. "Sorry. I shouldn't be complaining about people trying to get me to go to their colleges when you have it the other way around."
Tamsin smiled to let him know she wasn't offended. At the risk of sounding smug, she was fairly sure that, come June, she wouldn't be hurting for a college acceptance letter. (Tuition, however, was another story.) "You're just tired. How was your dinner with that other school…Vanderbilt?"
"Fine. Some of the majors sound interesting." Ronnie's expression brightened. "The scout said he was going to see some of the other guys, too, while he was here. Isn't that great?"
"It sure is," she agreed sincerely. Ronnie was acutely conscious of the fact that his teammates might not be getting the same opportunities as he and was thus leery of talking about college with them, even if he really wanted to. The recruiters' showing interest in some of the others made things a little less awkward.
He smiled down at her as they went back to wrapping. "Hey, that's really cool."
Tamsin looked down at the stained-glass lantern she was going to wrap next. "Thanks."
"For your mom?"
"Mm-hmm." Diana Lee collected unique candles and candleholders, which she liked to use on special occasions. Tamsin had unearthed this particular one in a small antique store in downtown Alexandria. When a lighted candle was placed inside it, the little wrought-iron lantern exploded into a million eyes of jewel-bright colors. She had known instinctively that it was the perfect present for her mother.
"She'll flip when she gets that."
She smiled. "I hope so."
"Are you going back to New York for Christmas or is she coming to visit you here?" Ronnie asked, making a precise corner in the paper that would conceal the book he had gotten for his father.
Tamsin's shoulders sagged dejectedly as she stuffed the little lantern with crumpled-up newspaper. She and Uncle Jon were mailing her mother's presents to New York tomorrow. The packages from her mother were already under the tree, still in their stamped brown-paper wrapping.
"Neither." She dredged up a brave smile. "But don't worry. I'm sure you'll meet her someday."
* * *
The end of the semester had been tough on all of them, but it looked like it had been toughest on Tamsin, Ronnie thought as he went up the front walk to her house that Sunday morning. She had tried to hide her feelings by joking about it, but he knew that being so far away from her mother during the holidays was making her feel real down.
Which was why he was there.
Ronnie stepped up to the front door and rang the doorbell. He brushed the slight sprinkling of snowflakes off the slender box he carried while he waited to be let inside.
Mr. Graham opened the door after a few moments' wait. He was still in pajamas and his glasses were smudged, but his smile was bright as always, a sure sign that he had already had his morning coffee. (Mrs. Bass didn't even so much as open her eyes until she had her first cup.) "Sunshine!" he exclaimed. "Good morning!"
"Hi, Mr. Graham," the blond boy replied.
"It's Jon, remember? Come in, come in!" After ushering Ronnie inside, Mr. Graham looked to see if anyone was with him. "Uh, we did agree that you and your folks were coming to Christmas Day dinner, right?" he asked.
Ronnie chuckled. It was the morning of the 24th. "That's right, sir. I just…I just wanted to see Tamsin before tomorrow. I hope you don't mind. Is she up?"
Mr. Graham grinned. "Yes, she is. Hang on and I'll get her. Why don't you sit down or something?"
"It's OK, I'll wait here. I won't be staying long."
"Whatever floats your boat."
He watched his teacher walk down the hallway toward the kitchen, heard Mr. Graham say something and Tamsin squawk in reply. Moments later she was being hustled down the hallway by her grinning uncle. "But I'm not dressed properly!"
"Well, we can't keep him waiting, can we?" Mr. Graham chortled. "Here she is, Sunshine!"
Ronnie smiled as Tamsin was pushed toward him. Like her uncle, she was wearing rumpled flannel pajamas. "Hey, Tamsin."
"Hi, Ronnie," she mumbled, glaring mutinously at Mr. Graham as he practically skipped away. Her hair was uncombed and her face red with embarrassment under the smudge of what looked like strawberry jam near one corner of her mouth. "Sorry I look like this."
"Don't worry about it." He chuckled and reached over to tuck one of many stray locks of hair behind her ear. Instead of jasmine, she smelled like warm bread and vanilla. "I think you look cute."
Her blush deepened. "I'm very lucky that you think so. What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Oh, I, uh…" Ronnie cleared his throat and glanced down at the box in his hand. "I just wanted to give you this," he said as he held it out to her. "Merry Christmas."
Tamsin looked at it hesitantly. "But it's not Christmas yet."
He shrugged and smiled. "I wanted to give it to you today. Maybe you could wear it tomorrow or something. I mean, if you want to. Go on, open it."
"Well…thank you," she said, accepting the box with a small smile.
Ronnie watched her untie the thin green ribbon and remove the lid. He didn't realize he had been holding his breath until she smiled and the air whooshed out of him.
"Oh…" Tamsin's dark eyes shone as she held up the simple gold bracelet, which sported a charm in the shape of the letter T. "Thank you. It's beautiful."
"You really think so?" For the longest time, Ronnie had agonized over what to give her as a present. He had wanted it to be something special, but was afraid to give her anything too frilly. Tamsin struck him as the type of girl who didn't really like that kind of thing.
"Yes, I really think so. Here, put it on me."
A relieved laugh escaped him as he fastened the bracelet around her left wrist. "It goes great with your pj's."
"That it does. Thank you, kind sir," she joked as she stood on tiptoe to slip her arms around his neck. Her eyes slid upwards to the sprig of mistletoe dangling over their heads.
"Boy, am I glad I didn't wait for you in the living room." Ronnie paused to lick the jam from the corner of her mouth before kissing her.
* * *
"Merry Christmas, Mom!"
"Merry Christmas, darling!" Diana replied. The cheer in her voice brought a smile to Tamsin's face. "How has your holiday been so far?"
"Great! Thanks for all the presents." She and Uncle Jon had opened their presents at the stroke of midnight on Christmas Day. Tamsin's mother had sent her a box of things, including a killer dress of berry-colored chiffon. "I love the dress you gave me," she went on. "I'm going to wear it to the Senior Banquet." Even if Uncle Jon had eyed it with alarm when she had lifted the rather skimpy slip out of its tissue paper wrappings.
"Don't ruin it so I can borrow it when you get back."
She laughed. "Yes, Mother. Did you get the stuff we sent?"
"Not yet, sweetie. I'll wait for them, though."
"You'd better. I looked all over for your present."
"Will I like it?"
"You'd better!"
Mother and daughter laughed. "Now, do you have any idea what Mr. Wonderful is getting you?" her mother asked, using the nickname she had recently given Ronnie.
Tamsin glanced down at the bracelet on her wrist. "He already gave me my present."
"What is it?"
"A bracelet."
"Gold, silver or neither?"
"MOM!" she squawked indignantly. Did it matter?
"All right, all right, never mind," Diana soothed. "It's the thought that counts, anyway. And it was nice of him to give you your present early."
She smiled again. "Yeah. He figured I could wear it when he comes with his parents for dinner tonight."
"Ooh, dinner! What are you having?"
"Oh, the usual roast prime rib with all the trimmings. Will you be going to Uncle Richard's today?"
"Mais oui! Patrick has promised prosciutto with melon, medallions of veal and salmon in garlic butter sauce, salad with raspberry vinaigrette, and lots of other sinful gourmet goodies for dinner. And you're stuck over there with a boring old cow!" her mother chortled as Tamsin whined longingly.
"I thought you were supposed to be nice on Christmas Day."
"They didn't say anything about being smug."
"Ha ha ha," she replied flatly, even as she grinned. It was great to joke around with her mom like this again.
"Now, what did you get Mr. Wonderful?"
"A book and some goldfish."
It was her mother's turn to squawk. "WHAT? He gets you a bracelet and you get him a book?"
"Well, he's been dying to read the book!" Tamsin defended herself. "And what happened to 'It's the thought that counts'?"
* * *
The new semester opened on January 3rd and although it was a crisp, sunny Wednesday morning, the TC Williams students weren't happy about being back in school so early in the year. "Man, that vacation was over too soon," Big Julius complained. Some of the Titans and their friends were hanging out in the student parking lot on that first morning back, delaying having to go in as long as possible.
"I barely got time to get my breath back from all the holiday stuff my family did," Ryan chimed in.
"Maybe the teachers will be easy on us today," Emma said. "I'm sure they didn't have much of a vacation, either."
"Let's hope so," Petey said, then changed the subject. "So, Sunshine, how's Sid?"
Ronnie laughed. "Sid" was short for "Siddhartha," one of the goldfish Tamsin had given him. He'd named the fish after characters from the Hermann Hesse book they had read. "He and Kamala are doing great, thanks."
"Man, those fish have fancier names than I do," Gerry said.
"Well, Sunshine's a fancy kind of guy," Petey joked.
Just then, a motorcycle came roaring into the student parking lot. "Whoa!" Big Julius exclaimed, whipping around like many of the others to get a closer look. "Who was that?"
It was no one they knew. After parking near the side entrance, next to the bicycles, the guy tugged off his helmet, revealing curly dark hair, and strode into the school building without sparing the gawkers a second glance. "Cool bike," Ryan said.
"Cool jacket," Sharon added, and prodded her boyfriend. "Why don't you wear one, Ju?"
"I already have a leather jacket," he replied.
"I meant a real, black-leather one, not that hideous purple one you keep hanging on to."
"Come on now, Sharon," Petey said, "brothers don't really wear leather jackets." He grinned. "It's the white boys who use 'em to feel all macho and stuff."
"How come you don't wear a leather jacket?" Tamsin asked Ronnie.
"Because I don't need one to feel macho?" he replied, mimicking her tone.
She laughed along with the others. "Well, you don't look like the type to wear one, anyway."
"Is that OK with you, Tamsin?" Emma teased.
Tamsin stuck out her tongue against the ribbing that followed her friend's question even as she patted Ronnie's arm. "Of course it is."
* * *
The guy with the motorcycle was a newcomer named Michael Cardinal, Big Julius reported at lunch that day. They had Calculus together. Michael was also in Tamsin's English class, as she later found out when he swaggered into Uncle Jon's classroom that afternoon.
Conversation hushed as the class watched him walk to the teacher's desk and hand Uncle Jon an orange card. They watched Uncle Jon look it over, smile, and say something to the stranger. "All right," he said, rapping on his desk to get everyone's attention (even though he already had it for the past few moments), "we've got a new student joining us this semester. Everyone, this is Michael Cardinal, who comes to us from Seattle, Washington. Michael, this is everyone."
The class laughed and Michael gave a small smile. He was kind of on the lean side, like Alan; and behind his wire-rimmed glasses, Tamsin could see that his eyes were a surprising light gray. "Michael is technically a junior, but he's taking senior English and Calculus," Uncle Jon went on as he waved away ooh's of mocking admiration. "Now, Mike, why don't you tell us about yourself?" he told the dark-haired boy. "On the first day of school, everyone gave their names and the book they were reading. How about doing the same?"
Michael shrugged. "Sure," he said. He was kind of soft-spoken, like Ronnie, but Michael's voice was huskier. "Like Mr. Graham said, my name's Michael Cardinal. I'd rather be called 'Michael' than 'Mike.' I'm presently reading Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach."
"Thank you, Michael," Unce Jon said as the class applauded politely. "Welcome to TC Williams High School. Pick a seat and, although we are starting a new unit today, I still recommend that you borrow notes from someone — borrow Tamsin's. The football team borrows from her and they're doing very well." He grinned at her, then at the chuckling Titans. "Tam, is it all right if Michael borrows your notes?"
"Sure," Tamsin said. She unclipped her notes from her loose-leaf notebook and handed them to Michael as he took the seat next to her. "Here you go."
He took the notes and with a murmur of thanks. "Your name's Tamsin?" he asked in his quiet voice.
"Uh-huh."
Michael smiled. "That's cool."
* * *
The first week back wasn't so bad. School reopened on a Wednesday, so it was technically only a half-week, and there was a pep rally held in the gym that Friday afternoon for the winter sports teams. "Miranda's back on the squad," Emma noted as the cheerleaders went into their first routine. Sure enough, the redheaded girl was back at front and center.
"Her suspension was only for a month, anyway," Tamsin reminded her. "I wonder if she's still smoking?"
"Lisa says she's stopped. I guess she's learned her lesson."
They watched Miranda yell cheers and shake her pompoms. Her smile was still bright, but there was something definitely subdued about her. Perhaps she used her time off to do some thinking. "Good for her," Tamsin said.
"That's really magnanimous of you, Tamsin," Corey praised, then waved to Robin when she caught sight of them.
"If I were in your shoes," Liz said, "I'd be cursing the ground she walks on." She pretended to think about it, then laughed. "But then I already do that!"
"Well, I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt," Tamsin told her friends with a grin. "And if she makes a move on Ronnie again, I'm kicking her ass!"
The other girl laughed. "Thanks. I feel so much better about my failings now."
They cheered along with everyone as Mr. Hilliard introduced the winter sports teams. Liz gave a piercing whistle when Daniel Goldman came out to be recognized with the rest of the hockey team. "Liz likes him," Corey explained to Tamsin and Emma.
"I do not!" Liz retorted, her cheeks pink. "We're just friends!"
"Well, you wouldn't be friends if you didn't like him, now, would you?"
"Shut up!"
The students cheered as the wrestling team came forward (Tamsin couldn't help hissing a bit when Ray Budds' name was called), then rose in their seats when the Titans were introduced. That day's pep rally was also to cheer on the football team as they went to defend their state championship that Sunday.
Tamsin and her friends cheered on brothers, friends, and classmates. She blushed and managed a small wave when Ronnie found her and grinned. He shot her another grin as the Titans lined up to do their trademark warm-up, which he knew she hated. "Why do you hate the warm-up so much, anyway?" Emma asked her.
She gratefully turned away from the spectacle to look at her friend. "Would you be seen dead doing that?" Tamsin laughed as the blonde girl made a face. "Neither would I."
After the number, the cheerleaders took the floor to lead the students through another round of cheers. The TC Williams High School song was ringing in Tamsin's ears when everyone finally filed out of the gym. "Instead of getting pumped up for this Sunday's game, I have a headache," Corey complained. "Pep rallies are much easier to stomach when you're down there being cheered for."
"Well, we wouldn't know, Mr. Big Shot Baseball Star," Liz teased.
The sandy-haired boy stuck his tongue out at his friend. "Just making an observation, Liz. C'mon, let's find Ryan and the others. Maybe they've changed out of their uniforms by now."
Tamsin followed them down the hall to the exit leading to the student parking lot, where the Hunter twins had agreed to meet their friends. On their way there, she passed by Michael Cardinal, going the other way. "Hi, Tamsin," he said.
"Hey," she replied with a polite nod.
"I'll have your notes back soon."
She smiled. The Titans, even Ronnie, often forgot they had her notes unless she asked for them back. "Don't worry about it. Just give them back when you're done with them."
Sharon, Rev and Cat were the only ones already waiting by the exit when Tamsin and the others arrived. "Hey, there," Rev greeted them. "Where were y'all sitting? We couldn't find you."
"We came in late and couldn't get seats up front," Emma explained.
"At least that meant I didn't have to watch that warm-up so closely," Tamsin muttered. The blonde girl nudged her, stifling a giggle.
"We'd better start thinkin' of places to go before the guys get here," Sharon suggested, "or else we'll be stuck here decidin' where to hang out."
"You sound like we take forever to decide," Big Julius complained as he and the Titans appeared. Robin, who had also changed out of her uniform after the pep rally, wasn't far behind.
"You do, actually," Corey teased as he slung an arm around his girlfriend and kissed her on the cheek.
"Well, not this time," Petey said. "I say we go to the Snack n' Cue."
Surprisingly, everyone agreed to Petey's suggestion right off. "Hey, Liz, why do you want to go to the Snack n' Cue all of a sudden?" Ryan teased. "Is Dan Goldman going to be there?"
"Hey, Ryan, who do you care that Liz wants to go there all of a sudden?" Robin retorted before the dark-haired girl could reply. Liz snorted, looking both amused and flustered at what her friend's reply.
"He just wants to annoy her, that's all," Corey said, rolling his eyes. "Separate those two, will you?"
Ronnie smiled at Tamsin as their friends began to discuss whom was going to ride with whom. "Are you joining us?" he asked.
She smiled back, remembering how she had had to refuse the last time he had asked her. They both knew things were going to be different this time around. "Of course I am!" Tamsin laughed. "If you were going to leave me behind, I would have been very upset!"
* * *
"Good luck this afternoon, Sunshine. I hear Edison has a tough team, but I know you boys will pull another one off this year."
Ronnie nodded politely and shook the well-dressed man's hand. "Thank you, sir."
"Good luck, Sunshine!" a little girl cried. "Score a touchdown for me!"
He chuckled and smiled at the kid as she walked by with her parents. "I will."
"Good luck, Mr. Bass," Reverend Stokes said, shaking Ronnie's hand as the Basses finally made to leave the church cloakroom.
"Thank you, Reverend," Ronnie replied as he and his parents filed past the minister.
It was Sunday, January 5th. "Everyone's looking forward to the big game this afternoon," Col. Bass observed as Ronnie drove his parents home for lunch.
"They sure are," Ronnie replied, glancing briefly at the signs hanging in every shop window and from every lamppost. The banners were up all over town. There were ads wishing the Titans luck and analyses of the teams in the sports section of the Sentinel. Reverend Stokes had even included a special prayer for the Titans during that morning's service.
"You nervous?"
"Bill!" Mrs. Bass admonished her husband.
"Some," Ronnie admitted. He always got a bit nervous before every game, but there seemed to be a double dose of butterflies in his stomach that day. This was the Big Game. Not only was it for the state championship, it was his (and many of his teammates') last time to suit up for the Titans. And he wanted to go out with a bang.
"Well, you'll do great," his father told him. "You always do."
"Thanks, Dad."
After lunch ("Nothing too heavy, so you can be quick on your feet at the game"), Ronnie hitched a ride to school with Alan. The two boys said little on the way there; and when they arrived at the TC Williams High School football stadium, they found that their teammates were similarly subdued.
Gerry and Big Julius sat together, quietly talking strategy. Nearby, Ryan's radio announced that it was dedicating Three Dog Night's "Black and White" to the Titans. "Y'all all right?" Petey asked the two boys as he walked by.
"Just fine, man," Big Julius replied with a small smile. There was a book in his hands and he was flipping through the pages. "Just puttin' my game face on."
"Shucks, Julius, you ain't got no other face besides your game face!" Gerry joked. The Titans dressing nearby laughed as he narrowed his eyes and stuck out his jaw in comically mean expression.
"That ain't me, Bertier," his friend replied, cracking a grin. "I look much better than that. You, on the other hand…" To his audience's delight, Big Julius flared his nostrils and bared his teeth in what was supposed to be his version of Gerry's game face.
"Aw, no, man, Gerry never looked like that!" Petey said, getting into the swing of things. "He looked like this!"
The mood in the locker room lightened considerably as the Titans started imitating each other's (and their coaches') game faces.
Everyone was relaxed and laughing when the coaches walked in. The butterflies in Ronnie's stomach multiplied again at the sight of Boone's stony game face. They had managed to forget it for a while, but the coaches' arrival reminded the Titans that game time was very, very near.
Big Julius walked over to have a word with the coaches. Ronnie looked up from tying his cleats in time to see Yoast smile at the big black boy. "All right," Boone called out, clapping his hands for silence. "Titans, your captain has asked that he be allowed to share something with all of you before the game starts. I hope you'll all listen to what he has to say." He nodded to Big Julius. "Go ahead, son."
The Titans rose to their feet as Big Julius walked to the middle of the locker room. He carried his book in his hands. "So, uh, I guess y'all know that this is the last game for a lot of us," he said in a quiet voice that was nevertheless carried through the respectful silence, "myself included. I, uh, came across this while I was doing some reading for school and, uh, it got me to thinkin' about us and the times we've had.
"They ain't all been good," he went on, trading grins with Gerry, "and they weren't all bad, either. But we got through them together and that was important. Anyway, when I read this, I, uh, thought, you know, that it was us. It was our story." He smiled shyly at his teammates. "So, uh, here goes," he said, opening his book and beginning to read.
He that outlives this day and comes safe home
Will stand o' tiptoe when this day is named
And rouse him at the name of Crispian…
Ronnie smiled as Big Julius spoke the familiar words of the speech from Shakespeare's Henry V, the one given by King Henry before leading his English troops into the battle of Agincourt.
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words,
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remembered.
Ronnie knew the speech because it had a special meaning for Col. Bass and his Air Force buddies. There was a framed copy of the text hanging in his father's study.
He looked around the room and saw that there were smiles on the other Titans' faces. Apparently, the speech was going to have a special meaning for them, too. And why shouldn't it? They were going into battle, in a way. The Edison High School Eagles, who they would be facing shortly, were a tough team. They had been in the semifinals against Marshall last year. Ronnie hoped that the fact that the underdog English beat the French boded well for the Titans.
But we in it shall be remembered —
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he today that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother…
He grinned at that. The "band of brothers" line was his favorite part, and it was particularly fitting in this case. He had made lots of friends in many parts of the country, moving around the way he had, but nothing compared to what he and the Titans had gone through in the past two years. They had grown up in tumultuous times, what with all the things that happened with Kennedy and Nixon and in Vietnam, but history hadn't touched them so personally until black and white had come together at TC Williams High School. How many other people could boast that they had actually been part of history in the making?
And gentlemen in England now abed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
* * *
"Oh, my God, the state championships!" Emma squealed as she and Tamsin sat in the bleachers, waiting for the game to start. "I'm so nervous!"
"Do you think the weather will affect the game?" Tamsin asked, wishing she had a hot water bottle tucked inside her coat. It wasn't snowing that afternoon, but it was really cold. She couldn't imagine actually playing out in weather like this without being bundled to the eyebrows in warm clothes.
"Don't worry, Tamsin," Rev assured her. "The guys will be fine! They practiced on this very field just yesterday and got through it well enough, didn't they?"
"Yeah, and football players toughen themselves up for this kind of thing," Corey added. "Sometimes Ryan sleeps naked during winter to condition himself for playing in cold weather."
"Corey!" Emma and Cat shrieked in unison. Tamsin clapped her hands over Sheryl's ears and Rev tried to cover Nikki's, but it was obvious from the little girls' giggles that they were too late.
"I so did not need to know that," Liz said, her cheeks as red as her stocking cap. "I don't think I'll be able to look Ryan in the eye for a while. Maybe not ever again."
"Well, forget that!" Sheryl ordered, rubbing her ears and jumping to her feet. "The Titans are coming!"
Ryan's sleeping habits were forgotten (with some difficulty on Liz's part) as the Titans took the field to do their trademark warm-up. The team seemed to have no reaction to the frigid weather, save for the clouds of steam coming out of their helmets. To Tamsin's relief, no one slipped, so perhaps there were no icy patches on the ground.
"Here we go!" Rev exclaimed as the coin was tossed and the referee announced that the Titans would be receiving the kickoff. The battle for the 1972 Virginia High School AAA Football Championship had begun.
As usual, Ronnie sought Tamsin out in the crowd and sent her a thumbs-up. She waved back and watched, chin propped on her mitten-clad fist, as he joined his teammates in the huddle. Never, in her wildest dreams, did she ever imagine that she would go out with the football team's star quarterback and a tiny part of her still cringed whenever he picked her out of the crowd during games. On the whole, however, Tamsin loved every minute of it. Ronnie was smart, straightforward and a sweetheart. Given that, the idea of dating a quarterback — one of the biggest cliches in the book — actually had a campy appeal.
Cheering him on was kind of a cliché, too, but she screamed herself hoarse anyway because Ronnie had engineered a strong drive toward the Eagles' end zone, culminating in a touchdown by Eddie Lindros, the first of the game.
"All right!" Rev called over Liz's cheering. "Now that's what you call scoring with authority!"
Tamsin watched avidly as the Titans dominated the rest of the first quarter. The Eagles' defense was unable to make any tackles that counted, and their attempts to score were completely smothered. Big Julius sacked Mark Gunderson, the Eagles' All-American quarterback, during the third down. On the Eagles' desperate fourth down attempt, Ryan forced a turnover and ran the ball in for another touchdown.
"All right!" Liz cried, applauding as the blond boy spiked the ball in triumph. "That was some hustle!"
"You're just saying that because you know he sleeps naked," Corey teased.
The dark-haired girl blushed and smacked her friend on the arm. "Will you shut up about that?"
An Eagle field goal attempt failed, and at the close of the first quarter, the score was 14-0 in favor of the Titans. "This could be an easier win that I thought!" Sheryl said happily.
"Let's not get too over-confident," Tamsin warned.
"What's there to be over-confident about? We're steamrollerin' those guys! Now smile nice and wave to Sunshine — he's lookin' at you again!"
The Titans continued to do no wrong in the second quarter. Although the Eagles made some progress downfield, the defense stopped them again. Petey returned a weak punt and powered through the Eagles' offense all the way to the Titans' 30-yard line. The Titans offense came close to scoring another touchdown, but Paul Ellering, the Eagles' fleet-footed cornerback, intercepted the pass and set up an Eagle drive that resulted in a field goal.
"Aw, nuts!" Sheryl exclaimed, so loudly that her father sent her a severe look from the sidelines.
As if to placate the little girl, Jim Frederick returned the next Eagle kickoff and sped downfield. His 47-yard gain paved the way for another touchdown. "Ha! Now that's more like it!" Sheryl said, satisfied.
* * *
The Eagles and the Titans each scored a touchdown after that, bringing the score to 28-10 in favor of the Titans at the close of the first half. "OK, Edison's startin' to show a little fire out there," Boone said in the locker room during the break that followed, "but we are still leading! Defense, we need you to stay strong out there! All we have to do is hang on for two more quarters and we win!"
"We'll try our best, Herman," Yoast told him.
"You got it, Coach!" Big Julius vowed at the same time.
The stands were a roaring blaze of red and white as the Titans took the field at the opening of the third quarter. Ryan started things off with a bang by forcing a turnover and taking the ball all the way to the Titans' 20-yard line.
"Good going, Hunter," Eddie congratulated his friend as the defense trooped triumphantly off the field.
Ryan grinned. He had ably filled into the void left by Gerry Bertier and was a shoo-in for co-captain next year. "Thanks, man."
"Why didn't you just go ahead and score the touchdown?"
"I thought I'd let you guys do it — you know, give the offense the chance to catch up."
"Shut up, man!" Ronnie chuckled and pounded the other boy's shoulder pads before joining the offense in huddle. He glanced up at where Tamsin was sitting before turning back to his teammates and relaying Boone's instructions.
They took their positions along the line of scrimmage. "Red 17!" Ronnie yelled above the cheering of the home crowd. "Red 17! Hut-hut!"
With only 20 yards to go, it was easy for Jim to run to the end zone and anticipate the pass while the offensive line tied up the Eagles defense. Ronnie cocked back his arm and let the ball fly. It rose and fell in a graceful arc, toward the receiver's waiting hands…
…only to be intercepted by Paul Ellering. Fortunately, Blue caught up with him before he got too far. "We really ought to do something about that guy," Eddie grumbled after the play was whistled dead. "I'm really starting to hate him."
Possession shifted back and forth between the two teams, but neither was able to score. The game remained a defensive battle until a Hail Mary pass from Gunderson found a receiver who proved too slippery for Petey. Touchdown, Eagles.
The Titans were unable to retaliate. They and the rest of the TC Williams crowd watched with mounting alarm as almost all of Ronnie's passes were intercepted. Those that weren't were turned over. The defense was unable to make the tackles that counted, and a Titan field goal attempt failed.
In contrast to the first half, the second half seemed to be all about the Eagles. They scored another touchdown toward the end of the third quarter, and again at the start of the fourth to take the lead, 31-28.
"What happened to us?" Blue wondered aloud as the offense trudged to the bench during a timeout. "It's like we all got replaced by pod people."
"Pod people who can't play worth a damn," Alan added glumly.
"We're trying the best we can," Ronnie said.
"Well, it's obviously not good enough," the other boy snapped. Even though he had already made a big contribution during the first quarter, Alan was anxious to redeem himself after the non-touchdown at the regional championships. He was obviously frustrated with the way the team was now playing.
Up in the bleachers, Tamsin was on her feet with the rest of the Titans fans. She wasn't cheering wildly the way she had been during the first half; but she was still clapping her hands. When she saw Ronnie looking at her, she gave him an encouraging nod. Ronnie grinned back and joined his teammates on the sidelines.
The defense didn't fare any better when it was their turn on the field. Their opponents practically danced circles around them on their way to a substantial yard gain. They managed to hold the Eagles off and the offense did their best to shift play back nearer to the Eagles' end zone. However, the Eagles forced another turnover and ran the 15 remaining yards for another touchdown. 38-28, Eagles.
Boone bellowed for the Titans' last timeout.
The Titans gathered on the sidelines, heads bowed, ashamed to face their coaches. Surprisingly, the head coach didn't bawl anyone out. He did look at each and every one of them with an expression so stony that they all squirmed, but he said only one thing.
"I want that ball and I want it in the end zone!"
The Titans responded to the terse instruction and, after the kickoff return, the offense returned to the field intent on a rally. "They're expecting us to go to Jim," Ronnie said in the huddle. "He's going to get everyone away from me and then throw the ball back for a flea flicker. Who wants to take it in?"
"Do you have to ask?" Alan asked.
The other boy grinned and slapped his teammate's shoulder. "Sorry. I was just going for a bit of drama there. OK, it's going to Alan. Let's make it count, all right? Oh, and guys, I'd really appreciate it if Pain-in-the-Ass Ellering is humiliated during this play."
"So would I!" Blue and Eddie chorused.
The Titans were grinning when they took the field. "All right! Ready!" Ronnie yelled. "Green 23! Green 23! Hut-hut!"
The ball was snapped, and as the Eagles expected, Ronnie pitched the ball to Jim. As the Titans expected, their opponents all went after him, led by Ellering. Alan sprinted downfield, but he didn't have the ball so no one paid him any attention.
Jim led his defenders several yards downfield before the ball came sailing up and away from the small cluster of Eagles. Ronnie caught it and fired the long bomb. Most of the Eagles had started toward him, but some were running the other way toward Alan. Ronnie and the rest of the Titans clenched their fists and watched the ball, willing it to reach Alan before those other guys could. "Yes…yes…"
"YES!" Roars filled the stadium again as Alan caught the ball neatly and took it in for the touchdown, several steps ahead of Paul Ellering.
When Ronnie made his way back to the sidelines, he saw Boone signaling for an onside kick. With time running out, the game belonged to whoever had the ball. The Titans head coach clearly wanted to regain possession, and quickly!
His heart began to pound with a freight train pace as the ball bounced off the side of the kicker's foot. It traveled ten yards and during the scramble that ensued, Ryan dove for the ball to regain it for the Titans.
The stadium erupted. Seven seconds and seventy yards to go.
Ronnie's heart was in his throat as the offense took the field for what would probably be the last time, but he fought to keep his voice clear. "Green 49! Green 49! Hut-hut!"
He pretended to hand off to Alan the way he had at the regional championships, while Jim sped off with the ball.
Ronnie watched in dismay as one Eagle, then two, broke away from Alan to cover Jim. The halfback went down.
Three. Two. One.
* * *
It was all over.
Ronnie sighed heavily as the Eagles and their supporters flooded the field. He stood with Blue, Eddie, Alan and Jim, their arms tight around each other, and behind him he could feel their other teammates coming up to join in the group hug.
"What a way to go, huh?" Blue asked.
Ronnie mustered a smile, even though his insides felt like they had been crushed into a cube the way old cars are at the junkyard. "Yeah, we had a perfect regular season and won the regional championships two years in a row. What a way to go."
The big black boy grinned and slugged his shoulder. "That ain't what I meant, Sunshine, but that's a damn good point."
As the Titans applauded for the winning team, Ronnie looked up at the bleachers. His parents were there, clapping and nodding as if to reassure him that win or lose, they loved him and were proud of him. Sheryl and Mr. Bosely were crying. Rev's face was set, while Tamsin stared intently at him.
She opened her mouth and started to yell something. The crowd quickly picked up the chant. "TI-TANS! TI-TANS!"
The celebration for second place built into a roar that drowned out the one for first place. It didn't sound like the crowd had any plans of stopping while there were still people on the field.
Boone acknowledged the accolades with a nod, and then gave each of his players a fatherly slap on the shoulder pads. "Good game, boys," he said, and sounded like he meant it. "Go hit the showers."
When Ronnie looked up at the bleachers again, right before walking into the tunnel leading to the locker rooms, but Tamsin was gone.
She burst into the passageway just after he entered it, and the next thing he knew, she had plowed right into him, her cheek pillowed against his chest. "It's OK," she said hoarsely, slipping her arms around his middle.
He sighed, breathing in the sweet scent of jasmine in winter. "Yeah, I know." Ronnie hugged Tamsin back and kissed her forehead, feeling more and more of the tension ebb away. Then it occurred to him that he'd just come off the field and probably didn't feel or smell none too fresh. "Uh…Tamsin," he mumbled, "I think I'd better hit the showers…"
"Oh. Right." She chuckled and released him slowly. "Sorry I kept you. I didn't stop to think…"
"Hey, I should be apologizing," he told her, wiping a small smudge of dirt off her cheek. It had probably come from one of the many smears decorating the front of his jersey. "I'm not that much fun to hug when I've just left the game and still got all my equipment on."
Tamsin caught his hand, wrinkled her nose and giggled. "Yeah, you aren't."
"I'll meet you out front after I get cleaned up, OK?"
She pressed a quick kiss to the scrapes across his knuckles. "OK."
Big Julius was the only one still on his way to the showers when Ronnie finally left her. The big black boy managed a tired grin as they walked toward the locker rooms together. "If she's willing to hug you the minute you get off the field," he said, "it must be love."
Ronnie grinned back. He was achy, tired and still on the losing team, but he felt a whole lot better. "Yeah, I guess so."
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he today that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother…