A week had passed since Julie started coming to school, and I was I at football practice; I was on the football team for my school, and even though I was a newcomer, I was listed as a starter because I was able to prove how good I was, despite my arm. My specialty was passing and punting, so I was mainly put on the defensive line. Being on the football team unfortunately made the girls in my school go crazy for me, but I don't stick around long enough for them to chase me. I didn't want Scout thinking I was a skirt chaser or something.
While I did enjoy playing football, I didn't like the coach's training methods, he would basically make the tackling dummies look like Negroes and have the offense tackle them; I usually stayed out of this, because of his racism, but eventually he wanted the defense to join in, and I refused.
"Coach, this is wrong! I won't tackle the training dummy if it looks like a Negro!" I declared.
"Why? It's just a nigger." Coach stated. What he said really burned me up, but I was too old to get into fights; especially with the school faculty.
"With all due respect, I never appreciated your methods."
"Coach, I think Jem here is a nigger lover just like his daddy!" One of the players said.
"Are you a nigger lover, Jem?" Coach asked.
"I reckon I am, sir."
"I won't have a yellow bellied chicken on the team!" A player shouted.
Emily and Sam were watching the practice, and had decided to step in.
"Look, we got two more nigger lovers." A player called out.
"Coach, you better tell that kid to shut up before I break his arm." Sam said, sternly.
Coach told the team to shut up, and we continued our conversation.
"Alright, now this is just inhumane! I can't believe you would encourage this!" Emily shouted.
"I can't just change it for one member." Coach said, weakly.
"What's the difference?! No one is going to notice if you didn't paint them, you damn louse!" Emily yelled.
Coach raised his hand to hit her, but Sam grabbed it, and said, "Let's not get too hasty… Coach, why don't you just have Jem focus on his strengths, I wouldn't want him to focus too much on tackling, because of his arm."
Sam made a good point, if I started going offensive, then my arm would be good as broken.
"Sam, I think I'm done for the day." I said, wanting to get away from this place.
"I'll go ahead and take him home, Sam." Emily said, with the same sentiments.
"Alright, I'll see if I can negotiate with this guy." Sam said, as we began to walk off the field.
When we got back to my house, Emily decided to stick around and wait for Sam. Atticus was still at work, and Scout and Dill were down by the Eddie. I had just gotten out of the bath, and had put on different clothes. Emily was sitting down in a chair, and seemed to be waiting for Sam.
"How do you really feel about Sam?" I asked.
Emily seemed to know that I was here, she turned around, smiled, and answered, "I do like him, but I want him to tell it to me first if he does."
"Why?"
"Because the last person I was with didn't really mean what he said, it really hurt, so I decided that if I liked somebody than I would wait for them to tell me." Emily answered.
"I think Sam likes you a lot, but he's far too worried about others to focus on romance." I stated.
"I noticed that too, he really cares about Dill as if he was his own. I often told him he would make a good father, but he always thought I was joking." Emily responded, smiling.
"I hope he doesn't go crazy on Coach." I admitted.
"Don't worry, he only goes violent when it's necessary." Emily stated.
As soon as she said that, Sam came in the room, and pretended to clear his throat.
"How long were you there?" Emily asked.
"Just got here." Sam answered.
"Hey, why don't you stay for dinner, Emily?" I asked.
"I'm fine with it." Sam said. "I want to tell you something after dinner, anyway."
"Alright, I'll stay." Emily said, shrugging her shoulders.
Scout, Dill, and Atticus soon got home, and we all ate our dinner. Atticus went to his room, while Scout, Dill, and I spied on Sam and Emily just for the hell of it.
"So, what is you wanted to talk about, Samuel?" Emily asked.
"Are you still dating that man, Emily?" Sam asked.
"Hell no! I dropped him once I realized he was cheating on me!" Emily answered, brashly.
"Sorry…" Sam said, looking at Emily.
"Why are you sorry?" Emily asked.
"For not answering you back then." Sam answered
"Don't be, I should've waited for you to ask me." Emily responded, softly.
"Have you ever wondered what it would be like if we grew up together?" Sam asked.
"Sometimes, but I don't think I would belong in Texas." Emily answered.
"Don't worry about it, there is a place where I know you belong, but I wish I told you sooner." Sam looked outside the window, and looked out into the distance.
"You can tell me now…" Emily said, getting right next to him.
Sam looked at her in the eye, and grabbed her hands. "You are never away from your home in my heart, there is never a day when you don't play a part in word that I say, or a sight that I see. You are never away and I'll never be free."
Emily hugged Sam, and told him how she felt: "You're the smile on my face, or song that I sing, you're a rainbow I chase on a morning in Spring, and you're a star in the lace of a wild willow tree, in a green leafy lace of a wild willow tree."
"Glad to see you still love me." Sam admitted.
"I'm glad that you love me, period." Emily stated.
"You are lovelier by far, than I dreamed you could be, Emily." Sam said, hugging her.
"Be careful, we got witnesses." Emily stated, smirking as she looked toward us.
"I know…" Sam stated, smiling.
"Do you guys have a sixth sense or something?" Scout asked.
"No, but we have peripheral vision." Emily answered.
"What's that?" Dill asked.
"It's where you can see motion, without actually looking in the direction it's coming from." I answered.
"Well, we're together now, but I bet you anything not much is going to change." Sam stated.
"I not one for sentimental tripe, Sam." Emily admitted.
"I know, that is why people are going to have to squint if they were to guess if we are a couple or not." Sam said, smiling.
"Would you walk me back to Miss Maudie's?" Emily asked, pretending to be formal.
"While of course I will." And Sam played along.
"Hey, Emily, tell Julie I said, "good night." I said, as they walked out the door.
Dill and Scout just smirked at me, and it made me feel awkward.
"So, you do like her." Dill stated.
"I don't know, it's still too early to say." I admitted.
"Why don't you ask her out, Jem?" Scout teased.
"Alright, goodnight you two lovebirds." I rebutted as I headed to my room.
I went towards my room, and I wrote down the poem before I forgot it, and I decided to turn it in this Friday, and then read it to her during Thanksgiving Break.