JD sat at his table in the lunch room, surrounded by his crew, which consisted of a couple of offensive linemen, some rally girls and a rotating cast of other players, sycophants and toadies, all hoping to curry favor. The lineman were JD's bodyguards both on and off the field, though they also served as his muscle off the field when he wanted to mess with someone and didn't want to get his hands dirty. He was finishing up his second cheeseburger when Scott Taylor, a wide receiver nudged him and said, "Hey, didn't you say you were gonna tap that ass?" Taylor pointed across the lunch room and JD watched Julie Taylor get up from a table and walk out of the lunchroom.

"Yeah, but with Saracen around it-"

"He's gone."

"What?"

"He's gone. He left."

"What? Left Dillon?"

"I guess. He quit Panther Pizza and I haven't seen him working anywhere else and one thing about Saracen, he's always had a job, since he was like 8. I heard he dropped out of Dillon Tech. And there haven't been any cars in his driveway or in front of his house for at least a week."

"Well, he could have gone on a vacation or something."

"To where? Las Vegas?" JD snorted "Disneyland? And if he did go on a vacation you know Taylor would have gone with him."

"I….eh, maybe, but I, I think they were fighting, or at least arguing lately." JD thought back to the party at the beginning of the season, when he had picked Julie up to throw her in the pool. His hand had slid all the way up her leg until it had jammed into her crotch, not quite The Shocker but she had certainly squeaked, partly in surprise, but partly in pleasure? Not that he wouldn't have thrown her into the pool, you can be damn sure he would have if Saracen hadn't shown up.

It had been interesting the first day of school when he and Julie ended up having three classes together, even sitting next to each other in social studies. But they hadn't spoken to each other since the party. JD saw her in the halls at school, sometimes saw her getting pushed and shoved and tripped, and occasionally like today, he'd see her in the cafeteria, always sitting at a table by herself. But that was pretty rare as people had thrown food and milk cartons at her a few times. And then there was the slashing of her tires. JD smiled when he pictured that.

Scott looked at him. "What are you smiling for? Thinking about fucking her until she cries and her pussy bleeds?"

"Fuck off, I'm still eating." JD shoved the last of his burger in his mouth, and then toyed with his fries. "Have to admit; watching her get pushed around is kind of funny." A smirk crossed his lips. "Can you find out if Saracen is really gone?"

"How am I gonna do that?"

"Ask around. You used to hang out with him and Riggins and Clarke last year. Go to Panther Pizza and ask for him. Hell, call up Tim Riggins and say that you and Saracen were supposed to hang out but you haven't heard from him or something. Y'know what, forget that, just call up his house and ask whoever answers the phone. Use Riggins name, it's not like his grandmother would know the difference or his mom. You're at least half right."

"About what?"

"I might not make Taylor's pussy bleed, but she's gonna be crying for days and begging for mercy before I'm done."