Jessi was sitting on the bleachers at the fifty yard line when the team came out of the locker room to practice. A number of the players looked curiously in her direction but no one approached her until Raymond appeared near the end of the pack. He was carrying a thick binder and talking to an adult who was obviously a coach. When he saw Jessi he said something to the coach and jogged over to her, "Jessi, I'm glad you came."
"I promised that I would," Jessi said. "I went to the library and read about football so that I could learn how the game worked."
"That's very good," Raymond gave a small chuckle. "It's a complicated game. I'll be glad to answer any questions you have when we take a break." Down on the field, the coach blew his whistle. Raymond looked toward the field, "The coach is calling a meeting. I've got to go. Would you hang on to my playbook?" He held out the binder he was carrying.
"I'll take care of it," Jessi took it from him.
Raymond jogged over to join the players gathering for the meeting.
One of his friends looked up at the bleachers, "Who's the new girl?"
Raymond said, "Her name is Jessi, I asked her to the dance on Friday."
"Usually you go for the cheerleader type. She seems pretty geeky for you."
Raymond looked up and saw Jessi flipping rapidly through the pages of his playbook, "I've gone through most of that group. After Cynthia, I think I need a change. Jessi caught my eye." He gave his friend a knowing smile, "She drives a really hot red Corvette convertible. I bet she's got some fire hidden inside that geeky exterior." He laughed and said, "She's never seen a game of football before, so I thought she should watch practice."
"She's a football virgin, huh?"
Raymond grinned, "At the very least."
They practiced for about half an hour, going through various plays and talking about them afterward. As they continued, Raymond brought the team up to the line once more and took the snap. While he was stepping back one of the defenders made it by the inside of the left guard and was in his face, he threw the ball down the center of the field where it bounced on the grass with no one near it. He turned away in disgust and the coach blew his whistle. "Let's take a ten minute break, and then we'll come back and do it right. As Raymond walked toward the sidelines, someone threw him the ball. He caught it and climbed up the bleachers to where Jessi sat, carrying it and a bottle of sports drink.
He sat on the bleacher next to her, and took a long drink from the bottle. "So, what did you think, Jessi?"
Jessi observed, "According to the play you called, the wide receiver was supposed to run a post, not a hook, that's why your pass was so far away from him. You should have thrown it to the tight end. He was open on the slant option."
Raymond looked at her in astonishment, "I thought you said you didn't know anything about football. Were you joking with me?"
"I didn't know anything then. I read about it in the library," Jessi said. "While you were having your meeting, I read your play book. He was supposed to run a post on that play."
"You flipped through our play book and now you know all of our plays?" Raymond asked, incredulous.
"I remember what I read," Jessi told him.
"That's amazing. You must have a photographic memory. I've heard about them but I've never met anyone who had one," Raymond nodded. "That would really help me. I'm still working on learning it, myself. That's why I brought my book out to practice," Raymond frowned, "I didn't see the guy open on the slant. The defender was in my face too quickly. I just threw where I expected the wide receiver to be."
Jessi continued, "I think your left tackle is lining up too far to the outside, he should move six inches closer to the center. He is getting passed on the inside too often. A five degree difference in his angle of attack will give him better leverage and force the defender to the outside. That would give you more time."
Raymond stared at Jessi for a moment and then took another long drink to cover his confusion. Finally he asked, hesitantly, "So, did you see anything else?"
"Your right guard is hiding a limp," Jessi frowned, "I think his left ankle is injured and he's trying to keep it secret. Your left wide receiver isn't trying very hard to outrun the defender, he's yawning between plays so maybe he didn't get enough sleep last night. You are missing the open slant route much of the time. When the running back approaches the line …"
Raymond held up his hand, "Hold up, that's enough. I can't keep all that straight."
"I'll write up notes for you, if that would help," Jessi offered. "I want to be able to help you."
"Maybe it would," Raymond said, dazed. The coach blew his whistle and Raymond said, "I've got to go back now. We can talk some more at the end of practice."
He walked down to the field deep in thought. When he got to the team he went to the left guard and said, "Bob, try lining up about a hand's width closer to the center. I think you are leaving a small opening."
As they started lining up, the center said, "We need a ball."
"I left it behind," Raymond turned toward Jessi.
Jessi saw the ball sitting on the bleacher next to where he had been sitting, she stood, picking it up, and threw a perfect spiral pass to the center of his chest. It hit with an audible impact. He caught it and handed it to the center who said, "Wasn't that about fifty yards?" Several other players nodded in agreement.
One of the other players said, "Who is that?"
"That's my new girlfriend," Raymond absently rubbed the spot on his chest where the ball had hit him. "Hands off, guys, I saw her first." He gestured toward the football, "Let's line up and see if we can get it right this time."