"You get along with everyone, don't you?" Tami asked Mo over the school lunch table.

"Pretty much," he said. "Why?"

"How about with Eric Taylor?"

Mo dipped a fry in ketchup. "He's kind of a dick."

Tami frowned. Mo didn't use to swear around her. Maybe he swore around the guys, but he never used to swear around her. She'd always taken that as a sign of respect.

"Sorry," he said when he saw her expression. "I mean, he's not exactly friendly."

"Maybe he's just reserved." She slid her lunch tray aside. She hated pizza day. It was like cardboard with ketchup. She should have remembered to pack her lunch. "Is there some kind of tension between you two?"

"He stole my position, Tami."

"He didn't steal it," she said. "I mean, that wasn't his decision to make. It was Coach's"

Mo shoved his tray aside. "Why are you defending him?"

"I'm not. I don't think he needs defending. What did he do wrong?"

"He thinks he's hot shit." Mo saw her face and took her hand. "Stuff. Sorry. Hot stuff."

"Does he brag or something?"

"No, not exactly," Mo admitted, "but you can see it in the way he carries himself. He's arrogant."

"Really? I don't get that impression."

"How would you know?" Mo asked. "When do you ever see him?"

At this point Tami did not think it would be wise to mention that Eric had walked her home from Bo's Coffe & Bakery or how much they had talked. "He's in my Government class."

"Well he's in my P.E. class and my Enlgish class. And he's on the team with me. So I think I would know better than you."

"But don't you think it's a good idea for y'all to try to get along?" she asked. "Overcome any hard feelings you might have for him? You know, for the sake of the team?"

"I get along with him fine. What have I ever done to Eric Taylor?"

"There's no tension on the team?"

"What is this?" Mo asked, letting go of her hand. "Are you going into counselor mode again?"

"What are you talking about?" Tami asked.

"It's what you do. You get it from your dad. You go into counselor mode and think people have problems they don't have, and then you try to fix them."

"I do not!"

Mo made a gesture with his hand to indicate that she should lower her voice. He looked around. A couple farther down the table that was looking at them looked away. "Yeah, Tami," he half whispered, "you do. And it's kind of annoying. But it's no big deal, so let's just drop it."

Tami didn't want to drop it. She wanted him to say he was sorry, that he was wrong, that she did not "go into counselor mode," whatever that was. But he didn't. He stood up and grabbed his tray. "It's about that time. I'll walk you to 4th period."

[*]

Eric took his seat between Kimberley and Tami in Government. It was two minutes before the bell would ring. Tami watched Kimberley turn around and smile at him. "How was your weekend?" she asked.

"Ok."

"Good game on Friday," she said. "I guess you're QB1 now, huh?"

"Yeah."

"You going to the homecoming dance?"

"Uh…I don't know."

"So you haven't asked anyone yet?"

"No."

Kimberley smiled again. "Well, I'm just going with a group of single friends from the volleyball team." She nodded over his shoulder at Tami. "Not Tami. Some other girls. Tami has a steady boyfriend, right?"

Tami smiled. "I sure do. But you don't have one do you, Kimberley?"

"Not at the moment," she replied.

"I find that surprising," Tami said, "because you're so much fun to hang around."

"Aww, that's sweet." Kimberley's Texas drawl was a hair thicker than Tami's. "Thanks."

Eric busied himself with taking his notebook out of his backpack. Kimberley was still looking right at him when he was done with that. "So, if you do end up going," she said. "Save me a dance?"

"Uh…Yeah. Okay."

The bell rang. Kimberley sat forward again.

[*]

Taylor's had its grand opening the Thursday before the Homecoming game and promised half price pints and half price bottles of wine from 9 PM Friday until 2 AM Saturday if the Tigers won. They did.

Friday night after the game, while the adults headed for the new bar, the teenagers headed to the homecoming dance.

"I'm sorry we fought the other day," Mo whispered to Tami when he took her out onto the dance floor for the first slow dance.

Tami was relieved he had finally apologized. "Let's put it behind us," she said. "Just enjoy tonight."

"There's no way I couldn't. You're so beautiful in that get-up." She was in a tight, dark red, shiny dress that fell just below her knees. It wasn't too low cut - her parents would never have allowed that - but it did reveal a small hint of cleavage.

Tami settled her head contentedly against Mo's shoulder and smiled. When they were done with the dance, she saw Eric Taylor step through the gymnasium door with Father Jack by his side.

Father Jack was the team-appointed nickname of Joaquin Hernandez, wide receiver, #23, a devout Catholic virgin in a town with very few Catholics and very few virgins. He never got drunk, swore, smoked, or even watched R-rated movies, and he'd vowed he wouldn't have sex before he got married to a good Catholic girl. Some of the team had been suspicious of him at first for his moral conservatism, but when they saw how fast he could run, and how high he could jump, and how loyal he could be, they stopped worrying. He was a sinewy, well-poised, dark-eyed boy with a dazzling smile.

The two teammates looked about the decorated gym, their eyes roving from the girls who were standing and talking in the corner, to the dancers, to the refreshment table. The pair sent up quite the stir when they walked in. Tami could hear the whispers of dozens of girls float like a cloud upon the music, and their admiring gazes seemed to penetrate the very air on the dance floor.

Father Jack wore a gray suit while Eric's was solid black, and the new QB1 looked sharp and handsome. The two teammates walked casually along the periphery of the dance floor, chatted with some other teammates, and drank some punch.

Eric had just nodded in Tami's direction when Kimberly Parker approached him. They spoke for a moment, and he took her to the dance floor. Tami giggled when she saw the way Eric danced with her. "He sure knows how to leave enough room for the Holy Spirit, doesn't he?" she asked Mo.

Mo laughed, took her hand and led her back onto the floor. "Yeah, but I want to be close to you, gorgeous." They danced cheek to cheek. Tami loved the smell of his cologne.

The moment that dance was done, Eric was approached by another girl, and he muttered his acceptance.

Tami, however, headed to the snack table to corner Kimberley. "Enjoy your dance with Eric?" she asked with a teasing smile.

"I thought he was deep and brooding," she said. "But now I'm beginning to think he's just socially awkward." She smiled. "Of course, it's kind of cute." She stepped a little closer to Tami. "Do you think he likes me?"

"My lady?" came Father Jack's voice from behind them. They turned, and Father Jack made a mock bow in Kimberley's direction, rolling his hand, which made both girls giggle. "May I have this dance?"

"I thought you only danced with Catholic girls," Kimberly replied.

"Don't worry. I'll convert you before the dance is over." He winked at her.

Kimberly laughed and took his hand.

When it seemed apparent that Eric was not going to be able to turn down a dance even if he wanted to, the girls started lining up for him. But when he saw Anita Nisbeth, like a cat on the prowl, coming his way, he slipped out the gym door and never returned.

Later in the night, while Mo was scooping Tami some punch, Father Jack stopped by the table and asked him, "Where's Taylor?"

Mo answered, "He put in his forty minute appearance and took off, just like he did at the party last Thursday night."

"What party?" Tami asked.

"Ah, honey," Mo told her, "I didn't ask you to come with me because I knew it was one your dad wouldn't let you go to. It was lame anyway. You didn't miss anything."

"I don't know what Eric's got against a good time," Father Jack said, "but, hey, he led us to victory tonight, didn't he?" He raised his cup of punch in honor of Eric.

"I threw a touchdown pass in the third quarter," Mo reminded him.

Father Jack flashed his bright white smile. "When Coach was resting Taylor, you mean?"

Mo's nostrils flared slightly. Tami was afraid he was going to get peevish, but instead Mo grinned, raised his cup, and said, "To Eric Taylor! To the absentee quarterback!" He and Father Jack clicked cups, and then Mo put his arm around Tami and said, "Look at my Queen! Isn't she beautiful?"

It was a magical night for Tami, and not just because she had been on the Homecoming Court. She and Mo didn't bicker the entire evening. He walked about proudly with her on his arm, twirled her across the dance floor, whispered sweet nothings in her ear as they slow danced, and made a delightfully entertaining fool of himself during the fast dances. Tami felt that tonight, she just might fall in love with Mo McArnold all over again.