It was a fairly chilly morning, by Dixon County standards. 63 degrees at the 7 AM hour, with the weather app promising a warm up to the mid-seventies. Not too unusual for a mid-November morning on the outskirts of the South Georgia swampland, with many November mornings actually being much warmer.
It was enough of a chill to have the two teachers watching the students come off the bus chatter about the hoax of global warming. It was Doreen Herreld, the "religious studies" teacher and Ronnie Smith, the Civics teacher. The biology teacher, Grace Scope, had a different attitude, but she wasn't there to refute their Fox News fueled enthusiasm.
On the other side of Dixon County High, opposite of the entering school buses and front parking lot, were a few students hanging out until the bell called them for first period. They were behind the gym. A football field's length away from the gym...was the football field. It wasn't "the football field", but a practice and scrimmage field, sometimes even used by Peewee teams at nights or on weekends. The actual football field lay to the east of the the school, a mammoth structure with huge bleachers on both sides of the field, running twenty four rows up, topped by stadium boxes used by the press and by VIPs. The VIPs included rich alumni donors and owners of large area businesses that gave thousands to the football program and jack squat to anything that had the remote stink of academics on it.
The student out back that every one else was gathered around in almost reverential awe was Bobby Ray, the star quarterback of the football team. Well, he was the star quarterback, until he blew out his knee a couple of weeks ago. Now he leaned gently on crutches he would have to use for the next four weeks. His left leg was in a cast. When the cast came off, then they would have to decide on surgery or not. Bobby Ray's crutches just made him all that more striking to the female population of Dixon High. Tall, athletic, golden brown hair that came down to his neck, he had a quiet grace and an enticing smile that melted every girl's heart.
Standing in back of the gym with him were his teammate Freddy Higgins, and his oldest buddy going all the way back to Kindergarten, Skipper Reese. Skipper wasn't part of the athletic group, he really wasn't a popular kid at all. But he and Bobby Ray had such a history together they didn't think nothing of hanging out with each other. The fourth person was Susi Kapok, a junior and friend of Freddy's. She was short and cute, wavy red hair with a scrunched-up nose and a quirky smile, she was a skinny thing, but well-endowed, her button-down shirt a size or two too small. She could not take her eyes off Bobby Ray.
Skipper played with a cigarette in his hand, as if he was fixing to smoke it, but then decided against it. Why take the risk? It might get them all in trouble, and he had enough respect for Bobby Ray not to do that. "Do you still have to go practices? Maybe we can step out tonight and howl?'
Susi made howling sounds, sounding playful and sexy. "Nah," Bobby answered. "I still go and help out and such." Bobby Ray's college opportunities dim to begin with, faded substantially with this injury. More scouts and college reps saw playoff games than regular, so he would miss out on all that.
"That's a shame, Bobby Ray," cooed Susi. "I sure would love to party with you! Maybe you got some time after practice? And you know, the fewer the merrier!" Freddy scowled. Second base with Susi was looking like it was getting further away for him.
Bobby Ray looked at her, thoughts running through his head. She was a pretty little thing. He was Racine Steel's boyfriend, but it wasn't like he was married to her. Besides, Racine, who was admittedly the most gorgeous girl in all of Dixon County, with her blond hair, perfect Natalie Portman face, curvy body, was actually starting to look a little paler, inexplicably gaining weight particularly around the belly, getting nauseous sick more often, even losing interest in sex. Maybe it was time to turn their on/off relationship off again, at least for a little while. At least long enough to discover what was behind Susi's straining shirt.
"Damn, Bobby Ray," exclaimed Freddy, desperate to start another topic. "Our playoff chances are in the toilet without you. That creep from Ware County should be banned from football for the way he tackled you!"
Bobby Ray shrugged. "What's done is done. You play the game, you take your chances." Bobby Ray, budding philosopher.
Susi came up to Bobby Ray, and put one arm around his arm. She leaned down and with her hand caressed his cast. Bobby Ray could look down her shirt and see much of the promised land.
At that point Racine Steel rounded the corner, and with her feminine walk, the gentle sashay of her hips, she approached Bobby Ray. Susi stood up and squinched back close to Freddy.
Racine came up close to Bobby Ray and said in a very quiet voice, "Bobby Ray, we have to talk. Just you and me."
Bobby Ray sent his friends away, and his life began to change.
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