Coach by Walt Sautter (most difficult books to read txt) đ
- Author: Walt Sautter
Book online «Coach by Walt Sautter (most difficult books to read txt) đ». Author Walt Sautter
âYeah! We donât want no losers and quitters like you two even near our fieldâ contributed Jake.
With that they moved even closer.
âYou know the other day, that shit you said about me, I shoulda killed ya for that, right there. I didnât cause Coach was right next door and I didnât want him cominâ in an hearinâ all that lyinâ shit you was sayinâ about him too.
But now Coach knows what you said so I can beat the shit outta you with no problemâ threatened Howie.
With that he lunged towards Ricky, tackling him to the ground. I reflexively grabbed Howie around his neck, trying to pull him off Ricky only to feel a solid blow to the back of my head. I immediately rolled off the pile to the side onto my back. Lying there I saw Jakeâs booted foot in front of my face.
âStay right there, boy. Donât ya move an inch or I got another shot for ya and this oneâs gonna be right in your ugly fuckinâ faceâ he said as he cocked his foot back in preparation for the next kick.
Meanwhile, Ricky handled himself well. He managed to get back to his feet and deliver several punishing blows to his aggressor. Howie stepped back, wiped the trickle of blood from his nose on the back of his left hand and waved to the others with his right.
Then the others stepped into the melee, dragged Ricky to the car and pinned him against it allowing Howie to fire at will. When his anger was satisfied he and Jake pulled Ricky to the pond and threw him in headfirst.
âThatâs the end of that. Say somethinâ else and the next time you wonât be able to get outta that pondâ yelled Howie as Ricky struggled to scramble to his feet in the waist deep, icy water. He waded over to the shore and pulled himself up the bank.
I sat up and began to stand as the five climbed backed into the car and sped off. Ricky emerged and stood by the edge of the road shivering violently in the brisk autumn breeze.
âThatâs about it for that idea of yoursâ he said in a quivering disgusted voice.
âIâd rather die than give that prick any satisfaction now. I donât give a shit what he thinks heâs gonna do to me.
Fuckinâ queer!â
âHey man!â I replied, âWe gotta get you some dry clothes before you freeze to death and patch up your eye and your lip. Letâs go over to my house and weâll get you changed.â
My house was about a quarter mile away and we hurried in a jog to it with the squish - squish of Rickyâs waterlogged sneakers keeping time all the way. When we arrived, my mother met us at the door.
âWhat happened?â she exclaimed.
âHow did you get soaked and what happened to your face?â
âAh, well we were skimming rocks on the pond down by the field after the game and he slipped on a log by the edge and fell inâ I quickly interjected.
She took another look at Ricky.
âAnd your face? What about that?â she continued this time looking for Ricky to answer.
A moment of silence persisted.
âI hit it on the log when I fell.â
She turned to me and I immediately knew by her look that our answers were far from convincing.
Then, she said with raised eyebrow, âWell, okay! Go and get some of your old clothes for him.â
âYou go and dry yourself off and changeâ and she motioned Ricky.
Dried and changed he emerged from the bathroom.
âLet me see if I can fix up some of those cuts that you got from hitting that logâ Mom said sarcastically.
âSit over hereâ she commanded and he complied.
He winced and groaned as she dabbed the wounds with alcohol saturated cotton swabs. She worked like an expert cut man in a boxerâs corner between rounds. When the job was done, the blood flow had ceased and swelling became to dissipate. The black eye was still apparent however. The ice pack that he held against it was doing little to diminish its discoloration.
âCan I use the phone to call my father?â he requested.
I handed it to him and a half hour later a horn blew in front of the house. I watched out of the front window as he got into the car. I could see a heated conversation ensue almost immediately. They stayed parked for several minutes and then drove off.
Chapter 5
Monday morning came much too soon. Back to the icy atmosphere of Highburg High. Back to the glares, sneers and cold shoulders. It was certainly nothing to look forward to.
I went to my locker. I crammed my coat into it and pulled out the stuff for the dayâs classes. I slammed the locker door, twisted the combination dial and looked up.
âWhat the fuck happened to you?â I said in a startled voice.
âWhat happened to your other eye?â I exclaimed.
Rickyâs left eye was still a bit blackened looking as if it had started to heal but now his right eye was swollen and cut too.
âGod damn log againâ he replied.
âCome on man, what happened.â
I kind of thought I knew after having witnessed the confrontation between him and his father in the car. He probably gave his old man the same story that he gave my mom but the old man didnât go for it either. The difference was however, when Rickyâs father didnât believe his stories, instead of just blowing it off; he just proceeded to beat the true out of him.
âMy old man didnât like my log storyâ he replied.
âI get it,â I answered.
âThatâs not all of it,â he continued.
âI had to tell him the whole thing.â
âWhat do you mean âthe whole thingâ?â I asked nervously, afraid of what I thought I might hear.
âYou know! The whole Coach and Howie thing we sawâ he blurted.
âI had to. Not only cause he was beatinâ the shit outta me but cause I didnât want him to keep thinkinâ I left the team because I was a quitter.â
He paused.
âYou know, now Iâm glad I told him. At least I got a chance to tell somebody who really believes me and I know he does. He knows that I never lie when heâs whippinâ me.â
âSo what did he say when you told him?â
âHe was real surprised like us. He almost couldnât believe what I was tellinâ him but like I said, he knows I never lie to him when he gets to the whippinâ part. He knows too that I would never make up a story like that if it wasn ât true.
Then he got plenty pissed, not at me or you but at Howie and the guys that beat me up, especially when I told about him callinâ me a nigger and allâ.
âThen what?â I asked.
âWell, went out, got in the car and drove right to the cops. He said he told the cops exactly what happened and -â
âHe told the cops the whole story, about Coach and all?â I interrupted anxiously.
âNo, I donât think so. He said he just wants those guys picked up for beatinâ me up. He said the cops didnât seem too eager to do it, Howie beinâ the town hero and Jake beinâ the sergeantâs nephew you know.
The cops didnât say they werenât gonna do much but that was what he thought from the way they all acted. They did say âthey would look into itâ what ever that means.
Dad said he wants them to get back to him and tell him what they find out, so weâll see. I know my old man. He was pissed and when he gets pissed he stays right on stuff. Heâll be on them cops like flies on shit until he finds out whatâs goinâ on.â
The school late bell began to ring and we both scurried out in opposite directions to class.
It was ten twenty-five exactly. I know because third period had just begun when there was a knock on the classroom door. Miss Rupert opened it revealing Mr. Robertson, the school principal. He whispered quietly to her and then he motioned me to come to the door.
âMr. Crane, come with meâ he commanded and I followed down the hall to his office.
He opened his office door and there seated before his desk was Ricky and Howie with Police Chief Simpson seated between them.
âSit down sonâ and he pointed to the empty chair next to the Chief.
âWe seem to have a problem here boysâ he started.
âFirst we want to find out whatâs going on here and then weâre going to straighten it out once and for all,â announced Mr. Robertson, sternly. He then cast a solemn stare at each of us, one at a time before continuing.
âLet me here from you firstâ he said looking straight at Ricky.
âWhat do you mean?â he replied vainly feigning ignorance.
âWhat do I mean? Did you look in the mirror this morning?â
âYesâ-answered Ricky.
âThen you certainly must have seen what I mean! What happened? I want to hear your story. Letâs go,â snapped the principal.
âI got beat up,â replied Ricky.
âI kind of thought soâ again snapped Mr. Robertson.
âWe, that is the Chief and I, want the whole story. Now, letâs have it, the whole thing. No more stupid one liners.â
Ricky leaned back in the chair, with his hands folded in he lap, nervously tapping his left foot quietly on the floor.
He began to speak with eyes cast downward.
âBeamy and me were walking home after the football gameâ.
âBeamy and I were walkingâ interrupted the principal.
âRight!
âBeamy and I were walking home after the football game and Howie and a bunch of guys pulled up in a car and they all jumped out, beat me up and threw me in the pond down by the field. That was it. Then when I got home my dad made me tell him about itâ Ricky concluded.
âIs this all true?â said Mr. Robertson looking straight at me.
âYesâ I stammered.
âIs that what happened?â he questioned Howie.
Howie silently nodded.
âThereâs got to be more to it than that! Why?â he continued asking Howie.
âHe deserved it after what he saidâ came the reply in a low tone.
âWhat did he say?â
Silence persisted.
âI said, what did he say?â ordered Robertson.
âI was only foolinâ around one day after practice. I was only teasinâ himâ Howie began.
âCallinâ me a nigger! Teasinâ!â erupted Ricky.
âThat aint teasinâ where I come from, that fightinâ stuff!â
âYou be quiet!â Robertson addressed the outburst and then continued to interrogate Howie.
âDid you call him that?â he asked.
âI donât rememberâ came the halfhearted answer.
âDid he?â and Robertson looked at me.
âYes he did,â I answered meekly.
âAre you sure?â
âIâm sureâ I replied with a bit more courage.
Robertson leaned back, raised his hand to his chin and gazed into the distance for a moment. Then he addressed Howie.
âIf you called him a name, why did you and your guys then beat on him? I would think it should be the other way around? I donât quite get it.â
âWell, that isnât all there was to itâ replied Howie.
âHe called me a queer!â
âCalled you a queer. So thatâs a reason to beat him up?â queried the principal.
Howie looked down at his hands folded in his lap.
âThat aint all he said. He said Coach and me were queerinâ each other. Thatâs what really made me mad. Everybody loves Coach. Look what Coach did for me.
Comments (0)