Initiation by Phil M. Williams Read Free Book Online Page A

– you tell two lies and then you’re in trouble’.”
    She laughed. “Nice singing voice.”
    “I actually kinda liked that one. It was catchy.”
    Sarah pointed to a nondescript middle unit with beige siding and a bay window. “That’s my house,” she said.
    “It’s just you and your mom, right?”
    She raised her eyebrows. “Stalking me?”
    “Ben told me that your mom worked in a hair place?”
    “It’s a salon. She’s a hair stylist.”
    “Do you guys not get along?”
    “Did Ben tell you that we don’t?”
    “No, I just figured since we never go to your house.”
    She smiled. “Ben’s house has better snacks. What about you? We don’t hang out at your house either.”
    He nodded. “Ben’s house has better snacks.”
    “Uh huh.”
    They arrived at a park with swings, a slide, and monkey bars. It was mulched with wood chips. They sat together on the swings. Sarah held onto the chains, rocking back and forth, her legs planted on the mulch. Carter did the same. Sarah turned toward Carter, the chains twisting.
    “This is the first time we’ve been together alone, without Ben,” she said.
    He nodded. “Did he say anything after I left?”
    She exhaled. “I don’t know what his problem is.”
    “You didn’t answer my question.”
    “It’ll blow over. He was just mad. He’s been talking about starting on varsity since we were freshmen.”
    Carter raised his eyebrows. “What did he say?”
    “Carter.”
    “Seriously, what did he say?”
    She took a deep breath. “He said that I should be careful around you, that you’re violent, that you try to hurt people in practice. I told him that he needed to get a grip.”
    Carter closed his eyes for a moment and then stared at the wood chips.
    “You okay?” she asked.
    He didn’t look up. “He’s right. I do try to hurt people.”
    “Why?”
    He shrugged and looked up at her. “I like the hitting. Before practice or a game, I feel all agitated, like I’m about to get into a fight. Then during, it’s like I’m in this haze, where everything slows down.”
    “What does it feel like?”
    “To hit someone?”
    She nodded.
    “Most of the time I don’t feel anything, at least not right then. Sometimes I hit someone just perfectly, with the right explosion of my legs, and there’s this loud crack of pads that everyone tells me about, but I never hear it when it happens. Then the guy’s on the ground with the wind knocked out of him, or sometimes he’s really hurt, or sometimes he pops up like it was nothing, and I’m hurt.”
    “Do most guys like the hitting?”
    He shook his head. “They’ll probably say they do, but if you watch closely, you can see the guys that recoil at the last split-second before impact, like they’re bracing themselves. The coaches teach us tackling techniques, but they can’t teach us to hit. Guys are hitters or they’re not.”
    “Ben’s not, huh?”
    “No.”
    She bit the lower corner of her lip. “Why does he play then?”
    He shrugged. “Maybe to wear the jersey on Friday. Maybe for popularity. Maybe to get girls. A lot of guys play for the fanfare.”
    “Why do you play?” She searched his face.
    He smiled. “Definitely for the girls.”

Chapter 5: Domination
    – 5 –
    Domination
    Across the field, the sideline was silent. The Arlington High School Eagles hung their heads and slouched their shoulders. The sun beat down on their necks. Carter glanced at the scoreboard. He brushed his uniform with his hand. It was crisp and clean. Twenty-eight-nil, ten minutes left in the second quarter. Coach Ware signaled plays to Luke from the sideline. They were about to add another six. Carter stood behind Coach Pitts and Coach Cowan, hoping to catch their eye.
    “How long do you wanna keep the starters in?” Coach Pitts asked.
    Coach Cowan took off his hat and wiped his brow. “This is a waste of our time. We get a better look in practice from the milky whites. I’d like to at least give ’em until