Chapter 18

By the time school resumed after the Christmas break Zach had convinced himself to make the best of the situation by conceding that he was no longer in the band. After the season was over, he thought he might be able to talk himself back in. A hiatus from the band was a disappointment but was also a relief. Zach had come to believe that Coach Crisfield was right. It wasn’t possible to maintain enough of a commitment to both the band and the team at the same time.

Beth and Zach tracked each other down whenever they could during school that week, either between classes or before their respective team practices. Zach promised to catch her basketball game on Friday night. “I’ve never even seen you play yet,” he told her. “That’s lame.”

“Yeah, that’s lame,” she had been quick to agree.

He weighed out at 173 on Friday, two pounds over the limit for the important Wenonah match the next day. There was no reason to go home since he knew he couldn’t eat and his mom would be at work anyway. After showering he headed into the gym to watch the girls JV basketball game. Beth and the varsity team would play after the JV game was over. He saw Beth with her teammates as he took a seat by himself in the bleachers. It wasn’t long before she broke away from the group and walked over.

“Hi,” she said brightly. “You’re really early. JV hasn’t even gotten to halftime yet.” She reached behind and put her arm around his waist. “How many shirts do you have on? I can hardly feel you through all that cloth.”

“I get cold easy,” he said.

“No kidding,” she said. “You don’t have any insulation. You’re all skin and bones.”

“There must be more to me than that,” he said. “I’m two pounds over. That’s why I didn’t bother going home.”

“I’m glad you’re here,” she said, squeezing him tight before letting go. “It’s nice. I’ll be at your match tomorrow, too.”

“It’ll be a tough one,” he said. “Wenonah’s always good.”

They chatted about everything and nothing as they watched the game. Beth seemed to have a story about every JV player on the court. Tired from practice and worried about his weight, Zach didn’t say much but he enjoyed the company. When the third quarter ended Beth left for the locker room to join her teammates. Zach immediately changed his location to relieve the pain on his backside. The lack of fat on his body that made him so susceptible to cold also made it uncomfortable to sit on hard bleachers for very long. He moved to the top row where he could stand against the wall without blocking anybody’s view.

~~~

“I hope you brought you’re ‘A game’, Burnout,” Mark Easton said as he walked past Zach in the locker room Saturday afternoon. His words stung. Zach had thought that he and Easton had begun to develop a clumsy friendship, or at least a truce. He looked up at Easton momentarily before refocusing on the baggie of cheerios he was working his way through now that the weigh-in was over with.

The weigh-in had been a source of worry for Zach. He was right on weight on the scale back at Chapel Forge, but there was no certainty that Wenonah’s scale would yield the same result. The twenty-minute bus ride had been mental torture as he hoped and prayed. After he ended up making weight by the narrowest of margins he had hoped for a few minutes of solitude before the match, but Easton had dashed those hopes.

“We haven’t beaten Wenonah for as long as I can remember,” Easton continued.

“I’ll do my best,” Zach said, wishing Easton would leave him alone.

“Say, I keep meaning to ask. Whatever happened to you at that party?” Easton asked. “I never saw you once after we got there.”

“I didn’t feel good,” Zach said. “I was pretty ragged from the tournament. I was home in bed by eleven o’clock.”

“Pretty early night for a guy like you,” Easton said. “We figured you were out back getting high.”

“Get off my back, will you?” Zach said, unable to control his temper any longer. He tossed the cheerios into his gym bag and walked towards the bathroom without looking back. Some things never changed.

~~~

The JV match was just starting when Zach and the other varsity wrestlers straggled into the gym. Remembering that Beth was coming, he swept the bleachers with his eyes. He didn’t see her but he did see another group of fans that were obviously there to see him. Fauquier, Dumphries, Herndon and Jeanine were all seated in an otherwise empty area on the Wenonah side of the gym. Zach knew they saw him because they began pointing and shouting in his direction, causing the JV parents scattered around the gym to turn and stare. He walked over to them hoping that might settle them down some.

“Nice duds!” Herndon said about the red and blue satin warm-ups Zach was wearing.

“Thanks,” Zach said, his calm voice hiding his surprise. “What are you guys doing here?”

“We wanted to see you do what you do,” Fauquier said.

“You should have come to a home match,” Zach said. “How did you find this place?”

“Dude, we’ve all lived in South Jersey all our lives,” Herndon said. “I ran cross-country against these guys.”

“Now I’m really nervous, now that you guys showed up,” Zach said. “Where’s my buddy Glimmer?”

“He’s been hauling tools at work every Saturday for a while now,” Fauquier said between laughs. “Keeps him out of trouble. Besides, why would he come? He’s already scared you’re going to crack him next time you see him.”

“Me?” Zach asked. “I never said anything like that.”

“He’s dumb as a wall,” Dumphries said. “These two guys never let up on him. They’ve got him believing in the Easter Bunny again.”

Zach smiled. It felt good to hear that the golden boy had a flaw or two after all. Maybe there really was a chance he could get back in.

As they talked Zach noticed Jeanine slipping behind them. He still felt badly about how he’d treated her the last time he saw her. Before he had thought of something to say to her she began massaging his neck and shoulders from behind without saying a word. He didn’t like it but didn’t want to hurt her feelings again by telling her to stop. Besides that, she was one of the flakiest characters he’d ever known and there was no telling how she would react. There were too many people watching to take a chance on it.

“Zach, man, we’re better with you than without you,” Fauquier said. “You’ve got to get this out of your system. How’s it going to feel if we’re off cutting an album and you’re still on the outside looking in?”

Dumphries rolled his eyes and slid backwards against the row of bleachers behind him. Fauquier didn’t appear to notice. That’s Joe through and through, Zach thought. He believes what he wants to believe and sees only what he wants to see.

“I couldn’t run out on these guys, Joe,” Zach said, gesturing towards a group of his teammates. “Not in the middle of the season.”

“Why not?” Fauquier asked. “You didn’t have any trouble running out on us.”

“Joe, back off,” Dumphries said. “You said you weren’t going to do this.”

Fauquier flicked the back of his hand through the air. “Okay, you’re right. Forget I said it.”

By then the JV match was well underway. Spectators were beginning to wander into the gym more quickly as the varsity match start time drew closer. Zach was becoming increasingly worried that somebody, most specifically Beth, was going to see him lounging in the bleachers with Jeanine draped all over him. He tried to think of a way to escape without being rude.

“How long before show time?” Herndon asked. “When’s it your turn out there?”

“The varsity match starts at one o’clock,” Zach said. He paused a few seconds while doing some mental math. “I’ll be the eleventh match after it starts.”

“Man, Joe, why’d you come get me so early?” Herndon said. “I could have slept two more hours.”

By then there were so many people in the gym that it was no longer possible for Zach to know who was there. He decided it was time. “I’ve got to get back for the team meeting,” he said. “Are you guys staying around after the match?”

“We’ll try, Zach,” Dumphries said. “If it isn’t too late.”

“Okay,” Zach said as he gently twisted out of Jeanine’s grasp. “Maybe I’ll check you guys out later.”

“Break a leg,” Herndon yelled when Zach nearly tripped onto the floor after carefully stepping down the bleacher steps.

~~~

“I saw you with your flunkie friends,” Easton said to Zach in the locker room. “Beth asked me who they were. She looked pretty pissed.”

~~~

From his seat on the bench Zach spotted Beth in the crowded seats by the time the 112-pound match had ended. He tried not to take his eyes off her during the next few matches. She obviously knew where he was so he figured she might look over at any time. He gave up when the 140-pound match began and she still hadn’t looked in his direction, feeling sure it hadn’t been an accident. It was time to think about wrestling anyway.

By the time the 171-pound match was on the dual meet result was no longer in question. Wenonah had pounded Chapel Forge in most of the bouts. Zach’s team had looked nearly helpless except for a pin by Easton that made the team score 36-9. That didn’t make Zach’s match any less important, however. He always wanted to win, and even more so in the presence of his former band mates.

His opponent was Rennie Brandon, a third year starter who had qualified for the state tournament the previous season. “He’s a ‘counter-wrestler’,” Coach Hancock had told Zach earlier. “He’ll wait for you to make a move, especially on your feet, and then react to it. Stay a little cautious. Don’t just go at him without a plan. That’s what he’s hoping you’ll do.”

If that’s what Brandon was hoping, he wasn’t disappointed. Despite Hancock’s advice he shot in for a leg takedown just a few seconds into the match without working in close enough. Brandon sprawled, leaving Zach on his hands and knees looking foolish as he grabbed at nothing but air. After Brandon scooted behind and gripped Zach with a tight waist he was awarded two points.

The Peterson Roll had worked well in Pennsylvania despite the stubborn referee so Zach decided to try it again. He sat through and began to turn in when he felt a sudden tug at his shoulders. Brandon hooked underneath both of Zach’s arms and pulled him backwards. He felt a chin digging into his shoulder at the same time that he heard the referee sliding across the mat into a position where he had a better view of Zach’s back, which was steadily approaching the surface of the mat. Thirty seconds later Zach had fought back to his stomach but not before Brandon had earned three back points. The period ended with Zach trailing by a score of 5-0.

Brandon stood up and broke away from Zach immediately when the next period started, earning him another point. This time, unlike when they faced each other in neutral position earlier, Zach wrestled with caution. Over the next forty-five seconds he and Brandon each faked several shots, none of which looked very convincing. “Come on guys, let’s see some wrestling,” chided the referee. “I’ll hit you both with stalling if I have to.”

Zach moved in to fake a tie up but instead went to the fireman’s carry. After his arm was in Brandon’s crotch he was held up momentarily when Brandon shifted his weight, but not for long. Zach followed through with the move, gracefully slinging his opponent to the mat for a takedown. That cut Brandon’s lead to 6-2.

“Let him up!” Crisfield yelled. Zach glanced at the clock and saw that there were still thirty-five seconds remaining. Was that enough time for a takedown? He did as his coaches had told him, making the score 7-2. “Shoot, Zach, keep shooting!” Crisfield yelled. Now Zach realized what his coach was thinking. Fifteen seconds and three shots later the referee’s fist went up. Brandon wasn’t going to get away with backing up and running from Zach anymore. He had just been warned for stalling.

Even after all that the clock indicated that there were still fifteen seconds left in the second period. Zach tried another fireman’s carry against his rapidly tiring opponent and it worked again. The referee’s hand went up with two fingers extended just before the buzzer sounded. Going into the third period Zach had cut the lead to 7-4.

Zach wanted to choose bottom for the next period but Crisfield signaled for him to opt for neutral. Understanding that another stalling call against his opponent was more likely if they were both on their feet, Zach obediently followed his coach’s order. Brandon had been limping in circles as Zach made his choice but he slumped to the mat clutching his calf when the referee called them to the center of the mat. “Injury time, start the clock!” the referee instructed the timekeeper. Zach walked over to where Crisfield and Hancock were.

“You’ve got him on the run,” Hancock said. “He doesn’t have any cramp. He just wants a rest.”

“Just keep shooting,” Crisfield said. “The ref’s already shown he’ll call stalling. We’ll make this kid wrestle.”

After the match restarted Zach started taking shots while Brandon did nothing except try to avoid them. Just as his coaches had predicted, the referee’s fist went up after thirty seconds. This time Zach was awarded a penalty point, which made the score 7-5. “He’s gassed!” he heard his teammates yelling. “Go get it!”

He considered attempting yet another fireman’s carry, but worried that a counter-wrestler like Brandon would be ready for it this time. Instead, he decided on a single or double leg attack. Besides going for the takedown, there was always the chance that if he took enough unanswered shots Brandon might get hit for stalling again.

On shot number four Zach thought he had everything he needed because he was in deep enough to get his arms around both of his opponent’s legs. Like he had earlier, though, Brandon showed his ability to counter the shots with an effective sprawl. After throwing his legs back and landing on Zach’s back he cross-faced Zach’s cheek hard with a forearm. Zach felt one leg slip out of his arms, and then the other. Brandon used the leverage from the cross-face to spin behind and earned two points for a takedown.

“Come on ref, make him wrestle!” Easton yelled. His remark reflected the opinion of everybody on the Chapel Forge side that Brandon deserved to be further penalized because he wasn’t initiating anything. Not surprisingly, the referee disregarded it. Zach managed a late escape but the match ended shortly after that in a 9-6 victory for Brandon.

Frustrated over Brandon’s stalling, Zach tore off his headgear and double-pumped it at the Wenonah fans, who were stomping their feet and cheering wildly. They only screamed harder at the sight. Zach had strongly considered the idea of throwing it but had held on at the last moment. “Settle down son,” warned the referee. Zach did. He shook hands with Brandon and walked back to his own bench to cool down.

~~~

“Did you talk to Beth?” Zach anxiously asked Easton. The match was over and wrestlers from both teams were milling around on the mat. “Did you see her leave?” He was still angry about what Easton had said earlier but his need to know overrode that.

“I didn’t see her,” Easton said. “But those people you were hanging out with just walked out the side door.”

Zach knew he had made a mistake by not telling Jeanine to keep her hands to herself even though he knew Beth could arrive at any time. That was the second time she had seen Jeanine groping him. It was going to look like a pretty feeble denial when he told Beth for the second time in two weeks that despite what she saw, he and Jeanine were just friends. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t going to try it.