Is Winning Everything

I am nobody. I used to be somebody. Two months ago in fact. That seems so long ago. In June things were wonderful. I am Kyle Anderson, a 5'11" slender kid, who looks like a stiff breeze would knock me over. I was a junior in high school and the captain of my chess team, captain of the quiz bowl team (like jeopardy but with a team), and second chair on the debate team, with a solid 3.94 GPA. I had friends and a small social life, laser tag on Fridays baby! Yes, I was a nerd. Today I just celebrated my 18th birthday with only my mom, grandma, and my gift, a plate of hamburger helper. Things really have changed.

What happened was my father left. I don't just mean divorced my mom and went to a new city. No, he kissed my mom good-bye and left for work as he always did. He went straight to the bank, emptied the bank account, went to the airport, bought two tickets, and he and his secretary flew to Fiji, permanently. He left my mom, who dropped out of school to marry that asshole when he knocked her up, with no money, no job, and the rent due. After mom figured he wasn't coming home, we left the only home I knew in Minneapolis for the panhandle of Texas, and grandma.

After the move, mom got a part time job as a maid in a fleabag motel and grandma is getting social security, which means we are broke. I did my part and got a bus boy job at the local diner. Not much, but it's something. Every night I'd come home to my mom crying, with grandma constantly yelling in her ear. "I told you that son of a bitch was a no good bastard from the very beginning!" Grandmas, though ornery, always want to be right.

It is now the first day of school and I am nervous and excited. Nervous to be at a new school but excited because the last six weeks were tough with just my mom, grandma, and a part time job to keep me busy. I barely made it to all my classes on time. I just sat at my desk and thought, time to earn my scholarship. I started reading the syllabus and taking notes for every class. By the end of the day I realized two things. One, I would need my own Texas thesaurus. Really, what does gully - washer and pole -axed mean? Two, Football is huge. Every conversation I heard was will we when conference, regional's, or states this year, or something about how great Coach Adams is, or can he bring us our twelfth title this year. I feel I am in way over my head.

After classes let out, I walked around the school grounds. I was tired of being lost. Maybe I didn't want to hear grandma bitching at my mom. Nah, it was because the football team and, more importantly, the cheerleaders were practicing. They both have talent. After watching them do a couple cheers, I decided not to be a pervert on the first day of school and headed to the library. I started studying and lost track of time. It was going on 6:30, and mom was going to be pissed. I collected my things and left for home. I decided to cut through the park to save time when I heard some talking by a cluster of trees. I glanced over and made the outline of a man in a hooded with a cheerleader on her knees.

"That's it, take it all in. Good girl."

I smiled faintly. Who wouldn't want a good blowjob to get through the first day of school? Wish that was me.

I took a few more steps and heard the girl say "Please stop... No... I don't want..."

The man interrupted. "Please Stop." Then he gave a chuckle. "I'm going to have you every which way I can. By the time I'm done with you you'll be a certified whore. Hell, I may just leave you tied to this tree so anyone can have you."

I froze. I thought about my options. One, I walk away, she gets away. Not likely. Two, I walk away; she doesn't, leaving us both haunted for the rest of our existence. Three, do what I can. Option 3 sucks. I sprinted toward the man as fast as I could and completely surprised him when I dove at him, knocking both of us down. I wish I could say I fought the good fight but this wasn't chess or debate. We tussled on the ground for a moment before getting back up. I swung. I missed. He swung. He swung again, and again, and again. I was doing great at stopping his punches with my face. I keeled over to the ground. I looked up and saw the cheerleader grab her bag and run. I smiled.

The man looked right at me, then at the girl, then back at me. "Who, the fuck, do you think you are?"

I smiled wider. He then proceeded to lift his leg and kick me hard in the head. Lucky for me he was wearing steel-toed cowboy boots or this confrontation would've lasted longer.

I woke up in the ER with a massive headache and no recollection of how I got there.

The nurse by my bed asked "Hey Sunshine, how are you feeling?"

The only thought I had was the girl. "Did she get away?" I desperately implored.

"Not sure what you mean. Your dad, mom, and sister are waiting out there for you. I'll send them back, okay Sugar."

Dad, here, and when did I get a sister?

Suddenly I heard a big booming voice from the hall. "Go check on your brother while I talk to the Doc."

I was trying to sit up when I saw her. To say she is beautiful is an understatement. She stood about 5'6" and had flaming red hair done in a ponytail with white and gold ribbon that matched her cheer outfit. She wore a pair of black rimmed glasses and had a bear paw face painted on her right cheek, covering a few of her freckles. Go Bears. But most importantly I knew it was her.

"How are you? Are you okay?" I asked very concerned.

"I'm fine, thanks to you." she responded with a smile.

"What's going on here?"

"I'll tell you more as soon as I can, but your name is Brandon, my parents are your parents, and they'll be in here in a minute."

"What?"

"Quiet. I hear them coming, I'll explain it as soon as I can. By the way, my name is Ash. Thanks again and just go with what is said."

The doctor and her parents came in. Her dad was at least 6'8", big and muscular. Just the look of him terrified me. Ash's looks came directly from her mom, definitely Ash 20 years from now. I sat back as I heard doc tell my dad I had suffered a minor concussion and I should be more careful next time I decide to climb a tree. I was free to go and the doctor left.

Ash's dad said, "Get your things..." then leaned over and whispered something quickly to his wife. She whispered back then he finished, "Brandon."

When the car door shut, Earl, Ash's dad, first asked where I lived. I told him and he headed the car in that direction. It was now time for my scolding.

"Do you know what we had to do to keep this quiet? You can't just come down here and get involved in our lives! You need to understand what life is down here!"

My head was spinning. I looked at Sandy, Ash's mom, and she sat there solemnly. I glanced at Ash and her eyes were looking at her knees. "I'm sorry, but was I not supposed to prevent the rape of your daughter, sir?"

He slammed on the brakes, looked right at me and harshly said "If you know what is good for you, you'd go back where you came from!"

The words shocked me. But the look, the look surprised me. At face value it was anger, but in his eyes was fear. They dropped me off at 11:30. As soon as I shut the door, Earl sped off, as if to disassociate with me as soon as possible. Mom came running out of the house. She had been crying. She started to scream something, and then stopped, seeing the bandage on my head. She gave me a big hug.

"Where were you? What happened? Your grandma and I have been worried sick. It's not like you to be so late."

"I was at the ER."

"I called there!"

"Did you ask for Brandon?"

I went on and told her both stories, the one I most recently heard about falling out of a tree and the one I was sure happened with the hooded man and Ash. She didn't know how to respond. I excused myself to go to bed, determined to go to school the next day. I needed to find Ash and hope she can explain why I was in the ER for something I did but apparently didn't do.

I made it to school at 6:30. I wanted to give myself time to look and ask around whom Ash the cheerleader was and where she might be. I ran into my sixth period English teacher, Mrs. Johnston, and inquired. I found out her name was Ashley Jacobson and she had the same sixth period I did. I guess I was just too busy studying yesterday to notice her. I decided my best option was to wait after class, for what I wanted to know couldn't be summed up in a quick talk before hand. Between the lack of sleep and the slight headache I still had, the day was brutally long.

Sixth period finally came. I tried to hurry but I was still the last one to get to class. I took my seat and looked around. I saw Ash get up and come over to me, looking as radiant as ever. She whispered in my ear.

"Can I come over to your house tonight?"

Damn. "I would really like that but unfortunately I have to work 4-10 tonight."

"When do you take your break?"

"I take it right after the dinner rush, at 8:30."

"I'll see you at 8:30 at the diner then." She turned and walked away.

I immediately tried to piece this puzzle together. Why couldn't we talk after school? How and why does she know where I worked? And most importantly will she be alright getting home tonight? I have too many questions.

She arrived right at 8:30. I punched out for my break, grabbed 2 Cokes, and sat with her at a booth.

"I know you must have quite a few questions. I'll try to answer them all but first let me say thank you once again. It meant a lot for someone to stand up to him, especially for someone like me."

"Wait a minute. You know who it was? Did you go to the police? Why is there a cover story?"

"Whoa, slow down. Yes I know who attacked me. It started two decades ago. This town doesn't have much. I'm sure you've noticed. The one thing we do have is high school football. We are a great team, now. We had never won anything until Coach Adams arrived. Now we're a powerhouse. After his first title, he started having an affair with a cheerleader. Next year it was with more of them. As soon as they would hit 18, he would give them a birthday present. After a couple of years, he decided he wanted more control. He first let the football team do whatever they wanted, gaining loyalties. After they graduated, he would use his influence to get them into public offices. Mayor, judge, sheriff, school board members, etc. They do whatever he wants. The rest of the town just loves him because he brings them hope with the championships, a reason to have pride. They never had that before. Then he started taking over the selection process of the cheerleaders. Anyone that would catch his eye that would be 18 by October was selected for the team. If someone he wanted wasn't of age until later, he would have them fail and hold them back a year. Mrs. Myers, our cheerleading coach, puts us all on the pill and encourages us to support the team in any and every way we can, especially the most important member of that team, Coach Adams. We're not even allowed to talk about what happens. The whole town knows, but if it's not discussed, its okay, just swept under the rug. It is considered our duty to the team. I didn't even want to be a cheerleader, which most girls consider an honor. I was handpicked. I didn't even tryout. I had to do it. If I didn't, I would never graduate, be stuck in this town, and be treated like a leper, banished into solitude. But more importantly, I needed to do it for my sister, Mary Anne."

"You have a sister?"

"She's four years older than me. When she was in school she wanted to be a cheerleader in the worse way, not knowing this was going on. She worked at it every year. Freshman, sophomore, junior, she just couldn't make the team. Finally, her senior year, she made it. She was ecstatic. After her birthday, it was implied what she must do. She thought it was a joke. Coach didn't. He came up to her first chance he got. She got away and went straight to the police. They took her story, congratulated her on getting away, and even gave her a ride home. The next day at school, she was arrested. She was charged with raping a football player who was 6'6" 245lbs and built like Arnold Schwarzenegger. She was my height and 120lbs of nothing. It went to court. She wasn't even allowed to testify. They bought the football players story and she went to prison. She's still there. Worse yet, we don't even know where she is. We can't contact her. I am supposed to make it up to the coach for the embarrassment it caused him. He even told my parents he could get her an early parole if I cooperate. He surprised me on the first day of school. I turned 18 just the day before. I thought I would be ready, but I wasn't. I know what I have to do, but I'm really scared. He called my dad and told him what happened, blaming you. He said he'd give me another chance because I didn't run until you showed up. After I started running, I turned around and saw you lying there. I called the ambulance and then my dad. He told me to lie about what happened and give you a false name so he can take care of the expenses."

I just sat there a moment, trying to take it all in. I was horrified for her, her family, and everyone else caught in this web. After a few seconds, I responded. "How did you know where I worked?"

"Everyone knows. It's a very small town, Kyle." It was the first time she said my name. I smiled.

She looked up and saw my manager staring at us with his arms folded. "I feel we should've done this somewhere else. I don't think your boss likes me talking to you."

"Can I see you again?" I asked hopingly.

"You better. Here's my number. I'd be careful though. Now you know you're going to be under a microscope. Because your new, he might forgive you for yesterday, but don't count on it. Don't forget to call me, hero."

"Hey, I got my ass kicked and you didn't get raped. I can live with that and anything else if it means you're safe."

She smiled and left. I had a few minutes left and I just sat there thinking of all the horrors I now know. Then my thoughts drifted to Ash. What could I do?

After work, I couldn't wait. I had to call Ash. We talked for a couple of hours. It was nice to talk to her without a cloud of doom hanging over us. We had so much in common. Before we knew it, it was 3:00. We said our goodbyes then I went to sleep.

I'm late. Classes started ten minutes ago and I was just at the school entrance. I was walking quickly, heading for first period when I saw a football player heading toward me. When he got close, he drove his shoulder into my chest, sending me hard into the lockers.

"You'd better watch where you're going Yankee!" He said as he walked away.

I finally arrived at first period. Mr. Palmer gave me a dirty look. "I don't allow tardiness in my class."

"I apologize, Mr. Palmer."

"No apology needed. Here's your detention slip. Go to room 106 after school."

I took my seat. Two minutes later the football player walked in. "Hey teach."

"Good morning Jack. We're on page 8." Mr. Palmer then continued on with the lesson.

During my first day, only a handful of people said anything to me. Today, no one did. The teachers even ignored me when I raised my hand. Any time I walked by anyone, I was referred to as a "No Good Yankee". In the halls, I was open game. I was blatantly hit, shoved, books knocked out of my hands, feet stomped at, and more shoulder blocks were steadily given to me. I felt like a pinball at one point. I got bumped by one into another. Who shoved me into a third. Who spun me around into a fourth. Who tripped me to the ground. Tilt. The only thing that got me through was the thought of seeing Ash in sixth period.

When I got into class, she wasn't there. My mind flooded with terrible thoughts. I took a deep breath when she finally arrived, albeit 30 minutes late. She did not look well. She was pale and looked as if she was about to cry. She gave Mrs. Johnston her office pass and sat down. 30 minutes later, class was over. I got up and immediately went to Ash. Before I spoke, she started crying.

"I'm so sorry Kyle."

I went to respond but I was interrupted by Mrs. Johnston.

"KYLE ANDERSON!" I jumped a little bit at the force of hearing my own name. "Don't you have detention right now in room 106?"

Yes mother, I thought, but went with the more conventional "Yes Mrs. Johnston, I'll be there in a minute." I turned back to Ash.

"NO! NOW! GET MOVING!"

I took a couple steps and glanced back at Ash. "I'll call you after work tonight."

"I'd like that." she said with a smile.

I walked into room 106. There was no one here. I took a seat, assuming someone will be along shortly. 15 minutes passed and I was just getting up to go to the office to verify I was in the right room, when a man entered. He was in his late 40's, about 6'4" 225lbs. and toned. He carried with him a binder and a whistle and wore a white and gold jacket with the inscription 'Coach Adams' on it. He picked up a chair and put it in front of the desk. As he sat behind the desk, he made a pointing gesture to the other chair, encouraging me to sit there. As I walked over, he was staring at me, like he was sizing me up. As I sat down, he shook his head and gave a short chuckle, as if to say I can't believe this is the no good Yankee who's fucking with my universe.

I started. "Is it just me in detention today?"

"This isn't regular detention. This is your detention. Now let me ask you something? How was your day? Was it rough?"

"It was good." I lied.

"Oh, really, huh." He paused. "I want you to know I pulled your transcripts. 3.94 GPA, not bad, that A- in honors calculus cost you that 4.0 though. Yeah, I also talked to a Mr. Cambridge up there. Does that name ring a bell, Yankee?"

"He's the computer lab director at my former school."

"Yeah, he seemed to like you a great deal. Told me you were always helping your teachers with various projects. Even on weekends if need be. You also offered tutoring to other students who needed it as well. As if that wasn't enough, you found time to lead your quiz bowl team to a state championship. Damn son, you're the Yankee patron saint of the Great Lakes State."

Land of a 1000 lakes, I thought, but I let it go. I wanted to know where this was going. He now leaned forward and seemed to peer right at my soul as he continued.

"This Cambridge fellow also told me you were his assistant on several computer projects. That if needed, you were able to be real creative with a computer. What do you think of that?"

"I don't know what to say sir, except why am I really here?"

"Ah, straight to the point, I like that. Walk with me son."

We walked out the classroom and then outside. We were heading toward the football field.

"What was it like to win that state title?"

"It was good."

"C'mon. It was more than good, wasn't it?"

"Actually, I was elated. I walked taller and prouder for at least a week."

He smirked a little, knowing he broke down my defenses for a moment. "I know how you feel, you see, we've won a few state titles here as well, and I expect another this year." We stopped at the 50 yard line and he watched his team practicing ahead of us, his assistant calling out the drills. "You see son, this is where you come in.

"Seriously, I know very little about football."

"Yeah, I know you don't know much about football but you do know computers. I want you to get me the playbooks from my opponents. I also want you to break into the other schools computers and change grades for certain players, making them ineligible."

"What? I can't do that."

"Can't or won't?"

"I don't want to be a part of this. I won't do it!"

"So you could."

"Well... It doesn't matter, I won't."

"Do you like Ashley Jacobson?"

"What? Why?"

"I know she likes you. Only Lord knows why. Do you know why you had detention?"