Page 29 of Away Game

“How old is she?” I asked as she sat down in her chair, her little legs swinging happily.

“Stella’s four going on thirty, and this big guy here is Tyler; he’s ten,” Archer stated proudly.

“West, I’m sure you’re wondering why I invited you to our home tonight?” Coach Kyle said softly from his spot at one end of the table.

Their home? I gulped.

“Yeah, kind of. I thought you were going to kick me off the team and didn’t want to do it in front of the other guys,” I confessed.

Coach Kyle let out a booming laugh that had everyone at the table except me laughing also. “Hardly. You’re the best wide receiver we have. There’s no way I want to lose you. I think if you play your cards right, you’ll find yourself in the NFL one day.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. Playing in the NFL would be a dream. I could give my mom and Easton the kind of life they deserved but couldn’t afford right now.

“Then, why am I here?”

“I want you to know that I’m going to make sure Alpha Mu won’t get away with what they did to you. I’m going to make sure the school doesn’t let them off the hook. No amount of money is going to get them out of what they did to you.”

“Thanks, Coach,” I muttered before picking up my piece of bread and taking a bite because I didn’t know what to say to his speech.

“I moved here because I didn’t want to have to hide the fact that I’m gay from the world, and the town I grew up in and lived in until recently made me feel like I had to hide my true self.” I gaped at him. “Well, the town and my family. I spent years being unhappy and couldn’t do it anymore. Willow Bay should be a safe place, and Alpha Mu’s actions toward you because you’re gay is intolerable.”

“I agree.” Archer reached out a hand and placed it on top of Coach Kyle’s. “I know how difficult it can be growing up black and gay, so if you ever need to talk, we’re here for you. Day or night.”

It was difficult to swallow the emotion that clogged my throat, but eventually, I felt like I could speak without it coming out as a croak. “This means more to me than you’ll ever know. I was out in my small town of Santa Lucia, and I never had much of a problem. I was an outsider because we had no money, then add being biracial and gay. It was the trifecta, and yet nothing could have prepared me for what happened on Friday night.” I smiled over at Stella, who sat eating her lasagna without a care in the world. “I guess it’s a good thing I don’t remember what happened, and once I physically heal, then I can hopefully put it all behind me.”

“The school has counselors if you want to talk to someone about what you’re going through. There’s no shame in getting help,” Coach said in a soft tone.

“I might. I’m still trying to process it all.”

When I went to my classes the next day, if there were whispers and looks, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to handle them. Until then, I wasn’t going to let it stress me out. I had enough to deal with.

After a few minutes of silence while we ate, Coach turned to me with intense eyes. “Did any of your teammates give you a hard time?”

“No,” I answered truthfully. “While I don’t advertise that I’m gay, they knew, or at least most of them did. They all seemed concerned, but time will tell.”

“Well, I commend you for being open about your sexuality. I hid my identity for a long time and even tried to convince myself I could like girls. While I don’t regret my children that came out of that time in my life, I can’t help but wonder what my life would have been like if I wasn’t hiding who I was. That’s why I wanted to speak to you outside of the school and let you know I’m—weare here for you. And if any of your teammates start to act strange around you in the locker room, etcetera, you let me know.”

“I will. Thanks, Coach.” I laughed, and the entire table looked at me funny. “Tonight took a complete one-eighty from how I thought it was going to go. I wasn’t sure what I’d do if I got kicked off the team.”

For the next couple of hours, after they put the kids to bed, we sat around and talked. It was mostly about football, but also about the town since both Coach and I were new to the area and the school. It was nice getting to know him on a different level, even though I knew it would go back to being strictly player and coach once I left.

As I was leaving, Coach got the call from whoever was on check-in duty. Everyone was accounted for except for me, so he explained my absence. Not that it was a surprise after the ass reaming we got at practice earlier. It would be a long while before any of the guys tried to do anything that could remotely get them in trouble.

Once I was out on the road, I hooked my little Bluetooth earpiece to my ear and called my brother. It was late, but I knew he’d be up since Mom was at work. No kid in high school wanted to go to bed early, anyway.

“Hey,” Easton answered. “Everything okay?” It was as if he knew something happened to me. I didn’t want to lie to my brother, but I also saw no point in making him worry when there was nothing he could do.

“Things are going good. The team is doing great.” Even to my own ears, it sounded like bullshit.

“Come on, West. I’m not some kid anymore. You can talk to me,” he paused for a moment. “Does Mom know?”

“It only happened Friday night, so no, she doesn’t know, and I’d like to keep it that way. She’ll freak out and go all mama bear on the school, and then I’ll have more shit to deal with.”

“Now you’ve got me worried.”

Needing to alleviate my brother’s worry, I spent the rest of the drive back to the football house telling my brother about what happened and my visit to Coach’s house.

“Damn, man. You can’t let them get away with that shit,” Easton angrily said as I walked through the front door of the football house.

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