Page 30 of Everything's Better With You
“Stop it,” Les said. He planted his hands on his hips and let out a bit of his tension by laughing at Joe’s suggestion, however tempting it was.
“Soon you won’t be telling me to stop it,” Joe said. “Until then, we’re rivals, and I do intend to out-fundraise you, so I hope you’re ready to bring it.”
Les was ready to fall to his knees andgiveit.All. “You’re enjoying this a little too much.”
“See, Leslie Payton, this is the part where the two of us get to know each other better, and this is me. I’m competitive to a fault. I wasn’t kidding before. I’ve had to scratch and claw my way to everything I’ve ever had or done, and I’m willing to do it now.”
Leslie wondered if Joe would ever fight that hard for him, or if this was all another avoidance strategy, but he had to clear that out of his mind. He needed to focus on the task at hand, and now wasn’t the time to get all intense and scare him away.
One of their near-misses had been in Hawaii. Leslie had been on an extended vacation after what turned out to be his last season in theNFL, or so he’d said to the public. In reality, he was having extensive medical tests run to determine the extent of his brain injury. The last few concussions he’d suffered had been worse than the previous ones and his personal physician had been concerned that he’d passed the point of no return. When the tests showed that indeed he had a serious TBI, he’d let the team management know that he would be retiring. They’d fought him, said he had a few good years left in him to play, but he’d insisted and bought out the remainder of his contract.
After telling his family, Leslie had texted Joe and it turned out Joe was in Hawaii doing a photoshoot. Leslie had told him about his impending retirement and asked Joe to meet him, offered to send his private jet to pick him up from Oahu after his engagement and fly him to Maui where they could hang out for a couple of days at the Payton’s home there. Joe had agreed, but then at the last minute he’d texted that he’d been called back to LA. It hadn’t been the first time, but that rejection in particular had stung.
Was Leslie setting himself up for that again?
The team had their first official practice that afternoon. Some of the players had come two weeks early for conditioning, but this was the first time the whole team was together. They met in the gym where at least they’d be out of the elements. The power had just been restored to that side of campus and the kids were hyped up.
Once they were all seated on the floor, Leslie stood before them, his brothers behind him, and he chose his words carefully. Normally he was completely at ease with his players, but these were extraordinary circumstances and he needed the kids to be in the right mindset going into the season.
“Welcome to Jackets football. I’m your new coach, Leslie Payton. Behind me are Randy and Sandy Payton, who will be taking care of special teams and drills, as well as keeping you on your toes. You’ll understand what I mean soon enough.”Lord, these kids better be ready for the twin terrors. “We also have Damontae Marcus as defensive coach and Terrence Simmons is our head trainer.” The men waved at the kids.
“Those of you who know me know that I have a different approachto the game than many coaches.” There was a lot of shuffling and smiles. Yeah, these kids knew exactly who he was and for many of them, he was the reason they’d chosen to forgo lucrative scholarships or acceptance at bigger schools for the chance to work with him. Leslie knew he was a good coach and knew he had a lot to offer players at all levels, and he wanted all of his players to be there for the right reasons.
“My philosophy is based on the notion that there are three I’s in team. Integrity, Inclusion and Ingenuity. I believe all of you have the potential to learn those qualities and skills. As long as you keep those three I’s at the forefront, we’ll get along just fine. You’ll also learn that I love totalkabout the three I’s, so get used to it.”
Randy groaned quietly and Leslie shot him a look. The little shit grinned at him.
Sandy elbowed his twin and the two of them put on serious faces. Leslie hoped they weren’t going to require more babysitting than the players.
“Some of you may have noticed we had a little redecorating done on the east side of campus.”
A few kids snickered, but most of them looked rightfully concerned.
“As a result, this is going to be a year of the three F’s for Jackets football.” He smiled. “Yeah, I just made that up. The three F’s will now stand for flexibility, focus, and…fundraising.”
More shuffling, a few uncomfortable coughs.
“Flexibility means we practice where and how I say, no matter what that entails, and no questions asked or complaints tolerated. The weight room is toast so we’re going to get creative. Focus means there’s going to be a bunch of distractions on campus like construction and, well, members of the press. Ignore it. You’re here for two purposes: learning and playing. Learning comes first, always, and we will be having conference three times a week. What is conference, you ask? It’s our time to practice mental toughness and to tackle any academic struggles you’re having. It’s more than study hall, more than tutoring. It’s transformative time, and it’s mandatory to attend if you want playing time.”
This time there were a few more grumbles.Too bad.One stern look from Leslie and they quieted down real quick.
“And the last F is a necessary evil. Fundraising might seem like a time suck, but listen up. The college’s insurance will cover the building repairs and the field, but not all of the equipment. If we want a world-class weight room and training facility, we’re going to have to earn it.”
“Can’t the cheerleaders do the fundraising?”
“And why would you suggest that, Thomas?” Sandy asked, stepping closer to the kid who’d asked the question.
The kid’s eyes were wide and he sat up a little taller. “Because the cheerleaders at my school did all the fundraising? The football team was too busy with practice, I guess?”
“That is not our way,” Leslie said. “We all work for what we get here. Cheerleaders work just as hard. Many of you are fully aware that life is more likely to give you lemons than lemonade and that you have to work for the things you really want.” He paused, Joe’s words coming back to him. Yeah, he was willing to work for it, and to wait for it.
“Some of you may have heard that we have a bona fide VIP here on campus this year, Mr. Joe Judd fromDance Machine.”
“Is it true he’ll be coaching the cheerleaders?”
Leslie nodded and crossed his arms over his chest, maybe to keep his heart from pounding too loudly while talking about Joe. “Indeed he is. And Coach Judd has placed a bit of a wager on what’s going to be a fundraising tournament of champions. See, all of the teams will be competing to see who can raise the most money. I’ve assured him that we will be victorious, but he seems to think cheerleaders know more about raising money.”
That got the desired effect. Joe wasn’t the only one who was competitive, but he was more interested in the wager.
