Wait... Together?

Chapter 2

As Drew and I walk to the locker rooms before practice, we notice a bit of a ruckus going on outside the doors. "Hey, Bobby, what's going on?" Drew asked as soon as we were within earshot.

"Coach called a team meeting before practice in the bleachers. Apparently, the basketball team was told the same thing." I sigh. They've tried this kind of thing before and it never ended well.

Nevertheless, Drew and I trudge our way to the locker room and change into our gear before heading out to the bleachers. We take our seats on the football side, next to Bobby and Isaac.

A few minutes later, Coach Glass starts the disappointed speech. "Alright, everyone. I'm sure you all have some idea of why you're here but we need to get some things straight. This little feud you guys have is not okay and needs to end. At Northville High, we believe in school spirit. That means everyone needs to work together so we can do the best we possibly can. We cannot achieve this with you guys arguing whenever you're near each other and starting fights with each other." Coach Glass steps down and takes a drink of water.

Coach Carver takes over for him, continuing the speech. "That's right. In order to help you guys achieve this, we got permission from your parents and the school to organize a camping trip together to help you guys bond. Before school on Friday, we will all board a bus and drive to the camp which is about 3 hours away. You guys will all be assigned a cabin with 5 other people from both teams. Each cabin has three rooms, two beds per room. We will share both your cabin and your roommate when we get there. You must room with your roommate, no exceptions."

"Wait, together?" Said some blond idiot from the basketball team. "You mean we have to spend a week with them?" He said snootily. Obviously we're going together. Why else would we all be here?

"Yes, Mr. Jamison. We expect you guys to go together." Said Coach Carver, before stepping down.

"Dude, we have like two days to pack. This is a horrible idea. Someone is gonna get murdered, and I can promise I won't be the one to do it." Drew whispers to me, while the coaches make another speech switch-a-roo.

"Together, we will bond. We expect you to get along and not cause any problems for any of the staff there. This will be good for all of us. Any coursework or tests that you miss because of this trip you will be expected to make up, however, all of your teachers have been informed of this and have promised to try and stay lenient. Despite your teachers already knowing, you are still expected to talk to all of your teachers about what you are missing and work on a plan together to make it up. We will arrive back from the bus next Friday, so you are missing six days of school. Please, be responsible. If you can't make it, you and others that can't either will be spending our normal practice time doing different exercises, including writing an essay on why this trip was important. Now go get ready for practice." He clapped, signaling our release.

Although practice was shorter today because of the meeting, Coach went extra hard. We mostly did conditioning and strengthening, we only spent like ten minutes at the end actually doing football. I was a sweaty mess leaving the field, but I took my time in the shower to really clean myself off. Most people had left by the time I got out, it was just me, Drew, and a few other stragglers left in the locker rooms. "You take really long showers dude."

"Nah man, it was just today. I felt extra gross after how hard he pushed us so I spent more time in there." I shrugged as I put my shirt on. "Ready to go?" Drew doesn't have a car yet, his parents don't trust him with his own after he failed his driver's test 16 times. I don't blame them, but it means I have to drive him around more often, including after practice.

"Yeah, man. Just give me a sec to get my shit together." He packed the rest of his stuff up and we walked out to my car.

"You want to play music today?" I hold up the aux cord as an offering, which he accepts. He turns on some chill music and I start driving.

"Who do you think you'll be paired with for the trip?" He asks as he skips a few songs. He knows it's my biggest pet peeve when people never play a full song, but it's a bad habit of his and he just doesn't care.

"I honestly don't know, I just hope it isn't Carson. That guy sucks. There are a few of them that I wouldn't mind. I'd be okay with Tyler, to be honest. And Devan. We'll see though. How about you?" I pull into the McDonald's drive-thru line to get an after-practice snack.

"Yeah, I don't know either. I guess it's kind of the same for me, although knowing my luck I'm gonna be stuck with an asshole." I shrug as I pull up to the menu and start ordering. We almost always just get a medium fry and soda for each of us, on special occasions we swap the fries for ice cream, but that's not today. "It's gonna suck. I don't want to be around those assholes for more then ten seconds, let alone a week. Why are they doing this to us?"

"I don't know, but you're right, this fucking sucks. I think I have to pack tonight since I'm going on a date tomorrow night."

"Ooh. Spill." He looks at me excitedly.

"What are you? A teenage girl? It's a date with my cousin. She wanted to hangout since she's in town. Don't look at me like that. It's not romantic dumbass. That's gross." His face calmed down for a little bit as I ate a fry.

"If it's not a date, then why'd you call it a date?" He asks, taking a sip of his Coke.

"Not all dates are romantic, Drew. Dates can be platonic. Like a "daddy-daughter" date. Obviously you're not dating your dad but a lot of parents do that to spend time with their kids. It's perfectly normal, trust me." I take a sip from my Sprite as I pull into his driveway.

"You need to date more though. Have you ever even had a girlfriend? Or sex?" He asks, not getting out of my car.

"I dated Melanie for a bit last year." I say defensively. I hate when he questions me about my love life. I don't want to date yet. Why can't he accept that?

"For like a week, dude. When we get back from hell, I'm getting you a girlfriend." He pointed at me and closed the door, walking into his house. I roll my eyes and drive home.