My Sweetheart (Alan Bosley x OC)

1

It had been a few weeks since it was announced that our high school would be integrating. Hammond High would become T.C Williams High School.

Most of the boys on our football team were worried that because of the black students joining our school, they would lose their starting positions. So every one of them worked their butts off during summer practices.

Sheryl and I were playing catch with a football while the boys were playing a practice game. Sheryl took one look at the boys and began pacing around, shouting angrily to my uncle (Coach Yoast) and I. We looked at each other and both stifled a laugh.

"Come on Kurt, don't let Ray back you down like that! You're twice his size!" She threw her hands up in the air in exasperation, before continuing to pace heatedly.

"Calm down Sheryl, it's only a practice game." I said, shaking my head at her in amusement.

She looked at me and huffed. "If they keep playing like that we'll lose every game!"

Gerry ran over to us and started talking to Coach, so Sheryl and I decided to continue our game of catch.

As Sheryl threw the ball towards me, Alan came running down the stone stairs leading to the pitch. He wore light jeans, a white t-shirt with an open lime green shirt. The shirt that I had bought him for his birthday the year before. It suited him, green was definitely one of his best colours. It complimen-

BAM!

The football Sheryl had thrown hit me square in the face. I doubled over, trying to hide the giant blush that had turned my whole face a bright red. After a few seconds, I looked up, wiping my watering eyes.

Sheryl ran over to me, "Oh my, I'm so sorry Julie, I didn't realise you were distracted.-

Distracted staring at Alan." She finished following my line of sight.

I watched as Gerry, Ray and a few others threw their jerseys onto the grass and ran to meet up with Alan. Something was going down.

~~~~~~~~

I ran after the boys, tailing them till we got about half way to the store. I could hear the protesters shouting. This wouldn't end well.

I called for Alan. He stopped, hearing me call his name.

"Where are you fellas going?" I asked, reaching them. "What's going down?"

"They want to burn up the store!" Alan said, restlessly. I could tell the 6 of them were going to do something that could potentially worsen the situation.

"Let's go!" Gerry shouted, not wanting to wait any longer.

They all began running again, leaving me no other choice but to follow them. Why was it always me that had to stop them from doing stupid things?

"Guys!" I shouted after them, hoping they'd stop running to listen to me. They didn't. "Guys stop! This could reflect badly on the team, this could affect Coach's reputation. Please, don't get involved in this!"

They all ignored me and carried on running. I huffed, and grabbed Alan's hand. I pulled him towards me.

"Alan, what are you doing? Don't do this. Coach won't let you play this season if you do!"

His electric blue eyes looked from me, to the guys, who were still running. He was debating what to do. I put my hand on his cheek, forcing him to cast his full attention on to me.

"Alan. Do. Not. Do. This." I said, sternly.

As the words fell from my lips, Coach sped past in his truck, chasing after the other boys. At least I didn't have them to worry about.

I raised my eyebrows at Alan, daring him to defy me. Instead he sighed in defeat and ran his hands through his hair. I pulled him in for a hug, and held him tightly against my body.

This hug was different to any hug we'd had before. It felt different. It made my stomach fill with butterflies. This time, instead of his hands just holding my back, they were placed on my waist. As they slid down, tingles shot up and down my spine. I fought away the strange thoughts beginning to form in my mind.

Coach's truck reversed up to us, coming to a stop beside me. Coach lent out of the drivers side window, the rest of the boys slouched grumpily in the back.

"Julie, Alan. Get in." Coach demanded.

Alan lifted me into the back of the truck, like a gentleman, before jumping in himself.

~~~~~~~

The eight of us marched through the school, following Coach Yoast and Coach Tyrell.

"You boys are gonna cool off, come with me to my office. Help me finish packing my things. " Yoast said, "Julie you're coming too, I need you to look after Sheryl for a while, I've got a lot of things to finish up on."

Tyrell was buddying up to Gerry. Again. "Gerry, son, you're hearts in the right place, but you ought to know better than to embarrass the coach like that."

I rolled my eyes, as I turned to Alan and whispered, "Coach Tyrell ought to be careful, with all that ass kissing, his nose is getting browner by the minute."

Alan snorted so loudly that it echoed through the hall, causing me to snicker. He jabbed me lightly in the side, biting back a smile as Tyrell narrowed his eyes at us.

As we walked into Coach's office, Gerry muttered something about coloured people being black animals. I smacked him on the arm, and told him to watch his mouth, before turning around to see an African- American, man standing at Coach's desk.

I looked to Alan questioningly, silently conveying a message. Who was this guy? He shrugged, as oblivious as I.

"Who are you?" Coach Tyrell asked rudely, crossing his arms over his chest.

The man looked at him, continuing to be professional even after what Bertier had so loudly said.

"I'm Herman Boone. I'm the new assistant Coach."

Coach Tyrell looked at Coach Boone as if he were dirt. And after the way he spoke to him, I'd never lost respect for a man so quickly.

"Well from the looks of things, I'd say we got all the help we need out here. Why ain't you outside there, with all your little friends, hollerin'?"

"With all due respect, Coach," I interrupted, unable to hold my tongue any longer, "I don't think it's appropriate to disrespect and belittle Coach Boone in his place of work. Or in front of us kids. Or ever, in fact."

"With all due respect, Miss Wilson, I don't think it's appropriate for a young woman like you to speak to a man of authority in the manner you have today. If we were here in school hours, I'd have given you a detention." Coach Tyrell said, mocking me.

Once he had turned around, I stuck my tongue out. Gerry and Alan had seen, and they both started to laugh quietly. I chuckled silently with them, zoning back in to the conversation in time to hear what my uncle had to say about this ordeal.

"Coach Boone, the school board made the decision to put you on my staff. I did not hire you."

"Well I came up here to coach at G.W. I did not ask the schools to integrate. I didn't ask to be assigned to your staff, so I guess we're both in a situation we don't want to be in. But I can guarantee you this Coach, I come here to win."

Tyrell scoffed. He seemed to be fighting against Coach Boone more than my uncle was.

"Win? Coach Yoast here has been nominated to the Virginia High School Hall of Fame. 15 winning seasons."

"I won a couple of titles down in North Carolina." Boone answered, calmly, but the pride in his voice was evident.

Tyrell was searching for any excuse he could to make Coach Boone's achievements sound inconsequential. He made a whole thing about double and triple 'A' ball.

Coach Boone looked from Tyrell to my uncle. "What an opportunity for me then, to learn, from the best."