Beyond the Tragedy

🏈Peter🏈

1 week before

"Hand me the socket wrench will you, son?" Peter's dad, Bill, asked him.

Peter wiped his hands with a greasy towel and handed the ratchet to his dad, who was working on a fancy foreign car.

Usually, the shop is closed on Sundays and the father and son duo would be watching the Packers play. It was a ritual Peter and Bill have cherished since Susan had walked out on the family the day after Peter's 6th birthday.

But Sophia Goldroy, the richest woman in town, had a "mechanical problem". Bill had told his son that a few hours away from football and a fat stack of cash never hurt anyone, though the annoyance in his eyes gave his true feelings away.

"Nothing wrong down there." Bill said as he slid out from underneath the car. "Let's check under the hood one more time."

Peter helped his dad lower the car and wiped the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Hey, Pete!" A young male voice rang out in the garage. Pete and his dad looked to the source- Wes Rolder, defensive tackle on the Wilson high football team and Peter's best friend.

"Hey, Wes." Peter asked, looking at his father for permission to take a break.

"Five minutes. This darned car is gonna be the end of me." Bill grunted.

"What's up, bro? Hell of an ending to the game, huh?" Wes said as the two stepped out of the garage and into the warm sun.

"It's over already?" Peter glanced back at the clock. "Shit. How'd we do?"

"Patriots whipped us 34 to 16."

"Shit."

"You're telling me. Anyway, you hear about the ASB stuff? Trying to take away sports at Wilson." Wes said with a pissed off look.

"What?" Peter said in surprise. "They can't do that."

"That's what I thought. But apparently, the theater geeks and ASB nerds are trying to take away our funding so they can have it for themselves."

Peter looked behind him, to see if his father was listening but Bill was concentrated under the hood.

"That's fucked up, man. I need football. That's my way to college, the big leagues. Can't afford it any other way." Peter said.

"Someone's got to do something, put those freaks in their place."

"How did you hear about this? Maybe it's not true."

Wes scratched the back of his neck, awkwardly. "I'm pretty sure it's true. Sabrina told me."

Peter rolled his eyes at the mention of his clingy ex. "Dude I broke up with her last week, why are you still talking with her?"

"My sister's on the cheer squad with her, bro. Look, it's true and we've gotta do something. Apparently there's a meeting at City Hall coming up, we'll go there and fight against it."

"Peter!" Bill called out from the car, a look of pure irritation on his face.

"Be right there, dad" Peter called out and then said to his friend "I'm in. Whatever it takes. See you tomorrow."

Wes nodded his head and retreated from the shop. Peter walked back to his father.

"Sorry, it was school stuff-"

"That idiot, Sophia Goldroy, ran out of oil!" Bill exclaimed. "There's not a damn thing wrong with her car other than stupidity."