Read Online Out of the Pocket by Bill Konigsberg - Free Book Online Page B

aware that there wouldn’t be much time to pass.
    I was pretty sharp, surprising myself. On a quick five-step drop, I hit Rahim on a post pattern with a total rocket. I felt alive, powerful out there. It was the type of pass I threw once in a while that reminded me I could really do this. A few plays later I got Dennis to bite on a pump fake when we went starting offense against scout defense, no tackling. Dennis was a second stringer, which was one of those things we did not talk about. He was covering Somers, down the left sideline, and Somers did a hook-and-go, meaning he stopped short as if I were throwing to him. I sold it real well, and Dennis flew out toward the sideline, thinking the ball would be there. Somers darted past him and I hit him farther down the sideline.
    Pretty slick, and it felt great.
    Walking back to the locker room after practice, I caught up with Rahim.
    “I know you know,” I said.
    “Good,” Rahim said. “I’m glad you told someone.”
    I started in on why I told Austin and not him, and he shut me up.
    “I’m fi ne, B. You don’t need to worry about that,” he said.
    Then he smiled. “I’m good with you being gay. My uncle is and he’s cool. God loves everyone the same.”
    64
    I took that information in. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.
    “Thanks,” I said.
    The showers were boisterous, more than usual. Lots of hollering and talking about naked girls. Not my favorite thing, but I could deal with it. I usually just listened and laughed once in a while.
    “Hey, moron, eyes up here,” bellowed Torry Hodges, one of our offensive linemen. I froze, because I knew I could not deal with it today. We’d had a good practice, I’d had a decent day, and all I wanted to do was go home. Then I realized that the comment wasn’t aimed at me. He was yelling toward one of the sophomore guys who doesn’t play much, a guy named Hector Jimenez.
    “Fuck you, I ain’t no faggot,” Hector yelled back.
    “Then why is my ass all hot?” countered Torry.
    “Beats me, faggot,” said Hector, and everyone laughed. It was pretty ballsy of him to say that to Torry, who was a senior and about twice as big as Hector. Torry bolted over to where Hector was showering and put him in a headlock.
    “What’d you say? What’d you say, boy? Fag boy?” Hector tried to squirm out of Torry’s grasp, but couldn’t.
    This is the stuff that kills me. That straight guys will actually go over to a naked guy and put him in a headlock, no questions asked, but you make a mistake and forget to avert your eyes from their body, and suddenly you’re queer.
    I looked over to Rahim. The shower room was set up with round poles, six showerheads on each. He was on the other side of mine.
    He caught my glance and suddenly got serious.
    “Hey!” he yelled. “Torry! Get off him, man.” Torry released Hector and looked across the way at Rahim, surprised. Torry was bigger, but no one was more respected on the team than Rahim. Torry leered at him.
    65
    “He was lookin’ at my ass,” Torry said. Hector was back at his shower, his face crimson after the assault.
    “You got eyes in the back of your head?” Rahim asked.
    “I saw him,” replied Torry.
    At that moment Austin walked by the shower room. He heard the conversation, and he’s not one to stay quiet, ever.
    “Nobody wants your ass, kid. The hardest-up homo in West Hollywood wouldn’t go near your fat sorry ass,” Austin said, and the hoots came fl ying from every direction.
    “Fuck you,” said Torry, who went back to showering.
    “Fags don’t go for guys with elephant asses,” Austin continued, and I looked over at Rahim. He was looking right at me, and I could tell he was trying to gauge how I felt.
    “You would know,” said Torry.
    “I’m not gay, dude,” Austin said, and I had that sensation in my stomach like after eating too much candy. Too much syrupy sweetness and then the nausea, and wishing you could reverse time and not have bought the candy