half-opened eyelids like cattle prods to his fragile head. What was worse, the payoff was not worth it. He still remained clueless. Through the blur he could make out the outline of a small nylon tent, but that told him nothing. He could barely move his neck, and when he moved his hand across his face, his fingers were caked with crusty, dried blood. He hurt from the base of his neck to the top of his head; but it was his nose that cried for mercy. It even hurt to breathe.
The tent door flap parted. The light filtered in like a howitzer to his fragile face. He gasped reflexively from the sudden painful blast.
“Please, please close that thing.” Even his voice provided yet another source of pain.
“Oh my, you are in bad shape, aren’t you?”
The soothing feminine voice was as unexpected as it was welcomed. It did not make him hurt less, but it did wonders for his spirit.
The tent flap closed abruptly and he could make out the outline of a beautifully shaped and quite attractive body. Wow, what a regrettable way to make a first impression , he mused.
“You put on quite the show for us last night, Johnny. I just came to check on you. We thought Casey had killed you, the way you just went down and didn’t move.”
It was the sweetest voice he had ever heard, but he could not make his mind put the events in sensible order. “Who? What?” He tried to raise his head, but fell back in misery. Nothing about the previous night was coming back to him, except seeing Buck, chugging a lot of beer, looking up at the stars, and … and singing?
“Was I singing?” he questioned hesitantly.
“Oh, were you ever singing. You were singing for all you were worth, but that wasn’t the problem. Your crime was picking up Casey’s guitar. That’s what nearly got you killed out there.”
“Casey Capps, the team’s starting fullback? The man with his sights set on the pros next year? That Casey Capps?”
“Well you have retained some memory; that’s a good sign.”
He thought she was smiling at him. “I can’t believe I did that. I would have decked me too if somebody messed with my guitar -- well if I had one anyway. I gotta go apologize. Man, I am so sorry.” He rubbed his nose. “So, so sorry. That was not cool at all.”
“Yes, well, don’t worry about Casey.” Her voice soothed him.
Johnny suddenly realized he had been talking to one of the prettiest girls he had ever met, and did not even know her name. Man, what an idiot you are, Johnny Clark.
“Here, now this will help the swelling.” She lifted an ice pack and deftly placed it on the bridge of his nose. The weight of the pack made him wince, but he was regaining his composure now, and willed the pain away for the moment.
“Say, you do that like you know what you are doing,” he whispered.
“Yes, well I should. I grew up in sports and my dad is the assistant coach for the football team. I’ve done ice packs and Ace bandages for quite a while now. Oh, I’m Kayla, Kayla Green.”
“Kayla, it’s very nice to meet you; I’m…”
“I know who you are, silly. You’re Johnny Clark. Everyone knows who you are now.” She smiled.
The smiled helped, but her words were mortifying. Yep, now he would forever be known as the jerk that messed with Casey Capps’ stuff and got decked. “AHH…” is all he could manage to say.
“Johnny, really, don’t worry about it. Casey is an okay guy, but everyone knows he is a bully sometimes and a big baby about his guitar. He’s not even very good at it. It’ll be okay; you’ll square it with him and it will be fine.”
“Oh yeah, you sound pretty sure about that, but I just don’t know. I might as well prepare myself for a world of grief about this.”
“The guys will give you a hard time about it, no doubt, but it’ll work out. Believe me; I know how these guys are. Some of them thought it was a real hoot when it happened. Well they did once we found out you were not dead. A fatality would have
The tent door flap parted. The light filtered in like a howitzer to his fragile face. He gasped reflexively from the sudden painful blast.
“Please, please close that thing.” Even his voice provided yet another source of pain.
“Oh my, you are in bad shape, aren’t you?”
The soothing feminine voice was as unexpected as it was welcomed. It did not make him hurt less, but it did wonders for his spirit.
The tent flap closed abruptly and he could make out the outline of a beautifully shaped and quite attractive body. Wow, what a regrettable way to make a first impression , he mused.
“You put on quite the show for us last night, Johnny. I just came to check on you. We thought Casey had killed you, the way you just went down and didn’t move.”
It was the sweetest voice he had ever heard, but he could not make his mind put the events in sensible order. “Who? What?” He tried to raise his head, but fell back in misery. Nothing about the previous night was coming back to him, except seeing Buck, chugging a lot of beer, looking up at the stars, and … and singing?
“Was I singing?” he questioned hesitantly.
“Oh, were you ever singing. You were singing for all you were worth, but that wasn’t the problem. Your crime was picking up Casey’s guitar. That’s what nearly got you killed out there.”
“Casey Capps, the team’s starting fullback? The man with his sights set on the pros next year? That Casey Capps?”
“Well you have retained some memory; that’s a good sign.”
He thought she was smiling at him. “I can’t believe I did that. I would have decked me too if somebody messed with my guitar -- well if I had one anyway. I gotta go apologize. Man, I am so sorry.” He rubbed his nose. “So, so sorry. That was not cool at all.”
“Yes, well, don’t worry about Casey.” Her voice soothed him.
Johnny suddenly realized he had been talking to one of the prettiest girls he had ever met, and did not even know her name. Man, what an idiot you are, Johnny Clark.
“Here, now this will help the swelling.” She lifted an ice pack and deftly placed it on the bridge of his nose. The weight of the pack made him wince, but he was regaining his composure now, and willed the pain away for the moment.
“Say, you do that like you know what you are doing,” he whispered.
“Yes, well I should. I grew up in sports and my dad is the assistant coach for the football team. I’ve done ice packs and Ace bandages for quite a while now. Oh, I’m Kayla, Kayla Green.”
“Kayla, it’s very nice to meet you; I’m…”
“I know who you are, silly. You’re Johnny Clark. Everyone knows who you are now.” She smiled.
The smiled helped, but her words were mortifying. Yep, now he would forever be known as the jerk that messed with Casey Capps’ stuff and got decked. “AHH…” is all he could manage to say.
“Johnny, really, don’t worry about it. Casey is an okay guy, but everyone knows he is a bully sometimes and a big baby about his guitar. He’s not even very good at it. It’ll be okay; you’ll square it with him and it will be fine.”
“Oh yeah, you sound pretty sure about that, but I just don’t know. I might as well prepare myself for a world of grief about this.”
“The guys will give you a hard time about it, no doubt, but it’ll work out. Believe me; I know how these guys are. Some of them thought it was a real hoot when it happened. Well they did once we found out you were not dead. A fatality would have
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