Coach Nix saw that the sun was starting to disappear behind the line of trees bordering the high school. With that he blew his whistle and summoned everyone back toward him.
"Okay men. Good first practice. Now, after your homework is done for the night," he stressed, addressing the students before him, "start memorizing the plays in this handout," Nix added, before reaching down and collecting the preprinted xeroxes he copied earlier that day. "There's nothing in here that we won't be covering during practices between now and Thanksgiving, but the more you have them down by heart, the quicker you'll be able to break out of a huddle. And anyone who's watched football on TV knows that there are moments when time is of the essence."
A fact to which everyone agreed.
"Next week, after the sign-up deadline, provided everyone also turns in their parental permission slips to participate in this exhibition game, Coach Smith and I will get together with everyone and officially make team assignments. But even if you have signed up, without the permission slip, you can't play."
Then Coach Nix checked his clipboard before saying, "At the moment, I still don't have permission slips from... Johnson, Warner, and... Twist."
That last announcement surprised Ben, for he thought one of his two mothers had already taken care of that.
"Okay men. Have a good night and be back here after school tomorrow afternoon, weather permitting," said Nix, before he started collecting the flag belts and picking up the gear from practice.
"Benjamin!" he heard a lovely and familiar voice say as he walked over to where he left his things before practice.
"Kenya," Ben said with a smile, before lovingly wrapping his arms around his girlfriend and giving her an affectionate kiss. "I missed you," he added, once their lips parted.
"I'm sorry I could not be here sooner to watch you practice, but my last class ran longer than expected. Did everything go well with your soccer practice?" asked the college student.
"Yes," he replied, before briefly explaining the difference between America's version of professional football in comparison to the rest of the world's. "Can you come over and stay for dinner?"
Then Ben leaned in close and whispered in Kenya's ear, "And maybe some dessert too?"
"My werewolf," Kenya said with a smile, before playfully ruffling his hair. "If you do not have much homework, and if your mothers and my aunt and uncle are in agreement, I would love to join you for dinner."
Then she leaned closer and whispered in his ear, "As for dessert, that will be a question of how the evening goes," before nuzzling Ben's ear lobe.
"Hope we're not interrupting anything," Nate Anderson said, approaching the couple with his boyfriend Alex Ramsey.
"Hello Miss Adaeze," Alex said politely.
"Hello, and it's Kenya, remember?" she asked, knowing Ben's friends.
"Sure. Just being polite," replied Alex.
"Say Ben. We still have a ride home with you, or..." Nate asked, not knowing what the couple's plans were.
"How did you get here?" Ben asked Kenya.
"My scooter is over there," she said, pointing to the parking lot. "I can either follow your car or we could put it in your trunk again."
"Whatever you prefer, as long as I have time to take a quick shower when we get back to my house," replied Ben.
"Actually, I enjoy the down to earth scent you have right now," whispered Kenya, as she licked her lips seductively. "But I should call my aunt and uncle first to request permission for dinner, or else everything is for naught," she added in a slightly louder voice, before reaching in her purse for her cellphone.
Soon it was a car load of teenagers, followed by a slightly older woman on a moped, heading back toward the Twist residence.
"You really love her, don't you?" Nate asked Ben along the way.
"As much as you love Alex, if not more," Ben admitted to his friend and neighbor.
"Do you think someday the two of you..." wondered Alex.
"If she doesn't become Mrs. Benjamin Twist someday, there is something seriously wrong with the universe," Ben answered in return. "All I'm waiting for is high school graduation and my eighteenth birthday. Then I intend to ask Kenya to be my mate. What about you two?"
Being in the back seat together, Nate and Alex looked at each other.
"We're already in a very committed relationship," Alex replied, staring at his boyfriend.
"All we lack is the two things you do, along with wondering who takes who's name upon getting married," admitted Nate. "Although we're thinking about each of us hyphenating."
"Really? How'd would that work?" wondered Ben.
"I'd be Mister Ramsey-Anderson, and Nate would be Mister Anderson-Ramsey," answered Alex.
"You do realize that the four of us will have to attend each other's weddings?" realized Ben, as he pulled into the Twist driveway.
"You better be there," replied Nate.
"And no toasters!" kidded Alex.
Ben didn't know which of his mother's drove today, but one of them had to be home as he parked next to the family car.
Kenya pulled up behind him and parked along side Ben's car as the boys got out.
But before Kenya could tell him whether or not she could stay for dinner, Martha Anderson came out of the house next door to greet them.
"You didn't happen to see Eric or Julie on your way home?" she asked, approaching the group.
"No," was the collective answer.
"Have you tried calling them?" Nate asked in return.
"Yes, but for some reason it goes straight to voice mail," replied Martha.
"Let me try," offered Ben, taking the cellphone from the lanyard from around his neck and trying the number he had for Eric.
"That's odd. Voice mail for me too, but I don't have a number for any of the Stovalls. Let me try something else," he said, dialing another number.
"Strange. Your phone went straight to voice mail too, and you're standing right next to me," Ben told Nate.
"I was able to call my aunt and uncle before we left the high school, so I can stay for dinner if it is agreeable with your mothers Benjamin. If you will tell me a number, I will try calling," suggested Kenya.
Nate gave her Eric's, but Kenya got no response other than the automated messenger service too.
"Okay. So something's wrong with the phone system right now," realized Martha.
"Probably just some kind of technical glitch or weather problem, like maybe sunspots," suggested Alex. Granted, he was only guessing at this point, but sensed that it might be best to downplay the situation a bit so Eric's mother didn't worry more than absolutely necessary.
"Maybe," conceded Martha Anderson, "but that still doesn't explain where Eric and Julie are right now."
TO BE CONTINUED...