A month had passed. The football team was still undefeated. Teddy, Vikram and Wendy sat together in the student section and mostly ignored the games. For Teddy, it was as if they had fallen into a secret world that held vast mysteries he...
A month had passed. The football team was still undefeated. Teddy, Vikram and Wendy sat together in the student section and mostly ignored the games. For Teddy, it was as if they had fallen into a secret world that held vast mysteries he couldn’t wait to uncover.
The wind was cold and Vikram went to buy hot chocolate for them. Teddy and Wendy promised not to continue the discussion without him. Wendy changed the subject. “How did you do on the algebra test?”
“I did fine.”
“I only missed the second to last question. I completely misread it.”
“It was a tricky one.”
“Did you miss any?”
Teddy paused, he considered lying, but said, “No.”
“Do you ever miss any?”
“Well, not really.”
“Seriously?! When was the last time you got a math question wrong?”
“In school?”
“What do you mean? Of course, in school.”
“Then no, I haven’t missed any questions.”
“Even last year? In Mr. Wester’s class?”
“Math is my favorite, but I suppose I’ll get something wrong eventually.”
“Are you saying you haven’t ever missed a math question?”
“I got a history question wrong in fifth grade,” Teddy said, though he was lying. He liked being smart, but he didn’t want to seem like he was bragging.
“What about in English?”
Teddy just shrugged.
“You’re awesome,” She said and gave him a fist bump.
They talked about her cat for a while. It’s name was Professor Fluffy McMittens. The band had taken the field when Vikram returned with the drinks. Teddy liked cats, but not as much as he did Mr. Chompers. Vikram loved cats. Wendy promised to bring a picture to school on Monday.
The band was playing “Let it Be” by the Beatles and Wendy said, “Hey, isn’t that Seth?”
Vikram said, “Where?”
“In the section with all the trumpets.”
Teddy said, “It is him!”
Vikram said, “How did we not know that about him?”
Wendy said, “I can’t believe it. I’m so giving him crap about it.”
Teddy laughed. He liked Wendy’s enthusiasm. He had to admit, though, he did like the song. His dad like the Beatles.
The rest of the game was more exciting than the first half. Both the opponents on the field and the opposing mascot, a silly looking bear, seemed to be getting the upper hand. They scored twice in the third and added a field goal in the fourth. On the last drive, down by four, the Bears ran off a thirty yard pass play that got them across mid-field.
Teddy and his Vikram got caught up in the excitement and forgot about computers and coding for a little while. Wendy rolled her eyes on more than one occasion. When a tipped ball at the line of scrimmage was intercepted, securing the win, even Wendy was yelling.
When the final seconds ticked off the clock, most of the students stormed onto the field. Teddy, Vikram and Wendy decided to pass and choose to head to the diner on 5th. Teddy had gotten permission to stay out until eleven. He was pretty excited and it was cool having a friend with a car, such that it was.
Wendy drove a beat-up 1976 blue Plymouth Duster. It ran well, didn’t look great, but to Teddy and Vikram, it was a Rolls Royce. Wendy hadn’t had her license for long, but had just been granted friend ride along privileges by her parents. Fall Friday nights were now Teddy’s favorite day of the week.