Promise Kept (Perry Skky Jr.) Read Free Page A

time out to help me study, I wouldn’t get through school. Seriously, if you hadn’t stepped up and made me get all of that calculus, I’d be sitting out the whole game. I know Lenard and Markus, man. They convinced you to go somewhere you didn’t want to go. All that football hazing is a bunch of crap. For real you shouldn’t be punished for what coach practically signed off on. He told us to follow the upper classmen when the season first started. I’m going to talk to the rest of the team now.”
    As Deuce headed to the door I just shook my head. I couldn’t believe the chump was serious. Why would he put his career on the line for me? Yeah, we were brothers now in every true sense of the heart, and as crazy as Saxon had been towards me—not wanting me to be with his sister and feeling he was a much better player than I was—somewhere along the way he and I had formed a bond too. I cared about those three guys and I needed to let them know that there was no way I was going to let them carry through with any sort of plan of rebellion. I jogged over to the door and barricaded myself in front of it.
    “Move, Perry, now move,” Deuce said, as he tried unsuccessfully to push me aside.
    “Naw, now for real you guys are going to hear me out,” I said boldly to the three of them. “Quit being hotheads for a second and listen to me. Saxon, I’ve been watching you in practice lately and boy, you are a heck of a football player. You know I never wanted to admit that with me and you being rivals in high school and all, but you the man! With me on the bench you’re going to get a chance to play. You can show out and show ’em the threat and presence of what’s coming next year. Aight?”
    “I hear you, man,” Saxon said, and he came and gave me dap.
    “And Deuce and Lance, though the loyalty chokes me up inside,” I said facetiously.
    Lance grabbed a pillow and tossed it my way. I ducked. We all laughed.
    I continued, “I’m serious. I appreciate y’all caring, but what good is it going to do with none of us in the game? Somebody has to represent the freshman class and help us win this thing. I’ma get back in there. What I want y’all to get is that we got to live by rules, and when you break them you got to step up, be a man, and take what’s coming to you. I don’t need y’all to take my medicine for me. I know what I did and I know why I did it. I just need the three of y’all out there. And light up the scoreboard, so when I get in I won’t have to show y’all up.”
    They charged me. The next thing you know the four of us were play wrestling. It was cool to know I wanted the best for them and that they had my back.
    The next couple of days were chaos. All the sportswriters were clamoring outside the hotel to make the story even bigger than it was. Coach protected Lenard, Markus, and myself through a lot of the public functions that the team went to—team meet-and-greets, pep rallies, Fellowship of Christian Athletes breakfast—so we were able to chill.
    I was also avoiding my folks. I knew they had driven down to Miami. I was successful in not seeing them until my dad banged on the hotel room door and yelled that Coach told him I was in there.
    “Alright Dad, but I got a game in the morning,” I said, sounding real tired.
    “Whatever, son, open the door. I need to talk to you now.”
    I couldn’t even look his way. Feeling bad was an understatement. I hated letting my parents down. What could I say?
    “I know, Dad. I made a bad decision.”
    “I hear you, son, but you can’t just run away from us when you get in some trouble. Besides, this year you have had one incident after another and we have always been there for you.”
    “I shouldn’t have embarrassed you guys, Dad. Truthfully, you couldn’t be more bummed out with me than I am with myself.”
    He went on anyway, lecturing me for another thirty minutes, then told me to rest up for the game. I appreciated that at the end of the day