27 August 1984 – Hardwick Road, Enfield, Massachusetts

Jeff gulped down the cup of water he held and readied himself for his next turn at the current drill. He’d square off against Nick Ansoina, now a senior and co-captain of the soccer team. They watched Tom Jarrett and a freshman race after the ball, each jockeying for position.

“Man, they’re really banging away at each other, aren’t they?” Nick asked as he looked down the field. “That kid isn’t taking it easy on Tom, that’s for sure.”

“There’s one in every bunch,” Jeff joked in reply.

“That was you last year, ya know?” Nick reminded Jeff, facing him now.

“Huh?”

“That was you,” Nick repeated. “You and Tom fought your way down the whole sideline. And you’re right, there is one in every bunch. That was me my freshman year, it was Tom two years ago, and that was you last year. Your performance in this drill last year, your refusal to give up, was a big reason why you got as much playing time as you did last year. You’ll be captain your senior year, if not before.” Jeff wasn’t sure how to answer that.

He didn’t have a chance to meet the freshman he commented about until the scrimmage at the end of practice. They were part of their team’s midfield together.

“Hey,” Jeff greeted his teammate while he held out a hand. “I’m Jeff Knox.”

“Chris Micklicz,” the freshman responded as they shook.

“Where you from?”

“My family just moved to Palmer from outside Lansing, Michigan. Dad got a new job in Springfield this summer.”

“Well, the valley’s not anywhere near our beloved Commonwealth’s capital, but we prefer it that way.”

“The valley?”

“The Swift River valley which is, technically, Enfield, Greenwich, Prescott, and Dana.”

“It’s not pronounced ‘Grennitch?’”

“Nope, ‘GREEN-witch.’ We’re a bit different ‘round these parts.”

Chris laughed. “I was glad that my folks at least picked a school with a hockey team. Is it any good?”

Jeff shrugged. “We weren’t that good last year, five-and-fifteen, but a lot of those games could have gone either way. We just need the breaks to go our way and we’ll be pretty good.”

The whistle blew.

“Today, ladies!” called Coach Romanov. They quickly got back into their positions.

“Hey! Jeff!” a voice called to him the next week.

Jeff turned from his locker and saw his friend Jack Jarrett walking towards him. Jack wore a wide smile on his face while holding an arm around Kathy Stein, his girlfriend of nine months. The young brunette invited Jack to her family’s summer house for the month that August. Jeff hadn’t seen the couple since mid-July due to the timing of his own family’s vacation and theirs. Jack and Kathy left for Maine the same day the Knoxes returned home.

“Well, look at you two,” Jeff quipped. “Both of you look very happy. And disgustingly tanned.”

“And you’re not?” Kathy shot back. “You look like you were outside for hours every day yourself.”

“Well...” Jeff began. “Okay, fine. I was outside a lot despite my hours at Bilzarian’s. How was Maine?”

“Other than the crazy tourists, it was fine,” Kathy replied.

“Um, aren’t you guys crazy tourists when you go up there, Kath?”

“Yeah, okay.”

A beautiful blonde Jeff didn’t recognize passing by distracted him. She chatted with a group of girls he recognized from the junior class as they walked down the hall. Jeff managed not to let his mouth hang open, but he couldn’t stop staring at her. She was spectacular.

“Jeff? Jeff?” Jack tried to get his attention. Jeff looked back at his friends.

“Sorry...” he said, a sheepish look on his face. Kathy just laughed at him. She saw who he’d been watching.

“You met Chris Micklicz last week during soccer practice, right?” Jack asked.

“Yeah?” Jeff answered, wondering how Jack had already heard of him.

“Tom told me about him,” Jack explained. “That’s his older sister, Pauline. She’s in Tom’s class.”

“Wow...” Jeff whispered, clearly taken with the older girl.

“Yeah, definitely not a butter face,” Kathy muttered. A ‘butter face’ was a girl who looked pretty until she turned around: “she had a fine body, but her face...!”

“Older and out of my league, then,” Jeff sighed.

“You never know until you try, Big Boy,” Kathy teased.

“That’s one of the areas I don’t have a lot of confidence in, Kathy. You know that.”

“And that’s something I totally don’t get,” she said. “You’re friends with just about everybody!”

“Any of the girls I’m friends with I’ve known for years,” Jeff reminded Kathy. “You’re the exception, Kath. You’d already met this guy here, and now you’re his girlfriend. There’s no pressure with you. This girl’s different.”

The soccer team talked about many things while they cleaned up after practices. One locker room debate after practice early in the year started the team thinking. It was also the start of helping them gel. Jeff was right in the middle of the discussion.

“Why do we need to worry about those kids?” asked Deke Mueller, a starting forward and a senior this year.

“Deke, do you like music?” Jeff asked in return.

“What? I thought we were talking about the geeks?”

“Bear with me. Do you like listening to music? On a turntable? Maybe on a tape player?”

“Yeah...?”

“How about talking to your girlfriend on the phone? Picking her up in your car to go somewhere? Not having to go to bed when the sun sets because you can turn on a light?”

“Yeah...?”

“Who do you think thought up all that stuff? The geeks, right?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Deke admitted.

“Deke, I’m a geek,” Jeff told him. “I have been for years. In fact, I got straight A’s on my final report card last year.” Deke just blinked at him. “I’m probably near the top of my class right now.”

“But ... but ... you’re a soccer player! A jock!” Deke exclaimed, shocked.

“Yeah, so?” Jeff shrugged. “Why do the two have to be separate? When I leave Thompkins that might be the end of me ever playing sports competitively again. There may be people at this school who will go on to college sports, or maybe even get to the pros, but for the majority of us this will be it. Why shouldn’t we work hard? Learn as much as we can as well as we can so we have more choices later in life? Anyone can be a dick, just look at Bryan Cosgrove. How much will that cost you later in life? How much will it gain for you not to be?” Deke looked thoughtful, as did the others who heard Jeff’s argument, so Jeff kept going.

“You guys know Tom has a little brother, right?” he asked indicating Tom Jarrett. Many of his teammates nodded. “Jack’s probably my best friend, with Kathy Stein a close second. With his medical problems, Jack will never be able to play sports, and Kathy’s chosen not to. Does that matter to me? No. I have the same sense of humor as they do, and we like hanging out together. End of story.”

“You guys backed me up last year when I squared off with Cosgrove on the first day of school, and you’d only known me a week. There are only about three hundred of us in high school here. Why are we splitting ourselves into such small, divisive groups? Talk to these kids. Make them see you’re nothing like they probably thought you were.”

Jeff climbed off the soapbox. He let his teammates roll his words around in their heads while he finished dressing. Tom Jarrett caught up to him as he walked out to the parking lot to catch his ride home.

“Nice sermon, Reverend,” Tom joked as he shoved him gently.

“Why should Jack and Kathy and the others who don’t play sports be treated like that, Tom?” Jeff asked in a not-so-joking manner. “You know I’d be treated like them if I didn’t play a sport.”

“Easy, man,” Tom said in a soothing tone. “You’re preaching to the choir, okay?”

“Sorry, Tom. It pisses me off.”

“Really? Hadn’t noticed.” Tom almost fell over laughing when Jeff shoved him.

In his office Coach Romanov smiled to himself. He overheard Jeff’s speech.

The sophomore grinned at the three freshmen. It was a cruel smile. With his buddies behind him backing him up, he was sure that the three younger kids would soon piss their pants. He’d just about gotten them to the point where they’d hand over their lunch money when he heard a scuffle behind him. Someone swatted a stinging slap to the back of his head. That person was going to DIE! Spinning around, he nearly shit his pants when he saw who slapped him.

“Hi, Bryan,” Jeff Knox growled through gritted teeth. “Did ya have a nice summer?”

Bryan had stayed in the shadows last year, avoiding Jeff since their first confrontation. He’d taken a chance this year and poked his head up again to see what he could get away with. A glance around showed his buddies being braced by Jeff’s teammates, many teammates.

The other teams at school had heard about Jeff’s little speech. They responded to the unspoken challenge, and the bullying business was suddenly much tougher. Seeing Jeff, Bryan knew he was about to be hammered back down into his hole. He looked at Jeff with a much less arrogant attitude.

“What I told you last year is still in effect,” Jeff whispered to him, so softly that only Bryan could hear. “We haven’t been back in school a month and already you’ve managed to piss me off. Nice work.” Jeff looked over at the three younger students.

“Guys, if this person here – and I use the term ‘person’ loosely – bothers you again, you come find me, any of my teammates, or any of the other jocks here. We’ll handle the problem, okay?”

The three freshmen nodded nervously, not quite believing that an older student would stick up for them. This was not what their dealings with upperclassmen so far had shown them. They saw the student who stuck up for them give the bully a hard look before he waved them down the hall.

“That’s strike two,” Jeff warned Cosgrove after the younger students left. “You don’t want to know what happens when you strike out.”

Jeff worked on his French homework beside Kara before dinner. This year he took both Spanish II and French I on the enthusiastic recommendation of Isabelle Alcala. Kara chose French as her language so they were in the same beginner’s class. She found Jeff’s study methods and his discipline were something to emulate. With the burden of an extra class this year, Jeff needed to study whenever he could. His mother tousled his hair while the siblings worked at the kitchen table.

“Mom, you’re killing my chance with the ladies!” he complained, trying to straighten his hair while Kara laughed at him.

“Who?” she asked. “Your sister? Me? This kitchen isn’t exactly a ‘target-rich environment’ as you kids say.”

“You’re the one that keeps telling me to be ready when opportunity knocks!” he responded. “How can I be ready for my adoring fans, if I look like I just woke up?”

“Relax, Romeo. The bouncer at the door will let us know when they start lining up for you. It’s time to put away le français and set the table.”

Thompkins played a league rival, Petersham Preparatory Academy, in an early October soccer match. Away games were sparsely attended by Thompkins students, and today was no exception. In contrast, PPA’s students made up most of the spectators present. They were a rowdy bunch and making a lot of noise at the moment because their team was just whistled for a foul seconds before halftime. The interference foul happened just outside the penalty area, and the referee awarded Thompkins an indirect free kick. Two players had to touch the ball before a goal would count.

Nick Ansonia waited next to Jeff while the referee paced off the ten-yard zone that PPA had to stay outside of. Nick and Jeff talked over the play one more time. It was a common play that everyone used but it did work sometimes. The referee raised his arm and blew the whistle.

Nick nodded to Jeff and ran towards the ball. When he stepped over it, he bumped it back towards Jeff. The ball made the required one full revolution for the play to be legal. Jeff was already sprinting towards the ball. He blasted a shot towards the goal, a shot that looked to be going wide of the far post. PPA’s goalie saw the ball’s spin, and he broke as hard as he could for the back post where one of his defensemen stood.

Jeff placed his shot well. Sideline spectators watched the shot arc towards the net. PPA’s defenseman leaped for it, hoping to head it away. The goalie dove to intercept the ball, stretching out, trying to bat it away.

Jeff’s target was the net’s top corner on the far side. The spinning ball broke for that corner as it arced through the air. The ball hit the goal post just above the defenseman’s head, beyond the diving goalie’s reach. It caught the inside edge, bouncing it back, inside the goal. The net rippled with the ball’s impact.

Thompkins players cheered and gathered around Jeff to congratulate him on the shot. He’d scored the first goal of the game.

“Great shot, Pelé!” Nick said with an arm around Jeff’s neck.

“Still a lot of soccer to play, wise-guy!” Jeff cautioned.

“Doesn’t mean it wasn’t a sweet shot!”

Jeff rolled his eyes but smiled back at his teammate. “It was, wasn’t it?”

October gave way to November. Soccer gave way to hockey. Jeff paired with a freshman on defense since he was the third-line defenseman from the previous year. That freshman was Chris Micklicz. The two connected as line-mates instantly.

“Oh my word...” muttered John Kessler, the head hockey coach for Thompkins.

He watched his third-line defense pick apart his first-line offense. Chris and Jeff seemed to know where the other would be without a word, with hardly a glance, and they’d never played together before! Coach Kessler watched them control the ice as practice progressed. He watched the emergence of his new first-line defense.

Jeff and Chris walked down the hall of the Jenkins Building together a week later. The school day had ended and they reviewed hockey plays on their way to practice. Jeff had the skills but he’d only been playing for a few years. Chris had better hockey instincts and he pointed out certain things to Jeff as they walked.

“Hey! Chris!” a female voice called.

The pair stopped and turned to see Chris’ sister Pauline walking towards them, smiling. Jeff had been sneaking looks at Pauline since the first day of school but he’d yet to talk to her. He decided to keep his mouth shut unless spoken to so he wouldn’t make a fool of himself.

“Hey, I forgot to tell you this morning, but Dad needs a new copy of your hockey schedule. He can’t find the other one and he wants to be sure he makes the home games.”

“No problem,” Chris answered. “I’ll make sure I ask Coach for one before practice starts.”

Seeing his partner checking Pauline out but trying hard to look like he wasn’t, Chris introduced them to each other.

“Pauline, this is my partner on defense, Jeff Knox. He’s a sophomore. Jeff, this is my big sister, Pauline. She’s a junior here.”

“Hi, Jeff,” Pauline said in a bright voice. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“H-h-h-hi, P-Pauline. I-i-i-it’s nice to m-m-meet you,” he stammered. He sighed, thinking, ‘So much for not making a fool of myself.’

Chris stared at his partner before turning back to Pauline.

“Hey, I’m sorry, Sis, but we’ve gotta get to practice. I’ll see you at home.”

“Sure, Chris,” Pauline said, thoughtfully. Jeff was looking anywhere but at Pauline.

“Come on, guy, before we’re late,” Chris said to Jeff, grabbing him by the elbow.

He led Jeff away from an amused Pauline. Chris looked at his friend once they were outside, headed for the field house.

“Okay, what the hell was that?”

“What?”

“You looking all embarrassed in front of my sister.”

Jeff sighed. He knew Chris wouldn’t let this go. It was best to get it out in the open now.

“Look, Chris, I first noticed your sister on the first day of school. I mean, she’s beautiful. How could I not notice her?”

“Beautiful? My sister’s HOT!” Chris joked before realizing the problem. “Hey, wait a minute! You’ve got a crush on my sister!” he exclaimed.

Jeff sighed again. “Chris, please don’t say anything to her, okay? She probably thinks I’m an idiot, now.”

“Oh, she does not! She’s a bit confused right now, that’s for sure. I mean, I’m sure she’s been hearing about what a great guy you are and how confident you are since we started here, so maybe the stammering fool routine she just saw has thrown her for a loop. I doubt she thinks you’re an idiot. Mentally challenged maybe, but not an idiot!”

Jeff chuckled along with Chris. “Okay, so maybe not an idiot, but you have to admit that I came across looking pretty stupid.”

“Jeff, in all seriousness? She’s a nice person. Just talk to her, okay?”

“Okay,” he sighed yet again. “I’ll talk to her tomorrow.”

Chris clapped him on the shoulder as they reached the field house doors. “It’ll be fine.”

Jeff approached Pauline the next morning as she put her things away in her locker before school. Jeff wiped his sweaty palms on his pants as he crossed the hallway towards her. He prayed he wouldn’t make a fool out of himself again.

“E-excuse me? Pauline?”

Pauline turned to see the boy her brother had tried to introduce yesterday looking at her. The embarrassed look from yesterday was gone, replaced by a hopeful one. She smiled.

“Hi, Jeff.”

“Hey. Look, Pauline, I wanted to apologize for how I acted yesterday. I’m not all that used to talking to girls I don’t know, especially girls as beautiful as you.”

“You’re a silver-tongued devil, aren’t you?” Pauline laughed. Jeff liked the sound of her laughter.

“Not usually,” Jeff grinned. “I’m just trying to make up for yesterday.”

“It’s fine, Jeff,” Pauline replied, putting her hand on Jeff’s elbow. It gave him a bit of a rush. “Is my brother giving you any problems?”

“More like your brother is making me look good,” Jeff chuckled. “We click on the ice.”

“I’m glad.” Pauline cocked her head. “May I ask you to walk me to class, Sir?”

“I should be delighted, Miss,” Jeff replied, crooking his elbow and bowing slightly.

She closed her locker and slipped her hand through his arm, resting it on his forearm. Jeff nodded to her and they were off.

Jeff escorted Pauline to her class without incident. He was so intent on looking at her that he didn’t see people staring at them in disbelief. Jeff found Pauline to be as easy to talk to as his sister Kara once he relaxed. Pauline found he could make her laugh often. They were both disappointed when they reached her classroom.

“Sadly we have arrived, Milady,” Jeff intoned, putting on a long face.

“Be not sad, good Sir,” she replied. “We shall see each other again on the morrow.”

“Until then, Milady,” Jeff offered with a sweeping bow.

Pauline answered with a curtsey before they parted ways, both laughing at their silliness. The girls she’d been hanging around with since starting at Thompkins surrounded Pauline when she walked into English class.

“What are you doing walking with Jeff Knox?” Marcia Grendell asked in an accusing tone.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Pauline snapped back.

“He’s a geek!” Paulette Dubois replied as if that explained everything.

“He plays hockey with my brother,” Pauline responded. “I’ll be seeing him quite a lot, so we’re getting to know each other. Why do you guys care?”

“Because hanging around with a geek will ruin your reputation,” Marcia shot back.

Pauline pursed her lips but held her tongue. There was no way she would let others choose her friends for her.

“You actually come to your brother’s hockey practices?” Jeff joked while he climbed the field house bleachers that overlooked the ice rink. He’d come to collect his sister before they walked down to their mother’s classroom. Jeff was a little surprised Kara hadn’t waited for him in the much warmer lobby.

“I asked your sister that same question when I saw her sitting here,” Pauline answered with a laugh.

“And she told you we’ll be going down to our mother’s classroom to catch a ride home, right?”

“Yep, just like I’ll be waiting for Chris to finish so we can drive home together from now on. Talking to Kara was much nicer than trying to get my homework done.”

“That it is,” Jeff said, smiling at Kara. “I forgot that last year.”

“What’s that?” Pauline asked.

“I’ll tell you about it tomorrow, Pauline,” Kara said while she stood. “It’ll take too long to tell you the story tonight. I want to get out of this oversized icebox and head home.” The trio said good night to each other when they parted.

Kara bumped shoulders with her brother while they traversed the halls. Jeff looked over at her.

“I like her,” Kara said.

“Yeah.”

“How bad?” she grinned.

“Pretty bad,” he admitted. “I think I’ve had a crush on her since I first saw her.”

“She’s very pretty.”

Jeff laughed. “You know what Chris said when I finally admitted to him that I thought she was beautiful?” Kara shook her head. “He said, ‘Beautiful? My sister’s HOT!’”

Kara’s laughter echoed down the halls. “I can see him saying that. She is hot, that’s for sure. What are you going to do about it?”

“Not much until I get to know her a lot more. Can I elicit some sisterly advice later?”

“I don’t know, can you?” Kara asked, a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

“Do you want me to see if you fit in a trash can upside-down ... again?”

The crowd rooting for the underdog Thompkins School Black Bears let out a roar when the scoreboard clock ran out, ending the game and the season for the Ashburnham Prep Narwhals. Thompkins had just won the Western Massachusetts Division II hockey tournament. They would play in the state semi-finals at the Boston Garden in a week.

The Thompkins celebration was quick and muted in deference to their hosts who just lost at home. The Bears quickly lined up to shake hands. That done, they filed off the ice quickly and quietly, securing their reputation as good sportsmen.

Coach Kessler gave a quick speech. He reminded them that they needed another two wins to become state champions. They showered quietly, knowing that Ashburnham’s locker room was right next to theirs. Kessler called out to Jeff and Chris when they filed out of the visitor’s locker room.

“Knox! Micklicz! Over here, gentlemen!”

The defensive pair peeled off toward the side hallway where Coach Kessler beaconed. Rounding the corner, their jaws dropped when they saw who stood with their coach. Jean Renoit, the Boston Bruins’ star defenseman waited for them.

“Gentlemen, I’d like you to meet Jean Renoit, though I’m sure you know who he is. His son will attend Prep next year. Mr. Renoit, these young gentlemen are my first-line defensemen: Jeff Knox and Chris Micklicz.” Renoit held out his hand and the boys dropped their bags and sticks to shake the hand of their idol.

“You boys played a hell of a game,” Jean said. “I think you made sure your team would win that game a few times over.”

“Thank you, Sir,” Jeff replied. “Everyone did their part to win though if you’ll excuse me for saying so?”

“And they’re humble on top of it all?” Jean asked their coach.

“There’s a reason why Jeff wears the ’A’ on his jersey as a sophomore,” Coach Kessler replied. “The group is responsible if they play well, and he’s responsible if they don’t.”

Renoit raised an eyebrow. “You’re only a sophomore?”

“Yes, Sir. But Chris is a freshman. His hockey skills and instincts are better than mine. He’s taught me a lot this year.”

“Your first-line defensive pair could be together for two more seasons?” Jean asked the coach. “Merde!”

“Yep. Our offensive lines might not be as strong next year, but the defense will be solid.” Coach Kessler turned back to his players. “You guys head out to the bus. I’m sure your families want to see you.”

“Yes, Sir,” Jeff answered, then turned to Jean Renoit. “It was very nice to meet you, Sir.” Jean shook hands with the two again before they picked up their bags and sticks and walked out to the waiting bus.

The two teams were nearly spent after almost eighty minutes of hockey. The players from Don Bosco Technical High School in Boston hadn’t expected an easy game against the Thompkins Black Bears. They hadn’t expected their opponents to skate with them stride-for-stride deep into an overtime period, either!

The game was deadlocked at one goal each while the final minutes of overtime ticked down. The puck bounced and slid up and down the ice as it had all through the game. The teams were evenly matched. The Division II State Hockey Championship match at Boston Garden found fully three-quarters of the seats filled with Bosco fans. The Thompkins fans gave no ground, however, roaring support for their Black Bears.

Thompkins had the puck pinned in the Don Bosco defensive end when the clock entered the final minute of overtime. The referee’s arm shot up without a whistle, indicating a delayed penalty was pending against Bosco. The Thompkins goalie saw this and broke immediately for the bench to let an extra attacker join their frenzied, last-second attempt to score.

Chris Micklicz took the ice. Coach K split off him off from his normal pairing with Jeff Knox due to an injury on another line in their semifinal game. Chris skated hard. He streaked into the zone from the left point. He slapped his stick loudly on the ice, calling for a pass. Jeff saw the puck squirt out to him at the right point. He circled around it to get it on his forehand side.

“BURNER! BURNER!” Chris yelled over the noise of the crowd, glancing at the clock.

Chris called for a low, hard slap-shot they called an ‘ice burner.’ Jeff drew his stick back and blasted one toward the net.

It wasn’t a shot on goal, but a hard pass aimed just wide of the net to the left side. Chris Micklicz charged in from the left slot and extended his stick at the last second to tip the puck into the net, just as he and Jeff had practiced. The puck shot up under the crossbar and sent the Don Bosco goalie’s water bottle flying as if hit by a rifle shot.

Sticks dropped to the ice and gloves flew into the air as the game-ending buzzer sounded! The Thompkins players leaped from the bench onto the ice to chase down Chris Micklicz. They buried him under twenty-four exuberant bodies. The Don Bosco players collapsed to the ice in exhaustion and disappointment. Their coach had to prod them into the traditional handshake line. The hundreds of valley residents who made the two-hour trek to the Garden shot to their feet and screamed themselves hoarse. The Bosco fans sat in stunned silence.

The Thompkins players lined up to shake hands. Several Bosco players stopped Jeff and Chris to congratulate them, admitting they’d been instrumental in shutting their team down. Chris and Jeff made sure to spread the praise around. They returned positive comments about each Don Bosco player who took the time to congratulate them. Chris and Jeff looked the Bosco goalie in the eye and praised his play, hoping to keep him from feeling too down. He was an excellent goalie and he’d played an outstanding game.

Handshakes complete, the boys from Thompkins made sure to acknowledge their fans before the trophy presentation. The fans sang the Thompkins School fight song. The players and coaches gathered at center ice and, with arms around each other’s shoulders, sang back as loud as they could. The final verse echoed around the Garden while disappointed Don Bosco fans left the seating area.

Norm Brecault, the Bears’ senior captain, accepted the championship trophy from the MIAA commissioner. He then handed it to Jeff and Chris, chosen by their teammates as their tournament MVPs. They thrust it high above their heads, showing it to their fans who’d remained quiet through the award presentation. The fans erupted in cheers again. After a team photo on the ice, with all of them smiling and surrounding the trophy, they waved to their fans and disappeared down the long tunnel to the showers.

Jeff and Chris walked out of the dressing room together as was their custom. They emerged onto the ice-level service concourse to greet their families who stood together. The families got to know each other well over the course of the season. Frequent family dinners together after practices and games helped Jeff get over himself. Now he could talk to Pauline without sounding like a fool.

Pauline hugged her younger but taller brother and congratulated him – not all that surprising. What did surprise Jeff, and everyone else, was when Pauline turned to Jeff, pulled him down to her by his necktie, and laid a soft, gentle, and lingering kiss on his lips. Chris and Kara’s jaws dropped as they watched the kiss. Jeff dropped his bag and sticks in shock. He’d expected a hug at most.

The clatter of Jeff’s sticks hitting the concrete drew looks from everyone around them. As the shock wore off, Jeff kissed Pauline back, putting his hands on her hips. She pressed her young body into him. Teammates on the bus yelled approval while they pounded on the windows. Teammates outside the bus pounded their sticks on the pavement. Other Thompkins students stood watching, surprised. Pauline and Jeff saw none of it, both lost in their kiss. Pauline finally let him go.

“Now that your season is over and you don’t have to worry about a state tournament any longer, I’m laying claim to you,” she told him. “Let’s get out of here and find a nice place to have dinner together, alone, okay?”

“Um, okay?” Jeff answered, still in shock.

“Mom, Dad, I’ll be home around midnight or so,” she called to her parents without taking her eyes off Jeff’s. The mothers laid their hands on their respective husband’s arms and shook their heads, warning the fathers not to object. Both mothers were in on Pauline’s plan for the evening.

“Okay, honey,” her father answered, chuckling to himself. Dave now understood why Kyra had been so insistent that Pauline be allowed to bring her car. “Be careful,” he added.

Pauline grabbed the younger boy’s hand and led a still-stunned Jeff towards the parking area. Her car awaited them there. Jeff’s father picked up his son’s bag and sticks, all the while thinking to himself that his son wouldn’t lose the dreamy grin on his face for at least a month!