Okay, a complete chapter nine as promised! Enjoy!

Chapter Nine

The homecoming game was in two days. Mike was not one to let stress rule how he behaved with his players, but he couldn’t stop yelling at them during practice.

Everything went wrong during practice that afternoon. The guys weren’t catching the ball and running the plays as well as they had earlier in the week.

Who am I kidding? Mike wondered to himself as he walked into his office after ending practice. Mike threw his clipboard onto his desk and fell into his office chair. He leaned forward, put his elbows on his desk, and his head in his hands. Rubbing his temple with his fingers, Mike thought about the conversation he had had Sunday night.

Thomas called him Sunday night to let Mike know he would be there for the homecoming game. Thomas claimed he had always wanted to get back to Alpine. It was one of his favorite places, he had said, and now with Mike there he had a reason to go back.

Bastard!

Mike had been agitated since that phone call. In the old days, he would have been happy to have Thomas come for a visit. This time though, Mike wished he would stay in Dallas. Mike wasn’t an idiot. He knew Thomas was coming to see Jen.

All this time, and now Jen was important enough to get Thomas to come back here. Mike leaned back in his chair. Mike didn’t know a lot about Thomas’s private life. Thomas was never one to share much about that.

The last time they had seen each other, Thomas told Mike he had been divorced for five years then. The news had surprised Mike and when he tried to press Thomas to find out what had happened, Thomas had shrugged it off and changed the subject.

Mike slumped his shoulders as he gathered up his stuff to go home. He felt bad for taking his agitation with his friend out on the players. He’d have to find a way to make it up to them.

Jen was getting into her car when she saw Mike walking toward her. He waved and hollered for her to wait. As she stood there waiting, she furrowed her brow at him. He was walking with his shoulders slumped and the look on his face was unreadable. She waited for him to get to her car before she spoke.

“What’s up, Mike?” she asked him.

Mike took a deep breathe before he spoke. He shifted the items he was carrying from shoulder to the other.

“Jen,” he started, “I just wanted to let you know Thomas will be here this weekend.”

Jen’s eyes went wide. She tried to swallow as she thought about how to respond.

“Okay,” was all she could manage to get out.

“Jen,” Mike said, “I’m not sure what his full intentions are while he’s here. He said he’s been wanting to come back for awhile and me being here now gives him an excuse to do so.”

“Okay,” Jen said again trying to take it all in.

“What I’m trying to say,” Mike tried again, “is…I think he’s going to try to see you. He’s been trying to ask about without making it obvious. He’s divorced now, so…I don’t know. Maybe, he’s finally realizing what he did or wishes he never left you behind or…hell, he could be having a midlife crisis for all I know. I just wanted you to know he was coming. I didn’t want him to blindside you.”

“Okay,” Jen said once again. “I appreciate you telling me.”

Jen started to get into her car. She needed to process the information he had just shared with her. Mike placed his hand on hers as she lowered herself into her seat.

“I wish he wasn’t coming, Jen, but I didn’t have a good reason to stop him and he is my fried.” Mike told her.

“It’s okay, Mike.” Jen said. “I can’t stop others from living just because I get stuck in time sometimes. Let him come. Let him find me.”

She moved to close her door. Mike appeared to be shocked into place and wasn’t moving to let her shut her door.

“Mike,” Jen said gently, “I need to go home.”

Mike managed to start backing up then.

“I know, sorry.” He told her. “Hey, before you go, can I have Lynn’s number? I’d like to ask her to Homecoming.”

Jen drove straight to the Railroad Bar. She needed to process what Mike told her. She needed to talk it out and, she needed a jack and coke to calm her nerves down.

Divorced!

That one word surprised Jen. She never thought about the possibility of Thomas marrying someone and to hear the marriage didn’t last affected her in a weird way.

As she pulled up to the bar, she found herself strangely happy his marriage hadn’t worked out.

Good! Serves him right!

Jen regretted that thought as soon as it entered her mind. She never wished him ill will, but still, married…Thomas had at one time been married to someone else.

Jen got out of her car and walked into the bar. She made a beeline for the bar where Sam was serving a couple of early arrivals for night time drinking.

“Hey, Jen,” Sam smiled at her.

“Hey, Sam,” she said. “Can I have a jack and coke please?”

Jen ignored the concerning look Sam gave her as he made the drink.

“Is Aaron here?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Sam replied as he handed her the drink. “He’s in his office.”

“Thanks.”

Jen walked back to Aaron’s office and knocked on the door. She walked in when she heard him respond from the other side. He looked up at her and smiled as she sat down in a chair across from him, eyeing her drink as she did so.

“What’s up?” he asked her as leaned back in his chair.

“Oh,” Jen started, “you won’t believe what I have to tell you.”

“By the looks of that drink in your hand,” he answered, “It must be pretty good.”