I loved watching Tony play in basketball games. He was seventeen now, and a senior. I was a senior as well, I had skipped two grades so Tony and I were in the same grade. He still scared off all the guys from really asking me out and dating me. I was annoyed sometimes but I was also glad to know that I had someone so protective of me. The past two years, since I realized I had fallen for Tony, my feelings had grown stronger. My Dad sat down next to me.
"What did I miss, Kelly?" I smirked at him.
"Other than Tony kicking ass, Dad?" He laughed some as I told him what was happening.
Then it happened, the team they were playing against were playing dirty! I saw Tony go down and the other guy, from the other team, landed on top of him. When he got up, I could see that Tony was in pain, so could Dad. We both were up and on the court without hesitation. Dad was kneeling down, next to him.
"Son, talk to me. What's wrong?" When the coach tried to stop Dad from doing what he, the coach, should be doing Dad just looked at him and he backed off. I heard Tony, trying to sound like nothing was wrong, then he sat up and he grabbed his arm. Dad looked over at me. "Kelly, call Ducky. Tell him to meet us at the hospital." I nodded as Dad helped Tony up. He was wincing in pain and for Tony to do that it was bad.
I was sitting down and dad was pacing the length of the waiting area. I knew he wanted to knock the kid out, that landed on Tony. When Ducky came out, I stood up and walked over to be next to my Dad.
"Jethro, it was a clean break. He will have a cast on his arm for a month. Nothing too bad, just a break in his arm." I knew that wouldn't comfort my father and I knew that Tony was going to hate it because it meant he couldn't finish the season out. But I took a deep breath, relieved that he had just broken his arm. When they finally released Tony, he had a cast on his arm. I had gone to the store in the hospital and got a marker so I was the first to sign his cast. Ducky was the second to do it. Dad drove us home.
Truth be told, if I ever saw the kid that broke his arm, because I could tell that the way he took Tony down, it wasn't some damn accident. Tony was the best out there and the other team knew that. I wanted to break that kid's arm for hurting Tony like that and for ruining his chance of playing in the finals in his last year at playing the game. Dad and I both knew that Tony wasn't going to college. I had already got a scholarship to a college in D.C. that was one of the best for forensics. Tony and Dad were proud of me but I knew that Tony didn't want to go any further. He wanted to serve and protect more then go to college.
Like my Dad, even if he didn't say it, I prayed to God that he didn't want to enlist after graduation. Also like Dad, I supported Tony in everything he wanted to do and he would make a soldier, even if I didn't want him to do it, if that was what he wanted to do. We were in the car when Tony spoke up.
"Dad, that kid was cheating. I didn't do anything wrong." Some of Tony's insecurity showed sometimes, mostly when he thought he wasn't going to make Dad proud of him. I looked over at Dad, hoping he would say the right thing. He did!
"Yeah, I saw, son. I didn't think you messed up, you did good! You were winning the game for your team. It's a shame that you can't finish the season, you the one that's taken them to state finals the past two years and I don't think they will make it without you." I could see the look on Tony face. He agreed and was blaming himself.
"Tony, it's not going to be your fault if the team doesn't go to or win the state finals." He didn't respond to me but Dad and I knew what he was thinking! Right now, we couldn't change his mind, he thought he had messed up the chances for them winning the state finals this year.
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