Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2012 07:55:52 -0700 From: Charles Wolfe Subject: The Ultimate Man- Redemption Chapter 6 Hey everyone. I know this chapter is a little late but I have suddenly gotten very busy with my schedule at college... having said that I will still be putting out chapters but from now on I will be trying for a 5 day period instead of a four day period. I know it's not what you wanted to hear but it is necessary for me to keep my sanity... I hope you enjoy the chapter :-D When the end of February came around and Pike hadn't shown up, I had started to get nervous. I know he said he would be out for a few weeks but I didn't actually take him to be gone for this long. Sarah had been doing a great job of leading the group but something was missing; I don't know if it was the flair, the finesse, or something completely different. It was clear though that with Pike absent, the team seemed more reluctant to get into the groove. I tried my best to get back into my own groove but as I looked around to the rest of the team, the lack of enthusiasm seemed to drag me down. I had always known Pike had a great influence on the team but at this level it seemed almost unhealthy. We almost seemed to rely on Pike to run this team. On the first Monday of March that all changed. While I was in my Shakespearian Writing class, my phone vibrated, notifying me that I had an email, a text, or a missed call. Subtly withdrawing it from my pocket, I turned on the screen, taking a quick look at it before Professor Neval could catch me. It was from Sarah and while I would have normally brushed it off as a reminder text of the practice, this time the words were all different. "Hey everyone, Andrew will be leading the practice today. Chris will be co-captain. Follow what they say. Good luck!" My face went white, me having to read it in twice to actually understand what it meant. Sarah had made me unofficial co-captain. "Mr. Jacobs, are you interested in seeing how life was in the Victorian Era? If not I would suggest you put your phone away." My attention is interrupted as Professor Neval calls me out, a quick slippage of the phone back into my pocket to avoid having it taken away from me. Though my mind is completely preoccupied with my unexpected grant of leadership, I blurt out, "Sorry professor. It won't happen again." Flicking my eyes back and forth, I run through what all we could possibly do for practice. Everything from the last semester comes back to me slowly; the drills, cuts, pivots, everything. The students snicker at me as I regain my focus on the symbolic writing. After class though, I immediately pulled out my phone and called Sarah. I was thankful to get her on the first call, her answering in a happy peppy voice, "Hey Chris what's up?" Moving outside, I tried to find a quiet area so I could converse with her a little easier. "Hey Sarah, I just got your text and I wanted to make sure you sent it right. You want me to help lead the practice today?" There was a slight, yet noticeable, pause before she answered. "Umm yea. I am not going to be there and Andrew has the most experience in a way. I talked with Pike about who else should lead the team and he said your name. If you want I can have someone else do it for you." Stunned at the thought that Pike wanted me to help lead the practice, I swallow hard. Silence vibrates across the phone waves as I take it all in. Even though Pike and I were on very rough waters, he still apparently thought I was capable of leading the group. Was I? Did I even deserve to lead it? "Chris you there?" Sarah wakes me from my thought processes, making me realize I still have her on the phone. Continuing on my walk, I answer her, my mind blank, "Umm yea. I am still here. Yea I am ready to lead the group. Umm... I'll talk with Andrew about what all we are going to do today." Processing the information, I finish up the conversation with small talk, finally ending it as I got to my next class. When my classes were all over, I had a nervous lump in my stomach. What if I screwed this up? Given my track record recently, things hadn't been looking too good for me. Meeting Andrew a half hour before practice started we talked over what we wanted to cover; our high points being cuts and alternative throws such as hammers and thumbers. Practice started off kind of smoothly, simple tosses being performed, leading us up to actually start on our drills. Andrew led the gut pass drill while I set up for the pivot/force drill. The pivot/force drill was simple in its teachings, focusing mainly on the extent of pivots as well as the strength of the force to a certain side. While the practice, in the end, was completed without any major hick ups, there were a few points where Andrew and I were stumbling to think of drills to run. Rachel did assist us from time to time and while Andrew did manage to figure things out, it was still daunting for me, this sudden leadership ability a new experience for me. Gathering everyone around, Andrew told everyone of the upcoming tournament this weekend. After that, I was free. Walking back to my room, I felt very giddy, my leadership abilities feeling good to me. Reaching in my backpack, I search around for my phone to text Michael of my first time captaining. Finding my phone, I illuminate it to find that I have a message waiting for me. It was a mass text; "Hey everyone I hope practice went well. I hope Andrew reminded you of the tournament this weekend. I look forward to seeing you on Thursday." Total buzz kill Pike, total buzz kill. Reading over the text again, I felt a lump in my throat, the thought of seeing Pike again making me nervous. The rest of the week leading up to Thursday was kind of quick, me really looking forward to seeing how Pike is holding up. When Thursday came around though, I felt sick. I didn't know if face him just yet. Walking up to the field, I was nervous about looking at him. When he approached through, it was almost as if nothing had changed. Pike seemed happy to be back, talking and chatting with everyone in his usual uppity nature. When he saw me though, there was a small change in his composure. It wasn't much for the others to notice but his eyes glinted anger then sadness then happiness when he locked onto me. Moving up to me, he reached out to shake my hand, "Hey Chris! Thanks for helping lead the team on Monday. I was glad you were able to step up to the challenge." I really didn't know how to take him. I was completely baffled that he was acting as if everything was as it was. Psyching myself out, I took his words as some sort of test to see my reaction. "Umm... Thanks Pike. It was fun." I really didn't know what to say. Moving us into a cluster, Pike starts to talk to us. "Hey I know I have been gone for a few practices but I am back to get you guys whipped into shape." There were a few whoop whoops that came from the group as Pike continued. He seemed to be back on his A-game, though I knew it was just a façade. I had a strong feeling he was still dealing with it, just like I was. Right as Pike was about to finish, there was a murmuring coming from the rear of the team. Looking to where the commotion was coming from, we all were shocked to find the soccer team standing there. Pike's cool demeanor instantly dropped, "What do you want Manuel?" There was no doubt in his voice that he had suddenly become irritated. Moving towards the soccer team, Pike made sure I was standing behind him as he confronted Manuel who was standing in the front of his own team. I couldn't help but grin as the normally big figure of Manuel seemed to shrink as Pike moved towards him. The tall beefy soccer player stepped back a foot as Pike took over his position, Manuel forcing his team back a few feet. "Pike, hold up." Pike's fuse was noticeably shorter this time around, "Manuel I don't need any of you or your team's bullshit right now. This isn't a good time." Moving to where I could see Pike's expressions, I noticed him glance over to me, slight anger flashing out of his eyes. Manuel held up his hands and sheepishly, "We are here for a peace offering. We realized we screwed up and wanted to clear the waters." It was as Manuel was speaking that I noticed Skyler was not with the team. Questioning what all was going on in my head, I listened in on what was going on. Pike looked directly at me then back to Manuel, "Manuel there will always be blood in the waters, especially after what you did." I took a step forward, knowing that Pike needed to be calmed down before anything rash happened. Manuel flashed a fire through his brown eyes. "First off it wasn't me. And I said I'm sorry!" Stepping in for Pike and cutting him off before he spoke, I emulated the words that I knew Pike should have said. "Manuel, I know it wasn't you but you are responsible for your team. Their actions reflect your team. Thank you though for the apology." Glancing at Pike to stand down, I looked to Manuel. "What happened should not have happened." That was all Manuel said as he lead the team away. I managed to catch Austin's attention as he left, making a questioned look to subtly ask where Skyler was. Shrugging, Austin just followed, making the motion to call, probably meaning to call Skyler since I didn't have Austin's number. Right as Pike was about to start the practice, I snuck off to my bag to find my phone. Pulling up Skyler's number, I shot off a text: "Hey the soccer team just stopped by to apologize. What was that about?" I really needed to know what was going on as this really seemed out of the blue. Had he told his team that he was gay? Moving back to the practice, I heard Pike mutter out to the Rachel, Andrew, and Sarah "I still don't trust them. This seemed very different for Manuel." Pike did glance at me, noticing me move up to Bryan and Zach. Changing the subject to the tournament, Pike conversed with them about what all needed to be done to prep. Practice was happier than it had been for the last few weeks, just the pure presence of Pike lifting it back up. Everyone seemed to throw in the way that we needed to, the cuts were all on par, a sense of showing off to Pike taking place. Even I felt better now that Pike was back. Even though he and I didn't really practice, or talk for that fact, much together, it was nice for him to be here. Ending the practice, Pike pulled us all in for a final call, the last time we would see each other before the tournament. "Ok guys. As you all know, the tournament is Saturday. While I have not been here, I wanted to let you know who part of the starting team is." Feeling good about how things were, I expected to get on the starting line; especially since I was not on it last time. "Tyler, Terry, Zach, Bryan, Derek, Rachel, and Sarah." It took me a few seconds to digest it all. What? Why didn't I get I picked to play the first game? I was instantly crushed. As the team started to disperse, I moved up to Pike, expressing my frustration. "Pike, why am I not on the starting team? Are you still mad at me?" Pike's cool appearance turned to shock as I accused him of still being angry at me. "What? Really Chris?" Crossing his arms, he glances around, and then glares at me. "Chris, I'm not mad at you anymore, more disappointed. It was a mistake that we made. But this has nothing to do with that. Not everyone can make the starting line. Sometimes you need to sacrifice your spot for other players to participate as well. That is one part of being a leader that is often the hardest." I felt horrible. Was I still mad at myself more than he was? I shouldn't have called him out like that. Uttering a simple, "Oh ok" I turn in shame to walk away. Though I couldn't see it, Pike wanted to say something but the words couldn't come out. While this was kind of a filler chapter in the series (and it was a little short as well), some important stuff did occur. I hope to hear your responses on it. Also if you wish to be added to my mailing list please feel free to let me know.