Long Arm Quarterback (6 page)

“And their quarterback can throw,” Cap pointed out. “But we did all right, huh, Grandpa?”

“You did fine,” Tully replied. “All of you did real well.”

“Cap, you can throw too,” said Bobby Jo. “You were the best quarterback I saw today.”

“Right!” echoed Candy. “When you don't get bomb-crazy, anyway.”

Cap glared at his sister. “What's
that
supposed to mean?”

“Oh, come on, bro, you love those long, long passes! And they tend to be too long for human beings to get to, sometimes.”

“Hey, I got us both touchdowns today! And neither of them was on a long pass!” Cap was angry.

Candy held up a hand. “Chill out, Cap.”

“Don't tell me to chill out! And when I want you to tell me what I do wrong, I'll ask. If I don't ask, keep your opinions
to yourself!”

Candy was startled at her brother's anger. “All I meant was—”

“I don't
care
what you meant,” Cap broke in. “And I don't care what you think, either!”

Candy settled back in her seat, and no one spoke for several miles. Ben broke the silence.

“Well, I think Candy was right about
one
thing. Cap was the best quarterback out there today. Jimmy doesn't have the arm.”

“And he doesn't play much defense,” Hoot added. “Whatever that Mr. Cash says.”

Tully slapped the steering wheel. “Cut it out, right now, all of you! I don't like hearing teammates knocking other teammates,
and I don't want to hear it again, is that clear?”

“Yes sir,” said Hoot, looking down at his shoes.

“Sorry,” Ben muttered, his face flushed.

“That goes for you, too, Candy, Bobby Jo,” Tully continued. “You ought to have better sense, especially with your coach sitting
right here listening to it all.”

“Sorry, Grandpa,” said Candy.

“As for you, Cap, you should know better than to talk to your sister like that. The fact is that she has as good a head for
football as
you
do. Maybe better.”

Cap nodded and muttered an apology.

“Now, for the rest of this trip, I don't want to hear
any more arguing,” Tully said, “and I
never
want to hear any member of this team sniping at a teammate. In fact, I don't even want you to
think
bad thoughts about your teammates. It's a sure way for a team to fall apart.”

There wasn't much talk at all for the rest of the trip back to Cowpen.

Dinner at the Wadell house was quiet too, with Candy and Cap refusing to speak to each other and Tully not wanting conversation
either. Sable had called and was due to come by after the meal.

“Excuse me,” said Tully, getting up with his coffee cup and walking away from the table.

“Huh,” said Cap, watching his grandfather leave the room. “Guess he's not looking forward to Mr. Cash coming over, is he.”

Candy looked straight ahead and didn't reply.

“Oh, I guess you're not talking to me, is that it?” said Cap.

She turned to give Cap a cool look. “I thought you weren't interested in my opinions.”

Cap turned red. “I didn't mean … that is, I wasn't… I
asked
for your opinion just now, didn't I?”

“Oh, I see,” Candy said, still frosty. “It's only about
football
that you don't want to hear my opinions. But now you're willing to hear what I have to say?”

Cap fumbled for an answer. “It's not that I don't want—”

“I've been your biggest fan all along,” Candy interrupted. “I keep telling you that you should be the starter and not Jimmy.
You didn't mind hearing
those
opinions. Only when I have something to say that isn't a compliment, you want me to keep my mouth shut.”

“Yeah. I mean … well, no … oh, I don't know what I'm saying. I shouldn't have gone off that way before. I was out of line.
Guess I'm nervous about whether I'll get to start or not and I got touchy.”

“I'll say you did,” Candy said, but her look got milder. “I'm always on your side, and you ought to know that.”

“Yeah, I know you are.” Cap spread out his hands. “I won't let it happen any more, all right?”

“You better not,” Candy said, scowling. Then she broke into a sunny smile. “Okay, apology accepted.”

They heard the sound of an engine as someone drove up in front of their house.

“Must be Mr. Cash,” Candy said.

“I wonder what he wants to say to Grandpa,” said Cap. The window that opened on to the front porch was ajar.

“We shouldn't eavesdrop,” Candy warned. “That isn't nice.”

“Oh, no, that wouldn't be right,” Cap agreed. “But if we sort of stayed real quiet, and
accidentally
heard something…”

“Accidentally, right,” said Candy. “Can't blame us for an accident.” The two sat where they were, not making a sound.

They heard a door slam and then their grandpa's voice. “Sable, come on up and sit.”

A moment later, Tully spoke again. “What's on your mind?”

“You know what's on my mind,” Sable Cash answered. “Who are you going to start at quarterback?”

“Not that it's really your business, but right now I'm leaning toward starting Cap.”

Silently, Candy turned and gave her brother a thumbs-up sign.

They could clearly hear Sable's snort of anger.

“Now why am I not surprised that you picked your
grandson
over Jimmy”

Tully's voice got very quiet, which Cap knew was a sure sign that he was really angry.

“You saying I chose him because he's family? You think that's the kind of man I am?”

Sable came right back, also sounding hot. “Are
you
saying you think your grandson is a better quarterback than Jimmy?”

“Jimmy is a good athlete, but Cap's better on defense and—”

“Jimmy can move the ball! He'd never throw those long passes over everybody's head! And he'll get better on defense!”

A scrape of wood on wood told Cap that Tully had gotten up out of his chair.

“And Cap will learn to control his passing. He can throw short too!”

“Not with
you
coaching this team, he won't!” Now Sable had stood up. Cap and Candy exchanged a worried look. Was this going to get out
of hand?

“If you don't like the way I'm coaching this team,” Tully snapped, “you don't have to hang around anymore!
It's bad enough the way you make the boys uncomfortable, sniping at me and taking shots at Cap. If you want to help me out
anymore, you better put a lid on that!”

“Wadell, you haven't changed one bit since we were kids!” Sable was almost yelling now. “You thought you were hot stuff then
and you still do! And I was a better quarterback than you any day of the week!”

Tully laughed. “That still sticks in your throat, doesn't it? That we won the championship and you didn't. Like I said, Cash,
if you want to work with this team—”

“Oh, you bet I do!
Somebody's
got to teach 'em some sense, and it won't be you!”

“Then remember what I say!” Tully cut the other man off with a roar. “Concentrate on being a coach, and don't hassle the kids
or me! Cap is going to start the first game and the subject is
closed!”

Sable's voice was headed away from the house and back to his truck. “You're as stubborn as you are wrong-headed, Wadell! All
right,
let
your grandson start. But I won't be responsible for what happens!”

“That's right, Cash, you won't!”

Cap and Candy heard the door of Sable's pickup slam and the engine roar to life.

A moment later, as Sable drove off with a squeal of tires, Tully stomped into the dining room to find Cap and Candy staring
at him.

“Been listening in, have you?” he demanded.

“Us?” Candy asked, her eyes wide. “We were just sitting here talking.”

“We
did
hear something, Grandpa,” Cap added, “but it was kind of hard
not
to.”

Tully was angry, but Cap saw that he wasn't angry at them.

“I guess you heard me say that I'm going to start you in the game against Sandville.”

Cap nodded.

“And I hope you know that it's not because you're my grandson. It's because I think you're a little bit better than Jimmy,
all things considered.”

“He sure is,” Candy agreed.

“I'll do the best I can,” said Cap. “And… thanks.”

“You give it everything you have and that'll be all the thanks I need.” Tully paused for a moment. “You
know, Sable played for Sandville. Maybe that's why he really wanted Jimmy to start that game, I don't know. But if he gives
you any trouble, just remember that it's not
you
he's mad at. It's
me.”

“I wish he'd get over it,” Cap said.

“Well, you just concentrate on doing your job. I'll handle Sable. If we win this game, that'll shut him up.”

Cap put a smile on his face, but to himself he thought, What if we lose?

O
n the Friday afternoon of the game, the Sandville 'Cudas showed up in a yellow school bus leading a fleet of cars and trucks
full of fans. The bleachers were almost half full of Cowpen fans, including Candy, Bobby Jo, and Gabe Muñoz, along with friends
and family of the other Panthers.

The Cudas got off their bus, already in their black-and-maroon uniforms. From where the Panthers were warming up, Cap took
a look at his opponents. Sandville had
thirteen
players. His mouth felt dry. The 'Cudas ran out to the other end of the field and began doing calisthenics: jumping jacks,
sit-ups, and so on. They looked …
ready.

“They don't look so great,” said Jimmy Cash, coming up behind Cap. “We can beat these guys.”

A few days before, when Tully had told the team
that Cap would start, Jimmy had made a point of coming over and shaking his hand.

“Good luck. And I just want you to know, I don't believe your grandpa played favorites—whatever Gramps says.”

Cap had been grateful to Jimmy. During the practices before the game, Tully and Sable had not spoken to each other except
when it was necessary. Sable continued to help players and make suggestions, and Tully let him, knowing that Sable's advice
was useful.

The referee for the game was a high school gym teacher from Ausburg, in a real ref's outfit with black-and-white-striped shirt
and bright yellow flag to throw for penalties. A real ref, a real crowd … a
real game.
It was what Cap had wanted to play for years, almost since he could walk.

He felt weird, and couldn't tell whether he was excited, or nervous, or just plain scared. All those people in the bleachers
… when he'd put on the blue-and-gold uniform, it felt funny. He had walked past a mirror and was startled at what he looked
like.

He looked like a football player.

Sandville won the coin toss and chose to receive.
Hoot kicked off for the Panthers. His kick was short, but it took a bounce that the 'Cudas had trouble picking up. They wound
up starting from their twenty-yard line. On their first series, they hit a short pass for six yards, but Ben and Mick stopped
a run up the middle for a loss. Ben rushed the passer on third and eight and forced him to release the ball too quickly. The
pass was incomplete and Sandville had to punt. The Cowpen fans cheered.

Hoot fielded the punt at the Cowpen nineteen, got a good block from Fritz, and ran it back to the thirty. The Panthers huddled
and Cap called for a pass over the middle to Mick.

The blockers gave Cap time to set up, but his pass was a bullet and bounced off Mick's fingers, incomplete. On second down,
Cap faked a long pass to Sam and shoveled an underhand throw to Ben, who plunged into the line, caught the 'Cudas by surprise,
and gained nine yards. Cowpen third and six.

Cap called for another pass, sending Sam deep and Mick over the middle. He dropped back, saw that Sam had beaten his defender
by two whole steps, and fired a long pass—
too
long. It sailed over Sam's head.

Cap had to punt. He noticed Sable Cash saying something to Tully, who shook his head and looked annoyed.

Cap's punt was high and forced the 'Cuda receiver back to his seven-yard line. Mick and Hoot dropped him just as he caught
the ball.

This time the 'Cudas managed to gain some yards, but their drive was stopped at midfield when Cap picked off a pass. Cowpen
had the ball on their thirty-five.

Tully sent in Vince to give Hoot a rest. Cap tossed a pitchout to Vince then blocked a 'Cuda defender. Behind Fritz's block,
Vince got loose for ten yards. But another running play was stopped for no gain, and Cap's third-down pass, intended for Sam,
was overthrown again.

The game was scoreless until the middle of the second quarter, when the 'Cudas tried a trick play. They completed a short
pass to an end, and as the Panthers converged to bring him down, the end flipped the ball back to a trailing runner, who outran
everyone into the end zone.

A placekick after the touchdown was perfect, and Sandville led, 8-0.

With three minutes left in the first half, Tully sent Jimmy in for Cap.

“About time,” growled Sable. Cap figured Sable hadn't meant for him to hear, but he had. But he remembered what Tully had
said and tried to concentrate on the game, shouting encouragement to Jimmy and his teammates.

Jimmy started off with an end-around, pitching to Sam as he circled around from his right-end position before racing downfield
behind blocks from Ben, Steve, and Jimmy himself. Before the 'Cudas could run Sam down, he had gained twenty-four yards, and
the ball was on the Sandville twenty-one. Two short passes brought them to the seven-yard line, and the Cowpen fans were all
standing and yelling. On first and goal, Jimmy flipped the ball back to Fritz, but Fritz didn't run; he stepped back and threw
into the end zone, where Sam pulled it in for six points.

Hoot kicked it through the uprights and the game was tied at eight apiece when the first half ended.

The teams headed for the gym locker rooms for the fifteen-minute halftime break. Most of the Panthers
were excited and chattering to one another, although Cap had to force himself to join in. He slapped Jimmy on the back.