When Heart Becomes Home by Pat Henshaw

Author:Pat Henshaw [Henshaw, Pat]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: JMS Books LLC
Published: 2021-03-03T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

After the coordinators wound down the day with last minute instructions for the rest of the competition, we walked off stage and met up with our alternative team members, who were waiting for us in the audience.

The team surrounded Teddy as members of the other teams pushed toward him. The others were angry about the first round and thought he was a ringer hired by the coach to make the rest of the competitors look like fools. The coach’s belittling of academics had been legendary while we were in school and very evident in today’s competition.

I was shocked to hear people I considered the smartest when I was growing up shout ethnic slurs at Teddy. Living and working in the laid back Monterey area, I felt as if the ground was crumbling under my feet as the losers around me slid into bigoted incivility.

“Let’s get him out of here,” I whispered to Manny.

He nodded and helped me quickly get the team strategically placed so no one could get through us.

Teddy stood in the middle, a stunned look still on his face. Zack was by his side, praising him in a voice loud enough to drown out most of the horrible comments.

We hustled him down the aisle and Manny gestured for Teddy to collapse into a seat in the back of the auditorium next to Dave’s wheelchair. Teddy slumped, putting his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands.

As we gathered around him, he muttered, “Sorry. I’m sorry, guys.”

I was stunned.

“Sorry?! What the hell are you sorry for? You’re the hero of our team!” I tried to put an arm around his shoulders but Zack pushed me out of the way.

“Don’t yell. He’s maxed out.” Manny put his hand on my arm and pulled me aside a step or two. “We need to get him away from here. To The Trap, you think?”

“How would I know? I don’t live around here anymore, so whatever you or the other guys think.”

Manny nodded.

“Okay, everybody, listen up. We’re leaving. Let’s meet at The Trap. All right?”

Everyone nodded. Zack got Teddy to stand, putting Teddy’s arm around his shoulders.

“C’mon, babe. We gotta get outta here.”

Teddy turned to me and Manny. “I’m really sorry, man. I was just doin’…”

I didn’t know which of us he was talking to, but both Manny and I crowded around to help him to the parking lot and his truck.

“We’ll talk about it at The Trap. Okay?” I patted Teddy on the arm.

“Yeah. Okay.” He seemed to brighten up a bit. “Yeah. Good. I think I need a drink. And some food.”

As we were getting into Manny’s truck, the vice principal rushed out of the school toward us.

“We’re trying to get a count of who’s coming back tomorrow. I want to assure you what happened today won’t happen again.” She was all but gasping for air after catching up with us.

Manny and I glanced at each other and laughed.

“What was wrong with what happened today? We were asked perfectly legitimate trivia questions.

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