Angels and Guardians Pt. 02

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Joe finally snapped out of his thought. "Sorry, I guess I thought I said that out loud. Yeah, Ashley I'll take you. I'd be honored." Then he realized what she had said at the end. "Jill?! Why her? She's got a boyfriend."

"Cause she still loves you, and you love her. I see it plain as day in y'all's eyes. I think all this time I never saw you as" Ashley cut her sentence short when she realized she was about reveal more of her feelings than she wanted. Joe just looked at her patiently until she continued. "Anyway, I know y'all still have the hots for each other." Joe's eyes flicked to the field where the girls were starting their last lap. That tiny gesture confirmed her suspicion. "Well, that's fine with me that you do. I just didn't want to step on any toes."

"No one's toes would be stepped on. When I go with you to the dance, I'm going with YOU. Please know that. I won't be thinking of anyone else."

Ashley threw her arms around his neck. "Really? Thank you!"

Joe returned the hug and said, "No problem. It'll make all the guys jealous having a hottie like you on my arm."

Ashley shook her head, but grinned anyway. She saw the team returning to their spot in front of them and went down to meet them for stretching. Just then, Coach Mike came over. "I thought that was you," he said. "I've got a favor to ask."

After Coach went back to the sideline, Joe went to the rail near the girls. He told them that duty called and he would have to watch them from the booth. The statement was met with a bunch of aww's and boo's. He smiled at them and wished them luck.

"Hey Josh, Coach Frank," Joe greeted the team's statistician and defensive coordinator. "I hear Coach Paul is out?" The two greeted Joe with a pair of hearty handshakes, and Coach Frank related that their offensive coordinator was attending an aunt's funeral. Joe expressed his empathy and asked what he could do. Coach Frank handed him a headset and told him that Coach Mike wanted him to call the plays. "Uhh..." Joe uttered apprehensively. Coach Frank calmed him down, reminding him that the first series was scripted, and that Joe calls audibles all the time. "All right," Joe said. "I'll see what I can do."

Joe put on the headset and said hello to Coach Mike. The coach asked if he was ready, and Joe answered that he was. Coach Mike filled Joe in on a little background regarding individual performances and recent injuries. "Use your gut, son. And don't worry, I'll change the play if I think it needs it. I just wanted some help tonight. So, thanks."

The Spartans had the ball first, and Joe was glad the first series was always scripted, otherwise he wouldn't have known where to start. But, as he watched, his head got in the game, and he noticed things about the other team's defense, just like he would if he were playing. He caught the rhythm of the game, and just like that, he was back. The first series for both teams looked promising, but then stalled. Coach Frank put a copy of their playbook in front of Joe, but he never opened it.

"Z 56 Fly Right," he said into the headset.

Coach Mike seemed to pause, but then barked something to the offense huddled around him. As they took the field, Coach Mike said to Joe, "we've been running well lately, but I'll go with your play and see what happens." Joe answered that he thought the other team was thinking the same, and anticipated a bunch of runs. They had 6 DB's, to show pass defense, but they were inching up for run-stop. Coach Mike remarked that he didn't notice that. Joe held his breath for the snap, hoping his hunch was right. It was, and Scott, who ran the 'fly' route caught the pass and ran with the ball for a 68 yard touchdown. "Nice call, kid," the coach said into the headset after cheering during the run. Joe replied that if he were playing, he would have audibled at the line to that play. "Well, this is what I was looking for tonight. Keep it up," his coach encouraged.

The defensive series was tough, and Joe noticed how hard Coach Frank had to work to try to stay ahead of the opposing team's offense. This was not a "Candy Land" team. The defense held, but not before allowing a failed field goal attempt. Joe decided his defense needed a rest, and so called plays to toy with the other team just a bit. Mostly running plays, with a few short passes to keep the other team off-guard. He noticed his backup had a considerably shorter range than he did. Joe kept this in mind, calling the longer routes only if he figured the receiver could get a quick jump on his defender. The cat and mouse strategy worked on this series, burning six minutes off the clock and resulted in a field goal. He began to see the game from a different perspective, and held a new respect for Coach Paul. Now he understood why some calls were made and some were not.

Coach Mike was also impressed. This early in the game, he trusted the play calling completely to Joe, figuring if something backfired, he'd have most of the game left to make up for Joe's learning curve. But, here they were. Defense was mostly rested, and they were up 10 -- 0. Coach Mike also got a peek into Joe's thought process through the headset. Joe seemed to have a habit of mumbling out loud what he was thinking, especially in situations that put pressure on. At times, the coach would have to cover his mouth to keep from laughing at hearing Joe argue with himself. But, he was intrigued that Joe actually played out three outcomes of the next play in his mind. Joe would pick the most probable outcome of the three, weigh it against the others, and then call a play to counter or enhance that outcome. The vision Joe had was the most amazing revelation of this experiment. He noticed the defense's posture, positioning, habits, and tendencies...all without the benefit of seeing tape on this team. "No wonder he seems bored during the video meetings...he IS bored," Coach Mike thought to himself. He actually laughed out loud as Joe called a perfect, quick, three-play series to end the half with a touchdown. They were up 24-7. As the team headed to the locker room, the coach said to himself, "my God, son. You do have talent."

Joe told Coach Frank and Josh that he didn't want to be a distraction in the locker room and that he would stay in the booth for halftime. Shortly after they left, he was joined by Jill and Ashley. They were grinning like Cheshire cats. "Hey ladies," he greeted them. "Enjoying the game?"

Jill said, "I would more if you were still sitting near us."

Ashley nodded in agreement, then blurted out, "You're the one calling the plays, aren't you?"

"How'd you guess?"

Jill responded, "we thought the team's style looked more like when you were out there."

Joe grinned. "That obvious, huh?" They nodded. "Well, I guessed wrong on their scoring interception play."

Jill leaned over and gave him a hug. "Aww sweetie, no one is perfect. We still love you!"

Joe smiled his thanks and they chatted about some of the highlights of the game so far. Halftime was ending and the girls headed back to their place.

Their opponents returned the second half kickoff for a large gain, and four plays later, they were back in the game, only ten points down. Joe went back in his quarterback mode and was miffed that the other team scored so quickly. He wanted to pop their balloon of confidence for good. He called a three-receiver streak play. Coach Mike warned him not to be too greedy, but allowed the play as called. Joe told him, "I'm not. I'm just setting them up so I can be." His backup chunked the ball down field, but over threw the receivers. Joe expected this, as he'd done the same thing when his adrenaline was up. He called a run up the middle next. Coach Mike signaled the play in and asked Joe if he was going for the home run. "No," Joe answered. "It'll only get us 15 yards. The linebackers are shading to the outside, expecting a dump pass, but the safety will get Terry shortly after. THEN I'm gonna call 'Hail Mary' to knock their socks off."

Coach Mike disagreed, "No, the safety tweaked his ankle during the kickoff return. I think we're scoring right here. We'll see."

Sure enough, the line opened up for Terry as Joe expected, but the safety couldn't get to him in time, just as the coach expected. The rest was a formality as Terry walked into the endzone untouched.

Joe couldn't believe he missed that observation of the safety limping. The coach smiled at himself and told Joe, "You still have much to learn, young one." He looked up to see Joe in the booth doing the "I'm not worthy" bow towards him. "The boy is a nut," he thought fondly to himself.

The fire had obviously gone out for the other side. Coach Frank's defense held them to an uninspired three-and-out. The two coaches and Joe agreed to shut down for the night. The starters were replaced by the underclassmen for experience, and with the exception for a few bones Joe threw the 3rd string qb's way, he called only running plays to wind the clock down. The defensive side didn't have to do much either, as the other team threw in the towel. The game ultimately ended with a lopsided 38-14 score.

He greeted his teammates after the game on the sideline. They all cheered that he was back. He told them that he still had to be cleared next Thursday, but that he planned to play, at least a little, for Homecoming. They all agreed that was good news, and headed in to hit the showers. Joe hung back to talk to his backup. "Nice game, Jerry." Jerry nodded and asked who was calling the plays.

"I was," Joe responded. Jerry nodded again. Joe told him thanks for filling in while he was gone. Jerry said no problem, but Joe could tell something bothered him. "Look, Jerry. You've done great while I was gone. I'll happily compete against you to regain the starter position, but I just ask you to let me start the Homecoming game." Jerry asked why, as they'd won all the games he started in since the accident. Joe told him it was personal and related some of what happened with Bill.

Jerry glanced back at the cheerleaders packing up. "He hit her?" he asked a little loud.

"Yeah," Joe replied. "And I want to pay him back, personally." Jerry understood and said that he agreed with the plan, but that he would put in a challenge request to the coaches for the starting role the following week. Joe sincerely said that he looked forward to it.

Jerry headed in with the rest of the team, and the cheerleaders caught up with Joe. They chatted excitedly about the game as they walked toward the exit. Joe was fiddling with his keys while he listened to them. When they reached the SUV, the girls took turns giving Joe hugs, with Ashley being the last. She asked him quietly so the others couldn't hear, "So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Joe.

"The talent show," she replied, a little panicked that he didn't remember.

Joe smiled. "No, you don't understand. Yes, I'll be there tomorrow. And, I'll play for your bit. But, why are you saying goodbye now?"

Ashley didn't understand. "Cause Jill's taking me home, and..."

Joe cut her off. "No, you're taking me home." He finished pulling his other keys off the ring and held up the alarm fob and ignition key to her. "You're driving. I'm tired."

Chapter 6

Life's Detours

"You're not serious," Ashley said matter of factly. Joe had led her over to his car. The other girls followed, curious how Ashley would react to seeing the car for the first time. "There is no WAY you want me to drive this beautiful car!"

Joe stood there grinning. "You're right. I don't want you to drive it. I want you to borrow it!"

The excitement finally overtook Ashley's intention to be modest. "Oh my God, Joe! Thank you so much!" She flung her arms around his neck.

He hugged her back, saying, "If you like it that much, it's yours to keep."

Ashley edged back somewhat to reality, wiping tears of joy from her cheek. "Oh no, Joe. You're too generous. I can't accept that."

"Why not?" he asked.

"Yeah, why not?" the girls repeated as one.

"Cause," Ashley answered. "I told myself and my dad that I wanted to buy my next car with my money. I want it to be a reward for MY hard work."

Joe smiled gently at her. "Fine then. I'll make a deal with you. Five dollars a year until it's paid off."

The girls, including Ashley, laughed heartily, as they all knew that at that rate, the car would be a rusted skeleton long before the payments approached even only $2500. "I'll think about it," Ashley said with a smile. She intended to decline for good, but this conversation loop needed to be broken somehow. "Aren't you worried that I'll wreck it?"

"Why? It's YOUR car!" More snickers ensued. Ashley rolled her eyes, then looked pointedly at Joe. He answered the unspoken question, "Just because your old car was totalled, doesn't mean you're a bad driver. In fact, I'm technically the one who totalled your conveyance. The truck never touched you. So there. Ha. Ha!" He stuck his tongue out at her in defiance. "Will you just unlock the door? I said I was tired." He pouted.

Before Ashley said anything else, Jill moved to help Joe along. "Well, we're gonna head back. See you two tomorrow!" She tugged away Sally and Jasmine.

Joe smiled after Jill and the crew. He turned back to Ashley. "We can either stand here in the parking lot, disagreeing on whether you're keeping the car, or we can go ahead and start back."

Ashley thought for a second. Then said in a tender, mock 'mommy' voice, "Does wittle Joey want to go to bed? Come on, sweetie, let's get you home and tucked in."

They got in the car, and Ashley looked around for a second. Joe interrupted her thoughts, "Um, do you know how to drive a stick?"

Ashley snapped out of being awestruck, and suddenly turned into Miss Hot-Ass teasing her toy. "Darlin', I can handle any stick!" With that she pushed in the clutch and fired up the engine. As she threw the lever into first, she said, "But all girls need to get to know their sticks first and find out what makes them move 'n groove." With that, she throttled the car toward home.

After a few minutes of Ashley portraying a sex-kitten playing with her new fetish, her and Joe settled into casual conversation. But it was short-lived, Joe really was tired and he let the chatter die off. Soon, he was drifting into sleep. Ashley looked over to him and smiled. He looked so peaceful, and she realized that Joe really did trust her by allowing himself to slip so easily into slumber. She kissed her middle and forefingers and touched them to his forehead. "Sleep well, Cutie," she whispered to Joe.

The dreams he had were bizarre to him. The first was about he and his sister talking in a meadow. In the dream, she was 15, still only three years younger than him. What the hell? Joe barely let memories of her come to mind, why was she there now? His sister was saying to him, "Joe, you gotta let yourself go with this one. She can take care of you, so let her." Joe answered that he knew that, but what about Jill? His sister smiled sweetly, "Jill is in your life, forever. Ashley being part of it will only enhance things for you and Jill. Ashley, for her part, is accepting Jill and Jasmine being a part of your life as quickly as her mind will allow. Joe, events are coming that will require you to lean on all three of them, and they on each other. This ring is the strongest. It will not be broken. The others will fall away on good terms. Be sure to let them." With that, she was gone.

Next up was a replay of what happened in the club parking lot last night. This riled up Joe something fierce. Ashley looked over a Joe with worry, and sadness. Something was bothering him in his sleep, as he kept flopping his head from side to side. She brushed his cheek with the back of her finger and started humming. Seconds later, he quieted down.

Just as he was about to lay out Bill in his fantasy land, everything got quiet and he found himself sitting at the edge of a pier flanked by Jill and Jasmine. Ashley was sitting behind him as they looked out over a lake. Jill and Jasmine got up, shed their clothes, and jumped into the water. When they surfaced, they began to make out with each other. Ashley was humming an erotic tune that was strangely peaceful, while planting soft kisses on his cheek. The pier rumbled beneath them, and they turned just in time to see Death in his horrible garb racing to snatch them up.

"What the hell?!" Joe gasped in a rush.

"Shh, it's ok, baby," Ashley cooed from her driver seat next to him. "We just hit a rough patch in the road. You can go back to sleep."

"Not after that dream," Joe said as he rubbed his eyes. "How far are we?"

"We're about 20 miles away," she answered. Her eyes frowned. "What was the dream?"

Joe decided to tell her only about his sister appearing. "It's really weird, I haven't actively thought about her in a really long time."

"You miss her, Joe. It's perfectly normal for lost loved ones to appear in dreams," she said sweetly. "What did y'all talk about?"

Joe stretched. "Hmm, you, actually."

This got her curiosity up. "Oh yeah? What about me?"

Joe blushed, realizing that if he told her, it would reveal his confused feelings a little too much for his comfort. "I'd rather not say. All good things, mostly." He then remembered his sister's warning. "She did say something that bothered me. A lot."

"Oh dear," Ashley feared it was about her. "She tell you that I was Satan and you should stay away?"

Joe shivered, remembering the end of the last dream. Ashley saying something similar just now kinda spooked him. "No, she said something about letting some of our friends, my Angels, fall away on good terms. I don't know, it was really confusing."

Ashley figured it was best to let things be for the moment, and soon started humming again.

"What is that tune? It was in one of my dreams."

Ashley giggled. "I was humming it earlier to calm you down. You were thrashing around so much."

"Well, at least one thing explained." Joe said happily. "It's, uh, seductive, I guess. What's it from?"

Ashley smiled, blushing somewhat. "I made it up, but you'd think it was stupid." Joe just looked at her expectantly. She continued, "Fine, I'll sing it, but don't you dare laugh."

She started singing and Joe was instantly sucked into her world. It was a cute tune that carried more than a hint of sexual energy. Her song was built from her variants of old timey nursery rhymes and common phrases. Ashley had woven the phrases and, some would say, twisted them into a delicious story of her seduction of a boyfriend. It was a naughty thing to do with children's songs, and highly erotic. Joe loved it. So much so, that when she finished singing, Ashley noticed.

"You like?" she asked as she flicked another glance at his lap.

Joe sighed. "Oh yeah." He caught her glance again, and realized his condition. He quickly tried to think of a way to hide his enthusiasm gracefully. There was none. Since she had already noticed, he simply reached down and tucked it into a less noticeable position. "Sorry for the standing ovation," he joked, embarrassed.

Ashley giggled at the joke. She still couldn't quite figure out Joe. At times he would be sweetly playful, like just now. Other times, he would be ramrod tight and businesslike with his emotions. Almost cold, she thought. But most of the time, it was a combination of one of the two and something else. A genuine selfless attitude that was so sweet, it seemed to drip sugar. She found it was getting harder to catch herself from falling for him Still, the mood in the car caught her just right. Between driving this hot car, singing her own song, Joe's condition, and the general comfort she felt around him, Ashley was getting randy. "I could help you with that." Oh fuck, she thought. That wasn't meant to be out loud.

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