Angels and Guardians Pt. 05

They saw the rest of the campus after eating, and then Joe drove them home. On the way back, Ashley, with her bare feet propped on the dashboard, approached the school subject with Joe again.

"So why are you picking FSU?"

"I told you why," he said.

"No...why did you pick FSU, really?"

"Fine, they have a very good business school, I like the coaching philosophy there, and I liked that they were vetting me as if I were a potential CEO."

"Why does that matter?" she asked.

"'Cause I want to do more than just play there. The way they were feeling me out at first leads me to hope that the guys I'm surrounded by would be screened the same way. I hate being around brutes and thugs who only think about the game, or the fame attached to it. I can make it easy for you to understand. I hate guys like Bill."

At once, Ashley did understand, but was also hurt at the mention of her ex's name. "Why did you bring that up?"

"Sorry, baby, I was trying to think of someone we both know who would fit the description. He does. What were you thinking when you were with him?"

"He paid attention to me when I was lonely and new. He started out as a different person than how you know him, but then grew worse. Hey, wait a minute, I don't have to explain myself for what I did last spring."

Joe took his eyes off the road for a second and looked at her. He turned back without saying anything. She got the message. He shouldn't have to explain his decisions to her, either.

She said softly, "I just wanted to know what changed your mind. I mean, your mom told us you were waiting to see what all the schools offered before choosing."

"Were you hoping I picked a different school?"

"Well, I also wanted to see Auburn, at least."

"Ashley, you can. You can see Auburn, Florida, or Tennessee if you wanted to. Hell, if you wanted to see Hawaii, you could. I'd fly you out there. You don't have to pick Florida State, if you don't want to."

"I want to be with you."

"And I with you...what does different colleges have to do with that?"

"I wouldn't be with you."

"We'd still be together..."

Ashley interrupted, "NO!" The volume of that jostled Jill and Jasmine out of sleep behind them. "We wouldn't be together. I wouldn't be able to see you every night. I wouldn't be able to have lunch with you. You just aren't getting it about what I need!"

Jill said from the back, "what did I miss?"

Joe said, "Ashley here is disappointed that I picked FSU."

"No I'm not, Joe. I knew you didn't get it."

Jill's intuition picked up what the problem was. "Joe, she's upset that you might have picked something that she thinks she might not want. Ashley, you were first thinking of going to FSU anyway, right?"

"Well, yeah...but"

"No buts," continued Jill. "I think you're really upset because Joe didn't ask you first. But that shouldn't matter. You both want to go there, so be happy, and go to the damned school. I know I am."

Ashley spun around. "When did you decide that?"

"A while ago, when Joe's mom encouraged me to be a lawyer. She knew some people who went to Florida State, and they recommended the law school there. Besides, FSU is only a short drive from my mom."

Ashley had already started to settle down when Jasmine declared that she had her sights set on the school for a while. Jill said that if it made Ashley feel better, she wanted to see the other campuses as well. Joe offered to take them during spring break on a circuit to see each university, and the girls gladly accepted.

When they returned to Joe's house, his parents were already there. His mom gave him a hug and asked about the game. He told them a little about the win, and then told them that he decided on FSU. Joe asked his parents about the game they were at. "What do you mean?" the elder Smith said. Joe explained that he had known for a while that they sneaked off to see the Cowboys play and that he didn't mind. His mom said that it was fun, even though their favorite team lost the game. Joe fixed a quick dinner for everyone, using the leftover turkey. His parents retired to their bedroom to prepare for a big meeting in Denver starting Tuesday. Jill and Jasmine said their goodnights as well and headed back to their families.

Sunday was quiet, Jill and Jasmine picked up Joe and Ashley for Mass, as usual. This time, there were no fights or squabbles. Jill was happy to be early for once, and picked a spot in the middle of the church. Several of the congregation came up to Joe and congratulated him on the game. They ate breakfast afterward, then spent the afternoon hanging out at Joe's.

The school hallways were buzzing on Monday morning about the unexpected victory Friday night. Girls wrote congratulatory notes and hung them on the players' lockers. Joe's locker was decorated the most, with garnet and gold being the dominate colors girls chose to congratulate him on choosing Florida State. By fourth period, the hubbub died down and school became routine once again.

Their last regular season game was Friday, and it was a big one. The cheerleaders were dressed in their uniforms and the players were dressed in jeans and their jerseys. If they won the game tonight, they would win the district title and move on for state playoffs. The game was going to be held at Bonifay, about an hour and a half drive away. Bonifay was also undefeated for the year and they put up numbers similar to Catholic.

Joe and Ashley were in Modern History together. Ashley was busily taking notes while Joe was thinking of other things. Did he make the right decision? Of course he did, but what about Ashley. He loved her, of course. But, as recent as last weekend, she displayed a clingy jealous streak, and he was wondering if he should talk about it with her. On one hand, her clingy-ness was adorably cute, especially when she was tucked in his jacket with him. But the jealous side was starting to get old. He was wishing she could be more confident in his interest in her. Maybe in her willingness to share him sexually with her closest friends, she was unknowingly feeding her jealousy. He promised himself to fight harder against letting that happen again. Well, maybe just a little.

His train of thought was broken by the school secretary's voice over the school intercom. "Joe Smith, you have an emergency phone call coming in. Please turn on your cell phone." He put his books in his bag and rushed out of the room and stopped in the hallway. Ashley had scooped up her books and was right behind him, ignoring the protest from their teacher. His phone rang the instant it booted up.

"Yes, Cindy, what's up?" he answered when he saw his dad's office number on the screen. His parents were still in Denver for the meeting, so he knew it had to be the secretary.

"Joe, there's been an accident," her voice said, shaking.