Deceived

By Marian Pickett

John and Don Coleman were not twins, but they might as well have been. They were as close as brothers could possibly be. Their mother, Barbara, was widowed ten years earlier after their father was killed when he wrecked his pickup truck on the way home from work. Barbara had always been a great mom, but after her husband’s death, her two boys became her whole life.

The Coleman boys’ lives started unraveling when a beautiful, spoiled, rich schoolmate positioned herself between the brothers. Nothing was the same for them after Sandy Franklin entered into the picture.

Barbara’s warnings to her sons, especially her warning to Don, became her eventual undoing.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Marian Pickett
• Release date: Aug 12, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301044191

Book preview

Chapter 1

Nothing brings a small town together more than Friday-night lights, especially if it is a small Texas town where almost the entire population eats, sleeps, and dreams high school football. It was late September, but the unusually hot, muggy Texas weather did little to dampen the spirits of the Bradley High School faithful. Their team had a 5-0 record and was well on its way to 6-0 due mainly to its outstanding junior quarterback, Donovan Coleman.

The final horn sounded and the Bradley High School Bulldogs had pulled off another victory, this time over their archrivals, the Carmen High Tigers, by a score of 24-17. Don Coleman had another outstanding game on both sides of the ball. He intercepted a pass and ran it back for a touchdown. He also threw for 220 yards and two touchdowns and ran for seventy-seven yards.

Don! Don! He’s our man. If he can’t do it, nobody can! the cheerleaders and crowd chanted over and over as Don’s teammates lifted him on their shoulders and headed toward the locker room.

Don was embarrassed; he knew football was a team sport, and he was just one player. When they finally put him down, Don went into the locker room. He took his time showering. He knew Ann would be waiting for him, and he wanted the rest of the team to head on to the Dawg House, the local hangout, without him. Ann was his steady girl. They had been going together since April, and although she was a senior and a year older than Don, they got along well. Don suspected that she had latched on to him because of his popularity, but that didn’t bother him because she was a lot of fun.

Don really didn’t like all the attention he had been getting lately. He knew that he had God-given athletic ability, and he hoped that he could use his talent to play football at a good college. Although Don was only a junior, he was already receiving scholarship offers from several major colleges, and barring serious injury, he was almost certain he would be able to get a college degree by playing football.

Don and his older brother, John, were being reared by their mother, Barbara, who was widowed almost ten years earlier when their dad was killed in an traffic accident. Since then the two boys had been her whole life, and John and Don had always been very appreciative of the sacrifices she had made for them.

Are you about ready to go? John asked Don as he was picking up wet towels that had been thrown helter-skelter around the locker room.

In a little while, you take the Pony. I’m going to ride with Ann. We’ll meet you at the Dawg later, Don replied.

John was a senior and one of the team managers. Although he was almost two years older than Don, he was only one grade ahead of him. When John was in the first grade, he was sick and missed several weeks of school, so it was decided that he would be held back. Barbara thought this was a good idea, and it proved to be a very smart move. John and Don had always been very close, and Barbara believed that being only one grade apart had helped contribute to this.

As Don exited the locker room, he saw Ann waiting for him.

Hey slow poke, what took you so long? she asked.

I was kinda waiting for the place to clear out so we could take off on our own, Don answered.

Sounds like a good idea to me, Ann responded as she and Don got into her car and headed to their secluded spot for a little necking.

John left the locker room just a few minutes later, got into their two-door, ’54 baby-blue Pontiac Star Chief that they lovingly called the Pony, and headed for the Dawg House.

As soon as John stopped the Pony, kids converged on him asking, Where’s Don? Is he coming?

He and Ann will be here in a little while, John assured them as he got out of the car and stood leaning back against the hood.

John had been at the Dawg about five minutes when Josh Simpson, Ann’s older brother, pulled up. Josh was about six feet and six inches tall and weighed around 260 pounds. He was a football and basketball standout in high school, but because he was lacking in academic ability, he could not make it in college. (No one seemed to know why he had not been drafted.) He was very jealous of Don and did not like the idea of his little sister dating him.

Josh headed over to John and asked, Where’s that big shot brother of yours?

John could smell the strong odor of alcohol and knew that Josh had been drinking. He also knew that when Josh was drinking there was usually trouble.

John answered cautiously, Oh, he’ll be along in a little while.

Is he with Ann? Josh demanded.

Yeah, man. I’ll bet they’re out on Moonlight Lane getting it on, piped a bystander, laughing.

Furious, Josh exclaimed, If they are, I’ll stomp his sorry ass.

He hopped in his car and sped off with tires squealing and headed toward Moonlight Lane.

About fifteen minutes later, he came roaring back, got out, and staggered up to John yelling, Okay you little peep-squeak, I’m asking you again, ‘Where’s Ann and your brother?’

John answered, I told you, he’ll be here later.

I know you know where they are. You better tell me or else, Josh threatened as he shoved John.

John fell hard against the car, but he quickly stood back up. Josh pushed him again, and John’s friends started telling Josh to leave him alone. With that Josh got madder and madder.

Because Josh was so much bigger than John, he was a head taller and weighed almost a hundred pounds more, he knocked John around like a bowling pin. The next time he shoved John, John fell on the hood ornament of the car. The impact made a gash on the side of his head. Blood spurted out, covered the side of his face, and dripped down onto his clothes.

John started to get up only to have Josh shove him down again, this time he landed on the pavement. Just as John sprawled out, Ann pulled into the parking lot, and Don was out of the car before she could come to a complete stop.

Josh saw Don and started toward him asking, Where’ve you been with my sister you sorry bastard?

With that, Josh took a swing at Don, but by this time, Jack Daniels had taken its toll on him, and he missed as Don sidestepped away from him.

Seeing blood all over John was causing Don to go crazy. He dropped Josh to his knees with a karate chop to his throat and then kicked him square in the face. Blood spurted from Josh’s nose like a stuck hog. Don kept on kicking Josh until a couple of boys reluctantly pulled him away. Almost every high school student that had attended the game that night was at the Dawg, so just about everyone saw the fight, if you could call it a fight, between Don and Josh.

About the time Don was being restrained by his friends, the police arrived. One of the cops who had just returned to Bradley after a two-year stint in the Army remembered Josh from high school. He knew what a bully he was then and doubted that he had changed any. After a few questions, they let everyone go with a suggestion to Josh that he go to the emergency room to get his nose checked because it looked as if it might be broken.

The next day was Saturday, and Don halfheartedly crawled out of bed. He usually didn’t mind getting up on the weekend and going to his job at Wally’s filling station, but because of the game the night before and the extra activity he was involved in at the Dawg, he was more tired and sore than usual. After a quick breakfast, he headed out the door and went to work.

Well, Don, I wasn’t sure you would make it in today. I heard about the excitement at the Dawg last night, Wally commented, smiling.

Yeah, that crazy Josh was drunk. He was just being his overbearing, bullying self, Don responded. I got so mad when I saw what he had done to John, I went off. I hope he’s not hurt too bad for Ann’s sake. She really loves that big galoot.

Oh, he’ll be okay. He’s too ornery to get hurt too bad, Wally replied. I remember when that big hoss played football. He’s tough. When I heard what happened, I thought, ‘Yeah, Don musta got a good lick in first.’

Don went about his work, pumping gas, washing windshields, checking oil, and doing anything else that needed doing.

Around ten o’clock Ann’s car pulled into the station. Sitting beside her was Josh. He got out of the car and slowly and painfully walked over to Don. Don could see that his face was swollen; and each nostril was packed with cotton, and white adhesive tape was stretched across the bridge of his nose. Evidently the policeman was right, and Josh’s nose was broken.

When Josh got close to Don, he stuck his right hand out and said, Hey man, I’m sorry about last night. I was drunk and didn’t know what I was doing.

Don grasped his hand and said, Okay Josh, I accept your apology, but the person you should apologize to is John. He’s never done anything to you.

I know. We’re headed to the library as soon as we leave here. He’s working today, ain’t he?

Yeah, but the library closes at noon on Saturdays, Don informed him.

Josh returned to the car, and they drove away.

As they were leaving, Don thought to himself, Man, I sure wished that hadn’t happened. Maybe Josh isn’t such a bad guy after all, and I need to get more control over my temper.

Chapter 2

High school football was the main topic of conversation in Bradley, Texas, during the month of October, and football couldn’t be mentioned without talking about Donnie Football. Don Coleman was putting up great numbers, and the Bradley High Bulldogs were winning until injuries brought them to a screeching halt. Nevertheless, Don had already become a real celebrity in this small town of about six thousand people.

On the last Saturday night in October, John and Don were sitting in the Pony parked at the Dawg eating the special of the day, and of every day—hamburgers, curly fries and washing them down with cherry Cokes. Bradley High’s football season had ended the night before with their third straight loss keeping them from the playoffs. They had lost four of their best players—two to injuries on the field and two in a single car crash in which one broke his leg and the other suffered a severe concussion that kept him out for the rest of the season.

Don’s girlfriend, Ann, and her new best friend, Sandy Franklin, came circling around the Dawg in Sandy’s new candy-apple red Thunderbird convertible. Her birthday was not until November 11, but her dad gave her the Thunderbird early.

Sandy was a spoiled rich girl. She was the only child of Sam and Joyce Franklin. Sam owned a garment factory that employed about half of the working women in Bradley. Expensive women’s dresses were manufactured there, and Big Sam was the richest man in town, so naturally, he had a lot of influence on everything from politics to high school sports. Sandy was very popular, not because of her winning personality, but because she always had the sharpest car and threw the best parties; and she was also very pretty.

Sandy circled around again, but there was not a parking spot beside the boys, so she had to park a couple of spaces down. Ann got out of the Thunderbird followed by Sandy, and the two of them headed for the Pony. Sandy and Ann had been classmates since first grade, but they had only recently become best friends. Lately, however, they were closer than nineteen and twenty.

The temperature was unusually mild for this time of year, even for Texas, so the girls were taking advantage of the warm weather. They were both wearing short shorts and halter-tops that showed a lot of midriff. Both had nice bodies and used the summer-like climate to show them off. They walked up to the driver’s side of the Pony, which was Don’s side.

Don commented, You two out cruising looking for trouble?

Could be, Sandy said in a flirtatious way.

Y’all get in, said Don.

John got in the back seat, and Ann got into the front seat beside Don. Sandy got in the back seat with John, and the scent of her perfume was overwhelming.

Uhmmm, what’s that smell? John commented.

It’s Midnight Magic, Sandy answered. Don’t you just love it?

Yeah, I do, John answered.

The four teenagers laughed and talked for a while with Don and Sandy doing most of the talking.

Hey, anybody want ice cream? Sandy asked, as she pulled money from her pocket.

Yes, the others answered at almost the same time.

John, will you be a sweetheart and go get it for us? That poor carhop is awfully busy, Sandy asked.

Sure, I’ll go, replied John, but keep your money. I’ll get it.

When John got out of the car, Sandy scooted over and got right behind Don. It was somewhat dark where they were parked, so Ann couldn’t see Sandy reach around the seat and stroke the side of Don’s leg. Don was surprised, and it took him a few seconds to realize what was happening. When he became aware of what Sandy was doing, he excused himself. He said he needed to go to the bathroom. Don stayed inside until he was sure John would be back with the ice cream.

What took you so long? Ann teased. Were you swimming with the Ty-D-Bol man?

Everyone laughed except Don.

Hey, I’ve got an idea. Let’s ride over to Carmen and see what’s going on at the Sugar Shack, suggested Sandy.

The Sugar Shack was the local hangout for the teenagers in Carmen.

Don replied, We better not tonight. It’s getting late.

Don’t be silly. It’s only a little after eight o’clock, Sandy stated. Anyway, I thought John might like to drive my little birthday present.

Come on, Don. It’s not late. It’ll be fun, insisted John.

John had had an eye for Sandy for quite a