Ball

By Ian August

Football has made Ryan Isaiah Paige a national celebrity overnight but a life-long friendship back home may be his undoing. He’s back in the neighborhood after the end of his Freshman year and fresh off a great season on the gridiron. Now he’s face to face with a truth about his friend that he didn’t want to admit and with deciding between loyalty to his childhood friend or leaving him behind with the rest of his past. Add in pressure from his new girlfriend coupled with a secret that the town holds this fiction novel will leave you guessing and Rip with a tougher decision than he thought.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ian August
• Release date: Jul 6, 2017
• ISBN: 9780996322300

Book preview

Intro.

The year was 2001. The world was changing but like most high school seniors, on the surface I seemed more concerned about parties, prom dates, and Friday nights. Everybody wanted to be a Big Tymer. Yes. A Big Tymer with a Y not an I… Google it and you’ll see what I’m talking about. But as with most seventeen and eighteen-year old’s, the thought of Where am I going with my life tried to creep in but when it did, you’d just turn up the music in your car and drown it out! You see, on the Mississippi Coastline, about an hour from New Orleans and two hours from Florida, smack dab in the middle lays a series of small cities. They are all different but at the same time all the same: white beaches, gulf water, and a bunch of casinos. Smack dab in the middle of those cities lies Biloxi, Home Sweet Home and unless you work for one of those casinos or on the military base, finding a job that paid anything could be challenge. There world was changing. There was Y2K, 9/11, and what happened at Columbine stripped high school of some of its innocence. People were looking for an escape. Looking for something to hold on to. To take pride in. For us, all that mattered was bringing home a State Championship to Teddy Crosby. He was Theodore Crosby High School’s Mascot. That never really made sense to me because we lived by the beach and I never saw a bear swimming in the marsh; but never mind that. This story is about more than a championship ring that may or may not have gotten lost in a draw years from then, in a city miles away. It’s about friendship, a bond. One that to the naked eye wouldn’t make much sense but to everyone in the know, everyone that was there from the beginning, it makes all the sense in the world. Sometimes things happen and the story gets changed or lost as it trickles through time but you can take what I say for fact because I was there. My name is Joe and this is Ball.

Rip’s House.

Rip, True, Jojo, and Miles on Rip’s porch before school. Jojo reading the press clipping from the newspaper.

Jojo: Tonight’s Star wide receiver Ryan Paige leads the Theodore Crosby attack in a first round State playoff battle with the Riviera Warriors. Paige, the 6’4 205 pound speedy wide out plans to have a big night. It’s widely speculated that there will be many major colleges in attendance to see Paige as he attempts to break three all-time state records in what could be his final game in a Cougar uniform." Man this whole article is about Rip!

Miles: Actually there is one sentence in there about me. Defense lead by Senior Defensive End Miles Blair. HA! Oh, oh True got a line too!

Jojo: No he didn’t. Where?

Miles: Look, right here. Paige will rely on many on target passes from his partner in crime Charlie James.

Jojo: (Laughing) Ha-ha. True, they called you Charlie James in the paper again!

True: No they didn’t. Let me see. Man, I told him when we did the interview last week. Either True or Charles. No Charlie James!

Miles: (Laughing) What’s wrong Charlie James!

Jojo: It sounds like an old washed up Blues singer.

Miles: (In a country like tone) Come see Charlie James and the Bluenotes preforming live at Riley’s Gumbo shack.

True: What! Oh y’all got jokes. Stop playing with me man! You talking like you don't want your teeth!

Rip: Chill out True. He playing man. Chill. Besides we can’t have you messing up your throwing hand. I need at least three touchdowns tonight and you know that backup Toliver can’t get them to me.

Miles: (Laughing) He's right True. Toliver can’t throw off this porch and hit the grass.

Jojo: Yeah, I got two words for Toliver: Innnnn accurate!

True: (Sighing) That's one-word big boy!

Rip: Jojo, try and find your name in the paper. That should keep you busy until graduation.

Miles: Yeah, they normally don’t put the water boy in the paper.

Jojo: I ain’t the water boy aight. I handle the towels… Dewey does the water.

Dorky kid Dewey rides his bike by...Group laugh

Mrs. Simpson: Y’all boys stop playing around and get to school before y’all late.

Rip: Aight ma. We going; we going.

Miles: Shotgun!!!

Crosby High School.

The guys walking through the hallways at school. Girls talking to them as they walk by. Enter Shalonda and Shantay.

Shantay: What’s up guys? Heeeeeey Rip!

Rip: Aye what’s up?

Miles: Hey Shantay.

Shantay: Oh, hey Miles.

Rip begins to walk away

Shantay: Rip, wait! What you doing tonight?

True: (Whispers to another Miles) Defense wins championships but girls love the touchdowns.

Shalonda: Those who score during the game usually score after the game.

Miles: What you know about scoring? Don’t talk like that!

Shalonda: You can’t tell me how to talk!

Miles: You're still my little sister!

Shalonda: By eight minutes!

Jojo: Miles, maybe your sister’s right. I think she’s old enough to score. I mean talk about scoring.

Shalonda: (Looking repulsed by Jojo’s comments) Yeah, whatever. Bye.

Miles looks angrily at Jojo for his comments.

True: Man I’m out too. It’s like you two got women repellent on and I don’t want it messing with my cologne.

Rip: (Laughing with Shante) Kind of got a big game tonight. Last game of the season, Senior Night… College scouts.