“It’s a real honor for me today to present the game ball for the championship game. This honor is an unanimous choice by our team. We’ve had an exciting season and the past few days have been a roller coaster ride. How this team was able to put aside all the distractions and focus on the game, I’ll never know.
“I’ve given a lot of thought to the events of the other day when Glen’s nephews where trapped in that submerged car. In the entire crowd of hundreds, and perhaps thousands, only one person committed himself to diving into that cold water to save those kids. That was Steve. Only one person jumped into the water to help Steve even before he surfaced. That was Gwen Anderson. Only one person realized that Gwen would not be able to pull Steve up that bank and jumped into the icy waters to help her. That was Billy Marsh.
“I’ve been kicking this around since the whole thing happened. What was wrong with me? With the other parents, and the other players? Why is it that none of us risked our lives to help those kids in that car, or even Gwen and Steve afterward? Am I a coward? Are all of us cowards? I’ve done some soul searching about this. I’ve finally reached the conclusion that most of us all acted in a normal human fashion. We stood there horrified and uncertain as to what we should do. There are a few people that do not think through situations like that. They simply decide what needs to be done and take action. Steve is one of those rare types.
“It doesn’t make the rest of us less human, or less brave. It simply shows that Steve has certain rare qualities the bulk of humanity lacks, especially under stressful situations. Gwen has those qualities. Billy Marsh exhibited them as well. Any of us could have attempted to do what they did, but we watched. Our reaction was the average, or normal reaction. Don’t beat yourself up over it, but appreciate greater than average courage when you see it. And we sure saw it!
“To get to the point, the team has decided to award the Sparta State Championship game ball to Gwen Anderson! The team believes that her actions two days ago saved Steve Hammer, and our football season.”
Steve had been watching Gwen as Coach Watkins delivered his speech. She blushed at the mention of her name for saving the children and Steve, but when the coach handed her the game ball; her mouth fell open in stunned amazement. Tears formed and rolled down her cheeks. She accepted the ball in one hand and hugged the coach with the other arm as everyone cheered.
Then Jared White, the big defensive end, stepped up to Gwen with open arms and declared, “You owe us all a hug, Girl!”
Without hesitation, Gwen rushed to him and gave the burly black senior a kiss and a hug. Soon she was hugging and kissing every player that stepped in line. The tears never stopped, even as her smile seemed to grow with every hug.
Jared eventually moved next to Steve and slapped him on the back. “That’s a great girl you’ve got. I always thought she and her smart friends felt they were better than us, but she’s a regular girl. Well regular, except for nicer tits and a prettier face than anyone else in the school.”
Just as Jared finished his statement, Gwen appeared in front of them. “I heard that, Jared White! Don’t think you’re going to get away with that kind of talk!”
“I’m sorry, Gwen,” apologized Jared. “I was just joking…”
Gwen quickly pulled Jared’s face down and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. As she released him she laughed, “Don’t make a habit of talking about me like that, but I’ll take it as a compliment today, Big Guy! I’m too excited to be upset. Now for your hug and kiss, Steve!”
Steve marveled at Gwen’s ability to control the room with her warmth and personality. He stepped up to her, and warned, “You’ll have to wait for that hug. I’ll get blood all over your clothes, but I’m sure ready for that kiss.”
Gwen leaned in as Steve bent down to kiss her. Knowing the whole room was watching, they made it quick, but there was no mistaking the sparks that flew. Once again, Coach Watkins cleared his throat, and Steve stepped back from Gwen.
“I have to ask all visitors, especially females, to leave the locker now. These guys have a lot of dried sweat and dirt to scrub off before we board the bus for Sparta. Thank you, everyone for your support. Special thanks to Dr. Laura Masters, who you may have noticed, performed a neat piece of surgery on me near the end of the game. She somehow managed to get my head out of my ass. That was her professional diagnosis and she managed to correct the problem, at least temporarily.”
“Gwen, would it be okay if I gave your boyfriend a quick kiss, before we have to leave?” requested Amber O’Leary.
Gwen beamed as she nodded her head. As long as Amber referred to Steve as her boyfriend, and asked permission for any special interactions, Gwen could be friendly with the older girl. Gwen helped Laura collect her things as Amber gave Steve a pretty substantial smack on the lips. Gwen smiled as she realized that Steve had just seen her kiss nearly every guy on the team. It seemed that a lot of girls wanted to kiss Steve, and apparently the guys were finding Gwen rather acceptable these days.
As the fans began leaving, Jared once again spoke to Steve. “Gwen has totally changed from last year! She’d never have hung around athletes, never would have kissed one, let alone a room full of them, and she kissed us black players, too. She treats all of us the same. She’s come a long way. You’re good for her, and she sure isn’t doing you any damage either! You’d be at the bottom of the river if it weren’t for that girl. You’re a lucky man.”
Paula, Kate, Lisa and her two friends, had waited around outside the locker room for Gwen. Angela Walker had joined them as they talked about the game and how great it was for Sparta to finally win a state title. They were there when the fans began filing out of the locker room. Lisa was the first one to spot Gwen wiping her eyes as the daughter of the governor hovered near her.
“What’ve you done?” demanded Lisa, as she strode up to Amber, stopping only when their faces were inches apart. “You had no business being in there. You can’t hold a candle to Gwen! Steve knows that. You think having a famous father makes you special? Let me tell you…”
“Hello to you, too,” laughed Amber. “You must be one of the beautiful Anderson sisters, probably Lisa. Steve told me that you and Kate were drop dead gorgeous, but I thought he was probably exaggerating a little. I can see now that he was right. He did neglect to tell me just how tight your family is, however. You’re ready to fight for your sister, and she was ready to fight for Steve.”
Lisa was flummoxed. She had verbally attacked the girl and insulted her eye to eye. She expected yelling, cursing, maybe even a catfight, but not laughter and compliments. Suddenly Kate was at Lisa’s side.
“Steve said I was drop dead gorgeous? Did he really say that? I’m Kate, Gwen’s other beautiful sister. Did Steve tell you about us the night Gwen saw you having dinner with him at Dominick’s? I knew he wasn’t running around on Gwen. Are you Steve’s cousin or something?” finished an exuberant Kate.
By the time Kate finished her rant, all the women, including Lisa, were laughing. “Everyone, I want you to meet my friend, Amber O’Leary. This is my sister Lisa, my sister Kate, my mother Paula, my teacher Ms. Walker, and Lisa’s friends, Donna and Susan. Amber is our future governor’s daughter and, as it turns out, a friend of Steve’s, but not that kind of friend!”
“Why are there tears on your face?” asked Lisa. “I thought that Amber had pulled some kind of stunt in there that upset you. I’m sorry for what I said, Amber, but I still don’t understand what’s going on.”
“You missed it, but it’ll probably be on YouTube now that I think about it,” replied Gwen with a smile. “I was ready to tear into Amber almost as bad as you were, Lisa. Then she told me she had a boyfriend that would soon be her fiancé. That relaxed me real fast. I was all teary-eyed just now because the team awarded me the game ball! I’m still all emotional about it. They gave the game ball for the state championship game to me! It’ll probably be in a trophy case with my name on it. Can you imagine that?”
“Let me see if I have this right,” interjected Angela Walker. “In the last half hour or so, both you and your sister, Lisa, have practically threatened the daughter of our next governor with bodily harm. Now that same young woman is one of your best friends. The football team that just came from behind in the last seconds of state championship game to win its first ever state title, and awarded you the game ball. Does that pretty well cover it?”
“Except that Gwen hugged and kissed just about every guy on the team, especially her hunk of a boyfriend, after helping remove his bloody bandages to expose that amazing body, … upper body, that is,” laugher Amber.
“I’d say that it’s been a pretty full day for you already, Gwen. The rest of the day will seem pretty boring after all of that,” suggested Ms. Walker.