Promise Kept - Stephanie Perry Moore Perry Skky Jr

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was sporting his Jackets jersey. The crazy looks we got were eerie.

      As soon as we ordered from the bar, a drunk bald guy yelled out, “The sorry Yellow Jackets are in the house.”

      I said, “Let’s just go, guys.”

      “Nah-unh. I’m not about to leave without my drink,” Lenard said.

      I didn’t have a good feeling, but what could I do? We sat down at a table, and tried to mind our own business and wait for the waitress to come and take our food orders. Then the same drunk fool came up to us with a few of his buddies and started a brawl.

      He said, “I know you guys don’t think you’re going to win.”

      “Alright, man. Whatever. Nobody is mad that you’re a Trojans fan. Just get out of our face and we’re cool.” Lenard said, and held up his hand in a peace sign.

      Unfortunately, the guy didn’t go away. “I know your new little freshman quarterback thinks he did good in the ACC Championship game, but we’re gonna smash his head in. Who does he think he is? He’s so stupid that he got himself ejected for betting on the games. Well, you better get ready to lose because your tired defense ain’t much better. Shucks, you all shouldn’t have even been playing in this game.”

      “Okay, I’ve had enough of him, y’all.” Markus stood up and pushed the guy into a corner.

      It was on then, with everyone fighting from one end of the bar to the other. At first I watched, but if I was anything, I was loyal. There were only a few of us, so my punches had to count. In no time, I heard sirens and folks started scattering.

      I grabbed Lenard off of a man, then yanked on Markus. I shouted, “We’ve got to get out of here now!”

      But before we could get away, the police herded us into a corner with the rest of the customers. I couldn’t believe the mess we were in. It didn’t take law enforcement long to figure out who we were and haul us away. It seemed like an even shorter time passed before an angry Coach Red showed up at the precinct.

      “Lenard! Perry! What is up with this? You’ve already been suspended for fighting.”

      Lenard rushed to answer. “Folks started coming at us with bottles and stuff. What are we supposed to do?”

      Coach snarled, “You shouldn’t have been out there in the first place.”

      At the same time I was thinking, Yeah, that’s what I told them. But at that moment, what could I have done? I wasn’t strong enough to lead them to do the right thing. So I gave in to the pressure and let them lead me into doing something that was wrong. We had cuts on our faces, and Lenard was holding his ribs. We had a National Championship game to play and some of the key players were banged up over this foolishness.

      Coach lectured us all the way back to the hotel. I heard him, but he couldn’t have made me feel more like a loser.

      “It ain’t like he’s gonna bench us,” Markus said as he leaned over and clutched his stomach.

      “You know what?” Coach said. “I heard that. All three of you guys are going to sit out the first quarter of this game.”

      “You want to make that stupid move, Coach, then do what you got to do,” Lenard yelled back. What was he thinking?

      Coach replied, “Since you’re so big and bad, when you get a chance to play, make up the difference. Fight on the field!”

      Lenard lowered his voice a few decibels and said, “But you’re tying our hands, Coach, by keeping us out one quarter.”

      Coach Red said, “What’s fair is fair. Yes, I want to win a National Championship, but more than that, I want to make you guys winners in life. Actions come with consequences.” Now you’ll never forget how much your stupid actions cost your team and your fans.

      Back at the hotel, Saxon said, “Coach can kiss off.” Word of our punishment had got through to the team.

      My roommate and our new quarterback, Lance Shadrach, chimed in, “Yeah, if you’re not playing, I’m not playing either.”

      Since Mario, our former starting quarterback, got caught up in a scandal, Lance was ready for the job. He showed out at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game and we won. Though the media was saying we wouldn’t have a chance against the Trojans, Lance had the heart of a warrior. I called him a brother in white skin and I knew he was going to show up and do his part on game night. But he and Saxon were talking foolishness. Before I could set them straight, Deuce, our other roommate and running back for the team, echoed Lance’s sentiments.

      “If the quarterback and tailback don’t play, or at least threaten not to, Coach Red will change his dumb tactics. What’s he going to do without all of us?”

      The three of them went on and on about how they were going to convince the other players to boycott. I was just so thankful that I didn’t get arrested like the rest of the club members, for inciting a riot at the Miami bar, that sitting out one quarter of the football game was really no big deal. Even though it was the biggest football game played in college sports.

      Deuce came over to me and rested his hand on my shoulder and said, “Look, if it wasn’t for you taking time out to help me study, I wouldn’t get through school. Seriously, if you hadn’t stepped up and made me get all of that calculus, I’d be sitting out the whole game. I know Lenard and Markus, man. They convinced you to go somewhere you didn’t want to go. All that football hazing is a bunch of crap. For real you shouldn’t be punished for what coach practically signed off on. He told us to follow the upper classmen when the season first started. I’m going to talk to the rest of the team now.”

      As Deuce headed to the door I just shook my head. I couldn’t believe the chump was serious. Why would he put his career on the line for me? Yeah, we were brothers now in every true sense of the heart, and as crazy as Saxon had been towards me—not wanting me to be with his sister and feeling he was a much better player than I was—somewhere along the way he and I had formed a bond too. I cared about those three guys and I needed to let them know that there was no way I was going to let them carry through with any sort of plan of rebellion. I jogged over to the door and barricaded myself in front of it.

      “Move, Perry, now move,” Deuce said, as he tried unsuccessfully to push me aside.

      “Naw, now for real you guys are going to hear me out,” I said boldly to the three of them. “Quit being hotheads for a second and listen to me. Saxon, I’ve been watching you in practice lately and boy, you are a heck of a football player. You know I never wanted to admit that with me and you being rivals in high school and all, but you the man! With me on the bench you’re going to get a chance to play. You can show out and show ’em the threat and presence of what’s coming next year. Aight?”

      “I hear you, man,” Saxon said, and he came and gave me dap.

      “And Deuce and Lance, though the loyalty chokes me up inside,” I said facetiously.

      Lance grabbed a pillow and tossed it my way. I ducked. We all laughed.

      I continued, “I’m serious. I appreciate y’all caring, but what good is it going to do with none of us in the game? Somebody has to represent the freshman class and help us win this thing. I’ma get back in there. What I want y’all to get is that we got to live by rules, and when you break them you got to step up, be a man, and take what’s coming to you. I don’t need y’all to take my medicine for me. I know what I did and I know why I did it. I just need the three of y’all out there. And light up the scoreboard, so when I get in I won’t have to show y’all up.”

      They charged me. The next thing you know the four of us were play wrestling. It was cool to know I wanted the best for them and that they had my back.

      The next couple of days were chaos. All the sportswriters were clamoring outside the hotel to make the story even bigger than it was. Coach protected Lenard, Markus, and myself through a lot of the public functions that the team went

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