Crimson Catch (Game Time #1)

by S. M. Donaldson

  CRIMSON CATCH

  GAME TIME SERIES

  BY

  S.M. DONALDSON

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  INTRODUCTION

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  DEDICATION

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  CHAPTER 30

  CHAPTER 31

  CHAPTER 32

  CHAPTER 33

  EPILOGUE

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Other Titles by S.M. Donaldson

  Excerpt from

  Pushing Send by Jacqueline Ross and Ally Derby

  Excerpt from

  Tutu’s and Cowboy Boots by Casey Peeler

  CRIMSON CATCH

  All rights reserved. This Book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased or publicly performed or used in any form without prior written permission of the publisher.

  Thank you for respecting the work of this Author.

  Crimson Catch is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and events portrayed in this book are either from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, with exception to brand names, Artists named, and their song lyrics, and direct quotes from movies whose titles have been named. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, or events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Copyright © 2016, SM Donaldson

  Cover by: IndieVention Designs

  Cover Image: Shutterstock

  Editing by Chelly Peeler

  INTRODUCTION

  Welcome to the time where memories are made and hearts get broken.

  Collin Atwood is a sophomore at Everly High School and the all-American boy in an all-American family. It's his first year on the varsity team and the pressure is on, from his dad and the town. For the first time in over twenty years his hometown could be in line for a state championship title and he’s their ticket to get there.

  That is if he can get his grades up enough to play.

  Enter the daughter of the last guy that held the town's hopes and dreams of state titles, who turned into a drunk after he blew it all. Paired up with Joelle Prescott as his tutor, these two are far from being in the same social circle. She's an honor student and a badass on the drum line. In her family full of athletes, she feels invisible. Which is good sometimes...makes it easier to keep her secrets. Will he keep her secrets? Will she help him make the grade?

  WARNING: This book is a Mature YA book. It is intended for people 15+, it is not suitable for those younger.

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  This series is very special to me. For a long time I wanted to try my hand at Young Adult, now my hometown has inspired me to do it.

  The small town I grew up in had two schools, an elementary school for Pre-K – 5th and a high school for 6th-12th. All of the surrounding towns are pretty much the same way. Growing up in a place like this is special. Every Friday night during the fall you can hear the noise and see the lights from the football stadium and once you get close enough, you can smell the boiled peanuts and grilled hamburgers from the concession stand. During the winter and early spring, the high school gym is packed out a few nights a week with the smell of popcorn wafting out the door. Spring time brings baseball and softball to life. With parents somewhere between the school fields and the recreational fields, many nights of supper are eaten from the concession stands.

  Our school wasn’t your typical high school with cliques. We didn’t have enough people, so we were like one big clique. I graduated with just under one hundred people. That doesn’t mean that we didn’t have the couple of small groups of snarky people who thought they were better than everyone, but our school just wasn’t segregated that way. Most of the kids in our school were on multi teams. They may cheer, but they could also be marching with band at half-time. At the end of football season a player may be leaving that practice to go straight to basketball practice. I had a great principal who thought the students shouldn’t have to choose. The adults had to learn to work with the students and each other on scheduling.

  So this book I hope brings a little bit of the small town world to life for you. The town where your parents know what you did before you got home from thinking you got away with doing it. You can’t go anywhere without someone knowing your parents, the words “do I need to call your (insert…parents, Mama, Daddy, Grandma)” are scarier than the idea of getting a paddling or any other punishment and most of the time, also, the cops are just going to give you a ride home.

  So here’s that glimpse. I hope you enjoy it.

  XOXO

  S.M. Donaldson

  DEDICATION

  To my band director, Marty Clark, for telling me my eighth grade year that I was trying out for color guard and not accepting the answer that I was trying out for cheerleading. LOL Some of my best memories come from those four years I was in marching band, even if I didn’t play an instrument. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without it. So much of the discipline in my life comes from then. And last, I’m not sure how many innocent bull horns and cordless microphones lost their lives during those years, but it was so worth it.

  To my English I and English III teacher, Tammy Jones. Thank you for always being open to see things the way I did. Thanks for not trying to commit me to the state hospital when I said that Romeo and Juliet were stupid to kill themselves over a petty teenage romance. Also the fact that I thought Van Gogh, though misguided, was a lot more romantic because he was a real person who had to walk around with a messed up ear from his declaration of love.

  Both of you shaped so much during that period of my life and I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.

  Not to mention the stories from you guys being neighbors was hilarious.

  Ms. Jones. Attack of the rain frogs. Screaming like someone was murdering her, to the point Mr. Clark runs out of his house and the VP who lived on the other side comes running out also. LMBO.

  CHAPTER 1

  Collin-

  “You wanted to see me, Coach?” I nervously ask as I enter his office.

  “Take a seat, Atwood,” he says, motioning to the black chair on the other side of his desk. Clasping his hands together, he rests on his elbows. “Son, you are aware that with you starting as our quarterback this year that we have a real shot at State?” I nod as he continues. “Don’t you think this school, hell, this town deserves the chance to host that honor?” I nod again. “Well, how are we going to manage to do that if I have to bench you for grades?” I shrug my shoulders forward. “Well, the answer is we won’t. I know a great group moved up to Varsity with you this year and that’s the reason we could be great, but you’re their leader. I know Prescott is the Captain, but mainly because he’s the only senior. He’s a great player, but it’s not the same level of playing. You are calling the plays and taking the snaps, so it’s your job to lead this team. Now, the only teacher th
at has come to me so far is your Geometry teacher. Any others I should be expecting?”

  I sigh. “Mrs. Jones, my English teacher,” I say, looking at my lap.

  He nods. “All right, here is what we are going to do.” He stands up. “Prescott! Come in here!”

  James Prescott sticks his head in the doorway. “Yeah, Coach?”

  “You have a player here who needs a tutor for Geometry and English II. I’m counting on you as a leader to help him find one. NOT one to do it for him, one to help him,” Coach Fagan says sternly.

  James nods. “Got it, Coach. I’ll see what I can find.”

  He points across the desk with two fingers at me. “Go get a damn shower, then first thing tomorrow you get up with Prescott and see what he’s figured out.”

  I stand and nod. “Yes, Coach.” As I make my way through the crimson and gray locker room, I get several fist bumps from the guys. I really hope James is able to find someone to help. It’d be great if she’s hot.

  Standing in the cream colored tile shower, I look around at the random spouts sticking out of the wall and cringe at the mildew growing in the corners. I start scrubbing the day’s practice off of me. My friend, Dallas Kent, steps up to the shower next to me. “So what did Coach want?”

  I sigh. “My fucking grades suck in Geometry and English. If I don’t do something about them, he’s gonna have to bench me. So I have to get a tutor.”

  He barks out a laugh. “Man, that sucks. But hey, you could find some little hottie and get her to do it for you. A little tutoring with some extra fun on the side, if you get what I mean.”

  I shake my head. “Yeah, I get it. But Coach is making Prescott find my tutor so he knows I’m not scamming the system.”

  Dallas turns to me. “Dude, that’s fucking harsh.”

  I put my hand up and turn the other direction. “Dude, don’t fucking point your junk at me.” I take that second to look around and all of the other spaces are empty. “Why did you have to get in the shower right next to me when all the others are open?”

  He shrugs. “I wanted to talk to you.”

  I finish rinsing off and grab my towel. “It couldn’t wait?”

  He laughs. “Man, I just wanted to get close to you all soapy, wet and naked. It’s my dream, you know.” I flip him off as I go back out into the dressing room.

  Prescott is finishing getting dressed. Slamming his locker, he looks up at me. “Get up with me in the a.m. I think I know someone, I just gotta see how persuasive I can be. You have Ag first thing, right?”

  I nod, grinning. “Thanks, man. I hate you’re stuck doing this.” I wonder who he has to be persuasive to.

  He shrugs. “No big deal. Just make me a promise that if I help you with this, you bust your ass to get us to State. I want that once before I graduate. The guy taking the snaps the past three years was a total d-bag. I know when I leave here I’m going into the family business. I want that one moment, okay?” He holds his fist out for me to bump.

  “Okay, man. You got it. I’ll bust my ass,” I say, tipping my head before I dry off quickly and snatch my clothes on.

  Stepping out of the locker room, I see the group of girls we refer to here as the “Queen Bs” leaning against the wall. Two girls in the tenth grade with me, Ciara Mitchell, Head B., and Karmen Pope, B. #2, and their new recruit, Karmen’s little sister Addison Pope, freshman. I’ve gone to school with these girls all of my life. In the small town of Everly, Alabama, you pretty much know everyone. We have two schools, an elementary and a high school. I know you’re saying where’s the middle school? The answer is right here at the high school, a yellow line painted on the sidewalks divides middle school and high school. The only reason they didn’t move me up to Varsity last year was because my dad felt like it was smarter for me to develop my skills with the guys who would be with me for the next three years than to move up to a group that was mostly graduating. We’re a pretty young team. Prescott is the only senior and Booker Daffin is the only junior. The rest of us are sophomores, that’s the reason Coach is right, I gotta step up and be a leader. Ciara flashes me a smile and starts walking toward me. Her boobs bounce as she walks, sucking on a lollipop.

  “So Collin, I pulled your name to be my football buddy.” She touches my shoulder and leans in, where I have a clear shot down her shirt revealing a hot pink lacey bra as she licks and sucks on that damn sucker. “So I was just wondering, what kind of candy do you like?” Fuck, I’m starting to get hard right here in the damn hallway. It’s not like I don’t know how to act around girls. Hell, it’s not like I’m even a virgin, I got blown this morning before first period, but her perfume, that mouth and those titties do something to my dick. I’m a red-blooded American male, so sue me.

  I give her a grin. “I pretty much like anything sweet.”

  “Hmm. How about cupcakes? Do you like icing?” she says, licking her bottom lip.

  I nod, shoving my free hand in my pocket, hoping to pull my jeans forward a little and give me some relief. “Yep.”

  She reaches up, touching my cheek. “All right then, I’ll make sure your goodie bag is ready in the morning,” she breathes before sauntering off.

  Dayum. This is the life.

  CHAPTER 2

  Joelle-

  Sitting at our dining room table is never really a great occasion. My mom is pissed because James is late coming in from football practice, dad is “late” coming home from the hardware store we own again (code for at the local bar getting drunk), and my little sister, Janae, has taken it upon herself to dye her almost black hair stripper blonde. So my mom is pissed because not only has she worked a ten hour day managing one of the busiest medical offices in town, now no one is here to eat the meal she stopped off and got. Well, my sister is here, but she sent her to her room and I mean I’m here, but I’m always here. I try to keep all the levels even in this house. I take a bite of the piece of chicken on my plate. “Thanks, Mom. This is really good.”

  She tries to smile at me. “Thanks, sweetie. How was band practice today? You guys gonna be ready for the first half-time show?”

  I nod. “Great. It was hot, but I think we’ll do awesome.” How could I tell her that my practice is later tonight? She doesn’t even know that I go and come on Monday nights. I can’t complain that my back is killing me from toting the large instrument and my arms are about to fall off from the endless cadence and drumline drills during class today. She asked me to pick a more feminine instrument if I was determined to be in the band when I started in the sixth grade, but I love the drums.

  “Well that’s good, sweetie,” she says, biting a piece of the biscuit.

  There’s an awkward silence between us. It’s no secret in this house that I’m the odd man out. I’m somewhat of a geek, I play in the band and I tend to like being by myself. The weird part is that gives me an edge. I have a secret life that no one in my family or small town know about. Well, my friend Clementine knows, but she’s the only one.

  My brother follows in the steps of my father. The only difference - my father was a great football player. My brother is an above average football player. But the rest is the same, a different girl every weekend and average grades. Yeah, the well isn’t very deep there.

  My sister follows in the patterns of my mom. The girl that pushes her parent’s boundaries, is a decent student and a cheerleader. Although she’s still in middle school, I see her life going a lot like my mom’s. Find a guy in this small town, get a two year degree from the junior college and raise kids while he slowly resents the life she’s thrust upon him, and while she secretly hates him.

  The sound of the door from the garage opening pulls me from my miserable thoughts. James comes jogging in, freshly showered. “Hey, Mom! Sorry, I had to stay after with Coach and talk to a player.”

  She smiles at him with all the pride in her face. “It’s okay, sweetheart. You’re the captain, you have a job to do. Come on, you’ve got to be starving. I’ll fix you a plate.” Yep, h
e’s gotta job to do. There’s your atta boy.

  James parks himself in one of the ladder-back chairs at the rustic farm table in our small dining room. She hands him a plate that’s over filled. “Thanks, Mom!” he says, smiling with way too many teeth.

  I look down at my plate which I fixed. I should forget seconds, I guess.

  James laughs. “Mom, this is way too much food.”

  “Baby, you’re burning tons of calories playing football. You need to eat.” She motions to his plate.

  “Did you leave some for everyone else?” he asks with a small laugh.

  She sighs. “Whenever your father shows up, there’s some left for him. Janae will bitch about anything I do anyway so she can fix something for herself.”

  Mom gets up from the table and goes to the other room. James looks at me with a questioning glance. I speak softly, “Janae came home with stripper blonde hair. Mom is not happy. Dad’s down at the bar…nuff said.”

  “Oh wow, Janae is an idiot.” He snorts as he starts shoveling food in his mouth. I’m not even positive that he’s chewing. It’s kinda gross. My brother might be a little more spoiled than me, but he’s still my big brother. “Oh,” he says, smiling at me with a mouth full. “I need a favor.”

  I sigh, sitting back in my chair. “What now?” Everyone fucking owes me one. I’m not the one who ever needs favors. My brother and his damn charming smile. He has this Zac Efron look about him that generally gets him whatever he wants.

  “Okay, the reason I was late coming home today was because of Collin Atwood,” he says quietly.

  I whisper back. “What, do you need me to keep it a secret that you’re gay or something? Pass him a note during study hall? Help you break the news to Dad?”

  He rolls his dark green eyes. “He needs a tutor in English and Geometry. I was tasked with finding him someone who would help him, not do it for him. You’re one of the smartest people I know, so you can teach him. I just know it. Also, someone who won’t be…a distraction,” he says matter of fact like. “Come on, sis, you’d be doing me a solid. I’ll owe you one.”