TAC Boot Camp

by Richard Pinkerton

* * *

  The game neared half time and Tucker sat in his seat while Rod and his buddies shouted, cheered and exchanged comments and observations with each other. From the moment the game started, his companions never once spoke to him or looked at him the entire time.

  ‘That guy was off side!’ Tucker growled, in an attempt to join in the camaraderie.

  ‘Ah come on, that guy was off side!’ Rod shouted and turned to one of his buddies. ‘That guy was definitely off side.’

  ‘That’s what I said,’ Tucker said.

  ‘What?’ Rod turned his head. ‘Shuttup Pyles, who asked for your opinion?’

  Tucker began to wonder whether Rod really wanted him around at all. Why did he bring him along if he wasn’t interested in anything Tucker said?

  ‘Did you guys see that?’ Tucker pointed out a few minutes later. ‘That was a forward pass!’

  This time he got no reply at all.

  Tucker sighed and decided just to sit there and say nothing. He actually began to wish he was with Wal and the others. They’d probably pay him a little more attention then these guys.

  When half time arrived though, Tucker finally got some attention, but not the type he particularly cared for.

  ‘Man, Pyles, are you still eating? Don’t you ever stop?’ asked one of Rod’s pals.

  ‘Nah, he’s a bottomless pit. He has to keep on eating and eating,’ joked Rod.

  ‘No wonder you’re so fat, Pyles.’

  ‘It’s not fat,’ Tucker said. ‘It’s muscle. It just looks like fat.’

  The guys burst out laughing.

  ‘My God, he really does live in a delusion,’ scoffed one of the guys.

  ‘Can you fly, Pyles?’ asked another. ‘Come on, pretend you’re a bird and run around the seats flapping your wings.’

  ‘No way!’

  ‘Do it, Pyles!’ Rod snarled, his eyes narrowing.

  Tucker groaned and climbed to his feet. Feeling totally humiliated at the weird looks he got from other spectators, he ran a few steps, flapping his arms, then returned to his seat and sat down.

  ‘You call that flying?’ Rod snickered as his friends laughed. ‘You can do better than that. Run around this entire block doing that. Come on.’

  ‘No!’

  ‘Then piss of then. And don’t expect a ride back home.’

  ‘What?’ Tucker stared at Rod. ‘You’re just going to leave me here?’

  ‘Yeah, piss of. You’re a moron Pyles and I don’t even know why I invited you here. Go on, scram!’

  Tucker, not really knowing what to do, stood up and walked slowly towards the bottom of the stand. He stopped and peered back at Rod and his buddies who were now busy talking to each other again. He saw no point in leaving as the game was only half over, but how would he get home? He had no money for a bus.

  He peered over to where Wal, Mav and Pete sat. He wondered how they had got here and whether it might be possible to hitch a lift with them. Would they agree to take him back with them? He had to at least give that option a try.

  He strolled on over to where they sat. ‘Hey guys.’

  ‘What do you want, Pyles,’ Wal growled.

  ‘How did you guys get to the game?’

  ‘What does it matter to you?’

  ‘Did you come by car?’

  ‘What if we did?’

  ‘Any chance of hitching a lift home?’

  ‘No chance,’ Wal snorted. ‘For one thing, the car would never hold your weight. For another thing, I don’t allow jerks in my car.’

  ‘Your car?’

  ‘Yeah. Why don’t you go home the way you came?’

  ‘Rod’s refusing to take me home.’

  ‘Well then, it looks like you’re in trouble then, doesn’t it?’ Wal smirked.

  Tucker sighed. He glanced at Mav. Surely Mav, being the decent guy he was, would convince Wal to allow Tucker to tag along.

  However, Mav’s face was expressionless. ‘Looks like you’re gonna have to hitch hike home, Tucker. I’m sure there’ll be a cattle truck heading out that way that could spare some space in the back for you.’

  Rod’s head appeared over the wall. ‘Hey Pyles. I was only kidding about not taking you home. Just meet us at the car after the game ok?’

  Tucker breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Ok.’ Feeling better, he moved to a seat a few rows away and sat down on his own.

  The game ended with the Bulls winning by a small margin. As Tucker left the arena, he peered back for Rod, but could not see him through the crowds. He headed off to where the car was parked and on reaching it; found that the others had not arrived yet. He waited in the car park, but ten minutes ticked by and they still had not returned.

  Tucker started to worry. He had to be at work in just under an hour. If they didn’t arrive soon, he’d be late and he’d already received too many warning about his tardiness. If he didn’t turn up on time and gave the reason he did for being late, he’d be sure to lose his job.

  More anxious time passed. It had been half an hour now and there was still no sign of Rod and his pals. They had surely left the arena, so where were they now?

  Another half an hour went by and Tucker leaned against the car, very tired and very worried. His mother had demanded the use of his cell phone that day, so he hadn’t been able to bring it with him. He didn’t even have any money for a pay phone to ring work and tell them what was going on. He dreaded what his boss’s reaction would be when he finally turned up to work. Tucker regretted ever agreeing to come to this game with Rod.

  Another twenty minutes ticked by and finally, Rod and his pals arrived back. A couple of them looked a little worse for wear and their breath reeked of alcohol.

  ‘Sorry we’re late, Tucks,’ Rod said and delivered him a chuckle. ‘We just stopped in at a bar for a few drinks. Hey Tucks, see that vending machine over there?’ He passed him a two-dollar coin. ‘Go buy yourself a snack.’

  All thoughts of being late for work disappeared from Tucker’s head. ‘UUUUBBA!’ He hurried towards the machine and paused to decide what he wanted. A chocolate bar looked good. He put in his coin and retrieved the bar, but then he heard the engine of a car gun and he turned to see Rod’s car pulling out of it’s spot.

  ‘Hey!’ Tucker called out.

  The car accelerated and Rod waved his hand from the window. ‘See ya at work tomorrow, Tucks!’

  The car pulled out of the parking lot, leaving Tucker standing there, his mouth agape, with the chocolate bar in his hand. All he could hear was the fading laughter of Rod and his pals as they drove off down the road.