What in the hell just happened? Matt was standing near the receptionist desk.
“Coach, do you need something?” the receptionist asked.
Matt stood there knowing he could not just walk away. “I need to go back in that room.”
“Did you leave something?”
“Yes,” Matt replied.
“Then go back and get it. It’s only a few steps, Coach.”
“Go back and get it?”
The receptionist stared at him. “Do you want me to go for you? Tell me what you left in there and I’ll get it for you.” She stood.
“NO!” Matt yelled but didn’t mean to. “I have to get it. No one can do this for me.”
“Okay.” The receptionist hesitantly sat back down.
Matt closed his eyes then took a few deep breaths. With each one he saw Leah’s face. Those eyes that surrendered to his, those lips that pouted just enough to drive him to drink and those natural brown curls that hung to her shoulders daring him to run his fingers through them. Then he could see her on his pillow with the curls splayed out across it. The children running around in the yard with them sitting on the sofa in his house laughing at them.
“That’s why.” His dad has asked him yesterday why he had built such a big house. “Leah is the reason why.”
“The reason why what?” the receptionist asked.
“Why I have to go back in there,” Matt explained.
“Coach, I have no idea what you are talking about. But I will say this. If you found the answer to something and it is inside that room, why are you standing out here with me? Go get what’s yours.”
He stared at the receptionist. “You are right. I’m going to get what is mine.” Matt turned. As he walked down the hallway, he knew his life was about to change. How, he wasn’t sure, but he knew there was no way he could leave Leah Saxton in that room without making his presence known. Before knocking, Matt adjusted his shoulders to try to release the tension that had built up. He looked down knowing he was as hard as steel from sitting at the table across from the woman who captured his soul the minute she looked into his eyes. Stole his heart when she put her hand in his, then changed his outlook on life as she lingered on his every word.
“Stop it,” he said to his unruly member that knew it was in proximity to what it desired most in this moment. “No. Down, boy, down,” he ordered as he took deep breaths, willing himself under control. Once he felt stable, he tapped on the door then stepped in.
He could see the anticipation in her eyes, which did not help with his situation. He needed to get the information and get out. “Leah, I was so occupied with your food, I negligently forgot to get your contact information.” He pulled out his phone. To his surprise she walked over to stand next to him. He could feel her scent invading his body through his nostrils. Her nearness, projecting all kinds of nerve signals through him. The Whispers’ song, I Want to Make You My Wife, played through his mind. What in the hell was wrong with him? He had to get out of the room.
“If you give me your number, I’ll text my information to you.”
“Of course.” Leah cleared her throat then gave him her number. “Call anytime,” she said.
“I will do that.” Matt nodded, smiled, then left the room closing the door behind him.
He tried to remember if he had said anything. Did he rudely leave without saying goodbye? He did not know. What he did know was he had her phone number.
“What’s the big smile about, Coach?” Coco asked as Matt entered the room.
“That’s not important,” Mac said as he ran up to him.
“We have the list of items we need.”
Matt reached for the tablet Mac was carrying. “Let me take a look at it.”
“Coach.” Blayne joined Mac as they followed him to the desk. “Some of the items we already have,” she explained. “But one or two of the electronic stuff is a bit pricey.”
“Yeah, Coach, but it’s real important,” Cocoa added. “It can make or break the project.”
“What items are the most expensive?” Matt asked as he looked over the list.
“The two small discs,” Mac explained. “They have to be implemented at two different intervals.”
“Right,” Cocoa jumped in. “One at the beginning of the demonstration….”
“And another at the end,” Blayne finished his sentence.
“You can’t move the first disc when it’s needed on the back end.”
“No,” they all yelled in unison, then laughed at themselves.
“For the demonstration to work for the ultimate impact we really need two,” Mac explained. “It’s real important.”
Matt had to admit, seeing them so excited he threw caution to the wind. He glanced at the list and felt confident he could get the items for them. “All right. I’ll have these items for you when we come to class tomorrow.”
“Um…about that, Coach.” Mac cleared his throat. “Can you arrange for us to stay in detention until Friday? We really need uninterrupted time to finish the project before the science fair.”
“You can work on this after school hours,” Matt suggested. “Or get a request from your teachers to work on it during class.”
“How? Our teachers aren’t cool like you, Coach Lassiter,” Blayne countered. “It’s their way or no way. They have no sense of adventure.”
“Exactly,” Mac added. “It’s as if there is only one way to get from point A to point B in their class.”
“We need the rest of the week to finish the project,” Coco explained. “Can’t you ask Principal Ballard to let us stay until Friday to complete the project?”
“I can ask.” Matt rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know if that is going to work.”
“It has to work, Coach,” Mac said. “We have put together a dope presentation. It will not only prove Blayne’s point, it will win us those scholarships. Look Coach,” Mac continued. “Coco is going to get a full ride from his skills on the football field. Blayne’s parents have the money to ensure she gets into a school somewhere. My situation is different. If my grades don’t get a full ride for me, my mom don’t have the extra cash to put out. I need this and all the help I can get. That scholarship will go a long way.”
Matt understood what Mac was saying. If it hadn’t been for all of his older siblings pitching in, he would not have made it on partial scholarships.
“Yesterday you mentioned how the bank kept mixing your account up with your brother’s. What if I fix that for you to show how good I am at this stuff?” Mac offered.
Curiosity won out. “How can you fix that?” Matt asked.
“Nine times out of ten, errors like that are just a clerical keying error that can be fixed if you take the time to look through the paper documents,” Mac explained. “Once the documents are keyed in, they scan them on to the computers. All I have to do is run a program for your name, review the documents, find the error and change it.”
“You’re talking about hacking into the bank?”
“Anybody can do it, Coach.” Blayne shrugged. “I can help with the document review. Together it might take us an hour or two.”
The two kids were looking at Matt as if it was the most natural thing in the world to be discussing. Matt stared at the kids as if they had lost their minds.
“I can’t do that, Coach,” Coco laughed. “Hell, if I could my mom would be set for life.”
“Let me get this straight.” Matt spoke as calm as he could manage. “You,” he pointed to Mac, “can hack into my account to fix the clerical error? And you,” he pointed to Blayne, “are willing to help him.”
“Yeah, Coach.” Mac smiled as Blayne nodded in agreement.
“Have you lost your damn minds!” Matt yelled as he leaned over the desk glaring at the two.
“Y’all done stepped in it now.” Coco sat back, stretching his legs out then crossed them at the ankle.
“It is a crime to hack into any banking system for any reason. Do you understand me?”
Mac and Blayne stood straight, then took a step back from him.
“You would risk 30 years in federal prison, plus a million dollar fine over something as insignificant as getting extra days in detention.” Matt shadowed over them. “I want you to take a minute to think about what you just offered.” He stared at them.
“Are you finished thinking?” Matt asked.
“Yes, sir.” Mac bobbed his head up and down.
“Un huh.” Blayne took another step back as Mac pushed her behind him.
“Now what do you think you should be doing?” Mac asked.
“Homework.” Blayne nodded as she pulled Mac with her.
“Then get to it!”
The two hurried back to their seats.
“So to be clear Coach, is that a no to extra detention days?” Coco asked.
The look on the boy’s face was serious and that in itself caused Matt to chuckle. “Yes, Coco, that would be a no.”
Matt sat back at the desk, then watched as the kids cautiously peeked up at him. He took a deep breath, then glanced at the tablet. The list of items was simple and he knew he could gather all but the discs. But he knew who could provide those. He pulled out his cell phone, searched then pushed a button.
“Hey, are you in the country?”
“Yeah, I’m at Adam’s house. What’s up?” his bother Joshua asked.
“I have a request,” Matt stated. “I need all the guys for a skin vs shirts tag football game on Thursday. Can you make it?”
“Who are we playing?”
“My team.”
“High school kids?” Joshua hissed. “I’m a grown man. I don’t play with kids.”
“That sounds like fear to me.” Matt sat back. “I lay fifty-to-one odds my kids can take you down.”
“Matt, you have a professional NFL star, a genius, a navy seal, an accountant and the invincible me, not to mention you on a team against high school kids and you think they will win?”
“Well, my team is younger and faster than us old men. They feel they can take us on.” Matt egged him on. “We need to raise $500 by Friday. We will be charging $1 entrance fee and hope we can pull it off.”
“What are you raising the money for?” Joshua asked as he fumbled around Adam’s lab.
“My dentition kids signed up for a science fair. Since it’s on short notice and not approved by the board, we have to come up with the cost to cover the trip.”
“You are taking detention kids on a field trip?” Joshua smirked. “You have more nerves than I do.”
“They are good kids and worth it. It’s not like they are going to blow up anything.” Matt looked up at Blayne. “I hope.”
“If I pay the $500 can I skip the game?”
“No.”
“All right count me in. What time?”
“After school around 4.”
“I’ll call the others, we’ll be there,” Joshua agreed.
“Good,” Matt smiled. “Oh, one more thing. I need two small discs. If I send you the specs can you pick them up for me?”
“I got you covered. I’m looking at a few now,” Joshua replied.
“Thanks, man. Bring them when you come.”
“Will do,” Joshua replied. “I’m out.”
Matt disconnected the call. “The discs will be here on Thursday,” he told them.
“Thanks Coach,” Mac said with a smirk.
“Yeah Coach, thanks,” Blayne added.
“So, we’re playing a game against your brothers?” Coco asked.
Matt nodded. “Seems like it’s going to happen. You think you can get some people to come to the game?”
“Oh, one call Coach, and we can fill up the stadium.” Coco nodded.
“Same here, Coach.” Blayne perked up.
“You don’t want my kind of people here, Coach.” Mac shook his head.
Matt laughed. “Okay, make the calls.”
“We’ll do them after school, Coach,” Blayne stated. “We don’t want to break any laws.”
Matt smiled. He stood then walked over to stand in front of them.
“This looks like one of your teachable moments.” Coco raised an eyebrow.
“It is.” Matt nodded then looked at Mac and Blayne. “You two are smart. You have bright futures ahead of you. There are people out there who will use your brains to commit crimes that carry a lot of time. Mac, your cousin had a gun when he came to talk to you about the codes you have. He was using that gun to intimidate you into giving him the codes to do something illegal. When he got caught, and they always get caught, the authorities are going to ask where did you obtain the codes? He would give you up in a flash to save his own ass. When the authorities take you in, you can say a hundred times over, I did not know what he was going to do with the codes. They will not believe you.”
“Guilt by association,” Coco said with a nod.
“Sad, but true,” Matt stated. “Something as simple as a game code just put you behind bars.”
“Or worse, made you somebody’s patsy,” Coco added.
“Patsy? How?” Blayne asked.
“If you can break a code for a game, nine times out of ten you can break a code to a secured facility, or some one’s bank card, or many other things,” Matt explained. “Being smart is an asset that can be used for good or evil. It’s up to you which one.”
There was a tap on the door. “We’re here for the first shoot,” Phire said as she and Nell walked in with their equipment. “Are you guys ready?”
Blayne stood, swiping her hair over her shoulder. “I am ready for my close up.”
Coco joined them to help set up. Mac lingered behind.
“I’m sorry, Coach. I didn’t think that deep about what I was offering.”
“I know, Mac. Someone else may have taken you up on an offer like that. Don’t let everyone know what you are capable of. They will take advantage. You are young, you have so many options before you. Don’t let your future be controlled by anyone but you.”
“I got you, Coach.” Mac smiled.
“Go help your team.”
Matt watched as Mac joined the group. He made a mental note to talk to Adam about Mac’s future.