by Paul Jackson
The yellow school bus turned out of the parking lot of Westmoorland High to head for the freeway towards interstate twelve. Across the rear window the high school's mascot and banner was proudly displayed. 'Landers,' it read in huge gold letters below the school emblem.
Loud squeals and cheers came from the bus as it hit the freeway. It caused Bobby Webb, head coach to the Landers basketball team to look back from his front seat and then at assistant coach, 'Teach' Taymour. Each gave the other a smile. This was without question the best 12th grade girls' basketball team Westmoorland ever had, and both coaches were bursting with pride.
Teach and Bobby had coached basketball together for many years. Bobby had been a baseball and football player before studying to become a high school teacher, and later graduated as a basketball coach. He was able to look back proudly on many great achievements at Westmoorland High since his appointment eight years ago. But he owed much to Teach, whom he'd brought in six years ago as assistant coach to the basketball squad. Without question she was the best. In her playing career she had won every honour, and there was no doubt that she had brought out the best in the current squad of girls.
This afternoon, however, was the squad's biggest test. They were in the Arlington championship play-offs, and up against bitter rivals, Jefferson High, nicknamed 'The Planes.' This was the big one. The championship race had ended with both The Landers and The Planes on identical points and baskets scored. So a play-off was decided upon to determine the championship winner.
At the back of the bus, amid the squeals, the buzz, and now a rendition of the Landers anthem, sat Candi Rousell, 12th grader, cheerleader, and captain of the squad. Inspirational, loud and bitterly competitive, Candi sang with passion in her voice. She was only too aware of the bitter rivalry between the two high school teams, especially after last semester when Jefferson knocked Westmoorland High out of the Arlington Inter Schools Vase. But there was something else - a personal battle, for it wasn't just the rivalry of playing Jefferson High Planes. It was more to do with the festering disdain she held for the opposing captain, Kathy Wilson, arguably one on the best 12th grade players in Arlington, if not the whole of Texas. Kathy was a homecoming queen, cheerleader, gymnast and the girl who beat Candi for the coveted position of 'Miss Arlington' and was thus appointed carnival queen on the big day last spring. Such an honour brought unprecedented financial rewards in lavish sponsorship deals and wide media publicity. Candi had been crestfallen in her defeat to Kathy for the Miss. Arlington crown, whilst Kathy wallowed in her moment of glory, teasing at every given opportunity. Now they would come face to face in this nail-biting play-off and defeat for either would be crushing and unbearable, in particular from a personal perspective.
The school bus left the interstate and followed the road towards Jefferson High, where the match would be played. Two more yellow buses followed, on which travelled equally animated students from Westmoorland who wanted to support their high school. As they drove into the school grounds, hordes of Jefferson students were waiting, hissing and booing the three yellow buses. Naturally, the Westmoorland girls on the basketball bus returned the gestures.
"Okay, girls, cool it," said Teach. "Kinda stupid to sink to their level. Let's just show them that we're better than that!" Teach turned towards Bobby Webb with a pained expression. "Buncha ill-disciplined animals at this darn school!"
"Huh!" said Bobby, with a wide grin. "Not sure if that'll be the case for too long. I heard last week that Jefferson decided to reinstate paddling at the start of this semester after a four-year absence. The new principal - in fact, he's an old buddy of mine, Duke Ryan's the name - decided classroom delinquency, skipping and so on had gotten so bad that he had to take action. So he went out and got himself a whopping 24' by 5' slammer in hard maple. So from now on these kids are gonna sizzle!" he chuckled again, as a rotten tomato hit the yellow bus as it came to a stop in the car lot.
"The parents all supported it," he continued with a smile, his dark eyes looking into the ice blue of Teach, "not sure the kids were too keen! WOW! Here comes another egg! Hey, these kids are way, way too much! Cut it out you son of a bitch!" he cursed under his breath.
"So much for the 24' by 5' slammer!" responded Teach, again warning the Westmoorland squad not to react.
"But Teach!" yelled Candi from the back.
"Don't worry! I shall be lodging a complaint about this darn school!" Teach said, a little angry that Bobby Webb's only reaction was to chuckle again. Then the kids in the car lot hurried away as an administrator from Jefferson suddenly appeared.
The team got off the bus and made for the visitors locker room. Just then Duke Ryan, the new Jefferson principal, came down to greet them.
"Welcome to Jefferson High, you girls!" he called to the basketball squad. "Hey Bobby! How you doin,' old fellah?!"
The two old friends exchanged handshakes and hugged each other so hard it would probably have snapped most guys. Teach gave a wry smile, thinking that it was like watching two big bears hugging each other. She estimated that the Jefferson principal was about forty-eight years old. Bobby then introduced Teach to the principal after some brief reminiscing had taken place.
"Need I be introduced to Teach Taymour! Hell, Bobby, you gotten yourself some helluva great assistant coach! I think us guys could be at a disadvantage tonight. Read so much about you, Teach."
"Thanks."
"Apart from greeting you guys, I've another reason for being right here in the car lot with a couple of my APs. We're having a problem with 'mooning' at this school. Things been getting way out of hand, just now. Our students have been tailing opposing team coaches off the interstate and mooning at them in their cars. You see anything out there, Bobby?"
Bobby roared with laughter. "Can't say as I did, Duke!!" he said, sweeping back his thick black hair and playing with his thick moustache. "You see any butts on the interstate, Teach?" He grinned widely. The forty-two year old athletically built coach just shook her head with laughter.
"Let me give you guys an example," continued Principal Ryan, himself a former football player, "we played a football knock out against Haselbury High last week and as they drove out of the school, a group of students mooned from a car... hood down! Kinda happening all the time, Bobby! Oh, yeah, and the kids in the soft top, were all girls. They're worse than the guys for this kinda thing!"
The square jawed principal with his thick neck hanging over his shirt collar cast a grim look.
"So we're kinda taking evasive action. Had to get it cleared with the district board, PTA and school governors, but we now have a 'special remedy' on offer as one of the student choices to any kid that wants to go mooning at other high schools and their faculty. They don't like it too much, but it works, and those darn girls in the soft top won't be mooning for a long, long time..."
Bobby raised one of his dark bushy brows curiously. He shot Teach a look and was about to ask about the consequences of mooning, but it was Teach who cut in with an angry tone to her voice. "You gotta remedy to stop your students throwing tomatoes and eggs at high school buses?!" she asked sardonically. "Just look at our three buses back there!"
"Holy smoke!" agreed the principal, assuring that he would find the culprits. "Hey is your principal coming over here for this one?" he ventured, changing the subject as quickly as he could.
"Oh, Weis Parker? Sure is! Coming over in his own car a little later."
Back in the visitors locker room the Westmoorland girls were getting prepared for the match. Candi Rousell roused her squad, extinguishing any lingering doubts about the opposition. She called for another chorus of The Landers anthem and the squad responded with unprecedented rancour.
"Hey, Candi! What's it gonna be like coming up against Kathy Wilson again?" asked Abby Holman.
"Ah, Geez! Why should I worry 'bout her, huh!?" replied Candi with vigour.
"Well, I guess..."
"Okay! Okay! They beat us in the Vase! That hurt, huh? But we're a better team, right now!"
But Abby persisted again. "But what about the beauty..."
"And if you think I'm bothered that she got the Miss Arlington beauty queen award and became Arlington babe for a year then you're kiddin,' right?!" she cut in. "Come on, you guys, let's do this thing, let's get pumped up!" finished Candi, clapping her hands and whooping up her squad. Now she tied her gorgeous long brown hair into a neat ponytail.
All the squad were kitted out in the pale blue of The Landers. This consisted of a cotton-based, capped-sleeved tee top with a squad number on the front and back in gold lettering and The Landers emblem on the front. Below were tight fit cotton shorts, a gold stripe down each side, and loose fit on the upper thigh. The kit was completed with pale blue ankle socks and white basketball pumps. Teach came into the locker room to give some last minute squad talk and to go over the tactics again. She spoke to each player, dispelling any self doubts or last minute nerves. There was no question that Teach was the supreme motivator.
Down the hall could be heard the deafening noise of The Planes girls singing their anthem, amidst the squealing and cheering. For Candi, though, this only made her more determined. She was out for revenge and she was prepared to get revenge no matter what the cost. Her thoughts were disturbed by Teach. The tall wiry coach, with neatly bobbed blonde hair, had noticed that there was an even greater air of determination about Candi today. Dogged determination was one thing, deep rooted passion was another, but the all or nothing, kill at first sight scowl on Candi's face at this precise moment worried Teach. And her vast experience in working with girls of this age told her that there was something more in Candi's expression than just winning this match.
"Candi," she said, putting an arm round her shoulder, "we want to win today, but let's win clean."
Candi shot upright and zipped up her tracksuit top with an aggressive tug of the zipper. She faced Teach tight-lipped with her hazel eyes burning with fire.
"Sure," she replied.
"You're on three sin bins, Candi, you can't afford another. You know what school rules are if you go above three sin bins in one basketball quarter. They'll come down on you even harder with you being squad captain. If you get sin binned today, remember it'll affect the whole squad. You're an inspiration, Candi, and the team can't perform as well without you. Now keep out of trouble and let your talents as a great basketball player and a great captain do the talking, you hear?!"
"Sure, Teach, I hear," replied Candi with a low sigh, her teeth gritting with anger for the girl that would be wearing the team captain tracksuit for the opposing team today.
"And no personal battles out there," reminded Teach, her blue eyes narrowing towards Candi's fiery ones. "I know your competitive, I know losing hurts you real bad, and I know you're hurtin' over that beauty queen thing, but forget it! What's it mean?! Just go out there and show them you're the best and be part of a great team effort, okay?!"
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