High school football hero

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Rocket Power characters

Chapter 1

The final bell rang, signaling the end of classes. Sam picked up his books and walked out into the hallway, easily pushing his way through throngs of other students towards his locker. He pulled out his backpack, closed his locker and turned around to see three of his former friends walking by, skateboards in hand, talking excitedly. A pretty girl with long purple hair caught his eye and smiled, giving a small wave. Sam nodded in return and walked in the opposite direction, away from the exit and towards the boy's locker room. Years ago, the locker room had been a place of dread and humiliation for him, but now it was his kingdom. Being one of the star players on the football team had its advantages.

Sam had changed tremendously from the nerdy eleven year old he was six years ago. He stood tall at over six feet and had shed his baby fat in exchange for muscles and broad shoulders. He had started wearing contact lenses because of football and his once pale skin had darkened to a light tan because of the hours spent outside on the field. The only thing that stayed the same about Sam was his crew cut blonde hair and superior intelligence.

Upon entering high school, he was approached by the football coach on the first day of school to try out for the Junior Varsity team which was in danger of being cut from the school budget because not enough guys had signed up. Sam's growth spurt over that summer had caught the coach's attention. He was hesitant to try out, but was in desperate need of more extracurricular activities, having college admissions already on his mind. Although he had never played football before, Sam showed much promise at that first practice. His experience as a goalie meant he could take a hit and his eye-hand coordination was excellent. Half-way through the season, he was moved up to the Varsity team. After that, he spent less of his free time surfing with the Rockets and more time in the weight room or with his new friends.

Football changed Sam the most in terms of his social life. He no longer surfed, skateboarded, or even hung out with the Rocket siblings and Twister. The three people who used to be his best friends were now just casual acquaintances, faces in the hall. Sure, he talked to them occasionally and was friendly with them, but they belonged to different social circles now. He had classes with Reggie, but would only interact with her during group assignments, maybe some small talk now and then. His social circle now consisted of fellow football players and other athletes. He was in his senior and first in his class- something that anyone could've predicted. But he was also one of the most popular kids at Ocean Shores High- a surprise to anyone who knew him as the chubby nerd who always tagged along with the Rockets.

His free time centered around sports, but not the extreme kind he had spent his adolescence trying desperately to be good at. He played football in the fall, ice hockey in the winter (still a goalie), and track and field in the spring (shot putter). His summers were spent busing tables at a boardwalk restaurant and attending summer sessions for football. Anytime he spent at the beach was not in the water surfing, but on land rough housing with his football friends.

Sam was just about to walk into the noisy locker room before he remembered that he had left his equipment in his car. He turned back towards the front exit and walked out into the parking lot towards his blue Honda sedan. Otto, Reggie and Twister were nearby making use of the nearly empty parking lot on their skateboards; Mad Town had closed down recently, leaving the skaters of Ocean Shores to resort to the streets.

Twister spotted Sam at his car and shouted out to him-

"Hey Sam! Skipping out on practice? Aren't you afraid your coach is gonna make you do extra push-ups or something?" He laughed.

"Nope, just had to get my gym bag." Sam answered honestly.

"Aw come on, all work and no play makes Sam a dull boy!" Otto joined in. "Come on, we're going surfing. How long has been since you caught a nice swell?"

"A while. I sold my board to pay for car insurance."

"You sold Tito's longboard?" Reggie asked.

"Yeah, I had to. Besides, I don't even remember how to surf."

Reggie skated over to Sam. An unreadable look on her face.

"How could you sell Tito's longboard?"

"Technically, since he gave it to me, it was my long board. So, I had every right to sell it."

"Tito learned how to surf on that board Sam!"

"So did I. Why are so interested in that board?"

"I'm interested, I'm pissed off!" Reggie said in a tense tone. "That board is like a piece of history, an artifact!"

"It was a surf board Reggie. They're mass-produced and can be bought anywhere that there's a large body of water."

"If you weren't gonna use it anymore you should've just given it back to Tito"

"Whatever, I gotta suit up before practice before coach makes me do laps."

"Well I hope he does make you do laps, Sam. Maybe the extra exercise will pump some much need blood into that empty head of yours!"

"Did you forget who you're talking to? First in our class and Co-captain of the football team? Yeah I could totally use the extra exercise and blood in my dried-out brain." Sam snapped back sarcastically. Reggie gave him a disgusted look

"You are so full of yourself. Just like every other jock dick-bag in this school."

"Whatever Reg, say what you want. It still won't make me rush out to by back that longboard and give it back to Tito. Later."

"Much later." Reggie scoffed. Sam walked away shaking his head in confusion. It wasn't any of Reggie's business what he did with his old things. What about his old skateboard and shark helmet? Should he give those back to her to make a point? After all, they were just sitting in the garage collecting dust. Sam knew he had angered Reggie greatly from her hostile tone, but for some reason, he didn't give a damn.

Reggie, on the other hand, was fuming. She turned towards her brother Twister and said-

"He is such a douche bag!"

"Relax Reg. It's not a big deal." Twister reassured her.

"Yeah, just forget about it. Sam's changed a lot, but he's still a good guy."

"What?" Reggie said, outraged. She had expected both of them to take her side.

"Yeah sure, he's a jock now, something nobody saw coming, but he's not a stereotypical dumb jock who's full of himself and treats people like shit." Otto argued.

"What do you mean he's not full of himself? You heard what he said!" she dropped her voice in deep mocking tone "I'm captain of the football team and first in our class."

"Well he is." Twister said.

"Whatever. You guys go on without me. I'm behind on my Calculus homework anyway."

"Oh come on Reg; just come catch a few waves before you start doing work." Otto urged.

"No, I'm not in the mood anymore. Trust me; I'd just be a downer."

"Fine, I'll see you back at the house."

"Later." Reggie strapped on her helmet and skated towards home. She thought back to the first day of freshmen year, when she and Sam first entered high school. When he told her that the football coach had tried out, she laughed in his face; who wouldn't? Nerdy Sam Dullard going out for football? It just didn't make sense. Even if he had grown a foot over the summer and had lost his childhood chunkiness, he didn't have what it took to play football. He wasn't violent, fast, or self-centered and she told him this. Maybe he had mistaken that comment as an insult and had gone to that first practice just to prove to Reggie that he could play football. When she met up with Otto and Twister afterschool that day and had told them where Sam was, they all had a good laugh. They even placed bets on when he would come to his senses and quit.

It was no surprise that he had made the team. It was desperate for players in the first place. But what really surprised all three of them was his performance in his first game. He was on the field (not the bench) for the entire game and had made some impressive tackles and blocks. Afterwards she apologized for doubting him, and the four friends continued to surf and skate together, when Sam had the free time. After football season had ended, Sam surprised them once again by going out for the school's ice hockey team. Although they did live in California, there were quit a few indoor ice ranks in the county and hockey games were a popular event in Ocean Shores. Sam had always been an excellent goalie, and he also told them that it was important for him to stay in shape for the next football season. Also the reason why had became a shot putter for the school's track team.

The summer after freshmen year, Sam hung out with the Rocket crew less and less because of summer football sessions. By the start of sophomore year, Sam had gone from Reggie's best friend to a casual acquaintance. Reggie sighed in remorse at what happened to their once strong friendship. Without Sam around, her 'Zine became non-existent and she even spent less time with her brother and Twister. Without Sam around to keep her calm, the two of them were just so annoying at times that she had to make up an excuse about homework to get away from them.

Part of her was pissed off that Sam hadn't made the full transition to stereotypical jock. It would've made it easier for her to hate him if he had. But he was still such a god damn nice guy. He was always willing to buy beer whenever he was asked for her, Otto and Twister with his fake I.D. - a gift he had been given from the captain of the Varsity football team in his freshmen year for surviving hazing and becoming a starter. Not that he even needed it nowadays- with his strong physique and five o'clock shadow he could easily pass for 21. It was even hard to hate him at parties. He never got belligerently drunk and got into fights or tried to take advantage of blacked out girls. On the contrary, he was usually the one to break up any fights and volunteer to accompany shitfaced girls on their walk home, not even getting frustrated when they puked all over his sneakers, it happened sometimes. He was a gentleman- and girls loved it. Even Reggie sometimes felt non-platonic feelings for him which she quickly denounced.

Despite the gaggle of girls who would willingly throw themselves at his feet, Sam always turned them down. He preferred relationships over one-night stands and had even dated one of Reggie's best girl friends- Sherry. The relationship lasted for a good six months, and the break-up was mutual. Hell, Sam was better friends with Sherry than he was with Reggie nowadays despite their breakup. Reggie had never asked Sherry about dating Sam, and always changed the subject when Sherry started talking about him. Was it jealousy? Reggie suddenly caught herself and said out loud to nobody-

"Of course not." He was her former best friend for one thing. Plus, he was not her type at all. Reggie had had her own relationships in the past few years with guys that she had more in common with. Dates usually consisted of a surf session and burgers afterward; and maybe some fooling around on the beach or in the backseat of his car if the guy was worthy. But, all of her relationships ended because of the same reason- a lack of emotional interest. It was nice to have someone to surf with who was found her attractive, but Reggie wanted more than just a surf/make out buddy- she wanted to able to have deep conversations as well, and she wasn't going to find that by dating surf bums.

Sam laughed as his teammates tackled him to the ground in a victory dog pile. They had were now just one win away from winging the regional championships and going on to post-season playoffs. He had prevented the other team's receiver tying up the score with an excellent tackle that left the poor bastard lying on the turf, the wind completely knocked out of him and feeling like a failure. Sam looked up at the cheering crowd of students and parents and spotted his own divorced parents, both of them beaming. His relationship with his father had improved throughout high school partly in thanks to his star athlete status. Paula had been hesitant about letting her son play such a brutal sport, but after making a long-distance call to her former husband to try and convince him to talk Sam out of it, she was instead swayed by Doug to encourage her son to play.

Doug having been a former football player himself told his wife that team sports were important for Sam's self-confidence and would also look good on his college applications. He also argued that by becoming a high school athlete, Sam would spend less of his free time skateboarding. This fact was what really convinced Paula to let Sam play; she had no problem with Sam's skater friends but whenever Sam walked out the door with his board, she always worried about receiving a phone call from the hospital saying that her son was badly hurt. Doug also made a promise that he would become more involved in his son's life and come to as many games as possible to support both Sam and Paula. His father was more than willing to blow off work and hop on a plane from Kansas whenever Sam had an important game. And while he knew his parents would never become a fairy tale story and re-marry, he knew that they had gone from resenting each other to becoming friends. Something that very few divorced couples ever become. Paula even insisted Doug stay in their guest room whenever he was in town, claiming that a hotel was just silly.

The Ocean Shores coach picked up a megaphone and pointed it towards the home crowd. "Can get any parents of our senior players to come down to the field please. As you all know, this is our last home game of the regular season, also known as 'Senior Night'. A time to acknowledge our senior players who have been part of the program and thank them for their commitment." He said. "And to take some lovely photographs of these handsome young men and the people responsible for being here on this earth and raising them to the upstanding gentlemen they are today." He added.

Paula ran up to her son and pulled him into hug, ignoring the dirt on his jersey.

"Oh Sam, we're so proud of you!"

"That was some fierce defense there son!" Doug agreed giving him a firm pat on his shoulder pad.

"Thanks Mom and Dad. I'm glad you could both make it."

"Like I would want to be anywhere else." Doug reassured his son. He was wearing khaki pants and blue polo shirt with the Ocean Shores Football logo stitched onto the chest. Paula was wearing a blue fleece with the same logo. They were both dedicated members of the football team's booster club and had enough Ocean Shores apparel to clothe a village.

"Alright Dullards, smile!" Sam's coach was holding a camera and taking photographs of every senior player and parents. Sam placed an arm around each parent and smiled wide at the flash.

"Yo Dullard! We're all going for pizza, hurry up!" one of his fellow teammates yelled to him. Sam turned to his parents to ask permission but Paula answered him before he even opened his mouth.

"Go on, Sam. Just try to be back by midnight."

"Are you sure? I know you and Dad wanted to have a family dinner while he was here."

"Don't worry about it Sammy, I'm here all weekend. We can have dinner together tomorrow. "He reassured him before turning to his ex-wife. "And only midnight? Come on Paula, they're one game away from post-season, let him stay out a bit later."

"Well, fine. Just be careful, don't drink, and when I wake up in the morning you better be home by then. Okay?"

"Sure thing Mom." Sam ran off to catch up with his teammates without noticing the purple-haired girl watching his every move in the stands. Reggie snapped out of her gaze by a tap on her shoulder.

"Come on Reg, there's a victory party at Greg's house!" Sherry squealed excitedly. Greg was the quarterback on the team.

"Now?"

"Well, in a couple hours. The team is going to get dinner first, but we gotta go get ready! I need to change my clothes and put on eyeliner, as do you. We can't go this party wearing what wore in school today." Sherry stated.

"Why?" Reggie asked, her eyes following Sam as left the field.

"Because we have more class than that." Sherry said.

"Okay, let's go." Reggie wondered if Sam would be at the party; part of her hoped he would be. But she was also weary about talking to him their confrontation in the parking lot the other day. The two girls walked out towards Sherry's car and encountered a group of girls chattering excitedly about the nights activities. They began talking about their potential outfits as the parking lot started to clear out. Reggie feigned interest in the conversation but her aloof attitude faded when a familiar voice called out her name. She turned around to see Sam walking towards her with a couple other players. His hair was still a bit wet from the shower and he was dressed in pair of dark jeans and a white v-neck that hugged his muscles nicely. Reggie caught herself. Stop checking him out! She thought to herself

"Hey, good game." Reggie congratulated.

"Thanks. You going to Greg's party?" he asked.

"You bet your sweet ass she is!" Sherry jokingly winked. Sam laughed and Reggie began to feel a bit uncomfortable. Sherry and Sam always made humorously flirty comments to each other despite haven broken up nearly a year ago.

"When are the festivities starting anyway?" Reggie asked, trying to ignore Sherry's comment.

"Well the team's going to grab a bite to eat and me and Greg still have to pick up some party supplies. So…" He turned to boy with a shaved head and asked "Yo Greg, when we are we starting this shit?"

"Party starts at ten." He answered.

"I hope the party supplies aren't limited to solo cups and cheap beer." Sherry said.

"Well, I already got a keg on ice at the house, but Dullard and I are hitting up the liquor store. Any requests?" Sherry was about to say something, but Sam cut her off

"Southern Comfort with plenty of limes and ice." Sam smiled.

"Why Sam, how ever did you know?" Sherry joked.

"I know how you like it." Sam said in a seductive voice. The entire group burst out laughing, aside from Reggie.

"Man, why don't you two just start dating again?" Greg chuckled. Sherry and Sam just continued to laugh.

"What about you Reg? What's your poison of choice nowadays?" Sam asked.

"Any kind of tequila will do. Limes, salt-"

"And a hot boy on the side." Sherry smirked. "Body shots!" The group roared with laughter, Reggie joining in this time.

"Alrighty then. SoCo, tequila, limes, salt and ice. And they will not be touched until I see both of your faces." Sam reassured.

"Thanks, Sammy." Sherry grinned. She and Reggie began walking to her car when Reggie suddenly stopped and said-

"Hold on, I need to grab something from my locker real quick." Before Sherry could say anything, Reggie was already running off towards Sam who was unlocking his car.

"Sam!" she called out

"What's up?"

"I just wanted to apologize for the other day. It was totally uncalled for and immature of me. You were right. Tito gave you that board and you had every right to sell it."

"Hey, don't even worry about it. It's all in the past." Sam assured her.

"Thanks for understanding." She reached into her purse and pulled out some cash. "Here, for party supplies." She held it out towards him. Sam gently pushed the hand clutching the money back too her side.

"No need to pay, Reg. The booze is being paid for by the team. No outside donations accepted."

"You sure?"

"Positive." Sam opened the driver side door and got in. "See you in a few hours."

"See ya." Reggie said. And with that, Sam drove off.