Locker Room Confessions

Locker Room Confessions

A Story by Dillon
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After winning the championship game, the football team realizes things about a member that changes how the see each other.

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Barbeto High School had just won their championship football game. The fans were cheering their heads off as the athletes ran towards the big and shiny trophy. The team captain, Calvin, grabbed the trophy and waved it around as his teammates lifted him into the air and carried him away to the gym, which is where they placed all the awards they had won over the past few years. Upon setting the newest addition onto the shelf next to the coach’s office, the team made their way to the locker room.

The inside of the boys’ locker room was exactly what anyone would expect it to be like. The stench was atrocious and could possibly make anyone pass out if they weren’t prepared. Dirty clothes from before the game were scattered throughout the floor. Lockers were wide open because they didn’t close, or they wouldn’t have a door. Every flat surface, like the walls, the floor, or the ceiling, is dirty in so many ways. The paint had been falling off because of how old the room is, and stains were practically the new paint job. The boys liked to fling dirty clothes at each other, which resulted in instances where the article of clothing would miss and hit a wall. However, the boys seemed to like all of these factors and treated the locker room as if it’s a second home.

The football team ran into the locker room and immediately did their usual post game ritual. Every time they won a game, they first positioned themselves into a circle and patted the backs of whoever were next to them. Afterwards, they screamed their chant.

“We’re number one, you’re number two! You lost to the gold and the blue!” The team screamed at the top of their lungs. Even though it wasn’t the best chant, it was the one that was passed down to them from previous generations.

“So, what now?” TK asked.

TK is a worrier. He overthinks every aspect of his life which makes him freak out about outcomes he imagines could happen instead of going with the flow. Before the game, when coach was explaining the game plan, TK was in his head calculating a thousand different situations that could occur. When a possibility of him getting hurt came into his mind, he would stiffen and almost make himself pass out from the heavy breathing he brought onto himself. Now he’s worried about what he should do with the rest of the school year since he no longer has football.

“Maybe you could finally get a girlfriend.” Chuckled Zack.

“He probably has one in his head.” Austin laughed. “He spends almost all of his time in his head, he might have an imaginary girlfriend in there that he’s not telling us about.”

Zack and Austin are twins who enjoy picking on people who they saw were weaker than them. They never would physically pick on people, but would rather make comments that would make the other person feel bad. That’s what they did all four years that they were on the football team with TK.

Dacre, on the other hand, cared for TK. “Why must you two idiots constantly feel the need to bully him? He has been the nicest person on this team and even bought all of us Christmas gifts every year. And on our birthdays, he bakes cupcakes for the entire team. You two treat him like trash when he has done nothing wrong. One day you two might need his help and he’s going to ignore you because of the way you two act. When will you two realize that there’s no need to bully him?”

Dacre had been the “dad” of the team since he joined two years ago. He made sure everyone was ready for any event. He brought water to every practice and helped the others when needed. Most importantly, he looked after TK like he was his little brother. Although they were both seniors, Dacre noticed how bad he was treated. Zack and Austin aren’t they only ones. A good portion of the school used to treat TK harshly, some more painful than others. Once he started seeing bruises on him, Dacre made it his mission to defend his friend. Everyone stopped their bullying as soon as he began looking after the boy, well except for the twins.

The twins glanced at each other as they took in what Dacre had said. Before they could speak up, they heard Orion kick the door.

“Hey, bro.” stated Calvin. “What’s wrong?”

Orion turned towards him with an angry expression. “The door’s locked!”

The others ran to the door and tried forcing it to open, but they didn’t have enough strength. They started to panic as they know that they’re trapped.

“You all know the door should always stays open because of its broken lock!” Austin shouted. “Who closed it?”

“I did.”

Heads turned to face TK. Everyone was shocked as they would never have thought that he would do this.

“Why?” Zack asked.

“Because I want answers.” TK stated as small tears fell from his eyes and moved down his cheeks. “For the past four years I have been picked on by you two, Austin and Zack. I don’t know what I’ve done wrong. I’m sorry if I did anything. And nobody answered my question from earlier. What now? What happens after tonight? To us?”

Zack stepped forward with a sympathetic look. “TK, bro, you haven’t done anything. Austin and I say those things to you because we’re jealous. You have a perfect GPA and for sure going to be valedictorian. You already got accepted to half of the colleges in the state and plenty more across the country. You are so smart, and we know we will never be. We just didn’t know a proper way to express our feelings.”

TK pulled in the twins for a hug. “Maybe you should’ve just asked me for some tutoring. I would’ve been happy to help.”

“Thanks. And we’re sorry for everything that we said throughout the years.” Austin apologized for him and his brother.

“But what about my other question? What happens now that football is over?”

“You should know.” Orion said. “We finish the school year, some of us graduate and move on, and the remaining continue with football next year.”

“Why are you so worried about this?” Asked Calvin.

“The reason I joined the team freshman year was because I needed friends. Growing up, I was never able to make friends, so I was constantly lonely. When I found out I made the team, I was finally happy for once in my life. I thought I would make the best friends anyone could ask for, and I was right. Throughout my journey on this team, I’ve grown close to all of you and now I worry about what will happen to us and our friendship once most of us graduate. I’m about to lose the only friends I ever had.”

TK was now a sobbing mess as he dropped to his knees and let his emotions take control of him. Dacre and Calvin rushed to his side and tried their best to calm down their friend. They never realized how much the team meant to him. Now they might think the birthday cupcakes and Christmas gifts weren’t just being nice, it might have been his way of showing how special each member was to him.

“Listen, you’re going to go off to college and probably might some more friends over there.” Calvin said soothingly.

“What if I don’t? This team is all I have!” Sobbed TK.

Dacre pulled out TK’s phone and entered all the numbers of the team members. “Here, I just put in all our numbers. If you ever feel like you miss any one of us, just call or text.”

The other members nodded their heads in approval and then went in and they all had a big group hug. They stayed for a minute to process that this might be the last time that all of them would be together.

When they ended the hug, they heard the door open. They turned and saw the coach walk in with equipment that he was putting up.

“Why was the door closed? You all know it has that broken lock.” Coach Darwin stated. “Anyway, you all are lucky that I had to place these things in storage. Now, get changed and be headed on your way.”

After finally getting in their regular clothes, the boys walked out to the parking lot so they could make their home. Before anyone got inside their car, they all glanced at each other and smiled. It took them being locked in the locker room to figure out that they weren’t just individuals playing a sport, they were friends sharing life together.

© 2017 Dillon


Author's Note

Dillon
Please let me know what you thing. I'm thinking of submitting this for my school's literary journal.

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Added on December 6, 2017
Last Updated on December 6, 2017
Tags: football, fiction

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