The Fox’s Tale

I didn’t see Ellery until almost six on Friday when we gathered in the lobby of our gym to board our bus. Scott kept messing with his tie trying to get it even.

“Why do we have to get dressed up again, Coach Murphy?” he almost whined.

“Because it is a sign of respect, and we will dress up for every away game even if we think our opponents are horrible. You know that’s always been our policy. If anything, it’s more important at the varsity level.” Coach Murphy managed to keep his irritation out of his voice, but not off his face.

“Yeah, well, I feel like I’m being strangled,” he groused.

I knew she’d arrived without turning around.

“Come here Scott, I’ll fix it for you.”

He turned in her direction and visibly sagged with relief. “Thanks Elly.”

She looked incredible. She’d put her hair up in a French twist and I could see diamond studs glinting at her ears. She still had on her coat; a black, velvet trimmed swing coat that moved when she walked giving us glimpses of her green dress underneath.

Sheer hose and gold strappy heels completed her outfit. I looked her up and down twice before forcing myself to look elsewhere. All of us did. She fixed Scott’s tie with practiced skill, her fingers flipping and smoothing the fabric. Then she smoothed his lapels and patted him on the chest.

“There. Picture perfect.” She turned around and smiled at the rest of us and we let out a collective sigh. “Billy, do you have the books and my kit ready?”

“They’re already on the bus.”

Coach Hendrix came in and told us it was time to head out. Part of me wanted to sit with her, but I knew I’d have a hell of a time getting my mind ready for the game if I did. I picked out a seat and hemmed and hawed about asking her to join me. Ellery solved my dilemma for me.

“I need to sit with you for part of the trip. I’ll move to a different seat when Coach says phones off, heads forward, but it’s important.”

“Are you sure it’s okay?” I asked, my eyes darting to the coaches.

She swatted the air. “Yes, yes, they’re fine with it. They understand.”

“Okay then.” I moved over to make room for her in the seat and her face visibly relaxed.

“Thank you.” She slid in next to me.

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

“Give me a moment.” She sniffed me and relaxed further. “Central is an unpleasant place any time,” she whispered, “but this close to a full moon it’s going to be awful. I’ve already warned Billy and Coach Hendrix that this game has the potential to go beyond ugly into dangerous.

“I need you to listen to what I’m going to say and not argue with me about it. When we are in that gym do not sit or stand near me. Don’t talk to me; try to not even look at me. During half time I will come into the locker room to check everyone over, and I will need you to wash whatever I might touch on you before going back on the court.

“Lee’s dad and uncle are going to be there and have agreed to sit behind me at the scorer’s table to act as a buffer. Alexander, no matter what happens; promise me you won’t lose your temper.”

“Hell, it’s a basketball game, not war.”

“Promise me.” She gripped my arm.

“Okay, I promise. But Elly, if it’s so dangerous maybe you shouldn’t go in. One of the third stringers can do the book. They’ve already got two of them doing other stat sheets.”

“If I don’t go in, it will be worse. Now, can I snuggle against you until I have to move?”

“Sure.” I wasn’t about to argue with that request, although I was confused and worried about what was going to happen. I put my arm around her and pulled her close. She laid her cheek on my shoulder and sighed. I half expected some sort of teasing from the guys over this, but no one was paying us any attention, not even the coaches.

“I wish your hair was down so I could play with it,” I whispered.

“I’ll take it down on the trip home.” She sighed again and slid her hand into the top of my jacket to let it rest on my chest. “Talk to me, Alexander. I need the distraction.”

We rode like that with me whispering the funniest stories I could think of to her until Coach Hendrix called phones off, heads forward. She whimpered and I gave an involuntary growl.

“Don’t. Remember you promised,” she reminded me as she slipped across the aisle to sit with Matt. As we turned into the parking lot of the school I heard her say “oh fuck” and then she put her head between her knees.

“Hey Dad,” called Matt as he rubbed her back. “It’s bad in there.”

Coach Murphy moved closer to her. “You don’t have to go in, Elly.”

“Yes I do. You know I do.” She lifted her head. “The JV team needs to leave as fast as they can. They might not even be able to stay for handshakes. One of their refs…..”

“Got it.”

Ellery turned in her seat. “Lee, I need you to walk me in. Have you heard from your dad?”

“He’s five minutes away.”

“Okay, no one go into that fucking gym until you have to. Billy, do we have the exit protocols in place?”

“We do. Ellery, your dad should be here.”

“You know damn good and well why he’s not.” Never in my life had I witnessed a teenager cursing at a teacher or coach and getting away with it.

Ellery took a deep breath. “What time is it?”

“Six forty five.”

“Let’s go then.”

As soon as the door to school opened we could hear how riled up the crowd was. Lee came in last with his arm around Ellery. Her face contorted with revulsion and then she squared her shoulders.

“Change the protocols to a level five. Scott, I’ll tape your wrist at the table.” She slipped off her coat, handed it to Coach Murphy, and the noise in the gym became less intense. The hints of the green dress I’d seen earlier had not prepared me for what she had on. Nothing could have.

It stopped about five inches above her knees, was the same brilliant green as our away uniforms, and it made her eyes look greener than mine. The dress was made out of some sort of clingy fabric that hugged her curves so tightly that any seams underneath would have shown.

There were no seams. To make matters worse it was sleeveless, showing off the toned muscles of her upper arms and had a deep vee neck that gave anyone who cared to look a view of what had to be the most perfect cleavage in creation.

“Holy shit,” I heard someone whisper behind me. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t think of anything except what my dad had said. Before I could protest she snapped, “get in the locker room.”

“You heard her guys, let’s go.”

When we came out, ready to run in for warm ups, she was standing with Lee’s dad in the lobby waiting. We ran in the gym to jeers and profanity and Mr. Sampson walked her in behind the coaches.

All sound except the music and the noise our warm ups made stopped. Sound gradually began to return to the gym as Ellery walked towards the table. It built to a dull roar as she settled herself in a chair.

The atmosphere had changed from one of open hostility into something worse. Anger, hunger, and a growing undercurrent of lust that was all aimed at her. I watched her out of the corner of my eye as she looked around the gym with an expression on her face that told the crowd that she knew exactly what they were looking at and why.

Lee moved to block her from my already limited view. “Relax,” he said. My dad and Uncle Emmanuel will keep her safe. Play it cool or shit will go south real fast.”

I took a practice shot before replying. “She’s literally the only female in this gym. There aren’t even any cheerleaders.”

“We told you, coyotes.”

The first half of the game passed without any drama. The crowd did get riled up when their center got into foul trouble, just as Ellery had said he would, but then she waved her hand at the refs and stood up, leaning over the scorer’s table to point at the pencil that had rolled onto the court. The crowd’s jeers turned to whistles and catcalls.

At half time Mr. Sampson escorted her to the locker room where the sexy, playful demeanor was replaced by anxiety and pain. She pounded back some medication and Coach Murphy put a wet towel around her neck. Even though I was trying to listen to my coach I couldn’t help but overhear what she told him.

“Billy, this game needs to end as soon as possible. Please don’t call timeouts unless they are absolutely, and I mean someone is going to die if you don’t, necessary. And it cannot go into overtime.

“Throw the game if you have to, but we need everyone out the minute regulation is over. Any of our fans that are in the stands need to leave no later than the two minute mark in the fourth quarter. I can’t believe they scheduled this game.”

She whimpered and I wanted to go wrap my arms around her. “Their coach. Billy, his wife.” She said something in a language I didn’t understand and closed her eyes. Coach Murphy swore. “I think I’m going to barf,” she whimpered.

“Put your head between your knees, Elly, that’s a good girl. I’ll fix you something to drink.”

He came back with something fizzy that she accepted with one hand. “We can forfeit. Sean and the team will understand.”

“No,” she growled after she’d had a sip. “We’re up by fifteen there isn’t a believable reason to forfeit.” She looked around. “Where’s my coat?”

“Right here, Ellery. Where do you want it, sweetheart?”

“Make it into a pillow for me please. I need to lie down. Billy…do you think I could hold his hand?”

“Hold mine instead, okay?”

“Okay.” Her voice was small like a child’s.

I didn’t want her to go back in for the second half and told Coach Murphy that as we prepared to head back out for warm-ups.

“For fuck’s sake, she’s the only female in that whole gym! I can smell the way they’re scenting over her and it makes me want to vomit.” I hissed. “It’s not safe.”

“I understand and share your concern. We will keep her safe, I swear it. Now go warm up and keep your mind on the game. Let me worry about Elly.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “She’s too young for you.”

“You’ve got a pair on you, I’ll give you that. Ellery is my sister-in-law.”

“Oh.” My brain made the connection that Coach Murphy was hinting at. “Oh! Okay.”

The trash talking from the players and the crowd was worse in the second half. The fact that Ellery had taken refuge in the locker room with us had not escaped their notice. Our lead had stretched to twenty-five with only one minute left, and then their coach called timeout.

“Ease up on defense to avoid fouls. Let’s end this game and get the hell out of here. They’re whipped, so pass the ball as much as possible and make them chase you if they want it. Run the clock out and when the whistle blows get the hell off the court. Your gear is already on the bus, and if this shakes out like I think it will you’ll not need to mess with handshakes.” Coach Hendrix’s voice was calm, but his face was a mask of fury.

When the clock expired and the horn sounded Coach Murphy went straight to Ellery and put his arm around her to walk her out. Lee’s dad and uncle were close behind. Central’s coach refused to shake hands and the refs started blowing their whistles trying to get things under control.

Out! Let’s go!” Coach Hendrix ordered us.

We began shoving our way through the fans towards the exits when I heard shouting coming from the lobby. I pushed a pimply preteen who was cursing at us out of my way and burst through the door to the lobby to see six ratty looking guys trying to get to Ellery.

One took a swing at Lee’s dad who deflected the punch and knocked the guy face first to the floor. By then the whole team was in the lobby pushing people out of our way to get to Ellery and get out of the building.

I was within arms distance of her when someone grabbed her by the arm. She wrenched it free and decked him so hard he spun halfway around, spraying his friends with blood and at least two teeth.

Coach Murphy was shouting; trying to protect her other side. Grant, Lee, and his family were blocking people and creating a sort of human tunnel to get the rest of the team out. I saw Nick throw a punch and I got on the other side of Ellery just in time to punch someone else in the face who’d made a grab for her, breaking his jaw if the way it slid to one side was any indication.

“Get her out of here!” Coach Murphy yelled as he shoved her into my arms. Ducking between my teammates I half carried her outside. Police had shown up and were running for the doors in an effort to stop the riot.

I saw teammates running past me for the bus as I scooped Ellery up. She seemed incapable of standing on her own, let alone running. I took off as the coaches yelled, “don’t stop!”

“Give her to me,” Lee ordered before snatching her out of my arms and throwing her over his shoulder and running like I’d never seen him run before.

I could see Matt earning the title of guard in the literal sense as he was spinning, snarling, and slashing at anyone who wasn’t on our team; keeping the door to the bus protected. Scott clotheslined a guy who was half shifted on Lee’s right, spinning himself in a circle and running onto the bus without missing a step.

Nick made a low slashing motion at someone else who screamed and fell to the ground. I knew without seeing exactly what he’d done that his claws were out. Lee almost had Ellery on the bus when someone ran at him the way Seth had run at me so I duplicated Ellery’s defensive move from tryouts.

I successfully flipped him over my back before I raced up the stairs on the bus. Matt hopped on behind me and then his dad followed. Andy was helping Lee get Ellery into a seat and Grant was ordering everyone to get back and sit down.

The bus had already been running when we had blitzed onto it, but we still hadn’t left. Coach Hendrix rapidly counted all of us to make sure we were all present. Only Coach Murphy was missing.

Our driver yelled, “Murph! Get your ass in here now!” A bunch of us pressed up against the glass to see what was happening. Coach Murphy was standing just outside the bus glaring at the salivating crowd that hovered about three feet from him, preparing to strike.

Then he cracked his neck and the crowd started to collapse in a wave motion away from him. He spat on the ground and stepped onto the bus and slammed the doors shut behind him.

“Get us out of here, Lewis.”

The bus shifted into gear so fast that those of us still standing almost fell over. As we drove away we could hear the snarls, screams, and baying from the crowd. No one said anything until we were far enough away that the noise faded.