Chapter 3 Wrestling Begins

Tommy struggles with the first day of wrestling practice, and he must adjust to being the freshman of the team. How will he deal with it?

The first day of High school would define Tommy for the next couple of months. Tommy started to hang out with Miley and her friends all the time and discovered that that were all rich, not that that mattered to Tommy. He found out a week into the year that Mileys dad was the owner and CEO of Wawa industries, while Tripp and Kiley’s parents were famous actors in movies like the avengers and never back down, which were big movies at the time. Nate mom was top notch clothing designer and Kierra and Nate’s parents were casino owners. All of his new friends were millionares! At first, Tommy didn’t know what to think, because he didn’t blend in with his new friends at all. I mean, Tommy’s dad was a lawyer and his mom was judge, but he was nowhere close to as rich as his new friends. Tommy hung out with Trip and Nate daily, usually at lunch and after school. All three were as athletic as you could be, so they often played basketball or football after school. As far as Tommy and Miley were concerned, nothing had happened from the time they had met on the first day of school to the beginning of November. What Tommy came to learn is that Miley was dating John, which is one of the main reasons that Tommy didn’t hang out with John. It’s not that he was jealous of John, moreover the fact that John was jealous of Miley. John had been dating Miley for the past year, but ever since she met Tommy, John thinks that Miley has acted different. A big change that Tommy has endured since moving to Florida is going to parties. During middle school, Tommy and his friends never went to parties. Yet with his new friends, Tommy has been exposed to the richest of the rich parties. He would go to house with three stories, two pools one on the inside and one on the outside with a heated hottub. These parties went on all night with hundrets of people, girls in bikinis; and alcohol… lots of alcohol. Tommy like the parties, up to November, at least, because by November he had to start getting serious about wrestling, because he wanted to be that freshman that won a state title… and he knew inside of him that he could do it.

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                   November 14^th, the most important day up to this point in Tommy’s high school experience was finally here. “Wow!” Tommy thought, “ It’s finally here, wrestling seasons about to start. Time to see my competition, time to see what it takes to win.” Tommy went through the school day as usual, but instead of sitting with Miley and his friends at lunch he went to the wrestling room, he wanted to see it for himself. After he took a good look at it, he left the wrestling room on his way to the cafeteria when he collided into a girl he had never met before. The collision knocked his books right out of his hand while knocked the girl down to the ground. Tommy look down, helped the girl up, and started picking up the books that had fell on the floor due to the collision. When he lifted his head up from the paper, he saw her. She was beautiful, but a different kind of beautiful that he felt when he saw Miley. He looked into this girl’s eyes and his mind went blank. It was as if he was seeing himself in her eyes. Just the look in her eyes made him feel like she was thinking exactly what he was thinking, like she was going through exactly what he was going through, like she was not sure of who she was and she was trying to find herself. All of these thoughts clouded his mind, so he couldn’t think well enough to say a word, either could the girl though. It was as if they had a connection that was undeniable, as if they knew that were both thinking the same thing. They stared at each other like this for some time, until the girl finally gathered herself enough to talk.

                        “I’m so sorry… I… I want looking where I was going.”

                        “It’s ok…I’m ok… I just … Do you wana eat with me.”

                        “Sure.’

                        “Ok, Ill introduces you to my friends.”

                        “That’s ok, I’ve met them.”

                        “What you don’t like them?”

                        “No, honestly I think they’re stuck up. But eat lunch with you, if you want.”

                        “Ok, that sounds great.”

                        So they ate lunch, that’s all, they ate lunch. But it was more than that, it was more than lunch. It was more than meeting someone at school. It was finding a way to find a part of him. A part that he had never thought was there. A part that no one but this mystery girl could have found. It was a way to find part of him.

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                   The smell of the mat was reassuring to Tommy, the smell of dried up sweat eliminated the room, which was filled of around 30 young men. Of these, 10 knew what they were getting into… the most grueling, grinding sport in the world. The boys all sat on the mat around 3:45 lacing up their shoes for the beginning of practice at 4:00. The seniors sat in the corners of the room, the juniors a little more towards the center of the mat, sophomores more towards the center, leading to freshman center circle. Tommy was nervous, not because practice was starting, but because the season was starting, he knew what that meant. The beginning of wrestling season meant the beginning of eating little, grueling practices, and Saturday practices. But it was worth it, it was all worth it to be able to wrestle on the mat, because wrestling was part of him, even when he didn’t want it to be, wrestling was a part of him.

                   Finally the coach showed up: Coach Dickens was his name. He was a short, small, grey haired man with a reputation for creating Florida state wrestling champions. Coach Dickens has been the coach of Miami Central High school for the last 16 years, and because of it Miami Central has won 14 team titles and had 32 individual state champions. In short: Coach Dickens was the high school wrestling man of the south and Tommy was excited to start his high school wrestling career with him. Practice was about to begin. “Circle up gentlemen. He we go. Another great season of wrestling. I know this is going to be a great season. We have some fresh new talent in the room today, but talent isn’t what’s going to make us great. Everyone here who’s been coached by me before knows what I’m talking about. To be the best team we can be, we have to talent, hard work, dedication, toughness. Not just physical toughness, but mental toughness. When we’re in the middle of the season and you’ve barley eaten anything in days, you have to be able to grind though our practices. With mental toughness, we can accomplish anything, and we will accomplish everything we can. Ok, let’s get started. Captains… Start the warmup.” Coach Dickens said. This was a memorable speech; it stuck in Tommy’s mind the whole practice. It made him want to work hard, want to push through the tiredness of the practice so that he could get that much better. After the warmup, coach called out diamond drills where there were groups of three, and each group had two guys on the mat hitting takedowns for two minutes, then after two minutes the third guy rotated in on the first guy. Then the second guy rotated in the the third guy after two minutes, and so. This continued for 45 minutes, and then coached showed some moves on bottom, and then he gave a water break and told us that we were going live. After the water break they got in groups of three, Tommy paired up with Dante and Jason. Dante was a sophomore the started last year at 126lbs, which was Tommy’s current weight, and Jason was senior that was last year’s state champion at 120 lbs. Tommy knew that he would be competing with these two for the 126lb spot, and he was excited to see what would happen. On the first go, Tommy faced off against Dante, before Coach Dickens blew the whistle signifying the live to begin, they shook hands. Tommy was ready… He was ready to see what he was in for. Coach Dickens blew the whistle and they were off, circling on the mat looking for openings on each other. Then they locked up, Tommy used an arm drag to get in on a deep single and finish on top for two points. Then he put in legs before Dante could do anything else, then he ran the power half and had Dante flat on his back, then Coach Dickens blew the whistle. Now he was in against Jason, they shook hands and they were off. Jason tied up, seeming really aggressive, he got a Russian on Tommy and used it to shoot a clear double leg takedown, yet Tommy sprawled and got a front headlock, he used the front headlock to get a cradle and send Jason to his back. Jason immediately rose up, surprised that a freshman had just put him on his back. Coach Dickens looked over, he was shocked… shocked that Jason was on his back… shocked that a freshman had beat a state champion. After live coach had them do conditioning for the last half hour of practice, then practice was over and they were sent to the locker room.

                   When Tommy walked into the locker room, he was looked at like a stranger, like a huge threat to everyone in the locker room. They had all heard of what had happened during live, and they didn’t like it. Freshman weren’t supposed to beat seniors, freshman weren’t supposed to beat state champions. It was not acceptable. At least not to this team, not to the best teach in Florida who had had countless state champions. Tommy walked up to his locker, all of a sudden, Trent Gonso walked up to him. He was scared, he didn’t know what to think, what to say. He was suddenly struck with fear.

                   “Yo Tommy, I heard about what you did to Jason.” He smiled, and shook tommy hand, “I guess you’re not half as bad as I thought.”

                   “Thanks man” Tommy shook his hand. Suddenly the rest of the team came up to Tommy and shook his hand. Tommy was surprised, they all started talking to him, accept Jason. It seemed that he had all of their respect, they might not have all liked him, but he had all of their respect, which was exactly what he wanted.

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                   He felt his phone vibrating in his pocket as he left he gym, but he didn’t know why. His parnets knew that he was going to take the bus home. Who else would be calling him at 6 o clock at night? He pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked down to see who was calling him, it was Miley. Why was Miley calling him today, on the first night of wrestling practice, they hadn’t even talked in over a week.

                   “Hey” Miley said.

                   “Hey whatsup?” Tommy said curiously.

                   “ Whacha doin?”

                   “ On my way home from wrestling practice. Why whatsup?”

                   “Nothing much. I just wanted to know if you could come over my house and hang out.”

                   “I don’t know about that. I mean… I have homework, and your with John, and if he found out… we both know that would be an awkward conversation.”

                   “I can help with the homework, I’m in all honors classes… remember” She chuckled, “And as far as me and John, it wont matter, we’re just going to hang out, and I don’t know if me and John are good any more. I think were just drifting apart.”

                   “Did you tell him that?”

                   “No, because I’m not sure yet.”

                   “Not sure about what?”

                   “I’m not sure if I’m falling for someone else. Can you please just come over?”

                   “Sure, I’ll be there in 20 minutes.”

                   When he got to her house and rang the doorbell, Miley answered the door. Her parents weren’t home so they went in her room and started talking. Then she helped him with his homework and they started watching movie. Next thing Tommy knew she was kissing him. What, what is happening. She’s dating someone. She’s someone else’s girl, she’s not my girlfriend. Why is she kissing me!

                   “What are you doing? Your with John… Were just friends, remember, you said we were just friends.” Tommy said angrily.

                   “Do you wana be just friends with me… Because I want more… I want you.” Miley said desperately.

                   “What I thought you said you were happy with John?”

                   “I invited you overhear to tell you that I wanted you. Do you like me?”

                   “Did you tell John that you like me? Did you end things with him?”

                   “No and why does it matter? I want you, don’t you like me?”

                   “Why would you invite me over if you with John.”

                   “Your avoiding the question.” She said.

                   “What question?” he said.

                   “Do you like me?” said timidly asked.

                   “Yes I do… but I can’t be with you until you tell John that it’s over, because I’m not gona be a home wrecker. Will you do that?”      

                   She smiled, “I’ll think about.”

                   “Ok, well if you do. Call me, if not, don’t bother.” Tommy grabbed his coat and left. The last thing he wanted was to be the guy that comes between a couple, that was not him… that was not who he was… at least not yet.