Chapter 8

When I awoke two days later I found my laptop and some books and papers on my bedside table. I sat up and looked over at Greg and Danny who where situated at the table playing cards.
"What is all this?" I asked. Greg gave me a smile that made me regret asking.
"Well the professor was so impressed when he found out that you'd help if you could he called the hospital and they said you where allowed to do some work, as long as there isn't too much physical exertion. So the prof decided you would help the student who are working on it do some reaserch." He when back to his card game, "You got any threes?" I rolled my eyes.
"Ok so now I am working on this case just like everyone else. Does this mean I get to interview you then?" I asked, he looked up and gave me a pleading look.
"The only reason I am doing this is because I am making a deal. I don't even want to do this any more." He replied. I stared for a second.
"So is that a yes?" Danny laughed at that, and Greg sighed.
"I guess so, since that is on your list of thing to do," he pointed to to the pile of book and laptop. On the top of the pile was a list of things that I was to take care of, the top of the list was to interview Greg and find out his side of the story completely. Danny stood up from the table.
"Well since you two need to get started I will leave you to your interview." He nodded to Greg and me and left. I tossed my legs over the side of the bed, gatherd some of the items on the bedside table and headed slowly over to the other table in the room. Once there I sat down and Greg took the seat across from me.
"So, I'm guessing I should ask you for your side of the story..." I trailed off, still not to sure as to what I was doing.
"Your guessing?" He asked. I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah well it's not like I've actually done this before. Besides, I'm only a first year law student, usually professors only ask third and maybe a second year. I'm still learning the basics." Greg smiled at me.
"Well I'm sure you will do just fine. As for what happened? It started when I decided to ask this really cute guy out. Anyway the date went just fine, his room was the floor above mine so he stopped at my room to say goodbye. Now there was the usual goodnight kiss which last a little longer than it should. When we pulled back the coach was just down the hall talking to some of the guys on the team and stareing at me. The guys told me later that he was asking if I really was 'queer' as he put it." He paused for a second.
"Your going to use that right? That he used the word queer with the other guys." I sighed and shook my head.
"Unless I can get him to admit it then it is hear-say which is inadmissable." Greg sighed.
"Fine, anyway the next day he told me that I was off the team." I nodded and looked down at the questions. I then remembered something.
"Hey didn't you say the coach was going to make you team captin?" I asked, Greg nodded.
"Yeah, why?" I rested my chin on my arms.
"Tell my why he would get rid of, to my understanding, one of the best players on the team for what has been stated as 'inadaquiet field player'?" I ask drousily. Instead of answering Greg stood up and pulled my chair back. I let out a small moan as my chin fell from my arms.
"Come on little one, time for bed," I sighed and stood up. I didn't protest when Greg slipped his arm around my waist and helped me to my bed. I climbed under the covers and drifted off to sleep.

***

When I awoke the next morning I found my doctor sitting in the chair. I sat up.
"Don't you have work to do?" I asked him he smiled at me.
"I do but this couldn'e wait. The results of your last bunch of test came back. You have managed it again which is rare considering the type of lukemia you have. You are in remission again." I stared at him for a few second not sure of what to say. I had been told by more than one person that I probably wouldn't make it this time.
"Ok, if you're joking then that is just cruel." The look on his face told my he wasn't joking.
"I will start you on imune therapy as soon as possible, in other words tomorrow and you can leave as soon as I am certain your body can handle it." I nodded silently and layed back in the bed. I was laying there for about five minutes when the door opened.
"Not interupting anything are we?" I looked up, Greg was their, as was Dave. Greg himself looked like he had just come from a funeral in a dark suit, of course the cast and crutches made him look a little less formal and Dave was wearing his scrubs.
"Jeeze you two look like you both just got here from work." I said and motioned for them to sit. Greg too the chair beside the bed and Dave sat at the end of the bed.
"I did, but I don't know about him. He doesn't seem like th kind of guy who would have a suit 'n tie kind of job to me." I smiled at both of them.
"He's not. So what is with the suit anyway?" I asked tossing my own legs over the edge of the bed. Greg leaned back.
"I had an interview that had been posponed because of the accident, and for the record it is sort of a suit and tie kind of job. I was being interviewed for my internship. Lot of fun too, the doctor doing practically tore me apart. Now I'm not to sure if I wanna work in this hospital at all." Dave laughed.
"Well that means it was either Romano, which is most likely, or Weaver." Greg nodded.
"It was a rather short little bald guy." I couldn't help but laugh, well actually it was more of a giggle, I was too giddy for actual laughing. Greg gave me an odd look.
"Ok, before we go any further... Slash, what is WITH you today?" I tried my best not to smile but failed, I broke into a grin.
"I just found out I have achieve to impossible." I recieved odd looks from both of them. I sighed. "I've actually gone into remission again." Both men gave me shocked looks.
"Christ, your lucky!" Dave said. I smiled and swung my legs back and forth.
"I know, anyone wanna fo to Las Vagas with?" I asked.
"I do!" Dave replied, Greg nodded with agreement.
"Lets go, we could be rich." The three of us laughed.
"You know this might mean you might win the case," I said to Greg.
"I knew you were going to bring that up eventually." He said glumly. I smiled and nodded.

***

I was back at the dorm by the end of the week. I was just getting settled back in to my room when there was a knock on the door. I pulled it open. On my door step was Professor Allan Dekard.
"Um, hello..." I said, a bit confused.
"Hi Slash, mind if I come in." I nodded and stepped back to let him in.
"I am here to talk to you about you grades for this semester." Professor Dekard was not only one of my insturctors, but my guidance councellor as well.
"What about 'em? I know I'm going to fail. It is kind of a given." He nodded and sat down in one of the desk chairs.
"That is more or less part of what I was going to say. The rest of it is that the school has looked at the circumstance and decided that if you work extra and actually participate more in this discrimination case than you are at the moment, in other word major field experiance, then you would be allowed a chance to pass your courses. You would learn the same things, only differently, and a bit more." I stared at him.
"Man, I figured I had luck but this is rediculus." Professor Dekard tilted his head to the side.
"what do you mean?" I sat down on my bed, indian style.
"Well when they found out I was out of remission pretty much nobody expected me to come out of the hospital alive. Here I am alive, AND in remission." The older man smiled at me.
"I guess you are lucky. Now the question is are you ready for the challange?" I smiled back.
"I am always ready for a challange." Dekard stood up.
"Good, then I expect you in my office thirty minutes before class tomorrow, and be prepared to work like a dog." I stood and walked him to the door.
"Sure thing Prof." We said our goodbyes and Dekard left.

Chapter 9

Over the next few days I started to get the feeling that Danny was avoiding me. I had no proof of that of course, since my professor was making me work like a dog. I began to notice that he would be 'just heading out' when I came in. At the end of the week I decided to aproach him, since he wasn't actually aproaching me. I waited up for him to get back to the room, I was just about to fall asleep at my desk when he came in.
"Slash? Don't you need to be somewhere early tomorrow?" He asked, surprised to see me still awake. I yawned.
"Do you?" I asked back. He smiled slightly.
"Touche, what are you doing up?" He dropped his stuff by his door and flopped back on his bed.
"Waiting for you." I said, at his odd look I added, "We need to talk." He sat up.
"Can it wait?" He asked,I shook my head.
"No, because you have been avoiding me, and that isn't going to make it any easier." I caught his eyes with my own, he was silent for a bit.
"But I want it to," He said quietly. I moved from my chair to his bed, I felt him stiffen.
"Well unfortunatly, that will only make it worse. The only way this is going to go away is if you deal with it." I said just as quietly.
"I know." He looked down at the bedding, "I'm scared about my dad," He looked back up at me, fear filled his eyes.
"You know, I was scared about my dad at first too, I thought he was going to kick me out of the house or something. It turned out that my mom was the one with the problem, hell my dad even said he was proud of me." I smile weakly at him. He does his best to try and smile back, it doesn't work to well. I scoot over so I am sitting next to him.
"It is just not a good idea to push me out of your life becsause of something your not sure of. It wasn't to good of an idea to push your girlfriend out either." He looked down and nodded.
"I should get to be, I have to get up early tomorrow," He says. I move over to my own bed.
"Same here, see you in the morning." He changed and crawled under the covers, I did the same.
***

The next morning I stood in front of my professors door waiting, he had asked me to meet him early that morning because he said he had something for me to check out. Looking down at my watch I sighed and seriously considered leaving. He was supposed to meet me thirty minutes ago. Just as I push my self away from the wall I see him come around the door. I wave slightly, he waves back and jogges to reach me.
"Sorry I'm late Slash, I didn't mean to keep you waiting." I shrug.
"It's nothing, I don't exactly have a class." He unlocks the door to his office and motions for me to enter. I do and he followes. "So you said you had something for me to look into?" I ask.
"Yes, I do actually. I did so background checking on the coach and apperantly he has a track record for this type of behavior." I adjust my shoulder bag and rais an eyebrow.
"Explain!" I say, he pulls some files from his briefcase and hands them to me. I open the first one, it is a personal file of someone named Alexander Makenzy.
"Those are all former team players. They, for some reason or another, where all kicked of the team. The first, Makenzy, originally claimed that the coach cut him from the team because it was exposed that he had been arrested in high school, which is not against the law." The professor was silent for a second. I spoke up.
"Thats not illegal though, is it?" I asked. Dekard shook his head.
"Not in most cases, but Makenzy was a minor when he was arrested, so the charge shouldn't have been found out. I am just curious as to WHY it was found out. That is the first thing I want you to do." I nodded and pulled out a note pad and wrote that down, the professor smiled at me.
"Sure you don't want to be a detective instead? Pulling out note pads from your pocket." I smiled back.
"I'm sure, I just have a friend who claims you should always have paper and a pencil ready for anything." I recieve a nod.
"The next file is a boy, McGreggor, who was cut for no reason what so ever. Rumor has it though, that the coach cut him after finding out he wasn't christian." I raised an eyebrow.
"Ok, so you think that that might have been the reason?" I aske.
"I'm not sure," He shrugs.
"I get to look into that one too right?" I ask, again he nods.
"How about this last guy?" I ask opening the final folder.
"Sztovick, cut after coming out to his friends and some other team mates. That is the one I want you to pay most attention to." I look down at the folder for a second.
"So in other words this coach is our own personal Hitler?" Dekard chuckled lightly.
"I guess you could put it that way. I want your final report on those people on my desk by the end of the week." I nod.
"Sure," I look down at the folders, "You, ah, want these back?" I ask holding them out.
"No, keep them for now, and don't let anyone get a hold of them." I nod and slip them into my shoulder bag.
"Sure, I guess I should be going, you have a class don't you." He stands up.
"I do," I follow him out of the office.
"Slash, this coach is getting some of the best lawyers this side of pluto to work for him, it is going to be tough but if we play our cards right we can win." I straghten myself up.
"Well I can tell you right now, I don't plan on loosing." He grins at me.
"That is what I like to see! Now get going, you have lots of work and a limited amount of time." The two of us part. I leave the building trying to figure out how to find these three guys.

Chapter 10

I decided to interview Sztovick first, partially because he was in fact the most important and partially because I have yet to locate any of the others. I had tried calling him, without a response, there for I find myself situated in a rather packed club on the strip seeking out my target. One look at the club told me I was offically looking for a needle in a hay stack. I decided to start at the bar.
"Excuse me?" I say, I end up repeating myself louder. The bartender makes his way over.
"You have to wait your turn." He replies. I sigh.
"I'm looking for someone." I say loudly. The other man looks at me.
"Everyone here is looking for someone, I'll be damned if you actually find him." He smirks at me.
"I'm looking for Aaron Sztovick!" I say, the bartender shrugs. I sigh and turn around, I find my self face to face with a tall dark haired man who was older than me by about five maybe six years.
"Why you looking for me?" He askes. I recognize him from the picture in the file.
"I need to talk to you about your old university football coach." I say. He stares at me.
"I really don't want to talk about that." He says. I tilt my head.
"Well I do, and I don't intend on going home without doing so." His eyes meet mine. He motions for me to follow and heads off towards the exit.
About five minutes later the two of us where seated in a small diner. I set my stuff beside me in the booth.
"Are you by any chance working on that law suit?" He asked. I was surprised. I hadn't thought that anyone would know about it just yet. I nod.
"Yeah actually I am." He laughed slightly.
"You seem surprised. It has been all over the news. Especially the fact that their letting a first year work on the case." I blush slightly. Being as camera shy as I am, just the fact that I have been mentioned made me a bit uncomfortable.
"Well I wouldn't mind getting some info about your own experiance." A waitress walked over to take our orders. I looked down at the menu.
"Um, I'll just have some fries and a coke." She nods.
"Ah, burger, fries, some coke and a turkey sandwhich." He looks back at me.
"What all do you need?" He asked.
"Well, did the coach say anything when he cut you?" Aaron gives me a sarcastic smile.
"Yeah, he told me I was a fairy." I sigh.
"It will go a lot faster if you co-operate, you know." I tell him.
"Well I don't now how this is going to help." He replies.
"Easy, if we can prove he has a history then we will have an easier time proving that's what he did this time." He stares at me for a second.
"Your not going to win this thing anyway." He leans back and continues to watch me. Again I tilt my head to the side.
"I have never come in last before, and just because I'm not on the slopes doesn't mean I'm going to lose this either." He raised an eyebrow. he was silent for a second.
"All he said was that I was no longer the type of player the team needed." I pick up a fry from the basket placed in front of me.
"Hmm, well do you if he actually knew?" I aske. He looked at he nails for a second.
"Yeah, I know. I came out to a couple of guys, next thing I knew the whole team knew and the coach was giving me an especailly hard time." Nodding slowly, I reach for my bag. I pull out a note book and pencil and write it all down. He watches me for a bit while I write.
"You're pretty sterioutypical aren't you?" He said. I look up.
"Huh?" He smiles.
"I'm just thinking that if you where any more steriotypical then you would be flamboiant. I bet you even cried at Bambi." He said. I'm silent for a second. Finally I pout,
"It was sad," I say. Aaron laughs.
"Yeah, but the way you look at people, the hair..." He lets his voice trail off. I fingure my shoulder lenght hair, I have kept it long since I was fourteen. I have always liked it long.
"I like my hair." I say. he smiles at me.
"So do I," He leans forward, I realize that he's flirting with me. I blush.
"Thanks." He shrugs.
"I'm just being truthful."I nod.
"Um... Do you have any proof that your coach knew?" I aske, feeling a little flustered. I stare down at my notebook when he continues to stare me in the eye.
"Not really, nothing that would be admissable anyway. It's all hear say." I look up, he had pulled the top piece of bread off his sandwhich and was examining the contents.
"It still might help, give a clue as to where to look." I say. He nodded slowly, picking a piece of lettis off the sandwhich.
"Well, my buddy, scratch that, he was my signifigant other at the time, heard him talking to the assistant coach. Said the assitant was pissed I was cut." He closed his sandwhich, "He said the coach told the assitant he didn't want queers on the team." I nod. He looks up at me, "Will that help any?" He asks. I nod again.
"If he's had to explain himself once he might have had to do it again." I sigh and place my elbows on the table and rest my chin in my hands.
"Sound reasonable, will I have to testify?" Aaron copies my movement.
"Maybe. You be contacted if you do. I may need to get in touch with you again." I say. I start packing up my stuff.
"You leaving?" I look up at him.
"Well I really can't think of anything else thats important." He smiles at me.
"How about you food? If you leave then your wasting so many poor fries." I rais an eyebrow.
"Well then you can have them," I push the basket towards him. he pushes it back.
"Finish them, we can talk. Might make it easier for you to keep in touch," He winks at me. I stay silent for a second.
"You know, if you want to ask me out you can, but it would make it impossible to use you're testimony. It would be considered corrupt." I say.
"Well then how about after all this is done." I pick up the stuff.
"You can ask me then, I'll talk to you later maybe." I stand up and hook my bag over my shoulder. Aaron shakes his head and mummbles something about playing hard to get.
"All right, later." I drop some money on the table and leave the small diner. I was just about to cross the street to the bus stop when Aaron comes out.
"At least let me give you a ride. The buses at this time of night aren't exactly safe." I look at him and the across at the bus stop, three rather large looking men where looking back at me.
"That I will agree with." I say and follow him back in.

***

When I get back to my dorm room Danny was sitting up on his bed watching a small portible TV. He looks up when I enter.
"It's late, I was kinda worried." I smile at him.
"Thanks, but I'm ok." He switches off the TV and stands up. I hang my bag on the back of my chair.
"Slash," I turn around, he is standing right behind. I suddenly find myself flustered all over again.
"Um, yeah?" The words where just out of my mouth when he leaned over and kissed me passionatly.