About Burnt Orange: Sooner or Later
by Dallas Coleman
55 pages / 10000 words
ISBN: 978-1-61040-085-5
Ebook zipped file contains -
html, lit, Adobe and Sony optimized pdf, prc, epub
Andy McBride and Warren Brower have been friends since grade school.
They've argued about football just as long. Andy's a Longhorn's fan for
life, while Warren's a Sooner. Their best-friend rivalry lasts until they
graduate from high school and Warren leaves Texas to attend school in
Oklahoma. Unable to confess his true feelings for his best friend, Andy has
no choice but to watch Warren leave.
Life goes on, and Andy's on the way to becoming an actual Longhorn when an
accident puts him out of commission for good on the football field, and
maybe for life. Can Andy put his life back together and let Warren know how
he really feels before they're both old and gray?
Sample
"Texas Fight! Texas Fight!" Andy McBride tilted back
his head and started singing at the top of his lungs, the playground
ringing with the sound. Mamma had to drop him off early today because
the girls had some cheerleading thing at the high school before the
football game tonight between them and the Warriors. It was okay,
though. There were a bunch of kids there already and the wind was
blowing, and he could smell chili on the air, so lunch was going to
rock.
And it was Texas/OU weekend.
The Longhorns were going to cream the Sooners and there was going to be
a big old party at his house, Daddy said.
Uncle Buck and Danny were coming along with the cousins and Aunt Vicki
was bringing Pa-Paw. It was gonna be the best day.
He had his second best UT T-shirt on. He was saving his best one for
tomorrow -- it was his lucky shirt and Daddy said traditions were real
important. Especially on big game days.
The only day bigger than the Red River Shootout was when the 'horns
played the Aggies after Thanksgiving. On that day they were in Kyle
watching at Uncle Buck's house, though. Uncle Danny did the Texas Tech
game at his house (they forgave Aunt Lena for rooting for the Raiders;
she graduated from there and her sausage balls were even better than
Mamma's).
Roger and Troy had their shirts on, too. Roger's was a little older than
his, but it was like whoa-cool because his brother, Wes, had bought it
before he had to go to Desert Storm.
Desert Storm was a war. A real life war with missiles.
Roger's shirt had to be like… blessed by Jesus special.
"You think they're gonna win by twenty one?" Roger asked, leaning
against the tetherball pole. "Or twenty eight?"
Him and Roger looked over to Troy, who shrugged. "My dad says ten. He
made a bet in Vegas."
"Wow." Andy's daddy said Troy's dad was a high-roller. Mamma said he was
Bad News, but all Andy knew was that Troy's mom looked like something
from a magazine and that Troy had a TV and a Nintendo in his bedroom and
there was a real life pool table and a slot machine with a big bucket of
quarters in the game room.
Beer, too.
Andy thought beer was gross.
"So long as they win, I don't care none. Hey, guess what?"
"What?"
Andy grinned wide. "Robbie is already in Dallas. Him and his frat
brothers went on a party bus!"
Andy wasn't sure what a party bus was, but his big brother had whispered
it to him, told him he couldn't tell Mamma or Daddy or even the twins,
so it had to be so cool.
"Oooh."
He nodded at his best friends, tickled that he'd been right. Party bus.
Cool. When he grew up and was a Longhorn, he was going to go to the
Shootout on a party bus, too.
That tickled him so bad that he had to sing again. "The eyes of Texas
are upon you!"
"The Longhorns suck!"
The playground went quiet, all eyes swinging around to look to see where
the voice had come from. This was Pflugerville. Everybody was a 'horns
fan.
Everybody.