Read Raiders Night for Free Online

town.
    â€œWelcome to Afghanistan,” said Tyrell.
    Pete and Brody groaned and cursed, but Matt knew they were happy, too. Just us and ball.
    Outside, in the hot, airless twilight, he felt the sandy soil crunching under his flip-flops and working its wayinto the soft skin between his toes. It was a comforting discomfort, the start of good, familiar pain.
    Ramp was standing importantly with his clipboard at the baggage compartments, giving out bunk assignments. Everyone except the seniors would be in double-deckers on the barracks floor. The managers were handing out bags of sandwiches, fruit, cookies, and bottles of water. No hot meal tonight. Early sack-out, up at six A.M .
    â€œCaptain Rydek. Single in Barracks Two.” Ramp grinned. They’d made it. Ramp would have the single in Barracks One. The singles had once been platoon sergeants’ quarters. The other seniors would share doubles, old corporals’ quarters. Being captain means a lot more to Ramp than to me, Matt thought. Ramp loved the power. Even thought he deserved it. Probably couldn’t wait to start running the nightly games, especially Raider Pride Night.
    Chris Marin was waiting for his assignment, his duffel bag on his shoulder, tapping a sandal impatiently. He had a cocky expression on his face, but Matt noticed he looked lost. No friends here. He thought about saying something but decided not to. Can’t baby a football player. Got to learn to suck it up. He remembered coming here for the first time freshman year, feeling lost, trapped, even though he had friends. By the end of that first camp, after getting through Raider Pride Night, he had felt at home.
    Managers dragged out the seniors’ duffel bags. Ramp snapped, “Marin, caddy for Rydek and Heinz.”
    Chris did a slow turn. “What?”
    â€œYou deaf as well as stupid? Freshmen carry seniors’ bags first night.”
    â€œI’m not a freshman.”
    Hegan and Boda came over grinning, smelling trouble.
    Matt hoisted his bag on his shoulder. “Nobody touches this baby but me.” He shoved Brody. “Let’s go.” He waited until Brody picked up his bag, then headed toward the barracks. He didn’t look back.
    â€œTexas Hold ’Em tonight, my room,” said Brody. He was bunking with Pete.
    The inside of the barracks looked the same, a huge room with two rows of double-decker bunks on a splintery floor. The shower room smelled damp and moldy. There were still no partitions between the toilets. At his first camp, Matt couldn’t sit on a toilet while other guys were around. He waited until the middle of the night to go. By the second summer he could take a dump and hold a conversation. He got to like it.
    He was glad to have a single, an escape from the endless jabbing chatter. Might even skip the poker game tonight. Brody and Pete were into it—they’d been watching poker on TV all summer and playing online. Ramp and Hagen played, too.
    Matt picked at the food, listened to some tunes, dozedas the twilight darkened. He could hear the younger guys yelling and tumbling around in the big room. Let them get it out, the last night they’ll have any extra energy. The coaches will come and shut them down soon enough. He stretched out on the bed. A little early for sleep, but he felt tired, from last night, the booze, the bus ride. Someone tapped on his door, jiggled the knob. Glad I remembered to bolt it. Probably Brody, but wouldn’t he have banged on the door? He felt himself slipping away.
    A moment later, someone was banging. “Drop your cock, pick up your socks, it’s a Raider morning.” Sounded like Coach Kornbauer, the one they called Corndog behind his back.
    Outside on the sandy old parade grounds, Matt jogged in place as the team stumbled out for the morning run. At first he stayed in the middle of the pack with Pete, Tyrell, and Brody. Then he remembered that while there was more air at dawn