Body Slammed! by Ray Villareal

about to move up the ACW ladder.” He paused. “I hope that doesn’t cause problems for him. Some of the boys who have been with the company a lot longer than TJ might not be too happy about it.”
    Jesse moved away from the sink, leaving the water running for his father. While he dried his hands, he asked, “So what if the boys don’t like it, Dad? I mean, you’re always talking about how wrestlers have to do something to stand out, to get noticed, if they want to make it in the business.”
    Jesse’s father held his head under the faucet with the water running. “Get me the shampoo from the shower, would you?”
    Jesse opened the shower door, grabbed the shampoo bottle from the caddy and handed it to him.
    His father squirted shampoo on his head and lathered his hair. “Don’t misunderstand me, champ. I want TJ to succeed in the ACW. It’s just that he needs to tone down his attitude a notch or two. He needs to work a little harder at endearing himself with the boys.”
    Why did TJ need to do that? To Jesse it sounded as if some of the boys were jealous of him. Maybe what they really didn’t like was that TJ was twenty-two years old, and many of the boys, including Bronko Savage, were approaching middle age. Maybe they considered TJ a threat, someone who might one day take their spot. The way Jesse saw it, TJ was the future of the company, and those old guys, even his father, were part of the past.
    â€œWhat about Jacob Sloane, Dad?” Jesse asked. “You said that most of the boys don’t like him. But nobody throws his clothes out of the locker room, do they? Nobody makes Sloane get dressed in the hallway.”
    Jesse’s father dried his hair with his towel. “The difference, champ, is that Sloane sells tickets. And plenty of merchandise. Yeah, he’s a jerk, but the fans love him. They buy into his baby face persona. Sloane may not be the most popular guy in the locker room, but he makes a lot of money for the company, which translates into more money for the boys.”
    They made their way back to the dining room. Iced tea glasses had been placed on the table. From the kitchen, Jesse could hear his grandparents singing “Victory in Jesus.”
    â€œLook, champ, I don’t mind that you went out to eat with TJ the other night, or that he took you to the UFC matches,” Jesse’s father said. “But I want you to be careful around him. TJ’s got a bit of a wild streak. He’s been on his own for a while, and he pretty much lives his life the way he wants.”
    Jesse was getting sick of listening to his father bad-mouthing his friend. “Dad, TJ’s a grown man. Shouldn’t he be able to live his life the way he wants?”
    â€œOf course he’s a grown man. But that’s just it, champ. You’re only fifteen . . . ”
    â€œSixteen,” Jesse corrected him. “I’ll be turning seventeen in December.”
    His father’s eyelids batted self-consciously. Trying not to act rattled over having forgotten how old his son was, he took a sip of his iced tea. “Still, TJ’s a lot older than you are. You’re probably better off spending time with kids your age. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
    â€œDad, TJ and I didn’t do anything wrong,” Jesse said. “He just took me out to eat Friday night and to watch the fights yesterday, that’s all.” Jesse didn’t mention that TJ had gotten kicked out of the Alamodome or what they did afterwards.
    When they left the arena, Jesse and TJ stopped to pick up burgers at a Jack in the Box. Then they drove on Highway 90 because TJ wanted to show Jesse the Dominguez State Jail. On an access road near the jail, TJ spotted a DO NOT PICK UP HITCHHIKERS sign. He thought the sign would look great in his apartment, so he decided to pull it up and take it. Jesse and TJ got out of the car and rocked the sign