I don’t really care about high school athletics with the exception of the schools I must cover for work. When playoff time comes, if the local teams win, I have more work to do (photos, stories, congratulatory ads). If they lose, then my work is done until the next sport season kicks off.

Tonight, the Everett High boys basketball team hosted the Brighton boys down the street from my office. Because we are in production tonight and the paper is, for the most part, done, we were getting calls from folks at the game updating us on the score. Our photographer was sending us action photos and more information because we are cool like that and just in time, the game ended with Everett victorious, I was able to enter the score into the paper and I met my deadline. Ah

After 12 hours of hellish non-stop work, I think I deserve a cigarette (spare me, anti-smoker-people). I went out for a cigarette, and low and behold, I saw the bus full of Brighton kids stopped at the streetlight in front of my office. They were tough to miss, the whole bus was in an uproar. The players were hanging out the window, screaming at everyone waiting at the nearby bus stop. And I mean screaming. Eff this, Eff you, Eff them, Effing Eff Eff, if you get my drift. I’m not so prudish as to have been offended by their rampant profanity directed at innocent bystanders. I chalked it up to them being teenagers and having just lost a playoff game.

BUT THEN, the light changed and the bus slowly began to roll past me. And as if it was in slow motion, the back of the bus erupted, turning their rage toward me. “You %*#$&%$ B! (I’m censoring this for my under-18 readers.)” “Effing Eff, you Effing see you next Thursday.”

Oh no they didn’t!

Listen, brats. You got your butts handed to you tonight. The least you could do is go home with a little dignity and not harass every person you see walking (or smoking a cigarette after a hellish 12-hours of non-stop work) on the street.

I’d hope the Everett kids would have had a little more class if the role was reversed.