Senior Year Part III

A Stupid Boy Story

Advanced Reader Copy. February 3, 2020

Copyright ©2020 G. Younger

Author: Greg Younger

Chief Editors: XofDallas and Bud Ugly

Editors: Zom and TheMikeBomb

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

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All characters depicted in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

 

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1 – Baby Steps

Chapter 2 – Too Big

Chapter 3 – Walk Like The Man

Chapter 4 – National Signing Day

Chapter 5 – Lighten Up Francis

Chapter 6 – Birthday Boys

Chapter 7 – You’ve Got A Friend

Chapter 8 – Valentine’s Day Massacre

Chapter 9 – Aftershock

Chapter 10 – Quarter Beers

Chapter 11 – Boss of You

Chapter 12 – And The Oscar Goes To …

Chapter 13 – I Wish I’d Said …

Chapter 14 – Eek, a Penis!

Chapter 15 – Shut the Door, Have a Seat

Chapter 16 – A Mouth Full of Ashes

Chapter 17 – That Voodoo That You Do

Chapter 18 – Voice in My Head

Chapter 19 – Cheatin‘ Heart

Chapter 20 – Teenage Wasteland

Chapter 21 – Monte Carlo

Chapter 22 – Home-Wrecker

Chapter 23 – Complicated

Chapter 24 – Ivanna …

Chapter 25 – Sextasy

Chapter 26 – House of Yes

Chapter 27 – House of Yes Part Deux

Chapter 28 – Heavy Meddle

Chapter 29 – Killed by Death

Chapter 30 – My Drug Buddy

Chapter 31 – Poker? I Hardly Know Her!

Chapter 32 – No One’s Ready

Chapter 33 – Lady Lucky

Chapter 34 – Payback

Chapter 35 – I Would for You

Chapter 36 – Can’t Touch This

Chapter 37 – Use Your Tears as Lube

Chapter 38 – Can’t Fix Crazy

Epilogue

Notes from the Author

A Little Help Please

Chapter 1 – Baby Steps

Monday January 16

I went down from my apartment to start my day and decided a run was out of the question because it’d snowed last night. It was the perfect reminder of what I would miss about LA. The only good thing about being back was I didn’t have to go to school today. It was Martin Luther King Jr. Day which meant almost everything was closed.

I came into the kitchen and was met by Duke, so I let him out. The traitor had moved in with Coby and Little David while I was gone. Peggy finally took his crate up to the boy’s room. We were still a few months away from Little David being old enough for a big-boy bed. Duke’s crate was mentioned as the replacement bed for Coby. It was his go-to place to take a nap and Mom said he fussed when he had to go to bed in his crib at night. For once, Duke wasn’t protective of his stuff. He was happy to have Coby sleep with him.

I found my dad drinking tea instead of his usual coffee.

“I wondered how long it would take for you to convert to my way of thinking,” I said, being smart.

He ignored me.

“What are you doing today?” he asked.

“I called Moose to see if I could get in a workout at the field house. Baseball season is just around the corner. He told me that Tim had already called him and the whole team would be there for voluntary workouts.”

“Speaking of school, your mother changed your classes,” Dad warned me as he handed me my new schedule.

I was glad he gave me a heads-up. I would have been in a terrible mood if I’d shown up and discovered this factoid.

What I’d planned to take:

• PE – Strength and Conditioning
• Business Math (I figured it would be a cakewalk for anyone who’s had precalculus)
• Computer Applications (Basically an introduction to MS Office)
• Lunch
• Rock Music Appreciation (I’d tried to sign up for this before with no success)
• Honors Drama (This would be a piece of cake for me with the training and experience I’d had)
• AP Econ & Virtual Enterprise (Even though it was an AP class, I knew I needed this and was willing to work at it)
• Study Hall (A chance to skip out early)

After my mom changed my classes:

• PE – Strength and Conditioning – Coach Rector
• AP Calculus – Ms. Lowden
• AP Chemistry – Mr. Dutton
• Lunch
• AP English Lit/Poetry – Mrs. Hedge
• Spanish II – Ms. Cruz
• AP Economics & Virtual Enterprise – Mr. Quiroz
• AP Physics – Mr. Hicks

The target of my ire walked into the kitchen.

“I see you gave him his schedule,” she said and gave me a look that dared me to object.

“I really wanted to take Rock Music Appreciation,” I complained.

“First, you should be thanking me,” she said, and paused for me to do just that.

I still didn’t get how she was able to change my classes. There surely was some kind of rule against that. When she saw that Hell might freeze over before I ‘appreciated’ her meddling, she continued.

“With five AP classes, you can overtake Gina Tasman for valedictorian. She’s only taking three,” Mom explained.

Advanced Placement classes had a multiplier that added to your grade point average. Gina was slightly ahead of me in the class standings. The competitive side of me could see my mom’s logic, but I did want to take the rock music class.

“Did you give Dare a heads-up that you were changing my schedule?” I asked.

“He needs to learn to be more independent,” Mom said.

She had a point. Usually, I would have Brook to help keep an eye on him. My first option now was Cassidy, but I would bet big money that she wasn’t interested in any of the classes he would be in.

Speaking of the little ninja, I heard the back door open, and she waltzed in. Someone felt comfortable enough to walk right in without knocking. It made me smile because when I was growing up, Tami, Alan, and Jeff had done just that. We treated each other’s houses like our own.

“Oh good, I didn’t miss breakfast,” she said as she claimed my seat at the table.

Everyone looked at me, and I suppressed a smile. Leave it to my family to bring me back to earth. I was no longer the movie star, but rather the high school kid, in their eyes. I went to the refrigerator to see what I would make for breakfast.

◊◊◊

Cassidy was upset that I wouldn’t let her drive the Dodge Demon in the snow. It was too much car when the pavement was dry. I didn’t even want to know what would happen if it was driven in icy conditions. Instead, we took the SUV. I felt much safer with her driving that.

When we pulled up to the school, I got out, and Cassidy scowled at me.

“I’m supposed to do a security check before you get out of the car,” she complained.

I looked around, and there wasn’t another car parked within thirty feet of us. She made me get back in and, out of spite, had me wait while she did her check. When she opened my door to let me out, I grabbed my duffle bag and bolted for the school’s front door.

“Jerk!”

There was a girl between me and the building. She must have heard my boots crunching in the snow because she turned to look behind her just as I darted past her to open the door for her. She pushed around me. She was halfway in when she recognized me. The girl stood in the middle of the doorway, looking up into my eyes with her mouth open. Then she did the full checkout as her gaze ran up and down my body. I was both amused and irritated when she looked at my crotch. Mr. Happy must have felt the scrutiny because he twitched awake. She saw the movement in my jeans and blinked several times.

“Not that I mind you staring, but I need to get inside so I can go lift,” I said.

By now Cassidy had caught up with me and was taking in the show.

The girl pried her eyes away from my crotch and looked completely mortified at being caught ogling me like I was a piece of meat she was about to kneel before and devour. Her eyes finally met mine, and I had an ironic smile on my face that I hoped conveyed that I wasn’t serious. She opened and closed her mouth a couple times before she could talk.

“Ah, yes, uhm, nice of you to, ah … I mean nice of you to meet with me, me to meet you. Uh, I mean …” she managed and then turned to run away like I just asked her to murder kittens in sacrifice to raise some demonic entity from the depths of Hell.

As she stumbled through her incoherent little speech, I’d zoned out because she was the vision of a cute girl that I wanted to get to know. Her eyes were the dark blue of the night sky and a great complement to her gorgeous full lips. Her thick dark hair smelled of coconut and was the kind that looked silky to the touch and made me want to run my fingers through it. I couldn’t tell much else because she was bundled up in an oversized parka that hung down to her knees. She was such a little tease, hiding her goodies from me.

Then she did the unexpected. She stopped herself from scampering away and turned and squared her shoulders. It was my turn to blink. She made sure she had my full attention and then looked down to the bulge in my jeans. Her little pink tongue darted over her lips as those dark eyes watched Mr. Happy make a play for the body. It caused him to thicken and stretch as he attempted to escape through my jeans like that monster in Alien that burst from the guy’s chest.

I shoved my hand into my pocket and shifted my duffle bag to hide my growing problem. Cassidy barked out a laugh at my not-so-subtle attempt to salvage my dignity. Brook had left me less than a week ago, and here I was, already looking for her replacement. What was wrong with me?

Cassidy pushed me aside, hooked her arm inside the new girl’s elbow, and pulled her inside.

“We need to talk,” she said.

I watched them walk away. Damn! I was just getting to know her.

◊◊◊

It took some doing, but I talked Mr. Happy down. I was more than a little embarrassed with how I’d acted after I’d had a chance to think about it. It wasn’t like me to flirt with a random girl at school. It wasn’t that she wasn’t flirt-worthy. It was just that I felt it was way too soon after Brook had left.

The hard truth was I’d convinced myself that I wasn’t going to start another relationship with only a semester left in my senior year. That was why Lexi was such a perfect solution. With her, it was just a hookup. I could get behind a no-strings, fun, romp in the sack. The problem was that I wasn’t sure there were many girls my age who were interested in that. The only two that came to mind were Lisa Felton and Destiny Crown. I was sure I didn’t want to go there and face the wrath of my friends.

When I got to the locker room, I made the rounds. I was pleased that everyone had shown up to lift and work on their baseball skills on a holiday. I talked to each guy and let them know that this year we were not goofing off. We would make a push to win State.

Last year our squad had been divided with some key players playing seven-on-seven football instead of baseball. Two players I targeted were younger quarterbacks, my brother Phil and Trent Buchannan. They would battle next season to take over as the starting quarterback job. Playing seven-on-seven football was critical for both of them.

I’d made them a deal, which I knew Moose would back me up on. If they joined the team part-time to help with pitching depth, I wouldn’t mess with their spring football teams. The only condition was that they had to show up for preseason workouts and get enough pitching in each week so they would be useful. I also might have alluded to the fact that I would work with them so they were better at football.

I dressed in my workout clothes and was on my way to the weight room when Moose stopped me.

“Before you go lift, I want you to meet our new strength and conditioning coach.”

“What happened to Connor Fletcher?” I asked.

Coach Fletcher had been hired to help us, and I assumed he would continue in the role.

“He’s going to focus on his job at State as their strength and conditioning coach. He recommended our new one. Mr. Hasting talked the school into hiring her as part of our training staff,” Moose explained.

“Her?” I asked.

He shrugged, pointed at the training room, and went back into his office. I figured I might as well get this over with. I walked in and found Cassidy talking to Jill and Becky, our trainers. When they saw me, all conversation stopped. I suspected that Cassidy had been filling them in on my encounter with the new girl.

“Hey, I need you to look at something. I have this discoloration on my skin, and I’m not sure what the problem is,” I said as I walked up to them.

They barked out a laugh when I showed them my tan line on my hip.

“And it begins,” Jill said as she shook her head at me.

“Give me a hug, I’ve missed you,” Becky said.

I gave them both hugs. When I released Jill, Becky introduced me to the newest member of their team.

“David, I would like you to meet Joey Marshall.”

I turned and caught Cassidy’s huge grin. Yep, it was the girl from earlier. Only now I could see what was hidden under the parka. Joey looked like one of those women in a fitness magazine. She had on a half tank-top that highlighted an impressive rack, and her abs were more defined than most of the guys on our team. Joey’s yoga pants did nothing to hide her round, perky ass that just screamed ‘squeeze me,’ and her muscular legs made me wonder if she’d played volleyball in college.

“So, you took over for Fletch,” I said. “I can already see that you’re an improvement.”

“And I can already see that you’re going to be my problem child,” she snapped back.

I bit back several retorts that involved my ‘problem,’ and decided I wanted her on my side instead of tattling on me the first day.

“All I care about is if you can make me a better athlete,” I said, getting serious.

She looked at me for a moment and must have decided I wasn’t playing around, so she gave me a slight nod to show we were on the same page.

“Ms. Hope, get David’s folder, and we’ll see where he’s at now,” Ms. Marshall said.

I’d talked to Coach Hope about what Cassidy wanted to do beyond high school. One of her goals was to help me stay in shape. She already had the cardio down, now she would learn from Ms. Marshall and the rest of the training staff about the strength side. That was why she was now a student trainer.

Cassidy came back with my folder. It was somewhat thick after four years of football injuries. Cassidy handed it to Ms. Marshall.

“Take your shirt off,” Cassidy ordered.

I took it off and saw Jill and Becky try to hide their laughter as Cassidy held out her hand to Ms. Marshall.

“I’ll pay you later,” Ms. Marshall said under her breath to Cassidy.

“Did you want to see my skin discoloration?” I asked, turning slightly to show her my butt.

“No!” Jill and Becky said at the same time.

“Behave,” Cassidy admonished me.

I gave Cassidy my drowning puppy look, and she had to turn away. I think I’d finally nailed it.

“Okay,” Ms. Marshall said to try to bring back some professionalism to the conversation. “Let’s get his measurements.”

Both Jill and Becky had to go to the office because they were ‘being a distraction,’ according to Ms. Marshall. I decided not to offer her all my measurements. I could see she was just trying to get through this.

I was officially six-four and a quarter and weighed 222 pounds. Ms. Marshall and Cassidy then took me out and had me do some stretching, running, and then the workout that I normally did in the weight room. I quickly found that the newest member of our staff knew her stuff. She had me show her how I did each exercise and quizzed me on why I did certain things. She took a lot of notes and only made a few comments while I worked up a decent sweat.

It felt good to get back into our facilities. If I were to be honest, our weight room setup was better than what Pepperdine had. Over the last three years, our booster club had poured some serious money into getting us everything a top-flight program should have.

When we were done, Cassidy and Ms. Marshall took me back to the training room to talk.

“What period do you have PE?” Ms. Marshall asked.

“First.”

“Okay,” she said as she made a note of that and then looked up. “I can tell you’ve dialed it back since football season. I’m glad you did because it gave your body a chance to completely heal. I understand you were in an accident, is that right?”

“Ribs, hip pointer, and right arm,” Cassidy relayed.

“I want you to come in early tomorrow so that Dr. Grog can check you out. If you need further testing, we may need to schedule an appointment.”

“Doc Grog,” I said.

“Excuse me?” Ms. Marshall asked.

“He likes to be called Doc Grog,” I shared.

“Okay, I’ll remember that. Thanks.”

“Should I run tomorrow morning?” I asked.

“No. I’m going to shake up your routine. You’ve gotten to a point where your improvement has tapered off. We’ll shock your system and have you do different exercises with the goal of showing a significant increase in your strength, speed, endurance, coordination, and flexibility. I want to get you ready to play baseball, and then lay a foundation for when you go to college.

“Many athletes at your skill level don’t seem to improve like they should when they go to college. It all comes down to you having elite training that’s similar to what you’ll experience when you go up in level. That means you won’t improve as much as athletes who didn’t have your same training in high school. What I want to do is make sure you continue to improve. We don’t need anyone catching up with you,” she said with a smile.

“I’m on board with that,” I assured her.

“Tell me that in a month when you can hardly walk,” she said with a grin.

“David won’t back down,” Cassidy said to show her faith in me.

I was glad she was more confident than I was at that moment. I didn’t even want to think what evil things Ms. Marshall had planned. I just prayed it wasn’t Pilates. I’d done that my freshman year and about died.

◊◊◊

After we were done, I took Cassidy to lunch and then to the airport. I’d scheduled my last two hours of required flight time. Roy took me up, and we finished that. He had me go through everything they frequently tested you on for the checkout flight. I told him I wanted to get it done this week, so he scheduled my written test for Wednesday and my checkout flight for Thursday.

I also booked him for a trip this coming weekend. I wanted to fly to Cincinnati to see Brook. I needed him to go with me for safety reasons and in case of inclement weather. My license wouldn’t allow me to pilot the plane if there was a chance I might have to fly via instruments. I didn’t want to get stuck at Brook’s on Sunday if a weather front came through.

Cassidy let me know that I was taking her with me. I would never tell her no when it came to her being able to see her best friend.

◊◊◊

On the way home, I received a text from Caryn.

‘Can I buy a mattress?’

Attached was a video she’d shot of my new condo in Canada. Caryn had decided to take her vacation before she moved to Cincinnati. And, oh my! I quickly discovered that Zander could not decorate to save his life. It looked like a frat boy with no money had outfitted it. There were four of the theater-style leather recliners in the living room, the kind with drink holders in the arms. The problem was, they were different colors and it looked like he picked them out of a dumpster. I might have been okay with them if they’d been complementary colors, black, or brown leather. Instead, they were canary yellow, salmon, eggplant purple, and neon green, and there were noticeable scratches where they’d been abused.

I did approve of the TV that dominated one wall. Under it was an gaming system and a pile of video games with a tangle of cords and controllers on top. On the floor, there was a DVD player.

The walls were still the contractor white, and the carpet was a dirty brown with stains. Then again, it could have just been dirty.

Caryn walked through the empty dining room and into a modern kitchen. At least it had nice cabinets and appliances. In the corner was a card table with folding chairs for you to eat at. She then went to the master bedroom. There was a mattress on the floor with no sheets or pillows. I cringed when I saw the stains. I didn’t even want to think about what had caused them. Our next stop was one of the other bedrooms. Again, scuzzy mattress, but this time there was a massive stain on the carpet that looked suspiciously like barf.

When the video ended, I called Caryn.

“It’s not the Ritz,” Caryn said when she answered.

“It looks like I should just sell it.”

“No. The unit itself is nice, and it’s in a good building. They have a shuttle service that runs on a regular schedule to and from the ski resort. It’s only a five-minute trip. It looks like a party house after the festivities. If you did a little decorating, this would be an ideal vacation spot,” Caryn assured me.

“You want me to put you up in a hotel?” I asked.

“No. I came to ski and don’t plan to hang out in the condo that much. I called, and I can have a bed delivered. I assume you want a California king for the master bedroom.”

I was six-four, so the extra four inches that the California king offered would be a godsend.

“That works. Get whatever you need for your stay, and I’ll see about making the place livable after you leave.”

“I didn’t want to complain because staying here is saving me money, but when I saw the mattress …”

“I would have turned around and walked out,” I admitted.

“I’ll get it taken care of. And David …”

“Yes?”

“Thanks. I needed a vacation,” she said.

◊◊◊

I spent the evening with my family. Ashley and Scarlet came over so I could spend time with Allen, Dawson, and Carol. They all seemed to need their Daddy time, and I think it was my job to wear them out. Actually, I think they may have worn me out.

When they finally wound down, Ashley and Scarlet went home, leaving me with Little David and Coby. I scooped them up and took them upstairs to get them changed into their pajamas. Peggy joined me when I was about done.

“I think we need to cut the legs off Coby’s crib. He wants to climb out of it, and I’m afraid he’s going to hurt himself,” she shared.

“I’ll talk to Wolf and Tim. I’m sure they have the tools to take care of that.”

The boys snuggled down. Mom had just let Duke back in. He checked to make sure I hadn’t done anything wrong with his playmates and went to his crate. Peggy grabbed my hand and led me through the Jack-n-Jill bathroom to her bedroom. She sat on the bed and patted it for me to join her.

“I heard about Brook. Are you okay?”

“Her dad did a boneheaded thing that caused her parents to realize there were problems in their relationship. They’ve decided to try to work it out, and they decided Cincinnati was the place to do that since the new business will be located there. I think if they weren’t having problems, Brook might have opted to stay here. Regardless, I totally agree with her decision to go with them,” I said.

“What is she supposed to do?” Peggy asked.

“If it were me, I would offer them support and act as a buffer so neither of them would go too far over the line.”

“I’d never want to go over the line with your mom. She can be scary, and I think you’re the only one that has the guts to stand up to her,” Peggy said to offer her observation.

“Dad will surprise you sometimes, but he’s learned to pick his battles. I’m still learning that lesson. I don’t fall for her goading quite so often anymore.”

“If you say so,” Peggy said, and then leaned against my arm to give me a little shove to show she was teasing.

“Now that Brook is gone, what do you plan to do?” Peggy asked.

“About what?” I asked.

“Do you plan to date anybody?” she asked.

“Not really. I’ll take it slow, take baby steps. I don’t want to start something and then leave at the end of the school year.”

“I think that’s probably for the best,” Peggy said to agree with me.

“What about you? Any guys you need me to do a background check on?” I teased.

She just shook her head and then gave me a sideways look with a glint of mischief in her eyes.

“You should remember that you have baby mamas who have needs.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. While I cared for all them greatly, I didn’t want to bounce from bed to bed. As much fun as that would be, I had found something with Brook that made me want to be a one-woman man. Then Peggy invaded my personal space, which made me pay attention to her.

“Let’s take this in baby steps,” she said to use my words against me. “It’s actually that time of the month for me. Would you be willing to just cuddle with me until I fall asleep?”

“Sure.”

Who knew ‘cuddling’ meant you stripped down to your boxers? Mr. Happy didn’t care that the big brain was attached to a ‘stupid boy.’ He just knew that Peggy had been my crush since middle school. She discovered my problem and reached into my boxers to fish out my growing member.

When she wrapped her fingers around me, a groan slipped out of my throat. Oh, yeah. There’s nothing better than the feel of a woman’s hand on your cock.

Nope, I was wrong. Peggy’s tongue found the tip, and holy shit, it was so much better than her hand.

I did what every guy does in that situation. I fell asleep as soon as she was done taking care of my problem.

◊◊◊

Tuesday January 17

Paul took me to school today because I had to be there early. I went straight to the training room and found Doc Grog with Mr. Hasting, our head trainer. I received a thorough physical, and then they made me do range-of-motion exercises to see how my side and hip had healed. Then there was a lot of unnecessary poking and prodding.

“Looks good,” Doc Grog said.

“So, no restrictions?” Mr. Hasting asked.

“No. He’s good to go.”

I gave them a tight smile and made a hasty exit before they decided to torture me any more. I’d just gotten to my gym locker when my phone rang.

“Hey, it’s Tim.”

“I know. I have Caller ID, dumbass,” I shot back.

“Where are you?”

“The locker room. I had to come in early to get cleared by Doc Grog,” I explained, and then got curious. “Why do you need to know where I am?”

“Dare can’t find you, and he said that you blocked him for sending you text messages or calls,” Tim explained.

“Oh.”

“I’m sending him your way,” Tim said and chuckled.

Everyone thought it was amusing that I’d taken the little misfit under my wing last fall. It wasn’t the typical thing a jock would do. At most high schools, Dare would be a prime candidate for getting stuffed into a locker. Smart, shy kids who skipped several grade levels tended to get picked on, and Dare had been a target at his previous school. When he first came to Lincoln High, he would barely talk to me because of that.

A minute later, Dare came rushing into the locker room. When he saw me, I could see the tension leave his body. I guess I was his bodyguard of sorts. I wondered how he survived a week without me being at school.

Behind him, the three amigos, Paul, Yuri, and Roc, came in arguing about something.

“Not that I really want to know,” Roc said to my half brother Phil, “but when you first get up each day, do you gaze upon your glorious good looks in the mirror for one hour or two hours?”

I held my finger up to let Dare know that I wanted to hear this one.

“Two,” Phil revealed.

“I suppose you give yourself a fist bump,” Yuri said.

Roc gave Yuri a nod to show he agreed with his addition to the conversation.

“I probably should when I have all this going on,” Phil said as he flexed. “I kiss each of my biceps and then give props to the man upstairs for giving me just that little extra to please the ladies.”

I will give the little dumbass credit, he owned it as his friends teased him. I might not have grabbed my crotch, but the other two appreciated his bravado.

“Jesus Harold Christ! I hear he’s amazing in bed,” Yuri said, acting like he was a girl swooning.

“He probably started that rumor himself,” Roc revealed.

They finally couldn’t help themselves and busted out laughing. I rolled my eyes at them and then turned to Dare.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“We’re not in the same classes.”

“My mom changed my schedule on me. Let me see yours,” I said.

Of the eight periods, we were not together for three of them. He had a different PE, was taking a computer science class while I’d signed up for a business one, and he’d snagged study hall as his last period.

“Okay, I’ll unblock you,” I said, getting out my phone. “You can only text me if it’s important.”

He watched me, then furiously tapped at his phone, and I received several text messages.

“Dude, I’m right here. Don’t make me regret unblocking you,” I warned.

He gave me a sly smile and then the bell rang. He hurried off to his computer class.

◊◊◊

I don’t think I like Ms. Marshall anymore. Being hot only goes so far. Today she decided to show me how out of shape I really was. She’d unveiled two new torture devices that they’d purchased while I was gone. One was a vertical climber and the other was a rowing machine.

The vertical climber was slightly tilted away from me. When you used it, you looked like you were climbing a ladder. It gave you a full-body workout. Ms. Marshall pointed out that I should take high steps and simulate running. She assured me that it was easier on my joints than pounding the pavement. I started out with twenty minutes and alternated between full speed and slower periods. It was similar to what I did for speed training.

I’d used a rowing machine when I went to Elite 11 camp. At the time I thought I wanted to get one because it kicked my butt. I’d never gotten around to it, and after thirty minutes I cursed whoever figured we should get one. I could already tell that the combination of the two had used muscles that I usually didn’t use. I predicted I would feel it in the morning.

◊◊◊

After my shower, I checked my text messages from Dare. I’d thought he was just being a pest this morning. I guess he did follow my directions and only send me text messages I needed to see. The first was one that said he was sorry that Brook had left.

In the second one, he wanted me to talk to Megan and get him more money for the stealthy drone. His Russian contacts had a set of blades that he said would make the drone whisper-quiet. He promised they would deliver. I still thought they were a little shady for my taste, but I wanted to see what the kid would come up with, so I sent Megan a text to give him what he wanted.

The third one wanted to know where my drone from California was. I’d had it shipped back, and it hadn’t arrived yet. My mom and Dare had passed their commercial test and could now use the drone in my mom’s real estate business. They were eager to get started using it to film properties from above.

The final one made me bark out a laugh. He wanted to know what he should do with his girlfriend, now that he had one. As my Grandma Felton would say, ‘Bless his heart.’

◊◊◊

All my classes had started last week, so I had some catching up to do. I would be busy reading this week.

Of all the classes I had, the one I was most interested in was economics and virtual enterprise. The basic concept was that you would create a business from the planning stage all the way up to the actual day-to-day operations. It was supposed to simulate everything you would encounter in starting a real business.

The class had spent the last week coming up with and refining their ideas for their businesses and had started working on their plan. This week they would determine their financial needs and figure out what legal business structure they wanted.

Mr. Quiroz had me come to his desk when he got everyone else started on their tasks.

“I thought you already owned several businesses. Why are you taking this class?”

“I have people that handle the running of the businesses. I only get involved with big-picture type of decisions, and I provide the money. I want to learn everything they’re doing,” I explained.

“That’s actually a good answer. Do you have any idea what you want your business to be?” Mr. Quiroz asked.

“I might have a couple, but I’m not sure yet.”

I shared with him some of the services they had in LA, but not here. The two we narrowed it down to were the food delivery business and the grocery store delivery service.

“Why do you think people in LA are willing to spend money for that?” he asked.

We discussed it for a few minutes, and two main things seemed to drive the business. The first was they had the disposable income to pay for the services. The second was the horrendous commute times. If you got off at five and had to drive over an hour to get home and then cook, you might not be eating until eight. With the food delivery, you could time it to arrive shortly after you got home.

We looked at the clock, and our class was almost over.

“I want you to do two things tonight. I want you to talk to some people and see what they would be willing to pay for the delivery and if they would use it. If they would, how often do they think they might order. I think you need to see if there really is a need for this or not,” Mr. Quiroz said to make me doubt my concept.

I nodded.

“The second thing is I want you to see if there is a way to cut this down in size. You have a lot of moving parts here that are going to overcomplicate the project.”

“Like what?” I asked.

He smiled at me.

“That’s for you to decide.”

I hate adults.

◊◊◊

After school, I went to get some time in the batting cage. I found Ms. Marshall and Cassidy waiting for me. They weren’t done with ‘shocking’ my system. This time they added an elliptical exercise machine to the climber and rowing machine exercises. The elliptical machine was another low-impact exercise machine, meaning it was more comfortable on my joints than running. It also worked my upper body, so it was considered a cross-trainer.

When I first saw what they wanted me to do, I figured easy-peasy. I’d seen girls using it at our local gym. How hard could it be? Then Cassidy appeared with my weighted vest, and Ms. Marshall set the machine to a thirty percent incline. In my head, thirty degrees didn’t sound like much. It was the equivalent of running up stairs. After the first few minutes, I figured out my head might just be wrong on that.

Once they were done with their torture machines, Cassidy gathered everyone and we did sixty minutes of hell. I never got into the batting cage, and ached all over when we were done. I did the smart thing and took advantage of the whirlpool to loosen my muscles before going home.

◊◊◊

Wednesday January 18

“Morning, parental units,” I said as I strolled in and saw Cassidy sitting in my spot at the kitchen table again. That earned her a look. “Bad Girl.”

“I see you decided to move back to your apartment,” Mom said, taking a shot at my spending the night with Peggy Monday night.

“Not to change the topic, because this one looks to be so much fun, but I need your advice on something,” I said.

“Ask your questions while you cook breakfast,” Cassidy ordered.

Peggy sent me a text to let me know she wanted help to bring down the little ones.

“I have to help Peggy with the boys. I think if you’re going to eat here, you need to help cook,” I said to Miss Bossy Pants.

“I don’t know how,” Cassidy admitted.

“I’ll help you,” Dad said.

I could tell that Cassidy would rather not, but tough. I bounded up the stairs two at a time.

“No running in the house!” Mom yelled after me.

The boys perked up when I came into their bedroom.

“Ready for some fun?” I asked, clapping my hands.

Duke was suddenly up and bouncing around. Both Little David and Coby gave me the universal sign to pick them up. When I had them in my arms, I gave them little bounces as I spun around. The boys, including Duke, loved it. Peggy just shook her head and left me to wind them up. She didn’t really care because they would be in daycare soon and the daycare staff could deal with the little monsters in their wound-up state.

I came down to find Cassidy looking frustrated.

“I broke another one,” she complained and looked to my dad for help.

“No biggy. Just make scrambled eggs,” he suggested.

Watching my dad with Cassidy brought back fond memories of him teaching Greg and me how to cook. While Cassidy made our eggs, I told my parents about my virtual business class and my ideas for food delivery. I could tell that my parents weren’t buying my plan.

“You wouldn’t use the service?” I asked.

“Why, when I can have a pizza delivered for the same price as ordering it at Monical’s? Delivery is free. Plus, I’m not spending extra to have you pick our food order up at three different places and then it arrives cold.”

“What about grocery delivery?” I asked.

“I want to see what I’m buying, especially produce,” Mom said to shoot that down.

“Why would you want to hire drivers? Do you have them drive their own cars or do you have to invest in vehicles? Then there’s the liability. Why not just let customers place orders and have them pick their food up at the drive-through at the quickie mart?” Dad asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, if you wanted to offer the grocery option, have them pick it up. I hate waiting while the person at the window has to go grab me a gallon of milk while I wait. If I could use a phone app to order what I wanted and it’s ready for me when I drive through, I would use it,” Dad explained.

“I’d start with that, and if it worked, then maybe expand to offer some premade meals from the restaurant that could be reheated. I could see you making a killing if you had hot or ready-to-bake cinnamon rolls ready to go on Sunday mornings after church,” Mom suggested.

I would be one of their best customers. I bet we would put the local doughnut shops out of business. I could see the appeal of not having to go into the restaurant when I was in a hurry and had a craving.

“Maybe we could go get them this morning,” Cassidy said as she showed us the skillet with burnt eggs in it.

My dad had his work cut out for him.

◊◊◊

Today was a repeat of yesterday. Ms. Marshall kicked my butt first period. Today she had me lift with the focus squarely on improving my explosiveness. After an hour with her, my legs felt like jelly, and I could barely walk.

I skipped the voluntary after-school workout to go take my written exam for my pilot’s license. I passed without a problem. Tomorrow I would do my checkout flight, and if I passed that, I would have my license.

◊◊◊

I came home to find Melanie, our cook and housekeeper, cleaning up after dinner.

“Did you save me anything?” I asked.

She pulled a plate out of the oven. She’d made roast beef with a twist. Instead of the usual potatoes, she’d substituted cauliflower as a healthy alternative. She’d made everything in the crockpot, and the cauliflower had a chance to cook down in the meat juices. There wasn’t enough of a difference in flavor and texture to make me miss the potatoes.

“Have you come up with any new stories for the paper?” I asked.

“Your mom told me about your nomination for the MTV Awards.”

“Hang on, what nomination?”

“You and Emma Stoned have been nominated for ‘Best Kiss’ in The Secret Circle,’” Melanie revealed.

I hated to think of the ribbing I was going to get when Wolf and Tim found out.

“What does your reporter friend want from you?” I asked.

“She wants me to verify that you really are a good kisser.”

“You dirty girl,” I said as I wagged my finger at her.

“That’s not …” Melanie started to say and her face went red.

“I guess I would do it for your background research. You just can’t tell my mom. She already isn’t happy that I seem to kiss all the people that work for me,” I explained.

My dad walked in at the end of my speech.

“Why don’t we just make it a rule that you can’t kiss Melanie. She’s too good an employee to have you run her off with inappropriate stuff like that,” Dad said.

“She said she needs me to kiss her for research.”

If possible, Melanie got redder.

“I need to talk to you,” Dad said to signal my fun was done.

I rinsed off my dish and put it in the dishwasher. I saw it was full, so I started it and then followed my dad to the office. I guess this would be a serious discussion because he shut the door.

“I forwarded the recording that you made of Stewart Chadwick and Coach Foster’s calls. Your lawyers were particularly interested in Stewart’s threat that if you didn’t help with his investigation, he would derail Wolf, Tim, and your eligibility. I was surprised when someone suggested that you might want to cave in to his demands to avoid him following through on his threats. The concern was more for Tim and Wolf than you because they received money directly rather than through the charities,” Dad explained.

“Has anyone figured out who the money came from?”

“No, not that any of them know, but I was told the FBI had what they needed and we would get the money back soon. Ms. Dixon suggested that you keep the funds separate even then, until this is all resolved,” Dad said.

When I’d talked to Coach Foster from Southwestern Central State, I’d made the offer to return the money. I doubted he would take me up on that and risk exposing that the University or someone associated with them had sent it. My best guess was it was from Springbok.

“If it’s Springbok, do you think they would be dumb enough to write it off on their taxes as a charitable contribution? Maybe we should ask if they want a charitable contribution form for their accountants,” I suggested.

Dad and I had a good laugh at that because we could see Megan doing just that if I ever tried to do something shady. She was a stickler for keeping financial records. I imagined they had their own Megan somewhere.

“I hope you told them I wasn’t going to roll over and let Stewart use me anymore,” I said.

“They know. I think the suggestion was made to force us all to talk it through. Everyone is on the same page. I just want to warn you that this could get messy if we don’t handle it right. Mr. Morris suggested that we take an aggressive approach if Stewart makes good on his threat. He reasoned that the longer it drags on, the more entrenched the NCAA will likely be, and National Signing Day isn’t far off.”

“I’ll do whatever they need me to. If we have to go to Indianapolis, then so be it. I have faith that the NCAA isn’t out to get me. It’s just Stewart trying to advance his career at my expense,” I reasoned.

“Mr. Morris agreed. He said that when he worked there, the NCAA was careful to be evenhanded. If they aren’t seen as being well-reasoned in their approach to enforcement, they risk someone coming in and making them follow the rules all other organizations have to. They’ve spent a lot of influence and money to get themselves exempt from many of the antitrust laws,” Dad shared.

I hoped that my dad and I were right and the NCAA would be reasonable.

“I have something else to talk to you about,” Dad said. “Your mom and I have had some talks about what we want to do since my scare. Almost dying makes you reevaluate things. I know your mom had a similar experience when she beat cancer, and you said that you did after the avalanche.”

“Are we moving to Cincinnati so I can be near my girlfriend?” I asked, acting excited.

“I understand my mom asked if she could move into your house in Malibu,” Dad stated, ignoring me.

“Yep. It’s not every day your grandmother asks to move in with you, but I figure we’ll have plenty of room. She wanted to take one of the apartments over the giant garage.”

“What would you think about your mom and I moving in while you’re in college?”

I thought about it for a moment. While it would make it harder to see my boys, I would trust my parents to live in my house. If I ended up making that my main house, it would help settle the little ones in.

“Do you think Scarlet, Ashley, and Peggy might join you?” I asked to see if I might keep all my kids together.

“So, does that mean you would be open to it?” Dad asked.

“Yeah. What would you do with this house?” I asked.

“We thought we might let Greg and his family move in while he’s in college. We’ll wait until after he’s done with college to see what we’ll ultimately do. If he decides to move, we’d probably sell it.”

“Have you talked to the girls yet?” I asked.

“Not yet. I wanted to see if you were open to it before we talked to anyone else.”

“Why do you want to move?” I asked.

“We loved it in Malibu when we were there, and I’m sick of the weather here.”

“If that’s what you want to do, I would welcome you and Mom.”

I’d been a little worried about spending all that money to rehab the property and then to have it either be rented out or sit vacant for several years.

Friday January 20

I officially had my license to fly. The checkout flight was a piece of cake, and Cassidy and I had plans to fly to Cincinnati to see Brook today.

I thought school would never end and kept watching the clock, hoping the school day would conclude.

By the end of the day, Dare was both happy and concerned. He’d used my money to expedite the shipment of the super-stealthy blades for the drone. He was proven right when his Russian contact didn’t just take his Bitcoins as I predicted. He would have skipped school today if his mom hadn’t forced him into the car this morning. I reminded him that when he put the drone back together—I knew he would take it apart this weekend—having leftover parts was a bad thing.

He was also happy because my original drone had arrived from California. He’d made an appointment with my mom to use it to photograph and make a video of a farm she’d listed. I warned him that if my mom told him that she got to control it, he had to let her. He’d heard enough stories about her that he solemnly gave me his word that he would do what Mom said. I figured Dare had about a fifty-fifty chance of living through the experience. He could be stubborn, and that didn’t work with my mom.

What had him concerned was my advice on what to do with a girlfriend. I figured that we should leave the training wheels on before he messed up too bad. I wanted to limit his chance to say the wrong thing, so I told him he was taking Chrissy to a movie this weekend. I’d called Dr. Rossetti, and we agreed that a matinee would be best. I told his mom that she had to make him leave his room and actually follow through. I also explained to her that she couldn’t go to the movie with them to make sure he was okay. He wasn’t happy that I’d called his mom on him. If he knew that she wanted to sit in the back and watch his date, he would have been mortified.

Chrissy was all smiles when I made him ask her out. Cassidy told me that I probably shouldn’t have made Dare do it in front of everyone at lunch, but Mom was right, he needed to toughen up. I gave everyone a look at the table, and they decided that they would keep their comments to themselves about the young love that was blossoming in our midst.

◊◊◊

I’d hired Roy Tyro, my instructor, to fly with Cassidy and me on our first flight. He’d worked out a flight plan where I would fly us to Indianapolis and then Cassidy would take over and fly the plane to Cincinnati. He took us out to walk the airplane before we got in it. We each had a clipboard with our preflight checklist on it.

“Does the engine have the proper fluids in it?” I asked to be a smartass.

Roy and I had run into engine troubles when his idiot brother-in-law hadn’t replaced the coolant.

“We should probably check,” Roy admitted.

Cassidy wasn’t happy when I had to boost her up so she could pull the dipstick to check the oil level. We had our heads in the engine compartment when Roy’s wife came out with her bags.

“What are you doing?” she asked Roy.

“Making sure all the fluid levels are good,” he said in a tone that dared her to say something.

She didn’t comment on her idiot brother and went to the back of the plane to load her bag.

Part of the deal I’d made with Roy was that I would spring for a hotel room, car rental, and food allowance in exchange for a discounted rate on renting a plane. He was taking his wife, and they were having a mini-vacation.

When it was time to leave, Roy let me handle everything while he sat in the copilot seat. It was a comfort to know that someone with his experience was with me. We were soon at altitude, and I relaxed. This was much better than driving.

◊◊◊

When we landed in Cincinnati, Cassidy had a permanent smile plastered on her face. She might enjoy being a pilot even more than driving my Dodge Demon.

I was helping unload everyone’s bags when I was almost pulled to the ground.

“David!” Brook squealed as she wrapped me in a bear hug.

“I see how I rate,” Cassidy pouted.

Brook let go of me and gave Cassidy the same treatment.

“Why don’t you guys take off. We’ll get everything set and order fuel for the return flight,” Roy assured us.

I wasn’t about to argue with the man. I wanted to spend time with Brook.

◊◊◊

Brook handed me her car keys.

“Someone’s parents feel guilty,” I said.

Before me was a Porsche 911 Turbo S in dark green with black stripes and a rear spoiler. The 911 has had the same look for over 50 years, but let’s be honest, why mess with perfection. We quickly found two of its shortcomings: it has a dinky trunk, and the back seat wasn’t much larger than Duke’s crate. Cassidy gave me a dirty look when she was forced to sit in the back.

I fired it up and listened to the engine purr.

“Oh, hell yes,” I almost whispered and gripped the steering wheel.

“Careful when you push it. Lola will drop into Sports Plus mode. The way it was explained to me is that the transmission and throttle program go into special aggressive modes, the suspension tightens up to its maximum setting, and the steering firms up. She basically becomes a beast.”

I eased out of the parking space and took a minute to familiarize myself with how it handled. It felt lighter on its feet than my Demon but didn’t have quite the same raw power. It didn’t really need it, though, because it didn’t weigh as much. I loved how responsive it was. I also figured out that Brook was right. When you punched it, the car converted itself into a race car in the blink of an eye.

I was a little pissed when a state trooper pulled out of the airport right behind us. Fortunately, the trooper was just following us, not pulling us over―yet.

“You can lose him, David,” Cassidy encouraged.

“Don’t you dare,” Brook warned. “I’ve already gotten one ticket, and Mom said that if I get another one, I lose my car privileges.”

“David is the one who will get the ticket if he gets caught,” Cassidy said.

It was like having the devil on my shoulder, encouraging me to do bad things. I so wanted to play with this car. In the end, Brook’s pleading look won out.

She directed us over the Ohio River to a home that was on a bluff overlooking both the river and the city skyline.

“We live across the street, but I want to go to my grandma’s house first. My cousins are dying to meet you,” Brook said.

Brook pulled a remote out of the glovebox and pushed the button. A wrought iron gate slid back, and we pulled into a walled courtyard. There must have been an electronic eye because as soon as we’d cleared the gate, it closed behind us. I pulled up and parked.

I took a moment to check the car out more closely and was startled when my door opened. I looked up at a man who appeared to be in his mid-thirties, but it was hard to judge because he had ‘old eyes.’ Those deep, wise eyes that made him look like he’d lived several lifetimes. I knew instantly that he was part of Grace Davenport’s security team.

“Keys,” he said as he held out his hand.

I pulled them out of the ignition and handed them to him.

“Go ahead and take it across the street. We’ll walk home after I see Grandma,” Brook told him.

He nodded and waited for me to get out. I chuckled when I saw Cassidy struggle to get herself out of the matchbook-sized back seat. While we waited for her, I took in the house—mansion, really. It had a look that said it had to be from old money, just like Brook’s family was. I didn’t think it was nearly as old as some of the homes I’d seen in New Orleans, but it had to have been built at least a century ago.

Brook walked in like she owned the place. I heard a girl’s voice shriek, “He’s here!”

I looked at Brook, and she rolled her eyes as two girls who looked very much like her came flying into the grand entrance. When they got close to me, they froze and then giggled.

“David, I would like you to meet my cousins, Breanne and Chelsea,” Brook said as an introduction.

“Are you brain-damaged? You broke up with him?” Breanne asked.

“She must be. Seriously, what kind of douchetard dumps her movie-star boyfriend?” Chelsea asked.

“Douchetard? I’m totally stealing that,” Cassidy said and pushed past me. “Hi. I’m Cassidy.”

I looked at Brook and mouthed ‘douchetard?’ I could see she was about to go off on her cousins.

“I bet you two have all kinds of stories about Brook,” I said as I began to dig for dirt.

Brook slugged me in my arm for my troubles. I was glad the girls decided to start telling tales.

“You have no idea how lucky you are to have her dump you. When I was ten, we went to summer camp, and that bitch left a live raccoon in my bedroom on the first day,” Chelsea complained.

“Please, woman. Rocky was delightful. He was your ‘welcome to camp’ present,” Brook said.

Chelsea made a rude gesture, and Breanne picked up the story.

“Rocky was okay until they tried to catch him. I can still hear the critter-catcher guy screaming as Rocky bit him. I never could figure out how you lured him into Chelsea’s bedroom. I know for a fact you would never have picked him up.”

“Marshmallows,” Brook said, obviously proud of herself. “I left a little trail, and he waddled right in. All I had to do was shut the door. You’re lucky it wasn’t the skunk. Rocky scared him off when he saw free food.”

“Bitch,” Chelsea said, which made us all smile a little more. “He was sort of cute.”

It was going to be a perfect weekend with these two around.

◊◊◊

Chapter 2 – Too Big

Saturday January 21

Brook’s parents had moved into a nice three-bedroom home across the street from her grandmother’s place. Cassidy slept in Brook’s room, while I was in the next room over. I snuck into Brook’s bedroom before her parents had awoken.

I found Brook awake, and she smiled at me. She put her finger over her mouth and pointed to Cassidy sleeping next to her like a baby. We’d been up late with Brook’s cousins and the rest of her relatives. I learned that Brook wasn’t the only prankster in the family as they told stories of what they’d done to each other growing up.

I think that last night put me in the mindset to have a little fun myself. Cassidy sleeping gave me the perfect opportunity. I also owed her because she’d gotten a little too comfortable bossing me around. The reason it never really bothered me was that I knew that Cassidy didn’t have a mean bone in her body. Yes, she could make a boy squeal in pain, but that was because she felt she was righting a wrong. She never did anything more than some light teasing.

There were two reasons she was bossy with me. First, she knew I was a softy and would do absolutely anything for her. I’d made it clear that if there was anything I could do for her, all she had to do was ask. Unlike my other friends—Wolf and Pam were good examples—she took me at my word and would just let me know what she wanted. Wolf had grown up without much and didn’t ever want to accept what he considered to be charity. I hoped that on our last trip he’d started to get past that attitude. Pam liked to get my attention, and we played a cute game of her coming to me with requests for my son. I sometimes had to reject her requests because I think she liked to see how far I would go.

The second reason that Cassidy was bossy was that she was trying to find a balance between her job as my security and us being close friends. I knew that once she figured out how to balance the two, things would be easier for her … and me.

Brook’s eyes got big when I stripped off and slid into bed behind Cassidy. She was sleeping in a flannel pajama set that kept her toasty warm. My well-thought-out plan was for her to wake up when I snuggled up to her. She just kept lightly snoring. I decided to up the ante and slipped my hand inside her top and put my palm on her tummy. When she still didn’t wake up, I pulled her tight against me.

I was lucky that Mr. Happy was being well-behaved. He seemed to know that Cassidy was a no-go zone for multiple reasons. I decided to wait Cassidy out.

◊◊◊

I woke to Cassidy looking me in the eyes. She leaned forward and kissed my nose.

“As enjoyable as it would be to have you in my arms all day, we need to get up soon,” she said, and then smiled. “And you better take your hand off my butt.”

Yep. Somehow my hand had found its way under her pajamas, and I had a handful. I just left it there.

“We should talk,” Cassidy said.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Brook is having some problems with the girls at her school, two in particular. They’re implying that she’s a slut because that would be the only way she could land you as a boyfriend.”

“What am I supposed to do about it?” I asked.

“I don’t think she wants you to do anything, but we’re going to a party they’re throwing tonight. You should be aware in case she gets mad and takes them out,” Cassidy warned.

“Destiny Crown learned the hard way not to mess with her,” I said with a little smile at the memory. “I can’t really see her doing that at an all-girls boarding school.”

“No, she probably won’t. You can help her by being Mr. Charming and winning over her classmates.”

“That I can do,” I agreed.

“There’s one other thing. Brook doesn’t want to have sex with you this weekend.”

I stuck my bottom lip out and pouted. Cassidy patted my cheek.

“It’ll be okay. She doesn’t want to make her leaving any harder than it already is. She misses you,” Cassidy explained.

“Her cousins are cute,” I said, perking up as dirty thoughts of a threesome ran through my head.

Cassidy glanced down because someone decided to poke her in her stomach.

“You do that and I’ll snap your little friend off,” Cassidy advised.

It was like magic; my swelling went away. Next time I had a problem at school, I would go find Cassidy and have her threaten to rip my manhood off. Who was I kidding? That would be a terrible idea. She might take me at my word.

◊◊◊

We had breakfast at Grace’s, across the street. I fully understood why. Her cook had prepared a small buffet. I discovered something I’d never eaten before, a cheese donut that was split and made into a sandwich filled with peanut butter, a soft Italian cream cheese called mascarpone, and banana, and then grilled. I probably shouldn’t have eaten three of them, but they were too damned good to resist.

Over breakfast, I was able to watch Ian and Ava more closely. He was trying to mend fences, but she was still not happy. If it ended up being anything like my parents’ case, they would have to work on building their trust back up.

After breakfast, Brook’s cousin Chelsea got my attention.

“Grab your coat. I want to show you something.”

I could tell she wanted to talk, so I did as she asked. Brook eyed her but didn’t interfere. We went out the back, and I discovered how special Grace’s home really was. It was built on a bluff overlooking the Ohio River with the courtyard and two-story section of the house on the same level as the road. When you walked out the back door, you went down a level to a semi-enclosed, covered patio that ran the length of the house. From there you had a spectacular view of the river and skyline. From the terrace, you could walk down the hill to another level that was surrounded by trees and shrubs, and sported an at least ten-person in-ground hot tub. The next level down from that was where the pool was.

“Gram was confused as to why you and Brook broke up. She said you two were perfect for each other,” Chelsea said, getting right to the point.

I appreciated her direct approach, if only because it was in the mid-30s today. It was a little too cold for small talk.

“What did Brook say?” I asked to stall and if need be to back up Brook’s story.

“She’s not talking, which is unlike her. When we were growing up, we shared everything.”

I pondered what to say for a moment. It wasn’t my place to share Brook’s family business and the real reason they’d moved. I decided on the indirect approach and explain the breakup itself.

“I’ll make you a deal. First, you tell me about the girls bullying her and then I’ll tell you what I know,” I said and looked around. “If I do tell you, you have to promise not to share it with anybody.”

I’d pulled out my acting skills and was playing the nervous teenage boy. I’d gotten better at acting and could do the drowning puppy and get sympathy. If Chelsea knew me better, the act would never have worked because I was usually confident.

She shoved her hands into her pockets and got closer to me so we could be coconspirators.

“Kaia Chamberlin is the one who sets the tone at our school. She and Brook clashed when they first met because Brook didn’t know she was supposed to kowtow to Kaia’s royal status. Kaia has nicknamed Brook ‘New Girl’ and gotten everyone to use it. She has also said some nasty things about you breaking up with Brook and that Brook has loose morals,” Chelsea said to enlighten me.

Sometimes I forgot that I lived in a fishbowl and people knew who I dated. One of the reasons I decided to pick Brook as my girlfriend was because she could handle the public scrutiny. Some tabloid must have said something unkind. Frankly, the reason I loved my hometown was because I never had to deal with that kind of BS.

“Brook and I knew that our relationship would change at the end of high school. We agreed that when she went to college and I left to film movies, we would end it … for now. Brook’s a great girl, and I admit that I still love her. Maybe even more than she loves me. If anything, she dumped me,” I said, telling her the truth.

She pondered what I said and nodded.

“So, you didn’t dump her?”

“No,” I said, and then Evil David appeared, and I put the insecure teen boy act into full swing. “There was one other problem.”

I nailed the little quiver in my voice and the darting eyes. There would be multiple Oscars in my future. I had Chelsea’s full attention.

“What happened?” she asked.

“I shouldn’t have said anything,” I said, shaking my head as if I’d changed my mind. “It’s too personal. I’ll let Brook tell you.”

Blood. Water. Teenage gossip hound in the role of a shark.

“You have to tell me. I promise not to say anything,” she said, pouncing on the bait.

I bit my lower lip and looked at my shoes like Dare would have as I sucked in my breath. I let it out slowly, and then our eyes locked. She reached out and grabbed my hand.

“Brook is hurting. I just want to be there for her,” Chelsea added.

I almost believed her. If she hadn’t had a little quiver like Duke had when you put a treat on his nose and told him he couldn’t have it yet, I might have fallen for it.

“Brook can’t be a slut because we’ve never had sex,” I blurted.

Chelsea blinked several times. I think my declaration caused her brain to malfunction. She then went to the edge of the balcony and looked up towards the sky.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

She held up a finger.

“Hold on—I’m checking to see if pigs are flying.”

I almost broke character when she called me on my bullshit. Then I had an inspiration.

“It’s really my problem,” I said.

“You can’t get it up?” she asked.

What was it that Tami always told me? Never go with my first thought. Oops.

“No. Nothing like that. I’m well … how do I say this?” I wondered. “I’m well-endowed.”

“You’re good,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Hold up your hand,” I ordered her.

She did, and I put our palms together to show her how big my hand was. Her eyes got big and she sucked in her breath when she saw that my hand dwarfed hers. I think everyone knew that if you had big hands you had big other things … or so the old wives’ tale said.

“It’s getting cold out here,” Chelsea said, and bolted for the back door.

Uh oh. I’d better go find Brook and warn her. I might have put my foot in it.

◊◊◊

Cassidy figured out that something was up when Chelsea hurried in and grabbed Breanne. Combine that with my look of guilt and there was no way I would ever get rid of her to talk to Brook alone, so I just told them.

“You said you’re … uh … too big?” Brook asked in disbelief.

“As much as it pains me to say this, he might have solved your problem,” Cassidy said to defend me.

“You amaze me sometimes,” Brook said, not letting this go. “I’m surprised you didn’t announce that you’re so good in bed that I wasn’t able to satisfy you on my own.”

“See. That right there is why I love you. I should have talked to you first. That’s a much better explanation,” I said to play it off.

Cassidy jabbed me under the arm.

“Ow!”

“Quit being a ‘stupid boy’ and shut up,” Cassidy told me.

“So, I’m supposed to confirm that you’re too big down there?” Brook asked.

I looked at Cassidy for some help. She tapped out when I made my hasty comment, so I was on my own.

“I don’t think you’ll have to say anything. I bet that your cousins will take care of that for you. All you have to say is it’s none of anyone’s business why we’re no longer dating.”

“He’s probably right. If I had that kind of juicy gossip, I would share it with you,” Cassidy admitted.

“Have you seen my dick?” I said with a big smile.

“Ow! Stop doing that,” I said when she jabbed me again.

◊◊◊

The girls made me fold myself almost in half to get in the backseat of Brook’s new car. I was being punished for telling Brook’s cousins why we’d broken up. At the time I’d thought I’d come up with a genius excuse. Brook wasn’t on board. I’d received a long lecture about what I was and wasn’t allowed to talk about with her new classmates at the party. Specifically, I couldn’t talk about my impressive ‘tackle,’ as Gwen had called it.

Brook drove us over the bridge and to an affluent neighborhood. The home where the party was being held was located on a golf course. I was appalled when I saw that several people had parked on the fairway. My dad would probably shoot them if they did that to his golf course.

The one thing I noticed as we walked to the house was the cars were much nicer than I’d seen at any party I went to back home. Brook’s Porsche fit right in.

When I rang the doorbell, the door was opened by a stunning blond. My first thought was that she had to be a model. She was accompanied by a girl and guy who looked like people you would imagine seeing in the Hamptons. I chuckled because I recognized that the guy was wearing last season’s Abercrombie. If you wanted to play the uber-rich playboy, you didn’t wear last year’s clothes.

“New Girl!” the blond said a little too excitedly.

Cassidy rolled her eyes when the blond did the fake-cheek-kiss thing to Brook. She might have pulled off that they were frenemies if Brook hadn’t stiffened. You could tell Brook really disliked this girl, and she had no plans to play the fake-friend part. The blond then turned her gaze on me.

“David A. Dawson! I must introduce you around,” she said, and grabbed my arm and pulled me inside.

I glanced over my shoulder, and Cassidy looked like she was about to take the girl down. It was rather rude to completely ignore her.

Unlike her minion, I had worn a sports jacket from Dakora that was from this year’s winter line, an Abercrombie tall fitted button-up poplin shirt, and my vintage jeans, with the oxblood red leather tennis shoes I’d bought while playing baseball for Team USA in Houston. Brook had asked that I bring and wear what she termed my ‘model clothes.’ The whole effect made me look like I was ready for a photo shoot. I especially liked the blond highlights that I’d received for my role as an American surfer-dude type in the J-drama.

I confirmed that the ringleader was Kaia Chamberlin and her two friends were Spencer Rhee and Sabrina Shiroma. Sabrina was the other girl who’d been talking trash about Brook. Spencer looked to be a typical preppie, although it was odd to me that Kaia would actually have a male friend. She didn’t seem the type.

As we made the rounds, I could tell people were hesitant around Kaia and her entourage. At first, they assumed I was just a recent addition and were standoffish. I made a point to turn on the Dawson charm to put them at ease. It was only partially effective because they’d been conditioned to be wary of Kaia’s catty remarks.

We went into a game room, and over the fireplace there was a portrait of a woman who looked very familiar.

“Is that …?” I asked.

“Yes. That’s my mom, formerly Claudia Müller. Everyone says I look just like her,” Kaia said, fishing for a compliment.

I looked at Kaia more closely. Claudia Müller was famous for posing in a red one-piece swimsuit before I was born. In my dad’s age, her poster adorned the bedroom walls of most teen males. I’d seen the poster in old photos of my dad and uncle in one of their bedrooms. While Kaia had model looks, she was not on the same par as her mother. Claudia was stunning.

“Thanks for introducing me around. I should get back to my friends,” I said to dodge the comparison and to rid myself of Kaia.

“You should hang out with us. People with similar interests should stick together,” Kaia tried. “Don’t you agree?”

Her minions dutifully nodded as they all turned to me.

I could have said several things. This girl made me think of the first time I’d met Lexi. What was it with teen girls who thought they had to be mean to be the top of the heap? Lexi had changed, so I figured Kaia could too at some point. Then again, she probably would turn out like one of those reality TV ‘real housewives’ my mom liked to watch.

“I’m not going anywhere, but I’m not abandoning my friends, either. I’m sure we’ll have a chance to talk later,” I assured them―NOT.

Kaia kept her mouthy opinion to herself as I flashed my best smile. Adrienne had taught me how to look my best, and I could tell that Kaia had big plans for me. I would have to hide from her later.

I found Brook with her cousins looking put out and Cassidy with an amused expression. Next to Brook was another girl who looked like one of my fantasies, the naughty librarian. She had the requisite long dark hair and glasses. My fantasy girl looked at me and smiled.

“So, your dick’s too big,” she blurted, and then went red.

I got a shocked look on my face and put my hand over my mouth like I was mortified. I glared at Chelsea, who had the common sense to look away. Cassidy and Brook both barked out laughs as I scampered off. Maybe there were awards bigger than the Oscars. That performance surely would earn me a lifetime achievement one.

The real reason I’d left was I realized that I’d been at a party for nearly an hour and needed a drink. If this kept up, I would need something stronger than the Coke I planned to have. When I came back, the cousins were missing.

“David, Makayla wants to dance,” Brook said.

I didn’t have to be asked twice. I took Brook’s friend―my fantasy naughty librarian―out and began to shake what God gave me. Makayla was a total free spirit; there was no rhyme or reason for her dance moves. I was having fun. The music slowed down, so I took her into my arms.

“You’ve gotten Brook’s cousins in a tizzy. It won’t be long before everyone knows of your giant dick. Brook and Cassidy think it’s funny,” Makayla said to let me know she knew the truth.

“That I have a giant dick?” I asked for clarification.

Makayla laughed.

“You’re fun. I can see why Brook dated you.”

I sighed.

“I can tell neither of you was ready for it to end,” Makayla said.

I nodded my agreement.

◊◊◊

Without the ‘Mean Girl’ around, the partygoers got brave and wanted to meet me and get to know Brook better. I counted my trip as a win when I saw her in an animated conversation with five other girls. She was going to be okay.

I’d had enough of the festivities. It really wasn’t my scene. Everyone was posturing to see who was the richest and most connected. I’d found that if someone had to play the game of one-upmanship, then they were a poser. People who had actually achieved something didn’t have the need to act like most of these kids were. I had a bad feeling that this would be typical of parties when I was older. I was used to people just being themselves and not trying to put on airs.

I went in search of a bathroom and made the executive decision to go upstairs when I saw the line. It turned out to be a good call. When I came out, I got curious and did a little exploring. I found an upstairs library and a girl curled up under an afghan reading her tablet. One look told me she had to be Kaia’s older sister. I sat down in the chair on the other side of the fireplace and stretched my long legs out to get comfortable.

“You’re not supposed to be up here,” she said without looking up.

“I’m hiding from your sister.”

That admission caused her to look up; she recognized me and smiled.

“You’re the actor my sister plans to hook up with.”

She laughed when I let slip what I thought of her sister’s plan with a look. She set her tablet down and considered me with an intensity that made me a little nervous. I held up my hands.

“I just got out of a relationship.”

“What makes you think I’d be interested?” she asked.

I gave her my best sexy smile.

“You’re interested.”

“You’re a little young to have that much confidence. I hate to break it to you, but I’m really not. I’m looking for a real man, not a cute boy.”

“David,” I said to introduce myself.

“Lila.”

“Do you have a ‘man’ in mind?” I asked.

I caught the look of frustration on her face.

“He’s not interested?” I guessed.

“He just doesn’t know that he’s interested yet,” she clarified.

“Now who’s confident?” I teased.

“My sister needs someone like you. It would do her a world of good,” Lila said.

“You’re not a fan?” I asked.

“Let’s just say that my sister and I are polar opposites. She was the one that got all the attention when we were growing up, while I had to be the responsible one and look after her. Neither of our parents was around much,” she explained.

“Tell me about this ‘man’ who doesn’t know he’s interested yet,” I said to change the subject.

I really didn’t want to talk about her sister.

“He plays hockey where I go to school …”

She started and then was off telling me all about this guy. She went to school at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. Something like 200 alumni all played professional hockey, making the hockey players the big men on campus. Lila had a class with him and didn’t know how to get his attention. I began to suspect that she didn’t date much because, let’s face it, with her looks the guy would have to be an idiot not to want to date her.

“Actually, the more I think about it, the more I think you need to practice,” I said.

“Practice? What does that mean?” Lila asked.

“I play football and baseball. We would never go into a game without practicing. It’s the same thing with dating. You can’t expect to snag this McSkatey without practicing,” I explained.

“This isn’t a stupid football game,” she said. “And don’t call him that.”

I had no plan to quit making fun of the guy. I’d started to have ulterior motives with Lila. I also liked how she looked when she got fired up defending her ‘man’ because her eyes would flare and her cheeks flushed with color.

“I get the impression that you don’t have a lot of experience. I think that if you want to win McSkatey’s heart, you need to at least practice kissing,” I gambled.

“There’s no way that is happening,” she said as her eyes narrowed toward me.

“I’m offering my service as a one-time thing,” I said and then smiled. “Don’t you want to kiss me?”

I saw her eyes flare again and her mouth open in a mix of outrage and disgust.

“Like I said, not happening.”

“I get it, you’re probably terrible at it,” I said with a straight face.

“I’m an excellent kisser, for your information,” she said as she crossed her arms.

“Really?” I asked skeptically.

“Yes, really.”

I could see the seed of doubt seeping in.

“Show me,” I said as I pulled out all the stops, using my best sexy voice and look.

◊◊◊

Looking back, I’m not really sure how it happened. One moment the sexual tension had risen to an almost unbearable level. At the time, I wasn’t sure if she would punch me or kiss me. In a blur, we somehow ended up in her bedroom.

As soon as the door was closed, I started to lose clothes. I pulled them off and threw them on the floor behind me. Lila was taking too much time. She still wore her panties, so I came forward and yanked them off of her. She backed up and her legs touched the edge of the bed. I advanced on her, and she hopped up and scooted back while she looked at me the whole time.

I got on the bed and was soon atop her. Her legs spread and I found her warm sex against Mr. Happy. I shifted my hips, which caused my length to slide along her slick folds. As soon as they parted, the scent of an aroused woman hit me.

“You do have a nice package,” Lila said.

“You heard about that?” I asked.

“Oh, yes. I just figured you were acting like all men and exaggerating.”

I shifted my hips again, and she moaned. She pushed back and began to add her own hip motions as she ground against me. She was about to waken the sexual beast inside of me as she did wonderful things to my friend. Before I could plan my next move, Lila slipped her legs around my hips.

I sensed that she thought she was in control. I decided to dissuade her from that notion. I reached down, grabbed her hips, and flipped her over onto her stomach. She made a startled sound as I smacked her butt.

“Condoms?” I asked.

“In my nightstand,” she said, pointing.

I got up and proceeded to put one on. She watched, and I could see the moment of hesitation touch her eyes. I was there with her. Was this the right thing to do or not? She got herself to her knees and presented me with her magnificent backside. I could clearly see her sex was aroused. I decided that it was the thing to do. No regrets, right?

I came up behind her and pressed into her thighs as my member slid upwards between the cheeks of her firm, round bottom. I felt my arousal increase as my balls tightened. She wiggled her butt to force me into action. Instead, I gave her another swat to let her know I was in charge. She looked back, and I could see that I’d done the right thing.

“I had no idea. You’re not a little boy, are you? You’re all man. I was also wrong about you being right for my sister. She wouldn’t know what to do with you. I’m starting to wonder if you’re too much for me.”

I lightly touched the skin on her back, which caused her to twitch in anticipation. My erection throbbed. Then I knew that I didn’t just want a quick romp. I wanted to make her scream my name. I wanted to possess her. I had to taste her. Before I did that, I ran the head of my dick up and down Lila’s folds and found her clit. Her warm juices coated my tip, and I saw them paint her lips. She let a low moan.

When my head dipped down, and my mouth latched onto her sex, Lila yelped.

“What are you doing? No one has ever …” was all she got out before she moaned.

I turned my head and kissed her smooth inner thigh. I could hear her heavy breathing as I got a better angle so I could lick her where she needed me to. I closed my eyes and inhaled her scent. There was something special about her. Something that made me want to just ravage her, yet protect her with everything I had. I concentrated on helping her reach her first one. I wanted her more than ready when the main event finally happened.

I was rewarded with Lila moaning my name. She tasted so good, I wanted to feast on her. I drilled my tongue deep inside, again and again. That was when she made that sound you wait for. The one that told you that she was yours. A satisfied grin touched my lips.

I decided to up my game. I pulled my tongue out of her depths and found her swollen little soldier. I pushed two fingers into that wonderful sheath where my tongue had just been. I searched for that little rough patch that was her G-spot. When I found it, her slick channel gripped my fingers. I aggressively stimulated Lila with my fingers as I ran my tongue over her nubbin. She pushed back to increase the contact. Lila was almost there.

Then she went off. At first, I thought by her cries of passion that Lila might have watched too much porn. I chuckled when she shuddered and flopped onto her side. I knew it wasn’t an act when she drooled. No woman drools when she’s trying to play at being a porn star. It was one of the sexiest things I’d ever seen.

I didn’t give her a chance to recover. I got on my knees and lined up with her sex. She gave a little jerk when she felt the tip and gasped when I thrust Mr. Happy in to the hilt with a fast, hard push. She was still spasming inside, and it felt like her core was trying to pull me in deeper.

Lila felt so very good. I gave her two quick thrusts to make sure she could handle it before I got serious.

When she moaned my name again, I knew I was golden. She was a treat. Her sex kept throbbing around my length as I plundered her hot core.

“You’re a big boy,” she said as she shook her head. “Please, do me hard.”

We were on the same page. Lila screeched when I went to pound town. That was when the door flew open and in stormed Kaia. She had wild, crazy eyes.

“You bitch, how could you?”

“Get the hell out,” Lila said.

“You knew I wanted him!” Kaia wailed and then stormed out, leaving the door open.

I saw her posse was rooted at the door, looking scandalized.

“Shut the door,” I commanded.

What the fuck? Both the girl and the guy stepped in and closed the door behind them. For a split second, I wondered if they watched Kaia when she had sex. I decided to ignore them and got back to what I was doing. Lila didn’t seem to care that we had an audience. It didn’t take long for either of us to get there.

When Lila came to her senses, she kicked them out.

“What was that about?” I asked.

“I have no idea, but I think Kaia’s guy-friend Spencer is into you,” she teased.

I’d picked up on a few tells that made me wonder about his sexuality, but honestly, I didn’t want to think about it. I got up, took a quick shower, and came out to find Lila gone. I saw her in the library, reaming her sister out. I didn’t want any part of that, so I went downstairs to find Brook and Cassidy.

“You are such a slut,” Cassidy said when she saw me.

Spencer and Sabrina must have said something. I looked at Cassidy and shrugged. I couldn’t argue with what she’d just said.

◊◊◊

Sunday January 22

This morning, Brook found her way into my bed. I pulled her into my arms, and she laid her head on my chest.

That was a preview of Senior Year Part III. To read the rest purchase the book.

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