Junior YearChapter 5 Don t You Want To Share
- 3 years ago
- 49
- 0
I smiled when my guys hit the lobby in their new clothes. The three amigos all looked good. We all stood out, compared to the other ballplayers. It wasn’t that the others were dressed badly; they just looked like teenage boys.
I wore the sport coat I’d gotten in Japan with the graphic on it. I also wore an Abercrombie light blue button-up shirt under the jacket and cream-colored slacks with my new oxblood-red leather tennis shoes. To finish it off I wore my Japanese designer sunglasses. I’d been warned that the press had been asking about me in Mexico, so I decided to pull out my inner model.
“Did you guys let David get his hands on you?” Allard asked when he saw us.
“He said we have to look like someone a girl will want to date,” Phil said.
“Uh ... okay,” was Allard’s witty comeback.
Other players noticed and soon had the three amigos cornered, asking them questions. Allard, Daz and Austin pulled me aside.
“How come you didn’t invite us for a makeover?” Daz asked.
I think Austin realized how that sounded and scowled for a moment, but then nodded.
“I wouldn’t want to look like I was in a boy band,” Allard worried.
That made me laugh. I had deliberately not gone too far with Phil, Roc and Yuri; I’d just tried to make them more presentable. I’d remembered how worried I’d been when my freshman-year ‘sex tutor,’ Cindy, had changed my look. Even worse was when Ford Models had let their ‘artist’ loose on me. I’d had to remind the agency that if I wore makeup at school, I would get my butt kicked. I knew exactly what they were worried about. It had taken all this time for me to be comfortable enough to wear the clothes I currently had on in public.
“Do you think they look like that?” I prodded.
“No, but I know you well enough that I could see you making me look goofy just for the fun of it,” Allard admitted.
The other two watched at me suspiciously.
“He has a point,” Daz said.
“What you’re all looking for is a cleaned-up version of yourself that attracts women and makes you look a little older,” I guessed.
“That would be perfect,” Austin said.
“You also know I live in Arkansas. I can’t be citified,” Allard said with concern.
“So, no eyeliner,” I said with a straight face.
“You have eyeliner on?” Daz asked as his eyebrows disappeared into his bangs.
“Doesn’t it make my eyes look better?” I teased.
“This was a mistake,” Austin said, backing up.
“I’m just teasing. You’re my teammates. Do you really think I would make you look foolish?”
Okay. That was probably the wrong question, but they calmed down. I told them to ask around and see who else wanted some help. I made it clear that it might cost them some money because a good haircut wasn’t cheap. It looked like most of them went to Cheap Cuts and got their Wednesday special when the barber school came in for practice.
Once everyone was downstairs, it was off to Mexico. When we got off the plane, I was happy to see Fritz and Paul in the airport debarkation area. They’d gone down a day early to prepare for everyone else’s arrival. I was glad they were there when we cleared customs and got to the section of the airport where the press could get in.
I was standing next to Coach Kingwood when we saw the paparazzi waiting.
“Let me go first and draw them off. I’ll talk to them until you text me that you have everyone on the bus, and then we’ll join you,” I planned.
I quickly found my security team around me. Poor Chuck looked a little green. He’d never experienced anything like this before. I’d dealt with it in LA, and then it was simply crazy in Japan. I soon found out that Mexico loved baseball. I was American, which made them want to hate me. I was also in movies. I found that the two conflicting feelings sort of canceled each other out. I think I won some of them over when I could do my interviews in broken Spanish.
The airport police showed up and made us move out the exit. That might have been a mistake because there was a large crowd of fans waiting outside.
“What should we do?” I asked Fritz.
We could see the team’s bus was at the far side of the pickup lane, and my teammates were getting on.
“I think it would be safer to just push through and get you on the bus,” Fritz decided.
I was happy when the police helped us navigate through the crowd so I could escape. When I was finally on board, I looked toward the back of the bus and was met with stunned silence.
“That was special,” I announced.
Phil had saved me a seat.
“That totally sucked,” Phil observed.
“It’s all part of it. This was a little out of control, and you never really get used to it, but it’s the price you have to pay,” I explained.
Thankfully, there were no crowds at the hotel. I did see Jeff, my favorite reporter, with his camera crew. I had Paul take my bags up to my room so I could talk to Jeff.
“You missed the circus at the airport.”
“No, we caught it. We just decided to stand back and film it. Do you have time for an interview?”
“Sure. I need to get used to you following me around.”
“When you say it that way, it sounds a little creepy,” Jeff said, with hooded eyes that made me wonder about him.
USA Baseball had a room for interviews in the hotel. I found a man sitting there that I didn’t recognize.
“Jonathan Stoddard, Major League Baseball dot com,” he said as he shook my hand.
“David Dawson. This is Jeff Delahey and his film crew. You mind if they record this? They’re following me around, doing a documentary.”
“Yeah, I guess. I’ve never had someone film me like this,” Jonathan admitted.
“What can I do for you?” I asked.
“I’m down here to put together a story on potential prep draftees that are here for the COPABE Pan Am ‘AAA’ Championships. My idea is to do one story on the prospects from the US and then another on the international players.”
“Why do you want to talk to me? I plan on going to college and skipping the draft.”
“As the captain of Team USA, you have a lot of potential as a draft pick. When we get closer to the draft, I’d like to do another story on just you regardless of whether you enter the draft or not,” Jonathan said.
“I’d love to,” I said with a smile.
Jeff almost blew my cover when he began to chuckle. He knew me too well. I talked to Jonathan for about twenty minutes. I did my best ‘aw, shucks’ shtick. I was truly blessed.
When Jonathan left, Jeff shook his head.
“That never gets old. How you can say all that with a straight face is beyond me.”
“Hey, I see what you’re doing. You’re trying to get me to say something bad for your little docudrama. It won’t work, Buster,” I said, shaking my fist at him with mock indignation.
“All kidding aside, are you going to be ready for Cuba? They have a great team this year,” Jeff prodded.
“Last I looked, we play Panama first. I haven’t even looked at who else is on the schedule,” I said, and then had a brilliant idea. “I think you’re selling the host country short. I heard they may be the favorites. The current international rankings are USA, Cuba and then Mexico. Mexico might be a slight favorite because they’re the home team.”
“Do you know any of the Cuban players? I understand that you practiced with some of them,” Jeff said.
“If you know the answer, why are you asking the question?” I asked.
“Because I need to have you respond on tape.”
“Yes.”
“If you’re going to be like this, I’ll interview your mom. She said she has baby pictures,” Jeff threatened.
I decided I’d better play his game for now. I debated as to whether I should talk to Mom about it. That could go one of two ways: she could give Jeff grief, or she could turn on her youngest son. I figured it was a toss-up between turning on me and her giving us both grief.
After we got settled, the coaches wanted us to loosen up and have a little fun playing baseball, so we went to the practice field. Coach Kingwood left us to our own devices, since he and the coaching staff had a meeting with USA Baseball and then another meeting with the other coaches involved in the tournament.
When he and his staff arrived at the field, the players looked like a truck had run over them. I’d had Yuri run them through sixty minutes of hell.
“What happened?” Coach Kingwood asked me.
He was in time to see a couple of them dry-heaving as they leaned against a fence.
“I won’t name names,” I said, pointing at the ones who’d started it, “but a few of them mouthed off that they were in great shape. Then someone questioned someone else’s manhood ... it devolved into taunts, so I put an end to it. I am now Capitán Cojones, and these are my soldiers,” I said, as I surveyed the devastation I’d triggered.
He looked at Coach Way.
“He thinks he’s Captain Balls.”
I chuckled because I’d played it off like I had no idea what ‘cojones’ meant. I let the team think they’d pulled one over on me. I just figured you had to have real balls to pull off that nickname.
I think Coach Kingwood liked what I’d done with the team. He seemed to have plans to use our work out on his ballclub back home where he coached. I told him that Cassidy would be here tomorrow and she could tell him how to implement it.
After my teammates were done acting like big babies, I made them play football with me. My plan was to throw for the next few weeks so I was ready when we returned for the end of two-a-days back home. I didn’t want to give Coach Hope any excuse to be mad at us for not getting ready for the season.
USA Baseball had a buffet ready for us in the hotel. In the corner of the room they’d set up an interview set where their in-house reporters could ask us various questions. The plan was to intersperse the interviews in-game when there was a lull in the game action.
Logan, Tristan and Allard pulled me aside.
“I asked around, and there’s a mall not far from here. We want to go after dinner and have you do your magic,” Tristan said.
“How many are going?” I asked.
“Everyone,” Allard said.
I was a little surprised when I could roll my eyes like a teenage girl.
“Come on, man, you promised,” Logan said, sounding worried.
“No, sorry. I just ... ah ... didn’t think you guys were seriously interested in fashion,” I admitted.
“Yuri and Roc showed us pictures of the girls you date and some of the models you’ve taken out. I mean, seriously, I would kill to go out with that Victoria’s Secret model,” Tristan said as their explanation.
Someday, if they made it to the major leagues, they very well might date a model. I mean seriously, if that goof of a pitcher could be with Kate Upton, then they surely had a chance.
“I agree. I love my girlfriend or I’d be right there with Tristan, but Molly says she wishes I dressed better sometimes,” Logan admitted.
I looked at Allard, daring him to throw M.E. under the bus. He just shrugged.
“Fine, but you have to figure out transportation. My security people told us we can’t walk anywhere after dark,” I explained.
“Coach Kingwood and the rest of the coaches are going with us, so we can use the bus,” Allard said with a big smile.
I’d been set up.
I guess I should have known that Jeff and his camera crew would load onto the bus with us. It was just a few miles to the mall, and our first stop was to get haircuts. They had five stylists available. One of them was free, so I asked if they had any books, and he went and got us a couple. It was much easier to show them what I thought would work.
I had shudders go down my spine when several wanted the Bieb’s latest hairstyle. Coach Way pulled me aside once I’d helped them all figure out what they wanted.
“How come you got a flattop and not just a buzz cut?” he asked.
“You know what’s funny? My granddad wore a flattop. I used to make fun of him, but he assured me that once I figured out how easy it was to take care of, I’d want one. I just thought he was being old-fashioned. You know how some fashions seem to come back in style? Shorter hair is back now, but with a few twists. Most younger guys are wearing it short on the sides and then doing something creative on the top. Plus, I love that it takes me no time at all after a shower.
“For someone your age, a buzz cut would just look like you’re avoiding a comb-over,” I teased.
“You must not be planning on ever playing,” he warned me.
“You’d look better in a flattop than a buzz cut. People see those and instantly think you’re trying to hide the fact you’re going bald. The other problem is a lot of guys just don’t have the head for a buzz cut. The flattop helps hide the goofy shape of their noggin,” I advised.
“I take it you’ve had a buzz cut?” Coach Way asked sardonically.
I got out my phone and showed him a Stryker picture.
“I’m going to try the flattop,” he said, after he saw my bald head.
I showed him the hair-wax stick they sold to help your flattop stand up in the front. I was lucky that my hair stood on its own. Coach Way’s hair was finer and I suspected it would just want to lay down.
When the first group was done getting their hair cut, I took them to a couple of stores and showed them what went with what. When the next group came out, I shook my head. They’d gotten their hair dyed red, white and blue. I sure hoped that washed out, because their parents were all coming tomorrow and I didn’t want to be the one they all pointed at when their sons looked like circus clowns.
It turned into a nice team-building experience as everyone seemed to have a good time. I’d helped them pick out some clothes they could wear for both interviews now and then later for dates. I did notice that half the coaching staff had gotten flattops. In this heat and humidity, it was probably a wise decision.
When we got back to the hotel, I talked Fritz, Paul and Chuck into playing poker with me and the three amigos, as I was now calling them. We kept it friendly so that Phil, Roc and Yuri could learn the game. Paul was the big winner when he took home five dollars.
Wednesday August 10I made everyone who’d played poker the night before get up and run with me. I brought my Bo staff with me out of habit. Chuck hadn’t seen me with it before and was impressed with the drills I did while running. It had made a significant difference in my forearm, wrist and hand strength.
I had set a good pace to get the blood pumping when Fritz called out.
“Don’t look back, but we’re being followed. A white van is pacing us.”
“What should we do?” Yuri asked, with a tremor in his voice.
“Allow Paul and Chuck to move to the edge of the street, and the rest of you get closer to the buildings. When we find a spot, we’ll get off the street,” Fritz said.
I made sure I was between the street on one side and Phil, Roc and Yuri on the other. I didn’t want them getting hurt. I at least could do some damage with my Bo staff, if they got close. I debated about breaking it apart so I could use the two halves as batons, but I decided I would rather have the length of the Bo staff. I was also better with a staff than I was with batons when it came to a fight.
“There’s a restaurant half a block up. Run in there,” Chuck ordered.
“Keep your pace,” Fritz warned as Yuri sped up.
He wanted us to keep together.
“Get down!” Fritz yelled.
I heard the engine of the van speed up. Right before the restaurant, there was an alleyway. Out of it, another van drove in front of us, blocking our intended path. Yuri and Roc dropped down on the sidewalk. My brother, Phil, stood frozen. I tackled him and took him to the pavement.
The side door of the van blocking us slid open and a man with a mask and a gun began to get out. Fritz, Chuck and Paul had all drawn their weapons and were facing the street as the white van had sped up and slammed on its brakes next to us.
“Gun!” I yelled.
I heard the three amigos scream out in fear. I knew I had to protect them. The van blocking our path was only six feet away, so I didn’t hesitate as I exploded off the sidewalk. I think the gunman was surprised when I used the Bo staff like a spear and drove him back into the van. His arms flailed as he tried to catch himself and the gun fell back into the van with him. I dropped down into a fighting stance and kept an eye on the driver to make sure he didn’t get out.
The van on the street suddenly took off when they saw my security was armed. It flashed past in my peripheral vision as it left. I looked into the van in front of me and my blood ran cold. There was a second person in the back who was also armed. He raised his gun and pointed it at me. The driver took his cue from his partner on the street. Just as it looked like I was going to be shot, the van lurched forward and I heard the explosion of the gun as it went off. Fortunately, he shot just as the driver punched the accelerator. The bullet went over my head, and I let out a sigh of relief as I watched the van race away.
I turned back and found Yuri and Roc hovering over Phil. I saw blood and my gut instantly tightened. ‘God, please let him be okay’ was the little prayer I thought as I rushed to see what was wrong. His knees, elbows and forehead all had road rash where he’d slid across the concrete.
“I thought you’d been shot,” I blurted.
“Something worse happened. You knocked me down,” Phil complained.
“We can talk about this later. Let’s head back to the hotel,” Fritz worried.
We picked up the pace as we ran back to the hotel. When we got back to my room, everyone seemed to collapse into themselves. I was happy to see Paul leave and come back with the first aid satchel Tami had made for my security team. I think she thought she was a trauma doctor, with all the stuff she had in that bag.
No one said anything as we all tried to process what had just happened. I was now glad I’d listened and hired security. Up until this moment, I’d thought of them more as crowd control and someone to hang out with. I shouldn’t have, because of what Trip had gone through, but that had been a terrorist attack. How often would you ever find yourself in the middle of something like that?
The realization was sinking in that someone had just tried to either kidnap me or rob us. With how they seemed to be organized, it wasn’t a simple robbery. It scared me that my friends may have gotten seriously hurt just because they were hanging around me.
I looked around at the group. Fritz had been watching me to see how I’d react. Paul was calm, but Chuck was shaken. I could tell that both Paul and Fritz had both been in situations like this before, just by how they carried themselves. Phil seemed to be okay, but Roc and Yuri were breathing hard.
“I don’t even want to be in the room when you have to call my mom and tell her what just happened,” I said to Fritz.
He gave me a pained look, but my teammates burst out laughing. It was the nervous kind of laughter people have once they realize that they just escaped death. As soon as they stopped laughing, their body language was better.
“Chuck, you stay here. Paul, you’re with me,” Fritz said.
I figured he wanted to call the police and give my dad a heads-up. I doubted Fritz had a death wish and would make the mistake of calling my mom. Once they left, I figured I had better talk to the guys.
“How are you doing?” I asked.
“What just happened?” Phil asked.
“Those men had guns,” Yuri stated.
“Are you okay?” Roc asked. “I think they were there to take you.”
“My security team was there to stop that,” I said.
“But that last man in the van shot at you. You’re not a Jedi who can use your big stick to deflect bullets,” Yuri said to remind me I’m human.
I gave him a weak smile.
“As much as I would like to claim that I’m a Jedi, I know I’m not. If he’d gotten off a clean shot, I’d have been in real trouble. I know I was lucky,” I said softly.
“How can you not be freaking out?” Roc asked.
“Dude, he’s my brother. He might have been scared, but he’d never show it,” Phil said.
If I had a hairline, my eyebrows would have disappeared into it. I could tell that Phil meant every word of what he just said. I wondered if others thought I was some kind of superhero, incapable of being afraid in the face of danger.
“All I could do was watch,” Yuri admitted. “You, on the other hand, jumped up and whacked the guy with your staff and pushed him back into the van. I was completely useless.”
“You did what you were told to do, and that helped a lot! You forget that Cassidy has trained me to defend myself. What I did was because I knew you three were safe if the rest of us did our jobs. If I had to worry about you jumping into the middle of it, I would have been terrified. What I saw was that you didn’t jump up and run. You listened to direction under extreme pressure. I know I can count on the three of you,” I said.
“I agree with David. The worst way that could have gone was if the three of you had either tried to help or had gotten separated. That’s when terrible things happen,” Chuck said, to pile on.
“Weren’t you scared when he pointed his gun at you?” Roc asked.
“That did give me pause. I’d be a fool if I said I wasn’t worried. It just happened so fast that I didn’t get a chance to be scared, but if I’d had time to think about it, I would have been. Sometimes you do what you can and if God decides your number’s up, there’s nothing you can do about it. I think he still has plans for all of us,” I said seriously.
“Now we have to win State,” Yuri said.
“Can we pray?” Roc asked.
“Absolutely,” I said, and we circled around.
I think we just needed to reassure ourselves that everything was going to be okay.
We missed morning practice as we had to deal with the police. They were impressed when Fritz was able to provide them with four different bodycam views of the incident. They were able to get the plates off the vans to help them begin their investigation.
Fritz made some phone calls to get more security. He did ask me to make a call of my own.
“Hello,” a woman answered.
“Is this Pia Giovanni?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“This is David Dawson.”
It took her a second to figure out who I was, and then it dawned on her.
“Oh, yes, Tony’s friend. How may I help you?” she asked, sounding much friendlier.
“This morning someone tried to kidnap me in Monterrey, Mexico. I’m here to play for Team USA in a baseball tournament. Later today my family and friends will be joining me, and I’m more than a little worried about their safety. I’m not sure if you can do anything...”
“Tell me what happened,” she said, suddenly sounding hard.
I could tell this woman was capable. If she was Tony’s go-between, she would have to be. I explained what happened. She wanted copies of the videos and said she would talk to Tony. She thanked me for calling and then hung up on me. I wasn’t sure what I’d just started.
After we’d dealt with the police, the team returned from practice and joined us in the sandwich shop for lunch. I let the three amigos tell the story. Fritz was pulled away to talk to officials from Team USA. Once we all had food, Coach Kingwood gave us the rundown for the rest of the day.
“Your parents will be here around one. We’ve reserved the Presidencial Ballroom and will have drinks and snacks so everyone can get to know each other.
“You have the afternoon off to do what you want. I want you all to be safe. The incident this morning shows that the unexpected can happen. The local police tell us that they’ll have a presence in the area to assure that there won’t be any repeats of this morning’s event.
“I want you all back here by five and we’ll have an early dinner. Then we’ll load onto the bus at six for our seven-thirty game. We’re kicking off the tournament, so I want you to be on your best behavior and show good sportsmanship,” Coach Kingwood said.
We all went back to eating and just being ballplayers.
At one, the team was waiting in the ballroom when our parents and friends started to show up. Of course, they had all heard about what happened this morning. Phil was soon surrounded, as he was the only one with visible injuries.
My parents and family were on the second bus to arrive. I dutifully allowed my mom and grandmother to check me out.
“What happened?” Mom demanded.
“We went running. I had Fritz, Chuck and Paul with us,” I said to assure her I hadn’t gone without security. “Fritz spotted a van following us and gave a warning. There was a second van that popped out of an alley ahead of our group to box us in. When they saw that my security was armed, they sped off. Everyone’s fine.”
I’d warned everyone not to talk about the guns the bad guys had. I’d also made them promise not to tell anyone about my role in the incident. Of course, that was a pipe dream, as Mrs. Pearson and Zoe rushed over.
“I heard you were almost shot,” Zoe blurted. Roc was a dead man.
I love my dad. He stepped in front of my mother before she ended my life. I could hear tidbits of their conversation and became worried when my mom stated I was going home―”right now!” My grandmother stepped close to me so we were shielded from my parents, and she pointed at my Grandma Felton who was holding Nate.
“You’re a genius,” I said, and gave her a big kiss on the cheek.
I rushed over.
“How’s my big boy?” I asked.
Nate reached for me, so Grandma Felton handed him to me.
“David!” Mom said right behind me.
I turned around and smiled.
“Don’t scare the little guy,” I said in triumph.
Poor Nate would be scarred for life. I found myself in the middle of the ballroom as all other conversation stopped to listen to my mother do what she does best: explain how I was a ‘stupid boy’ and how I would be on the next plane back to the States. Nate, bless his soul, howled when Mom began to get loud. Greg, the big chicken, left his son to his own fate. Angie went into mother-bear mode and rescued him.
I had finally had it.
“Okay, I get it. I’m minding my own business while taking every precaution I know about. Because some criminal decides to come after me, I’m the one that must be punished,” I barked.
“Don’t take that tone of voice with me,” she came back.
Several of my teammates flinched when she said that. I guess they’d been in similar situations. I took a deep breath and bit back about five really good comebacks. I closed my eyes and forced myself to relax. I opened them and looked her right in the eyes.
“I love you. I love that you care enough to protect me, and I know you’re trying to do what you think is best. I wouldn’t want it any other way,” I said as my chest tightened with emotion.
I think my mom could see I was being sincere and not just trying to placate her. Up to this point, our emotions had been running wild, and my taking a step back made her reconsider her position.
“If anything ever happened to you...” she began, but I wrapped her in my arms to hug her.
Dad took that moment to wrap us both in a hug, also. I think my allergies were acting up to cause my runny nose and watery eyes.
“What did he do?” I heard behind me, and I turned and found Tami, looking annoyed.
That seemed to lighten the mood as I let go of my parents and hugged Tami. I heard someone clear his throat. I didn’t care, but it made me aware that I was making a spectacle of myself in front of everyone.
I looked over Tami’s shoulder and saw she was standing with Mr. and Mrs. Mass, their daughter Harper, and, surprisingly, a smiling Tim and Wolf. What was going on?
“What are you guys doing here? I thought you were going to be at two-a-days.”
“The Mass family decided to come down and, lo and behold, all interns got an end-of-summer bonus check that was enough to cover the group airfare, food and hotel room with a little spending money kicked in,” Wolf explained.
Next, Peggy came in with the boys, followed by Tracy and Pam. Coby wanted his mom, and Little David wanted out of the stroller; I don’t think he cared who freed him. I picked him up and he giggled. That was exactly what I needed right now.
I began my circuit around the room to meet everyone’s parents with Little David as my helper. The first ones I found were Allard’s. I told them what a fantastic job he’d been doing and then got an invitation I might want to decline.
“When you get a chance, stop up at our room. We brought Allard his favorite thing to eat, jars of pickled-bologna and red-hot franks,” his dad announced.
“I’m almost afraid to ask what that is,” I said.
“It’s exactly what it sounds like. My mom canned it herself. She pickled bologna in a jar. You haven’t lived until you’ve had a fried pickled bologna sandwich,” Allard explained.
I think I let my concern about eating something like that come across my face.
I’d started to have weekly meetings with Caryn and Megan. They’d agreed to early Sunday afternoons if I gave them Friday afternoons off. I was entertained by their little work of fiction. They really didn’t have to work 40 hours a week yet. They were both on salary, so they were paid the same regardless of how many hours they worked. Mom and Dad told me that the two didn’t take advantage and seemed to get their work done, so I didn’t have any problems with it. My odd work schedule meant that...
I got up excited about two things. First, Moose told me he had a surprise for me. I was to meet him at the Field House, first thing. Second, Brook had sent me a text and scheduled a ‘play date’. I worried that it was too cold out, but became confused when a subsequent text told me to bring my swimsuit. I was not doing a polar bear swim, even with Brook. I found Mom alone in the kitchen when I came in. “Congratulations,” she said, as I stuck my head in the refrigerator to figure out what...
After my run, I went to the kitchen and found Peggy looking worn out. “Are you okay?” I asked. “Coby’s waking up every couple of hours and I’m not getting much sleep.” “And you have finals coming up and your project. Do you need a break?” “I wish, but I’ve got a job that puts a roof over David’s and my head. Don’t worry about it. I’m just feeling sorry for myself,” Peggy said. “Tell you what, I’ll take them today, and you can catch up on your sleep and do whatever you want.” “I know how...
Tracy, Pam and Halle were waiting for me when I got to school. “Are you all right?” Tracy asked. I assumed she was talking about the alert Fritz had sent out. “Yeah, I just wanted to make sure you were all okay. I guess, if nothing else, it was a good thing that we tested it out.” “Did you know the girl?” Halle asked. “No, not really. I met her for just a couple of minutes. She seemed nice. It was terrible, what happened,” I said. Pam wrapped me in a hug and whispered in my ear. “Are...
“You ready to learn something today?” Coach Way asked. He and I were in center field, and Coach Short was hitting balls to me. “Of course,” I said with a sideways look. “Here’s something I bet no one has ever told you,” he said, ready to lay some wisdom on me. “Have you ever been unsure whether or not a line-drive ball will drop in front of you?” There were times when that could be tricky. I just nodded in response. “Use the bill of your cap to help judge it. If the ball’s below the bill...
When we came back from church, it was just the three of us: Mom, Dad and me. We had a light lunch, and I joined Dad to watch the Bulls lose another game. That was when someone buzzed from the front gate. Dad switched the TV to see who it was, and it was Coach Diamond. I met him at the front door. “Hey, Coach, come in,” I said, and took his coat. While I hung it up, Dad greeted him and he took a seat to watch the game. “This isn’t a social call,” he said, getting down to business....
I’d set my alarm extra early because I had to be at the CBS This Morning studio by seven. It was snowing out, so I went down to the pool and swam. I really hated to run on a treadmill, so this was the best alternative for me. When I was done, I went to the little diner next to Tyler and Adrienne’s condo building to eat breakfast. I’d just finished when I received a text from Caryn to let me know our car was out front. The driver put my garment bag into the trunk, and I found it was just the...
“Hola, Lily,” I said, as I plopped down in the seat next to her. “Hola jefe, es un placer verte.” (Hey boss, it is a pleasure to see you.) “¿Por qué ... uhm... tan formal?“ (Why ... uhm ... so formal?) “Hoy tenemos un examen,” Lily answered. (We have a quiz today.) “¡Hijo de puta!“ Lily giggled. She’d been teaching me to cuss in Spanish. “David!” Ms. Cruz reprimanded. “Uh... Lo siento,” I said, embarrassed I was caught. (Sorry) I found that, with Lily’s help, I was picking up Spanish...
I drifted awake in a sea of warmth, feeling both languid and content. I was thinking of the exquisite feelings from last night when I started as I remembered who I’d spent the night with. That is if I hadn’t been dreaming. I sat up abruptly and looked around me. ‘Thank God,’ I sighed with relief. It had been a dream. The body keeping me warm was Duke. I picked up my phone and called Adrienne. “I had the best dream last night. It involved you and Kate.” “I wonder about you sometimes. I...
Junior Golf This is a sequel to "Golfing with Mom" and the "Ladies Invitational." That being said, a quick synopsis reveals that Danny, now living as Didi will be enrolled in the summer golf program at his/her mother's country club. Didi's new best friend and neighbor Sandy loves golfing with her new BFF Didi and can't wait for the golf program to start. Sandy had enlisted Didi to attend her own soccer camp the week prior. Sandy was the outstanding soccer player and Didi was more than...
I got up to do my morning run. I asked the girl at the front desk what direction I should go. I didn’t want to end up in a bad neighborhood. She told me that if I ran towards where we went to dinner last night, there was a State Park called White River. Even though the Holiday Inn Express offered a complimentary breakfast, I wasn’t interested in what they had available, so she suggested a diner I could go to. I began my run and it took me by the football stadium. It was different than...
Two games in a row I’d been banged up. I thought about the previous two years, and this one had been far better. Our offensive line had improved and kept me safe most of the year. I knew that when I went to college that would be a major factor in selecting what school I planned to attend. Wherever I went there would always be a chance of injury, but I didn’t want to tempt fate. Each level you went up they were bigger, faster, and stronger, which translated to their hitting much harder. If...
I woke up and was startled. I wasn’t used to someone in my bed, other than my trusty hound. Miranda had been staring at me while I slept. “I think this weekend was a mistake,” she said. “Why’s that?” “It made me realize what I’ve been missing. Watching you with your friends while you’re going to high school, and you’re still able do other things, made me wonder if I need to make some changes. My contract is up in a couple of weeks. It might be time to sit down and evaluate what I want out...
I’d spent the last few days being a kid. I talked Dad and Greg into going to the lake and breaking out the jet water board. I’d had a small twinge when I remembered this was where Jeff had drowned. Then I remembered this was where Coby had been conceived. I chalked it up to the circle of life and pushed all the negative feelings away. I’d also hit football practice hard. Both Wolf and Tim had taken the week off because football camp with the University of Michigan began today. I had one...
Peggy woke me up and made me run with her. I was in charge of pushing the boys in their running stroller. Duke must have been growing up because we saw three squirrels and he decided to let them live. Either that or Peggy had been getting through to him that dragging her across someone’s front lawn while she had the boys was not in his best interest. We went into breakfast and found that Mom had made sausage and eggs with hash browns. I was a happy boy because there was hot sauce. It was...
When I got to school I saw Halle, Brook, Zoe and Pam all waiting on me. They all looked at me expectantly and I panicked. Who did I say hi to first? Did I dare kiss any of them? I held up my hand to stop them and had a brilliant plan: I called Beth. “Who died?” Beth asked when she answered the phone. “I don’t know, why?” I asked. “Someone had to die for you to call me this early.” “Oh, sorry. I’ll call back,” I offered. “Don’t you dare, ‘stupid boy’. Why did you call?” “I have four...
I hadn’t planned to run this morning because we had our game against St. Joe today. That meant I could sleep in, or so I thought. I heard the door open and Duke bolted to go outside. Peggy told him to hurry up, and for some reason, he minded her. “What are you still doing in bed? Aren’t you running today?” “I have a game today and don’t want to tire out my legs.” “You should probably get some cardio,” she suggested. I really am a ‘stupid boy’ sometimes. I had no idea what she meant until...
Mom was subdued when I entered the kitchen. I just went up to her and held her. I didn’t say anything; nothing seemed right. She finally pulled back, still in my arms, and looked up at me. “David, you can’t know how proud of you I am. You account for far more of my grey hairs than you should, and there are times you act like the goofy kid I still want you to be, but you’re growing up. “Your dad and I talked a lot last night, and I understand why you handled those women the way you did. I...
Duke and I took the boys running in the morning. They seemed to enjoy the runs since it got them out of the house. Peggy had to finish writing a paper for one of her summer classes. I gave her a hard time about being a slacker. That was until she explained how much time the boys took up each day. That shut me up. I was impressed that she could handle raising the boys and going to school. I just seemed to be able to take off and assume everything was being taken care of. I vowed to spend more...
To the Victor Goes the Spoiled There were only two further demonstrations of the might of the 'Two Mile Island Nation' necessary before America surrendered. A tactical nuclear missile strike was attempted. Eight hundred meters of Cheyenne Mountain, in Colorado, the cornerstone of American Defense was lifted ... shaken, and dropped back in the hole from where it had been. There were many dead. A second strike using a larger warhead was attempted. The Pentagon was removed ... well eight...
I stepped out of my apartment and all but fell on my ass. Duke looked at me like I’d tried to kill him. It had sleeted yesterday and it froze overnight. I began to wonder why I hadn’t just stayed in LA. My part of the shoot had ended yesterday. The cast and production staff had a going-away lunch for me. I’d found several new friends, especially Zak. He was older than I was, but he was a lot nicer to me than Craig Wild had been. I really hadn’t figured out that all the hazing was just him...
Jet lag is a pain in the rear. It wasn’t this bad flying west. It had taken me a full day to get over the worst of it. When I went to Japan, it had lingered until about Wednesday before I’d reset my internal clock. When I got home, I felt exhausted and irritable. They call it circadian rhythm and it gets disrupted when you travel across multiple time zones. Your body clock, which is set by exposure to light, signals when it’s time to wake up and when it’s time to sleep. Saturday, I went to...
When we arrived in Chicago, we went and got our suitcases from baggage claim. The flight to Japan left in two hours, so we went to the car and dropped off our gear. Paul and I had packed separate bags for Japan, which we grabbed. Paul looked at his phone. “They’re here,” he said, letting me know that everyone going to Japan had been dropped off. I gave my family hugs. “I loved this guys’ week. I can’t wait to see what you plan to top it next year,” I said. “We could go to the nudist...
“What are you doing?” Bianca asked. “Sketching you,” I said, and showed her my drawing. The morning light and the image of her lying in my bed had inspired me to get out my sketchpad and pencils. “Can I have it?” she asked. I signed it and then tore it off the pad. It wasn’t complete, but you got the broad strokes. For goofing off, it was more than enough, as far as I was concerned. I heard the door open and wasn’t surprised when Cassidy came in. She took in the scene and gave me a...
Hi all, Welcome to Mark’s Junior Year story. For full enjoyment, please read Freshman Year + Sophomore Year to understand. If you don’t have the time and want to jump right in, I’ll be adding a chapter soon of a recap of the first two years. This is the third instalment of the series and can’t wait to get it under way! You’ll find the find the first chapter in the chapters below.
After our run, Peggy, Duke and I went to the kitchen to find Megan feeding Little David. I went and picked up Coby and kissed his forehead. “Good morning, Daddy,” Megan said. “How was he last night?” I asked. “I could almost set my watch by him waking up and fussing. He’s a good baby, though,” Megan said. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you being here. Getting a good night’s sleep is exactly what I need right now,” Peggy said. “That reminds me. I want to get you a thank-you gift,...
I’d made an appointment to meet with Coach Hope before football camp. I wanted to talk some sense into him concerning Phil, Yuri and Roc and their desire to come with me to Mexico. He’d said he might suspend them for the first game if they missed the first week of fall football practices. I thought I might bribe him, so I went to Granny’s West and picked up coffee and cinnamon rolls. I knew they always put me in a good mood, so I assumed they would for Coach, too. “If you have what I think...
Author’s Note: This is from the Sophomore Year at the beginning of the Fall semester. Uncle John I look back and it’s hard to imagine that it’s been over a year since my nephew, David, came to spend the summer with me. When he arrived, he was a confused and angry young man. You might ask what teenager isn’t. I don’t know, but my sister-in-law may have been even more pissed than he was. My brother is a lucky man because he found Carol and they had two wonderful children. In many ways, I’m...
Duke nudged me to let me know he needed to go out. I looked at the clock and saw I’d only gotten four hours of sleep. At least he’d let me sleep in a little bit. When we went down, we found Precious had waited for him. While the two of them ran around the backyard, I went back up and put on my running gear. When I’d come down again, Duke had found his ball and decided that it had to come on our run. I didn’t feel like negotiating with him and let him take it. He led the way, and when we got...
Cassidy woke me up. “Get up, get up, get up!” she said as she poked me in the ribs, and then noticed I wasn’t alone. Megan popped her head up and then scurried off to the bathroom. “You are a bad, bad boy,” Cassidy scolded. I cocked my head sideways. The only flaw in Cassidy’s logic was Megan had on the same clothes she’d had on last night. I tried to remember what had happened. We were drunk; well, I was drunk. Kent and Hana had gone to their rooms, or so I hoped. Megan made sure I got...
Bianca nudged me awake. “Hmm,” I grunted. “I know this is a completely irresponsible question, but ... where are my sister and Anabella?” “Last I saw them they were with this older guy. I’m sure they’re okay.” The protective big sister reared her ugly head. “Okay, okay, okay ... Fritz made sure they were put into cabs and sent home,” I explained. “I’m so dead,” she moaned. I pulled her to my chest and kissed her forehead. “Eva said you’ve been working really hard and needed a good...
I stared at the ceiling, happy to be home. There was something to be said for sleeping in your own bed. Something was missing, though: my trusty hound. It had been too late last night to get him from the farm. I glanced at the clock and it was almost nine. I guess I’d slept in. I got dressed and went downstairs, where I found Precious sunning herself on our driveway. “Hello, evil cat. Did you miss your buddy?” I asked. She lifted her head and our eyes locked. I decided it was best to just...
Most everyone went back home today. I think it would be easier to count the ones that stayed: Mom and Dad, Brook, Halle, Zoe, Pam, Tracy, Beth, and Caryn. Caryn had arranged a charter to take the rest of them back. Tim and Wolf had called and gotten permission to miss a few days of two-a-days to come to watch me play. They’d get a full week of practice in next week and then school would start. I’d be back for the first day of school. I really didn’t mind that I would miss the grind of...
I. Moving In August in Missouri is always terribly hot, except when it rains, and then it is just bloody hot. It is constantly humid, some of the worst humidity the North American continent can muster. He may have bitched about it a lot, but really, Logan didn’t mind too much. The heat and humidity just meant that all summer long, the girls wore really short shorts and mid-riff baring tank tops and cute little sandals. He didn’t want to know if it was over a hundred degrees on the day they...
Traveling to London with Rita James was an experience I’ll never forget. When we landed after the seven-hour-plus flight, and with the six-hour time change, it was about 11:00 a.m. All I wanted to do was go to bed and get about eight hours of sleep. Rita made me go to the men’s room to wash my face and change my clothes. She reminded me of her lovely daughter who had picked out my wardrobe for me when I lived in LA. Jeans and a t-shirt weren’t cutting it if I was to be seen with her. I put...
Miranda getting out of bed woke me up. When the shower started, I followed her into the bathroom. She’d just started to wash her hair when I stepped in behind her. “Let me,” I said. She had a shampoo-and-conditioner-in-one that smelled like strawberries. I put that away and got out my supplies. Someone needed to educate this poor girl. Mine smelled of ginger. Adrienne had turned me on to Paul Mitchell’s Awapuhi, or Wild Ginger, shampoo and conditioner. I used it during the winter months to...
I came downstairs to run and found my mom and Paul drinking coffee with Melissa. “Sit,” Mom ordered. “What was last night about, and what the hell is ‘redneck crazy?’ From what I heard, you may very well be more than my ‘stupid boy,’ and we’ll have to get your head examined.” Oh, boy! “Pam basically told me she wanted more out of me. I guess it was my ingrained ‘do the right thing’ upbringing that kicked in. If Pam wants to marry me and we bring up Coby as a couple, I’m willing to do...
The change in weather was welcome. We left fifty-degree weather to arrive to a high of eighty-five today. I stopped at the hotel gift store, bought sunscreen, and then met everyone for breakfast. A couple of preteens wanting autographs stopped me on the way to our table. The Star Wars effect was still in force, no pun intended. “I just got a text. All our gear just arrived at the boat,” Brook said. Brook had arranged for most of our stuff to be shipped ahead of time. Neither of us really...
Your name is Greg Smith and it's your junior year of high school at midtown high and today is the first day of school. You are so stupid that you have been held back and are eighteen years old.
TeenThe day I dreaded was finally here. I had to tell my two ex-best friends the truth of what had happened to them that caused our friendships to fall apart. Looking back, a lot of it was my fault. I’d brought Brandon into our midst. I’d trusted my lawyers when they recommended him to be my PA and help with recruiting. I’d been too trusting and not looked into why he’d left Harvard. Since then I’d requested that Caryn make sure everyone had a background check. I even made them check into people...
We were all told to meet at the Embassy Suites in shorts and t-shirts. I’d put my game uniform and gear into a duffle bag. Most of the guys had done the same, but a few still had their uniforms in the clear plastic bag they’d been given them in yesterday. We were ushered into a large ballroom where we were met by all the coaches and staff. We were then assigned teams. I was put on the team called Pride, along with twelve other boys. Once the teams were announced, our coach pulled us all...
Today was the primary election. Polls showed that the governor and Senator Dixon were well ahead of their challengers. Bev Mass was actually down a couple of points. A white police officer shooting a young black man with a history of mental illness was too much for the people of Cook County. If the officer had waited for the Taser unit, which had been called, this would have been a nonevent. To shoot the man sixteen times was too much, as far as I was concerned. Bev agreed and had the officer...
After school I went home to load my car for the trip to New York. I then picked up Kendal and Pam. I think they both thought we planned a month’s visit to the Big Apple, if the amount of luggage was any indication. I, on the other hand, only brought a garment bag and one of those suitcases on little wheels with a telescoping handle. I missed the Charger, because we ended up having to load some luggage in the back seat of the Jeep with Pam. Once we were on the road, my phone rang. “Answer,”...
It felt good to get home. I’d loved my vacation, but there is something about sleeping in your own bed. Being gone all week had made Zoe, Halle and Pam anxious to see me, but I’d promised Caryn I would sit down with her and talk about a budget. She wanted Brook and me to come to her new office, because she wanted to show me what had been done so far. They had gotten the office decorated. I was impressed that there were pictures of the farms and a variety of my movie and modeling images....
Dad and Greg joined Fritz, Halle and me surfing. It was funny how Fritz always got the surfing duty. Bo Harrington and I’d had lunch in Houston so we could talk football. He’d told me that I shouldn’t be surprised if I was told I couldn’t do things like surfing once I was on a college team. It was dead certain it would be banned if I made it to either Major League Baseball or the NFL. Greg was learning, so it was good that the waves were staying small. He had the same gleam in his eyes as...
Cassidy and Kimberly cornered me at breakfast. “I hear you have a new girlfriend,” Cassidy announced. “Haven’t had one in over a year. I think the last official girlfriend was Harper, a year ago last spring,” I said. I rubbed my forehead to fend off the headache that was sure was to come on if this line of conversation continued. “Why don’t you have a girlfriend?” Kimberly asked. “He has this dumb rule where he only ‘dates’ girls. All his girlfriends call him a ‘stupid boy’ because he...
“How’s the girlfriend hunt going?” I gave him my best put-out teenager look and ignored his barb. I guess it was too much for Tami not to tell my mom. What surprised me was Mom thinking it necessary to clue my dad in. I was sure that Uncle John would want to sit down and ‘talk about it.’ “Come on, we need to talk football,” Dad said to change the topic. That instantly put me in a better mood. We went to the nice restaurant and I found Dad had gotten us a big table. I figured that Wolf and...
Allard and I signed in and then went next door to a deli to grab a quick sandwich. I came back to Fritz giving me the stink eye. “I know, I know,” I said, holding up my hand. “Who’s this?” Allard asked. “This is Fritz, the head of my security, and I’m in trouble for leaving the hotel without him,” I admitted. “I could be with you 24/7 if you’d prefer,” Fritz threatened. “I’ll make sure he lets you know,” Allard assured Fritz. I don’t think he wanted Fritz in our bedroom. What he didn’t...
People were supposed to start arriving today. I’d gotten a text from Ridge, from USC, which said that he and Bill were done with their finals and would be at Bill’s house tonight. John Phillips, from Kentucky, called to say he was driving over today. It looked like we would have a football get-together. Emma Stoned and Maria Dowe were on the same flight with Ridge and Bill. Ben Cowley and Zak Verwood had been booked on a flight from LA that would get to Chicago around 1:00 tomorrow...
After several rounds of negotiations, my dad won the trip to London with me. I was going to test for the Han Solo role in the yet to be titled Star Wars prequel. They were doing the casting now because of the new movie, Rogue One, which was filming now. The Han Solo character would make an appearance as a cameo. Marvel used the same strategy for their new Spider-Man by casting Tom Holland early in order for him to cameo in Captain America: Civil War before appearing in his own film. The...
Sheri's mother Rhoda loved her daughter too much! (Does that sound impossible?) One of hollywood producer's worst nightmares is the overprotective, doting yet bossy mother on the scene. They not only have to deal with possible child tantrums and their associated interruptions, but also mothers and THEIR emotional baggage, which includes PMS and its aftermath! Sheri (unfortunately?) was beautiful, poised, talented, well funded for perfect teeth and posture, and a camera "natural". But all...
Author’s Note: I’ve been working to create a version of the Stupid Boy stories for a wider distribution. One thing that was pointed out was that the stories were too long. To that end I broke them into smaller books. At the beginning of each I’ve added an Interlude to introduce the readers to a more in-depth look at different characters. Kara Tasman is featured in the next chapter, so I thought you might enjoy reading about her. Note that this is from the Freshman Year timeframe, right after...
Cassidy must have friends in high places because she contrived to be my security today. When I got to the set, Kitty and Anita met me and informed me that we were shooting scenes on an old yacht today. Laurent planned to do other scenes, so I didn’t have to deal with him. It was an absolutely perfect day to be out on the water. There was a light breeze, which made the heat and humidity bearable. Cassidy looked like she planned to get some sun while I worked. She had on white shorts, a...
When I got to school, Mona was waiting for me in the parking lot. “What happened to our deal?” she asked. “You weren’t there. Kim and Tracy didn’t play fair.” “They flirted with you!” I nodded. “Men!” she shouted, and stomped off. The rest of the cheerleaders had seen what happened and had some choice comments. I was ready to tell them to back off when Zoe walked up and kissed me. “What was that for?” I asked. “For asking me to be your date for the Homecoming Dance.” I hadn’t asked...
I was given a picnic table to paint. Wolf showed it to me before school. They’d painted the top and seats orange and the supports blue like I’d asked. My idea was to paint our bulldog logo in the center of the table. Stacy said she would pencil it in for me; I just had to paint it. When we were done, Wolf would have the shop class seal it to protect the design. I found Pam leaning against the wall in the hall, holding her back. She looked like she was ready to pop. The doctor had said she...
Junior High Hazing By sissy_babs When I was a young boy of 11 or 12 I was in Junior High School. It was that early in life that I first started to fantasize about cross-dressing and forced feminization although I had no idea what either was. All I knew was that I liked to wear some women's clothing and I felt that I should have been born a girl. I later realized that I didn't want to be a woman. I liked girls, not boys. I just wanted to occasionally wear girl's clothes. At that...
When I got to the park, I picked a running trail and began to lengthen my stride. It felt good to be able to just zone out and enjoy the morning. It was chilly, but not so cold that it was a distraction. I misjudged the trail I was on and ran further than I normally did. By the time I got back to Adrienne’s, everyone was already up, except Adrienne. What I found surprised me. “Did you see this?” Pam asked, holding up the newspaper. I looked confused, so she shoved it at me, got up...
Last night had been an emotional roller coaster. The Alpha Male in me wanted to simply find Brandon and end his miserable life. It had been a close thing, and I finally had to force myself to come home, because the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to beat the living snot out of him. What finally stopped me was the thought of what would happen if I were caught. The fallout could lose me my upcoming movies, and I’d already started spending my signing bonus from the next two Star...