Stupid Boy: Senior Year - Spring 01

Author's Notes: The final chapter in the epic Stupid Boy 15 book series. After over 9 million downloads, the story wraps up high school. David and his friends have many challenges to face and decisions to make. Join him as he navigates life and all that it brings. Senior Year Part III is a sexy romantic comedy with just enough sports and adventure mixed in to make it a must-read.

Original Copyright: 2020

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Author of the Year (3rd)

Author -- Lifetime Achievement (2nd)

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Chapter 1 -- Baby Steps

Paul rented a town car for our trip home. We'd breezed out of O'Hare because Lexi had the forethought to ship most everything back for us. It was the Sunday before Martin Luther King Day, so traffic was light getting out of Chicago. We soon settled in for the hour-and-a-half drive home.

"Are you mad that you have to take Chuck's place?" I asked.

Paul glanced over. When Chuck was brought on, he'd transferred to LA, where Fritz's security business was based.

"I'm not going to lie; I liked the big city. There's a lot more to do for someone single. I didn't like the traffic, though, and I look forward to getting a good night's sleep."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"I lived in an apartment complex where something was always going on, at all hours. It will be nice not to be woken at three a. m. with the neighbors screaming at each other."

"You could have moved," I suggested.

"Do you know what rent is in LA?" he asked.

"Kent told me he spent close to five grand a month. My mom usually gets $500 to $850 for her rentals, so I'm sure you'll save some money."

"I was paying about half what Kent paid, but you're right, I will be able to save quite a bit," he admitted.

"Why did my mom ask Fritz to pull Chuck?" I asked.

This was my real reason for starting the conversation. I had a feeling it involved Scarlet, Carol's mom. I could tell that Paul was uncomfortable, but he had become more than just one of my security guys. We'd managed to become friends.

"I'm not sure it's my place to say."

"Does it have something to do with him and Scarlet?"

"Yes," he admitted.

"Just tell me."

He glanced over, and he could see I wasn't going to leave him alone until he told me something.

"Okay, but I don't have all the facts. I've just heard the rumors in the office."

"I'm not looking to cause Chuck any problems. I need to know if I have to do anything for Scarlet," I said to assure him that I wouldn't try to get Chuck fired.

That didn't mean I wouldn't kick his butt if he hurt her, though. Of course, I didn't plan to tell Paul that.

"From what I hear, they had a good time at the New Year's Eve party, so he asked her out on a couple more dates. When they progressed to ... well, you know," he said.

"Sex," I provided.

"That's it," he said as he gave me a sideways glance. "I guess Scarlet wanted him to do stuff."

"Like ..." I prodded.

"Honestly, I don't know," he said, and I nodded that I understood.

The night I'd been with Scarlet and Ashley, they'd done a fantasy bit with Scarlet tied to the stairs and blindfolded. At the time, I thought it was hot. From recent conversations with Cindy and my uncle, I strongly suspected that Scarlet liked some fantasy games in her sex life.

"Did it freak him out?" I asked.

"From what I heard, he said some things, and your mom found out."

That disappointed me greatly. Just because Scarlet liked to spice things up, it didn't mean she should be verbally abused. I likened it to gay-bashing, which may have been at least tolerated a few decades ago, but which undoubtedly wasn't now.

As an athlete, I knew that locker-room talk sometimes went off the rails. It made me aware that words mattered and that it was probably not right to call my half-brother a slur word, even though he was a pain in the butt.

I vowed not to make the mistake some had made. During last year's NFL draft, it came to light that one of the top picks had tweeted something homophobic when he was fourteen. That tweet had NFL teams hesitant to draft him for fear of the backlash. From most accounts, it was just a stupid kid saying something he thought was funny at the time. He'd recanted and admitted it was a mistake.

This was where I had a problem with the PC police. They failed to take anything in context, and they had no forgiveness in their hearts. That player's tweet had cost him millions as he'd dropped way down in the draft order.

It just highlighted that there were real-world consequences for actions or words that often were harmless when seen in context. In this case, though, the cost had bounced right back onto Chuck. He'd made a 'politically incorrect' comment that was hurtful to the mother of one of my children, and my mom wouldn't take that lying down.

I was glad to see that my mom hadn't gone nuclear and had him fired. I would guess that Chuck wants to take back what he'd said to Scarlet. I'd always thought he was a good man. I mean, even Duke loved him, and he was a pretty good judge of character.

"You know my mom," I said to defend her.

I was glad she stood up for Scarlet and removed a potentially uncomfortable situation for her.

"No, I get it. I think Chuck might have gotten off easy. I've seen your mom when she gets on a roll."

We all had.

"He made it out alive," I said and smiled.

He shook his head with a smirk on his face.

"I hear Brook is moving. Are you going to try the long-distance routine?" he asked.

"She left Friday. We'd talked about what would happen when I went to do my movies and she went to college. It just made the event happen sooner than we planned."

"So, you broke up?"

"Yeah, we did."

"I'm kind of surprised she didn't stay. I mean, it seemed like her parents gave her a lot of latitude, and it is her last semester. It had to be hard for her to go."

"Cassidy offered to let Brook live with her, but in the end, she was still in high school and had to move with her parents. I would probably do the same in her shoes. Mom reminds me that as long as I'm under her roof ..." I left the rest unsaid.

Paul had heard her use that on me more than once. I suspected that Brook was capable of cutting the apron strings, as was I. It came down to her wanting to live with her parents. I suspected she would act as a buffer while they tried to save their marriage.

"She was good for you," Paul said.

"That she was," I said, and went quiet.

I spent the rest of the ride home contemplating what was to come. I thought of everything from my NCAA problems, Dare and my drones, Brook and how I would keep in touch, to what I would do as far as dating went, to the whole shebang. I knew everything wouldn't be sunshine and rainbows, but I looked forward to my last semester of school. I wanted to go out with a bang before real life set in. I looked forward to what was to come and vowed to live life to its fullest. My last semester would be exciting if nothing else.

---

Monday January 16

I left my apartment to start my day and decided a run was out of the question because it had snowed last night. It was the perfect reminder of what I would miss about LA. The day's only saving grace was that I didn't have to go to school. 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 boys' 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 to convert you 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 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 change.

What I'd planned to take:

• PE -- Strength and Conditioning

• Business Math (I figured it would be a breeze 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 her look dared me to object.

"I really wanted to take Rock Music Appreciation," I complained.

"First, you should be thanking me," she said, pausing for me to do just that.

I still didn't get how she was able to change my classes. There surely was some 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. My competitive side could see my mom's logic, but I wanted to take the rock music class.

"Did you inform Dare that you were changing my schedule?" I asked.

"He needs to learn to be more independent," Mom said.

She had a point. Until now, I'd had 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 Tami, Alan, and Jeff had done just that when I was growing up. 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. In their eyes, I was just a high school kid, not a movie star. 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 on dry pavement, and I didn't want to know what would happen if it were driven in icy conditions. Instead, we took the SUV, and I felt much safer with her driving that.

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

"I'm supposed to do a security check before you leave 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 heard my boots crunching in the snow, which caused her to turn to see who was coming. I darted past her to open the door to be a gentleman. She pushed around me and was halfway in when she recognized me.

The girl stood in the middle of the doorway, looking 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 the girl 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 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 totally mortified at being caught ogling me. I felt 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 that I hoped conveyed that I wasn't serious. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of 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. Then the girl turned to run away like I just asked her to sacrifice kittens to raise some demonic entity from the depths of Hell.

As she stumbled through her incoherent little speech, I had zoned out because she was the vision of just the type of 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 looked silky, making 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 this girl did the unexpected. She stopped herself from scampering away, then turned and squared her shoulders. It was my turn to blink. She made sure she had my full attention and then looked down at 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. After I'd thought about it, I was more than a little embarrassed by how I'd acted. It wasn't like me to flirt with a random girl at school.

Not 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 wouldn't 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 certainly 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 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 was 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 the starting quarterback job, and 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 each week to be useful. I also might have alluded to the fact that I would work with them so they would be better football players.

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

"Before you 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'd assumed he would continue in the role.

"He will 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 returned to his office. I figured I might as well get this over with. I found Cassidy talking to Jill and Becky, our trainers. When they saw me, all conversation stopped. I suspected 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 approached them.

They laughed 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 could I see what was hidden under the parka. Joey looked like a woman you'd see in a fitness magazine. She had on a half-tank top that highlighted an impressive rack, and her abs were more defined than those on most of the guys on our team. Joey's yoga pants did nothing to hide her round, perky ass that just screamed 'squeeze me.' 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 whether you can make me a better athlete," I said, getting serious.

She looked at me momentarily 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," Joey 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 Joey 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 and handed it to Joey. After four years of football injuries, it was somewhat thick.

"Take your shirt off," Cassidy ordered.

I took it off and saw Jill and Becky trying to hide their laughter as Cassidy held out her hand to Joey.

"I'll pay you later," Joey 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," Joey said, trying to bring some professionalism back to the conversation. "Let's get his measurements."

According to Joey, Jill and Becky had to go to the office because they were 'being a distraction.' I decided not to offer her all my measurements since I could see she was trying to get through this.

I was officially six-four and a quarter and weighed 222 pounds. Joey and Cassidy took me out and had me do some stretching and running, and then the workout I usually 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. Joey 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. To be honest, our weight room setup was better than Pepperdine's. Over the last three years, our booster club had poured some serious money into getting us everything a top-flight program should have.

Once we were done, Cassidy and Joey took me back to the training room to talk.

"What period do you have PE?" Joey asked.

"First."

"Okay," she said as she noted 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 heal completely. 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?" Joey 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 by having you do different exercises, intending to significantly increase 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 having elite training similar to what you'll experience when you go up a level. That means you won't improve as much as athletes who didn't have the same training as you did 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 about what evil plans Joey had for me. Who knew what sort of torture she had in mind? I just prayed it wasn't Pilates. I'd done that in my freshman year and just 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 review everything they frequently tested for on 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 because I wanted to fly to Cincinnati to see Brook. I wanted 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.

Four theater-style leather recliners were in the living room, the kind with drink holders in the arms. Unfortunately, they were all different colors and looked like he'd 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 a gaming system and a pile of video games with a tangle of cords and controllers on top. On the floor was a DVD player.

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

Caryn walked through the empty dining room and into a modern kitchen. At least it had good-looking 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, the mattress was scuzzy, 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. Their shuttle service runs regularly 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. Of course, that's assuming you approve. I presume you want a California king for the master bedroom."

Since I was six-four, the extra four inches offered by the California king 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 saves me money, but when I saw the mattress ..."

"Yeah, 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," Caryn 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 just 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 handle it."

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 something boneheaded that caused her parents to realize there were problems in their relationship. They've decided to try to work it out and are determined Cincinnati is 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 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 who has the guts to stand up to her," Peggy offered.

"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, leaning 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 leave at the school year's end."

"That's probably for the best," Peggy said.

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

She shook her head and 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 of 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. A lot of unnecessary poking and prodding followed that.

"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 further. 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, then got curious. "Why do you need to know where I am?"

"Dare can't find you, and he said that you blocked him from 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 what a typical jock would do. Dare would be a prime candidate for getting stuffed into a locker at most high schools. 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, were 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?"

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. "Then, I kiss each of my biceps and 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 burst 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. Dare had a different PE and was taking a computer science class while I'd signed up for a business one. He 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.

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

---

I decided I didn't like Joey anymore. Being hot only goes so far. Today, she was determined 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 you. When you used it, you looked like you were climbing a ladder. It gave you a full-body workout. Joey 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, similar to what I did for speed training.

I'd used a rowing machine when I went to the Elite 11 camp. At the time, I wanted to get one because it kicked my butt. Somehow, 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 worked 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 thought he was just being a pest this morning, but he did follow my directions and only sent me text messages I needed to see. The first one said he was sorry Brook had left.

In the second one, Dare 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 texted Megan 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. Now that he had one, Dare wanted to know what he should do with his girlfriend. As my Grandma Felton would say, 'Bless his heart.'

---

All my classes started last week, so I had some catching up to do, which meant a heavy reading load this week.

Of all the classes I took, I was most interested in Economics and Virtual Enterprise. The basic concept was that you would create a business from the planning stage to the actual day-to-day operations. It was supposed to simulate everything you would encounter when starting a real business.

The class had spent the last week developing and refining their ideas for their enterprises and had started working on their plans. 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 after he got everyone else started on their tasks.

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

"That's true, but I have people who run the day-to-day. I only get involved with the big-picture decisions and 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. We narrowed my choices to the food delivery business and the grocery store delivery service.

"Why do you think people in LA are willing to spend money on that?" he asked.

We discussed it briefly, and two main factors seemed to drive the businesses. The first was that many people in LA 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 have two tasks for you to do tonight. First, I want you to talk to some people and see what they would be willing to pay for the delivery and whether they would use it. If they were to, how often do they think they might order? I think you need to see whether there really is a need for this," Mr. Quiroz said to make me doubt my concept.

I nodded.

"The second is, I want you to see if there is a way to cut this down in scope. You have a lot of moving parts here that are going to overcomplicate the project for a classroom exercise."

"Like what?" I asked.

He smiled at me.

"That's for you to decide."

I hated adults.

---

After school, I went to get some time in the batting cage. I found Joey and Cassidy waiting for me. They weren't done with 'shocking' my system as they added an elliptical exercise machine to the climber and rowing machine exercises. The elliptical machine was another low-impact exercise machine, making it 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 it would be 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 Joey set the machine to a thirty percent incline. In my head, thirty percent didn't sound like much. It was the equivalent of running up a staircase. 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 I ached all over once 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, attempting to prevent me from spending the night with Peggy on Monday.

"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 texted me to let me know she wanted help bringing down the little ones.

"Right now, I have to help Peggy with the boys. 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.

"That's okay, 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. 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 care because they would be in daycare soon, and the daycare staff could deal with the little monsters in their overexcited state.

I came down to find Cassidy looking frustrated.

"I broke another one," she complained, asking my dad for help.

"No biggy. Just make scrambled eggs," Dad 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 up our food order at three places, and 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 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 up their food 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 at the window while someone there has to grab me a gallon of milk. 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 available Sunday mornings after church," Mom suggested.

She was right. I would be one of their best customers. In fact, 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 burned eggs in it.

My dad had his work cut out for him.

---

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

I skipped the voluntary after-school workout to take the 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. She'd substituted cauliflower instead of the usual potatoes as a healthy alternative. Melanie had made everything in the Crock-Pot, and the cauliflower had a chance to cook down in the meat juices. There wasn't enough 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 would 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 turned red.

"I guess I would do it for your background research. You 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. It was full, so I started it and followed my dad to the office. I guess this would be a serious discussion because he shut the door.

"I forwarded your recordings 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's and Tim's eligibility and your own. I was surprised when someone suggested that you might want to cave into his demands to avoid following through on his threats. The concern was more for Tim and Wolf than you because they received money directly rather than through charities," Dad explained.

"Has anyone figured out where the money came from?"

"No, none 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 until this is all resolved," Dad said.

When I'd talked to Coach Foster from Southwestern Central State, I'd offered 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 that the money came from Springbok, the shoe company.

"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 the appropriate tax form for their accountants," I suggested.

Dad and I had a good laugh 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's 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 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 become, 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 the NCAA was careful to be evenhanded when he worked there. They have to be seen as being well-reasoned in their approach to enforcement. Otherwise, they risk someone coming in and making them follow the rules that 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 my dad and I were right, and the NCAA would be reasonable.

"I have something else to talk to you about," Dad said. "Since my scare, your mom and I have discussed what we want to do. 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 me moving in while you're in college?"

I considered 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 made that my main house, it would help settle the little ones in.

"Do you think Scarlet, Ashley, and Peggy might join you?" I asked, trying to determine whether I could keep all my kids together.

"So, does that mean you'd 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 finishes school to see what we'll 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 have it 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 classes would never end and kept watching the clock.

By the end of the day, Dare was both happy and concerned. He'd used my money to expedite the drone's super-stealthy blades shipment. He was proven right when his Russian contact didn't just take his Bitcoins, as I predicted.

Dare 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 bad.

Dare 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 video a farm she'd listed. I warned him that if my mom told him she had control of it, he had to let her. Dare had heard enough stories about her that he solemnly told me 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.

My advice on what to do with a girlfriend had concerned Dare. I figured we should leave the training wheels on before he messed up too badly. Since I wanted to limit his chances of saying the wrong thing, 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 Dare leave his room and actually follow through.

Then I also explained to her that she couldn't go to the movie with them to make sure he was okay. Dare wasn't happy that I'd called his mom on him. He would have been mortified if he knew that she wanted to sit in the back and watch his date.

Chrissy was all smiles when I made him ask her out. Cassidy told me 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 at the table a look, and they decided to 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 were 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, I'd get 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 co-pilot seat. Knowing that someone with his experience was with me was a comfort. 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 had 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 had 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, gripping the steering wheel.

"Careful when you push it. Lola will drop into Sports Plus mode. It was explained to me 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 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 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, it converted into a race car in the blink of an eye.

I was a little pissed when a state highway patrolman 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'll 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 on a bluff overlooking 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 glove box 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. Even if we couldn't stretch its legs, that was a fun ride.

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 as I watched 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 Brook 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?' She looked like 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 the 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.

---