Chapter 6

I made a point of bumping into Melissa Addington on Monday after Math 110 was over. I greeted her with a big grin and cheery hello.

"Umm ... hi, Kyle." Melissa answered warily.

"I wanted to apologize again for the way I behaved two weekends ago. I'm really sorry."

"Apology accepted."

"You're really pretty. Would it be possible to start over? You know – forget about my stupidity. We could do dinner and a movie. What do you think?"

"You said you had a girlfriend. I don't play second fiddle to anyone."

"I told the truth to my ex-girlfriend. I wouldn't pull away again if you wanted us to get together. I've enjoyed the time we have spent together in the last two months. I'd enjoy the chance to get to know you better."

"Sorry. I don't think so, Kyle. You've established that you're the kind of guy that would cheat on his girlfriend. I don't think I would want to be your girlfriend."

"Oh," I sighed. "I can understand that, Melissa. I hope we can still be friends. I enjoy talking with you."

"We'll see, Kyle," Melissa answered. She headed off for her next class. I hoped she would be willing to talk with me. She was a nice girl and I did enjoy her company.

I headed for the Lasch Building after my last class in the afternoon, EDPSY. Coach Paterno kept an office in the academic counseling center. I waited outside his office for my 2:45 pm appointment.

Coach Paterno invited me into his office a couple minutes early. He had me sit at the chair in front of his desk. Coach Paterno asked, "How are you adjusting to college life?"

"I guess I'm managing. The classes are a lot harder than I expected."

"Yes they can be. Do you know why I called you in, Kyle?" Coach Paterno asked.

"Yes. I assume it is about my Math 110 mid-term."

"Exactly. You scored a 48%," Coach Paterno commented. "That's not very good. What went wrong?"

"I have trouble in the weekly study session. The grad student who is supposed to help us barely speaks English. I can't understand what he is talking about. That's part of the problem. I probably should spend more time on the homework too. I have so little free time that I am having trouble doing all the homework after each class."

"Boy, if I had a dollar for every football player who came in and told me that story. I can line up a tutor for you Kyle to help you with the Math 110. Do you think that would help?"

"I think it would if the tutor speaks English."

"I can arrange that. Tell me more about how you spend your time. You tell me you don't have enough time to get everything done."

I proceeded to tell Coach Paterno how I have been spending my days. Coach Paterno and I spent a half hour discussing time management, prioritizing, and personal organization. Coach Paterno had excellent suggestions to help me use my available time more efficiently.

Coach Paterno summed it up this way. "When I started coaching freshmen weren't allowed to play. The rules changed years ago. I'm just an old dinosaur now I guess. I still think the rule made a lot of sense. You come to college, away from home for the first time, have to learn how to handle college level academics, learn the team's plays, and you're pressured to learn it fast so you can get on the field. That's a lot to expect of an 18 year old kid. It's understandable that you have trouble. I'll do whatever I can to help you succeed, Kyle."

I asked, "Thanks, Coach. Do you really think it's possible for me to pass my calculus class? A 48 is a pretty bad grade."

"You're not in as bad a shape as you think," Coach Paterno answered. "Mr. Bai says you did well on the two quizzes earlier in the semester. Together they have equal weight to the mid-term." Coach Paterno glanced down at his notes. "You scored an 83 on the first one and an 87 on the second one. Average that with your 48 and your current grade in the course is a 65. Mr. Bai says you can earn a 'C' in the course with an 80 on the final exam. Can you do that?"

"I'd say yes normally. I'm not sure if I can learn enough in the next seven weeks to get my grade up that high."

"Work with the tutor. I know you're intelligent. Put some of the dedication you put into football into your class work. You're here for an education first. Football is important but you have to get your education. You can't play football if your grades aren't satisfactory."

"Yes, sir."

"I'll have one of the tutors get in touch with you," Coach Paterno said. "We will get you back on track."

"Thanks for taking time to meet with me. I'll give your suggestions a try."

I headed to the locker room to get ready for practice. I was a little early so I studied my playbook until it was time for practice to start. I spent the first half of practice with the third string like I had done in the past few weeks.

Part way through practice Coach Schroeder called me to see him. I trotted over to the sideline and waited. Coach Schroeder was talking with Coach Goodwin, our running backs coach. Coach Schroeder looked at me and asked, "Martin, Hayes tells me you have some experience in high school with the reverse play. Is that correct?"

"Yes, sir. My team used that play quite a bit."

"Tell me about how your team ran this play," Coach asked.

I related how we used the reverse, the reverse option where I would throw the ball downfield and the fake reverse to keep our opponents guessing. All the plays started in the same formation. The defense had to watch closely to figure out which of the three plays we were running. This set of plays had kept our opponents off balance and gained us quite a few touchdowns.

Coach Schroeder smiled when I finished describing the plays. "Very interesting. The play you described sounds similar to the reverse we run a couple times a game. I'd like you to go in with the first team and try out the reverse. Hayes will fill you in on the details."

I trotted onto the field and joined Zack and the first team offensive huddle. Zack smiled, "Welcome, Kyle. What's the play?" I described it. "Cool! I see they listened to me."

"Thanks for speaking up for me, Zack. How does this play work here? I didn't know I needed to study it."

"You won't have any trouble with it. Line up on the end where Bo normally is. He'll be in the slot. Run it the same as we did back in high school. Shawn will hand the ball off to you. I'll block out the outside linebacker for you. The blocking is a little different than the Wolverines on the backside. Run like hell and you won't need to worry about that part."

"OK."

We ran the play. The defense hadn't expected it. Vic Samovitz caught me about fifteen yards downfield when he managed to shed Derek Whitaker's block. Coach Schroeder had us run it two more times. I gained 10-12 yards on the other attempts. It wasn't as good a result as I got in high school. That made sense. Athletes in college were the cream of the high school players. They're quicker, stronger and smarter.

Coach Schroeder didn't pull me from the first team when we were done running the reverse. I stayed in for half a dozen pass plays. Fortunately I knew all the plays we ran. Hopefully Zack Hayes was right that I would get another chance to show our coaches what I could do on the field as a wide receiver.

We were preparing for a home game on Saturday against Wisconsin. They along with Michigan and Ohio State were our toughest conference opponents. Ohio State had two losses (to us and Iowa). They were out of the running for anything important in the Big Ten. Michigan was undefeated and ranked #2 in the nation. They were going to win the conference championship. Wisconsin was ranked #7 and was 7-1. They lost to Michigan like us. We were 6-2 and ranked #11. If we beat them we would have a better conference record and stood a good chance of going to a major bowl. We could end up at the Rose Bowl if Michigan maintained their #2 ranking and went to the BCS Championship Game.

I received a call from my new tutor later on Monday evening. We set up a first meeting for Wednesday afternoon after I was finished with classes. My tutor's name was Kevin Lee. He was a junior majoring in mathematics.

I got to thinking about my romantic needs after I went to bed. I thought about the offer Johara made to get together for some fun in bed. I remembered the special night we had together two years ago. I ended up with a wicked boner that wouldn't go down. I jacked off for relief. I made too much noise and woke Christian again. He bitched about my "self-abuse". I was still horny after I came and pissed off at Christian too. I needed to get real relief over the weekend.

I headed downtown to the drugstore after Math class on Wednesday morning. I wanted to be properly protected if I got lucky on Saturday night. I hadn't used condoms in well over two years. Nothing was going to get in the way of burying my cock in some hot pussy on Saturday night if I could manage it.

Christian was studying in our room when I got back. I didn't make any show of hiding my condoms when I put them in my closet. I know Christian saw them. He frowned but kept his disapproval to himself. I didn't give a damn what he thought about my sexual habits.

Jeremy North wrote me an e-mail on Monday night to ask what had happened between me and Penny. He heard from his girlfriend Kathy. I replied trying to explain what had happened. Both Hal Long and Ed Fritz wrote on Tuesday to express their concern about what had happened.

I met Kevin Lee at the study area in the Lasch Building after I finished EDPSY on Wednesday afternoon. He spent about half an hour discussing the concepts we were working on in Math. He decided we would spend most of our study time together working on problems. Kevin was patient with me when I had difficulty with a problem. He seemed like he would be helpful. I understood his explanations.

The coaches continued to put me in for about half a dozen plays each practice. We practiced the reverse play every day. The video showed Wisconsin's linebackers and defensive backs pursued hard to the ball on each play. We wanted some misdirection plays to slow them down and make them think a little before they pursued the ball.

I tried to break the chill with Melissa Addington after Math class on Friday. I invited her to get some coffee with me. She was polite but not interested. I wanted to ask Kelly O'Keefe from History class to the party on Saturday night but Tanner Riggs beat me to the punch. She was his date on Saturday night.

I did my work out after dinner and spent the rest of the evening studying my playbook. I was going to be prepared if the coaches sent me in as a receiver this time. I hung out at the Lasch Building until 11 pm. Christian was asleep when I got back to our room.

Our game was moved back to 3:30 on Saturday to suit the TV schedule. I spent the morning and the early afternoon preparing myself. I relaxed and listened to my MP3 player as game time approached. I had been through a lot in the last couple weeks. Things weren't quite as grim as I had thought a week ago. The team still valued me. I expected to get on the field as a wide receiver today. They practiced a special play that featured me.

Kevin Lee was helping me get through Calculus. There was a glimmer of hope that I could pull off a passing grade after all. Kevin's emphasis on problem solving felt right for me. The discipline of meeting him in the afternoon after every class was helping. I tried to put into practice the things Coach Paterno told me about managing my time better too.

I felt confident when I took the field for warm-ups. I stopped to talk to Bev, Cindy, Kelly and Jen when I finished warm-ups. I stopped by the other group that had a Kyle's Krazies sign hanging from the railing. I finally found out their names. They were Terry, Mike and Jim. Mike requested, "Try and rip off a long one for us today, Kyle. I think we're gonna need it."

"I'll see what I can do," I answered.

I heard the guys yell "You do that," "Go get'em, Kyle," and "Score for us," as I headed for the locker room. It was nice to have fans on my side.

Coach Burton gave a rousing speech to motivate us. He reminded us that the pundits haven't given our team much respect all year. We were underdogs here at home. Yes, we had lost two games, but they were against the top two teams in the rankings. We did lose, but we were close at the end of each game. Coach Burton wanted us to go out and show the rest of our conference that we couldn't be overlooked.

We took the field fired up to defend our honor and home field. The stadium was a sea of white. Today's game was a "white out". Every fan in the stadium wore white to show their support for our team.

Our team won the coin toss. I lined up in the western end zone and waited for the kick. Wisconsin's kicker didn't get a good hit on the ball. I drifted forward a few yards, caught the ball and advanced. I watched the wedge of blockers engage. Josh Bruno and Trevor Conwell split their men apart. I rocketed through the hole and scanned down the field for the next potential tackler. A linebacker was closing from my right. I cut left and headed for the sideline.

The linebacker lunged for me and missed as I scampered away. Wisconsin's kicker closed on me. He was bigger than most kickers, almost my size. I tried to stiff arm him to get past him. He clung to my arm. I needed a couple steps to shake him loose. It was just enough time for the pursuit to catch me. They shoved me out of bounds.

I tossed the ball to the referee. He marked it at Wisconsin's 41 yard line. Zack patted me on the butt as he headed on the field with our offense. "Good work, Kyle."

"Go score a touchdown," I answered. I sought out and thanked Trevor and Josh for their blocks.

Zack led the team down the field with a quick strike offense. Five plays later Zack found Bo alone in the corner of the end zone for our first touchdown. The drive confirmed our observations when we watched the video earlier in the week. Our offense was faster than their defense. We could spread them out and pass on them.

Our concern was what was going to happen when Wisconsin's huge offensive line took on our defense. Every guy was over 300 pounds. The Badgers had a power running game. They pounded the ball at you until you broke.

Our defense proved up to their first test. They let Wisconsin have one first down before they stopped them and forced a punt. They punted it out of bounds. Zack and the offense used passing to loosen up the Badgers and then mixed in some running plays to keep them off balance. They drove the ball down the field and scored a touchdown on a nine play drive.

Wisconsin responded with a long drive of their own, running the ball up the middle of our line. Coach Czarwinski and the other defensive coaches kept our defensive line fresh by substituting players frequently. Our defense managed to stop them before they could score a touchdown. The score was 14-3 at the end of the first quarter.

The Badgers didn't want to give me a second chance to have a long return. They kicked the ball for the corner of the field to make it difficult for me to get the ball. It bounced out of bounds at our three yard line. Coach Burton was satisfied to have the ball at the 35 yard line so he didn't make Wisconsin kick over.

The Badgers had expected us to pass based on our play calling in the first two drives. We threw them a curve ball by running three times in a row – all runs to the strong side of the field. It was a set-up for our reverse play.

The coaches sent me in after we crossed the center of the field. Our reverse play ran nearly perfectly. The Wisconsin players headed to our right following Shawn's fake. Zack threw a good block on the outside linebacker to get me loose down field. Derek Whitaker screened the cornerback on his side as I ran past them down the sideline. I sprinted as hard as I could go for the end zone. No one touched me before I scored. Cooper Barnes kicked the PAT to bring the score to 21-3 Penn State.

Our third score changed the complexion of the game. Wisconsin couldn't rely on their power running game anymore. They had to try to pass to catch up to us. They didn't have the skill to pull it off. Antwaan Booker grabbed two sacks, Jacob Washington got one – even Trevor Conwell got one when he rotated into the defensive line for his shift.

Wisconsin wasn't entirely toothless. They managed to strip the ball from Shawn O'Conner near the end of the first half. They drove the intervening 23 yards and scored a touchdown. The score was 28-10 at the half.

The second half didn't go better for them. We added 10 points to our tally. I went in for five plays during the second half. I caught a 7 yard and a 24 yard pass while I was on the field. Aaron Morano broke up any pass that went his way. He also grabbed an interception in the third quarter. Wisconsin managed a final touchdown late in fourth quarter when the result of the game was beyond doubt.

My friends and teammates celebrated our 38-17 victory along with 107,000 fans. The media had underestimated Penn State again. We expected our ranking to rise thanks to our victory. The media mobbed Antwaan, Aaron, Shawn, Bo, Evan and Zack after the game. Next season I was going to have to deal with them too, if I managed to do well.

I joined Jay, Damian, Trevor, Shawn Byrd and G. J. for a late dinner. We headed downtown for some pizza. Trevor was totally stoked by getting another sack, his first since our opening game. We headed back to our dorm when we finished to prepare for the party at Zack and Aaron's apartment.

I took another shower even though I doubted I really needed one. I wanted to make sure I smelled sweet when I dove back into the dating pool that evening. Christian was preparing for his date with Bev when I dressed. He just shook his head when he saw me pocket a few condoms. I was totally horny after three months of celibacy. I planned to bone some pretty coed that evening.

The party was already going when Jay and I arrived. I grabbed a beer and mingled while I waited for Johara. She'd come on to me every Saturday night since I started college. I knew I'd be welcomed with open arms (and open legs) to her bed.

I started to worry after forty-five minutes. Johara rarely was late for a party. I followed Miranda Brooks into the kitchen when she went for a drink. I asked, "Miranda, do you know if Johara was coming to the party tonight? We talked about getting together tonight last week."

"Johara? No, she won't be around," Miranda answered. "She went home for the weekend."

"Oh." I tried to react casually. Now what? I still wanted to score a piece. "Thanks for the info."

Miranda went back to the living room. I considered my options. Plan A was dead. Now what? I settled on my old high school plan – hang with Zack Hayes and see if something pretty fell in my lap. I drifted back to the living room and joined the crowd around my buddy. Miranda was there. Briana Peterson too. Jay was hanging out like he usually did. There were a couple girls I had seen before but I didn't know.

Zack welcomed me to the group with a knowing look. I joined in the conversation with the girls, Jay and Zack. We guys flirted with the girls and they returned it in spades. I found out the names of the two girls I didn't know.

The first was Kimberly Frey. Kimberly was a sophomore from Johnstown, Pa. She's studying to be a Landscape Architect. Kimberly was 5'-5" tall and probably weighed around 125 pounds. Blond shoulder length hair framed her oval head. Her ample breasts stretched her tight sweater. I followed her curves down to a nicely rounded ass. Kimberly was all together a nice package.

The second girl was Maria Dixon, a junior studying nursing. Maria was an inch taller than Kimberly. She wore her black hair short. She wasn't as well-endowed as Kimberly, but still she looked good.

Zack took a half hour of flirting to make his decision about which girl he wanted for the evening. Zack whispered an offer to Maria. The look on her face told the other girls immediately who was spending the night with Zack. Zack gave Miranda a kiss on the cheek and whispered to her. She split to make other arrangements for herself for the evening.

Zack whispered to Kimberly next. She glanced at me like she was appraising me. Zack nodded when she looked back at him. He gave Kimberly a kiss. I thought I received the Hayes seal of approval. Kimberly moved a little closer to me.

Zack whispered to Brianna and then gave her a hug. Jay, Brianna, Kimberly and I continued talking when Zack and Maria left. Brianna moved in closer to Jay, invading his space. Kimberly moved close to me. She was quite welcome in my personal space.

Brianna and Jay headed off for the couch in the living room. They had spent a couple Saturday nights together already this term. They knew exactly where things were heading for the two of them – to some available bed for a game of slap and tickle.

Kimberly seemed interested but unsure if I was suitable for her needs this evening. I suggested, "Why don't we get something to drink?"

"Sure," Kimberly said. We headed for the kitchen. I poured two beers from the keg. Kimberly giggled and added, "You aren't trying to get me drunk are you?"

"No, I wouldn't try that," I answered. "I was hoping we'd have some fun together tonight."

We headed back to the living room. There was space beside Brianna and Jay. Those two were closely engaged with each other, kissing and touching. We sat beside them. We exchanged stories about ourselves. Kimberly seemed interested in what I had to say. I listened as she told me more about herself.

I decided to move the conversation a little closer to the subject at the forefront of my mind – sex. I asked, "What's the most outrageous pick-up line you've heard?"

"Pick-up line? Ummm... 'The word of the day is 'legs.' Let's go back to my place and spread the word.' Isn't it horrible?"

"I've heard worse." I answered.

"What?" Kimberly asked.

"Forget about playing doctor. Let's play gynecologist!"

"Oh, that's terrible. How about this: 'You are so selfish! You're going to have that body the rest of your life and I just want it for one night.'"

"Nah, that's not it. How about 'Hi, my name is 'Milk.' I'll do your body good.'?" I answered.

Chapter 7 »