Chapter 11: Hot Crazy Matrix

Sunday November 16

When I went for my run it had just stopped raining. There was nothing I hated worse than being wet and cold. I decided to run harder than normal, to make up for cutting the run short. It looked like it would start raining again, soon.

I was settling into a nice rhythm when my fears were confirmed, and it started to rain again. I wanted to use the time to think things through, but it wasn't happening this morning. I ran back home, and I found Mom and Dad drinking coffee. Mom gave me a look.

"What?" I said.

I guess she didn't like my tone.

"I don't know what's eating you, but I think you need to talk to your Uncle," Mom told me.

"Why?"

Okay, I was on a roll. She gave me a hard look that made me reconsider challenging her.

"Because I said so," she said, causing Dad to snort.

She turned her look on him, and he put his hands up in surrender.

"You two just crack me up, sometimes. Because I said so ... If your mother could hear you now," he said as he made a hasty retreat to go take a shower.

I just went and did as I was told. I went to the office and called Uncle John.

"Hey, it's David," I said as he answered.

"I watched your game. Great job, they were a tough opponent."

"Thanks, but Mom said I had to call you," I said in a sullen tone.

"What did you do?" He asked.

"Why is it everyone thinks it is always me doing things? Everyone else was involved, too! Yet here I am, the one taking responsibility, and I end up the only one getting punished. I swear I tried to do the right thing. I admitted I was wrong, but I got grounded. None of this would have happened if my best friend knew how to keep his damn mouth shut. Then my other best friend went and told his girlfriend. I'm so tired of everyone taking advantage of me. I could just scream... !"

I slowed down on my rant because I could hear my Uncle laughing.

"It's not funny!" I yelled.

That just made him laugh harder. I hate my life sometimes. When he finally got it together he talked to me.

"Let me get this straight. Everyone is against you. You took the blame for everyone else. You got punished, and it's not fair."

" ... and my friends narc'ed me out."

"Oh yes, the betrayal ... We can't forget that."

"Exactly," I agreed.

"So tell me the whole story."

I spent the next thirty minutes telling him everything ... well, the R rated version. When I was done I was ready to hear his pearls of wisdom.

"Congratulations. You're a teenager," he told me.

There was dead silence on his end of the phone after that so helpful remark. I thought my head was going to explode because there was suddenly a throbbing behind my right eye. Then I realized he was pulling a Dawson on me. He was waiting me out. Normally that meant he didn't know what to say. Two could play that game.

I finally crumbled. Dad always said that in a negotiation, the one who talks first, loses. Uncle John 1, David 0.

"That makes no sense at all," I told him.

"Okay, I'll save you all the psychobabble and just say what you are feeling right now is real. You have every right to be frustrated and mad. The reality is that most of what you are feeling is because you're a teenager. The good news is you will grow out of it."

"So you're saying I'm mad at everyone because I'm a teenager," I said.

"Basically, yes. I also said you really felt that way. They are honest feelings."

"Okay, wise one, how would an adult have handled this? Better yet, what should I do?"

"If I was your psychologist, which I am, I would turn this back on you and ask what you thought you should do. We would have about ten sessions, and I would charge you out the ass, because I know you make more money than I do."

"Now, who is feeling put out?" I teased.

"Very good, David, you picked up on that. Did I sound reasonable in my complaint?"

"No, you sounded like a jerk only worried about yourself... OH, BITE ME!"

He did a pretty good job of not laughing at me.

"Let me give you a different perspective on each of your complaints. Let's start with your lunch friends. I take it they are all teenage girls."

"Yes," I confirmed.

"They teased you because they like you. Was it mean? Probably, but they are teenage girls. Their job is to torment you. They are trying to figure out how to get boys to notice them. They are practicing on you. I will guarantee you they will do other boneheaded things in the future."

"But I hate the games."

"Yes, your makeup is such you will resist allowing anyone to try and control you. They will learn if you give them the chance. I honestly don't think your friends did it to hurt you. They had some juicy scoop on the one guy they all like. It was just too good for them not to share it."

"Oh, please, I think of them as my little sisters."

"I would bet none of them think of you as their big brother. Yes, they want to be protected. They are also full of hormones."

"So you're saying they weren't intentionally being hurtful."

"No, they may be intentionally hurtful. What I'm saying is they like you. They are trying to get your attention. Sometimes their attempts will not be pleasant. Why do little boys pull girls' hair?" he asked as an example.

"I guess I should just let them all have their way with me."

"I didn't say that either. You are just being a pain in the ass, right now. If you really wanted to be with them, you would already have been. I'm sure you have valid reasons why you haven't. I'm just telling you why they would do what they did."

"I get it, but what about Alan and Jeff?"

"You're not going to like this answer, but it is because they're teenagers. They have poor impulse control. Your friend Alan I could write a book about. You seriously didn't think you telling him no was going to stop him?" he asked.

I thought about it and realized I should have talked to him about it instead of ordering him to back off. That was like waving a red cape in front of an angry bull. I would have better luck telling Tami I had a secret and then keeping it.

"I guess not," I conceded.

"They are learning as they go. Do you think next time Jeff will fold to Alan's pressure? He lost a girlfriend. Don't you think Alan feels awful now that he sees what has happened?"

I hadn't thought about that.

"Okay, now let's deal with your role in all this. Sixteen-years-old and you talk your friends into participating in an orgy. In what universe is that even remotely acceptable?"

I hadn't expected him to chew me out. I was a little stunned.

"I didn't force anybody," I said in my defense.

He sighed.

"Don't you think your parents and I know that? If we even suspected you had, there would have been more serious consequences. Look, David, people look up to you, and will follow your lead. You have to be mindful of your responsibility. I don't think any of them would have been there if you hadn't suggested it."

Tracy and Mona might have, but I knew Jeff and Kelly wouldn't have been there. I wasn't sure about some of them. The group that concerned me the most was Jim, Wolf and Cassidy. That was a train wreck just waiting to happen. I wasn't sure what had happened in my room that night, but I could tell it was eating at Wolf. I would bet Jim was no better off.

"If I could do it over again, I'm not sure I would have done anything different," I admitted.

"To be honest I'm not surprised. I was hoping we would be having this conversation when you were in college and not now. I'm not going to stick my head in the sand, and hope this will never happen again. I know for a fact it will. Just make sure you only invite people you think can handle something like this.

"Now, I also want to talk to you about your need to confess, and take all the responsibility on yourself. A good leader will shield his team as much as possible. He will stand out front and take the bad. When the good happens he will push his team forward. That is all in the public eye. In private, you need to make it clear how you feel about things."

"So I should ground them all?" I asked.

"Why not? They all reaped the benefits. Why shouldn't they share the consequences?" he asked.

I just didn't see it happening.

"I doubt they would go along with it."

"Then why did you take all the responsibility? Being on a team, or having a friendship, is a two way street. It is not about you always giving. If your friends are only willing to stand by you in the good times, and abandon you in the bad, are they really friends? Can you really count on them when you need them?"

"I see what you're saying, but I still don't see them grounding themselves. I was the one who confessed. My actions caused my grounding."

I heard him chuckle. I hate him sometimes. If I had just kept my mouth shut, I would never have been grounded. I knew if I had been confronted with it, I would have told the truth. Lying never solved anything. I saw his point though. If I was going to stand up, and take the blame, I needed to make sure I was doing it for people who deserved my loyalty. Did all of them deserve it, probably not ... but enough of those who had been there did, and I didn't regret it.

The other side to this was why did I go looking to confess. If I had stopped, and talked to everyone, Tracy's plan would have worked without me opening my big mouth. He was right from the beginning. I was being a whiny teenager.

"Okay, you had your fun. Can you talk to the warden for me? I asked.

"Sure, put your mom on."

I went and got her. She gave me back my car keys and debit card, signifying the official end of my being grounded. I grabbed the pizza the assistant manager had sent Greg, and heated it up. It was the best breakfast I'd had all week.

Monday November 17

I was waiting out front of the school minding my own business when Pam Bell decided she needed to show Tracy a new cheer she had been working on. It involved a lot of hip thrusts and bending over so I could see down her shirt. Her subtle teasing wasn't so subtle anymore.

"You are such a perv," Peggy said as she walked up and kissed me cheek.

"You think Pam is sexy don't you?" I asked.

"I suppose you think we should have a threesome."

"Wow, you're the best girlfriend ever. I would never have thought of that. Let's go ask her," I suggested.

"I think you're all talk," she challenged me.

I grabbed her hand and pulled her over to where Pam and Tracy were chatting.

"Hi, Pam. Peggy and I were just commenting on how sexy you are," I said as they both went red.

Tracy covered her mouth to keep from laughing.

"Peggy wanted me to ask..."

"DAVID! ... STOP!" Peggy ordered me. She then turned to Pam. "He's a dork. Ignore him."

"But I thought..."

She kissed me to shut me up. It was one of those kisses that are filled with promise. I winked at Pam as Peggy tried to distract me. The bell rang ending my fun for the morning. Peggy and I followed Pam and Tracy into the school. Damn.

At lunch, I found a table by myself. I had thought about what Uncle John had said. I saw where they were coming from, but the bottom line was I didn't need the aggravation. I had too much going on to have to worry what was next.

Two things kept going around in my head:
1) Were they good enough friends to go to the mat for?
2) Friendship was a two way street.

I was learning my lines for tonight's acting class. I noticed Emma, Piper and Kylie all sat down. I looked up.

"I need to learn my lines."

"Okay," Kylie said, keeping it brief.

I went back to reading the script. It was eerily quiet. I had never seen these three not in the middle of a conversation during lunch. I worked on my lines until I had the basics down. I found I could memorize the lines if I learned them at lunch and then did the scene in class. It didn't help to over prepare at lunch. I looked up and they were all staring at me.

"What?" I asked.

They all looked at each other. Then Emma took charge.

"Are you mad at us?"

"No, not really. Disappointed yes, but I've thought about it and it is a waste of energy to stay mad at you."

"David, you know we think the world of you. We were just having fun," Piper said.

I just nodded.

"Will you come back and sit at the table with us?" Kylie asked.

"I only have so much time in the day. I have to study to keep my grades up. I also have to prepare for my movie ... you know that. If I have some free time, I promise I'll come back to the table."

I pulled out my Geometry book and graph paper. I needed to do my homework. The girls got up and went back to their table. I wasn't sure how I felt about cutting my ties with the freshmen cheerleaders. I guess I felt some relief to no longer feel responsible for them.

During practice, we got our first look at Mt. Carmel on film. They had speed on both sides of the ball. Mt. Carmel had one of the most explosive offenses I had seen all year. They looked a lot like us when we ran our hurry up offense. Their quarterback was an experienced senior who had started the last three years. He had verbally accepted an offer to play for East Carolina. It was going to be a tough game.

We were more balanced both offensively and on defense. Where they just threw the ball, we had a running game. They gambled on defense and, if you scored, they didn't care. They just wanted to get the ball back and score again. Their game plan was simply to outscore you.

I would have loved to have seen Beverly play them. They were complete opposites.

Coach Hope told us our conditioning was going to win us this game. Mt. Carmel wore out defenses. He felt we could keep up with them. It was going to be an interesting game.

Acting class was dominated by the news that Kate had gotten a modeling job with Mr. Hill. He had some advertisers who preferred mature women. She had done a shoot for cooking products. Cheryl was supposed to meet with him later this week. He told Kate he had plenty of work for me as soon as football was over.

I talked to Sandy Range when I got home. I was going to surprise my family and take them with me when I went to the ranch over Christmas. I made arrangements with Uncle John's neighbors to watch the farm for him, so he and Bonnie could go. I talked to Bonnie and Angie to make sure the dates were clear. I told Mom and Dad because Mom started planning a huge Christmas for Kyle.

I had one person I need to ask that I had been putting off. I finally got my nerve up and made the call.

"Hey, how are you?" I asked.

"David, I was just thinking about you."

"I hope it was good things."

"It is. I was just thinking I needed my David fix. It seems like it has been forever since I saw you," she said.

"I'd like to see you, too. I have a photo shoot and vacation planned for Park City, Utah over Christmas Break. I would love to fly you out, be it a few days, or the full two weeks."

"What are the dates?"

"You could fly out the 19th of December and come back the 3rd of January. I have to go to LA from the 3rd to 9th of January for my movie. If you're available, you're more than welcome to come with me ... if you don't mind being on your own during the day."

"Who all is going?" she asked.

"Mom, Dad, Greg, Angie and Kyle, I also invited my Uncle John and my soon to be Aunt, Bonnie. We will be staying at the Range Ranch. I think my managers, Kendal and Tiffany, will be there at least part of the time. I have to work four or five days, but there will be plenty for you to do."

"I don't have any gear, or know how to ski, do you think that will be a problem?"

"Nancy, you are over-thinking this. I want you to come spend time with me. I also want you to meet my family. Just say yes."

"I want to spend time with my family too."

"Invite them," I said.

"What do you mean?"

"They are welcome to come also, if that is what you want."

"David, it's too much... ," she started to protest.

"Devin Range is putting us up at his ranch. The main house has twelve bedrooms. The bunkhouse can sleep eight more. They will have plenty of room."

Devin was excited when I suggested bringing my family for Christmas. He and Sandy were alone since their parents had passed. He told me Christmas used to be a big deal for them, but last year was depressing. He looked forward to sharing it with me, and my family. I just hoped he was okay if I brought Nancy, and her family.

"I need to talk to my parents before I commit. But I would love to spend time with you," Nancy said, making my day.

Bonnie, Angie and Sandy were coordinating everything. I gave Nancy their numbers. I called Sandy back and told her what I was up to. She said she would call Nancy and let her know she and her family were invited.

I had been thinking a lot lately and I kept coming back to Nancy. There was something about her that really drew me. I think a big part was her self-confidence. She knew what she wanted out of life. She was an independent woman in every sense of the word. There was just something about her that made me want to get to know her better. I didn't know if she could be my one and only, but there was enough there that I wanted to explore it.

What about Peggy? That was the question wasn't it? We were just dating. I had come to realize there was never going to be anything more to it. I was surprisingly okay with that knowledge. Even so, I had no qualms about inviting Nancy and her family to the Range Ranch. Peggy and I would, or would not, continue to date 'till the end of the year. Then she would be off to college. I would just enjoy our relationship for what it was. We were good friends who liked to spend time together.

Wednesday November 19

My phone woke me. It was Nancy. My clock showed 5:30 a.m.

"Who died?" I asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"If you're calling this early, someone has to have died."

"I wanted to call you before you took off for the day," she told me.

"Mission accomplished. You do realize it is 5:30 in the morning, and I don't work on a farm?"

"Oh, I forgot about the time difference."

"So what's the good word?" I asked.

"You are getting me for Christmas break, but my family is taking a pass. Dad doesn't have any vacation time left."

"I can't wait to see you."

"I do have some questions, though. Why does Sandy want my size?"

"She is going to set you up with ski clothes."

"Oh, I was afraid it was for naughty underwear of something," she said getting a groan out of me.

"What did you tell your sister-in-law about us?"

"Not much, why?"

"She asked me some pointed questions."

"Tell her to mind her own business. She is just being nosy."

"I think she thinks you have a thing for me."

"That's no secret," I teased her.

"You know what I mean."

"Yes, I do. What do you want me to do about it?" I asked.

"Nothing. I just wanted to know what you had said."

"I just told her you were going and to keep you in the loop as to what was going on. She is just trying to figure out what makes you special to me. Take it as a compliment," I suggested.

We chatted until I needed to get up and go run. I was feeling good about inviting her.

At lunch I was studying for my Biology test. The cheerleaders had been respecting my time, and leaving me alone. I was surprised when Yuri sat down with me. The last time I had seen him he had just punched Mitch, and was disappearing into the crowd before school.

"Can I talk to you?" he asked.

"Sure."

"It seems I have a problem of my own making," he started, then stopped and gave me a pained look. "Sorry, I had this whole thing thought out in my head, and now I'm not sure what to say."

"How about you tell me what your problem is?" I suggested.

"None of the girls here at Lincoln High will date me."

"How am I supposed to help you with that?" I asked more than a little amused.

"You could get me a date with Piper?" he suggested.

"If I treated Piper like you did, even I couldn't get a date with her. I think you might want to find someone else."

"But she would listen to you."

"Maybe I could, but why would I convince her to go out with you?"

He bit his lower lip, and looked me in the eye.

"I'm not really the jerk I was acting like. I'm new here, and I was hanging around some guys who acted like they liked me. They think they are tough, so I was trying to act big for them," he told me then hung his head. "And thank you for not kicking the shit out of me."

"If I had known I was going to get suspended, I would have given you a couple of whacks to make it worthwhile," I said.

He looked up quickly, and saw I was smiling at him. He shook his head.

"Somehow I doubt you would have kicked my ass. I was no threat to you, and I don't think you're that violent a guy. If you were, you would have kicked the shit out of Mitch."

"Thank you for that by the way. He deserved what he got. If you hadn't, I was going to have to."

"If you have anyone else you needed whacked, I'm your man," he offered.

"That's not helping convince me you should be allowed to date Piper, or anyone else for that matter."

"I'm just saying," he said with a lopsided grin.

"I might have uses for a hit man. I'll keep you in mind when I need to keep my hands clean," I teased him.

"My mom would shoot me if she heard us. She says Americans think all Russians are part of the mafia."

"You should get some tattoos and sell it. Of course you might attract the wrong people and get your butt kicked. If you're going to be a tough guy, first you need to learn to fight."

"I got a shot or two in. I could have taken you if I had to," he boasted.

"You are such a pussy, I bet I know a girl who could kick your ass," I baited him.

"No way could a girl last even a minute with me."

"Tell you what tough guy. Meet me in the gym after school. Wear your gym clothes, and if you can handle a girl, I'll get you a date with Piper. If not, you have to stay, and work out with everyone until you can handle the girl."

We shook on it.

Before football practice I told Jim and Wolf what I had set up for Cassidy. Somehow the whole football team, and coaches were in the gym when Yuri walked in. He looked around and started to look nervous. I walked up to him and introduced him to Cassidy.

"Yuri, this is Cassidy. She is going to hand you your ass, and then work you until you realize you're not as tough as you think."

"Hi, I don't want to hurt a girl," he said trying to back out of it.

"Don't worry about me. Let's go to the mats," Cassidy told him.

Coach Hope came over, and Yuri really got nervous.

"I just wanted to set the ground rules for this demonstration," he said and then turned to Cassidy. "You can subdue him, but you can't break any bones or do any permanent damage."

"Okay, daddy," she said in her best little girl voice.

"What about me?" Yuri asked.

"I would suggest you back out of this," Coach Hope said.

How he kept a straight face I have no idea. Cassidy waited for Yuri to make the first move. The poor dumbass was on the ground and squealing like a little girl before he knew what happened. She let him go, and he looked at me.

"Time to start working out," I told him.

The guys all came up and patted him on the back. Getting your butt handed to you by Cassidy was kind of a rite-of-passage. We headed to practice, and left him to try and survive the next hour.

Thursday November 20

I will give Yuri credit. He showed up at lunch again. He saw I was studying so he got his math book out. I had a momentary pang as I realized he was using me as a role model. I saw he was confused about something.

"Need help?" I asked.

He showed me what he was working on. I showed him a trick for figuring it out that Suzanne had taught me.

"You do know there are study groups you can join to help you learn this stuff," I suggested.

"I thought that was just for the athletes."

"No, it's for everyone," I said and then looked at him funny. "Who said you weren't an athlete?"

"I've never gone out for anything. I always kind of thought all jocks were stupid Neanderthals."

I got out my phone.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm sending Cassidy a text."

"Dude, please. That was so embarrassing. You're a dick you know."

"Yep, but did you meet some new people?"

"Yeah," he admitted. "The wrestling team told me I should go out so I could defend myself from girls."

"That was low. They're crazy, you should stay away from them," I suggested.

"Actually, they are pretty funny. None of them were willing to test their theory and challenge Cassidy."

I soon found out Yuri was worse than sitting with the girls. He was a little chatter box. It finally dawned on me the poor kid didn't have any friends. Besides our resident bad boys, I was probably the first person who talked to him more than just saying hi in the hall. I looked around the cafeteria and noticed there were a few other people who seemed to be eating by themselves.

Not that I needed another project, but it was sad to see.

Peggy found me before football practice.

"We need to talk," she said, making me cringe.

She laughed at me because she knew how that sentence struck fear in me.

"It's nothing bad," she assured me. "I just found out we're going on vacation early. I'm leaving Friday after school and won't be back until the Sunday after Thanksgiving."

Peggy had told me they might be going on vacation. She just didn't know when or where. She had guessed they would go over Christmas break. It was based on when her dad could get off work.

"Did they tell you where you're going?"

"Mom just said to pack my swim suit. I'm hoping somewhere with a beach."

"I hope you have a good time. Be sure to cover up, I would hate for you to burn," I suggested.

"You just don't want guys seeing too much flesh."

"You are so smart. I knew there was a reason I was dating you."

She gave me a hip check and I pulled her in for a kiss. It looked like after her parents went through their rough patch that things were going better.

I had my normal workout at the dojo. I think everyone wanted to play see how far you can toss David, tonight. It was actually a lot of fun. Especially when they taught me a cool counter while Dylan had taken a break to take a call. When he came back, everyone was sniggering, and he knew something was up. He went to toss me again, and the counter worked like a dream. It's a good thing he has a sense of humor, because he slammed pretty hard on the mat.

After the toss David workout, I did my sword work with Tish with Dylan watching. She wanted to see how I was doing a certain move, and Dylan stepped in for her. Tish saw what I was doing wrong, and the next thing I knew Dylan and I were doing the routine at full speed. I felt great when I was done, but tired. They had really worked my butt off.

Friday November 21

When I was doing my morning run I realized I was without a date for tonight. In my defense, I had been so focused on working out with Dylan and Tish that I hadn't even had time to think about it, last night. I should probably do something about that, especially since it was last minute. I started ticking off the possible candidates in my head. Tracy would go out if I asked her, but I would have to be careful she didn't get the wrong idea. Pam, now that was an idea.

Pam and her California surfer girl vibe was all kinds of sexy. I also knew she wasn't a prude. Her hopping onto Mr. Happy at the away game was a minor tell in that regard. She had also been teasing me from afar. The only downside was I was afraid I would like her too much. Even though I was just dating Peggy, I didn't want to hurt her. The fear was Pam might be girlfriend material, and to be honest, I wasn't quite ready for a girlfriend right now. The final deciding factor was I really didn't know her.

Mona was a real possibility. She was just slutty enough to be a great time on a date. We were great in bed, but ... if she had her way, we would be exclusive. That didn't mean I couldn't talk her into a night of fun.

Kim and Kelly came to mind next. Kim was a virtual cum machine. The problem was, that's all there was between us. We just didn't have a spark. Kelly on the other hand, I respected a lot. She wasn't afraid to tell me like it was. She had helped me get my head out of my ass when Tracy broke up with me at the bachelor auction, last year. If Jeff wasn't still interested in her, I would ask her out.