Chapter 3: Football Heats Up

Friday September 19

I went to lunch and found Wayne and Ray at our table, again. This time they had been invited. I had gotten to know them over the past few days. Wayne had been a snot, at first, but soon learned that I could kick his ass (mostly due to Cassidy's teaching). Once that was established, he was a much nicer guy.

I was less happy to see Maggie was back, and unfortunately nothing had changed on that front. I still felt she was too young, and I was not interested in letting her practice her games on me. I guess not setting up a date for the weekend had not been hint enough. I was going to have to just tell her I wasn't interested. I was ready to drop that particular bomb when she talked first.

"I saw your commercial, last night. Is that all you?" Maggie asked.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"She's talking about Gladiator Deodorant; and, yes, that is all David," Kylie offered.

"How do you know?" Nick asked.

Oh, this was getting good. How would Miss Kylie explain this? Cue the music.

"Ah..."

This was not going well. I decided to help.

"She swam with me all summer at a friend's house," I said.

"Yeah, that's how," Kylie said.

I don't think anyone believed her. I sure didn't. She was terrible at this. "Anyways ... getting back on subject... ," Maggie started, but was interrupted.

"Hang on. You really look that good without your shirt on?" Sarita asked.

"Yep, he's a freak," Ray told them.

I was rethinking letting Ray eat lunch with us. I was sure he could be replaced without too much trouble.

"I call bullshit," Ann said.

I wonder where she learned that. I guess I needed to shut them up. I stood up and took off my shirt.

"Told you," Kylie crowed.

"Put your shirt back on," said a voice from behind me.

I turned to find Ms. Saunders, my art teacher. She'd got stuck with being lunch room monitor, today.

"You never complained, before," I said as I waggled my eyebrows.

Ms. Saunders had wanted to know if I would model for her class this year. She promised me extra credit for my landscape class. I was finding I liked drawing people better than landscapes. I needed the extra credit, or I was going to get a B in art. It would suck to have my perfect GPA trashed because of an elective.

After lunch I went to Government class and listened to Coach Hope drone on about the differences between the branches of government. After class he stopped me to talk about the game tonight, so I was late for my Biology II class. Mr. Dutton was not one to put up with anything.

"Ah, Mr. Dawson is late. Maybe you can help me identify plants before you sit down."

We had been given plant seeds at the beginning of the year. I was growing a Red Oak that was coming along nicely. Lisa Felton had killed her first two plants so I had worked with her to keep her latest plant alive. Lisa and I were becoming better friends. She was now dating Brad Hope, so there wasn't the sexual tension anymore.

I went up to the front of the class and Mr. Dutton showed me the plant. I looked at and did a double take. It was a pot plant. I could see a couple of the people in class recognized what the plant was. I looked around to make sure no one was punking me. In our book it identified the plant as Hemp and it was used to make ropes. I tried to remember what the plant was actually called.

"This is Cannabis. I'm not sure which variety," I answered.

"It is Cannabis sativa. Do you know what it is used for?" Mr. Dutton asked.

That got the whole class to chuckle.

"Besides smoking it... ? It's used to make rope."

"Very good, you can sit down. Cannabis sativa can be consumed and gives you feeling of relaxation and mild euphoria. This variety is used more for commercial uses around the world. Does anyone one know of any other uses?"

Lisa raised her hand and he pointed at her.

"I have cousins that live in the UK, and they actually grow it on their farm. They sell the seeds. They use it to make hemp milk, much like soya milk. The leaves are used in tea blends, and the stalks are used as fiber to make clothes."

"There are many commercial uses for Cannabis sativa, including construction," then he got serious. "Miss Riley, I will need to see you after class."

Sharon was one of the girls I knew from my drug days. I couldn't believe she had grown a pot plant. I wouldn't be seeing her for a few days, as I was sure they would suspend her.

Before the game, I went to the hospitality tent to score some food. I figured a burger or brat would hit the spot. I was surprised to see half of the Big 10 in line for food. I guess they wanted a short trip to go recruiting tonight. They didn't notice me when I got in line, so I figured I would bump into them.

"You guys here to see that wide receiver from Bloomington?" I asked.

"No, we're here to see the receiver and quarterback from Lincoln," said the guy with a Nebraska jacket on.

"I heard the receiver makes the quarterback look good," I offered.

"I heard the quarterback sucked, but some scouting service said he was just alright. That means we have to come out here and see him play," said the Northwestern recruiter. We had already met, so I knew he was kidding me.

"Is he even smart enough to get into a Big 10 school?" I asked.

"Maybe Iowa," the Indiana guy offered.

"David Dawson ... how are you, Buddy," said Jeff Delahey, the reporter I hated to love, or was that loved to hate...

"Oh, shit," the Nebraska recruiter said.

"Jump the line and get your food. I need to talk to you," Jeff told me.

It was amazing how a bunch of recruiters would let a kid go in front of them. I would have to name them all on my next Top 10, or was it 11, list. I grabbed my brat, and I followed Jeff out of the tent.

"I need a quote. I can't stay. They are sending me to the Eastside versus Lakeview game. So give me something if you win and something if you lose."

"Okay, if we lose... 'Bloomington was just the better team tonight. They have been dominating their competition all year. I think they will go far.' If we win... 'We caught some breaks tonight against a tough Bloomington foe. I predict they will bounce back, and make the playoffs, '" I said.

"Perfect. Go kick their butts," Jeff said as he ran for his car to get to the other game.

As we were getting ready, I was replaying my conversation with my mom and dad in my head. Dad had told me that 'if it is to be, it is up to me.' How was I going to get Coach Hope to let us throw the ball? My only option was to call audibles, if they were stacked up to defend the run.

We came out of the locker room to a standing room only crowd. Bloomington had brought a lot of fans, too. It looked like this was going to be a good year for them and they didn't want to miss a game. We were greeted on one side of the field with the orange and blue of the Lincoln fans and the Blue and Gold of Bloomington. It was going to be loud tonight.

Tim and I went to the center of the field for the coin flip. Bloomington sent six guys. I guess they needed more help making the call. They won the toss, so we took the ball. They would get it after halftime.

Ed and I lined up deep for the opening kickoff return. The ball was kicked deep and I took it at the two yard line. I saw the wedge forming in front of me and headed for it, looking for a crease. Ed had gone left to begin with but reversed field and ran to me.

Bloomington saw the action and started yelling, "REVERSE! ... REVERSE!"

I stopped and turned so the Bloomington team couldn't see the ball and faked the hand-off to Ed. I just stood there for a count of three, letting Ed speed around the right end. This was the part that scared me. I had my back to the oncoming defenders and could hear the pads crack as the wedge engaged the lead defenders. Several Bloomington defenders had Ed cornered, and took him down. I turned, and headed up the left sideline. Tim was in front of me, and we only had their kicker to beat. The kicker made a great play to fight through Tim's block, but Tim had slowed him up enough that I kicked it into high gear, and sprinted past him. The crowd and many of the Bloomington defenders suddenly realized that I had the ball. We were up 7 – 0 with only twenty seconds gone in the game.

We kicked off to Bloomington and they were able to get it to their 38 yard line. My sole responsibility was defending their star receiver Ted Garvey, who was six-two and 198 lbs. He was a senior who had committed to Missouri. He reminded me a lot of Bill, except he was a little taller. Before we took the field, Moose wanted to talk to me.

"Bloomington has not trailed all year. My guess is they are going to want to get it all back quickly. Remember that you have help deep, so I want you to play aggressively. Pop him good to let him know he is going to have to work for it."

"Yes, sir," I said as I ran onto the field.

Ted's eyes lit up when he saw me defending him. I was a linebacker, for all they knew. I figured no time like the present to start jawing with him.

"Ted, go easy on me. I don't want to get embarrassed, out here."

"Dawson, I hate to say it, but that is exactly what I plan on doing," he said as he raised his arm to let the quarterback know that he thought he could beat me.

On the snap, I gave Ted a two hand shiver to the shoulder pads that stood him up. He grunted in surprise that I would be playing him so tight. I was allowed to make contact for the first five yards from scrimmage. I popped him again, and then he broke free and tried to run by me. I flipped my hips and ran with him. I learned quickly that he wasn't as fast as Bill, so I was able to keep close.

I heard, "BALL!"

It looked like a dying duck, and it was going to be a jump ball. Ted shoved me in the lower back, and sent me flying. He caught the ball, and was immediately leveled by Lou Davis, one of only three seniors on our team. There was a flag lying on the ground as I went to help Lou up.

"Good hit."

"I don't think he knew I was there," Lou snickered.

I went over to Ted who was trying to catch his breath. I reached down and helped him up. Ted now knew he was in for a game. The back judge talked to the referee, and offensive pass interference was called, moving Bloomington back 15 yards.

Bloomington ended up punting. The first quarter was back and forth. Coach Hope was insistent that we run the ball, exclusively. At the beginning of the second quarter Bloomington had the ball on their 14 yard line. Ted seemed to be back to his old self.

This time they lined their tight end up in front of Ted. I knew from the snap that it was going to be a screen. I was surprised when the tight end just brush blocked me. I had a clear shot at Ted. I felt a tremendous impact and was buried by their tackle that had come down the line to block me. Ted followed his tight end. He got a piece of Lou, allowing Ted just enough time to get free. We were now tied 7 – 7.

On the next series, we went three and out. Their big defensive line was killing our offensive line. If this continued, we were in trouble. When Bloomington got the ball back, they switched to power football. They steadily ran the ball down the field. We finally stopped them on the 18 yard line. They kicked a field goal, and we were down 10 – 7.

On the next series we caught a break, which turned bad. Ed made a nifty move off tackle and broke free. I thought he was gone, but their cornerback got on his horse and ran him down. He was able to punch the ball free as he tackled Ed, and Bloomington recovered. That seemed to take the air out of us. Bloomington drove down the field and punched in a score as the half ended. We were down 17 – 7.

The coaches had a conference to decide what to do for the second half. When they were done, they came out and made some minor adjustments on defense. We had actually done pretty well until the last series. Then Coach Hope shocked me.

"We are going to open it up in the second half. They seem to be in a cover two, most of the time. They also see we are committed to the run. When we get the ball back, we will run play action passes until they back off."

The second half found Bloomington marching down the field again. If we weren't able to stop the run, this game was over. Ten plays later they were up 24 – 7.

They kicked off and Ed got the ball out to the 22 yard line. I got everyone in the huddle.

"We need to get back into this thing. Wolf the ball is coming to you. Be careful of the safeties. I don't want you getting hurt."

I called the play and we lined up in the 'I' formation with me under center.

"Down, Set ... HUT!"

On the snap, Bert led Kelly into the hole and I faked the hand-off by putting the ball on my hip. Bloomington bit on the fake hard. Wolf had brush blocked their defensive end and slipped into the middle of the field. I hit him in stride as the two safeties realized that he was running free. Wolf lowered his shoulders and the three of them met fifteen yards down the field.

All three of them were down. I ran to see if Wolf was hurt. He sat up, to my relief. I helped him up as the trainers for Bloomington ran out. Both of their safeties had had their bells rung. They were helped off the field. Coach pulled Wolf off to the sideline so the training staff could check him out. Mike replaced him at tight end.

Coach called the same play. I warned Mike, but he saw what happened last time.

"Down, Set ... HUT!"

I was surprised when Bloomington took the bait again. This time Mike was able to get by the less experienced replacement safeties, and scored. We were crawling back into this thing. We were now down 24 – 14.

We traded scores the rest of the third period. When the fourth period started, we were down 38 – 28. The crowd was getting their money's worth. I had been sacked five times, but had not let that stop us. I was feeling it, though. Moose had pulled me from the defense, because I was limping. On one of the sacks I had rolled my ankle, but I didn't think it was anything serious.

Bloomington was in the middle of one of their time eater drives when we caught a break. They fumbled the ball, and Tim fell on it.

"This was what we needed. Let's get this done," I told the guys in the huddle.

Before we came out, Coach Diamond told me to run the hurry up. So we had three plays called. Wolf was back in the game. We switched from having a twin backfield to moving Ed to the slot and Kelly was the lone back with me in the shotgun.

"Down, Set ... HUT!"

They had figured out that Bill was my favorite target. They were keeping a close eye on him, but he wasn't my favorite because he could be shut down. He was bracketed by two defenders as he went up field. He did a jab step, and cut over the middle. I had the ball on a rope to him, as soon as he made his cut. We picked up 9 yards. We caught Bloomington napping as we ran to the line of scrimmage.

"Down!"

We went on first sound to further confound them. We had run the same play and when Bill made his cut I pump faked, and turned to the other side to find Jeff streaking up the sideline with a cornerback in step. I threw one of those high arcing rainbow passes that dropped into Jeff's hands. The corner pushed him out of bounds for a 38 yard gain.

We were now on their 31 yard line. We sprinted to the ball. The line judge had to wait for the chains to get in place and then signaled that time would start on the snap. I checked and they were in cover two. I called an audible that would have Wolf run a deep skinny post that would split the safeties.

"Green, Green! Y Strong! Y Strong!" I called as I made sure everyone heard the call.

"Down, Set ... HUT!"

On the snap, our offensive line failed again. It looked like a jail break. I was tempted to throw the ball away, but I saw Wolf was going to be in position to make a play. I threw it early, and took a little off of it, so that he would have a chance. As soon as I let the ball go, I was hit by three defenders. I heard the crowd erupt. I crawled out of the pile to see Wolf had scored. We were now within a field goal at 38 – 35.

That score held late into the fourth quarter. The clock was within two minutes and Bloomington was doing their best to run it out. We ended up using our three timeouts and got the ball back with 58 seconds left on our own 18 yard line. This reminded me of the drill I had run at the USC camp.

"One last chance, boys. Let's win this thing!" I said. "Remember, we have no timeouts. If the ball is in bounds, or not a first down, the clock will be running. So hustle every chance you get."

We had four plays called. We had practiced them in sequence all week long, so everyone knew what they had to do.

"Down, Set ... HUT!"

On the snap, Bloomington sent everyone after me. We had anticipated this and ran a screen for Kelly. I was running for my life when I released the ball. You could see the Uh Oh looks from the Bloomington players. Kelly gathered it in, and Jim and Wolf were leading the way. Kelly broke free and scored. My excitement was tempered by the yellow flag I saw. Tim had held one of their linebackers.

We were now on the 9 yard line with only 42 seconds play. We switched to an empty backfield.

"Down, Set ... HUT!"

I hit Jeff on a nifty down and out for 15 yards. He got out of bounds to stop the clock. We ran up to the line, which was now on our 24 yard line. I took a moment to see what they were in. They were now in their nickel package. Bloomington would be playing the sidelines hard.

"Down, Set ... HUT!"

Bill made a nice break for the sideline, but I caught Ed out of the corner of my eye. He was running a post and I couldn't resist. He caught it and was brought down on the 50 yard line. We had 13 seconds left when I lined us up and spiked the ball.

Coach Hope sent in the next play with Bert taking Ed's spot.

"Coach said to throw it to the middle of the field and then spike it."

Was he nuts? I lined us up, and called out the snap count.

"Down, Set ... HUT!"

Bloomington had replaced their linebackers with defensive backs. They were guarding against the deep ball and the sidelines. Their line got a nice push, and the pocket was going to collapse. I dumped the ball off to Bert and he picked up a nice gain to get us to the 35 yard line. We ran up and spiked the ball with only 2 seconds left. I was confused when the coaches seemed to be arguing on the sideline. I was even more confused when they sent out the field goal team.

Our kicker was money, inside the 25 yard line. From here, he had about a one in ten chance. It also caught Bloomington by surprise. They hurried off their defense and got their field goal defense set up. Mike was the holder and he sets the team. I was holding my breath as was everyone in the stadium.

The ball was snapped and Mike put the ball down, but he pulled it back up like he was Lucy in the Charlie Brown comics. Wolf had pushed the outside defender wide, and then turned for Mike to throw him the ball. There was no one within five yards of him. The race was on, and at the five yard line one of the defenders caught him. Wolf staggered and stumbled. He put one hand down to get him into the end zone to win the game 41 – 38.

This was one of those moments when you realize you might be good enough to win it all. Poor Wolf was buried under a dog pile. It took a while to get it together enough to go shake Bloomington's hands. Ted wished me luck the rest of the season, and promised to look me up in the playoffs.

I was keeping my promise to Paige and having my ankle and all my new bruises looked at, when Coach Hope found me.

"Good game," he told me and then turned to Paige. "Could we have a moment?"

Paige nodded and left us alone.

"I wanted to let you know that I see what you were talking about, with the force versus force comment the other day. My stubbornness should have cost us the game today. We can't get down by three scores and expect to win many games. I would prefer to be the one up by three scores."

"Me too, Coach," I assured him.

He sent Paige back in. She was checking out my ankle when Becky checked on me.

"What's the diagnosis, Miss Price?" Becky asked.

"It seems to be a mild ankle sprain affecting the anterior talofibular ligament," Paige said.

I held up my hand.

"English, please," I requested.

They both laughed at me.

"Ah, I almost forgot! We are dealing with a jock," Paige said.

A week ago that would have pissed me off. I was starting to understand her sense of humor.

"There are two ways you can sprain your ankle. The common one is to roll your ankle and that affected the outside tendon," Becky explained.

"The anterior thingy," I said.

"Yes," Paige confirmed. "In the high ankle sprain, however, a different set of ligaments are injured, called the syndesmosis. The syndesmosis is a set of ligaments that is located above the ankle joint. You normally hurt those making a sudden cut."

"So, what do you prescribe for our patient?" Becky asked.

"RICE protocol. Rest, ice, compression and elevation," Paige said.

"Very good. David, I'm going to have Paige wrap your foot with ice. Then for the next 24 hours, I want you off your feet, and your ankle wrapped and iced. If it hurts, take some aspirin," Becky told me.

Then they rubbed me down with their analgesic rub for all my other bumps and bruises. I was the last one out. They had put me on crutches so I wouldn't use my hurt ankle. When I got to my Jeep, I realized I had another problem. How was I going to operate the gas and brake pedals? Luckily, Paige came out and gave me a ride home.

Saturday September 20

I had to call the girls from Wesleyan and disappoint them. I wasn't able to drive up. I was kicking back watching the Florida vs. Alabama game. The Tide was having their way with the Gators. I wasn't surprised when I heard someone entering the code to get into my apartment. I had given up on how everyone knew what the code was. What I didn't know, was there was an emergency code in case someone like a paramedic needed to get in. Mom had told Tami, and she had told all my friends what it was.

What did surprise me was who was coming up my stairs. It was Tracy, Mona, Kelly and Kim. It had been nearly six weeks since I had said more than hi to them. To be honest the only one I missed was Tracy. I had put the other three out of my mind.

"Ladies," I said nodding. "I would get up, but..."

They all saw my ankle wrapped and propped up. Tracy came over and kissed my cheek, and then wrinkled her nose.

"It is the middle of the afternoon, and you haven't showered?" Tracy asked me.

I just shrugged. I wasn't planning on going out.

They all sat down. I could tell that Tracy was the only one that wasn't nervous. I figured they were there to confront me about dating Lisa Felton. I thought everyone knew that she was seeing Brad now. When they didn't say anything I went back to watching the game. To my surprise, they just chatted among themselves and let me enjoy my game.

When the game was over, I had to go to the bathroom, since I had consumed almost half a gallon of iced tea. When I came back, I put a new ice pack on, using the ace bandage. The swelling had gone down. I felt like I might be able to walk on it, but I decided it was best to not push it.

Finally, the girls told me why they'd come over.

"Tracy told us that you never dated Lisa. I didn't believe you, because I saw you two together," Kim confessed. "We asked Lisa and she denied it, also. I still thought you had."

"Beth called us and said the same thing. I guess we owe you an apology," Kelly said.

"I guess I'll accept it," I said.

Tracy rolled her eyes at me.

"Don't be a jerk. It took a lot for them to come over here."

"I just don't get it, though. Lisa is a nice girl, if you get to know her. I personally have no desire to date her, but I wouldn't be ashamed to take her out," I said in Lisa's defense.

"But, David, the rumors about her are terrible. You're too nice of a guy to go out with her," Mona told me.

"About that ... who was supposed to have paid for a blow job from her?" I asked.

I had never actually heard anyone say they had gotten one. Well... I had, but I hadn't had to pay for it. I also knew she knew how to give one, so she had gotten experience from somewhere. I just had never heard of anyone paying her. The four girls looked at each other. They weren't coming up with any names.

"Is this the same kind of rumor that said she and I were dating?" I asked.

"If we get a name, will you believe us?" Kelly asked.

"After I talk to them, myself, I might. Guys have been known to exaggerate about things," I told them. "Until then, I would appreciate it if you treated her better."

"Deal," Mona said.

"Are you hungry? I was going to order out," I offered.

"My Uncle's diner has a Saturday special: a bucket of fried chicken, two sides, biscuits, cherry cobbler, and ice cream. I could go pick it up," Kim offered.

I quickly dug into my pocket and handed her money. Tracy and Kelly went with her, leaving Mona with me. I turned on the Oregon vs. Washington State game. Mona grabbed the remote and turned it off. I arched my eyebrows. I was okay with it when she decided to give me a blowjob. Did I say I was horny? Poor Mona never knew what hit her.

I will give her credit though. She did go for round two. She just finished when the girls got back. We spent the evening watching football and talking. The food from Kim's uncle's place was great. The chicken was spicy, and the sides they got were red beans with rice, and collard greens. I had never tried collard greens, before. I think they are an acquired taste.

Dad came up around eleven to see what was going on. He sat down and watched the end of the game. The girls got the hint, and packed it in.

Monday September 22

Before class, Tracy caught up with me. I could tell she was horny just by the way she smiled at me. I had dated her for several months, and I knew her moods. I winked at her, and motioned with my head that she was to follow me. She gave me a head start, and I went to the band room where they had the soundproof practice rooms. We had fifteen minutes until first bell.

She waited a minute and then snuck in when no one was looking. I led her to one of the practice rooms and put a piece of sheet music in the window for privacy.

"We only have a few minutes," I warned her.

She had on shorts, so she just dropped them along with her underwear. I dropped down and bathed her sex with my tongue. We knew how to turn each other on. I teased her, building her desire. I kept track of the time by the clock on the wall. I knew she was going to have a huge one just by the way her body was reacting. Three minutes before the bell rang I got serious about bringing her off. Tracy actually ripped some hair out my head when she came.

I jumped up and ran out of the room, leaving her lying on the floor as the bell rang. I had a feeling she would get revenge at some point.

I went to the training room, figuring Coach Diamond could come find me if he needed to. I was the first one in. Jill, Becky and Paige were waiting for their morning victims. Becky smelled me and knew what I had been up to. It took Jill a minute to figure it out. Apparently, Paige was clueless.

"You're a bad boy. Go wash up," Becky scolded me.

Paige couldn't figure out why the two trainers were blushing.

"What am I missing? What did David do?" Paige asked.

"Oh, don't get us started. Come on, Stud, let me look at your ankle," Becky teased me.

Becky had Paige assist her. I found out that Paige was a freshman at State and part of her training was to help out here while she wasn't in class. Mr. Hastings, our head trainer, taught at State. Normally they didn't have college freshman interning, but she was a protégé (her word, not mine) of one of Mr. Hastings' colleagues.

They declared that I would take a day off from practice, and give the ankle another day to heal. No big deal, really. Today was film day, and usually we just had a few walkthroughs.

At lunch Maggie showed up again. I was going to have to deal with her sooner or later. I was hoping for later. She had other ideas. What I don't understand is why she chose to do it right in front of everyone.

"David, why didn't you call me? I thought we were going out this weekend," was her opening salvo.

This of course got everyone's attention. I guess this was more interesting than the latest update on the vampire show the girls were watching. I raised my eyebrows.

"Are you sure you want to talk about this here?" I asked, trying to give her an out.