Chapter 27: Sometimes You Just Need to be the Hero

Thursday November 26

I woke Thanksgiving morning to Beth riding my morning wood.

“Beth, we can’t,” hissed out of my lips.

“David, shut up. I need this,” she said.

I’m almost positive I could’ve gotten out from under her, but I had a moment of weakness. As my sleep-addled brain began to function, I realized I didn’t have a condom on.

“Beth, condom,” I warned.

“Shut it and let me worry about it,” she ordered.

Beth began to breathe hard as she rose and fell on my member. I missed my friend. There were so many reasons I wished either I was older or she was younger. If we were the same age and going to the same school, life would be simple. I would date Beth and make both our mothers very happy.

“I’m getting close,” I warned her.

“Hold off. Give me a minute.”

“Beth, I can’t last much longer.”

She slammed down and ground against my pubic bone. I roared as I came hard. I think I actually saw stars. Beth just wrapped herself around me and pinned me to the bed. I was still inside of her, and I could feel that I was going to stay hard. I captured her lips and we kissed as I began to work my way in and out of her. I rolled her on her back so I had more control.

She bit my lip and I jerked my head back.

“Hey!”

“My boyfriend is afraid that you have designs on me.”

I stopped my hips. She reached back and slapped my ass.

“Get to work. I’ve missed the hell out of you. You touch places that Carl can’t,” she said.

“Beth!” I whined. “I promised my mom that I’d never do this. If I’d known that you and Carl were still together we wouldn’t be bumping uglies.”

I stopped and Beth looked deep into my eyes.

“Listen to me, and listen carefully. Carl and I are barely a couple. We hang out and we had sex once at the beginning of the semester. He came home with me because his parents went on a cruise. I’ve had sex with a couple of other guys while I’ve dated Carl. I’m sure he’s done the same.”

“That’s gross,” I said.

“Dork! He’s not into guys. He just has a problem because I’ve talked about you so much. He knows if you ever made a play for me, he’d be gone.”

I thought about that for a moment.

“What about Suzanne and Cindy?” I asked suspiciously.

She laughed.

“I warned those two sluts that you’d have a problem if they admitted they had boyfriends.”

“Are you serious?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah. They planned to seduce you last night. If you don’t make a big deal out of it, things should be good,” she said.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Cindy and her boyfriend are coming to Thanksgiving at your house today.”

“Fuck me. He plays defensive end for Ohio State.”

“I think you can take him,” Beth teased. “I saw you take out Bill Rogers when he went after Tracy at school. I’m sure you can handle one roided-out college football player.”

“If anyone even acts like they’re going to spill the beans, you’re all dead. I don’t need to have a death match in the backyard right before we play for State.”

“I’ll protect you,” she said, and began to rock her hips.

I got the idea and finished what I started. I would have to spank Suzanne and Cindy later.

I’d ordered cinnamon rolls from Granny’s. She wasn’t open except for pickups this morning. I found something I thought I would never see: Granny was in a heated conversation with a customer.

“This is what your wife ordered. I’m sorry if you think it’s too much,” Granny said.

“That was before everyone canceled. We only want a small turkey.”

Beth just shook her head.

“I’m sorry, but if you don’t take this I’ll have to throw it out. I cook everything fresh each day. I have no use for it. We’re closed today.”

The guy stormed out and I could see Granny was upset.

“That was a nearly $750 order. They’ve been coming here for years, so I let them slide without pre-paying.”

I noticed she didn’t have me prepay for my cinnamon rolls.

“I’ll take it,” I said.

“David, no. I didn’t tell you all that just so you’d help me out. It’ll be okay.”

“Unlike you, I eat leftovers, and my brother seems to always be hungry too,” I said.

“If we call now, we can stop everyone from cooking all morning,” Beth said.

“You make the calls and I’ll work this out,” I said.

“Are you sure?” Granny asked.

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

I should’ve asked what all they’d ordered before I agreed. I pulled around back and they started to bring out four-inch-deep warming trays. Mom was going to kill me. Beth kept her mouth shut, but I could tell she saw my distress and thought it was funny. Granny gave me detailed instructions on how to warm everything up.

“I sure hope everyone’s hungry,” Beth said as we pulled into the drive.

Mrs. A met me at the back door. I explained the situation and she just shook her head. Greg came out and helped me bring everything in. Mom took one look at the stack of food on her countertops, went to the phone, and made a call. She had Greg and me carry all the food back out to the Jeep, and she got in the passenger seat. She and Mrs. A would just make what they’d planned to for us.

“We’re taking it to the hospital cafeteria. A couple of the families aren’t organized to have Thanksgiving. So we’ll let them and the hospital staff enjoy this.”

Mom showed me where to drive, and we were met by several staff members.

“Hey, Mrs. Dawson. This is really nice of you,” a large man said.

“Thank David. He made this happen.”

He shook my hand, and soon all the food had been taken.

“How did you know?” I asked.

“I heard everyone complaining that last year they ate turkey roll. The cafeteria has to be open, but most of the better cafeteria staff have the day off.”

I was halfway home when I realized that I’d left cinnamon rolls at my house unsupervised. If I knew my family, they would all be gone when I got there. When I got home, my worst nightmare had come true. Dad redeemed himself when he pulled out two plates of rolls for Mom and me.

People started to show up just before noon. Mom and Mrs. A planned for the big meal to be at one. Cindy came with her boyfriend. Beth had been joking about roided-up, but he looked like a cartoon character. I’d seen pictures from when she met him her freshman year. He’d been a top-level lacrosse player as well as a football star in high school. I would guess he was six-two. When he first met Cindy, he was about my size. I would guess he had weighed in at around 215 pounds. In the last year and a half I would estimate that he put on fifty pounds, and forty of those were in his chest. He watched TV with the guys, so I was able to avoid him because I was helping cook. I might have to go get my Bo staff if it looked like we needed to throw down.

Tami and her mom came. Beth grabbed Tami so she could have some girl talk with her. I would pay Beth later. I really didn’t want to have a confrontation today. I thought I’d gotten away from all potential problems when I got cornered.

“David, can we talk?” Carl asked.

I could see this might get ugly, so I invited him up to my apartment. Beth saw us and started towards us, but her mom stopped her.

When Carl came into my apartment, he did what most people do and looked at all my pictures on the wall. I’d added the movie poster for Star Academy. There were multiple versions, but I picked the one where it showed Ben and me as we fought with swords.

“Did you do your own fight scenes for the movie?” he asked.

“Most of them, and some stunts. I did skip one, and it was a good thing I did. We shot the outdoor scenes in Canada during the winter. They had a stunt where I was supposed to be almost blown up. The idea was I would fly through the air and land on a soft pile of foam-like mattresses. The only problem was that it was so cold that the mattresses turned into rocks. It about killed my stunt guy. After that I had to do my own stunts.”

“Like what?” he asked.

“Here, let me show you,” I said.

They’d sent me finished footage of me swinging over the frozen waterfall. I put in the DVD and turned on my TV. What they could do with computers now was almost scary. My scene had seemed to be high up on the face of the cliff. It really wasn’t that bad, but the finished product looked like I was hundreds of feet off the ground. If that had been real I would never had done it. They loved the shot because you could see my face. If they’d had to use a stunt double they would have had to cut in my face, and the shot would never have looked as good as it did.

“Dear God! Were you scared?” he asked.

“Of course I was. They had me dangling from a harness and I’d just seen my stunt guy get hauled off in an ambulance. I had to do it or they couldn’t have gotten the shot. I just sucked it up and prayed they knew what they were doing,” I admitted.

“How long have you known Beth?” he asked, changing subjects.

“All my life. Our moms are best friends. For the longest time they thought my brother, Greg, and she would get married. The only problem was that they didn’t handle the pressure well. Then Greg met Angie, who’s now his wife, so then our moms thought maybe the two of us could join the families together.”

I knew that was probably mean to lay that on him, but I wanted him to understand that Beth and I were close friends, not just acquaintances. He seemed to ponder that for a moment before he asked his next question.

“Do you think I have a chance with her?”

“In high school Beth was the head cheerleader and Homecoming Queen. She could have any guy she wanted. What surprised everyone was that she wasn’t into the jocks like you’d expect. She had a crush on a guy in the band. She was heartbroken when she found out what a dick he was, but I would say you’re more her type than I am.”

“Why won’t she be my girlfriend, then?”

“If I were to guess it has a lot to do with the way you acted last night. Getting pissed off and storming out is exactly the wrong thing to do to get Beth interested. If she wanted an insecure jerk, she could date a jock. I think ultimately, Beth wants what we all want: someone to be her equal, and self-assured enough that they know that the other person in the relationship has their best interest in mind. I’ll tell you right now that Beth’s not looking for someone to manipulate her emotions.”

“So do you think I have a chance?” he asked.

“Look man, I hardly know you, but...”

“But what?”

“Right now I’d just be her friend. I think you’ll find she can be a great friend to you. I know I feel lucky to have her friendship. I wouldn’t trade that just to go out with her.”

“You’re just saying that because you want to have sex with her,” he said.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The old David would have just knocked him the fuck out. Cassidy had worked with me to take a moment and calm down before I knocked anyone the fuck out.

“My sex life is none of your business. If I ever hear you say something like that again, you’ll wish you hadn’t. I think it also highlights what I’ve been dancing around. You need to grow the fuck up. Beth is looking for a man to be her life partner. She doesn’t need a smart-mouthed kid who throws a fit at the drop of a hat.”

“You’re a real dick,” he said, and stormed out of my apartment.

I hoped Beth understood and wouldn’t be mad at me.

Mom called me down to lunch over the intercom. We had a houseful, so Mom and Mrs. A had put everything on the buffet. I helped Kyle and Mac make their plates and got some food for Nate. I gathered the little guys and we all went to the kitchen. Beth joined me. I noticed Carl had gone to the formal dining room with everyone else.

The women had outdone themselves. We had both regular and smoked turkey, ham, and all the fixings. I’d made sourdough rolls, homemade wheat bread and two types of stuffing. There was everything you would expect at a Thanksgiving meal: cranberry relish, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole and more. I was looking forward to the pies. We had four kinds this year: sweet potato, pumpkin, mincemeat and of course my favorite, pecan.

When the little ones were done eating, Beth got us cups of hot cider.

“What did you say to Carl? He won’t talk to me.”

“He wanted to know what it would take to win you over. I told him that while he was your type, he needed to grow up. I suggested that he focus on being your friend until he does.”

Beth shook her head.

“I like Carl, but his clingy attitude really has put the brakes on us going further,” she admitted, and then got an evil smile. “Why don’t you quit high school and come live with me at Purdue?”

“What do you think your roommate in the dorm would think?” I asked.

“Mom tells me that you have money. You could get us an apartment. I’d go to school and you could do your modeling gig during the day. I’d come home and you could give me foot massages and feed me.”

“I could do that. What would I get out of this deal?” I asked.

“Me, of course. You know that you can’t resist my charms. I also have some more fantasies I want to fulfill with you. One involves having sex with a movie star. Do you think you might be able to find one for me?”

“What’re you looking for in said movie star?” I teased.

“He would have to be tall and smoking hot. He would also have to have a big cock.”

“I’ll ask around when I’m in LA. I’m not sure how I’ll know if they have a big cock or not,” I said.

“Who has a big cock?” Tami asked as she surprised us.

I hadn’t seen Beth blush in a long time.

“Never you mind, Missy,” I said.

“Do you mind if I steal David for a while? I need to talk to him,” Tami said.

“No, we were just goofing around. I need to find Carl and smooth things over,” Beth said.

“Come on. We need some privacy,” Tami said, and I followed her to my apartment.

I’d planned to sit in my comfy chair, but Tami made me join her on the couch.

“I had a long talk with your Grandma Dawson. I think I need to apologize for several things,” she said, and then paused. “No, I know I need to apologize.”

I got a nervous feeling in my stomach. My Grandma Dawson wasn’t like my mom was with Tami. She didn’t like her more than she liked me. It wasn’t a contest with her. I was afraid of what she might have said to Tami. I knew that my dad and uncle had a similar relationship with her to the one I had with my mom. That meant she knew everything that’d happened with Tami and me.

I’d had a chance to think about my mom and Tami’s relationship. I kept forgetting that she and I had been almost inseparable for many years. Just like I consider Tami’s mom and Mrs. A as my second moms, I realized that my mom felt that Tami was her daughter. Tami had grown up in my family as much as I had in hers. I knew without a doubt that her mom cared for me.

Looking back, I’d put my mom in a no-win situation. Logically Mom knew that I was her son, and if it came down to it she should take my side in things. However, there was more to it than that. Tami was the daughter she never had. On some level, I regretted forcing my mom to pick sides.

At the time, I had to. My family told each other everything. I couldn’t help but protect myself where Tami was concerned back then. In a strange way, my dad’s infidelity coming out helped with Tami. From that I’d found that I no longer needed or even wanted to tell my mother everything about me. If that were the case, then I had no problem with my mom liking Tami more than she did me, even if she wouldn’t admit it.

“I’m almost afraid to ask, but what did my grandma say to you?” I asked.

“She basically told me that I was a selfish little girl who needed to grow up. She told me my actions had probably cost me the man of my dreams. She actually called me a ‘stupid girl’ and said you’d be okay without me.

“She explained about how much I’d hurt you, and how devastating it was when you found me and Alan in bed together. David, you have to believe me. It never would have happened but for my own stupidity. I forced my way into going to campuses with you. Your grandma explained how selfish that had been. Your purpose was to find a college that would not only be a fit, but had long-range implications if you ever make it to the NFL. Two weekends in a row you had to deal with my friends and me as a distraction.

“I want to talk about Alan, and I promise this’ll be the last time. Is that okay?” she asked.

“Not really, but let’s get this over with,” I said, letting some of the irritation I felt come through.

“I know this is hard, but I need to say it. Alan and I went a little crazy and had too much to drink. Brandon wanted to know how we knew each other so well. We told him about being best friends with you and Jeff. Brandon asked if we used to do any kinky foursomes. Alan said that I only had eyes for you, so he and Jeff never made a move on me.

“Brandon asked if we ever thought about getting together. We admitted that we never had. He encouraged us to kiss and see if there was any chemistry. I admit that it felt naughty, and I was a little horny after seeing all those college guys. I didn’t expect that Alan would be such a good kisser. Gina must have taken her time and taught him,” she said.

I was surprised when I felt those old feelings of rage begin to bubble up in my gut. I needed to accept that I would always feel that Tami was mine, even though she’d made it abundantly clear that she wasn’t.

“I didn’t think much more of the kiss at the time. We just had fun and got drunk off our asses. I remember Brandon helping us get to the hotel, and getting into bed with my clothes on. I’ve wondered what happened that night, to the point that I went and talked to Alan yesterday. He remembered pretty much the same thing. Neither one of us know how we got naked. I have to hope ... no that’s not right ... I know that even if Alan was drunk out of his mind, he would never take advantage of me,” Tami said.

“Look, even if it did happen, it was with Alan, someone that you care about.”

I ignored the fact that I’d found the condom. She wanted to believe that Alan, one of her best friends, hadn’t had sex with her. I didn’t need to ruin her friendship with him by throwing it in her face.

“I just wanted to tell you I’m sorry it happened. I’m not trying to make excuses, but I thought you needed to know what really happened.”

“I don’t think we’ll ever know what really happened,” I said.

“You’re probably right. Can you forgive me?” she asked.

“I already have.”

“Will you ever be friends with Alan and me like we used to?” she asked.

“I guess anything’s possible.”

Tami’s eyes dropped and I saw her bite her lower lip. The one thing I would always be with Tami was honest. I could’ve said yes, everything would go back the way they were before, but too much had happened. Not just with Tami and Alan. I could add my mom and dad, and of course what Cal had done to me. The one that I didn’t talk about, but still affected me profoundly, was Angie. Finally, what Candy had done to Flee reminded me of Devin Range and Nancy.

All those things had changed me. I would forever be slightly guarded, because I now knew what people were really like. I don’t know why my string of woman-troubles from Tracy to Harper hadn’t done it, but for some reason I’d bounced right back. Since this summer, I’d had Devin steal my ‘assistant’. My best friend had died. My other best friend had rejected me to explore herself. My dad revealed he had a love-child, and my mom went a little nuts. I found my two best friends naked in bed and a used condom. They couldn’t honestly expect me to believe nothing happened. A good friend of mine’s girlfriend turned out to be a hooker. Finally, I’d gotten Pam pregnant. If all that had happened to someone else, I would expect they would be curled up in a corner, whimpering.

So the big question was, would our friendship be the same? I really doubted it.

“Your grandma told me how you handled Cal. Your mom had told me you were becoming a man, but I guess I needed to hear it from your grandmother. She also told me about your trip to LA and what a big deal it could turn into. I think she was most impressed with how you’re going about buying another farm. She said you’ve shown a lot of maturity in getting all the facts, and not just jumping in.

“That all sounded fine until I talked to Carl. I knew that you talked to him, and I wanted to know what was going on. I finally got him to tell me what you’d said, and for some reason I was surprised. If I’d been in your place I don’t know if I could’ve given him better advice. I don’t think he’ll take it, and I’d bet that he doesn’t make it to Christmas with Beth. Nevertheless, what it showed me was that I think I underestimated you. If I could go back and change my answer from this summer, I would. Do you think we can ever be a couple? Do you think we can have our someday?” she asked.

“I guess anything’s possible.”

“Oh, David,” she sighed. “I guess I deserved that. I know you’ve said that you’d like us to be friends. Did you really mean that?”

“Yes, I’d like that, but I can’t see us ever being as close as we once were. The best analogy I can give is, I was a wolf, and bared my throat to you multiple times, and each time you ripped it out. If anyone else had done that, I’d be done with them, but my mother would never forgive me,” I admitted.

“What does your mother have to do with this?”

“She loves you.”

“What?” Tami asked, aghast.

“Tami, over the years you were always with me. She liked Jeff and could tolerate Alan, but you became her daughter. So, I guess what I’m saying is that you’re family. Not the weird family I have with my new half-brother, but I consider you my sister. If I think of you that way, we can be friends.”

“And that allows you to handle me dating, because if we ever got together it would be like incest,” she finished my thought.

“I guess,” I admitted.

“I was wrong. You’re still a ‘stupid boy’ who doesn’t realize that I love you.”

“Please don’t go there. I can’t handle more of the ‘I love you but’ talks. I’ve moved on. I’ve accepted that someday is a pipe dream. I had to for my own sanity. Don’t try to mess with my head anymore. Seriously, I’m begging you,” I said.

Tears started to stream down her cheeks. I saw her bottom lip quiver.

“Your grandma was right. I am a ‘stupid girl’, and I’ve messed up the best thing I ever had, and didn’t even realize it. How will I ever fix this?”

“I honestly don’t think that you can. If we have a someday, it won’t be anytime soon. This time I think it’s you who needs to grow up. If we ever were to get back together, we’d have to be equals. No games. No trying to change each other. No running to my mom or your friends. If you think you need more experience with dating and other things, then get it out of your system.

“My life might be changing once again. I have a feeling movies might be a possible career path. I love football, but I need to see where this’ll take me. Right now, I don’t have time for a serious anything. I’m sure we’ll figure it out. We care about each other too much for us not to have to. Plus, now you’re family,” I teased.

“For now, I’ll take that. It’s better than I had before we talked. Thank you, David.”

We hugged it out and then she left.

I heard my apartment door open and then the click of nails as Duke ran up the stairs. He was sure I’d abandoned him. I wondered how he would handle me being gone for two months. I was surprised when I saw Peggy Pratt follow him up. She looked good, especially because her baby had made her boobies bigger.

“How’s it going, Momma?” I asked.

“It could be better. I need to ask you a favor. Things aren’t going well at home. Angie has a place for me to live when school starts, but I need somewhere to live now. Would it be okay if David and I moved in here while you’re gone?” she asked.

“Yes, of course. The only thing I ask is that you take care of Duke for me. He’s set in his ways and likes to sleep in his crate at night. We also need to ask my mom,” I added before I committed to something she might not want.

“She said if it was okay with you, I was good. She also told me that I had to run with Duke in the morning to wear him out. I need to get back into shape anyway, since I had the baby.”

“Where is my namesake, anyways?” I asked.

“I left him at home. He needed a nap.”

“How’s Mitch?” I asked about the baby’s father.

“His parents got one look at little David and there was no more fighting. They’re helping pay for my schooling and the care of their grandchild. I’m getting more support from them than I am from my own parents. Mitch is still a dick and doesn’t want to even acknowledge he’s the father. Family services made him take a DNA test that shows he is the father. His parents stepped up and his dad says that he’ll eventually come around. I actually hope he doesn’t, but I’m sure that little David will need a father-figure at some point.”

I hadn’t really seen her since Homecoming. I’d had to clean my own apartment since the baby had been born. For some reason I thought I could handle it. Not as well as Peggy could, but I could run a vacuum.

We went down to the house because Peggy said my mom had mentioned my antisocial behavior. What my mom didn’t know was that there was a 270-pound side of beef sitting in the living room watching football who’d kill me if he knew I’d slept with his girlfriend last night. Honestly, I think I was more scared of my mom. She could make the rest of my life a living hell. Bigfoot would just snap me in two and it would be over with.

When I stepped in the back door, Cindy lay in wait. Now I knew how Duke felt when Precious stalked him.

“Aren’t you talking to me?” she asked.

Peggy left me to face her alone. I might have to rethink my offer.

“You and Suzanne tricked me. If he ever found out he would literally kill me.”

She cupped my balls and pinned me to the washing machine. She used her other hand to pull my head down and kissed me. I’m ashamed to say I didn’t fight her off. I was so going to Hell.

“Damn it, Cindy,” I heard Beth hiss. “We agreed to one time for old times’ sake.”

Cindy let my head go and turned to her friend, but kept my family jewels firmly grasped. I wasn’t about to move.

“Did you only do him once?” Cindy asked, and then her eyes got big. “You did him more than that, didn’t you?”

“How do you count it?” Beth asked. “In one session or multiple sessions?”

“His peepee in your hoo-ha,” Cindy said.

“If you count it like that, then Suzanne got two sessions,” I said to help.

“Shut up,” they both said at the same time.

“What are you talking about?” Cindy’s boyfriend asked.

If Cindy’s grip hadn’t tightened I would have reenacted the classic Lynyrd Skynyrd song: Gimme Three Steps.

Beth bailed on me.

“Kevin, David and I had sex last night,” Cindy said.

“Cool. You guys wanna have a threesome?” Kevin asked.

I think my brain locked. Either that or Mr. Happy seized control. He was worried he would lose his balls, because Cindy kept a firm grip on them. I know she knew I would bolt at the first chance. When we got into my apartment, Kevin checked out my wall of pictures.

“I told Coach I’d see you this weekend. He said to tell you hello,” Kevin said.

While he talked, Cindy had unbuttoned my jeans and pulled them and my boxers off my hips to free my cock.

“Whoa, I know it’s not cool to talk about things like this, but I see why Cindy likes you,” Kevin said.

I was confused until he got undressed. For some reason I assumed he would be hung, but he was a little below average. It looked a little strange with his puffed-up chest.

“How’s this supposed to work?” I asked. “I really don’t want our swords to cross.”

“I like you,” Kevin said, and gave me a high five.

Cindy took control and we decided on the same setup as we’d done with Suzanne: she would give oral sex to Kevin while I took her from behind. I decided to go through with it, invoking one of my life goals: no regrets. I’d used that one several times in the last few months, if you counted hookers and swinger parties. I decided that if we were venturing into new territory, I was going to fulfill one other fantasy. I leaned over, reached into the drawer beside the bed, and grabbed the lube.

I greased up my condom and put the head of my dick against Cindy’s rosebud. Cindy fell against Kevin and moaned.

“She’s never let me in there,” Kevin said.

For about the hundredth time I wonder if college was really that much different from high school. The rules must not be the same, because I couldn’t imagine that Cindy would be so open-minded. I really didn’t understand why Kevin was fine with my dick in his girlfriend’s ass. I couldn’t wait to tell Greg about it. We both agreed that Cindy’s butt was the best we’d ever seen.