Chapter 3: Things Your Momma Never Warned You About

Saturday August 29

The HSAA allowed you a certain number of practices before the first game. Since we’d skipped one, the coaches decided we would catch up on Saturday morning. The guys grumbled because this was the last Saturday before school started on Monday. Plus it was an absolutely perfect summer day. Tracy had invited several of us to her lake house for the weekend.

Mom was poaching chicken breasts for me and had a plate of bacon on the table when I came in with Duke. I got a bowl out and started to prepare eggs while Dad made the coffee.

“Hey, I won’t be home tonight. I’m going to Tracy’s lake house.”

“Who all will be there?” Mom asked.

“Tracy invited the varsity cheerleaders and then some of the guys. It should be about twenty people,” I guessed.

“Will Mona be there?” Mom asked.

“She’s the head cheerleader, so I think she’s going. I haven’t talked to her, though.”

“I won’t allow it,” Mom said.

Both Dad and I stopped what we were doing and turned to see what the issue was. Neither one of us said a word, which was the Dawson way, but it pissed my Mom off. She just gave me a flippant look and finished adding the seasoning for the chicken breasts. I looked at Dad and he just shrugged. He wasn’t going to intervene.

“May I ask why?” I asked.

“Let’s see ... I’m your mother, you live under my roof, you’ll abide by my rules,” she counted off on her fingers. “I’m not comfortable with my teenage son spending the night with his girlfriend.”

“Since when?” Dad asked.

God love him, but damn! When Mom got into one of these moods, just let it go. There would be other weekends I could go play.

“You, to the office!” she said as she pointed at my Dad. Then she turned back to me. “You’re grounded until further notice! Give me your keys, phone, tablet and wallet. You’re not allowed to leave the house this weekend.”

“But I have football practice this morning,” I said.

She pulled out her phone and dialed a number.

“Coach Hope, this is Mrs. Dawson. David won’t be coming to practice this morning. He’s grounded. I’ll tell him,” she said and hung up. “You have to pull from the Punishment Jar on Monday.”

Mom then went to deal with my dad. I went to my apartment and got everything she asked for and then made breakfast. I can’t remember the last time nothing was said at a meal in our house. Dad was seriously pissed, and left the house as soon as we were done eating. Mom wrote me a list of things to do around the house. I wasn’t going to sit around moping — her words.

I was on my hands and knees as I pulled weeds when my mom came out and handed me my phone.

“This is David,” I answered.

“Hey, it’s Kendal. We got the contract for the movie. Can you come down with your parents and sign it?”

“Are you and Tom happy with it?” I asked.

“If you mean are we happy that you’ll be making a butt-load of money for six weeks of work, then yeah. For a secondary character, you’re going to make more than you did for Star Academy.”

“Call my dad and tell him I said to sign it. Do you have his cell?” I asked.

“Yeah, is everything okay?” she asked.

“Everything’s just fine. Thanks for taking care of me,” I told Kendal.

Mom stood there with her hand out for the phone.

“I need to call Tracy and let her know I won’t be there,” I told her.

Mom just nodded, so I called Tracy. I asked her to call Mona and let her know, too, since I was only allowed one phone call from prison. That got my phone snatched out of my hand and Tracy hung up on.

Sunday August 30 Mom and Dad had a huge fight. Duke and I escaped to my apartment to stay out of the crossfire. I was confused when Dad packed a bag and left. An hour later Mom came up to my apartment with all my things. She laid them on the coffee table and sat down.

“Your father made a confession yesterday. Phil Prince isn’t your uncle, he’s your half-brother,” Mom told me, and put me in a state of shock. “Your grandfather stepped in and supported Phil and his mother. That’s why Phil thinks Grandpa Dawson is his father.”

I was stunned. That would mean Dad had cheated on Mom, because Phil was younger than Greg and I. I would’ve never have expected my father to step outside his wedding vows. He was the most devoted man I knew. I hoped to have a marriage as good as my parents. I’m sure I wondered the same things my mom had. I went to her on the couch and she pushed me away, which hurt more than anyone would ever know.

I just got up and went to my room.

Monday August 31 I set a new record at Lincoln High. I got a three-day suspension before school even officially started. I guess I had better explain that one.

I got up and didn’t feel like running. Duke was disappointed when I wouldn’t let him go upstairs and get his morning’s loving. I was almost afraid what Mom would do to him. Dad hadn’t come home last night. He called me and told me he would be staying with Uncle John for a while. I just hoped he wasn’t going to be exiled for three months like I had been. I got the unenviable task of calling Greg to fill him in.

I wasn’t surprised when Greg showed up for breakfast.

“How’s she doing?” he asked.

“I’d recommend that you stay far away until she comes to you. I tried to comfort her last night and she pushed me away. I honestly have no idea what’s going on in her head right now.”

“How’s Dad?”

I just snorted and shook my head. How did he think he was? Mom had banished him to Uncle John’s farm.

“Sorry, I wasn’t thinking,” Greg said. “How are you doing?”

“I got grounded for asking to go to Tracy’s lake house for the weekend. My dad fathered me a little brother who follows me around like a lost puppy. My mother can’t stand to be around me. She wouldn’t even let me go to football practice this weekend, which got me into trouble. So everything’s great,” I said.

We ate breakfast and he caught me up about his family. He had me smiling by the time I left for school.

On the ride to school, I received a text with a picture attached. The phone was in the cradle on my dash so I tapped on the link for the photo and smiled when I saw Mona had sent me a naughty picture from the weekend. When I pulled into the parking lot, I was able to get a closer look. It seemed a little risqué for even Mona, because it showed her with her legs spread. I looked closer and decided I needed a better look so I got my iPad out.

I blew up the picture and my blood ran cold. Someone had snapped the picture after leaving a deposit in Mona. I saw a reflection and used my fingers to blow up that part of the picture and I saw Mike’s smiling face. I got out of my car with the intent to kill Mike. The Alpha Male in me was running the show as I came up to the front door and saw Alan first.

“Have you seen Mike?” I asked.

“No, I don’t think he’s here yet. Why, what do you need?”

I ignored him because I saw the varsity cheerleaders and walked to them with a purpose. I got my phone out and brought up the picture. I walked up to Mona who smiled at me as I shoved the picture in her face. Realization dawned and she went white. She knew how I felt about this.

“David, I can explain,” Mona said.

“No need. Do us both a favor and stay the fuck away from me.”

“David,” Tracy said.

“You, too, you taught her how to hurt me.”

Tracy’s eyes got big. I wasn’t sure if she knew what Mona had done or not, and quite frankly, I didn’t care at that moment.

“David,” Pam said.

“Fuck you, too, for letting it happen,” I said as I spun away from the cheerleaders and spotted Mike.

He was in the parking lot with Gina, his girlfriend and the girl I had set him up with.

“Oh, shit,” he mumbled as I got closer.

“What’s going... ? DAVID!” Gina screamed as I used the side of my foot to hit Mike in the nose.

Wolf and Jim saw what had just happened and tried to stop me. I punched them both when they tried to grab me. They were lying on the ground when I turned back to finish off Mike. Gina was hovered over him. I gently pulled her away from Mike and showed her my phone. Jim and Wolf got back up.

“Back off, this is between Mike and me. I’ve given you fair warning,” I told them, and hoped I wouldn’t have to follow through on my threat.

Then the crowd parted and Cassidy stepped inside the circle.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Cassidy asked.

“Mike sent me a text this morning,” I said and showed it to her.

“Are you done kicking the crap out of him?” she asked.

“Not by a long shot. I plan on breaking every bone in his body.”

“You know I can’t let you do that.”

“Cassidy, I’m not playing. I’m going to fuck him up,” I said.

She nodded sadly, and launched herself at me. She wasn’t playing either. I would like to describe my valiant effort as Cassidy and I battled all over the parking lot as if we were in a Bruce Lee epic thriller. I would like to say I at least held my own. I would like to say I wasn’t unconscious, but that would have been a lie.

I came back around as the paramedics loaded me into the ambulance. I saw Gina and Cassidy crying. I felt bad because I caused that. Mike had sat up and a paramedic checked him out. I quickly found they had strapped me to the gurney or I would have been after Mike again. Coach Hope pushed me back down, and after I’d been loaded into the ambulance, he joined me.

“What the fuck just happened, and why the fuck were you not at practice on Saturday? What is going on with you?” Coach Hope asked.

I took a deep breath and explained about whom Phil really was, and the reaction at home. I then told him what Mike had done, and had him look at the picture that was sent to me. I have seen Coach Hope mad. I thought I had seen him at his worst, but seeing the graphic display Mike had sent me topped that. It took me a moment to grasp why it affected him so much, and then I remembered Cassidy. Coach Hope was the father of a teenage daughter. He didn’t say a thing to me the rest of the ride.

When I got to the emergency room, I received a full physical. The doctor explained to me that being choked out like I had wasn’t good for the brain, even if the blood supply had only been cut off for a moment. They wanted to do further tests on me but my parents weren’t answering their phones. I had them call Tom Dole, my lawyer. He and Kendal had power of attorney over me for when I traveled. He came down and signed the forms so I could get the tests done. I seriously considered if I should get emancipated or not. I could just move to LA and leave all this shit behind.

I was moved to a hospital room around lunchtime. I must have kick-ass insurance if they wanted to keep me overnight for observation. I was surprised when Coach Hope and Cassidy showed up to see me. I gave her a weak smile.

“Thank you. I was really going to hurt him,” I told her.

“I know, and normally I’m up for kicking a guy’s ass, but I could tell you planned to really do some damage. I couldn’t let you do that,” Cassidy said.

“Is he okay?” I asked.

“He is just bruised up. The training staff patched him up,” Coach Hope said. “You two got three-day suspensions for fighting. I’m not sure what we’re going to do at quarterback if my first and second strings are out of action.”

“Please, a trained monkey could run your old offense,” I teased him.

Cassidy giggled, because her brother Brad had used to run it. It was simple handoffs and then play defense. If the two of us really did go down, that was going to be his only option.

“Since you’re already here... ,” he teased me.

“Careful, Cassidy has met her weekly limit on hurting boys. You wouldn’t have anyone to protect you,” I shot back.

“Who do you think trained her?” Coach Hope asked.

I just winked at Cassidy, who seemed happier now than when she came in.

“Do you think you and Mike can get past this?” Coach Hope asked getting serious again.

“No,” was my one-word answer, and I knew it was the truth.

“I was afraid of that. We need him as your backup, though. I could move him to defense,” Coach Hope said.

I thought about it for a minute and nodded my assent. I knew he was bending over backwards for me. If he hadn’t seen the picture, I’m not sure he would have talked to me about Mike and me getting along.

We were interrupted by my mom, who finally showed up. Coach Hope and Cassidy said their goodbyes. He had to get back to run practice, and she had her sixty minutes of hell class. I looked at the clock and saw that it took my mom over six hours to come find her youngest son in the hospital. Dad had yet to make an appearance.

“What happened? The messages said you had been in a fight,” Mom said.

“Just go home, Mom. I’ll have Tom or Kendal come and check me out of here tomorrow.”

“David, I’m your mother.”

“You explained that to me when you grounded me for asking to go to a party this weekend. A party, that if you had allowed me to go to, I wouldn’t have lost half my friends and gotten into a fight today. You’re such a good mother? Well, your son’s been in a hospital for over six hours before you decided to show up. If you want me to move to Uncle John’s, too, just say the word.”

“Where’s your father?” she asked.

“You’re asking ME?” I said, and she slapped me.

I rolled over and put my back to her. If I said something right now, I doubted we would ever talk to each other again. When she finally left, I rang the nurse.

“I’m out of here. Where are my clothes?” I asked.

“Mr. Dawson, your doctor hasn’t released you yet.”

“Fine, I’ll walk out like this,” I said, with my ass hanging out of my gown.

She got between me and the door.

“Please, let me get your doctor first,” she begged, and then guided me back to my bed.

While she did that I called Tom. I explained my need to leave. He arrived about the same time the doctor did. The doctor wasn’t happy that I had called my lawyer. This was going to be an expensive day if Tom charged me by the hour, but he was worth every penny of it, because I walked out the front door an hour later.

Tom took me to get my car. I called Brandon and had him reserve a room at a local hotel that took pets. I went home and packed a bag and Duke’s crate. Mom came out of the house on my last trip.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Your house, your rules,” I said, and got into my car and left.

Duke and I had just settled in our hotel room when there was a knock at the door. I peeked through the little hole and saw it was my mom. There was no use in not letting her in. I was sure she would just call the cops and have me hauled home. I let her in.

“David, I haven’t been myself for the past few days. When I realized I slapped you while you were lying in a hospital bed, I knew things had gone too far. Baby, I’m so sorry. I sometimes forget you’re my little boy and I love you. I love your father, too, but I don’t know how to tell him. I’m afraid things have gone too far for us to forgive each other right now,” she said.

“If I sent you and Dad to Vegas for a week, do you think you could work things out?” I asked.

Mom had mentioned she wanted to go someday. I figured this was something they both needed right now. It also got them out of my hair for a week. A win-win, if I was keeping score. I called Dad and told him my plan. He wanted to talk to Mom. When she was done, she agreed, and said Dad was coming home tonight. I called Brandon and had him set everything up. I gave Mom his number so she could tell him what shows she would like to see. Mom told me I was moving back home, so I loaded up my trusty hound and went home. He would be happy to get back, because he heard every noise someone made in the hall.

When I got home Mona, Pam and Tracy were waiting for me. I thought about telling them to fuck off, but if I had learned anything from my time with Peggy, it was to hear things out. Of course, there was Tami rattling around in my mind to remind me never to go with my first instinct. When we got into my apartment, Mona lost it, grabbed me, and sobbed.

I looked at the other two girls over Mona’s head to try and figure out why she was acting like she was. I mean, I expected some crying, but this was full-on bawling, and I didn’t see it ending anytime soon. I picked her up, carried her to my bedroom, and laid her on my bed.

“I need to talk to Pam and Tracy. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” I said, as she clutched my pillow like it was a life preserver.

“What’s that all about?” I asked as I tried not to let my irritation come through.

I had flashbacks of Mike’s older brother and what a dick he’d turned into. I wondered if I would ever get over Mike sending me the text to rub his conquest of Mona in my face. I had no idea he was such a douchebag.

“She was drunk and Mike took advantage,” Tracy said.

“What are you talking about?” Pam asked.

“Are you telling me that Mike got her drunk?” I asked. “Mona always plays hostess and NEVER drinks.”

“She’s told me everything, but I caught Mike right after, you know. I could tell Mona was upset, so I tore into him. He told me what a lousy fuck she was, that she just laid there. I told him he must be the worst fuck at Lincoln High, because she went wild when you were with her. Mike got pissed off and said I was going to regret what I said, and left the party,” Tracy filled us in.

“So he basically raped her, and then sent David the text of his conquest. Cassidy should have stayed out of it and let you kill him,” Pam said.

“No. Cassidy kept me from going to jail,” I said.

“Did she ruin things for you two?” Tracy asked; she knew I felt about things like this.

Knowing that Mike took advantage of her didn’t get the image of him having his way with her out of my head. I guess only time would tell, but for right now, I wasn’t interested in being anything other than a friend. I suspected that in the near future even that would be hard for me. I felt betrayed that she wouldn’t fight him off. A simple no could have stopped this. That is, if she was capable of saying anything at the time.

“I think she did. I need to take her home and talk to her parents,” I said.

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” Tracy asked, as she looked concerned.

“You saw her. She’s a mess, and her parents would never forgive me if she hurt herself,” I said, which caused Tracy to flinch.

“Do you want us to go with you?” Pam asked.

“No, after I talk to them they may never want to see me again. She’ll need you guys to support her.”

“I do have some good news,” Tracy said. “Gina also got a three-day. She kicked Mike in the nuts after you were carted off.”

That brought a small smile to my face.

“I hope Wolf and Jim didn’t get suspended, too,” I said.

“No, just you, Mike, Gina and Cassidy,” Mona said.

“Cassidy? Why did she get suspended?” I asked.

“Why do you think, dumbass? The two of you squared off like you were going to do a cage match, and she took you out,” Pam said with a grin. “If I didn’t like you, I’d have to dump you as a friend, because a little girl kicked your ass.”

“She did make it look easy. If you hadn’t put three varsity football players down before she got to you ... well, I would have to agree with Pam,” Tracy piled on.

“Hey, I’m sorry I snapped at you both this morning,” I said.

“We’re good,” Pam said. “We were as shocked as you must have been when we saw the picture.”

“So we’re still friends?” I asked.

“Of course we are. Mona told us why you were dating her. Tracy and I will make sure you’re safe,” Pam teased.

She was right. I needed some cover to get my head together before I got any closer to Zoe, Halle or Brook. Something told me I didn’t want them to be a rebound romance. One of them could be the one. I needed to put Tami behind me and move on.

I took Mona home and her dad met us at the front door. I caught the look in his eye when he saw his daughter in that state, and he looked at me and I saw my imminent death. I pushed Mona into his arms and her mom appeared.

“I need to talk to you,” I said.

Mona clutched her dad and we went to the living room.

“What did you do to her?” Mr. Wingman asked.

“As you know, Mona was at Tracy’s party at the lake house. There was some drinking, and she had sex with Mike Herndon. It wasn’t consensual, but the alcohol puts everything in a little bit of a grey area,” I said.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Mr. Wingman asked.

“I wasn’t there, but Mona normally doesn’t drink. From what I heard, she had a few too many drinks before Mike took her to a room and had his way with her,” I said.

“Is this true?” her mom asked.

“I remember drinking too much, and at some point I was with Mike,” she mumbled.

I could tell she really didn’t want to talk about it to her parents. I couldn’t really blame her. It turned out that the stories of dads with shotguns were true. I discovered the reality of the urban legend when her dad calmly got up and Mrs. Wingman took over comforting her daughter. A moment later he stood in the door with his gun.

“Where does Mike live?” he asked.

I moved in a flash and took the gun away from him. Thank God Cassidy’s training wasn’t a complete waste. I checked the chamber and the gun was empty. At least he wasn’t a complete fool. I handed it back to him. I could tell he wasn’t going to do anything stupid tonight.

“You need to take care of your family tonight. Invite the Herndons over for a talk tomorrow,” I suggested. “I should get going.”

I let myself out. It had been a hell of a day.

Tuesday September 1 Dad woke me up before he and Mom went to Las Vegas.

“Get dressed. I want to talk to you before we leave,” Dad said.

I threw on a pair shorts and a t-shirt, and found Greg and Dad in my living room. Greg made us all tea. It looked like Dad wanted to tell his side of things without my mom present. I looked at Greg, and I could see the tension in his face. I understood how he felt, because we had been raised to believe things like this were not acceptable. It pained me to see what my father’s indiscretion was doing to our family. The part none of us had addressed yet was Phil. It was one thing if he was an uncle; it was another if he was my brother. I don’t really know why that made so much difference to me, but it did.

“Tell me about your fight,” Dad started off.

“Mike sent me a text with a picture attached of Mona after he had sex with her. I took offense to it and was in the process of kicking his ass when Cassidy put a stop to it,” I said quickly summing things up.

“Is she under eighteen? “ Greg asked.

“Yeah, why?” I asked.

“You do know that you could be put away for having kiddie porn on your phone,” Greg said.

“What?” I asked and got worried.

“Yep, they take that kind of shit seriously, especially if you’re in the public eye. I ‘d hate to see you doing time just because some DA wants to make a name for himself,” Greg said.

“Listen to your brother and delete it,” Dad said.

I went and got both my iPad and phone and deleted the image. I would have to go through the rest of my stuff and see if I had anything questionable.

“How’re things with you?” Dad asked Greg.

“Good, we’re a little freaked out about the news on our new brother,” Greg said to steer the conversation towards what we both wanted to talk about.

“When you guys were younger I used to help my dad with his political campaigns. Vickie’s parents were working on the campaign. Her dad was your grandpa’s campaign manager. I hadn’t seen Vickie in a few years. I used to have the biggest crush on her, even though she was quite a bit younger than I was. She was just someone I was instantly attracted to.

“There was nothing between us. I mean you guys were like four and one at the time, and you know how much I love your mother. Your grandpa won reelection for like the zillionth time. He had a big party out at the farm. Your idiot uncle got me to do tequila shots. He was actually the one flirting with Vickie. I made some stupid comment about how I had always been in love with Vickie, and John pushed her into my arms.

“Honestly, boys, I could have blamed a million things as to why it happened. No matter the excuse, Phil was the result of that night. They say it only takes one time, and they’re right. It wasn’t even that enjoyable because I felt guilty the whole time,” Dad said.

“Why does Phil think he is grandpa’s son?” Greg asked.

“Vickie and your grandpa worked that out. He had ... let’s just say he knew how to handle it. I was scared to death of what your mom was going to say. I wish I had talked to her when it happened. She is feeling hurt and betrayed for something that happened nearly fifteen years ago. She has to question everything that’s happened in our marriage, because I was, was ... too dumb. It breaks my heart to see what I’ve done to her and to you guys.

“The worst part is I never was in Phil’s life. I knew your grandpa took care of Phil financially by providing support, and he created a college fund for him, but I was never there for him. I turned my back on my own son, and surprisingly, that’s what your mom is probably the most mad about.

“Let me give you guys a piece of advice: whenever you’re doing anything that feels wrong, stop, and think of the consequences. I guarantee you that someday you’ll be faced with a situation that makes you nervous. Listen to that little quiver in your gut, and do the right thing. I wasn’t raised to do what I did. I knew it was wrong, and did it anyway,” Dad said.

“Do you think this trip will help?” I asked.

“I plan on doing whatever it takes. The good news is your mother and I love each other. We’ve been together for over twenty years and we’re as in love with each other as when we first met.”

What a mess. Greg and I wished Dad luck. After Dad left, we talked for a moment.

“Do you think they’ll be okay?” Greg asked.

“You haven’t been around Mom for the past few days. I’ve never seen her like this. She actually slapped me. She’s going to have to get past a lot of anger, or they aren’t going to make it,” I said.

“I hope she remembers how much we all love her,” Greg said.

Me, too.

Duke and I went for a run, since we didn’t have anything to do today. When I got home I saw I had company in the two other troublemakers who got suspended, Gina and Cassidy.

“Ladies!” I called as Duke and I bound up the stairs of my apartment.

I caught them going through my t-shirts.

“Hey, you have to earn those,” I teased them.

“My sister would disown me, and Cassidy’s dad would have something to say,” Gina giggled.

The toll for taking a t-shirt was a roll in the hay, or was that what I paid? I never figured that one out.

“You want a whole new wardrobe?” I asked.

“What would I have to do for that?” Cassidy asked.

“It sounds like more than we’re willing to give up,” Gina teased me.

I winked at them and called Michael Reese, the VP of Marketing for Jade. It had been a while since I took advantage of being the Face of Jade. The last time I had gone nuts was with Peggy. I figured I owed Gina for hooking her up with her cheating jerk of an ex-boyfriend, and Cassidy helped in so many ways it wasn’t funny. I wanted to treat my pals to the newest things a hip teen would need. Of course I wasn’t really hip, but Jade’s ads said that they were, so I figured the girls would like it.

“Hey, Michael, it’s David Dawson.”

“David, I need you to do a quick shoot for me.”

I laughed. He always tried to get me to do a quick shoot. I had told him no modeling during football. I guess I did have a couple of days off and I did want a favor.

“I’ll do it today, but I’m going to be a complete prima donna,” I said, which made him laugh.

“All right, I’ll play along. What could you possibly want that would put you in the prima donna category?”

“I have two hot new models that I must work with. All three of us will need new wardrobes for the shoot today,” I said.

“Are they under contract with Ford?” Michael asked.

“No, they’re with Rigby, Thompson and Associates on developmental contracts. I discovered them at my high school. One of them is the sister of Kara Tasman. The other is the super-athletic girl-next-door type. I think you’ll love them.”

“Do you have head shots you can send me?”

“Nope, this will be their first gig. Remember, I said they were in development.”

“How bad are they, and will I get anything usable if I do this shoot?” Michael asked.

“I’ll guarantee the shoot,” I told him.

“Sorry, I was being a bit of a dick. If you have a bad outing, it won’t be the end of the world. I’ll sign off on it, but if it really sucks you’ll owe me,” he said, and hung up.

My next call was to Kendal. We needed to get Cassidy and Gina under contract. She called me a bad name for not setting up everything through her to begin with. When I saw I was going to pull it off, I looked at the girls who had been trying to follow along as I made my calls.