Chapter 13

The next morning I hit the gym for an early workout, made my way back home and showered. Afterwards I found the business card that Buddy Cullen had given me. I dialed the number and left a message with his secretary for him to return my call. Within an hour he had called me back and we had about an hour long conversation. He offered to talk to a few teams high on the draft board that might be in need of a defensive line player and see if perhaps they would have any interest in me if I decided to make myself eligible for the draft. He assured me he would call me back within a week or so to let me know.

Later that afternoon, Courtney called me and wanted to know if we could go out for dinner one night this week. We agreed on Wednesday night around seven o’clock. That night as I sat in the family room watching TV, Ashley came in and sat down in her chair across from me. Ever since our erotic encounter two night’s ago, Ashley had seemed rather distant, I was wondering if perhaps she regretted what we had done. I wondered as well, should I bring it up or just let things go for a while. I decided on the latter for now but if something didn’t change soon, I was going to confront the issue.

I left Wednesday night to pick up Courtney at about seven o’clock, I could easily sense Ashley was not happy. As much as I tried to get her to talk, she seemed silent and distant. I pulled into Courtney’s driveway fifteen minutes later and rang the doorbell. The door was opened quickly by her younger sister Gia who was a very pretty, young lady of fourteen. As was usual between sisters, Gia and Courtney teased each other relentlessly. As soon as Gia saw me, she turned and yelled back into the house.

“Courtney, your lover boy is here.” she screamed.

“You’re a wicked, wicked child Gia.” I laughed at the young teen.

“Yep, I am.” she laughed back.

I followed her into the den when Mr. Timmons was watching TV. He motioned me over to sit down, barely taking his eyes off of the program. I sat down across from him with a quick wave and a hello. I guess we had been sitting there for about five minutes before Courtney made her entrance. As was customary lately, she looked awesome. She was wearing a tight pair of jeans, a very sheer white silk blouse and black heels. She walked over to where I was sitting, touched me gently on the shoulder and sat down beside me.

“So where you kids off to tonight?” Mr. Timmons asked.

“Just out to eat Dad, no big deal.” Courtney replied.

“You guys have fun, see you later.” he called out as we walked out of the room.

We got into the truck and drove across town to a local restaurant that was kind of nice. In this small town, it was the nicest place to eat we had. We had to wait maybe ten minutes for a table, it was extremely crowded. Our hostess finally seated us at a small table across the room, telling us our waitress would be with us shortly. I scanned the room as we sat down, I noticed several people staring our way.

Our waitress arrived quickly and we ordered two iced tea’s and an appetizer. Our drinks arrived with our appetizer, we then ordered our entrée for the evening. The meal was very good, we took our time and had a very nice conversation, I felt very relaxed. Our waitress came over and asked if we wanted any dessert, which we both declined. She reached into her apron and handed me the small vinyl tablet which held the check.

“Um, excuse me sir. Are you Brian Stevens by any chance?” she asked.

“Yes, I am.” I answered, taking the tablet.

“Oh ... um ... Hi, I’m Jessica ... My Dad is a big fan of yours, he is not gonna believe you were in here tonight.” she laughed.

“Well tell him thanks for the support Jessica, I appreciate it.” I responded.

“Could you uh ... maybe ... sign an autograph for him?” she asked, shyly.

“Sure, I can, no problem.” I answered.

She reached into her apron again and pulled out a blank guest check which she turned over and handed to me. She told me his name was Phil, which always meant they wanted the autographed personalized. I quickly signed the back of the ticket to her Father with my name and number, plus the inion National Champs under my name. She quickly snatched the paper holding it tightly.

“Thanks so much, my Dad will be thrilled.” she said, graciously.

We paid the check and headed out of the door to the truck. I could see a puzzled look on Courtney’s face as we got in the vehicle. I dismissed it as I pulled the truck out of the parking lot. We had not been on the road more than a minute when Courtney spoke up.

“Does that happen a lot Brian?” she asked.

“What are you talking about?” I answered.

“Girls coming up to you and asking for autographs?” she replied.

“Not a lot, but it does happen from time to time. But it’s not just girls, sometimes guys or children.” I said.

“Oh.” was all she said.

We made small talk for the rest of the ride home, but it seemed she was still bothered by something. It was close to eleven o’clock in the evening when I pulled into her driveway. I turned off the truck, got out and walked around to her door, opening it. She got out and began walking to the front door, stopped then turned to me.

“You want to come in for a while?” she asked.

“Uh, it’s kinda late Court, Your parents should be asleep by now, I would think.” I answered.

“No, they are out of town, they won’t be back for a few days.” she responded.

Suddenly I was caught in a very bad situation. I had not been alone with Courtney in a very long time, I had no idea how to handle this situation. While I was still extremely attracted to her, my mind was still focused on Ashley.

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea Court.” I said, cautiously.

“I just thought you might like to spend a little more time together, that’s it. But I understand.” she said, softly.

I could tell she was extremely disappointed as she turned to head towards the front door. Against better judgment, I made a snap decision.

“Oh alright, I guess I can stay for a while.” I said.

I followed her into the house, down the hall and into the family room. I sat on the sofa as she went to the kitchen to get a couple of soft drinks for us. As she walked back into the room, I just couldn’t help but notice how good she looked in those tight jeans. She sat down next to me, leaned back on the sofa and crossed her legs.

“Brian, I need to talk to you about something.” she said, her tone very serious.

“Ok Court, what’s up?” I asked turning towards her.

“I know it’s not even right that I ask you this, I have really did some crappy things to you in the past. But can you tell me truthfully, exactly how you feel about me?” she asked.

“You get right to the point don’t you?” I laughed.

“Brian, please. I am being dead serious.” she answered.

I paused for a second and took a deep breath. To be perfectly truthful, I always had feelings for Courtney since the first time we had been out together. Even though she had dumped me twice before, I still had fond memories of her. But the big problem here was Ashley. There was no way I could be honest with Courtney and tell her I really thought I had fallen in love with Ashley. Or admit what the two of us had done several nights before. I knew I had to think fast.

“Court, I have always cared a great deal for you, but I think you know that. You’re a beautiful girl, who wouldn’t love to be with you?” I answered.

“You.” she shot back quickly.

I immediately I knew I had cornered myself, I was now in hot water. I tried to think of a quick response, something that would sound logical.

“Court, it’s not that simple. I really value your friendship and your parents have always been wonderful to me. I don’t want anything to come between any of that.” I replied.

“Neither do I Brian, but I can’t stand being around you like this. I want so much more than just friendship.” she said softly.

“Court, we tried that twice before, it just didn’t work out.” I answered.

“You don’t have to throw it back in my face, I know I fucked up. Believe me I regret it everyday of my life.” she said, her eyes watering up slightly.

“I didn’t mean to take a cheap shot Court, I’m sorry.” I replied.

“It’s ok Brian, I guess I deserve it.” she said sadly.

I felt really bad for her, I had definitely chosen the wrong words. I reached over and took her small, soft hand in mine. She looked up at me here eyes filled with emotion.

“I’m sorry Court, you didn’t deserve that.” I answered.

“Brian, I’m not sure I should ask you this but I have to. You can tell me to get lost if you want, but here goes.” she said, then took a deep breath, “Have you ever slept with a girl?”

“Uh ... well no, I haven’t. I mean you know what we did together. That’s as far as I ever went.” I answered, somewhat embarrassed.

“Well it’s the same for me. I have never slept with anyone either.” she admitted.

There was an another of our awkward pauses that gripped the room, I had an idea of where this might be going. She finally continued from where she had left off.

“Brian, you’re my closest male friend, I have loved you for a long time. I want my first time making love to be with you, someone I trust completely. I am on birth control, I have been for a long time. So, I guess what I am asking is, will you sleep with me tonight?” she finished, her voice trailing off.

“Wow Court, I ... Uh ... Don’t know what to say.” I replied.

“Brian, I promise, no strings attached, just this one time ... Please.” she urged.

I felt my resolve melting as quickly as a popsicle on a hot summer day, I was done for. I think she saw it in my eyes, or maybe, she just knew me that well. Without another word she leaned over to me and pressed her lips against mine in a soft, extremely passionate kiss. When she broke our kiss, her lips were inches from mine, her eyes locked into my own.

“I want you now Brian, please take me to bed.” she pleaded.

She stood up and pulled me by the hand, an invitation I readily accepted. I got up and followed her out of the family room and we climbed the stairs to her bedroom. I had only been up to her once since I had known her, it was years ago. As she opened the door, I noticed the room had changed dramatically since last I had been up here. Gone were the high school decorations, instead replaced by pure white walls, white curtains, a laced white spread on the bed. It was definitely a woman’s retreat, Courtney was no longer a girl.

Courtney stopped and turned, her arms encircling my waist quickly, her head tilted up to mine. I leaned over and kissed her gently, pulling her close to me, she felt so good in my arms. As we broke our kiss she looked at me, a smile on her face.

“Please, let’s take this slow, I want this to be special.” she whispered.

Before I could respond, I noticed a flash of light pass her bedroom window. I took two steps toward the window and saw her Dad’s car pulling into the driveway.

“Your parents just drove up.” I warned.

She took me by the hand and we quickly moved down the stairs back into the family room before they were able to get back into the house. I had to smile, I mean after all we were both adults, it’s not like we were still teenagers dating. A few moments later her Dad walked into the family room several suitcases in hand.

“Your sister got sick on the drive up, she is feeling pretty bad, so we turned around. I hope we didn’t ruin your night.” he said, setting the bags down.

“Not at all sir. Can I help with the bags?” I asked.

“Yes, if you don’t mind can you take these up to my wife?” he asked.

I got up quickly and took the bags from him and walked back up the stairs once again. As I rounded the staircase, I heard Courtney’s Mom talking to her daughter. I stopped at the bedroom door looking in, she was helping Gia get into bed.

“Where do you want these Mrs. Timmons?” I asked.

“Just set those down right there Brian. Thank you.” she replied.

I set the bags down just outside of the door, turned and headed back down the stairs. By the time I got to the family room, Mr. Timmons had already settled in and had the TV blaring. Courtney shrugged her shoulders at me, there was not much else we could do. We sat there for a while, then I decided to call it a night. I left and drove straight home, the lights were still on, so Ashley was awake.

I entered through the rear kitchen door as usual, only to find the house deserted. I went back to the kitchen to get a glass of iced tea and noticed a white piece of paper on the counter. I picked up the note and read it quickly.

[ Brian, I went out tonight, will be back late. Don’t wait up. ]

Strange, she hadn’t said a thing about going out, especially on a Wednesday night. I took a quick shower, watched some TV, about eleven thirty I called it a night.

I woke up early, before seven the next morning, went into the kitchen and made coffee. Ashley’s door was still closed, I figured she was still asleep. I was sitting at the table reading the sports section of the paper, when she came in moving a bit slower than normal.

“Good morning”, she mumbled.

“Morning, Ashley.” I replied.

She stumbled over to the coffee pot, poured a large cup, then fell into the chair across from me. She didn’t say a word for the first five minutes, then finally came to life.

“How was dinner last night?” she asked.

“It was ok, no big deal, we ate then went back to Courtney’s, but Gia was sick so I left and came home.” I answered.

“Oh, I hope she is feeling better today, I sure as hell am not.” she groaned.

“What did you do last night?” I asked.

“I went out with Stephanie and a few other friends, we had way too much to drink.” she replied.

“That will do it.” I answered.

I decided a few hours later to go into town and try to find a few pair of jeans. It was really difficult to find them in my size, I needed a long length, big through the thighs, but only a thirty four inch waist. But just to kill some time, I tried a few shops on main street. I was in the second store of the day when my cell phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number, it was long distance, I answered it anyway. It was Mr. Buddy Cullen, the consultant for the pro scouts, we had talked briefly before my break. He had put out some feelers around the league to see if any team might be interested in drafting me if I declared before this year’s draft. Surprisingly, he told me he had two very solid hits. One was from an East Coast team that was extremely interested in a young defensive end prospect, the other was more intriguing. One team from up North had talked to him about possibly drafting me as an outside linebacker. They figured to drop my weight to around two hundred sixty five and play me at the Will LB slot. Both teams would be interested in me possibly in the second round. Mr. Cullen also gave me the name of a reputable agent who was representing dozens of pro players, he suggested I call him about the numbers. I thanked him for his time and promised to be in touch with him in a few days.

Later that day when I returned home, I called the agent’s office in California, and asked to speak to him. I relayed my personal information to his assistant who promised me that he would call me back shortly. Maybe thirty minutes later my phone rang. I answered it, on the other end was Mr. Ron Peters, a well known agent for professional ball players. He thanked me for calling him and asked how he could assist me. I informed him of my situation and explained my uncertainty of whether or not to declare for the draft. He listened intently, then told me to let him make a few phone calls to see where I possibly might end up if I did. I thanked him for his time and hung up.

I had exactly twelve days to declare for the draft, or return to school for another year. I knew I had to move quickly. But truthfully at this point, I really was one hundred percent sure I would return to school for another year.

That night I was watching TV in the family room when Ashley’s friend, Stephanie came through the back door. Ashley yelled out for her to come into the family room, which she quickly did.

“Hey guys, what are you up to?” she asked.

“Not much, just watching a bit of TV.” Ashley responded.

“How about we go out and hit the town again tonight?” she asked Ashley.

“Oh God no, I still feel last night.” Ashley whined.

“Well how about you Brian, you up for some fun?” she asked, her eyes turning in my direction.

I could sense immediately by the change in Ashley’s facial expression she was not happy with her friend’s invitation to me. At that split second it dawned on me that perhaps Ashley enjoyed the fact that she had me on pins and needles, waiting for her to make the next move.

“I ... uh, really don’t drink Stephanie, never have. I wouldn’t be any fun at all.” I replied.

“You never drink?” she asked incredulously.

“Nope never.” I answered.

“Oh, well then ... how about a hamburger or something?” she inquired.

I decided to try and light a fire under Ashley, maybe I had to force the situation, one way or another.

“That sounds ok, let me get dressed, be right back.” I answered.

I quickly dressed and returned to the family room when the two women were seated. I could definitely sense a chill in the air, Ashley was indeed not happy. As I was putting on my sneakers, Stephanie giggled as she watched.

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

“What size shoe do you wear?” she asked.

“I wear a sixteen, why?” I inquired.

“Just wondering.” she giggled.

I decided to at least try and do a bit of damage control before I left. I turned to Ashley, who was doing her best to avoid us.

“Hey Ash, why don’t you come with us. Get out of the house.” I asked.

“No, I’m good, you guys go.” she answered, never looking up from the TV.

We left together, Stephanie wanted to drive, so we got into her car and pulled out of the drive. We drove across town to the diner, which was about half full when we arrived. We found a booth near the front and sat down. A few students from the high school waved to Stephanie, you could tell by their faces, they were surprised to see us together. Our waitress came over and we placed our order and settled in waiting for our food.

“What was wrong with Ashley tonight?” Stephanie asked.

“I dunno, I never noticed really.” I answered, not about to get into this discussion.

“She seemed upset or mad, something was not right.” she said.

“She’ll be fine.” I answered.

Just about that time, my cell phone rang, I recognized the number, it was Ron Peters’ office. I quickly answered the phone, this could be the answer I had been waiting on.

“Brian, how are you?” he asked.

“Good sir.” I answered.

“Well, I made a few calls to the pro scouts and I think you have at least six teams interested, two seriously. The determining factor would be how well you perform at the Draft Combine which would be held later that month. It would be a week long event, that would test your mental ability, physical strength, speed, quickness and agility. As he informed me, the camp usually is the deciding factor on what round a player is drafted. You shine at the camp and your stock goes way up.” he told me.

He also relayed the same information I had been told earlier in the day about one team that was seriously interested in drafting me as a outside linebacker. He told me he would make a few more calls, then get back to me in a couple of days, but at this point, he was optimistic about the situation. I thanked him and hung up.

“You’re really going to play pro football?” Stephanie asked.

“Well, it looks like that. At least I should get an opportunity to make someone’s team.” I answered.

We continued our conversation, soon our food arrived. We talked and ate, she was really fun to be around. I guess maybe since we were so close in age, I related well to her. She seemed wide eyed and amazed at the fact that I might get a chance to play pro ball.

“I guess I should be ashamed to say this, I might be the only one in town who has never seen you play before.” she said, somewhat embarrassed.

“You haven’t seen me play? Oh, I am offended.” I kidded her with a straight face.

“I’m sorry, I promise the next time you play, I will watch.” she quickly said, apologetically.

“I’m just kidding Stephanie, it’s actually refreshing to be with someone who doesn’t care about football.” I answered, “Besides, anytime you want to see a game, let me know, we have the National Championship game on DVD at home.”

“Oh great, I want to see it.” she exclaimed.

We finished eating, got back in her car and pulled out of the parking lot. We had only been gone maybe ninety minutes when we pulled back into my drive way. We walked around back and came in through the kitchen, Ashley was still watching TV in the family room. We both joined her, I think she was surprised we were back that quickly. I went into my room and changed into a tee shirt and shorts and went into the kitchen for iced tea. When I rejoined the women in the family room they were in a discussion about school. After several minutes Stephanie turned in my direction.

“Could we watch that game you have on DVD?” she asked.

“Oh I doubt Ashley wants to see that again, how about you just take it home and watch it later?” I responded.

“No, it’s ok. You can put it on Brian.” Ashley replied.

I shrugged my shoulders and got up and moved to the TV, opened the lower cabinet doors and retrieved the disc. I inserted it in the DVD player and pressed play. I fast forwarded the introduction and started the disc from the opening kickoff.

“What number are you Brian?” she asked naively.

“He’s number ninety nine, up at the top of the screen.” Ashley replied to her friend.

“Oh yea, I see him.” Stephanie replied.

For the next few hours we watched the game, with the ladies exchanging small talk back and forth. For some reason, watching a game already played on film had little enjoyment for me, I found myself always critiquing my effort. I left and came back into the room several times during the replay. Finally the disc ended, I was ready for bed. I said my good night’s and made my way to my room. I’m not sure how long the two of them stayed up talking, I fell asleep rather quickly.

I received another phone call early the next morning from Ron Peters from Pro Sports Agents Inc. in California. He had made several more phone calls and had confirmed that two teams were definitely very interested in selecting me if I were available. Both drafted late in round one meaning they were both good teams with winning records. With that said, I could possibly be a very late first round pick, or a very late second round pick. The difference between the two rounds meant a large amount of money. Mr. Peters told me he would fly out one of his associates to talk with me in person if I thought I might be interested. I told him absolutely, we set the meeting at my home for Saturday morning at ten o’clock. I knew Ashley would be available, I also wanted to ask Coach Mike if he would consider being present. We set the details and agreed to talk later in the week. Ashley had entered the kitchen during my conversation with Mr. Peters, so she had heard most of the details.