Chapter 43

David
It was a frantic week for everyone because midterms had started. David was amazed at the dread that had set in across campus. It was as if the student body suddenly realized why they were going to school, and parties and goofing off weren’t the reason.

Sunday night, after the team got back from Salt Lake City, he’d received a text from Margaret Tilghman letting him know that she had to cancel his tutoring session. One of the offensive linemen was in danger of flunking accounting. David had no idea why the man had taken a business course when there were easier ones for athletes. He now understood why she’d fit in an extra session for him last week.

David had cut back on the length of his runs because Ridge had given him an article about a Hall of Fame quarterback. The guy said he wished he hadn’t run so much when he was younger. He said that if he had it to do over again, he wouldn’t have run twenty-plus miles a week because his knees were now shot. That quarterback suggested only running about ten and focusing on other lower-impact cardio.

Cassidy had talked him into purchasing a rowing machine and putting it in The Palace’s weight room. She’d done it so she could train, but David found it was a good low-impact substitute, and his knees thanked him. He also missed swimming, so he put that on his to-do list for when he came back from spring break.

When David arrived at the coffee shop, he was shocked to see the place was packed. All the tables were taken with students studying and getting their caffeine fixes. Doreen had his tea ready.

“Hey, cutie. I saw you coming this way,” she explained. “Go on back. Kat wants to talk to you.”

David grabbed his drink and went around the counter. He found Kat in the back room, filling coffee filters with freshly ground beans.

“I always wondered what you did back here in the morning,” David said.

“Doreen claims the coffee tastes better if it’s ground daily.”

“She said you wanted to talk to me.”

“Oh, yeah. The tables for the fundraiser were all sold out. Did you want me to see if anyone has extra seats for the people you wanted to invite?” Kat asked.

“No, that’s okay. Just let me know who to make the check out to.”

“My parents are paying for our seats. Of course, if you want to make a donation, I’m sure the senator would take it.”

“I bet he would. Are you sure your parents don’t want me to pay for us to go?” David asked.

“When I told my mom that you were coming, she got excited. You might have to ‘pay’ for your seat in other ways. I have a feeling it involves getting your picture taken.”

“Maybe they should pay us to show up.”

“Don’t let my dad hear that. As a lawyer, he gets creative with his billable hours. This might be one more scam he can pull,” Kat said a bit too seriously.

David had long suspected that was the case with his lawyers.

“I can envision the line item on my next bill. He was ‘advocating’ for me. That would explain why I would be charged for the seats to the event he is writing off. Plus the three hours he’ll spend drinking scotch, dancing with his wife, and shooting the shit with his other lawyer buddies. And I, like a dumbass, will pay the fifty grand and not even question it,” David groused.

“You would be my dad’s dream client. Don’t be surprised if he pitches you jumping ship to his firm at some point in the evening,” Kat jested and then gave David a sad look. “You sure you still want to go with me?”

“How could I turn down an offer that includes spending quality time with a bunch of lawyers?”

“The only positive is that I’m not one. Yet,” Kat said.

“Yet? You’re planning to go back to the dark side ... er ... Yale?” David asked.

“I’ve been evaluating my options. I’ve decided I’m not going to live my life in response to either Daniel or my family. It doesn’t matter whether that’s as an obedient daughter, a rebel, or in any other way. I’m going to run my life the way I want, without regard to their desires. I’ll probably go back and get my degree, but I’m not going to work for my dad.”

“Good for you.”

“When I get done, maybe you can be my first client.”

“That’s never happening. I’ve already given you too many ideas on how to get into my pocket,” David said with a smile.

“I’d give you a friends-and-family discount.”

“Yeah, I bet you would,” he said and then changed the subject. “I’ll pick you up Thursday night at 7. I’ve gotta go prep for my midterms.”

David was impressed that his lecture halls were packed. He had no idea that so many people were taking these classes.

Cassidy had called off workouts because almost everyone had contacted her to say they couldn’t make it. David suspected the real reason was that his little ninja was finally taking school seriously. The guys preparing for the draft were all still in school because they were on scholarship. That meant they had access to everything the athletic department provided, ranging from the facilities to tutors to—most importantly—medical coverage. That coverage included both the insurance and access to the doctors working with the university who specialized in sports medicine.

Ridge, for example, was only taking a couple of classes. He wouldn’t get his degree, but he had to take something.

The NFL group would just go to the USC football weight room and work out. They honestly didn’t care how they did in their token classes right now. Their focus was on getting ready for the upcoming NFL day on campus and then for the combine.

That gave David the afternoon to spend reviewing for his tests on Wednesday. It was a luxury for him to kick back in his dorm room. This must be what it was like for regular students.

David was talking to several of the defensive players by his locker when a team manager approached. This had become routine because they would tell David which unit he was to work out with that day.

“Quarterbacks.”

After the guy walked away, Percy gave David a curious look.

“Did he say quarterbacks?”

“I think he did,” David said.

“I hope you know that I don’t give a shit if you wear a red vest or not. In either case, I’m going to knock you on your ass.”

That was the general consensus from all the guys around his locker. They all knew that this was what David had been waiting for, but that didn’t mean they would go easy on him. David grinned. This was why he loved football.

’Bring it on!’ he thought.

Coach Clayton must have talked to the other quarterbacks because they didn’t act surprised when David showed up for drills. He did note that Matt Long was right there, watching him like a hawk, though Matt wasn’t suited up. David observed that as practice went on, Matt would take a moment to talk to each of the starting receivers.

David knew what Matt was up to. It became apparent when they started dropping his passes or running their routes wrong to make him look bad. He decided to nip it in the bud.