Chapter 15

After visiting with Lisa and taking Sadie to school, David went to work out. He stopped at Coach Stackhouse’s office first.

“I got my helmet,” he said, handing her the box.

“I talked to the equipment manager, who told me that Nike only handles uniforms and shoes. USC uses two manufacturers for helmets, Riddell and Schutt. I sent him to the website you gave me for your next-gen helmet. He contacted the manufacturer and approved it. I’ll take this to him so his people can paint it, put on the decals so it looks right, and get it certified for the game. It’ll be in your locker when you dress for the game.”

“I’m glad to hear it. I honestly didn’t want to run afoul of Nike. Someday, I might want them to sell Dawson cleats. Maybe you can help me figure out a trademark pose they can put on them,” David said.

“Like lying flat on your back after you get sacked?”

“Wow. Someone is suddenly comfortable around me. When did you get so snarky?” David asked, approving of Amy giving him a hard time.

“I figured why not since I’ll be out of a job in a couple of months.”

“If you want, I’ll put in a good word for you when our next coach takes over. If I’m still here, that is.”

There was a knock on the door, and it opened. They both felt like they’d been caught when they saw it was Coach Merritt.

“I heard you were here,” he said to David. “We were watching game film and found something we can use this Saturday. I want to show it to you.”

“Duty calls,” David said to Amy. “And thanks for getting my helmet approved.”

Crystal and Chloe met for lunch to discuss Chloe’s budding Internet influencer career.

“My dad hired someone to help his clients with social media. She liked your content but had three suggestions I wanted to share with you.”

“Am I going to like this?” Chloe asked.

“I think so,” Crystal assured her. “The first thing she pointed out is that you should continue to use David to help build your brand but don’t overdo it. You want to be seen as an expert, not riding on his coattails. She also pointed out that if David should take a hit in the media, you could get some backlash.”

“But my number of followers has almost doubled because of the videos he’s in.”

“She said to use him to get your channels off the ground, but be mindful of pushing your own content.”

“I can do that. What else?”

“Your videos are too long. The sweet spot is one to three minutes because people have short attention spans,” Crystal said.

“But the video of us rubbing cream on David’s chest was over ten minutes long and has three times more hits than anything else I’ve put out.”

“Like all rules, there are exceptions, and rubbing anything on his chest and stomach probably fits that.”

They both chuckled.

“It’s too bad you didn’t keep filming,” Chloe said with a knowing smile.

“What’s the old saying? Keep them wanting more?”

“I guess.”

“The last topic is SEO or search engine optimization. She explained that most people won’t scan for what they’re looking for beyond the first page of their results. So, you need to understand how search engines work.

“For example, one of the search engines likes to show paid advertised results first, then the top website, followed by selected videos. They usually group three videos together.

“Search engines use key phrases or keywords that closely match the end-user’s search request. You can use tools to show you how many times a keyword is searched for. They also give you some other suggestions that might work.

“What I was told is that though a keyword might get a lot of hits, it doesn’t necessarily mean you want to use it. She explained that with the larger number of hits comes fierce competition. To start, you should find your niche and try to dominate that,” Crystal said.

“Once I find my keywords, what do I do with them?”

“Work them into your channel name, title, and written description of the video or pictures you post. Maybe we can get together this weekend and develop a plan,” Crystal offered.

Chloe looked relieved.

“Thanks. That keyword stuff was making my head spin. I’m sure once I understand it, it’ll get easier.”

“Making a living at it should be motivation enough,” Crystal said.

They were back at Doreen’s coffee shop to film again. The script called for Callie’s character, Nikki, to introduce David’s character, Mick, to the rest of the main cast.

The recurring characters were a group of young adults who’d recently arrived in LA and became friends when they moved into the same apartment complex. Mick’s love interest, Nikki, played by Callie Mays-Leary, was the lone local. She was a blond bombshell, tall, stacked, with enough Southern California sass to hang a man out to dry.

Before Mick had arrived, she’d spent time with a snarky pretty boy, Vic, played by Noah Sherwin. He was a Jersey boy who worked out constantly to impress the ladies.

Nikki’s new BFFs were Janelle and Monica. Janelle, played by actress Nia Osborne, was a rail-thin Black girl from Atlanta. Monica, played by Miri Rosa, was a Hispanic from Phoenix. Miri was shorter than Callie and Nia, with bone-straight hair the color of obsidian that suited her skin tone and fell halfway down her back.

The other two guys were Forest, played by Cole Sankey, and Dexter, played by Louis Aung. Forest was a fit man of color from Chicago, while Dexter was a hipster Asian from Seattle. When they’d planned to cast David as bi, Forest had been designated as Mick’s love interest.

“Hey, guys,” Nikki said as she walked in.

“Hey, Nikki,” they chorused as she found her seat, after which they all ignored her as they talked among themselves.

“I can’t believe I’ve been here ten seconds, and you haven’t asked me about my meeting my old flame Mick,” Nikki complained.

“Oh, yeah, right. How was it?” Monica asked.

“It was unbelievable. I’d forgotten—” Nikki faltered when she saw Vic’s unhappy face. “It was ... uhm ... good to see him again.”

“Was there any chemistry?” Janelle asked.

“He’ll actually be here in a minute. He’s parking the car.”

That was his cue to walk in. David gave Nikki a smile and walked up to the counter to order.

“There was chemistry,” Janelle announced.

“Maybe,” Nikki said as she glanced over at a glaring Vic.

“You boned him,” Forest guessed correctly.

Nikki looked away.

“You did!” Monica exclaimed, and when people looked over, whispered, “Deets, now!”

Mick walked up and handed Nikki a coffee.

“I take it you’re all talking about me,” Mick said.

“No. We were trying to figure out what to do tonight,” Vic said, hopefully changing the subject.

“I’m sorry, I can’t tonight. I’m picking up my wife at the airport,” Mick said.

Everyone had a shocked look except Vic, who was grinning.

“Cut!”

’That just let the cat loose in the pigeon coop. Let the drama begin,’ David thought.

Soaps were fun. He couldn’t wait to get amnesia or for his evil, previously unknown twin to show up.

Friday afternoon, the team all got out of class early to fly to Tucson for Saturday’s game. Upon landing, the team was to head for the stadium and get accustomed to the field. One of the team managers told David that Arizona Stadium had an artificial surface, so he would need to wear different cleats.

Because of the high temperatures, they’d gone with an unusual top dressing and not the traditional rubber pellets. They’d used cork, which was supposed to keep the field cooler.

David had arranged for Crystal and Chloe to catch a flight with Gabe and his wife. Crystal had called the president of the Alpha Mu sorority at Arizona. It was the school’s annual Family Weekend, where parents and siblings could come to campus and see the students in their environment.

The Friday night before the game, the sorority was having a White Dress Gala fundraising event for Arizona’s Rural Women’s Health Network at the hotel next door to where they were staying. Crystal and Chloe wanted David and Alex to take them, and Coach Merritt had given his permission with the qualifier that they had to be back for curfew.

Saturday was billed as a chance to create special memories at Arizona Stadium and a Wildcat Football game. Everyone was encouraged to wear a white t-shirt to the game for the fan “whiteout.” Pregame, they had a Family Fun Zone Tailgate that would include food, entertainment, Wildcat spirit, and a good time for the parents and families while visiting with their students.

Some lucky parents would get to join the ten-thousand-strong ZonaZoo, advertised as the nation’s largest, loudest student section. David had no doubt they would be rowdy come game time.

When they arrived at the hotel for the gala, the lobby was packed with parents and students. David regretted not having his security with him when someone recognized him. Thankfully, Alex stepped forward to stop the rush.

“I promise you that David will visit each table, and you can have some one-on-one time with him. Please let him go inside and get settled first.”

That seemed to appease the crowd, and they backed off. Just then, the Arizona sorority president rushed over to lead them to their seats.

“It’s such an honor—” she began to babble.

“You should be thanking Crystal. I wouldn’t be here without her asking,” David said, cutting her off.

“Why don’t you and I talk, and I’ll fill my boyfriend in on what you want him to do?” Crystal suggested, saving him.

The two women went off to have a quick conversation.

“Let’s just write them a check and go out to dinner,” Alex suggested.

“No! I want to capture the event. Besides, you’re dancing with me,” Chloe said.

David was with Alex on this one but knew better than to voice his preference because Chloe would be in Crystal’s ear the moment he did.

“I need a drink,” Alex decided and left the two of them.

“Do you think he’s bringing us back drinks too?” David asked.

“Shut it, smart ass,” Chloe said with a smirk. “Alex just needs to put on his big-boy pants and suck it up. So do you.”

“I didn’t say a word,” David said to defend himself.

“Then you won’t mind walking me around the room and meeting people, will you?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

David going to each table got everyone into the ballroom. Crystal and the Arizona Alpha Mu president, Mikayla Cole, joined in the introductions. Chloe and one of the pledges took pictures while another pledge collected information on who was in each one and their contact information so they could get copies of the photos later.

That didn’t stop a group of cute girls from following them around and videoing and taking pictures of their own. He was amused because Crystal became territorial and mentioned she was his girlfriend numerous times.

When David was done with his networking, they returned to their table. Crystal had to admit that for a sorority function, the White Dress Gala was done in grand style and with a sophisticated luxury that was seldom seen. She was busy gathering ideas for USC’s Spring Formal.

“This is all wrong for a fundraiser,” David said to bring her out of her thoughts.

“I don’t understand why you say that. It’s a nice event, and I think everyone’s having fun.”

“Did you see they have an open bar?”

“Your point?” Crystal asked.

“I’ve been to a few of these, and the successful ones are focused on the cause, not the party. Granted, there are exceptions, but those are mostly high-end affairs for the über-rich. This isn’t an exclusive private school; it’s a state university where everyone can get a good education. For many of these parents, an event like this is pushing their budget,” David explained.

“Which means they don’t have extra money to donate to the women’s charity,” Crystal said as she got his point.

“It’s okay if they want to have a swanky reason to get dressed up for fun. Just don’t turn it into a charity event, too.”

“It sounds like this has touched a nerve,” Crystal said as a tiny grin appeared.

“My mom’s a realtor,” David said, launching into his grievance. “And they raise funds statewide to be used to both elect and lobby for a real-estate-positive government. It’s done by the local associations. My mom was actively involved until she got sick, and another woman took over.

“For their big fundraiser, they did an event similar to this at my dad’s country club. The woman rubbed it in my mom’s face that they’d raised more money than she had in previous events. She failed to mention that she’d actually lost money because of all of her expenses.

“I get irritated when the supposed funds are used for a party and not the charity,” David said.

“Then why don’t we all stroke a check directly to the charity when we get home?” Crystal asked.

“I’d feel better.”

“Better enough that you can relax and enjoy the evening? I don’t want you moping around when I want to dance after eating.”