Chapter 34

David woke to the sound of the shower. He’d contemplated spending the previous night with Adrienne but stopped himself. She was in love with Tyler, and it went against his code. Instead, he’d called Wren, and they’d role-played with her starring as Adrienne. He hoped it would alleviate the sexual tension that would almost certainly build during his and Adrienne’s coming filming. She didn’t need him acting like a horny teen. Well, not more than he was.

Last night with Wren had been better than he remembered his past times with Adrienne. Wren was less inhibited, and they’d gotten a lot more vigorous than his and Adrienne’s previous encounters, so much so that he’d discovered his condom hadn’t survived.

That just added to the fantasy with the additional danger of Adrienne having his child. In reality, she wouldn’t want to risk anything that could mar her body. She would have his head if she developed stretch marks or, God forbid, had to have a C-section.

Wren came out of the bathroom, and her eyes lit up when she saw him.

“Morning.”

“Good morning,” David said.

“I need to run,” Wren said.

“Don’t we need to talk? Like, maybe about the broken condom? I mean, do you need a Plan B pill? Do you want an STI test?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m not stupid; I’ve been on the pill since high school, and I get checked regularly. This was my first time without protection since my last test. That is, assuming you’re clean.”

“We’re good; I’m careful about that. It’s just that this is the first time I’ve had one fail in a long time,” David said.

“Thanks for your concern, but I’m sure I’m okay. I’ll call you later.”

After Wren left, David sent a message to Adrienne, and they jumped onto video chat. He’d made his decision to help her and Tyler have their baby.

“After your convincing argument last night, I’ve decided to help you and Tyler out. I only have one condition.”

Adrienne chuckled and asked, “That is?”

“That I’m not a secret. I don’t plan to intrude in your life, but I don’t want our son to think I abandoned him, either.”

“Daughter,” Adrienne said distractedly. “Let me talk to Tyler before I agree.”

“Sorry, but there’s one more condition,” David said. “You have to tell my mom.”

Adrienne’s look said he was a wimp, but she had no idea what his mother was likely to do if he announced another child, accident or not. When she’d discovered the last batch, she almost took him to the vet to get him fixed.

“When will I see you next?” Adrienne asked, changing the subject.

“We film together again on Thursday, and then I fly out on Friday to Corvallis for our game with Oregon State. Maybe I could swing by when you’re filming at the coffee shop.”

“I’d like that. Now that our awkward conversation is over, I still want to spend time with you.”

This highlighted how his life was nothing like an ordinary college student’s. During the week, he was engaged in his school-related activities, like classes, the vodcast, and the soap. And then there were all his football commitments. His calendar showed he was booked an average of eleven to twelve hours a day, Monday through Friday. It was even more on weekends when family time was added to the mix.

Most college students only had fifteen hours of classes a week and, being generous for most, fifteen hours of studying. That left plenty of time to party, participate in intramural sports, play video games, join a frat, hang with friends, and the list went on.

Watching Alex made him realize he should have been a kicker or a punter instead of a quarterback.

Speaking of punters, he needed to decide how to handle the situation with Oliver. David called Cassidy.

“I was thinking about slacker punters, and I think it’s time we follow up on Knackers. What do you want me to do?”

“What are my options?” Cassidy asked.

“I could have him tracked down, and we slog through the whole legal mess to bring him back to the States to face his crimes. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely the system will be willing to do that, but if you’re into beating your head against a stone, we can give it a shot.”

Cassidy didn’t hesitate with her answer.

“Pass.”

“I could fly out, meet up with him, and kick his ass.”

“Yeah, no. I mean, I sort of like that one, but you’re too soft,” Cassidy said, dismissing that idea.

“I could fly you out and let you kick him in the nuts.”

She chuckled at that idea but said, “No.”

Cassidy thought about it before she said, “I want to be there to make him look me in the face and apologize. I really want to see him cry real tears because he knows I could have his life ended.”

“He knows neither you nor I would ever kill him,” David said, shooting a hole in her plan.

“Shit,” Cassidy mumbled and thought for a moment, and then came back with, “Call that fixer guy. The one that terrified Fritz.”

“Paddy O’Malley?!” David asked in shock.

“That’s the one. Paddy can make Oliver cry for sure.”

“But I promised my mom I would never call him again.”

“Who are you more scared of? Me or your mom?” Cassidy asked.

David had to think about that one. When he didn’t answer immediately, Cassidy made a huffing noise to let him know she wasn’t happy.

“Do this for me, or I’ll make you cry in front of the entire football team. Imagine practice later today and me chasing you down and snapping your throwing arm. And then...”

“Stop! You win. I’ll call him,” David promised.

“You’d better,” Cassidy said and hung up on him.

David’s problem was tracking the Aussie kicker down, flying Cassidy and Paddy there, and having Paddy’s payment in cash. His bookkeeper, Megan, would know, which meant his dad would find out since she reported to him. Then his dad would tell his mom.

Then he had a thought. He called Lexi.

“I thought you’d forgotten about me,” Lexi said to answer the phone.

“Take it as a sign of faith on my part. Besides, I have very little time to myself these days.”

“Tell me what you need. I would hate to dig into your personal time.”

David ignored the passive-aggressive jab and told her about Cassidy’s wishes.

“No problem. I’ll tell Megan it’s a special project for Cassidy to get closure, and she’ll set up a new line item in the books. As long as it doesn’t exceed a certain threshold, your dad will let it go since you approved it,” Lexi explained.

“Could you maybe organize all this with Knackers, Cassidy, and Paddy?” David asked.

“Why did I not see that coming?” Lexi teased.

“You’re the best.”

“Well, I know you’re busy, and I should let you go...”

David bit his tongue so he didn’t tell Lexi what he thought of her new attitude.

“Look, I can talk until I have to leave for class,” David began.

The two caught up, and her bitchy side didn’t resurface. David did learn something unexpected: Greg had been using her to help him understand what David needed. One project they were working on with his mom was buying the Sigma Upsilon house, the frat that lost its charter. They were also working on the homeless charity project he’d discussed with Lexi the last time they’d spoken.

Before David could get the details, he had a thought.

“Before you call Paddy, talk to Fritz and run this by him. I promised my mom I would never use that guy as a fixer again, but Cassidy pushed for it, and I folded,” David admitted.

“Look at you, standing up to Cassidy,” Lexi teased.

“Bite me. I haven’t done it yet. I’m hoping Fritz will have an alternative plan I can use to convince her.”

“You’d better tell me what’s going on so I know what to talk to Fritz about,” Lexi said.

David gave her the broad strokes, enough for Lexi to understand what Cassidy was after. He had no doubt that Fritz would be calling him, but this would get the ball rolling.

Once they were done with that topic, David needed to stop Lexi from whining about him not making time for her.

“Hey, if you want to talk to me, just send me a message or schedule time on my calendar.”

“Thanks, I’ll do that. I was just feeling a bit neglected,” Lexi said. “And I get that you’re busy. I’ll not let it go so long next time, and I’ll get on your schedule. Talk to you later.”

David had arranged an after-practice video call with Coaches Mason and Hope. He and Coach Stackhouse were in one of the football conference rooms. They chatted before the call started, with David giving her the background on the two coaches. He was surprised when Coach Thomas, Coach Merritt, and Matt showed up. They obviously wanted to hear what his two mentors had to say.

After introductions were made, Coach Hope started the discussion.

“Last year, the Irish were 9–3 before winning the Citrus Bowl. Aside from schedule-strength arguments, Notre Dame is in the running for a playoff spot this year because their defense has taken a huge leap forward.”

“All eleven defensive starters are juniors, seniors, or grad students, with five backups who are also upperclassmen. It’s not just that they have one of the most experienced defenses in college football; it’s the quality of the players. They received a huge boost when their two best players, linebacker Dallas Lawson and defensive lineman DeShawn Narcisse, bypassed the NFL draft and returned to school,” Coach Mason said.

The screen went from a split screen with the two coaches to game film from the Irish’s contest with Florida State.

“The most common alignment for Notre Dame’s defense is a 4-2-5 with corners in off coverage,” Coach Hope said, using the software marker to circle the two outside defensive backs.

They were lined up six yards off the ball. This coverage was designed to prevent receivers from getting past the defensive backs, forcing the offense to throw short. For this to work, the defenders had to be great physical tacklers.

The game switched to Syracuse, who had an extra receiver for a total of four. They had them lined up wide out but stacked, one on the line and the other right behind.

“As you can see, Notre Dame switched to a 4-1-6 to deal with Syracuse’s stacked outside receivers. Bringing in that additional defensive back gives them three to cover two on each side.”

The game changed to Michigan, which used a run-heavy offense between the tackles that included two tight ends.

“Notre Dame is in their base 4-2-5, but one of the safeties has moved up to support the run,” Coach Hope said, pointing out their flexibility. “That worked well for the Irish. Michigan ended up passing more than they ran, but Notre Dame’s D was effective against both.”

“Against USC, you’ll see Notre Dame’s base defense,” Coach Mason said. “Their defense is designed to give up only the minimum yardage on each play. They dare you to dink and dunk, sustain drives, and avoid a mistake throughout ten or more plays. That’s something hardly any college team can do. It’ll force you to be disciplined in your play-calling because the Irish are a hard team to take shots against.”

“That’s what I’ve seen as well,” Coach Thomas said. “I think we need to find ways to get larger chunks of yardage, or they’ll keep everything in front of them and close quickly. They might be the best team at tackling in space I’ve seen.”

“I agree. Give Coach Mason and me time, and we’ll find ways to beat them,” Coach Hope promised.

“Good work so far,” Coach Merritt said. “We value your input.”

From there, it turned into serious football talk, which David loved. He and Matt only added the odd comment as they listened to the five coaches give the equivalent of a master class in football.

When Coaches Mason and Hope signed off, Coach Merritt wanted to talk to his two quarterbacks.

“I gave David permission to focus on Notre Dame. He’ll also continue to work with the other quarterbacks to help prepare for the current game. Since David is redshirting, he can only play in one more game for the rest of the season. The plan is to save him for Notre Dame, so I’m letting him prepare for them,” Coach Merritt said.

“Will he start?” Matt asked.

“We’ll make that decision the Sunday before the game. If he does start, it’s no reflection on you, Matt. It’s just that the two of you have shown you both deserve playing time. And I want to reward David for going along with saving his eligibility for the next four years,” Coach Merritt said.

Matt and David both knew that was ‘coach speak’ for ‘David will be starting.’ David was a bit surprised when Matt took the news so well.

“Can I sit in on the Notre Dame calls?” Matt asked.

“I would encourage it if you have the time,” David said, offering an olive branch.