Chapter 35

Jason Merritt had gathered his staff together to discuss the upcoming game against Oregon State. OSU was the worst team in the Pac-12, so the Trojans needed to take care of business on Saturday. Toward the end of the meeting, he brought up something on his mind.

“I know I never jump ahead to an upcoming opponent, but I want to get your honest opinions about who should start at quarterback against Notre Dame. I’m purposely keeping David in reserve to preserve his redshirt. If he isn’t needed for an emergency, he’ll be available to start that last game. I’ve implied that he may get the start,” Jason said.

The room went quiet because the coaching staff hadn’t faced this issue yet. Who was the better quarterback, David or Matt? When no one seemed to want to jump in with an opinion, Jason turned to his offensive coordinator, Wyatt Thomas.

“Tell me what you’re seeing with Matt this week in practice.”

“Matt’s feeling good about this week’s practice. He’s had three straight days of throwing the ball well after getting dinged up last week. The team likes him. David also showed he’s throwing well, and even Jaden showed some improvement this week.”

“If you look at the numbers, David’s 3–0 as a starter,” said Mike Bolton, their offensive line coach.

“I’ve always said, especially when talking to their parents, that quarterbacks are like head coaches. They get way too much credit when the team wins and all the blame when we lose,” Jason said. “That’s why I get paid what I do, to face that pressure. As a quarterback, it’s not really fair to them. That’s why, in public, I’ve been supportive of both boys.”

“If a quarterback ever feels he has lost his head coach, he doesn’t have a chance,” Amy Stackhouse, the special teams coach and resident psychologist, added.

That comment took Jason aback because he felt David thought that about him. He recognized that he had some fences to mend between now and the Notre Dame game, or he might not be able to start David. He remembered Amy’s prediction that they would lose either David or Matt to the transfer portal; something like this could trigger precisely that outcome if he wasn’t careful.

“If it were up to me, I’d start David against Notre Dame,” Jackson Farrow, the defensive coordinator, said. “I’ve always believed that you can’t really get the measure of a quarterback until they’re on the field and stuff isn’t going their way. From what I’ve seen, David is more mature and focused out there. He has a calming effect on his teammates and helps them get their heads back in the game. Matt, on the other hand, can lose his cool at times.”

“That is something I’ve been concerned about,” Jason said.

“David also got jerked around, missed most of spring ball, and was up in the air about whether he was playing defense or offense during the summer,” Mike said. “He had to play catch-up, and I think he did a fine job—you did have both him and Matt at QB1.”

“I guess the question is, what do they bring to the table that’s different?” Amy asked.

“That’s a good question,” Wyatt said. “I think we’ve all seen the same things. It seems they must have come to an understanding because if someone in the press or outside the team asks about them, they turn it around and talk up the other guy.”

“I agree, and I think it’s genuine. I think they have a lot of respect for each other,” Amy said.

“I asked Bill Callaway what he thought about Matt. He told me Matt’s a lot like David but doesn’t focus on the coach’s voice,” Wyatt said. “I had to laugh because that’s how I see it as well. They’re different in how I have to coach them. With Matt, I have to grab him and make sure he’s paying attention, whereas David locks in and listens to what I’m coaching.”

“Something I’ve noticed is that when Matt’s the quarterback in practice, David is either working with other players or standing behind him so he can see what Matt’s seeing. While when David’s out there, Matt is off getting a drink or shooting the shit,” Mike said.

“Remember the ASU game? When Jalen was overthrowing everything, David called me in the booth to suggest I have him pass to Bill Callaway so Bill could run under it. Matt has never done anything of the sort.

“On top of that, David’s mobility adds another dimension to our offense, something Notre Dame will have to prepare for,” Wyatt pointed out.

Jason wanted them to focus on who should start the last game.

“My take is that the decision shouldn’t be based on who’s the best passer or runner, but on who runs the team the best and gets the most out of the other ten guys on the field,” he said.

“That’s Dawson,” Wyatt said without any hesitation.

“I agree with Wyatt,” Jackson interjected. “As a defensive coordinator, I’d rather face Matt than David. They’re both good, but David is simply tougher to defend against—and makes the offense tougher to defend against. Remember that last play in the Cardinal and Gold game? That’s an example.”

Everyone else went quiet as they waited to see how Jason would react. He realized that his coaches had come to the same conclusions he had. He’d already been questioning whether he’d relied too much on Dylan’s, the former head coach, assessment of David and Matt; now, his coaches’ comments made Jason wonder if he’d made a mistake betting on Matt this entire time. Wyatt was right; the offense played better when David was on the field. He wasn’t perfect, but what freshman would be?

“Okay, I know you all have a lot to do, so I’ll make this short. If you had to make the call today, should David be our starter for the Notre Dame game?” Jason asked.

The entire staff agreed that he should. With that in hand, Jason felt okay letting David start the last game of the year. But, in reality, it would be Jason’s call when the time came. He was the ‘dick’ in ‘dictator,’ after all.

Doreen’s coffee house was the set that day. The sides of David’s mouth quirked upward when he noticed Chloe working there as a barista. At David’s suggestion, she’d moved out of her parents’ home and gotten an apartment with Kat’s old roommate, Yong. She’d needed something to supplement her income until she built her Internet influencer status big enough to live on.

David had suggested that either her mom or Alex could help her, but Chloe was determined to make it on her own, which he respected. So he recommended she talk to Doreen, and apparently, that had worked out. He stepped around the counter and greeted her with a hug.

As he got his tea, his phone chirped. His mom had sent him pictures from Halloween. It was the first one where his kids sort of knew what was going on. They’d dressed up at daycare and had a party. His group all wore black ninja gear. David might have a clue where they got their clothes.

He got another message that had a video attached. It started with the five of them doing Tai Chi in unison. Little Carol nodded to her nana, who used her phone to play music. They proved they were his kids when they began their ninja dance. It was the cutest thing he’d ever seen.

After the video ended, he spotted Adrienne sitting alone in a corner. The place was packed with fans of the show. He found it amusing that she had the ability to shut down autograph signing or fan selfie requests with just a look. Adrienne’s New York attitude had somehow buffaloed the Southern Californians.

David waited until Doreen announced that everyone not part of the cast or crew had to leave. Then he joined Adrienne.

“You have a sweet deal here. Doreen said I get free coffee and pastries because I’m your wife. You have to try their new carrot cake.”

David stole a bite; it might be better than Doreen’s coffee cake. He’d sent Doreen a picture of the carrot cake he had yesterday. He was surprised at how quickly she’d put it on the menu.

“I hear you took my friends to lunch,” David said with a neutral expression.

Adrienne’s nose scrunched up to show her annoyance.

“There’s almost as much drama in your real life as on the soap.”

“What do you mean?” David asked.

“The cast is about to lose their mind over you having a wife, girlfriend, and one on the side. I think they assume there’s more going on in your real life than there is.”

“They’re just drawing off past experience. Throw good-looking people together for unending hours each day, and stuff happens. It’s more common than you might think,” David explained.

“No, I get that. I do have one question about your personal life: why aren’t you dating Cassidy?”

“Because...” David began and trailed off to allow his brain to catch up. “I don’t have a good answer to that other than I think of her as one of my best friends.”

“That makes sense, then. I bet that someday you think of her as more and discover that you wasted all this time when the two of you could have been together.”

“Or it destroys our friendship forever,” David said, voicing his ultimate worry.

“That might happen, but I think you’re wrong,” Adrienne said.

“Cassidy said you were going to solve my love life and tell me who to date,” David said in an attempt to change the topic.

“I just did, but if I were you, I would go out with Wren and Crystal for now. You should keep it casual because I don’t think either of them is what you’re looking for.”

“And what’s that?” David asked.

“You’ll know it when you see it, but I don’t get the sense that you’re ready to settle down just yet. From the drama you went through this summer, I doubt you’ll be ready to date anyone seriously for some time,” Adrienne said, offering her opinion.

He kept coming back to what the psychic had told him. Someone would put him off marriage, and they would be someone he didn’t like at first. Honestly, that could be either Lexi or Crystal.

David’s money was on Lexi since Crystal had never fully integrated into his life. He and Lexi had been together 24/7 while filming his movies; they’d done everything together for months. On the other hand, Crystal hadn’t been living with him, though they did see each other often and did spend significant time together. The bottom line was that he and Lexi had acted like a married couple for months; he and Crystal hadn’t.

“What did Tyler say?” David asked, changing the subject.

“I decided to have that conversation face-to-face. I know Tyler would have no objections to you being the sperm donor. I think her problem will be with you being more than that.

“If we decide to do it, I’ll set you up with a visit to a local clinic,” Adrienne said.

“Or I could fly to New York, and we do it naturally,” David offered eagerly.

“Knowing you, it would take three or four months of ‘practice.’ I’ll make the executive decision and pull the plug on that idea right now,” Adrienne said.

Unconsciously, his eyebrows furrowed, causing Adrienne to bark out a laugh.

“You’re such a little boy sometimes,” Adrienne teased.

David stuck his tongue out at her to show his maturity. Their mock argument ended when they were called to makeup.

After saying his goodbyes to Adrienne, David finished his classes for the week. He picked up information on the ones he’d be missing, and Margaret Tilghman, his business class tutor, had arranged for the courses to be videoed. Then, he participated in football practice, after which he had another conference call with his football mentors.

Only Amy and David were on the call with Coaches Tony Hope and Bud Mason.

“What have you got?” Amy asked to kick it off.

“You have your work cut out for you because they’re really, really good,” Coach Mason said.

“I agree. I’ve been running some numbers, and for every trip their opponent gets inside the forty-yard line, they’re only giving up 2.9 points. That right there is why defense wins you games,” Tony said.

“It’s a combination of superior coaching and talent. If I were to project right now, I would say that the Irish have three defensive linemen, a linebacker, and three defensive backs who’ll be taken in the upcoming NFL draft,” Coach Mason said.

“What I’m seeing is that they could have better individual statistics, like sacks and tackles for loss. But they’ve bought into a team-defensive approach instead of individual glory. That doesn’t mean that they don’t get into the backfield because they do. But it’s all designed to contain the offense and force the quarterback out of his comfort zone. While they aren’t picking up negative yardage plays, they’re also not giving up chunk plays that hurt them,” Tony said.

“What that means is they have enough talent and good coaching to be assignment sound,” Coach Mason said.

David let his breath out in a long hiss to show his displeasure. That had been his conclusion as well, but he’d hoped his two mentors would have found something he’d missed.

“What’s that for?” Amy asked.

“David just recognized that finding weaknesses in the Irish defense will be tough,” Coach Mason said. “Normally, we hunt for individuals who try to do too much or are timid in certain situations. This group is all veterans who’ve played with each other for a number of years and have built up trust. That means they do what they’re coached to do and focus on their job. It’s the overaggressive or those who don’t commit that we focus on beating.”

“Does that mean we’ll have to put together long drives of perfect football to beat them?” Amy asked.

“No,” David said. “But it does mean I can’t force it, either. Even if Notre Dame plays solid football, there will be times when we’ll have the advantage. USC is one of the few schools with the raw talent to play with them. I don’t care who we play; if Bill can reach a ball, he can catch it. If our line can manhandle their line, Marcus can run to space and gain yardage.

“It does mean we’ll have to step up our game. We can’t afford stupid penalties. We can’t have John having false starts or holding, and Amari can’t drop balls that should be caught. We can’t afford to waste possessions. The offense will have to play like we did in the intra-squad game, where the defense knew the play. And our defense will have to be at the top of their game as well.”

“David’s right. If Notre Dame gets a lead, you might not be able to come back,” Tony said.

David could see the deck was stacked heavily against the Trojans. But what was the saying? That’s why you played the games. Despite the odds against them, they might upset the Irish. After all, David had done it before.