Chapter 40

Bill had missed the chaos this new offense had caused in high school when Lincoln played Broadview Academy, as he’d graduated before it was played. He’d watched it on TV, however. ESPN had paired the best team in Texas against the best one in Illinois. Going into the game, Lincoln High had been a two-score underdog. Percy Wilkes, who’d played for Broadview in that game, was explaining what had happened to their USC teammates.

Amy Stackhouse overheard the conversation and slipped unnoticed into the back of the room.

“To start the game, they lined up and executed an onside kick. Our return team wasn’t expecting it, so they were caught flat-footed. Dawson scooped the ball up and began to run upfield. Just before he was tackled, he threw a backward pass across the field to this quick little guy who ran untouched for the touchdown.

“Then they went for two and scored. We stood on the sidelines in stunned silence, trying to figure out what had just happened,” Percy said.

“Dawson happened,” Bill said, which garnered some chuckles.

“I learned that day that it’s better to have him on your side. We didn’t believe they would onside kick twice, but they did, and Dawson recovered it again,” Percy said.

“Are you telling me they had their best player on kickoff coverage?” Willy asked.

“They had their best hands players, most of whom were starters,” Bill said.

“That just shows you how scared they were of us,” Percy said with a puffed-out chest.

“Tell them what happened next,” Bill said with a smirk that wiped the grin off Percy’s face.

“Fuck you too. I was going to show them that they’d messed with the wrong team. The idiots lined up two tight ends to help their tackle block me. I tossed the tackle to the ground and fended off the tight ends, and Dawson was running right at me. You know that look quarterbacks get when they know I’m about to end their career? Dawson saw his life pass before his eyes,” Percy bragged.

Bill chuckled.

“Okay, big boy, tell them the rest.”

Percy scowled at Bill.

“Some fucking plowboy knocked me on my ass.”

They were starting to draw a crowd as Percy’s teammates took a bit too much joy in his misfortune. They all knew what a beast he was. It had taken four Lincoln players to contain him, but they had.

“I didn’t see the play because I was looking at the sky, wondering if I would ever breathe again. But in the film I saw later, Dawson was caught by our linebacker for what should have been a short gain. But he tossed the ball back to his tailback, who gained another ten yards. Right before that guy was tackled, he lateralled the ball to a receiver who ran it in for a touchdown. With another two-point conversion, they were up by two scores.

“The same shit kept happening. Another onside kick was followed by them lateralling the ball around like they were playing rugby. They were up 32–0 at the end of the first quarter,” Percy said.

“So, will this work against Notre Dame?” Bill asked.

By now, most of the team had gathered around. Everyone leaned in to hear what Percy had to say.

“Fuck yeah, it will. Dawson will shred their defense if Coach lets him loose,” Percy said to the raucous response of his teammates.

Bill looked over to where David was standing off to the side and nodded. Percy, being the victim of this style of play, was saying what the team needed to hear. This had just gone from them having fun to being serious. Hearing Percy say it would work against Notre Dame and give them a chance was all they needed to know.

Bill could see that David having the two of them explain it was the right thing to do. He called it third-party validation. David could have told them until he was blue in the face, and it wouldn’t have had the same impact. Having someone else they all respected say it made all the difference in the world. Now, they believed.

Amy slipped out as silently as she came in.

David didn’t make it back to the dorm in time to grab dinner, so he ordered pizza delivery with a giant salad. He knew Alex would devour most of the pizza and that he should be focused on something healthier, hence the salad.

While David waited, he pulled out his critical-thinking reading. Critical thinking is the ability to objectively analyze information and draw a rational conclusion. It uses five skills: observation, analysis, inference, problem-solving, and communication.

Asking the right questions is a crucial step in formulating correct conclusions. The text gave examples of the types of questions to ask, such as open-ended questions—questions that require more than a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer—or outcome-based questions. It suggested using those when you feel the respondent has the necessary experience and skills to help you. The best example his professor gave was to offer a hypothetical to provide you with clarity.

David’s phone buzzed. The delivery guy was almost there, so David went down to get his food.

Alex and Chloe were busy getting drinks and plates when he returned. It was amazing how they magically knew when food was coming. They helped themselves to pizza as David began to eat his salad.

“So, Yong?” Chloe asked.

David mentally smiled because that was a great open-ended question.

“What are you going on about?” Alex asked.

“When David took me home Sunday morning, he came in and dragged my roommate back to her bedroom,” Chloe overshared.

Alex got up and high-fived his roommate.

“That’s what I’m talking about. Our Boy Scout is working on his merit badges,” Alex said like a proud papa.

David scowled at both of them.

“I can barely get my thumb and fingers to touch,” Chloe said, mimicking Yong. “God, it’s so thick.”

David thought she should follow in her mom’s footsteps and become an actress. That really did sound like Yong. Chloe even nailed the facial expression of wonder Yong had when she held his dick, though David had no idea how Chloe would know that; she wasn’t in the room with them.

“It’s not the size of the wand; it’s the wizard using it,” Alex said like he knew what he was talking about. Then he stepped in it. “I’d do your roommate. She’s a little skinny, but—ow!”

Chloe must have learned that from Cassidy.

David grabbed a couple of slices of pizza and got up to go to his room.

“The conversation was stimulating as always,” David said, acting snooty.

“People need to know who you’re banging,” Alex said with a smirk.

David flipped them both off and went to his room.

When he got there and turned on his PC, there was an email from Adrienne. He opened it and read the one line.

’You’re a daddy!’

It took David a moment, but then he rocked back in his seat. He had no idea Tyler would get pregnant so fast. He picked up his phone and called her.

“Already?!” David asked.

“There’s more. I didn’t tell Tyler about the donation you made; I had them use it on me instead. I just got word that your little swimmers did their job. Tyler is over the moon that we’re having a baby.”

“Remember your promise: you have to call my mom and give her the news. I plan to lock myself in my room for the next couple of weeks,” David said.

“I’ll have Tyler call her,” Adrienne said, probably the smartest idea she’d ever had.

“Good luck with that,” David said and hung up.

Fifteen minutes later, his phone rang. It was his mom, of course. Vast experience told him to answer and get it over with. But he almost wimped out and was about to cancel the call when his stupid thumb answered.

“You have an eight a.m. appointment with the vet to cut your balls off.”

David could hear his dad laughing in the background. Then his mom turned on his dad. “You’re going with him.”

David bit his tongue because his dad was no longer laughing. His mom had made this threat before, but he was pretty sure she meant it this time. It wouldn’t surprise him if she were to convince Cassidy to shoot him with a tranq gun. He would end up in some backwoods vet’s office having his nuts shaved and a cone on his head to stop him from licking them.

“Adrienne asked me if I was willing to be their sperm donor. They’re going to raise the child; you’re not getting another one to take care of. When I agreed to this, I thought Tyler was going to be the momma,” David said to defend himself.

“Tyler told me Adrienne took matters into her own hands. But you still provided your stuff to make it happen,” Carol pointed out.

David didn’t have anything to say to that. The simple truth was that he wanted to help Adrienne and Tyler if they wanted a child.

“There’s nothing I can do about it now but face it. I’ll have Ms. Dixon get that family lawyer who set everything up for the other kids to set up something similar for Adrienne and Tyler’s baby,” David said. “I’ve already told Adrienne I was going to do that.”

His mom sighed.

“As much as I want to be mad, I hope she has a baby girl,” Carol said, going into grandma mode.

David kept his opinion about the baby’s gender to himself.

He was secretly glad that Adrienne was pregnant and not Tyler. Nothing against Adrienne’s partner; it was just that he and Adrienne would make a beautiful baby. The baby’s looks might rival Coby, whom he’d had with Pam, a former runner-up for Miss Teen California.

Another reason David was glad was that his and Adrienne’s progeny would not be added to his herd. If it were a boy, he might not survive four older brothers. If it were a girl, Little Carol would have backup. Not that she needed it, but his boys would be in trouble. Hell, the world might be in trouble.

All that kept him from melting down was knowing his mom would calm down after a few days.

David was beginning to think that maybe his mom was right. He would have to seriously consider having a medical procedure done during the offseason. He understood it was reversible if done correctly. That would be just in case when he got married, his wife wanted a child of her own. But honestly, did he need any more little Dawsons running around? Hell, Phil hadn’t even started yet.

The following day, David was sitting in his car outside the football building, waiting for his date, Rachel, to come out. There was a knock on his passenger-side window, and he looked over and saw Coach Farrow, Rachel’s father. David unlocked the door, and the coach got in.

“I hear you’re taking my little girl to dinner tonight.”

“I am.”

“She doesn’t seem to be your usual type. And anyway, I thought you were dating Crystal,” Coach Farrow said.

“Are you saying your daughter isn’t hot enough for me? That she’s like a magnet? Attractive from the back, repulsive from the front?” David asked, his eyebrows disappearing into his hairline.

“I’m going to ignore what you just said. I’m trying to protect my daughter, and I’m worried you’re toying with her feelings,” Coach Farrow said.

“I hadn’t thought that far ahead, but since you’re here, what’s her dowry? Is it sufficient to support us until she gets a good enough job to pay our bills and keep me in gaming gear?”