Chapter 32

I found out about the play off rankings on Monday morning before first period. Ed, Hal, Jeremy, Drew and I had Graphics Arts together. Central Dauphin High School took the top spot in central Pennsylvania's group of sixteen teams. Central had the #2 spot in the playoffs. Both teams were undefeated. We were ranked #7, behind four teams with a single loss on their record. Our first opponent was going to be Gettysburg High School. We would play them Friday night at Elizabethtown College.

Two other teams in our league made the playoffs too. The Braves were ranked #11. They would face South Western, the team we beat last year to get to the semi-finals. I didn't like the Braves chances. LS managed to sneak into the playoffs with a 6-4 record. They had the dubious honor of playing Central Dauphin. I hoped they would enjoy their brief visit to the playoffs. They had NO chance against CD.

Coach Caffrey told us about the Gettysburg team. They were 8-2 like us. Their offense featured a lot of passing. That was good news for us. Our defense was well suited to them. Brett and Tex could handle anybody. The coaches went over our game plan with us after school at practice. The team seemed focused and ready for the challenges of a playoff game.

Andy and I have the same lunch period on Tuesdays. We sat together at our usual table with other football players. I noticed he wasn't eating. I asked, "What's up with you?"

"I got some bad news."

"What?" I asked.

"Not here," Andy said quietly. "It's private. I'll tell you when lunch is over." I waited, wondering what was bothering Andy enough to keep him from eating. Normally he's a bigger chow hound than me, and that's saying something.

Andy hung back when it was time to go to class. I stayed with him. When our friends were gone I asked, "What's up with you?"

"I talked with Crystal."

I said, "That's a good thing, isn't it, if she will talk with you?"

"It wasn't that kind of talk. She's still mad at me. She told me about her prenatal check up yesterday. They did the first ultrasound."

"Is the baby OK?"

Andy sighed. "It isn't a baby."

"What? What else would it be?" I asked.

"Twins. Crystal is carrying twins!"

"OH!" I took a deep breath. "WOW!"

Andy asked, "Do you think Mom and Dad will change their minds about letting me keep them?"

"I'm sure they'll accept all their grandchildren happily, Andy."

"I hope your right, Kyle," Andy said.

We found out that evening. Andy spent most of dinner time trying to work up the courage to tell Mom and Dad. Before he could say anything, Mom explained that she had talked with Mrs. Wagner today. She knew all about the twins. She called Dad at work as soon as she found out. They were perfectly willing to look after two grandkids. Andy was completely relieved when dinner was over.

Penny and I made plans for Saturday night. My college visits had interfered with our love life on Saturday evenings too often in the past couple of months. Penny's parents were going out to a dance Saturday night. We planned to meet our friends near the movie theater for dinner and then head back to Penny's house for a very overdue evening of love making.

Our team prepared hard for Friday night's game. Everyone focused on their jobs. The team's mood was serious but not tight. It reminded me of the mood last year when we won the state championship. We had the necessary confidence to go far in the playoffs. Things felt right when Friday arrived.

We met the coaches at school after dinner for the bus ride to the other side of the county. The weather was excellent for the 14th of November. The temperature was in the 60's during the day and wasn't expected to drop down past 50 over night. The weather was perfect for a passing team like us.

I spoke with Ed while we were dressing for the game. "I know you favor me when you're passing. I'm sure it helped me get the scholarship offers. Thanks."

"Hey, what are friends for?" Ed replied.

"I appreciate it. Tonight, if they single cover Andy, make sure he gets the ball. He could use some recognition."

"I'll do that. How are Andy and Crystal doing? How are, uh ... things?" Ed said. He patted his stomach to indicate he knew about Crystal's pregnancy.

"Things? Things are OK. Things are more than expected," I said as I held up two fingers. Ed's eyes bulged out.

"Two?"

I nodded yes. "You can see why Andy can use a good night. If he's open, hit him with the pass."

"You got it," Ed shook his head. "Two. When your brother screws up, he does it right."

We had the ball first in the game. We lulled Gettysburg with a few runs and short passes before we struck. They were aware of me and had two d-backs lined up close to me and kept the free safety towards my side of the field. The coaches sent Andy and me deep on the next play. The free safety went for me along with the other two d-backs. Andy broke free from single coverage, caught a beautiful spiral from Ed and sprinted into the end zone for our first touchdown.

Gettysburg had studied tapes of our game with Central. They tried running the same short passing game and outside running game on us. The coaches coolly switched to our new 3-4 defense and shut down Gettysburg's offense. They punted the ball to us.

Gettysburg lined the secondary up deep so Ed handed the ball to Drew repeatedly. We moved the ball briskly down the field on the ground. Drew bashed his way into the end zone for our second touchdown.

Gettysburg went back to their normal offense. Brett and Tex blanketed their receivers. Coach Wyndham started blitzing. Their quarterback couldn't get his passes off while avoiding Jeremy, Kenny and their friends. They punted back to us.

Gettysburg backed off me and sent the free safety to help cover Andy. Ed considered that to be an open invitation to send me deep. I hauled in a touchdown pass on the fifth play of the drive. I added another touchdown before the first half was over.

It was unusual for a playoff game but Coach Caffrey pulled the starters in the second half. Jake Kring, Marcus Shaeffer and company kept the pressure on Gettysburg. They did finally manage to score a couple touchdowns late in the game but our guys answered them score for score. The final result was 42-14 in our favor.

The game was a good start towards repeating as state champions. The team was psyched up on the ride home from Elizabethtown. I eagerly watched Football Friday on the 11 o'clock news to find out how the other teams had done that night. Central Dauphin beat LS soundly as expected. Central won their game too. #6 South Western beat the Braves from our league. I surprised to see that #5 Northern Lebanon fell to #12 New Oxford. New Oxford would be our opponent next Friday.

Coach Caffrey loaned us copies of the videos of New Oxford High School. Ed and I spent Saturday afternoon studying them. They had a strong defense, a good running game and could throw the ball deep.

They didn't have as much speed at running back as us but they could really pound the ball at their opponents. They kept their opponent's defense loose by throwing deep fairly often. Their yards per catch rivaled ours. Their quarterback threw for 32 touchdowns so far and allowed 21 interceptions. Ed was much superior with 44 touchdowns and only 17 interceptions. Ed's abilities and our superior special teams should give us an edge.

Penn State played their last regular game that Saturday against Michigan State. The game was a blow out. Phil DiStefano was pulled before the first half was over and Zack took the helm of the team. Zack was allowed to throw some passes at the end of the first half. Zack spent the second half handing the ball to his running backs since Coach Paterno didn't like to run up the score. The final score was 37-10 Penn State.

Liz asked me to give her and her new steady boyfriend Cody Stevens a ride to dinner and the movies. Liz and Cody had dated off and on during the fall, but hadn't been exclusive. Cody finally worked up the nerve to ask Liz to go steady last night. Liz was floating on cloud nine. I warned her about my plans for the evening and told her I'd give them a ride to the theater but they needed their own ride home. Penny and I planned to take full advantage of her big empty house after dinner.

Cody showed up a couple minutes early for the date that afternoon. He was dressed in nice casual clothes. His usually tousled blond hair was brushed and combed into submission. I smiled as I looked him over. He had a spot of shaving cream in his left sideburn.

I said, "Did you know you missed a spot when you shaved?"

Cody got a panicked look in his eyes. "Missed a spot? I ... I ... It was my first time."

"Relax." I commanded. I wiped the shaving cream off with my finger. "It was just some shaving cream." I said as I showed him the foam on my finger. Cody relaxed a little. I had him sit down.

"I understand Liz is your girlfriend now. Congratulations."

"yEs," Cody squeaked. I felt bad for him. Every guy has to go through his voice changing, but it sucks.

"You know I love my sister. I hope you take good care of her. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her."

"You'd kick my ass right?" Cody asked.

"Um ... Those aren't exactly the words I'd use, but I am protective of my sister."

"I'll treat her right, Kyle, I promise." Cody had a seat at the couch while we waited for Liz to make her entrance. She looked real nice when she finally appeared. She wore a dress for Cody, most unusual for her. I told the two of them to meet Penny and me in the car.

I said, "Relax. It'll be a few minutes while I pick up Penny. Get comfortable." I walked down the street to pick up my lover. Liz and Cody took me a little too literally about getting comfortable. The two of them were locked in a very passionate French kiss when Penny and I got back to the car. They separated suddenly when we opened the car doors.

"It's all right. Boyfriends and girlfriends do that," I said soothingly. Cody and Liz both relaxed.

I stole a few glances in the mirror on the twenty minute drive to the mall near Millersville. Liz and Cody went back to kissing. It escalated when Cody started feeling up the swells on my sister's chest. I coughed. Cody pulled his hand away quickly. I said, "Pace yourselves kids, you have all night." Liz and Cody giggled and said OK.

I dropped Cody and Liz off at the McDonalds to meet their friends. Penny and I went over to the pizza place to meet our friends. We found seats at a table with Jeremy, Kathy, Hal, Tammy, Ed and Ed's girlfriend de jour, Cindy Williams. Cindy's a junior who was on the cheerleading squad. She had the 'cheerleader look.' Ed was a lucky guy. If you have to play the field, play with the best.

Penny and I enjoyed our dinner with our friends. Jeremy, Kathy, Hal and Tammy headed for the movies when dinner was done. Ed and Cindy split, to find some privacy so they could share some carnal knowledge. Penny and I headed back to Paradise and her big empty house.

Penny and I enjoyed a bubble bath together before we got down to serious fun. We pleasured each other in the 69 position. Penny demanded a hard deep screwing after a couple of oral orgasms. I obliged her. We relaxed and cuddled for awhile.

Penny asked if we could do anal that evening. I agreed. I generously lubed her up. I lay on my back on her bed and let her mount me, facing me. She rose and impaled herself on my hard rod for about five minutes before she stopped. She let herself sink down until she had engulfed my entire seven inches.

Penny asked, "Does this feel anything like the time you and Ed had sex together with that girl?"

I laughed. "Ahh, the three way fantasy again?" Penny nodded yes. "I don't mind it, as long as it stays a fantasy. I love you too much to really share you with another guy."

Penny sighed. "I know. Will you do me with 'Little Kyle' while you screw my ass?"

'Little Kyle' was Penny's realistic dildo that Abby helped her buy last summer while I was at scout camp. My cock is seven inches long and an inch and three quarters across. It isn't small. I am proud of my endowment. 'Little Kyle' was considerably bigger than 'Real Kyle.' I loved Penny and this fantasy did get her off so I agreed.

Penny scampered across the bedroom and retrieved 'Little Kyle' from her dresser. She climbed back in bed and handed me her dildo. I held my real cock aloft and she settled onto it. When she was fully impaled on me, she leaned back to give me access to her pussy. I positioned the dildo at her opening. After quite a bit squirming and repositioning, we managed to work 'Little Kyle' part way into her pussy.

I shivered when I felt 'Little Kyle' stretch and slide deeper into my lover through the thin membrane that separated my cock from the dildo. I remembered the same feeling when Ed and I fucked Jessie that evening two years ago. Penny wasn't going to let this fantasy go away. Could I stand sharing Penny with another guy some time?

Penny worked herself up and down on my cock while I tried to stimulate her with 'Little Kyle.' Penny moaned as she squirmed and humped herself on my hard rod. Penny climaxed after about five minutes of double penetration fucking. I blasted a load of cum into her ass when the clenching from her orgasm drove me past the point of no return.

Penny pulled off me. I pulled 'Little Kyle' out of her as she collapsed on her bed beside me. Penny panted as she recovered from her climax. I asked, "Did you enjoy that?" Penny smiled weakly and nodded yes.

After a minute, Penny rolled to me. She kissed me and said, "Thank you for doing this, Kyle."

"No problem, honey. I get a kick out of your wild side."

"Let's get cleaned up, Kyle."

"OK. How much time do we have until your parents get home?" I asked.

Penny glanced at the clock on her night stand. It was 10:30. "We have plenty of time. Daddy said they would be back around 11:30.

"Cool!" I said. Penny and I headed to the bathroom to take a shower sans clothing. We showered together. I loved the sensuousness of cleaning my lover. We got carried away when we washed our private parts. We ended up screwing in the shower.

We froze mid thrust when we heard a car door slam outside. I asked, "Is it ... uh, your parents?"

"No. They shouldn't be home yet. It's probably Ed coming home from his date with, uh..."

"Cindy."

"Yeah, Cindy," Penny said. The Edwards' and the Fritz's driveways were side by side. I thrust into Penny half a dozen more times before I came. We washed the sweat and juices off and turned the shower off. We dried each other off. Penny helped dry my hair with her hair dryer before starting on her own hair.

I headed back to her room to get dressed. I was half way down the hall from the bathroom to Penny's room when her father appeared at the top of the steps. I froze like a deer caught in the headlights. "Uh ... Uh ... Uh..." I stammered.

Mr. Edwards stared at me and tilted his head. Oh shit! I'm going to die! I braced myself for the coming storm. He contemplated me, the naked guy standing in his upstairs hallway for a few more seconds.

My mouth dropped open in shock as he laughed, quietly at first and then more deeply. He continued laughing for about ten seconds while I shifted uncomfortably in front of him. I glanced behind me when I heard the bathroom door open. Penny leaned out, exposing herself to the waist. "What's so funny, Kyle?" Penny gasped when she saw her father. "Daddy?" She ducked back into the bathroom so only her head stuck out.

Mr. Edwards finally stopped laughing. "Relax you two. This isn't shocking. What do you think Mother and I expected would happen when we left an empty house? I know what's on the minds of seventeen year olds." Mr. Edwards pointed to Penny's room. "Go get clothes on, Kyle. I don't want my wife to find you standing here stark naked."

"Yes, sir," I said hastily. I hurried back to Penny's room and dressed. Penny joined me a minute later. She made the dash from the bathroom covered with a bath towel. We talked about how much things had changed since ninth grade. Then we got grounded when our parents caught us sleeping together. Now her dad just laughed it off.

Ed told me on Monday before home room that he met with his parents Sunday afternoon and had their consent to commit to attending Florida next year. He was skipping scouts to call Coach Meyers that night.

The coaches reviewed the scouting report on the New Oxford Colonials, our next opponent at practice on Monday. The Colonials had an excellent tailback and a good running quarterback. We planned to play our cornerbacks closer to the line of scrimmage since the Colonials attempted only 40 passes all season, completing 20 of them. Ed had more completions in a couple of our games than New Oxford had in the whole season. I had no idea how New Oxford managed to beat North Lebanon last week.

Ed got a phone call during lunch on Tuesday. He stepped out into the hall to take the call. He had a huge grin on his face when he came back in. Ed said, "That was Coach Meyers calling. He can't come up here this week when we do the press conference to announce that I'm committing to play at Florida. The PR department set things up with Channel 8. I'm going to do a remote press conference with Coach Meyers after practice today. He'll go to the local NBC station in Gainesville and I'll go to the conference here."

Jeremy asked, "What time is it on?"

"I guess the 5:30 or 6:00 o'clock news," Ed answered. "I have to be at the studio by 5 pm."

"Cool Ed, I'm happy for you," Hal said. He paused for effect. "Rutgers didn't feel the need to do a press conference when I accepted their offer a few weeks ago."

Jeremy laughed, "What did you expect? You're only a kicker, not someone important."

"Thank you ... Thank you, very much for your support ... friend," Hal responded.

"Hey, what are friends for?" Jeremy answered.

Ed asked, "When are you two going to make up your minds?" Ed was looking at Jeremy and me.

"I haven't found time to sit down with my parents and talk about it," I said. "I'll do it soon."

Jeremy responded, "I'm having fun being recruited. It's between Notre Dame and Penn State for me. Did I tell you who called me Sunday? Dan Conner, from the Carolina Panthers. We had a good talk about being a linebacker at Penn State."

I asked, "Do you think you'll go to Penn State?"

Jeremy answered, "I was leaning to the Irish before, but man, Penn State is Linebacker U. I've got to consider them."

"Did you meet Pete Klein?" I asked. "He seems like a good guy."

"Pete gave me a tour of campus when I visited in the summer. We've talked a couple times since then. He has offered to help me get up to speed at inside linebacker if I go to Penn State."

"Cool!" I said.

Ed asked, "Who's Pete Klein?"

"You met him last Saturday night. You know, number 53. He stopped to talk to me when warm-ups were over before the game," I said.

"Him? He's good. I couldn't believe some of the tackles he made in the game." Ed said. Ed and I went on to talk about the Michigan/Penn State game for the rest of our lunch period. Our friends listened raptly as we described the game.

Mom and Dad gave Andy and me permission to watch TV while we ate dinner that night. Ed's press conference wasn't on at 5:30. It did make the 6:00 broadcast. The story only lasted about sixty seconds. Coach Meyers announced that Ed agreed to come to Florida next year and called Ed one of the best quarterbacks in the East. Ed answered a couple Florida reporters' questions before the sports announcer moved on to the next story.

Andy asked, "Do you think you'll have a press conference when you choose your college?"

"I suppose so."

"Are you any closer to deciding what college you are going to attend?"

"No. I haven't had time to talk with Mom and Dad," I answered. "We'll get to it soon."

I finally got around to asking Mom and Dad about choosing my college at dinner on Thursday night. I asked, "Dad, Mom – when can we sit down and start talking about which college I should go to?"

Dad asked, "Have you narrowed your options down?"

"What do you mean, Dad?"

"I'd suggest you list the positives and the negatives of each college. That will help you sort things out and make the choice easier."

"OK. I'll do that, Dad."

Game day, the 21st of November dawned clear, cold and still. Clear weather was always our team's friend. It made Ed's job of delivering the ball to Andy and me easier. I received encouragement from my classmates during the school day, but not as much as I was used to. I guess our school is getting used to our success in the playoffs. People were treating it like any other football game.

Our fans may have been blasé but the team wasn't. We understood how hard it was to advance into the playoffs and challenge for the state championship. I was pleased to see the quiet confidence my friends displayed as we rode the bus to Elizabethtown College.

Our game with the New Oxford Colonials started off well for us. New Oxford took possession of the ball first. They tried to run the ball on us. They tested the outside first. Our defensive line kept their offensive line at bay. Kenny and Jim funneled the ball carrier towards the middle for Jeremy to make the tackle. They gained eight yards on those first three plays.

They punted the ball back to Andy. Our wedge did a good job blocking. They opened a small opening in the return coverage. Andy shot through the hole, cut back, and sprinted down the field. He stiff armed the punter and carried the ball into the end zone for our first score. Hal completed the point after. Score: 7-0, Wolverines.

We allowed the Colonials to make a first down on their second possession before our defense stopped them again. They managed to do better on punt coverage on the second try. We took possession of the ball at our 42 yard line.

We found out how the Colonials had beaten Northern Lebanon last week. It was with excellent defense. They had a strong pass rush that prevented us from throwing the ball deep. Andy and I concentrated on shallower routes that Ed could hit with three or five step drops. Drew could run the ball pretty well. He averaged about 4.2 yards a carry. We scored a field goal and a second touchdown on two long, clock eating drives in the first half. New Oxford managed only a field goal in the first half. We went into the locker room ahead 17-3.

The coaches made a few adjustments at half time. It paid off when we took the kickoff straight down the field on a twelve play drive. Ed completed the drive by throwing a touchdown to me on a roll out as I paralleled him in the end zone.

Coach Wyndham started blitzing now that we had a commanding lead. The Colonials' quarterback tried passing to catch up. Tex and Brett made sure he couldn't keep up with Ed's passing. The Colonials scored two more field goals before the game was over.

We added an insurance touchdown near the end of the game when Ed found our tight end Pete Ellis free in the end zone. The strong safety who should have covered Pete joined the other two d-backs covering me. Hal booted the PAT to finish the scoring. We won the game 31-9.

Our celebration was muted. We hoped we had three more games before our season was finished. Coach Caffrey awarded game balls to Andy, Ed and Jeremy. They deserved it.

I slept late on Saturday and then spent the afternoon reviewing all the information I had about USC, LSU, Penn State and Michigan. I had said I was going to try to make my decision by Thanksgiving. That was only five days away. I still hadn't found time to sit down with Mom and Dad to discuss what I was going to do next year – maybe after church on Sunday.

The newspaper said the Central Dauphin had demolished their opponents. We would play them next Friday evening at Hershey Stadium. Central and South Western also won. They would play Saturday morning at Elizabethtown College. I went on-line to check out some of the other regions of the state. Damian Thompson's team, Strong Vincent, was still alive in the playoffs. Chip Brinton's team, Unionville, and Bill Robinson's team, Upper Moreland, were still playing football.

Penny and I joined our friends for dinner and a movie on Saturday night. Penny and I found a quiet back lane to make love in the cramped back seat of my Golf before our midnight curfew that evening. Penny was going to be busy with practice for the Christmas musical for the next three weeks. Our time together was going to be severely curtailed until after the musical.

Mom and Dad were relaxing in the kitchen after lunch on Sunday afternoon. I came in and asked, "Do you two have time to talk about which college I should attend next year? I told the coaches I planned to let them know by Thanksgiving which school I would attend."

Mom set the Sunday paper down and answered, "We have time to talk about colleges." Mom looked over at Dad. "Right, dear?"

"Absolutely, Kyle," Dad said.

"I told the coaches I visited that we would make a decision by Thanksgiving. Shouldn't we start narrowing the choices down?"

Dad shook his head. "Kyle, WE aren't going to make a decision. You're going to be eighteen soon. This choice is yours."

"You and Mom aren't going to help me? This is a huge decision," I responded. "How can I decide myself?"

Mom said, "We'll talk with you about this to help you but Dad and I can't make the decision for you."

"But I have to decide which college by myself?" I said. "This affects the rest of my life!"

"You're growing up. Your mother and I won't decide how you should live your life. It's time for you to make your own decisions. This is an excellent place for you to start. This is going to be YOUR college, not ours." Dad said.

"What if I choose the wrong one?" I asked.

Mom said, "Honey, you'll do fine."

"Kyle, you have to deal with the consequences of your decisions. It is a part of being an adult. Get as much information as you can, think it through, and then choose," Dad explained.

I asked, "Do you and Mom have a preference for which college I go to?"

Dad said, "You have done an excellent job so far, researching these colleges, visiting them, and gathering information about them. Your Mom and I will be happy with any of these four colleges. Choose whichever one suits you best."

"I'm not sure which one that is," I answered.

Mom asked, "Which campus do you like best?"

"I probably felt most comfortable at LSU. Baton Rouge feels so comfortable to me. State College is a close second. Ann Arbor is OK. I'm not sure about going to school in the middle of a big city like LA." I explained.

Dad asked, "How about the coaches? Any one stand out?"

"I felt comfortable with all of them. Coach Carroll and Coach Miles haven't been with their schools that many years, but both have been spectacularly successful. Coach Carr has been at Michigan longer and is consistently successful. Coach Paterno ... well, what can you say about him? He's a legend. How do I choose among the four of them?"

Dad said, "Maybe you don't. They are all very good."

Mom asked, "How did you get along with the boys at these schools? Would they be good friends for you?"

"Um, they're men, Mom, not boys. I think Brady Rasmussen could become a good friend. Brady's a country boy like me. He enjoys camping. He's a hell of a quarterback. We would score a lot of points together."

Dad asked, "What about LSU?"

"I didn't get to spend a lot of time with the LSU players. Andre Dugas and Thomas Broussard were the only two that I spent much time with. They seemed like nice guys." I paused a few seconds, waiting to see what Mom and Dad had to say next. They waited for me to continue. "I have a lot of friends at Penn State, more than anywhere else. Of course Zack Hayes and Aaron Morano are great friends. There is Cuch, Jeremiah, Tony, Shawn and so many others that I know at Penn State. Christian Hunsecker has decided to go there. I'd enjoy being his teammate."

Dad asked, "How about Michigan?"

I sighed. "I didn't spend much time with the Michigan players. I liked Colin Davenport and Darius Ward. Peter Cochran was a bit much. I don't know if I could put up with him for two years."

Mom asked, "What's the problem?"

"Peter is so negative. He hardly had a good word to say about anyone the entire time I worked out with him."

Dad asked, "Are you crossing Michigan off your list?"

"No, Dad. They still have some good points," I said. "I don't know which school I should go to."

Dad asked, "Are there any drawbacks with these schools?"

"The biggest drawback I see is distance. USC, LSU and Michigan are so far away. Am I going to be able to get home very often?"

Dad said, "Your mother and I have discussed that possibility. Since you have a scholarship and we don't have to pay for your education, we are willing to pay for four flights home from college during the year; Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break and another weekend of your choice."