Chapter 35

Kelly and I finally got around to proofreading each other's History 21 term papers Sunday evening after the Thon was over. I thought Kelly did a good job. I gave her a couple minor corrections that I thought would help her paper. Kelly gushed over how good she thought my paper was. Both of us turned in early on Sunday night to make up for our busy and tiring weekend.

I offered to give Cuch and Gina a ride up to the Poconos for our ski weekend the next weekend. Cuch thanked me for the offer but passed. His parents agreed to pay his little brother Marco's way for the weekend. Marco was going along with his roommate Jonathan Stafford. Cuch guessed that this was his parents' way to buy off their not quite eighteen year old son to keep him from heading off for a college spring break week down south. Cuch said they would meet Kelly and me at the lodge Friday night.

I found a memo from the athletic department along with a housing request form on Monday afternoon when I stopped at my locker after my workout. The memo said I had until the end of March to decide on where I wanted to apply to stay and to choose roommates. First and second year athletes would stay in the dorms. Athletes with more seniority, such as me, had their choice of the Nittany Apartments or Nittany Hall. The apartments housed four students. Nittany Hall had private rooms.

Damian was in our room when I got back from the Lasch Building. I asked, "Did you see that the housing request forms are out?"

"No, I haven't been to Lasch today," Damian replied. "I'm going to work out after dinner."

"Do you want to go in together with me again?" I asked. "If you can put up with my messiness for another year."

"Hell yeah," Damian answered immediately. "I can't think of another person on the team that I'd prefer to room with."

"Now we need to come up with two more people to share an apartment," I said. "What do you think about asking Jay and Shawn? Maybe Trevor and Tony?"

Damian winked and added, "Or we could ask G. J. and Christian."

I laughed. "Neither of us could handle rooming with one of them," I countered. "Do you think we'd have a chance in hell of lasting for a year with both of them together?"

"We'll cross them off our list," Damian agreed. "Why don't we try Jay and Shawn? We could talk to them after dinner."

"OK, that sounds good," I agreed.

It was close to dinner time, so we rounded up our friends and headed for dinner. Damian and I broached our idea to Jay and Shawn after dinner. Jay was receptive but Shawn had already made other plans. He was hooking up with G. J. DeLuca and Denzel Hunt, the other sophomore cornerbacks on our team.

The identity of our fourth potential roommate next year stayed a mystery for a couple more days. Trevor Conwell was griping while Damian and I were working out Thursday afternoon. Trevor's roommate Tony King decided to room with the other sophomore linebackers, Josh Bruno, Brendan Hayden and Jarrell Cook. That left Trevor out in the cold searching for roommates for next fall.

Damian and I shared a look with each other. We silently agreed that Trevor would make an excellent fourth for our apartment, assuming Jay approved. Jay and Trevor weren't close buddies they way they had been before Jay's accident and Stephanie's decision to go steady with Trevor instead of Jay. My two friends had come to an understanding of the situation and managed to coexist without fighting.

Damian and I conferred before dinner and agreed that I would feel out Jay about the possibility of inviting Trevor to join us next fall. I invited Jay to take a walk with me after we finished dinner.

"Did you think anymore about whom to ask to join us in our apartment next year?" I asked, trying to broach the subject gently.

"A little," Jay replied. "Christian is looking since G. J. decided to hook up with the other DBs."

"Damian and I would prefer not to share a room with Christian," I answered. "He's a very good friend but ... I already experienced rooming with the guy. How do you feel about people that get up at 6:30 in the morning and make a bunch of noise?"

"OK, I get your point," Jay agreed. "Cross Christian off the list."

"Did you hear Tony, Josh, Jarrell and Brendan decided to room together?" I asked. Jay abruptly stopped walking and stared at me warily.

"And?" he queried.

"Would you consider inviting Trevor?" I asked. "The two of you were good friends before..."

" ... he stabbed me in the back," Jay said. "That's what you expect me to say, isn't it?"

"I might not phrase it that way," I admitted. "But I can understand how you might feel that way."

"I don't feel that so much anymore," Jay replied. "I've done a lot of soul searching in the last five or six weeks. I found I like being unattached – having the pick of the pretty girls at the party. I don't know if I was ready to be tied down with one girl."

"Really?" I asked.

"If I was to go steady with anyone, it would have been Stephanie," Jay explained. "I think part of the reason I didn't ask her for a commitment was that I wasn't ready for that. In the back of my head last fall I was still looking at other girls and wanting to get them in bed with me. I didn't ask Steph because I didn't want a steady yet."

"So you will consider Trevor?" I asked. Jay nodded yes. "Do you want more time to think about this or can I invite Trevor now?"

"Go ahead and ask him," Jay answered. "I see how devoted Trevor is to Stephanie. The two of them are almost as sickeningly sweet as you and Kelly. Sometimes I think I'm going to get saccharin poisoning around you guys."

"You'll understand one day," I replied. "You'll love it when you find the right girl."

Jay headed off to the Lasch Building while I went back to Hartranft in search of Trevor. Tony King answered the door when I knocked. He explained that Trevor had taken his books and headed over to the study center in Lasch. I went over there next.

I found Trevor at one of the study cubicles. I asked him to follow me out to the lounge for minute where we wouldn't disturb the studiers.

"Damian, Jay and I wanted to know if you would be interested in sharing an apartment with us next year?" I asked.

"Really? Jay's OK with this?" Trevor asked.

"Jay's cool with it," I confirmed.

"That's fantastic," Trevor replied. "I was beginning to feel a little unloved since Tony ditched me to room with the other linebackers. You guys were naturals to room with until you invited Jay into your group. I didn't think he'd be willing to share space with me."

"He is getting over Stephanie choosing you over him," I answered. "So, you're in with us?"

"Absolutely!" Trevor gushed. "Thanks man, I really appreciate the invite."

"No problem, Trevor..." I began. Trevor spun around and headed across the room to where Jay was watching the news on TV.

"Jason, my man..." Trevor boomed as he crossed the room. "Thanks for letting me room with you guys. I appreciate you putting our problems behind us."

"It's OK, Trevor," Jay answered as he stood and faced Trevor. He extended his hand to shake with the big defensive end. "You and Stephanie are a good couple."

Trevor brushed his hand aside and grabbed Jay in a bear hug. He hugged Jay hard, picking him up off the floor in the process. "You're the best, man," Trevor gushed. He planted a big kiss on Jay's cheek. Jay blushed as Trevor set him down again. "I've always considered you a true friend."

"Oh man, way too much male bonding here!" Karol Zizka said as he edged down the sofa away from Jay and Trevor.

"Way toooooo ... much!" Mehmed Marsic agreed.

Trevor and Jay ignored the commotion they caused. Jay settled down to watch TV again and Trevor went back to studying. I returned to my room and filled out my housing request form. The other three guys filled theirs out too. I turned the four forms in at the front desk of the Lasch Building Friday morning. Hopefully we would be quick enough to get a premium townhouse style apartment with four private bedrooms instead of the smaller garden style unit. They had two bedrooms that you had to share.

Friday after lunch I helped Kelly carry her things for our ski weekend over to my room. The two of us headed over to the Ferguson Building for our Civil War history class. After class I brought my VW down to Hartranft and loaded our bags and skis while Kelly went to her Poly Sci class.

I double parked for a couple minutes in front of the Thomas Building when her class ended. Kelly hopped in when she found my car. We took off for the Poconos immediately. I took Route 26 up through Bellefonte and hopped on I-80. We grabbed some snacks in Bloomsburg on the way east. I turned off onto Route 209 just east of East Stroudsburg. Twenty minutes later I pulled into the parking lot at the Fernwood Inn. The trip had taken a little more than three hours.

Cuch's girlfriend, Gina Rossi, had an accounting class that didn't end until 3:20 pm, so Cuch, Gina, Marco and Jon would be an hour or so behind us. Kelly and I went into the lobby to check in. Kelly managed to suppress her giggles when I registered us as Mr. and Mrs. Kyle Martin.

I was a little surprised when the manager explained that our room wasn't in the hotel proper. Aaron Morano had rented a one bedroom villa for us for the weekend. The manger said Mr. Cuchiella would be next door to us. Marco and Jon Stafford would be in hotel in one of the regular rooms. He gave us directions to our villa and told me where to park.

The villas were along the golf course. We had a nice living room with a TV and a gas fireplace and a kitchenette downstairs. The bedroom with a queen sized bed and a bathroom were upstairs. Aaron had outdone himself with these accommodations.

Kelly and I left our bags by the door and drove back to the inn to find supper. We decided to eat Mama Bella's Tuscan Grille, an upscale Italian eatery at the resort. Aaron had been quite generous with money for meals too. We wouldn't be pinching pennies this weekend.

Mama Bella's was a nice little restaurant. They had checkered table clothes on the table and had the place decorated in the typical southern Italian theme. The waitress seated us at a quiet table to one side of the restaurant, out of the kitchen traffic. She handed us menus and took our drink orders.

I ordered a Cappasante Con Panchetta while Kelly choose the Ravioli Duo for our antipasto course. I picked the Stuffed Pork Loin for dinner with salad, mixed vegetables and a side of angel hair pasta with marinara. Kelly thought the Pasta Bolognese looked tasty. Her pasta came with salad too.

While we waited for our dinner I asked Kelly about her plans for next fall. I knew she was going to have to move out of the dorms since upper classmen must live off campus. Kelly said she and her girlfriends had decided to share an apartment. Kelly felt she would enjoy living with Bev, Cindy and Jen next year. The four girls planned to start shopping for an apartment after spring break was over.

The waitress brought out our antipasto while we talked. I shared my seared scallops wrapped in pancetta with Kelly. She gave me a couple of her spinach and cheese filled ravioli. Both appetizers hinted that we would enjoy the rest of the meal.

Salads and crusty Italian bread came next. Kelly and I barely started on our salads when Cuch, Gina, Marco and Jon walked into the restaurant. We waved them over and invited them to join us. The waitress was hesitant but we assured her it would be fine. Our friends didn't mind if our food arrived ahead of theirs.

The waitress brought more bread along with the menus for our friends. Kelly and I told them how delicious our antipasto was. Cuch and Gina ordered some for themselves. Marco and Jon were on a tighter budget. They were paying their way using money from their jobs last summer.

We ate and talked casually, enjoying ourselves. The waitress and chef managed to slow our entrees slightly to let the rest of our table catch up with their appetizers and salads. Our main course arrived with Cuch's lamb chops, Gina's Chicken Provencal, Marco's Fettuccine Alla Crema and Jon's Shrimp Scampi. Our meals were excellent.

It was a little after seven o'clock when we finished at the restaurant. I gave Cuch the money I owed him for covering most of my night shift the previous weekend at the Thon. He and Gina headed back to East Stroudsburg for beer. I agreed to take Marco and Jon along when Kelly and I went over to Shawnee Mountain for a little night skiing. Aaron's weekend package included lift tickets good for the whole weekend.

The ski area was only five minutes away from Fernwood. We changed into our ski clothes and hit the slopes. Shawnee Mountain has twenty-three trails and we tried them all in the next two and a half hours. Both Marco and Jon were good skiers, fully capable of keeping up with Kelly and me. We packed up and drove back to Fernwood when they shut down the lifts at ten o'clock.

Cuch invited all of us in for a night cap before bedtime. Each of enjoyed a bottle of beer before we said goodnight. The six of us decided it would be fun to ski together tomorrow so we agreed to meet at the hotel lobby at 8:30 in the morning for breakfast.

Kelly and I finally unpacked our things after eleven o'clock. We showered and then headed to bed. Kelly and I did make love once that night. We didn't need to hurry. We had all weekend together with absolutely no interruptions.

The front desk gave us our wakeup call at 7:30 AM on Saturday morning. Kelly and I tried to shower together. It was probably best that the stall was too small. I was playful and probably would have gotten distracted showering with Kelly in the morning. All of that would have to wait until that evening.

We ended up getting Cinnabons and coffee for breakfast in the lobby of the hotel. That was easier than a sit down breakfast at a restaurant. I led the way over to Shawnee Mountain with Cuch following with his girlfriend, brother and Jon.

The six of us took off and started skiing. The grounds crew had had made snow and groomed the mountain during the night. Conditions were pretty good thanks to the cold weather we were experiencing. Crowds weren't too large thanks to the lateness in the season.

We skied all morning, took a break for lunch and then headed back out for more fun. Marco and Jon proved to be more than capable. They were downright crazy on the black diamond slopes, flying nearly out of control straight down the hill. We took a longer break for dinner in the lodge and then went back out again. We skied until the lift closed down.

Cuch invited all of us back to his villa for drinks when we returned to Fernwood. I allowed myself three beers that evening. All of us were dog tired from the day's efforts and we didn't plan to squeeze in anymore skiing on Sunday. Kelly and I would sleep in and clear out of our villa before the eleven AM check out time. Cuch and Gina had pretty much the same plan for themselves.

Kelly and I made love twice that evening before we finally fell asleep. We woke up around 9:30 the next morning. We made love one more time before we cleaned up. This probably would be our last opportunity until we got to the beach in Florida the next weekend. We made the most of our opportunity.

We grabbed an early lunch at the Trolley Stop Pub before we headed back to campus. Their burgers were huge and delicious. We hit the road around noon and headed west for campus.

Sunday evening I called Aaron out in San Francisco to thank him for his help and generosity for the Thon. Aaron was pleased that our team was the top independent organization at the Thon. He told me to contact him again next year. He would be happy to support the fundraising effort the same way again.

Kelly stopped by my room later Sunday after I finished working out. "I have big news," Kelly announced as she settled in on my bed.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Jen is flying sky high," Kelly explained. "She hooked up with a guy on Saturday night. She is head over heels for this guy."

"Who is he?" I asked.

"His name is Mark Armstrong," Kelly explained. "He's an engineering major and a sophomore like us. Not only did Jen spend the night with Mark, they spent the today together too. That is why she wasn't around at supper tonight."

"I hope this works out for her," I said. "She deserves a nice boyfriend."

Dr. Barnes handed back our term papers on Monday in our Civil War history class. Mine had a big red A+ on the front. "Excellent effort, Kyle. You captured the difficulties tacticians faced using turn of the nineteenth century Napoleonic tactics to a battlefield environment where a common rifleman outranged the artillery of fifty years earlier. I look forward to your next effort. W. Barnes."

Cameron Miller was pleased too. He got an A- on his paper. Kelly received a B on hers. The three of us were all happy when we left class fifty minutes later.

Monday evening Kelly and I spent some time together preparing for meetings with our academic advisors. Most of the courses were set for the fall semester by degree requirements but each of us had room for one history class. We browsed the course catalog on-line looking for something we could do together.

We found the perfect course after about fifteen minutes of studying. History 161 was going to be taught in the fall semester. The title of the course was "The Battle of Gettysburg in Historical Memory." Best of all – it was taught by Dr. Katherine Brennan, our favorite history professor.

My appointment with Dr. Henderson was for 3:30 pm on Tuesday afternoon. He reviewed the courses my curriculum required me to take. I needed a course in teaching secondary social studies, two more geography courses and a course from the list of seven additional intermediate level geography or history courses in my Citizenship Teaching Option. He agreed to me taking History 161.

I stood up to leave when Dr. Henderson asked, "Given in the inordinate amount of time that you spend playing at football, exactly how do you plan to fit your required student teaching into your schedule?"

"I know it wouldn't fit into my schedule in the fall of my senior year," I agreed. "I suppose it will have to be in the spring."

"Don't potential NFL stars depart after their last college game and prepare for professional football?" Dr. Henderson asked.

"Maybe some do," I replied. "I won't be one of them. My friend Zack Hayes is student teaching right now."

"Hayes?" Dr. Henderson queried. "He isn't in the College of Education."

"No Zack is studying to be a physical education teacher," I explained. "He is in the College of Health and Human Development. No one is going to make a bigger splash in the NFL draft than Zack but he's still out there every day doing his student teaching. I can do it if he can."

"You have shown some facility for test taking so far," Dr. Henderson replied. "It would be unfortunate if you wasted my time and yours in this curriculum to pursue vainglory in the future."

Dr. Henderson's attitude pissed me off royally but I managed to keep my cool. "Actually I have had another professor suggest that I would do better as a history major," I countered. "I do not want to do that. My goal and ambition is to spend my life teaching history to students. I want to share the love I have of the subject with them."

"I hope your athletic pursuits to not dissuade you from that goal," Dr. Henderson answered.

"Count on it doctor, they won't," I replied before I turned and left his office.

Why was it always a hassle when I went to see him? I made the dean's list the past two semesters. I had straight A's on my midterms and term papers so far this semester. What was the guy's problem?

I wondered how I had been so unlucky as to get Dr. Henderson as my faculty advisor. All my other professors were supportive of me playing football. Some were enthusiastic. I was going to have to keep myself focused on my school work. I'm sure Dr. Henderson would like nothing more than to prove himself right that a football player wasn't serious enough or committed to becoming a teacher.

Kelly's meeting on Wednesday afternoon with her advisor went better than mine. She was approved to take History 161 with me. It would be the only course we would have in common this fall. She was taking journalism related courses and I was taking courses for social studies teachers.

I caught up with Zack Wednesday after classes in the weight room in the Lasch Building. He told a bunch of us about his experiences at the NFL Draft Combine.

"They measured, weighed, poked and prodded me," Zack explained. "They did all kinds of physical tests. I made a decent time on 40 – 4.55 seconds."

"4.55?" I asked, laughing.

"I don't have your speed," Zack replied. "I placed second among the twenty-one quarterbacks. I did well on the vertical jump, the broad jump and I was the top quarterback on the bench press."

"You ought to be," Cuch said. "You are almost as crazy about lifting as our linemen."

"I sucked at the three cone drill," Zack added. "I've never had to make a lot of sharp direction changes on the field. I did OK on the 20 and 60 yard shuttle runs too."

"What QB specific tests do they do?" Jay asked.

We went through the whole passing progression," Zack replied. "Three, five and seven step drops – slants, ins, outs, corners and go routes – the whole package. I was pleased with my work throwing. I don't think any team is going to turn me down for these results."

"Any teams interview you?" Tyler Madden asked.

"I did ten in-depth interviews while I was there," Zack answered. "The Jets, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, Carolina, Chicago, Green Bay, Kansas City, Denver, Oakland and San Francisco all sat down with me."

"No interest from your brother's team?" I asked.

"No, Seattle didn't contact me," Zack replied. "I guess one Hayes is enough for them." Zack paused a few seconds. "It would have been cool to be on the same team as Sam. Of course I'd have to be the starter and Sam would be my backup."

"Did you get to meet many of quarterbacks at the combine?" Jay queried.

"I enjoyed meeting all these guys," Zack answered. He looked over at me. "You're right about Brady Rasmussen. We got to be friends last week. He's a real sweetheart. We hung out with Elijah Carter from Florida most of the trip. It was a blast."

Zack must have answered questions for forty-five minutes before he satisfied our curiosity. Things ended with Chip's final question. "Who do you think you'll play for?"

"After a week of teams talking with me, scouting me and testing me..." Zack replied. "I have absolutely no idea where I will be this summer."

I'm glad Zack took time to tell us about the scouting combine. Hopefully many of us would be attending in a year or two, on the way to a professional career.

Trevor, Stephanie, Kelly and I were all excited about spring break the next week. Trevor and Steph were leaving immediately after classes on Friday afternoon, driving to her home in Woodmont so she could pick up camping gear. They couple would stop by Trevor's house in Unionville on the way south so he could get his gear. The two of them planned drive straight though and get down to Panama City Beach, arriving on Saturday afternoon sometime.

Kelly's parents insisted she had to spend at least one night of spring break at home. The two of us decided to go to Pittsburgh first. We would leave early Saturday morning and drive all day. Google/map said it should take us seventeen hours to get to our campsite from Kelly's house.

I had a geography midterm on Thursday afternoon. I thought I aced the test. Kelly was lucky. She had all her midterms finished the previous week. We loaded nearly all our things, except a few clothes, in my car Thursday night. Friday's classes seemed to drag on. I was free at 12:50 while Kelly had to go to Poly Sci before we could leave. Fifty minutes later I was parked outside the Thomas Building when Kelly came out after her class.

We headed straight for Pittsburgh from her class. We got stuck in traffic on Route 22 a dozen miles west of Kelly's house. Kelly called home and asked her mom to hold supper a little. We wanted to eat dinner with her family.

I pulled into Kelly's driveway at 5:47, about seventeen minutes later than planned. Mike, Patrick and Sean were finishing their meals when we arrived. They had to be over at the church by 6:30 for their troop's March camping trip to the Heritage Scout Reservation. Kelly and I barely had time to say hello before Mike drove his brothers off for the weekend.

Anne made it home from college for dinner too. Bill, Jr. did not. I enjoyed sharing a meal with Kelly's family. Her mom Kathy was an excellent cook. Kelly filled her family in about our success at the Thon. I told the family about tour I gave little Kyle, Ty and Will. Bill, Sr. had been in a frat when he was in college and had helped with the Thon when it was much smaller. They raised $245,000 his last year at the event. Bill and Kathy complimented us on our efforts.

Bill, Jr. arrived as Kathy and Laura cleared the table to make room for dessert. Bill, Jr. was a little out of sorts, complaining about having a four o'clock class on a Friday afternoon. He thought they should be outlawed. I would never have to worry about that. Football players had to keep their schedule free in late afternoons to leave time for football practice.

Kelly and I hung out with her parents that evening. The purpose of staying overnight at Kelly's house was so her family could see her a little before we headed for the beach. We couldn't very well go out that evening.

Kelly's parents decided it would be best if I took Patrick's bed that night. Kelly and I planned to depart at five am the next morning. Bill, Jr. didn't need me bumping around in the dark when I got up at 4:30 am.

Kathy served us pie and ice cream before we went to bed. We turned in around 10:30, much earlier than normal so we could get a good night's sleep before we headed south for Florida.

I got up around 4:30 am and took a quick, quiet shower and then met Kelly downstairs. We managed to get on the road a few minutes earlier than planned. I took the first driving shift. We stopped off along I-79 in West Virginia for breakfast sandwiches around 6:30 in the morning.

Kelly and I took turns as we headed south, each of us driving for three hours before turning the wheel over to the other. We headed south through West Virginia, the corner of Virginia, North Carolina and on to Charlotte. We stopped for lunch near Charlotte.

We followed I-85 southwest to Atlanta. I-185 took us south to Columbus, Ga. We grabbed dinner and then followed Route 431 south from there on a four lane, at-grade access highway. Eventually we ran into the construction that would turn this highway into a limited access interstate.

We were in the middle of nowhere in southern Georgia at dark. We drove on crossing into Florida around nine o'clock. We hit Panama City just before ten. Kelly and I pulled into the campground around 10:30 pm. I pulled in beside Brandon McCafferty's Jeep Cherokee. It was a relief to arrive.

Kelly and I hopped out of the car and stretched as our friends came over to welcome us to spring break.

"It's about time you got here, slowpoke," Ed teased as he shook my hand. "You left me stranded here with a God damned defensive end. At least he didn't try to sack me."

"Yet," Trevor taunted. "So far I've managed to suppress the urge to flatten him." Trevor came over and shook hands followed by Hal, Jeremy, Eric, Brandon, Penny and Harrison. Tammy, Kathy and Steph greeted Kelly warmly. There were three girls standing back watching us that I didn't recognize.

Ed and Eric introduced Kelly and me to Nicole Johnson, Shelby Carter and Lindsey Boiko. Nicole had been going with Ed's roommate Eric Peters since last fall. Shelby Carter was Ed's companion this week. Lindsey Boiko was Brandon's companion this week. She hailed from Pottsville, Pa. and went to Lehigh with Brandon.

Ed inquired, "You guys want some beer?"

"Not yet," I answered. "I need the bathroom, to put up my tent and then to get beer – in that order."

"It was a brutally long drive down here," Kelly added. "We got up at 4:30 this morning."

"Take care of business," Jeremy said. "We'll be over here by the fire."

Kelly and I headed off to the bathrooms to relieve ourselves. We set our tent up between Ed's and Brandon's tent. Twenty minutes later we were ready to sit down, have our beers and catch up with our friend's lives.

A couple beers relaxed Kelly and me. We stayed up and talked with our friends until after midnight. Kelly and I stripped naked when we went to bed but just cuddled. Both of us were too tired for fooling around. Most of my friends agreed with my plan for the morning which was sleep through it.

I knew it was late morning when I awoke Monday morning. I could see the sun was well above the horizon in spite of the trees around our campsite. Kelly and I were both on our left sides, loosely spooned together. I glanced at my watch. It was 10:32 am. The camp site was quiet, so I decided to enjoy the quiet and relax.