Chapter 3: Big Man on Campus

Saturday September 7, 2013 – Freshman Year

I watched Suzanne drive away and was ready to walk home when I was stopped by the JV Cheerleaders. They were some of the best-looking freshmen and sophomores at Lincoln High. Their ringleader and Captain was Tracy Dole. Tracy seems to be everything I despise about high school. She is the heir apparent for 'Queen' of the social elite once the senior class graduates. Only being a sophomore it is almost a given that when she moves up to varsity she will be Cheer Captain. This would be an unheard of promotion since the position has always been held by a senior.

To Tracy's credit, she doesn't seem to be mean spirited. For the most part, she ignored the socially inept like me. The one thing she had going for her was she was drop dead gorgeous. If I hadn't watched her tits grow from mere pups, to the melons they were now, I would have said she had had a boob job. On her petite frame, they were spectacular.

"Hey David, I have been remiss in not inviting you to my birthday party at my house this Friday."

I was caught off guard. I had no idea Tracy even knew my name. Before I made a complete fool of myself, I pulled it together. I quickly checked my social calendar and that day was free. We had a rare Saturday game this week leaving Friday wide open.

Tracy's birthday party was something everyone wanted to go to. It was invitation only and you knew you were part of the 'in' crowd if you were invited. I have only attended one of these coveted parties. It was in second grade and her mom made her send an invitation to everyone in her homeroom. When I got there, it was obvious I didn't fit in. In third grade, the same thing happened and I hadn't gone.

"I would love to come," I replied thinking 'I need to spread my wings a little.' It would at least make me more 'dateable' if I was seen at Tracy's party.

A couple of the girls giggled and I got the double meaning. Who knew cheerleaders had such dirty minds? Tracy played it as if she didn't get it, but she was sharp and I knew she did.

"Great, we would all love for you to cum," Tracy said as I raised my eyebrows. "I mean I would love to have you."

"Tracy you don't have to try so hard, I am pretty easy when a girl as pretty as you asks."

That got the group laughing. I was starting to like this big-breasted girl with the quick wit. What surprised me was I was not tongue tied at all with her and her hot friends. I guess in my mind I had figured that I had no shot so my nervousness went away.

I moved closer to Tracy and said just loud enough for her friends to hear.

"Since it is your special day do you think I will be enough for you or do you need me to bring a present?"

Tracy Dole actually blushed and giggled. I'm sure she was not used to someone flirting with her so brazenly. She recovered and made a little circular motion with her finger.

"David, give us a little twirl so I can tell if you will be enough."

I stepped back a little, raised my arms to shoulder level with my hands raised about ear high, and did a slow turn.

"What do you think? Will I do for your present," I asked.

I had forgotten I didn't have any underwear on. I saw several of the girls get a little flushed when they saw the outline of my dick, but Tracy took it all in and checked me out from head to toe. She has a big grin on her face. When I was facing away from her, she grabbed my ass. I just looked back and smiled at her. She looked around at the other cheerleaders and asked, "What do you girls think?"

From the head bobbing, it was apparent I was a hit. She laughed at them and turned to me.

"When did you become so cool?"

I just grinned at her. Did she just say I was cool?

"I guess I have to go along with the squad and say you will be enough. Do you know where I live," she asked.

Yep, she lived in one of the nicest subdivisions in town. I played dumb.

"Not exactly, why don't you put your contact info into my phone?"

It was her turn to call bullshit, but she played along and put her info into my phone. Things were looking up. I just scored the hottest sophomore's phone number. Jeff and Alan were going to pee themselves when they heard this.

When I got home, I found Greg in his room laying on his bed with his headphones on listening to music. I jumped on his bed and scared him when I gave him a big kiss on the cheek. He was busy trying to push me off as he yelled, "Get off me you little faggot!"

It was as if I was a six year old who got a dirt bike for Christmas. "Thank you, thank you ... thank you!"

He pulled his ear buds out and smiled. "So, I take it your lesson went well?" I could tell he had talked to Cindy.

"Dude, Suzanne is friken fantastic! I learned so much. You and Cindy are the best mentors ever!"

"Well you're welcome and yes, Suzanne is fantastic."

I suddenly felt really close to him. I told him about Suzanne introducing me to the JV Cheerleading squad and Tracy Dole inviting me to her birthday party. I didn't share what we had done in the equipment shed or anything we did at Cindy's. I figured if they wanted to tell him they would.

Greg got a concerned look on his face and he grabbed his phone.

"Hey Princess, David said you were great today."

I could hear Suzanne talking to Greg but I could not make out the words on her end. "No you are no longer the 'Ice Princess'. From what Cindy said you thawed today."

I heard her laugh at him. "Hey, question for you ... Tracy Dole is having a birthday party and she invited David to go. Can you tell me what to expect?"

My brother listened to the other end of the conversation for what seemed like hours. In reality, it was probably not more than five minutes. I could not get a read on him. He wrapped up the call and shook his head.

"Bro, your screwed..." What did that mean?

"Why is that?"

"Apparently, you made quite the impression on Miss Tracy Dole." I could not read Greg.

"And that is bad?"

"No, Tracy is a great girl. The problem is over the summer Tracy went out with Bill Rogers."

I stiffened. Bill is bad news. I am sorry to say I had hung out with him when I went through my drug and alcohol phase. It was rumored he had stabbed someone over the summer. In addition, he treated girls like shit. I have been at a party where he coerced one of the girls I didn't know into pulling a train. When I understood what was happening I felt physically ill when Bill tried to get me to join in. That is not how you want to lose your virginity.

"It seems Bill doesn't think he is done with her. I would stay far away from that situation until it is resolved," Greg advised. It was advice I was taking to heart. I didn't want anything to do with Bill.

After Greg left, I jumped into a hot shower. I was sore from playing football and I smelled of sex. I let the water pound me as I reflected on the last week.

I hadn't comprehended how tense I was from hearing Bill's name again. He had played a central role in my corruption last spring by introducing me to drugs as my supplier. I seriously didn't want to run into him again. He has a mean streak I fear could be lethal. I decided I would call Tracy and make sure he wasn't showing up.

However, I had bigger issues. What was really going on with Cindy and Greg? Whenever I saw them together, they seemed like a couple. I was missing something though. They seemed to be more like friends than being each other's soul mate. I have seen Greg with girls he really likes, and it wasn't that he didn't like Cindy, but there was a spark missing.

I was also having trouble reconciling how he had stepped back and allowed Cindy to direct my education on dating. He disappeared today. If she were my girlfriend, I would have been there. Brother or not, things could have gotten out of hand. The only thing I can figure is Greg must trust Cindy implicitly. To be honest, most high school kids are not self-confident enough to have that level of trust in their significant other. I figured it is not really my issue so I would let them work it out, but I didn't want to see either one of them get hurt.

Tami was something that did affect me. I missed my friend. It was as if she was there but not. I got many knowing looks and subtle help, but we were not having marathon talks or hanging out. I needed to find out what to do to fix that. I had so many things that I could only confide in her. Things like my date with Tina. I really needed her input on the strange way the date ended. Tina had revealed she snuck out and could not date until she was 16. Should I wait for her or move on? I also needed to talk to her about what happened over the summer, and not just the big stuff. I missed sharing all the little things.

This was the longest we had not had a serious talk since I was seven and her Mom sent her to summer camp. We were both so upset when she got back our parents had arranged for us to go together the next year. This time it had been nearly five months. That seemed like a lifetime. Was I being selfish in wanting our friendship fixed? I still remember being half stoned and being an ass. She had stormed up with tears streaming down her face and told me off. Then the words that had almost killed me were, 'I never want to see you again.' I still regret not chasing after her and fixing it right then.

I felt the hot water start to run out. I jumped out and toweled off. I wrapped the towel around my waist and grabbed my cell phone and texted Tracy to jump on Google+ so we could video chat. I fired up my iPad and waited for her to log on. I put the iPad into a stand so I could video chat hands free. Almost instantly, she popped up and I could see her grinning at me from what must be her bedroom. It looked like a bedroom out of one of those home decorating shows. Tracy had her hair pulled back into a ponytail and was wearing a Notre Dame T-shirt.

I glanced back and wanted to kick myself. My room was now almost back to its typical mess. Bed unmade and stuff everywhere. I also should have gotten dressed, too late now. She started the conversation.

"Took you long enough to call!"

I really did like her sarcastic sense of humor. I decided to play the straight man.

"Trace, what are you talking about?"

"Well I am the head JV Cheerleader and you are the Bemoc. Isn't that what everyone expects?"

I am sure I don't want to know what this is, but I ask anyways. "What is a Bemoc?"

"B. M. O. C., Big Man on Campus. At least for the freshman class you are."

I cringed. She was setting me up to be something I wasn't. I had always been the nerdy nice guy. "How do you figure?"

"All right, since you are a dumb jock..."

"Hey, I resemble that remark!" I said, grinning.

"Yes you do, so since you are a dumb jock I will spell it out for you. First, who set the freshman rushing record after only six practices?"

"That would be me," I said stoically.

"Second, who is the only freshman that is currently on the Varsity Football Team?"

"That would be me again."

"Third, who went away for the summer and came back a stud?"

"I have no idea on that one."

"That would be you again. Fourth, who got a complete makeover this week and has all the girls talking?"

"Mmmm, me?"

"We especially like your curly locks," she giggled. "Finally, who showed up to the JV game in the company of a VERY happy varsity cheerleader? Who, by the way, usually scares the shit out me with her Ice Princess persona, but somehow shows up all bubbly. If I didn't know any better I would say she got laid."

"She was just helping me with some things today," I said, heck that sounded weak even to me.

"I'm not going to get into that because she really does scare me. With all that, you are now officially the freshman Bemoc!"

Let's try to bait and switch her... "What about Mike Herndon? Isn't he our Bemoc?"

"Good point. Normally an all-around good guy that is good looking like Mike who just happens to be the starting freshman quarterback would be a shoe-in for Bemoc. But unfortunately, for poor Mike, he doesn't stand a chance with you around."

"Tracy, friend of mine, goddess of the cheer world, sexiest woman I know ... if you start calling me Bemoc that is the kind of nickname that will follow me around for a very long time. What can I do to avoid that?"

"Laying it on a little thick are we?"

"Maybe, but seriously, please don't do that to me." That got a big grin out of her. Uh oh, I might be in trouble.

"I will make you a deal. You accompany me to my birthday party as my date and I will make sure that the Bemoc thing goes away."

"So we are talking a little blackmail are we?" She gave me a look. "Not that I am against that kind of thing mind you, but Tracy, you do know that all you had to do was ask?"

"David, I was just having fun with you. But I would like for you to be at my side at my party."

It was time to poke the bear and push my luck. "I guess we should add, who got asked out by the hottest sophomore who also happens to be the head JV Cheerleader."

"I wouldn't go there buster!"

Holy cow, I was a normal, ordinary, everyday fifteen-year-old boy, who has been asked out by Tracy Dole! There wasn't a guy in school who wouldn't give his left arm to date her, but the cloud of Bill Rogers loomed. There was something off about that guy. When I was around him, the hairs on the back of my neck would rise. Looking back, he preyed on my gullibility and need for acceptance to pull me into drug use. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but I wish I had it before I jumped in with his crowd. The good news was I was never going to go back to that life again.

I made a decision. "I will if you can assure me that someone will not be there."

Okay, I could tell that she was a little miffed. You have to appreciate that Tracy Dole is the Queen of the sophomore class and is not used to being questioned. "Give me their names and I will make sure they are not welcome."

"Bill Rogers."

I could see her stiffen and get a panicked look on her face. This asshole had done a number on her. She stared at me trying to figure something out. The tone of the conversation got serious. "How do you know?"

"Did you forget I know him? I have seen him in action. I just really never want to be around the guy again."

"No. I'm well aware you know him." She took a deep breath. "David, I got in over my head. At first, it was just fun and games. For some reason I'm attracted to bad boys and Bill is the worst of them all, but once I went out with him, I knew it was a mistake. I'm not comfortable talking about what happened but he scares me. I told him we were done, but he isn't taking no for an answer. Why do you think I'm home on Friday and Saturday nights?"

"Do you expect him to be at your party?"

She looked down and I saw her bottom lip quiver. "I don't think he would try anything with witnesses around, but he is just crazy enough. Something is not right with him. He gets sooo mad and loses control."

"Tracy, you need to tell someone. This is more than you should be taking on yourself."

"David, I just told you." Now it was my turn to go quiet. If Tami were around, she would know what to do. I would see her tomorrow and ask her.

"Tracy, I'll stand by you at your party. I'm also honored you asked me out."

"Thank you David. You don't know how happy that makes me." I could hear the relief in her voice and she visibly seemed to relax. "Look David, I will talk to you at school."

"Okay, let's talk on Monday."

"Oh, and David?" Hmmm ... something was up.

"Yes."

"Are you naked?"

I blushed. "No I have a towel on. I just got out of the shower and was headed to bed."

"Could you give me a little show?" There was the girl I was starting to really like.

I looked on in mock horror. "Tracy Dole! Who knew you would try to take advantage of poor little me? Next thing you know I'll have screen shots of me all over school."

"We could play a little you show me yours and I'll show you mine." Now we're talking!

"Yes we could, but might I suggest we do this in person? How about you un-wrap me as your birthday present."

She shivered. "David, I would love to, but I'm not sure I am ready for you. Make me a promise."

"I will if I can."

"On Friday, don't let things go too far." Normally it is not a good idea to put the guy in charge of what is too far.

"Tracy, you can trust me, but don't get me wrong, you push all the right buttons for me. If you ever give me the go ahead I will do everything in my power to rock your world."

Her eyes got big. "I know you will. But I am trying to take things slow."

"You set the pace," I assured her.

"Thank you, I will see you Monday."

"Yeah, bye..." I stood up, turned around and dropped my towel giving her a view of my butt. I heard Tracy burst out laughing as I shut down the link. I crawled into bed exhausted. I was asleep soon after my head hit the pillow.

Sunday September 8, 2013 – Freshman Year

I woke Sunday morning to my Dad shaking my shoulder. "Get up, you're going to church."

Crap. Don't get me wrong, I believe in God, but I went all summer without going and fell out of the habit. I knew Dad wasn't going and it sounded like Greg was going to get out of it too. That meant I was going to get some one-on-one time with Mom.

I got up, dressed and found Mom waiting on me. It turned out to be a good experience. We went to the early service and got home around eleven for brunch. Greg and Dad had made a nice spread of bacon, tomato and Swiss omelets, hash browns, melon wedges and orange juice. It was nice to have the whole family together for a meal. Of course, it was a chance to talk about everything that was going on.

Mom had some news. "Your Uncle Jim is going to come live with us for a couple of months. He landed a consulting job and I convinced him to stay here instead of paying for a short term lease."

Uncle Jim is my Mom's younger brother. He lives in Florida with my aunt Tanya and my cousins Julie and Mona. I have a soft spot in my heart for Mona. She is three or four years younger than I am. I always make it a point to include her. Her older sister ignores her at family gatherings, making me feel sorry for her. I'm lucky my older brother doesn't do that to me. As a little girl at one of our big Thanksgiving get-togethers, Mona had once declared that one day we were going to be married. Everyone had laughed at her announcement, but I had curbed my own amusement because I could see she was serious. Everyone's reaction put her into tears. I spent the afternoon comforting her. I told her it was all good and that even though I hadn't thought about getting married yet that I was not opposed to marrying her.

We have an apartment above the garage that I have always wanted to move into it. Uncle Jim has stayed with us twice before on his consulting gigs. Each time he said he was coming for a month or so and ended up staying for twice as long. I knew this irritated my Dad. Not that he didn't like Uncle Jim, it just seemed he always over extended his stay. Okay, Uncle Jim is a self-centered jerk. Dad is too nice to say so.

Without thinking it through, I blurted out, "I want to move into the apartment over the garage."

I could see Greg ease back from the table. You never wanted to be caught in the crossfire when a family discussion went south, and this had the earmarks of a bad one. Both my Mom and Dad zeroed in on me. My Uncle John had taught me over the summer that in a negotiation the first one to speak usually loses, so I just shut up and waited. Greg was starting to squirm in his chair because no one was saying anything. I was surprised when my Dad was the first one to speak.

"All right, give us your reasons for wanting the apartment."

I smiled knowing he had given me the opening I needed. "There are three reasons that I think you should consider for accepting my proposal. The first is you could never allow Greg to move into the apartment because he is such a slut he would have girls in and out all the time." I turned to Greg and said, "No offense man."

He just nodded. We all knew he was a slut. "The second reason is over the summer Uncle John introduced me to meditation to help center myself. I'm finding with all the noise in the house that I can't concentrate. The third reason I know money is tight. Greg got a car for his sixteenth birthday. Mine is coming up in July. I will take the apartment instead of a car." I saw my Mom flinch at that one. "The final bonus reason is that if Uncle Jim has to move into my old room and share a bathroom with Greg he is not extending his stay like he always does. Greg is worse than a girl is in the mornings. Uncle Jim will never make it to work on time."

My Mom snorted and my Dad broke into a big grin. My Mom said, "You have some valid points. Let me ask you. Is this really something you want?"

"Yes, seriously, I think I need this. I need some space right now and this is the perfect solution."

My Mom and Dad looked at each other, my Dad nodded yes to my Mom, and she smiled and said, "Okay."

Greg about jumped out of his seat. "You little shit. How did you pull that off?"

I grinned at him. "I asked."

My Mom looked me in the eye. "So you think this will keep Jim from overstaying his visit?" We all burst out laughing.

We had a rule in our house that if you cooked the rest of the family cleaned up, so this time it fell to Mom and me. I told her I would take care of it. It was the least I could do. I had a feeling she and I had a new arrangement and she did not have to clean up if I was involved.

When I was done with the kitchen, I looked at the time. It was 12:30. I was late. About that time, I got a text from Beth wanting to know where I was. I sent her a message saying I would be there in 15. I ran upstairs and put on my swimsuit and a t-shirt. Beth lived two blocks down so I just walked over.

When I got there, Mrs. Anderson answered the door. She and my Mom were best friends. She is in many ways my second Mom. "David, how was your time on the farm with your Uncle?"

"You know what Mrs. A, it was probably the best thing I have ever done. Uncle John helped me get my head on right. I was a little depressed after my classmate almost died at the party I threw. I think I blamed everyone for my problems. Uncle John helped me see error of my ways."

She just smiled at me. What I liked about her was she never judged me. "I have to say we all missed you and are glad you're back. Also, I have a surprise for you." Mrs. Anderson had a gleam in her eye that caused me to break out into a huge smile. "We got a hot tub."

"Awesome! Football practice has been kicking my butt and a soak would do me wonders."

"Listen, if you need to use it just swing by." That is what I loved about Beth's family. They were very open and I always felt welcome.

"I will take you up on that. I think you will be seeing a lot more of me. Hook up one of those big outdoor TVs and you will never get rid of me."

She led me through the house and gave me a coke before we joined everyone in the back yard. Mr. Anderson was in charge of the grill. It looked like he was making burgers and hot dogs. There were five other teens either in the pool or sunning themselves Beth, Mike and Luke Herndon, Bert Nelson, and Tami. Seeing Bert almost put me in a bad mood, but Beth changed that when she ran up and gave me a big hug.

"Hey Beth, are you happy to see me?"

"Jerk, I thought you were blowing me off."

"No, just went to church with Mom and then we had a family brunch. Time just got away from me." I looked out at the group and said, "I think I know everyone but Luke, are you guys going out?"

"No, we're just friends. When I told him, you were going to be here he asked to come. He wants to get to know you outside of football since you will be his new fullback. He said you and Mike were becoming friends so I had him bring him also."

Luke is a senior and the starting halfback. The starting fullback had blown his knee out in the first game of the season. I was the first freshman since Luke to play varsity ball. If he was anything like his brother Mike, I knew I would like him.

I needed to dig some to see what was up with Tami. I knew she and Beth talked and I needed a little intelligence before I put my foot in my mouth. It really chafed me that no one had bothered to mention to me that my best friend was dating. I thought she didn't really like Bert all that much. In junior high he had been kind of a jerk to her, so I figured Beth might know what was going on.

"I see Tami brought her new boyfriend."

"You'll have to talk to them about that. I really don't know if they are seeing each other or not."

I gave her a peck on the cheek. "All right, wish me luck. It's time to find out where Tami and I stand."

Beth gave me a hug and let me head out to the pool. Mike was sitting on the closest lounge chair so I said hi to him first. "David, hey, I want you to meet my bother Luke." I shook his hand and turned to Bert. "Hey Bert, how's it going?"

"Good," Bert answered.

I walked over to Tami, she got up, and I pulled her into a hug and kissed her on the cheek. There was an empty lounge chair between Luke and Bert. "Is Beth sitting here?"

Tami answered. "She was, but she said she needed to help her parents get ready for lunch. I'm sure she doesn't mind you sitting there."

"I am sure she doesn't either, but I don't want to be a rude guest." I went over to the pool shed and pulled out a lawn chair and set it up next to Mike. Beth came back about that time and took her chair. I saw Luke nod to me to confirm I had made a good decision.

Luke spoke up. "So I hear you are on varsity now."

Mr. Anderson said, "Hey, I want to hear about that too. Why don't you guys come over and help me grill?"

Luke and I jumped up and went over to where Mr. Anderson was grilling. He had a nice setup. They had a full outdoor kitchen with a monster gas grill. I went to the cabinet, pulled out a water bottle with a sprayer on it and filled it up. I handed it to Luke. "You are in charge of putting out fires."

Mr. Anderson gave me a sour look. "Funny. I haven't burned your steak in months."

"Mr. A., I haven't been here in months. Luke, keep an eye on things." I went up to Mr. Anderson, gave him a hug and then filled him in. "It is such a fluke. I practiced on the second team for a few days and then only played less than a half. Heck Bert has more reps than I do. I just happened to break a long run the first time I touched the ball. Then Washington's defense tried to arm tackle me the rest of the game. On top of that our starting fullback on varsity hurt his knee."

Mike had joined us. "Okay. I call bullshit. Dawson you are so full of it. Mr. A, he hits defenders so hard they wish they hadn't been born. The first play in practice he put down our starting middle linebacker and safety. He crushed Washington's linebacker on his first carry. I bet he still doesn't know his own first name. That is why Washington's defense was scared to tackle him."

Luke looked at Mike. "So what do you think is going to happen when he tangles with Kevin Goode?"

Mike broke into a big smile. "I will make a bold prediction. He will put Kevin on his ass." Kevin is our schools All-State linebacker. He is a beast at 6'4" and 210 lbs. I was not looking forward to having him hit me.

Luke looked skeptical. "No way, I have never seen a back put Kevin on his ass."

Mike was getting into this. "Ask Dad, he saw him play. Luke he doesn't just hit people, he crushes them. I can't wait until you hear the difference in the sound of the hit when he does it compared to everyone else. His hits sound different. It is like the hits you hear in a pro game. I'll bet you something Luke. With David playing fullback you will get a full ride. He is a difference maker. He will put the defense on its ears and with your speed, you will rack up a ton of yards. Your numbers are going to go through the roof."

Luke liked the sound of that. "David, I think you just became my new best friend."

I smiled at Luke and said, "Luke FIRE!" Sure enough, the burgers were blazing. Luke was able to get the fire out before too much damage was done. Mr. Anderson glared at me and I just gave him an innocent look.

I noticed that Tami, Bert and Beth were in a heated discussion. Beth was not happy. I heard her raise her voice, "You better tell him!" She got up and stormed into the kitchen. I turned away before Tami could catch me eavesdropping. Shortly thereafter Bert got up and joined our group leaving Tami all alone. The guys joked around as we watched Mr. Anderson try to burn the burgers.

I wasn't going to talk to Tami right now. If Beth was pissed with her then I knew I would be also, so I decided it was in my best interest to ignore the obvious invitation to go talk to her. Even a 'stupid boy' like me could figure out she cleared Bert out so we could have some alone time. She had been playing some kind of game with me all week and I had had enough.