“Hi, I’m Amber,” she said, just a bit too chipper.
“Hey, I’m David, and these are my friends Wolf and Tim. Why don’t you sit down with us for a minute so we can get to know you?”
Both Tim and Wolf had big smiles plastered on their faces. ‘Fun David’ was in his element.
It didn’t take long before three tables were pulled together; David had ordered almost every appetizer on the menu; and pitchers of beer showed up.
Wolf sat back and watched as David held court, telling his audience about a scene in his upcoming James Bond movie. Wolf and Tim had heard their friend relate the story a hundred times. But even so, the boy made them feel like they were right there with him in danger.
Amber might have quit her job because she never left her seat. She was all but on David’s lap. All he would’ve had to do was look at her, and she would have blown him right there. Wolf was still mad about what had gone down when they’d arrived at Oklahoma. Otherwise, this would have been what all their weekends would have been like.
In the end, it had all shaken out. Stewart Chadwick, David’s bane and former NCAA investigator, had been fired as soon as their new athletic director was hired. Their interim AD, who’d worked in the department for nearly twenty years, was asked to resign. Turning away the school’s handpicked next quarterback was something they couldn’t, or wouldn’t, let slide. Even the university’s president was on thin ice with the boosters over that one.
From what David had shared about USC, both Tim and Wolf decided that they’d made the right choice by staying at Oklahoma. In spring practice, Wolf had become the second-string tight end as a freshman. They planned to redshirt Tim, but that might be reconsidered if he continued to show his stuff in practice.
Tim and Wolf had settled in quickly because the team had been open to them. They’d heard stories about some schools where it wasn’t that way. David’s situation at USC was one like that, with the starter bad-mouthing him. Wolf was sure it came down to the tone the coaching staff set for the players. It was Oklahoma versus the world, so they treated their teammates better than family.
Wolf was pulled back to the present when he saw Tim slip off with a cute snow bunny. He realized he was missing his opportunity. In high school, they’d always joked that David should throw them his castoffs. Once they began to travel with him, they’d gained confidence and learned to chat women up. Having David as an icebreaker never hurt, but they knew how to charm a girl out of her panties. Wolf decided he would do just that.
After his friends had their fun, David suggested that they take their show on the road, and the three of them walked down the street to a steak house.
The guys fell into it like they hadn’t been apart for a few months. They caught up without the distraction of the girls hanging on them. David had not partaken of what was offered. Tim had twice, and Wolf once. Wolf understood why David wouldn’t, but Wolf didn’t think he would have been able to turn down all the offers that David got.
“I need to talk to you two,” David said, getting serious.
Wolf could tell something was bothering his friend. It seemed Tim sensed it too, by his comment.
“Uh, oh. I think we’re in trouble.”
David got a pained expression on his face.
“I think you guys are in danger of becoming players, and not in a good way.”
Before they could say anything, David powered on.
“Believe me, I get it. I went through a phase where I jumped into bed with my fair share. You may recall the time I even had bathroom sex with that Oscar presenter. And I get what a rush it is to be able to talk a girl out of her panties in a situation like that. I also realize that this is probably mostly my fault by setting a bad example.”
“You can’t seriously be saying that,” Wolf said, smiling at his friend.
“I know!” David said, sounding frustrated. “When I say stuff like this, I sound like my dad, and it kills me.”
“You really do,” Tim added.
David got a determined look.
“Do you want to know the real reason I didn’t participate in any shenanigans while we were filming? It was because I know how easy it is to do, and if I started again, I wouldn’t want to stop.”
“And why wouldn’t you? You can have any girl you set your sights on. You should be enjoying college to its fullest,” Tim said.
“Honestly, I haven’t been a saint,” David admitted. “But guys, you’re turning into the sort we used to make fun of when we were in Hollywood. That’s not who you are, but if you continue, you will wake up one day alone. Yes, girls want to have fun. But consider this: do you really want to marry the wild girl and worry that she’s off to the next conquest when your back is turned? Like us, girls don’t really want to date a player, either.”
“I’m not looking to get married anytime soon,” Wolf said.
“Me either, and I plan to continue to have my fun,” David readily admitted. “But today was an example of you guys taking it too far. You need to dial it back.”
David could see he wasn’t getting through to them.
“Look. We’re on vacation, and when we were making the movies, you spread your wings, so to speak. I get it. Also, I know that I have experienced all of that, and I know you’re not really going to listen to me. As your friend, I’m telling you that I don’t like who you’re becoming.”
David’s saying that finally got their full attention.
“You are two of my best friends. If I was doing something that you thought was out of bounds, I would expect you to tell me. Running off to a bar bathroom to have sex isn’t a good look. If a woman is worth your time, do it right. Take her back to your place and have fun. Treat her with respect.” He focused on Tim. “I saw the look on the first girl’s face when you took the second one to the men’s room.”
Wolf looked over at Tim and saw that David’s last comment had hit his friend hard. It had an effect on him as well. Wolf hadn’t really thought about how it could hurt the first girl’s feelings. If the shoe were on the other foot, and a girl did that to him, Wolf would feel used, at best.
He could see that David felt he finally got his point across. Wolf marveled at how David deftly changed the conversation as if he hadn’t just been scolding them.
Over dinner, they caught up. David shared his dilemma and Tami’s advice.
“What do you plan to do?” Tim asked.
“I don’t know yet. What I do know is that I have to start spending more time on football. When and how that’s going to happen, I have no idea. I probably shouldn’t have gone out for baseball,” David shared.
“Bullshit. I check your stats. You’re the team leader in several categories, and since you started playing, you’re winning games,” Wolf said.
“Plus, you wouldn’t know what to do with yourself if you weren’t crazy busy,” Tim chimed in.
“You’re right,” David admitted. “I do love baseball.”
“Why don’t you just transfer? They’re talking about redshirting you, so you’ll be sitting out a year, anyway. I’m sure Oklahoma would take you with open arms,” Wolf suggested.
David thought about it for a minute and then shook his head, as Wolf expected he would.
“You can’t help yourself, can you?” Tim asked.
“What do you mean?” David asked.
“If challenged, you stand and fight. Transferring feels like giving up to you,” Tim explained.
“It’s not, you know,” Wolf added. “We would love for you to come to school with us. This afternoon was the best part of the trip so far. That’s how it could be if you joined us.”
“Let me think about it,” David said to leave the door open just a crack.
Wolf would lay heavy odds that David would stay at USC. Tim was right; you should never challenge David, let alone piss him off. If you did, you got his full attention, and he would find a way to win. That was the David they all loved, especially if he was on their side. Wolf had no doubt that David would be just fine.