When they first saw the building, David thought it looked like it was right out of the 1960s. The ground floor had one entrance in the front and no windows. His mom’s comment was that it didn’t meet fire safety standards.
After a security guard checked his credentials, one of the resident assistants was called to take them on a tour of the dorm.
When his mom asked about the security, the RA explained that it went beyond just checking people in. The staff had all signed nondisclosure agreements so that nothing would be ‘leaked’ about the residents living there. She said signing the NDA was worth it because RAs in this particular dorm got not only room and board paid for, but tuition as well. They also had the use of all the amenities the building offered. She explained that the waitlist to be an RA here was lengthy.
“Let’s start in the basement,” the RA announced as they went to the elevators.
When they got on, she pointed at the occupancy sign. It read ‘Maximum Occupancy 10 Persons.’
“The plural for ‘person’ is ‘people.’ You would think that over the years, someone would have noticed it and fixed it.”
“You’re an English major?” Lexi asked.
“How did you know?”
“Lucky guess,” Lexi deadpanned.
The basement was outfitted with a full, state-of-the-art gym that included a lap pool and a giant hot tub. There was also a laundry room. The tasteful décor upped the ambiance considerably over most gyms, and the whole area smelled of newness. David decided he liked it a lot.
“You can either do your own laundry or pay to have it done,” the RA said and then showed David where he could drop off his clothes.
“I have to take my clothes all the way down here to get them clean?” David asked, playing dumb.
“That’s correct. The clothes fairy doesn’t pick them up off your floor, and they won’t magically come back neatly pressed and in your closet,” the RA said with an eye roll.
David could tell his mom instantly liked her for that comment.
The main floor was where the cafeteria was. It bore little resemblance to what David was used to from high school. This felt more like a restaurant, with sizeable ten-person round tables in the center and smaller four-person ones along the walls.
“They’ll open this Friday when students start to come back. There will be parties this weekend if you want to move in early and get to know people,” the tour guide shared.
“Is the food as good as rumored?” Coach Farrow asked.
“Chef André is fabulous. He used to work at Soho House before they stole him away.”
That reminded David that he had a membership there. He’d used it a couple of times when he was in London. They had three in the LA area, one of them in Malibu.
The dorm was four stories high, not counting the basement. The RA said that it housed fifty-two students. The second and third floors were single-sex only. The top level, where David would live, was coed, with the men in one wing and women in the other.
When they got off the elevator on the fourth floor, it opened into a large common area where residents could either study or watch the big-screen TV on one wall.
“On weekends, we push the couches back and sometimes have floor parties. This weekend, it’s the second floor’s turn to host one Saturday night,” the guide shared.
’My mom has to be loving this,’ David worried.
“To get into either wing, you need your dorm card and PIN,” the RA continued.
There was a solid-looking metal door. The RA had David use his card and then enter his PIN to make sure it worked. The sound of the lock disengaging told him he’d been successful.
The hallway was shorter than he’d expected. There were four dorm rooms to a side with a door at the end of the hall, which was open. You could hear people talking from it.
“You’re at the end,” the RA said, pointing at a door there.
They made their way to the room, and David spotted Alex and Nat’s stepmother, Camilla.
“What are you doing in my room?” David asked, startling her.
“David!”
Umberto came out of one of the bedrooms and smiled when he saw David. David noticed that Umberto had also spotted Lexi, and his smile faded. Lexi was suddenly at David’s side.
David quickly introduced everyone.
“What are you two doing?” David asked.
“I got a call that you were moving in, and Alex is back home in Colombia, playing soccer. He’d been using your room as his catch-all, so we came down to clean it out,” Umberto said.
Alex and Lexi had gone to high school together. His senior year, Alex had gone back home to play soccer for his national team. It sounded like he was again playing for them over Christmas break.
Camilla gave them the grand tour. The reason the hall looked short was that the suite was enormous. The layout had the living area with a kitchenette/bar at one end. They were taken to Alex’s bedroom next; he had a California king bed, study area, walk-in closet, and private bath.
David’s bedroom was full of boxes.
“The university will provide a twin-size bed and desk if you want. I would suggest you go out and buy your own stuff,” Camilla said to clue him in.
“I can help you with that,” Lexi offered.
David didn’t comment. He would talk to her later.
The next stop was the baseball offices. USC had a new coaching staff, so he hadn’t met them yet. They were all there and expecting him.
The head coach was Todd Deneau. He’d been at San Diego State and had built a successful program there. When he came to USC, he’d brought along Associate Head Coach Don Hob. New hires were Assistant Coach / Recruiting Coordinator Carl Homer and Volunteer Assistant Coach Len Burris.
“When Coach Farrow called and said he was bringing over the former USA Under-18 team captain and MVP of the Pan Am Games, I was pleased,” Coach Deneau said.
“When he heard you were a walk-on, he was over the moon,” Coach Homer shared.
“We’re trying to rebuild the program and need all the scholarships we can get,” Coach Deneau admitted.
Arrangements were made for David to come to practice on Monday. Coach Farrow also reminded the baseball coaches of David’s wishes to keep his presence on campus under wraps, even keeping it from the other players for now.
“If you’re as good as we’ve heard, I’m betting you won’t be able to keep it from the other players for even a full practice,” Coach Deneau commented.
David looked him in the eye and nodded.
“I’m honestly not trying to hide it from them. It’s just that I want to keep a low profile so I’m not hounded by paparazzi. I want to get to know both you and the team without the circus that can follow. If you don’t believe me, I’ll give you my high school coach’s number, and he can describe in detail what a disruption it can turn into.”
Looking doubtful, Coach Deneau nodded.
“I see your point. We have enough on our plates that we don’t need to deal with distractions. We’ll have a team meeting to get everyone on board.”
With that, he smiled and again shook David’s hand, and they both turned to go about their business.
The ride to Drexler Motors was enjoyable. David and his mom hadn’t been able to really talk during the months when he was filming. His work schedule had been atrocious, and when he’d had the opportunity to call, his kids had priority over everyone else.
When a lull in the conversation hit, Lexi chimed in.
“Frank Ingram wants you to do some interviews before school starts. I told him you wanted to hold off for a while, at least until you had to start promoting your movies.”
“Is this part of your wanting to just be a regular student?” Mom asked, and he nodded. “I know what you want, but don’t you think that’s a bit ambitious? It’s not like you’ll never be recognized. I can’t see how you could pull it off for any extended length of time.”
“David had some training in spycraft for the Bond film. With that, and my connections, he can change his appearance just enough to put doubt in their minds,” Lexi offered.