Am I clear on that?”
“Yes, sir,” the team answered.
“Now, run it again!”
◊◊◊
After practice, David went to watch each of his plays via the VR technology Dare and Corvus had created. He’d just started running through the play that Coach Merritt had been hounding the team about when he was interrupted.
He was surprised when he saw it was Matt.
“Can I show you what you were missing?” Matt asked.
“Yeah, sure,” David said as he failed to not show Matt his look of surprise.
“I know, I’ve been a dick, but my dad straightened me out. I’m trying to be a good teammate,” Matt said.
David handed Matt the VR goggles so he could point David to where he wanted him to look.
“Watch Bill. I know this play is supposed to go to Amari on the other side of the field, but he drops it if you don’t throw it into his chest or put too much on it. Bill catches anything you throw his way, plus he’s beating his guy off the line,” Matt shared.
David thought he was the only one who suspected Amari had problems catching the ball. David put the goggles on and ran the play. Bill’s job was to run a hitch route. He ran a fly straight up the field and, at the fifteen-yard mark, would turn his hips to make the defender think he was running an out. That would cause the defender to close to defend the out.
Instead, Bill used his opponent’s hesitation to run past him straight up the field. When David was throwing the ball to Amari, Bill was wide open.
“Damn,” was all David had to say.
“I wish I’d seen that sooner, too, and I didn’t pick up on it until we ran that play eight times in a row. Even though the defensive back knew Bill’s route, he still got open,”
Matt shared.
“Okay, what am I missing on this RPO play?” David asked.
The two of them began to compare notes. The biggest issue they found was that John Johnson, at left tackle, was making mistakes on about every third play. Coach Thomas stuck his head in and looked even more surprised than David had been to see them working together.
“Hey, Coach. Come take a look at something,” David said as he cued up a play John messed up on.
“We’re thinking it might be time to start Bear,” Matt said to set the stage.
Matt saying that about his buddy almost convinced David that Matt had turned a corner and he might really have the team’s best interest in mind. Still, David had to remember where Matt was in his circles of trust; he was there for a reason.
Coach Thomas watched the plays the two of them had found. He just nodded when he was done and left them to keep working.
◊◊◊
Crystal had come over to study.
“You’re not going to believe it, but Matt helped me review practice film. He said his dad told him he had to be more of a team player.”
“I always liked his dad, and I’d hoped Matt would eventually grow up and be more like him,” Crystal said.
They shared their day.
“I took the girls who were drugged to RSVP today. None of them wanted to formally do anything, but I made them at least make an anonymous complaint. Combined with the live stream the police have, I think that will get Sigma Upsilon punished,” Crystal said.
“Do you think the police will do anything?” David asked.
“That’s a good question because they were out of jail on Sunday.”
“What did their president tell you?” David asked.
“At the time, he denied anything was going on. If it weren’t for Willy and Lars, I wouldn’t have gotten the girls out of there before something happened.”
“How are the girls doing?”
“The drugs are out of their system, but they’re shaken. I plan to have a long talk with everyone about something my mother taught me. ‘Get your own drinks, pay your own way, and always have a way home,’” Crystal listed off.
“When they spike the punch …” David trailed off.
“I know. That’s why we go to Greek parties. Nothing has ever happened before because they know it can affect the frat if they do. Sigma Upsilon will never have another exchange because none of the sororities will dare party with them,” Crystal shared.
Exchanges were when a fraternity and sorority would party together. Crystal had shared with him that was one way she’d made a lot of guy friends. David read between the lines: she meant it was a way for girls to find guys to date.
“Tell me about your soap opera. I asked the girls in the house, and they DVR it. They all want to know when you plan to get naked,” Crystal said.
“I told them upfront that I never would, and then I met my leading lady,” David said as he got onto the Internet and found pictures of Callie Mays-Leary, who played Nikki.
Several were from the show and showed her naked.
Crystal gave him a dirty look.
“That reminds me. Maybe you could help me with my scene tomorrow. Read some lines, and we act it out.”
He waggled his eyebrows to let her know precisely what he wanted her to do.
“If I do, I wanted it noted that I am officially the best girlfriend you’ll ever have.”
“We could stop studying and read lines,” Davis suggested.
Crystal was evil. She had a test tomorrow and made him wait a whole thirty minutes. If his real scene went half as well as the ‘practice,’ he would kill it tomorrow.
◊◊◊
Chapter 14
Tracy had been a smart girl and scheduled his interview for early in the morning. He’d had to call Janis, Sadie’s mom, and tell her he had a conflict today.
Before he went, he stopped to see Doreen and get a complimentary tea and a slice of coffee cake.
“There’s my favorite person in the whole wide world!”
“It sounds like you’ve had some good news.”
“I sent out a social media blast that you filmed your soap opera here. You would not believe all the girls that are now showing up.”
“That means the men will soon figure it out, too. I’m glad you’re getting the boost for your business.”
“I need to hire some people. If you know anyone …”
“I’ll send them your way,” David said as he took his order to go.
When he got to the studio, Tracy took half his coffee cake and a sip of his tea without asking. She called him a bad word when she found it was tea, not coffee.
She told him they would do a half-hour segment, hoping the Pac-12 Network would use ten minutes of it for the Saturday-morning pregame football show.
Professor Blum interrupted their conversation.
“I wanted to thank you, David. The USC ads, your soap opera, and the Trojan Inquirer have given a lot of people in the film program opportunities to be involved in meaningful projects. It’s an experience they’ll be able to proudly add to their résumés upon graduation.”
“If I don’t get a chance to thank them all, let them know I appreciate their help,” David said.
Professor Blum nodded and left them to finish planning the vodcast.
“That was nice of him,” Tracy said. “I don’t think even you realize how it gives people a leg up when you generate
stuff like this. I learned yesterday it was you who suggested me for the Pac-12 job. Thank you.”
“Keep that in mind when you interview me,” David teased.
“It’s my job to make you squirm.”
“C’mon, be good.”
“I will if you give me honest answers. But if you start with all your old clichés, the gloves are coming off,” Tracy mock-warned.
◊◊◊
“Welcome to Trojan Inquirer. We took a little break, but we’re back. The time off has given us a chance to shake things up slightly. I’d like to introduce you to my new cohost, Tracy Dole.”