“I had a talk with Coach Hope. I don’t agree with his plans for the coming year. I’m impressed that you’re taking it as well as you are,” he started out.
He had to be talking about the plans to start Brad over me at quarterback. I just kept quiet, because I didn’t want to come across as a complainer.
“We’re ending the defensive experiment for now. I think you need to focus on working with the backs. It will have the most impact on your preparation for the coming year. I don’t want you not to play defense this fall. Hell, if I were Coach Hope, I’d be playing you on offense, defense, special teams and you’d be the water boy. I would never let you off the field.”
“I’ll do whatever they want me to. I just want to play. That being said, I want to play at the next level also. Will my playing fullback and defense hurt those prospects?” I asked the question that had been in the back of my mind.
Coach Braun got serious.
“Frankly, yes. The big boys want to know what they’re getting. If you’re a four-year starter and put up the numbers I think you will, you’re a lock to go anywhere you want. If they see you were beat out by a kid who’ll never play beyond high school, they will have their doubts.
“You could also get to a top-tier program as a fullback. It would be a real shame because as a professional, you’d make a fraction of what you could by playing quarterback. The other option is to focus on defense. I could see you as a stand-up defensive end making the pros. You would need to add fifty pounds, but I think your frame could take it and not lose any of your speed.
“Actually, speed is your weakness right now. If you were faster, I might plug you in at cornerback. You would make a fortune after college because receivers are getting bigger and stronger.”
I had a lot to think about. I needed to have a serious talk with Coach Hope. I also wanted to talk to the speed guy that Bo Harrington had mentioned. I had been busy but should make this a priority.
“David, Kentucky will stand by their commitment to you regardless of what happens. I think we both know you may be destined for bigger things, but if they fall through, we’re here. And God forbid, if the coaching staff isn’t here when you graduate, I’ll look you up and you’ll be welcome wherever I’m coaching,” Coach Braun assured me.
“Thanks, Coach, I appreciate your confidence in me.”
I PRACTICED WITH THE running backs in the morning. I had a good time with Ed, Jake, Bert and Ty. We got to run the drill where a lineman blocks and you follow his lead. They kept giving me shit because I wasn’t following my block. I was running into the defensive player every time. What I didn’t tell them was that I wanted the contact. Hitting the crap out of a defensive lineman or linebacker was good therapy.
We finally went to lunch and I was starved. When I sat down I was surprised to find Isaac was pissed.
“Is it true what they say?” he asked me.
I had no idea what he was talking about, so I just raised my eyebrows.
“Is it true that they aren’t giving you a shot to play quarterback at Lincoln?”
How do you answer that? Telling him the truth causes problems since I look like I’m not a team player. If I lie ... well, that wasn’t going to happen.
“Don’t yell at David, he doesn’t know the offense as well as I do. Giving him a year of experience playing behind me will make him a better player his junior year,” Brad boasted.
“I call bullshit. It’s obvious he’s the best quarterback at this camp. Hell, he’s been invited to the Elite Quarterback Camp this year. Only four underclassmen have been invited. Don’t believe me, look it up.” Isaac was seething. “I would kill to have him take my slot at Washington. You’re being a selfish prick by riding your daddy’s coattails to screw him like that.”
Oh, crap. I jumped in before this got worse.
“Isaac. I agreed to the plan. No one is forcing me out. While I appreciate the support, I’m afraid that I’ll not get a shot at playing quarterback till my junior year. Coach Hope made the call and I’m a team player. Coach thinks we can be good this year with Brad’s leadership. If you all remember, Brad did lead Beverly to the State Championship game.”
The damage had been done, though. Brad gave me a look that told me that all the good will I’d built up over the last few days was now gone. I had a bad feeling we would have some serious problems this coming year. Brad Hope was too proud ever to admit I might be better than he was. The worst part was, no one else jumped to Brad’s defense.
I saw Coach Hope out of the corner of my eye. His face was red, and I was worried my relationship with him was damaged as well. I really was trying to take the high road on this. At some point, I was going to have to talk to him about what was in my best interest, and how that could work for our team. The more I got to know Brad, the more I felt he was bad for us.
I ARRIVED AT THE CHI Omega house at six o’clock. Karen, a.k.a. Daisy answered the door. She grabbed my arm and pulled me in.
“So, David, I hear you and Nancy went to dinner last night. How was it?”
“Nancy is even more special than I thought she was. I had a great time getting to know her. We went over to meet my friends, and all of them liked her a lot,” I told her.
I knew everything I said would be getting back to Nancy. I had been around Beth, Suzanne and Cindy too long to expect anything else.
Nancy came rushing in the front door with her book bag, dressed in shorts and t-shirt. She obviously was just getting back from campus. I smiled at her.
“Sorry, time got away from me. Have you been here long?” she asked.
“No, just got here. Karen was pumping me for information about our date last night.”
She gave Karen a look.
“It’s all good,” she reported.
Nancy grabbed my hand.
“I need to change. We can talk while I do that.”
‘Oh Boy’ turned into ‘Dang It.’ She had a big walk-in closet that she changed in as she talked to me. She told me about her day. I told her about lunch and what Coach Braun told me.
“So how good are you?” she asked.
“To be honest, I don’t know. That’s what the next two football camps are about. USC is a major program and the state of California produces a lot of division-one talent. The Elite Camp will tell me for sure.”
She came out in jeans and a nice shirt.
“No, you need to put a skirt on,” I told her.
“What?” she asked.
I wanted her a little off-balance. I was sure no one had ever bossed her around.
“I would love to see your legs. Go change.”
I was shocked when she went back and came out in a skirt. I got up off her bed and I rewarded her with a kiss. All the gals were going down to dinner, so I didn’t push it. Nancy introduced me to everyone. Dinner was a lot of fun. The women of Chi Omega were hopeless flirts. Nancy was impressed as I deftly deflected their advances while I tried to eat.
After dinner, she led me back to her room to talk. I don’t think any of her sisters believed her. When the door closed, she looked hesitant.
“You make me nervous,” she started. “I want to believe that you don’t just want to get into my panties. I also know you’re leaving tomorrow. I’m trying to come to grips with my feelings and the reality of what this is.”
“Basically it’s us having a good time. I like you a lot. I picked you over several less-interesting women. I say that not to brag, but to let you know I think you’re special. I also don’t think of you as a conquest. I think that if this goes the right way, we might be more. I personally am not big on one-night stands. For you, I’d make an exception if that’s all this turns out to be.”
She was shaking her head.
“See, that’s the problem right there. You say the exact right thing. I get the feeling you’re too good to be true.”
I figured it was ‘put up or shut up’ time. She needed to be controlled. If I left this up to her, we would talk this to death. I’d given her an order before and she’d followed it. I wondered if she had a little submissive side to her.