He took the first snap and promptly threw the ball into the dirt.
“Dude, that sucks. I’ll get my bags ready for you.”
He flipped me off and completed his first pass. “Forty seconds” was called out. Crap, he was going to have to hustle. He quickly made it to the 50 yard line. “Twenty-five seconds” was announced. He threw to the outside receiver and he sprinted to the 20 yard line. “Eighteen seconds” was yelled. He drilled the receiver. He ran to the 5 yard line. “Ten seconds” was called as he smirked at me. He tried to drill the ball into the receiver and hit a coach. “Three, two, one, Time!” was called as he dropped back and completed the pass too late.
I did the whole soccer-goal routine. I ran around, pulled my shirt off and threw it in the air. Ridge beaned me with a ball as I slid on my knees. Everyone laughed at our antics. Coach Sterns had them go get a bag and made a presentation of handing it to Ridge. He took it with good grace.
We next went back in to recap the day. Coach Sterns had us wait outside. He was talking when one of the assistants told us to come in.
“I want to introduce the best quarterback in the country, Ridge Townsend.”
Ridge stepped forward as everyone clapped for him.
“At least I thought he was until I saw him bested today by a mere sophomore. You might notice Ridge is carrying David Dawson’s bag.”
I stepped forward as everyone laughed. I reached into the bag and grabbed a water bottle.
“He’s getting in practice for when I come to USC,” I said.
He took another water bottle out and poured it on my head. He then pulled a towel out and threw at me.
“I have time to get him trained,” I teased.
Coach Sterns sent us to our seats.
“I’ve been informed Ridge would like a chance to regain his honor. He has issued a challenge to young Mr. Dawson. David, would you be willing to play a seven-on-seven game to see who’s best?” Coach Sterns asked me.
“I’m ready right now,” I informed him.
“Would you be okay with Coach Harrington as your coach?”
“Of course,” I answered.
“We had planned for dinner and then a movie night. Would it be okay if we postponed dinner and watched these two have some fun?” Coach Sterns asked.
We all went back to the field, and several guys volunteered to be on my team. I sent them all to Bo so he could sort it out.
While I was walking to the field, Rose had sent me a text to tell me she would pick me up in a half hour. I told her where I would be.
Somehow Hunter had gotten in the middle of all this. He was busy giving each side disinformation about the other. I had him tell Ridge I had trouble throwing long. He came back and said Ridge’s weakness was throwing to his left.
Bo gave us the play. They allowed the coaches to show us plays in the huddle because we’d never played with each other. It was better than telling them just to go out. We broke the huddle and I checked their defense. They were in a cover two to prevent the long sideline play. I was proud of myself for seeing it. The Kentucky camp was paying dividends.
I got set and yelled, “Down!”
I looked in disbelief as everyone collapsed. Offensive and defensive players had fallen on the ground. I looked over at the sidelines and everyone had fallen there too, even the coaches. What had happened to everyone? Then it hit me. Hunter!
I drilled him with a pass as he lay on the ground and everyone erupted. He got up and ran when I gave chase. It wasn’t much of a chase because we were both laughing too hard.
Coach Sterns got everyone’s attention.
“I want to thank David for being a good sport. Go eat. We’ll do this for real tomorrow. See the bulletin board to see what team you’re on. For the linemen ...” Coach Sterns stopped as Rose came strolling out onto the field.
“There you are. You about done playing your silly game?” she asked me. She swayed her hips as she came to me.
I turned bright red and started to apologize.
“Just get out of here before you start a riot,” Coach Sterns told me.
Ridge came trotting up with my bag. He obviously wanted an introduction.
The three of us walked off the field together.
“Rose, this is Ridge. He carries my bags and keeps my seat on the bench warm while I’m playing.”
She winked at him, knowing I was giving him a hard time.
“Is that true ... Ridge?” she asked him and batted her eyes.
“It is if I get your number.”
The little snake, he was about to get his butt kicked. She gave him a coy look as she bit her lower lip, and then turned to me and gave me a big smile.
“Sorry, David is who I want to go out with,” she said, and she hooked my arm and took me to her car.
We left Ridge to mutter to himself.
SHE TOOK ME BACK TO the hotel so I could shower and change. Hunter and Mia showed up while I was shaving. I heard them all talking in the bedroom. Mia was pumping Rose for info on how she knew me.
I came out in a towel.
“David, is your website handy?” Rose asked, and she handed me my tablet so I could put in my password.
I pulled it up the site and handed it back to her. I grabbed what I was wearing tonight and went back into the bathroom. When I came out, Hunter and Mia looked at me funny.
“Are you really a model with Ford Models?” Mia asked.
“Yes, I am. I work with Range Sports, and I did a commercial for Red that’s running right now.”
“How come you don’t have any photos of me?” Rose asked.
“Look under the ‘New’ section. There are photos from the San Francisco shoot,” I told her.
“Where are the ones where you have your hands down my suit?” she asked.
“They deleted them,” I told her.
“Yeah, right, I call bullshit,” she said.
They were in the folder with my nude pictures of Adrienne from Miami. There was no way I was showing them those photos. I just shrugged.
“Would it be okay if we went to dinner with you?” Mia asked.
Rose looked at me.
“It’s up to you. I’ll let you plan the night,” I told her.
“It’s fine with me, as long as you understand David and I are going to be taking off after we eat. I want to spend some time talking to him.”
“Hunter and I will be going back to my apartment afterward, so it would just be dinner,” Mia clued us in.
Hunter got a ghost of a smile when he heard he was getting laid again.
“I’m going to run home and change. Hunter knows where I live. I shouldn’t take too long. Give me twenty minutes,” Mia said and was out the door.
We told Hunter we’d meet him in the bar so he could have some privacy taking a shower and changing out of his workout clothes. We went down, found a quiet table, and ordered a couple of iced teas. Rose told me about what all she’d been doing since I had seen her. Range Sports had given her a good review, which had helped increase her bookings. Hunter found us and we drove over to Mia’s place.
When we got there, Ava was sitting on the front steps. I turned to the back seat and looked Hunter in the eye.
“This is a shit move. I sure hope you had nothing to do with this.”
“No, I didn’t. Let me go get Mia and find out what’s going on,” he told me, as he got out to get his date.
I turned to Rose.
“Just so you know, I went out with the girl sitting on the front step last night. She’s Mia’s roommate, and I suspect Mia sent her down to cause trouble.”
Ava came to my side of the car, so I got out to talk to her.
“How are you?” I asked.
“I’ve been better. Mia said you’d upgraded. I had to come out and see,” she told me.
“I hope you know Mia isn’t really a friend. No real friend would put you in this situation.”
She just sighed. I felt bad. Rose got out of the car and introduced herself. The girls went off and talked, leaving me to twist in the wind. I heard Hunter and Mia coming back.
“Don’t worry about it. David’s a big boy. Ava needed to know what kind of guy he really is.”