“Yes, sir,” I answered.
That didn’t go well. Could I make a change at this point? Probably not. Could I make Coach Hope take me seriously? I would make it so even a blind man could see I was the better choice to start. If he picked Brad over me, then so be it. At least I’d given it my best effort.
BETH’S SECOND GIRL took me all of ten seconds to figure out who it was: Cassidy. I took my mask off.
“Nice try,” I told her.
“Hey, Beth said if you’re not good she’ll handcuff you,” she glared at me.
“Cassidy, I’d love to spend the afternoon making love to you. We both know there are good reasons why we’re friends and not lovers. Two of those reasons I like too much to hurt: Jim and your dad would be disappointed in us.”
My words took the wind out of her sails. She wasn’t done, though.
“Put the mask back on. I’ll send someone else in,” she promised.
“We both know I can’t pretend I don’t know it’d be you. Plus, you’re my friend,” I said while hugging her.
I put on a pair of shorts and walked Cassidy out. Beth just shrugged when she saw I’d said ‘no.’ I think she thought there was a chance it would happen. I spotted Kim and winked at the cute Asian cheerleader. She looked at Sammie and she told her something. Kim jumped up and pulled me upstairs. She obviously didn’t want to miss her chance at the birthday-week festivities.
No one else had a curvy little body like hers. I did my level-best to rock her world. I found her ribcage was sensitive, and she loved to have her butt kneaded while I licked and sucked her nipples. I think Kim was as surprised as I was that she was a screamer. I had just started working her G-spot when she tried to make me deaf. I stopped.
“What the hell?” I asked.
I found Kim had one of the largest G-spots I’d ever encountered. It was almost stupid-easy to get her off, and I did, again and again, until she was a worthless puddle. Beth finally came in and pulled me off her.
“I’ve heard her screaming for the past hour. She’s had enough, and you’re scaring the children,” Beth scolded me.
“Oh, the freshmen are here,” I said.
“Yes, and they think you’re up here killing poor Kim. Tracy and Mona aren’t helping. They’re telling them how your big tool is probably ripping her apart. They’re having as much fun as you are.”
“I might have to spank their butts. They don’t need to be scaring off cute girls.”
Kim seemed to regain her senses. We got dressed and went out to have a talk with Mona and Tracy.
THE FRESHMEN WERE A little jumpy around me. I glared at Tracy and Mona who just shrugged at me. I was surprised Lily was there. Then it hit me: she was my mystery girl! I went up to her and gave her a long, passionate kiss.
“I guess you figured it out,” she told me.
“Just now. You had me completely fooled. I had guessed Kim Sun,” I confessed.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Kim was a good-looking girl. Lily was too, in her own way. She covered it up more but could be stunning if she put on a little makeup and let more of her body show.
Lily had something to show me. She pulled out her phone and showed me the latest ad flyer Mr. Hill had put out. It was boy’s briefs. One of the shots I thought was deleted was in print. It showed the outline of Mr. Happy lying off to the side. Lily giggled when she saw my expression. There wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it now. I needed to tell Kendal and find out how it was printed. I grabbed my phone and had Lily send me the picture. I sent it on to Kendal. My phone rang a minute later.
“That’s not good. Where did you see it?” Kendal asked.
“Lily had it sent to her. I guess it was in the Sunday paper.”
“Let me find out how this made it to press. Don’t do anything until I confirm this isn’t a hoax. I remember the shot, and I saw him delete it,” she told me.
I hung up and spotted the freshmen in the hot tub. I went over and got in with them, which caused all conversation to stop. That was how you knew they were talking about you.
“You guys know Tracy and Mona were just teasing you, right?” I asked.
They all looked at me and nodded. They weren’t sure; I could tell that by the looks they gave me. I motioned Kim over. She got into the hot tub with us.
“Please tell them I wasn’t hurting you,” I told her.
Her eyes got big.
“I’m not sure if I need to go to the doctor or not,” she said in mock horror.
They looked at her then stared at me. I just shook my head and got out of the hot tub. The older girls could have their fun. It was a rite of passage for older teens to haze freshmen, as long as it didn’t get out of hand. Kim had just gotten started. Tracy, Mona and Sammie went to join in the fun. Lily, Beth and I went and caught some rays.
AFTER DINNER, ANGIE wanted to show me a bedroom set online. She’d found it in a design magazine. They had taken wood flooring and put it on the wall behind the bed. The caption said it was walnut. The bed itself was very modern. It had round wood legs, and the mattress sat down in the frame so only two inches showed. The frame was made of walnut and had a padded black leather top, so it looked comfortable to get in and out of. What made it unique were the sides flared out like a baby grand piano to make built-in nightstands. All along the back was an adjustable leather headboard. The headboard would go from lying flat to tilted, so you could sit up in bed.
“I love it,” I told her.
“Thank God, Tami told me I better tell you before it showed up. I ordered it last week and it should be here tomorrow. The flooring guys are in your apartment right now doing the wall.”
“Yeah, I might’ve freaked out. Thanks for helping me get the apartment redone. I really love the living room. You guys did a great job of making it something I’ll love for the next three years.”
MY PHONE RANG. IT WAS Tami.
“Guess who’s taking me to dinner tonight?” she asked me.
“I have no idea.”
“You are. I just got home and will be here through the weekend. So get your butt in the shower and I’ll pick you up in thirty minutes.”
She hung up on me. I guess I had no say in the matter. I found the wall was done and looked great. There was an electrician working on wall sconces. I looked at the box and they were an Art Deco design, which carried over from the living room.
I got ready and went downstairs when I heard Tami honk.
“So where are we going?” I asked her.
“To pick out your birthday present,” she told me.
“Puppy?” I asked, bouncing up and down.
“Hell, no! Your mom would kill me.”
She took me to the Sullivan car dealership. Mr. Sullivan at the door was waiting for us.
“Tami came in and picked out three cars for you to look at,” he told me as we walked out onto the lot. “The first is the Camaro SS.”
He had me get in and get a feel for the car. Tami smirked because she saw I loved it. We took it for a test drive, and it was everything a teen boy would want. Then he showed me the Jeep I’d planned to buy. I was torn. I liked both of them. If I had to pick, it would be the Jeep.
“We just got the next one in. Let me see if it’s ready,” Mr. Sullivan told me.
“What is it?” I asked Tami after he left.
“Patience,” she advised me.
I heard the rumble from the motor before I saw it. It was orange, so it would fit in with our school colors. It looked like an old muscle car. When it got closer, I saw it was a Dodge Charger with the V8 Hemi engine in it. I looked at Tami, and she knew. This was what I’d end up with. We took it for a test drive, and her suspicions were confirmed, I loved it. We got back to the dealership, and Mr. Sullivan wanted to talk.
“I want to ask you a favor. Would you allow us to display this car at the Taste of Lincoln and say you’re buying it?”