We were all getting better. Coach Mason and Quaid made a good team. He would point out something to work on, Quaid would take us off to the side, and we would work on it. If I hadn’t been confident, I would have been in trouble. I went to work with Quaid three times more than the other guys. Quaid finally gave me some advice.
“Quit overthinking it. You’re trying to do everything perfectly. I get that, but you need to just throw the ball. Get out of your own way and play.”
Over the next half hour, I tried to take his advice when I finally fell into ‘the zone.’ It almost felt like a game. Everyone noticed the change as I started to pick the defense apart. Right before we broke for lunch, I threw a pass that split two defenders and hit my receiver in stride. I was expecting to get yelled at.
“Holy Cow! We have us a quarterback. Where’ve you been hiding him? Good job! Only the receiver could have caught it, and you pulled the trigger. Earlier today, you wouldn’t make that play. Let’s end it on that. Nice improvement, David,” Coach Mason praised me.
I was walking on cloud nine when I went to lunch. That was until the reporter for the scouting service showed up again.
“Do you have time to talk to me at lunch?” he asked.
“Are there going to be any follow-up questions from this morning’s topic?” I asked back.
“No, and I’m sorry for that. Another camper got caught taking money and tried to take you down with him. We got it all straightened out. Everyone knows it was just sour grapes, and you’re in the clear.”
“Okay, but let me eat while we talk. I’m starved.”
We sat down and he did the interview. He wanted me to list all the schools that were showing interest. I had him get in touch with Tracy. He asked me for a ‘Top Five.’ I listed them in order. State, because I had made a soft verbal to them. I then followed with UCLA (to tweak USC), Notre Dame (I was two for two), USC and Kentucky. I gave USC a shot to see if they would offer. I listed Kentucky because they’d treated me right and I liked the campus. I called Tracy to warn her that the reporter would be calling and asked her to contact everyone and let them know what I was up to. I didn’t want to make anyone else mad.
IN THE AFTERNOON, COACH Mason turned me loose. He was sending two, three, four rushers at me. Where Ridge and Hunter were unloading the ball like they’d been coached, I scrambled. I felt like Johnny Manziel in some of his crazy plays. Hunter and Ridge had both gotten frustrated. Coach sent them both over to work with Quaid.
The defensive players were having a blast chasing me around. The drills Chris Case had me doing for speed started to make sense. I was able to cut and stop, making them miss just enough to get the ball off. The spectators started to get vocal.
Coach Mason sent four defenders after me. My frickin’ receivers were covered. I had a player rushing me from each side and two more up the middle. Instead of peeling off, I stepped up into the pocket and then juked the two in the middle. They bit hard on the fake and I ran for the line. Right before I crossed it one of my receivers broke free. I threw one of those mile-high passes down the sideline. He laid out and caught it.
I did a little dance and taunted the defense.
“You can’t catch this!” I sang.
“Get over here!” Coach Mason yelled at me.
I jogged over and was yelled at for what seemed like forever. Coach Mason did not tolerate taunting. When he was done, we talked about the play.
“I’ve let you show off in front of the scouts and recruiters. Now I want you to do it my way. What should you do if you’re blitzed?”
“Find my hot route or throw the ball away,” I told him.
Ridge and Hunter joined us again and we played it straight after that.
Towards the end of practice, I cramped up. The problem with lean muscles was you needed to keep them hydrated and your sodium levels up. That was why I drank Gatorade. I’d been too focused on playing all afternoon in the heat and humidity. I hate cramps. Quaid helped stretch me out and one of the helpers brought me salt pills and water.
Coach Mason wouldn’t let me back in practice. He had me stand with Quaid so he could tell me what he was seeing. He helped explain what Coach Mason was teaching Hunter and Ridge. His running commentary helped clarify some things I hadn’t realized. He pointed out why the dump-off or hitting the hot route was a better play than the scramble for most quarterbacks. The percentage of interceptions went way up when they could force a quarterback out of his comfort zone.
When he wasn’t telling me about what he saw on the field, he was gently selling me on the virtues of Florida. He told me Joe Phips, their recruiting coordinator, said to say ‘hi.’ It sounded like Quaid really enjoyed campus life. He’d joined a fraternity because he didn’t want to have to go out to bars for a good time.
Coach finally called an end to the day. He told us tomorrow morning we would have a quick film session. Then we would be back on the field for the last day of camp.
I TALKED BO INTO TAKING me to the fitness club. I got a massage and then hit the hot tub. Bo and I went to dinner so we could talk about Mark.
“Coach Mason told me you caught Mark on video,” he told me.
WTF? I thought he was going to keep my name out of it. Bo saw my expression.
“He only told me. Mark’s a real class act. I heard what he told the reporter. Next time you see him, just kick his ass.”
I guess the guys had filled him in on our initial meeting.
“I really wish it hadn’t happened.”
“I know, but I warned you about this stuff. I also heard about your top five. It serves USC right. Something you are going to catch shit about is Notre Dame. Besides the whole NBC/Notre Dame Broadcasting Network matter, they’re not a Nike school. I wish you’d told me before you made the list. Even if they really were in your top five, I’d have suggested you leave them off.
“Some of the funding for seven-on-seven teams is from Nike. They also sponsor camps. Notice the logo on the jersey. It’s in their best interest if the top athletes go to their schools that wear their gear.”
“They’re going to love that I’m the face of Range Sports.”
“They should be fine until Range starts sponsoring teams. Then look out,” he warned me.
When we got back, I was dead tired and I fell asleep watching a movie. I woke up at midnight, got a drink, and took the supplements I’d forgotten to take earlier. Hunter and Ridge’s doors were still open, so I knew they weren’t back yet. I went to bed.
I WOKE FROM A SOUND sleep. I tried to make sense of what had woken me and then I felt a hand grasp my member. Warm wetness engulfed the head of Mr. Happy. A couple of head-bobs and hard sucks, and I was completely rigid. I tried to figure out what was going on when my eyes fluttered open.
Ridge was standing naked by my door and had a haunted look in his eyes. I looked down and Penny was slowly sucking my member. She really was cute and she and Ridge made a handsome couple. I could tell this wasn’t Ridge’s idea. He was doing this for her. She wiggled her butt at him.
“Ridge, honey, do me,” she purred.
It seemed to snap him out of his daydream. My friend clenched his jaw and forced a smile on his face; the smile never made it to his eyes. I felt sorry for him. He had dated the love of his life since middle school. If he was anything like me, this was killing him, but he loved her enough to make her happy. I wondered if I could ever do something like this if I was as in love as Ridge was. I decided I couldn’t, and at that moment, I knew Ridge was stronger than I was.
Ridge stepped up behind her and began to slowly enter Penny. Mr. Happy wrenched control of the body and I just lay back and let her take advantage of me. I wasn’t going to stop this if it was what Ridge and Penny wanted. If it had been under different circumstances, I might have been able to enjoy the experience. This was probably the least enjoyable bj I’d ever had. It wasn’t that she was bad at it; it was because it was being done without my consent.