“Of course, we do,” he said, and then smiled.
I think Bill’s parents were shocked that I would talk to him like that. I could tell my mom had decided she liked him because she started to give him shit.
“I’m not too sure about that. You might need Bill and David before the day is out.”
Coach Patrick’s eyebrows went up, and then he started laughing.
“You know what? You might be right about that. Look, I can tell you like to get to the point. I want you both to play for Northwestern. Besides being a top-rated academic institution, we’re going places with football. We’ve developed a solid foundation, and are on the verge of pushing to the top of the Big 10. We just need a few players like you two, winners.”
“What about the other guys we brought today?” I asked.
“I like Jim’s size and footwork. He needs to fill out his frame, though. I think that if we redshirt him he could be an outstanding tackle. Wolf has the hands and size we look for in a tight end. I’d like to see him work on his strength and speed. Ty is high on our list, but we’re looking at a few backs that might be as good or better. We’ll watch him closely over the next two years. The other guys need to develop. Tim is the closest right now. He has a nasty streak that we like.”
“Coach, I received offers from Missouri and USC this week. I want to play with these guys in college if I can. Especially David; he’s going to be something special by the time he graduates. I want him to help me make it to the pros,” Bill said, shocking me.
I hadn’t realized that he felt the same way that I did about him. Bill may not have the numbers he did last year, but I hadn’t seen anybody better than he was. I’d love to have him as one of my receivers. He could catch just about anything if I got it close to him. There are just a handful of players that make you look better than you are. Bill was one of those.
Coach Patrick took a deep breath.
“As much as I’d love to promise you that all your teammates you brought this weekend will get offers, I just can’t right now. I can offer you two, though.”
“You know, USC told me just about the same. I’m going to lay it out there for you,” I started. “I can go two different ways. If I just look out for myself, I doubt that Northwestern will be on my list. I’m confident that Bill and I could get a national championship at USC or one of the other big boys. The other route I will go is to have the opportunity to play with my friends.
“I think you’re selling them short. Ty Wilson started for Washington his freshman year. I predict he’ll be All-State by his junior and senior years. Mike Herndon has the potential to be better than his brother. Tim will end up starting for someone. By the time, he’s a senior, he’ll be a beast. Finally, Jim and Wolf will end up playing on Sunday.”
I had left out Ed and Jake. I was afraid that Ed was too small, and the jury was out on Jake. They had potential, though.
“Since you’re being so honest with me, will Bill’s decision affect where you decide to play ball?” Coach Patrick asked.
“Absolutely. It’ll be a big factor in my decision,” I shared.
He gave me a big smile and sent my parents and me on our way. Bill was going to get the big sales job. We found everyone ready to continue the tour. Ryan asked about Bill, but Dad explained that he’d join us later.
WE WERE TAKEN BY SHUTTLE bus to the campus. It had a nice mix of old and more modern buildings. Ryan filled us in about the Kellogg School of Management. The business school was established over a hundred years ago. They focused on teamwork and good moral character. They were consistently rated as one of the top five business schools in the US, and also in the top fifteen worldwide.
I was listening to Ryan’s tour when suddenly I was tackled and went sprawling in the grass. I was about to retaliate when I saw Suzanne’s smiling face. I felt like a shit. I hadn’t even thought about telling her I was coming this weekend. To be honest, I’d forgotten that she went here.
Then she smacked me.
“Why didn’t you call me? Why are you here? Why is everyone here?” she started babbling.
“We’re all here to look at the campus and go to the game. We’re checking the college out,” Mom told her.
I wondered why her parents or Jim hadn’t told her. Maybe they wanted to surprise her. I didn’t think it was wise to show up unannounced at a college girl’s dorm room if you were the parental units. Who knew what you would find?
“What’s your schedule?” she asked me.
“We have the tour and then we have some free time before the game. They want us at the stadium by five for the tailgate party, then the game is at six,” I told her.
“Sorry, guys! He’s mine, till five,” she decided.
“But I haven’t had lunch yet,” I complained.
I had missed eating because of our talk with Coach Patrick.
“Suck it up, and come on,” she said as she pulled me along.
The guys and their parents found this highly amusing. Ryan wasn’t quite sure what to do. I must have been his first recruit that got dragged off from the tour. She knew me well enough also to know that she needed to feed me. She took me to the Evanston Chicken Shack where I was introduced to this mouth-watering chicken that had cracked black pepper in the seasoning that gave it just enough spice. I could see eating there almost every day if I went to college here. It was also very reasonably priced!
The next stop was Suzanne’s dorm room. We came stumbling in to find her roommate had just gotten out of the shower. Suzanne had my shirt off before she realized that we had an audience.
I blushed and tried to shake her hand. Bad move, because she about lost her towel. Suzanne pushed me out into the hall with a giggle. I hadn’t seen Suzanne act so goofy in like ... well, never. I heard the girls laughing in the room as her roommate got dressed. I started to draw attention in the hall as I stood outside their door with my shirt off.
A cute blond sauntered out of her room. Yes, I said ‘sauntered.’ She just casually strolled down the hall, checking me out. She stopped in front of me and looked me over more closely.
“You look lost,” she said.
“No, just waiting out here for a moment.”
“Hmm, come with me,” she said, and took my hand.
She led me to her room as if I were a small child who was lost. When we got to her room she told me to sit. She wrote a note and then left the room. She came back and sat on my lap. I was suddenly nervous.
“I think they say possession is nine-tenths of the law. If they’re going to throw out a perfectly good boy, I’m going to claim him,” she said as she took her shirt off.
“I don’t think Suzanne’s going to be happy if she finds me with you,” I said as I tried to fend her off.
“Oh, I thought you were Lydia’s. Trust me, Suzanne has no idea what to do with a hot guy like you. You’re much better off spending the afternoon with me.”
That was when the door crashed open and Suzanne and her roommate stuck their heads in.
“It didn’t take you long to find the biggest slut on the floor,” Suzanne accused me.
The girl sitting on my lap just laughed and jumped up.
“I was just warming him up for you. He’s a cute one; where’d you find him?”
“He was on a tour for football recruits. If you play your cards right, I bet David would invite you to their party tonight. There are several that I think you’d like.”
“Yes, fresh meat,” she cooed.
“I think a few of them are virgins,” I supplied.
That got her interest. This girl was either the biggest slut I had ever met or funny as hell. I was hoping for slut but would settle for funny. I could just see her getting ahold of Mike and Tim. They wouldn’t know what hit them. Ed would have a stroke. Suzanne just grabbed me and pulled me back to her room. I think she was hornier than I was.
She had me flat on my back and a condom on me within a minute of entering her room. I had missed Suzanne. Hell, it wasn’t that far a drive. I would bet that if I got the guys laid, I could get them to carpool with me some weekend.