10:00 Brunch
11:00 Back to Campus
11:30 Nutrition Presentation
11:45 Strength Staff Presentation
12:30 Sports Medicine Presentation
12:45 Meet Coaching Staff
1:15 Meet Head Coach
3:00 Head back to Atlanta for Flight
“Do you think we could just talk to the coaches and get on the road? I’m supposed to be at a family dinner tonight,” I said while mentally calculating travel time. I didn’t think we would be home until around eight.
Brandon was about to go talk to someone when I stopped him.
“I think everyone would benefit from the presentations. Why don’t you see if you can just get me out of it? I’ve already been exposed to this when Bo sent me to STIC in Chicago. You and Alan can make sure everyone makes it home,” I said.
STIC was the Sports Training Institute of Chicago. I’d attended to get specialized training for both football and baseball. They’d also given me a thorough medical evaluation, and recommended a comprehensive program for keeping me lean and fit. Pro athletes used STIC to keep them healthy and on top of their game. I was pleased with the results and didn’t feel the need to attend the presentations here.
Brandon left to work his magic as I walked around meeting everyone. When it was time for brunch, I saw one of the recruits get a big bowl of grits and then put two fried eggs with soft yolks on it.
“I’ve never seen anyone do that to grits,” I told him.
“It’s a Southern thing. My dad also cuts up his sausage and mixes it in. The yolks make it creamy. You should try it.”
I did, and it wasn’t bad.
◊◊◊
My talk with the Georgia coaching staff was not what I’d expected. While they thought I would make a great addition to their football team, they didn’t believe they had a legitimate chance to land me. The University of Georgia would make me an offer, but their focus would be on quarterbacks in the South with whom they felt they had already built relationships.
In a fit of immaturity, I told them not to bother with an offer. Not that I wanted Georgia to waste time chasing me, it was a feeling that they had in a way disrespected me somehow. If I ever ended up in the SEC, I would love to put a beatdown on them when we played.
I guess I never thought anyone wouldn’t want the number 1 quarterback to come to their school. I’d made the effort to fly in and see their university on my dime. Yes, I wanted to see Alabama play in person, but I’d picked the Georgia game for a reason. I could have chosen the Alabama games at Texas A&M, Mississippi State, or Auburn. If Georgia was lukewarm about me visiting, they should have told me.
Brandon ordered a car to take me to the airport. On the ride there, I calmed down. I’d known going in that not every school would be a fit. It also might not be me that decided. At least they’d been honest about what their plans were. But I would bet that if their fan base found out they would bypass better talent just to get a local kid, they might not be happy. I knew I wouldn’t be.
◊◊◊
I had dinner at the Pearson farm. Roc teased his sister about wearing a dress. I smiled when Zoe punched him in his chest. That had to hurt.
“Roc, leave your sister alone,” their mom called from the kitchen.
“She hit me,” he complained.
“And you started it,” his mom told him.
“I think your sister looks nice in a dress,” I told him.
“You think Zoe looks nice in anything.”
I smiled and nodded. She did look nice in jeans. Zoe reached out and squeezed my hand. I pulled her to me and kissed her.
“Eww!” Roc exclaimed.
I raised an eyebrow at him, and Roc decided he’d better retreat to the kitchen to help his mom. Whatever she was cooking smelled great. Zoe’s dad came into the living room. We sat on the couch, and he claimed his recliner.
“Thank you for inviting me to dinner, Mr. Pearson,” I said.
“We wanted to get to know the young man Zoe has been talking about nonstop for the past few weeks,” he began.
He gently interrogated me about my family and me. Mr. Pearson knew me somewhat from Little League, but that had been a few years ago. When he confirmed I wasn’t a gangbanger or mass murderer, I think he was happy that Zoe was happy.
Dinner was pot roast with potatoes, carrots, and onions. There was also homemade bread hot out of the oven. For dessert, we had homemade ice cream. I was ready to move in. Zoe and I cleaned up, and then she wanted to go for a walk. We went to the barn so she could check on her horses.
When she finished with the horses, Zoe cornered me against a stall door and kissed me.
“What time should I be over for dinner tomorrow?” I asked.
“Next time I’ll cook for you,” she said. “My mom’s a good teacher.”
“You’re pulling out all the stops. You wear a dress, kiss me, and now you tell me you can cook. You keep it up, and I might not be a gentleman.”
Zoe’s eyes got big.
“Someone might come out to the barn,” she warned me.
I reached behind her and started to slowly inch up her dress as I leaned down and kissed her neck. When I got the hem of her dress to mid-thigh, Zoe moaned.
“Someone might see,” she whispered in my ear.
“Would you like that?” I asked.
“No, I’d be so embarrassed.”
“Tell me to stop, then,” I said while using my other hand to caress her breast.
Zoe gasped when I turned us around and pinned her to the stall door. I dropped to my knees, lifted her dress, and buried my face between her thighs. Zoe grabbed the back of my head and ground her crotch into my face. I worked her panties to the side to allow access to her sex. I used what I’d learned from our last session to bring her off quickly.
When I completed my mission, it took all my willpower not to turn her around and take her right there in the barn, but I didn’t want her first time to be a quick romp. Zoe deserved something nice that she would remember.
“Zoe, I want to make love to you, but I want it to be special. Do you have an idea of how you’d like it to happen?” I asked.
“What makes you think I’m ready for that?” she said, and at first I thought I’d misread where we were at in the relationship, but then she bit her bottom lip, and I realized she was teasing me.
“Like I said earlier, all you have to do is tell me to stop,” I said, pulling her tight against me.
“That’s the problem. I never want you to stop. Let me think about it, and I’ll tell you this week at school what I want to do.”
We heard the sound of boots crunching on gravel. Roc walked into the barn.
“Mom says you should wrap it up.”
“Okay, I’ll be in in a minute,” Zoe said.
She walked me to my car and kissed me goodbye. Roc had waited for her, and he made gagging gestures that earned him another punch. He gave Zoe a glare, and she raced for the house. I knew Roc could have caught his sister, but he was just having fun teasing her. I was starting to have feelings for Zoe, which surprised me. I had really tried to keep it just fun, but she was working her way into my heart.
◊◊◊
Chapter 19 – Somewhere Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace Monday October 5
First thing Monday morning I was called out of PE to meet with my guidance counselor, Ms. Jaroslav. I’d never met her before, so had no idea what she wanted. They had her in a small office with an oversize file cabinet and a desk. I would go crazy in that cramped space if I were her. Ms. Jaroslav had my folder out and, when I walked in, she looked up from reading it. She appeared to be in her thirties and had a figure that looked like a mom. I wondered if she had any kids.
“I understand that you’ll be leaving school at the end of November and will miss the last three weeks of the semester. Is that correct?” she asked.