Then again, the recruiter was from a big-time program, and I’d never heard a word about the official outcome. When I read Mark’s web page, it said he’d taken a gap year and gray-shirted, like I planned to do next season. The difference was that he would be part of this incoming class, which was why he signed a letter of intent.
I was even happier I hadn’t considered them after seeing that Mark was the kind of player they were looking for. It was only a matter of time before they would end up on some sort of probation.
◊◊◊ Friday February 3
Before school, Pam took me aside.
“I talked to my dad yesterday,” Pam said.
I guess I wasn’t surprised that she’d talked to him. But I was astonished that she would talk to me about him. Pam knew how I felt about her dad.
“Okay,” I said cautiously.
“He graduated from Loyola Marymount.”
Oh, boy. I loved Pam, but there were times I got impatient when she had something to either tell or ask me.
“Just say it,” I suggested.
“Would it be okay if I went to school there?”
Now I was confused.
“I thought you were going to Pepperdine.”
“Loyola Marymount is only about forty minutes from USC, and Tracy said I had to ask you if she and I could live together,” Pam said.
“Ah,” I said, suddenly getting it.
I’d talked to Tracy about living in Zander’s old place. It was a three-story, four-bedroom townhome within walking distance of the USC campus. I’d been worried about Pam living on her own and had offered to let her move into my Malibu house. I wasn’t exactly sure where Loyola Marymount was located, but if she could live with Tracy, I would feel better knowing they had each other.
“David?”
“Hm?”
“Is that a yes?” Pam asked.
“Sorry, of course you can. I only have one question.”
“Yes?”
“How does your dad figure into all this?”
“Oh.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“You won’t be mad at me?” she asked.
“No.”
“He said he would help pay for my school if I went there.”
“I thought he was paying for Pepperdine.”
“He was, but I asked him if I could switch, and he said yes.”
“Will this make you happy?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said, and her eyes darted towards me and then away.
“And?”
“Coby will need a car.”
“Ah.”
“Tracy said he should probably get a Mustang,” Pam said and bit her lip.
I bet she did.
“That would be hard to get a car seat into.”
“Oh.”
“What do you want?” I asked.
“Brook got a Porsche,” Pam said hopefully.
This was one more reminder that the women in my life all talked to each other and compared notes.
“The back seat is even worse in her car. Maybe Coby should get a minivan,” I suggested.
She threw a face to reject that idea.
“Tell you what,” I said. “Why don’t you and Tracy figure out what kind of car Coby
“You’re the best,” she said excitedly.
“Go call Tracy and give her the good news,” I suggested.
◊◊◊
Dare had been acting funny around me ever since he sent Brook the message telling her how ‘special’ she was. I’d had enough, so I made him sit with me alone at lunch so we could talk.
It was double cheeseburger and tater tots day in the cafeteria. That was the holy grail of lunches. Some politician’s wife had made it her mission to ruin lunch with healthy food. I chose to believe that the green shimmer on mystery meat was vegetable-based. I guess some days, the lunch ladies just gave up and gave us what we wanted. It seemed to happen on Fridays when they’d rather relax and not listen to us whining.
Once we reached our table, I decided to get to the heart of the matter.
“What’s your major malfunction?” I asked.
Dare’s eyes darted around like a trapped animal planning its escape.
“Dude, settle down,” I told him.
He cocked his head like Duke does when he hears the mailman.
“You’re not mad at me?” Dare asked.
“About you going after my ex?” I asked, which caused him to turn an unusual shade of red.
He studied his food as I let him ponder what I’d said.
“You’re not mad because you know I have no shot with her,” Dare said as he looked out the window.
“Look at me,” I said, and when he didn’t, I repeated myself. “Look at me.”
I knew it was hard for him to make eye contact, but he did.
“You trust me to tell you some uncomfortable truths?” I asked.
Dare nodded.
“Brook was out of my league.”
He snorted and nodded his head in agreement. The little shit was going to die.
“You think that’s funny, do you?” I asked.
“No, not really,” he admitted as he sobered up. “It just highlights my point. Brook is way out of my league. It’s just that she’s so …”
“I know … ‘special,’” I said seriously. “That’s why I dated Brook. I consider myself lucky that she put up with me.”
“She thinks I’m a little kid,” Dare pouted.
“No, she doesn’t. Brook and I have talked about your crush on her. While she wasn’t interested, she took it seriously. The last thing she ever wanted to do was hurt you. Brook likes you a lot, just not in that way,” I said.
He looked at me and nodded.
