Andrew Chapter 23: Version 2

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ANDREW CHAPTER 23 VERSION 2: ANDREW'S 18TH BIRTHDAY
(Excepts by Cheryl Brain)

On Sunday morning, Andrew was awakened by Carrie calling him on his private line. She told him that she wanted to take him out for lunch and buy him some birthday presents.
"Be ready by 12:30 Andrew; I'll pick you up then," Carrie ordered him.
"Yes ma'am!" Andrew chuckled, as he hung up the phone.
As Andrew sat up in bed, he saw his reflection in the mirror above his dresser. Andrew just stared at his ripped 10-pack of abs and his massive shoulders, pecs and biceps. Andrew grinned and began flexing his pecs and biceps slowly, admiring their definition.
?Andrew the Greek God,? he said to himself. ?The Perfect Body, that?s what I have! I love being so buff and strong! Anyone gets in my way; I?ll crush them just like an ant! Yeah!?
Andrew crunched his abs, flexed his shoulders downward, and then looked in the mirror. What he saw shocked him. He saw an insanely muscular teen glaring at him as if he wanted to kill him. Andrew slowly relaxed his muscles so that they were no longer red, veiny and heaving, and sat up straight again. Then he remembered Martin?s advice.
?If I scare myself, I?d better think of how much more scared everyone else gets when I show off my muscles!? he said to himself. ?It?s no wonder the other players are shocked by my size, even when I?m not mad!?
Andrew walked into the bathroom, got his shower, shaved and brushed his teeth. He couldn?t help admiring his muscles in the mirror, but this time, he didn?t glare at himself in the mirror. He just had a smug grin on his face as he marveled at the rock-hard definition of his muscles.
?I love it!? he yelled. ?I love being a muscle god! Yeah!?
Then he hunted around for the largest clothes he could find. But the 3XL t-shirt and jeans he found still showed off every muscle, even when he didn?t flex them.
?This is ridiculous,? Andrew said to himself, as he looked in his bedroom mirror. ?I want to show off my muscles, but I don?t want to have my clothes rip! I have to find a Big and Tall shop somewhere, so that I won?t tear the seams of my clothes anymore!?
Andrew had to fight the urge to flex in the mirror, aware that the slightest wrong move could tear his t-shirt right off.
?Andrew come downstairs; we need to talk!? he heard his father yell from downstairs.
?Coming Dad!? Andrew yelled back, heading towards the stairs.
Chad heard the heavy footsteps from above, and then looked over to see the huge shadow on the wall. That can?t be Andrew, he thought to himself in horror. He?s huge! As Andrew came downstairs, Chad?s fear was justified when he saw just how big Andrew was. Chad was shocked when he saw the seams on Andrew?s clothes straining to contain Andrew?s muscular bulk.
?Good morning son,? Chad greeted him, trying to cover up his shock. ?Is it just me, or are you larger than you were last night??
?I am bigger,? Andrew replied. ?I couldn?t sleep much last night, so I worked out until I got tired. Then I weighed myself just a minute ago, and I weigh 360 pounds now!?
?You probably brought your adrenaline levels even closer to 100 percent by working out,? Chad realized. ?That is what made you lift more, and get bigger, even overnight!?
?Yeah Dad,? Andrew agreed, grinning. ?All thanks to you and your research. I?m really glad you enhanced me; I just wish you had told me before you did it. But I can?t complain about the effects!?
Chad looked up at Andrew as Andrew stopped in front of him. Chad realized that he had to stare up five inches at Andrew?s face. He also realized that Andrew outweighed him by 130 pounds, or about 1.5 times. Chad felt true fear for the first time in many years, and he could not stop that fear from showing on his face. He knew Andrew was The Man, and he knew that there was no way he could ever control his son again.
Andrew caught his father?s look of defeat and couldn?t stop a smug grin from showing on his face.
Yeah! he thought to himself. I really surpassed the Old Man now! He can?t handle me anymore and he knows it!
Andrew was about to shout those thoughts out loud, when he remembered Mr. Stevenson?s words: ?What would Mr. Malcolm think??
Andrew realized that he and his father had to talk about his great strength some more, specifically about how it scared Chad. Andrew grabbed a few oranges and other fruits from the bowl, realizing that he had slept in and missed breakfast. It was about one and a half hours until Carrie would arrive, so Andrew turned on the TV and started watching the sports on ESPN as he talked to his father.
"I'm sure you realize that everything I am is all thanks to you,? Andrew informed his father, putting one massive arm around Chad's shoulders. ?You made me what I am today.?
?I only enhanced you,? Chad reminded him. ?You did the work; showing off the full effects of the enhancement. And what great effects they are!? He stared up almost six inches into Andrew?s face and added, ?Your dream of being The Perfect Man has finally been realized. Congratulations son.?
?I?m hardly The Perfect Man,? Andrew protested. ?Even if I am way stronger than any man I know, including you!?
?Believe me, I know son,? Chad said. ?I just hope you won?t use your power to be a bully and intimidate others. Mr. Malcolm wouldn?t take kindly to that, would he??
?Exactly the point Mr. Stevenson made to me,? Andrew agreed. ?He said that I should think of what Mr. Malcolm would think before I interact with anyone. Then I?ll be sure to treat everyone with respect, no matter how big or small they are.?
?Excellent advice,? Chad said. "He's exactly right: respect is the key to successful relationships, including ours. I'm glad that you still respect me, despite what you learned yesterday morning."
"I'm not mad at you anymore Dad," Andrew assured him. "I'm just glad that you have given me the means to fulfill my full potential." He saw the fear in his father's eyes as Chad stared up at him and he put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry Dad, I won't use my great strength as an excuse to take over this household and boss you around. Even though I am much bigger and stronger than you are, and I'm not done growing yet!"
"I appreciate that son; it's clear that you have learned how to be a 'gentle giant' and not bully others," Chad realized. "You remind me a lot of Clark Kent on Smallville and the words Chloe used to describe him seem to fit you as well: 'you use your great strength to help others with no thought of reward. You're not just a hero; you're a super hero!' And seeing what you did with that tree yesterday, I certainly believe the super part!"
"Thanks a lot Dad," Andrew said. "I'm glad that you're proud of me."
"Proud doesn't begin to describe it, as 'strong' doesn't begin to describe you!" Chad informed his son. "I am also pleased when I look back on your years of high school and see that you have helped others follow in your footsteps of athletic glory!"
"You're referring to Mark, Mike's older brother, aren't you?" Andrew asked Chad. "I suppose you got a good chance to talk to his coaches down there and find out what a great athlete he is."
"Yes I did," Chad agreed. "I was a little surprised that Mike and his dad didn't come down to Miami with us to see Mark, but I imagine they were catching up with Matt instead."
"Yes, I'll have to ask Mike exactly where he was this past week," Andrew realized. "I forgot to ask him about that last night: we had so much other stuff to talk about."
"I'm glad that you're helping Mike follow in his brother's footsteps," Chad said. "Maybe Mike can enter University of Miami as an athlete, just as you will."
"That's a good idea," Andrew realized, noticing that ESPN seemed to be discussing the Hurricanes game from the day before. "Hey Dad, let's watch the sports for a while: they seem to be featuring Miami right now."
So Chad and Andrew watched the sports together until Carrie arrived.
"Big Man are you ready? Lunch is not going to wait: Chinese Food, all you can eat," Carrie said, as Andrew opened the front door for her.
"I can eat quite a lot," Andrew reminded her. "King's Buffet kicked Mike and I out the last time we went there, just after we first met in September. But what else did I expect after I grabbed the serving dish of Lemon Chicken and brought it over to our table."
"I'm surprised that you didn't move your chairs right up to the buffet table and eat there!" Carrie said with a chuckle. Then she got a shocked look on her face and added, "Oh no! Why did I give you that idea?"
"I guess Chinese Food is off the menu," Andrew realized. "I hope you have another restaurant in mind."
?So, where are you two going today?? Chad asked.
?Probably down to Barrie to get some shopping done,? Andrew replied. ?I need to find new clothes that aren?t in danger of splitting every time I flex. So I?ll find a Big and Tall shop somewhere.?
?Stop flexing and you won?t have to worry about your clothes splitting,? Chad informed Andrew.
?What, stop flexing these babies?? Andrew asked, flexing his 33 inch biceps. He grinned at the rippling mounds of muscle and at the amazed look on his dad?s face. Then he turned to Carrie and sneered, ?You think we have any chance of finding clothes that can contain these muscles??
?Only one way to find out,? Carrie replied. ?So, let?s get in your car and get going.?
?Wait just a moment, Andrew,? Chad advised him. ?Did you forget what?s being done with your car today??
?What do you- oh yeah!? Andrew remembered. ?You?re going to turn my car into a sports car, aren?t you??
?I was afraid you had forgotten,? Chad said. ?I remember how embarrassed you were last night when I brought it up.?
?That?s true I was,? Andrew remembered. "But after all you told me last night, I guess I should enjoy what my car will become."
?I hope you'll enjoy it when I turn your car into this,? Chad said. He showed Andrew the picture of the Bomex Superstreet Honda that Andrew had seen at the Source in October. ?I never got a chance to show you the picture last night. How does that look??
?That?s perfect,? Andrew replied, as he struggled into his football jacket. ?I?ll be really happy with a car like that.?
?You deserve it,? Chad said, as Andrew and Carrie headed towards the front door. ?Are you growing out of that 3XL football jacket as well as all your t-shirts Andrew? We got a new wardrobe of 3XL clothes for you just last month!"
"You should have thought of that before you enhanced me in July!" Andrew reminded him with a cocky grin. "The doctors who performed the procedure warned me that I would experience one year of muscle growth in one month! Didn't they tell you about that as well?"
"I guess that's one detail that Marge and I never got around to discussing," Chad realized. "It's quite a shock to see how much bigger and stronger you get each month!"
"You must have forgotten that old saying Dad: 'be careful what you wish for; you may get it!' And I can assure you: anyone who tries to hurt those I care about will certainly get it!"
"Calm down son; I'd hate for you to end up in jail and jeopardize all the potential benefits of your enhancement," Chad advised his son. As Andrew frowned thoughtfully, Chad added, "Have a good day, you two. I?ll see you- oh wait a minute!?
?Yeah Dad?? Andrew grunted, caught halfway through the front door. He caught the keys his dad tossed him, and looked down at them. ?Oh yeah, I guess I need to use your car, don?t I??
?Yes you will and if you don?t mind delivering this letter to the police station for me, I?d appreciate it,? Chad said, handing it over.
?Sure Dad,? Andrew said, grinning. ?Since you asked nicely, I?ll help.?
?Thanks a lot son!? Chad laughed, noticing Andrew?s smug grin. ?The huge football player helps out others, even when he outweighs them by almost 130 pounds!?
?I don?t outweigh you by that much, do I?? Andrew asked in shock. ?130 is the weight of a small guy!?
?Yeah you do outweigh me by that much,? Chad reminded him. ?So you remember that when you two are out there having fun. See you later.?
Andrew waved and led Carrie out to the garage, where his Dad?s Honda Accord was parked.
?So, which mall do you think we should go to after the OPP Station?? Andrew asked Carrie, once they were in the car.
?We might try Georgian Mall first,? Carrie replied, as they headed off out of the driveway. ?Hopefully we will find a Big and Tall shop there. But I think we should have lunch first.?
?Good idea,? Andrew agreed. ?You know, I don?t think I ever apologized to you about how I was yesterday. I was so shy; I didn?t realize I was keeping others from getting on with their day.?
?Are you referring to how reluctant you were about moving the tree off the road?? Carrie asked. When Andrew nodded, she said, ?Don?t worry about it. Steve told me everything when he got home yesterday. Of course, he barely got in the house, because of all the people with cameras that swarmed him. What made you trick him into a strength test like that??
?He was getting so jealous, I thought I would help him overcome it,? Andrew replied. ?All the media attention should help him understand my shyness, as well as helping him secure his own academic scholarship.?
?Good thinking Andrew,? Carrie commended him. ?That was a very good idea.?
?Thanks Carrie,? Andrew said. ?I?m glad you accepted my apology.?
?How could I not when you stare at me with those big blue eyes of yours?? Carrie asked, grinning at him. She gave him a big kiss and added, ?I?m so glad you?re my boyfriend. I?m really lucky.?
?Not as lucky as I am to have you for a girlfriend,? Andrew reminded her. ?I?m the true lucky one, especially since you?re not scared of me like everyone else is.?
?Stop it!? Carrie pleaded with him. ?You?ll make me cry!?
?Sorry about that,? Andrew apologized, laying a hand gently along the side of her face. ?I love you so much, do you know that??
?Sure I do,? Carrie replied. ?I love you too. I look forward to the day we get married.?
?You mean you?re not tired of me, even after seven years?? Andrew asked.
?Of course not,? Carrie admonished him. ?You always find way to keep things interesting, like when you lifted your car for the first time. You?re such a great boyfriend, but you don?t even know it, do you??
?I guess not,? Andrew grinned, smiling shyly. ?Why don?t you tell me all about it??
?Later, during the drive down to Barrie,? Carrie decided. "We're downtown now; let's find someplace to eat."
Once they picked their restaurant, Andrew and Carrie went inside and found that it was a buffet setup: Andrew's favourite.
"Good thing it's one set price, no matter how many times you refill your plate," Carrie whispered in Andrew's ear as she paid for the meal in advance.
"Hey, why are you paying for the meal Carrie?" Andrew asked her, as they headed up to the buffet line.
"It's your birthday: this is one of my presents to you," Carrie replied. "The shopping trip in Barrie later is another of my birthday presents to you."
"You know that I don't turn 18 until 11:45 pm, don't you Carrie?" Andrew asked her.
"Yes I do Andrew, and I realize that your sister Sarah turns 18 at 12:15 am early Monday morning," Carrie reminded him. "That's why your birthdays have always been one day apart, even though your birth times are only half an hour apart."
"Oh yes, I'd forgotten about that until you mentioned it just now Carrie," Andrew realized. "Thank you for reminding me."
"Hey, just because this whole year seems to revolve around you and your enhancement doesn't mean that we can't spare a day or two to think about other people!" Carrie teased him. Andrew turned to look at her with a shocked and embarrassed look on his face. "I'm just kidding Andrew!"
Andrew smiled and squeezed her hand gently, still amazed at how Carrie was always able to surprise him.
During lunch, Andrew and Carrie talked a bit more about the new phase in their relationship, now that they were unofficially engaged. Andrew still found time for four plates of food and one plate of desserts.
Once they were done eating, they headed out to the car. Carrie drove the car this time and took them to the OPP station, where they dropped off Chad's envelope. Andrew had no idea that the letter contained preparation instructions for his next round of strength tests, and Chief Collins didn?t tell him.
As Andrew drove them to Barrie, he and Carrie decided to go to the Georgian Mall to buy Andrew some clothes. As they arrived at the mall and parked the car, Andrew and Carrie decided to look for a Big and Tall men's store. It didn't take to long to find the right store once they got into the mall and Carrie started selecting items for Andrew to try on. She saw a size 4XL leather jacket, the only one in stock, and she decided that it would be a perfect birthday present for Andrew. She didn't let Andrew know that she had seen it, but instead handed him some tops and jeans and dress pants to try on. She took the jacket off the rack and paid for it once Andrew was in the change room. She also had the cashiers gift wrap it, once she told them that it was Andrew's birthday present. She noticed the cashiers' eyes widen when they saw how big the jacket was and she smiled quietly to herself.
Just wait until you see for yourself how big my fianc?e is! she thought to herself, as she picked up some shoes and cowboy boots for Andrew.
Andrew came out of the change room in the first outfit and held his arms up, letting her know that the tops still had some give to them and were not too tight on him. Carrie whistled at Andrew and gave him a thumbs up, letting him know that the clothes looked great on him. As Andrew went back into the change room to try on the next outfit, Carrie turned to see the astonished look on the faces of the cashiers.
"Oh, did I forget to mention that my boyfriend is Andrew Pearson the Football Star?" Carrie asked them innocently.
Carrie had no idea that some teenagers from Barrie Collegiate were in the store, and so she didn't notice them run off to tell all their friends about Andrew's presence in the mall. Carrie did notice how much more helpful the store staff became, once they realized that she was the girlfriend of a local celebrity. It took about an hour for Andrew to try on the various outfits and then Carrie gave him the shoes and the cowboy boots to try on. Knowing what one of the gifts from his parents would be, she steered him towards the boots with higher heels, but she didn't tell him why. Carrie placed all the outfits that she approved of onto the counter and the cashiers gift-wrapped each one. Because Andrew was changing, he had no idea which of the items he had tried on that Carrie had decided to keep.
As the paid for items began to pile up on the counter, Carrie gave one of the staff the key to the trunk of Andrew's car. She asked the staff member to please take some of the paid for items to the car and pack them into the trunk for her. Normally such services weren't offered by the store, but the manager made an exception that day, not only because it was for Andrew, but because of how many items Carrie had purchased that day.
Once Andrew came out of the change room in his normal clothes again, Carrie purchased the last few items. The clerk came back with the trunk key and Carrie quietly slipped it into her pocket without Andrew noticing. Andrew seemed surprised at how few items they took out of the store, considering all the outfits that Carrie had given him to try on that day. But of course he had no idea of the items in the trunk of his car.
Andrew and Carrie decided to have a mid-afternoon snack in the food court, but Carrie knew that with Andrew's appetite, it would likely be a mid-afternoon meal instead. So they headed over to the food court with the three boxes of outfits that Carrie had purchased at the end of their time in the Big and Tall store.
Meanwhile, back at Andrew's house, Chad had just returned from the Honda shop, where he had left the mechanics with Andrew's car and the modification instructions. He found Sarah and Susan getting out of Susan's car and then he saw Sarah's car pull into the driveway behind them.
"I see that your mission was a success," Chad said to his wife and daughter. He stepped forward to hug his family members and then stepped forward to shake the hands of the occupants of Sarah?s car. "What about Andrew's other big present?"
"I will have it here by 6:30 pm, in plenty of time for the surprise party," Martin Stevenson informed him. "It's just being taken out for a test drive right now, to make sure that it's in perfect condition to give to Andrew."
"I'm very impressed with how efficiently you and your son have planned everything," Chad said, smiling at Martin and Mike. "Are the other two surprise guests taking care of the testing of Andrew's present?"
"One of them is; the other one is rounding up the party guests, so that they'll all be here in time for the party," Martin replied. "Don't worry Chad: this birthday will be the best one Andrew's ever had. It's also a great way for my family to say thank you for all the help your family has given us over the years."
"It's my pleasure Martin," Chad said. "Well, let's get inside and get set up for the party."
So everyone followed him inside and began making the party preparations.
As Andrew and Carrie made their way through the crowds to the food court, Carrie smiled to herself as she got the text message informing her that the party preparations were well underway. Fortunately Andrew was distracted by his hunger and the fact that Carrie had given him the three bags to carry. So she was sure that he hadn't seen her texting his mom, both in the store and now in the mall itself.
Once they got to the food court, Carrie found a table for them to sit at, and then she took the bags from Andrew. Andrew went up to get a burger, fries with gravy and a milkshake for both of them. Then he brought the food over to Carrie, after paying for it of course, and set the tray down on the table while he took off his football jacket. As they started eating, Carrie noticed a crowd of teenagers coming over to the table.
"Hey, aren't you Andrew Pearson, that football star from ODCVI?" one of the skinny guys asked Andrew. When Andrew nodded with his mouth full, the guy added, "You smashed our team from Barrie Collegiate two days ago: scoring an outstanding five touchdowns in the first quarter!"
Andrew swallowed his mouthful of food and stood up slowly. He was amazed at how much he towered over the crowd of teenagers.
"It was mostly fumbles that I recovered, and it was a team effort, but yes I did score the first five touchdowns in under ten minutes during Friday's game. But it was lots of discipline that allowed me to do that: knowing that by forcing fumbles and then recovering them, that I could then run the ball down the field for a touchdown."
"Andrew, can I ask for your autograph and some tips on training to become as big as you?" the kid asked him.
"Sure man, what's your name?" Andrew said agreeably.
"My name's Scott. I have never been a strong athlete but I do run a lot," Scott said.
Andrew sat down and took the pen Carrie handed him. He grabbed some notepaper from Carrie and wrote out 'To Scott: stay clean, work hard, and run like hell. Andrew.' He handed the signed paper back to Scott and then began talking to him about ways he could train to become more athletic. More teenagers surrounded the table and it began to look as if a mob were forming. Andrew saw not only the jocks from the Barrie Collegiate football team, but also regular kids from that school who liked football and wanted to become more athletic. They listened carefully as Andrew talked to Scott about how he could train to be active and gain muscle. Andrew made sure not to mention the Genetic Enhancement Therapy of course, since very few people in the crowd were the minimum weight of 275 pounds that they would need to be for the enhancement to work on them.
Three security guards came over to the table to see what was happening.
"Break it up, break it up! We don't need any fights here; this is a place of business," the biggest guard said.
Andrew stood up from his seat and found that he towered over the three guards as well, even the big one who had spoken.
"Sir, there are no fights here. We were just having a friendly talk about football," Andrew said quietly, not letting anyone know that he recognized the big security guard. "We were just talking about how Barrie Collegiate lost so badly against Orillia District on Friday evening. Are you a sports fan sir?"
Andrew knew perfectly well that the security guard played on the Eastview team, another Barrie school that Andrew's team had beaten a few times that season. He was curious to see if the guard would get mad, slip up and reveal their history in front of the entire crowd.
"You're Andrew Pearson; Chad Pearson is your father," the guard said.
Well of course he is! Andrew thought to himself. Can't you come up with anything better to say than that David?
But David's next words threatened to make Andrew mad enough to reveal their bad blood in front of everyone!
"I remember hearing all the awful stories about your father's final NFL season," David Harrington said. "I can't believe that the American Media portrayed him as an arrogant jock who blew all his bonuses on fast cars, easy women, drinks and even drugs! I also remember how the news stories suggested that the fast and carefree life he led caused the horrific accident that hurt him badly, ended his career and hurt the lady friend who was in the car with him."
The entire crowd of teenagers gasped in shock when they realized how blatantly rude the security guard was being to Andrew. They knew all about Chad's history, having been told all about it by their parents, but they knew that a lot of what the guard was saying about drugs and women was an outright lie. As everyone looked away so that they wouldn't see Andrew's reaction, they wondered if Andrew and the security guard actually knew each other.
Andrew clenched his fists and Carrie looked down to see his knuckles going white. She reached up to squeeze Andrew's shoulder as he remembered all the stories his dad had told him: stories of the accident, the fast cars and the drinking. But his father had never mentioned drugs or women, and he had never told Andrew anything about a woman being in the car with him at the time of the accident. Chad had told him how bad the injuries from the accident had been and how even when most of the injuries had healed, his shattered knee had ended his NFL career forever. But never once, during the last ten years that Chad had recounted the story, had he ever mentioned that he had not been alone in the car when he got into that drunk driving accident so long ago.
Andrew finally let out a slow deep breath and said, "You know the media: when it comes to celebrities, they make the smallest thing into the biggest story. It must have been a slow day in the news if those outright lies, that only the gullible could swallow, were all they could come up with." Andrew grinned as he saw David purse his lips and clench his fists; furious that he hadn't managed to ruin Andrew's autograph session with nasty rumours. "But thanks for reminding me that some people get so jealous that they have to drag up bad stuff from the past just to make themselves feel better," Andrew added.
David suddenly turned on the spot and pushed his way through the crowd, which cast angry glances his way when they realized that Andrew was right. The crowd members also realized that Andrew and David knew each other and that they were bitter enemies, though the bitterness was obviously all on David's side. The two other security guards apologized to Andrew for David's behavior and they assured him that David would soon be fired for trying to ruin the reputation of Andrew's father.
"That appalling display of rudeness was completely uncalled for and it is not the kind of behavior that Georgian Mall condones from its security guards," the first guard said to Andrew. "But good for you Andrew: you didn't take the bait and you exposed his unsuitability for this position for all to see. We'd had complaints about David from others, but this is the first time that we've caught his behavior on tape." He pulled out the tape recorder and added, "Since his father sits on the Board of Directors for this mall, I'm sure that David had jeopardized more than this job today."
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