Andrew Chapter 12: Andrew's Confrontation With Anthony

[sl97aq]

?Looks like we have a few moments alone,? Andrew said to Carrie. ?What do you want to do now??

Carrie slowly walked up to Andrew and began kissing him slowly.

?Now we can finally do what we couldn?t on the plane,? Carrie said, smiling softly.

"Do you mean take each other's clothes off?" Andrew guessed, grinning at the thought of seeing Carrie's beautiful body again.

"Didn't you see enough of me last night?" Carrie teased him.

"You're such a bad girl Carrie!" Andrew teased her. He picked her up effortlessly and carried her to the bed, kissing her gently the whole time. Then he set her down gently and slowly climbed on top of her. "There, that's better."

"Oh, you like it on top, do you Big Boy?" Carrie asked him seductively.

"Yes I do," Andrew replied, stroking her hair softly. "That way I can protect you."

"From what?" Carrie asked him. "You don't think any guy would dare try anything with you around, do you?"

"Not once they get a good look at these muscles!" Andrew bragged, flexing his massive bicep slowly.

"Let me worship those massive muscles!" Carrie begged him, smiling with anticipation.

"Whatever you want girl," Andrew said, not even trying to stop her as she kissed his massive bicep hungrily. "In the meantime, I'll have to worship your muscles!" He slowly unbuttoned Carrie's shirt and slipped it off her. When Carrie nodded at him and smiled, Andrew slowly undid her bra until her breasts were exposed. "God you're so beautiful Carrie!" Andrew marvelled, rubbing her breasts gently.

"And you're such a hot muscle stud!" Carrie informed him, her eyes closing in contentment. She tried to take off his t-shirt, but it was too tight for her to get her fingers under the collar. "You're going to have to get a bigger t-shirt Andrew; this one is too tight for me to get it off you!"

"I guess I should wear tight t-shirts, not skintight t-shirts then," Andrew decided, slowly bending down until he could unzip her pants. "It's no fun for you if you can't rip my shirt off is it?"

"I guess I'll just have to settle for taking your pants off!" Carrie decided, bending down to do just that. "It's more fun getting changed if we can undress each other!"

"I agree," Andrew said. "But if you want to see my t-shirt ripped off, watch this!"

Andrew flexed his biceps as hard as he could, making his sleeves tear and fall to the ground. Then he flexed his pecs and lats, tearing his entire shirt into rags that fell to the ground. Carrie finished pulling his pants off and then looked up to see Andrew's massive muscles fully exposed. She got up and tackled Andrew to the ground, grinning with anticipation. Andrew smiled and stroked her face softly as they kissed passionately.

After five minutes of making out, Carrie sat back, smiling and panting.

"I enjoyed that," she said. "How about you?"

"You taste better and better every time I get a taste of you," Andrew said.

"What are you, a cannibal?' Carrie teased him, as he sat up. "Are you trying to eat me?"

"Naw girl!" Andrew laughed. "I meant the taste of your lips on mine! What kind of lip balm are you wearing: Cherry?"

"So I make out with you and all you focus on is what flavour of lip balm I'm wearing?" Carrie asked Andrew, frowning at him.

Andrew stared at her uncertainly as he took their bathing suits out of the backpack. Then he saw her grinning and realized she was just joking with him.

"Why you little joker!" Andrew growled in fake fury. "I'll get you for that!"

"You've already got me," Carrie reminded him. "That's why I'm your girlfriend! I thought you were smart Andrew; you should have known that already!"

"If you're the one who's so smart, tell me how we're supposed to continue making out while we get dressed!" Andrew shouted, grinning so that she wouldn't think he was really mad.

"How about we dress each other," Carrie suggested. "Then we can continue making out while we slowly regain our dignity."

"When did you get so smart?" Andrew asked Carrie, slowly putting her bathing suit on her.

"I spend so much time around an Academic Genius," Carrie reminded him. "It's so great to be the girlfriend of a Smart Jock!"

"Well I wouldn't know anything about being a girlfriend, but I do know what it's like to be a Smart Jock," Andrew said, grinning as Carrie shook her head at his joke. "It's great that I can help the other jocks and the other smart kids."

"That's why you're so popular," Carrie reminded him, sliding his swim trunks up his massive thighs. "You can offer something to both groups; tutoring to the jocks and weight training to the smart kids."

"And what do I offer you?" Andrew asked Carrie, grinning as her hands lingered below his waist.

"The opportunity to touch every part your massive muscular body!" Carrie shouted.

"Whoa calm down girl!" Andrew roared at her.

"Why are you saying 'whoa' to me?" Carrie asked him. "From what I can see, you're the stallion in this room!"

"Thanks Carrie," Andrew said, grinning as Carrie finally stood up. "I'm glad you're pleased with what you see. I'm sure we'll see more of each other later tonight." Carrie grinned with excitement at that thought, and her hand wandered below the waistband of his shorts. "In the meantime, let's show some dignity girl!" Andrew roared at her, unable to stop smiling. He gently removed her hand from underneath his shorts and placed it on his massive pecs instead. "We can show each other all our skin tonight!" Carrie grinned at that thought and nodded. "Good; glad that's settled," Andrew said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I think we're ready to go down and meet Mark and the other guys. Since they didn't come into the hotel with us, they must be wating at the park next door." He looked out the corner window and nodded. "Yeah, there they are, tossing the football back and forth in the park. Let's go down and meet them Carrie."

"I'm ready Andrew," Carrie said, zipping up the backpack and handing it to Andrew.

"You're always ready, and willing!" Andrew teased her. When Carrie glared at him, Andrew added, "That's what reaching underneath my shorts says about you!"

"I guess you're right," Carrie realized, unable to wipe the dirty grin off her face.

"Stop grinning like that girl!" Andrew yelled, unable to stop smiling himself. "We can't do any of that now!" he added as he opened the doors into the suite.

"Do what?" Ralph asked, as Andrew ushered Carrie through the doors. "What were you two doing in there?"

"If you couldn't hear what we were doing, then you'll just have to use your imagination," Andrew replied as he closed the doors. He turned towards Ralph, crossing his arms and glaring at him. "Come over here for a minute; I have something to tell you."

"What's that Andrew?" Ralph asked hesitantly, coming over from the doors that led to the hall.

"Simply this," Andrew said, leaning down so that he could look Ralph right in the eyes. "Don't ever ask what Carrie and I do behind closed doors! Do we understand each other?"

"Yes-yes sir," Ralph stammered, edging back towards the suite door. "Can we go join the guys in the park now?"

"Yes we can Ralph," Andrew replied." He looked over at Connor and said, "Do I have to give you the same advice I gave Ralph?"

"No you don't Andrew," Connor assured him, looking a bit nervous. He locked the suite door them and added, "It was more like an order actually! But anyway, when you and Carrie close the doors, I know it's none of our business what goes on behind them!"

"Good to know that one of you can get the privacy message without having to be told!" Andrew shouted, glaring at Ralph.

"I'm sorry about that man," Ralph said, looking scared. "I didn't mean to blurt out that question when you and Carrie came out of the bedroom. It was very thoughtless of me!"

"Yes it was!" Andrew shouted, crossing his arms and staring down almost a foot at Ralph. Ralph started backing away, but Andrew locked a massive hand onto his shoulder so that Ralph couldn't move. "But since you apologized, let's forget about it now."

"Thanks a lot Andrew," Ralph said, looking relieved. "Now that I've apologized, do you think you can let go of my shoulder now?"

"Sorry man," Andrew said, releasing his crushing grip instantly. He led the way towards the stairs and therefore didn't notice Ralph massaging his sore shoulder. When he turned around though, he saw Ralph wincing. "I'm sorry if I hurt you man: I didn't mean to squeeze your shoulder so hard."

"That's okay Andrew," Ralph said, mostly to reassure his big friend. He knew that Andrew wouldn't use his great strength to hurt people deliberately. "I'm just a bit bruised, that's all."

"I really didn't mean to do that," Andrew assured him, looking scared for the first time in months. "I guess I just don't know my own strength these days."

"Yes you do!" Ralph reminded him. "You can Military Press a car; that's 3000 pounds!"

"Very good point man," Andrew said, leading the way through the back lobby. "What I actually meant though is that I am having trouble controlling my own strength these days!"

"Then why didn't you just say that?" Ralph asked him, as Andrew opened the back doors. "I thought you were supposed to be really smart man!"

"I'm smart enough to apologize when I've done something wrong," Andrew reminded him, crossing his arms and glaring down at Ralph. "I suggest that you show how smart you are and shut your mouth before you make me mad again!"

"Yes sir," Ralph said, looking scared again. "I'm sorry about that Andrew."

"Forget about it man," Andrew said, walking over to Mark. "We don't have to worry about any of that now. It's time to have some 'fun in the sun'! Hey Mark, what's up?"

"My weight," Mark replied. "I weighed myself before we came here, and I weigh 197 pounds now!"

"Hey, good for you man!" Andrew commended him. "It won't be long before you cross the Big 200, and become a big man in size, not just reputation! So, are you ready to take the light jog up to the beach?"

"Sure man, let's go," Mark replied. "But I don't think it will be a light jog for any of us, except Anthony of course!"

"Yeah, I guess I forgot how long my legs are, didn't I?" Andrew realized. "But there's only one way to find out if any of you can keep up with me! Let's go everyone!"

Andrew led the way up the paved trail, realizing that he had to run about eight blocks to the big public beach. As he ran, he was amazed at how much stamina he had, even weighing 350 pounds now. He didn't notice anyone from the group pass him, but he did notice the amazed looks on the faces of the people going the other way on the trail. Andrew grinned and waved to them, not realizing that he had tied his t-shirt around his waist. As he looked to the right at the deep blue waves, he felt the warm Atlantic breeze blowing against his muscles. Andrew looked down, noticed that he had no t-shirt on and then smirked as he realized why the people on the trail looked so amazed.

Once Andrew got the the South Beach Gym, he saw a big guy standing beside the surfboard rental shop.

"Are you Mr. Andrew Pearson?" the guy asked him.

"Yes I am sir," Andrew replied, amazed that he wasn't out of breath after running about eight blocks. "Who are you sir, and how do you know who I am?"

"I'm his father; my name is Aaron," the man replied, pointing to Anthony, who was the first to arrive at the beach. "As far as your second question, Mark sent me this video."

He held up his cell phone and showed Andrew the short video, taken with Mark's cell phone camera, of Andrew flexing his biceps and pecs in front of the reporters.

"So Mark texted you a video of me so that you would know what I looked like?" Andrew guessed. When Mr. Anderson nodded, Andrew said, "Well that was sneaky of him; he knows how shy I usually am!"

"When you take off your shirt, you're obviously not shy anymore," Mr. Anderson realized, pointing at Andrew's massive pecs.

"Yeah man, pretty impressive aren't they?" Andrew bragged, flexing his pecs slowly. When he saw Mr. Anderson's amazed look, he grinned and added, "Bet you didn't know I could do that, did you?"

"Actually I saw it on the video, but it's truly amazing to see it in person," Mr. Anderson said. "You have a great talent for showing off your muscles; yours are even bigger than Anthony's!"

Anthony's face turned red with anger, but he composed himself quickly as his teammates and Carrie approached.

"Have you ever thought of modelling?' Mr. Anderson asked Andrew, handing the surfboards out to everyone. "You're a natural in front of the cameras Andrew!"

"Thank you sir," Andrew said, trying not to act too cocky. "The reps from the modelling agencies seemed to think so too; that's why they gave me their business cards."

"Good for you Andrew," Mr. Anderson commended him. He locked up the shed and then tossed the keys to Anthony. "Mark convinced me to keep the surf shop open for you guys, so have lots of fun this evening. You'll have more than an hour, counting the afterglow, before it gets dark. See you guys later."

"Nice to meet you sir!" Andrew shouted after him, as Mr. Anderson headed over to his car. "Hope to see you tomorrow, when we come surfing again!"

"See you then!" Mr. Anderson shouted, as he got into his car.

"Well that was nice of your dad: keeping the surf shop open for us," Andrew said to Anthony.

"Thank Mark here; he couldn't stop raving about you, especially after that public display you put on at the stadium," Anthony said, frowning slightly.

"Yeah, thanks Mark," Andrew said, patting Mark's shoulder gently. "And thanks for texting the video of me to Anthony's dad!"

"Uh, sorry about that Big Guy," Mark said, looking a bit scared of Andrew, who was frowning down at him. When he saw Andrew start grinning, he shouted, "Why you big joker, you're just pretending to be mad, aren't you?"

"Yeah man, I am," Andrew replied, placing a gentle hand on Mark's shoulder. "I never thought that my flexing in front of the cameras would lead to modelling agency reps giving me their business cards, but I'm glad they did! It will make it a lot easier to find work down here in next fall if I get my foot in the door now!"

"Did you come here to talk or surf?" Anthony asked Andrew, interrupting his conversation with Mark.

"I guess you're right," Andrew realized, trying not to get mad at Anthony. "Are you ready to go surfing Mark?"

"I'm afraid I don't surf," Mark replied. "But I've always wanted to learn."

"I'd be happy to teach you tomorrow, when we have more time," Andrew offered, looking forward to being Mark's teacher again.

"I'll teach him," Anthony said, stepping forward. "Mark's my trainee now!"

"Yeah, you've really taken over in my absence, haven't you?" Andrew asked him, finally responding to Anthony's obvious dislike of him.

He seemed to forget that being half a continent away from Mark for the last month had left Anthony no choice but to step in as Mark's new Personal Trainer.

"Somebody had to," Anthony reminded Andrew. "You've been half a continent away, finishing high school, haven't you? It's not like you skipped a grade to get here this year, so that you could finish what you started! Mark told me that you're smart enough to have skipped several grades throughout your school years!"

"What's the matter, are you jealous of me?" Andrew sneered, shaking off Carrie's arm as she tried to restrain him. He stepped forward until he was mere inches from Anthony's face. He stared right into Anthony's eyes and said, "If you want to start something, punk, I can assure you I'll finish it! After all, if I can bench 6000 pounds effortlessly, shoving you out of my way would hardly be worth the effort!"

"Whoa whoa guys; calm down!" Mark begged his big friends, stepping between Andrew and Anthony. The two massive linemen stepped back from each other slightly, not wanting to hurt Mark. "That's better guys," Mark said, relieved that his big friends hadn't shoved him out of their way. "You're going to be on the same team next year; you have to learn to get along with each other now!"

"Maybe you two should have a surfing contest to settle your differences," Carrie suggested. "The one who can ride the wave the longest wins."
"Good idea," Andrew agreed. "Get ready for a fight Anthony!"

"I wasn't aware we were on a first name basis Mr. Pearson," Anthony said.

"Don't call me Mr. Pearson," Andrew ordered him. "Or I'll start calling you Mr. Anderson. Just call me The Surfing Master. I'll show you right now."

Andrew grabbed his surfboard and ran into the ocean with it. He got on top of the board and began paddling towards the big wave that was forming further out. Anthony ripped off his t-shirt and ran after Andrew, determined to get to the wave first. Mark and his teammates stood on the beach, waiting for the result of the surfing contest. Carrie and Mark's girlfriend Amber talked about the respective success of their boyfriends on the gridiron.

Andrew stood up on his surfboard as the big wave approached him, glad to be surfing again. He guided his board along the wave as it began to curl above him. Andrew grinned with excitement as he headed for the 'light at the end of the tunnel' formed by the curling wave.

"I'm coming for you Andrew!" he heard Anthony shout from behind him.

Andrew didn't bother responding; he just crouched down to increase his speed, spreading his arms wide to maintain his balance. His concentration paid off, because he zoomed out of the wave tunnel just as it collapsed in on itself.

"Yeah, I made it!" Andrew gloated, raising his arms in victory as he glided into calm water. He looked back over his shoulder to see Anthony get knocked off his board by the collapsing wave. "Ha ha Anthony!" Andrew laughed. "I told you that I was the Surfing Master! That's what surfing on every Miami vacation day has made me!" Then he realized that Anthony had not broken the surface yet. "Hey man, where are you?" Andrew asked, getting slightly worried. Then Anthony broke the surface and glared at Andrew, towing his surfboard behind him as he swam towards shore. "Mr. Anderson; welcome back!" Andrew greeted his future teammate. "We missed you!" Then he noticed the bruise forming on Anthony's shoulder and added, "But the wave obviously didn't!" He turned towards his other future teammates, totally ignoring Anthony. "Who's The Man?" he asked his new friends, smirking as he stepped onto the beach.

"You're The Man!" his new and old friends answered, grinning at him.

"You got that right!" Andrew bragged, smirking as Mark stepped up to him. Andrew bent down to hear what Mark whispered in his ear. "Did I?" Andrew asked him. "I didn't realize I did that!"

"Did what?" Carrie asked him, as Anthony slowly waded to shore, pulling his surfboard with his good arm.

"I didn't realize I unintentionally quoted Agent Smith from the Matrix when Anthony broke the surface," Andrew replied. "But it did seem to be the appropriate thing to say under the circumstances."

"Yes it was," Mark agreed. "Now, are you going to show Carrie and I how to surf like you? I've wanted to learn ever since I got down here!"

"I'd be happy to teach both of you the basics while we still have some daylight left," Andrew said. "We'll ease into it gradually and then see if you can tackle some of the bigger waves tomorrow. You shouldn't have any trouble tackling the bigger waves, Mark, since you're a football player like me!"

"That's very funny Andrew!" Mark laughed. "You're really quick with those jokes, aren't you?"

"Yeah, and I was also quick enough to get out of that wave tunnel before it collapsed on me!" Andrew laughed. "Unfortunately for Anthony, he was not!"

"But I will be quick enough to catch you next time!" Anthony promised Andrew.

"Next time is right now!" Andrew shouted, leading Mark into the ocean. "Come and get me Anthony!"

Anthony ran into the surf to catch up as Andrew and the other team members got onto their surfboards. For the next hour, Andrew and his friends surfed at South Beach, having fun in the setting sun. Andrew slowly guided Mark and Carrie into the waves, making sure they had mastered the basics before he let them tackle the waves alone. While Anthony was jealous that Andrew had taken over his role as Mark's Personal Trainer that night, he was pleased that Andrew was such a patient Surfing Instructor.

Around sunset, close to 9:30 pm with the afterglow, everyone put their surfboards back in the surfboard shed and Anthony locked it. Then they headed over to the snack bar and bought some refreshments.

"So, are we okay now?" Andrew asked Anthony, holding out his hand. "After seeing how well I can still take care of Mark, do you trust me now?" When Anthony glared at him and crossed his arms, Andrew asked him, "Still mad that I beat you in the surfing contest?"

"Of course I am man!" Anthony snapped in anger. "I've lived here all my life and surf almost every day! You live in Canada and therefore only surf occasionally! Yet you still beat me in the surfing contest!"

"Well it's too bad that you're a sore loser," Andrew said, retracting his hand once he realized that Anthony wouldn't shake it. He crossed his arms over his massive chest and added, "And after that wave was through with you, I'd say your ego wasn't the only thing bruised tonight!"

He glanced signifigantly at Anthony's bruised left shoulder. Anthony followed his gaze and frowned, furious that his surfboard had smashed him in the shoulder as the wave had buried him.

"I still kept surfing after my collision with the wave!" Anthony reminded Andrew. "I'm not 300 pounds of solid muscle for nothing!"

"Yeah, you're a real tough guy," Andrew said, grinning at him. "You'd never be able to be the Head Offensive Lineman if you weren't! Your muscles really create a shield of impentrable armour, don't they?"

"Why are you being so nice now?" Anthony asked Andrew.

"I won, so I don't have any hostility towards you," Andrew replied, smirking slightly. When he saw Anthony clenching his fists in fury, Andrew realized that he had said the wrong thing, which just made Anthony madder! But Andrew was so caught up in the Cocky Jock Act that he didn't care. "You'd better learn to deal with the fact that you're no longer the Big Man down here. I may even take your place in the Offensive Line, in a year or two. You'd better be prepared for that."

Anthony stood up suddenly, his face red with anger. As soon as he heard Andrew said 'take your place in the Offensive Line' he just lost it, not realizing that Andrew had also said, 'in a year or two.'

"You'd better think carefully about your next move," Andrew warned Anthony, standing up as well. "Or would you like me to show you why I'm called The Tank?"

"Good idea," Mark said, handing the game ball over to Andrew. "It seems only fair for you to have this, since your ideas helped us win the game tonight."

"Wow, you're giving me the Game Ball?" Andrew asked, holding it in his hands gently. "Thanks a lot man!"

Mark went to say something more, but Anthony yelled, "Hey, that's my Game Ball punk!" He leaped over the table and knocked the ball out of Andrew's hands. "I made the game-winning plays; you didn't!"

"But you didn't do the Football Flip or the Pass-Faking move until the Second Half," Andrew reminded him, bending down to pick up the ball. "Those are the moves I used to win our game last night."

Anthony tried to pick up the ball, but Andrew clamped a massive hand onto his forearm, forcing Anthony to his knees. Andrew calmly stood up and released Anthony's forearm, allowing him to stand up again. Andrew then played catch with the Game Ball; taunting Anthony, who couldn't quite reach it. Andrew knew he shouldn't be bruising Anthony's ego by showing off, but Anthony annoyed him so he showed off just to bug him. Anthony finally got frustrated and punched Andrew's abs as hard as he could, hoping to make him drop the ball. But Andrew just grinned and Anthony yelled in pain, having hurt his own hand.

"Now you know why I'm called The Tank!" Andrew informed Anthony, amused by Anthony's pathetic attempts at hurting him. When he noticed Anthony massaging his sore hand, he added, "I guess I have an iron grip, as well as abs of steel, don't I?"

"I suppose you think you're a really funny guy," Anthony muttered in frustration. When he noticed Andrew smirking in satisfaction, he added, "You're feeling pretty confident, now that you?re the coach?s new favourite, aren't you??

?What are you talking about?? Andrew asked him, looking genuinely confused.

"Are you deaf man?" Anthony screamed at him. "All the reporters flocked to you at the end of the game! And they were trying desperately to find you at Halftime!"

"The first instance at Halftime was becuase I flexed my biceps and attracted the attention of the reporters," Andrew reminded Anthony. "And the second media frenzy was due to Mr. Malcolm directing the reporters to my postion!"

"That''s exactly what I'm talking about !" Anthony snapped in frustration. "You're obviously the Star Player down here already and now you're trying to replace me!"

"I'm not trying to replace you," Andrew declared. "You'll be here until the fall of 2007. I won't try to take over your spot until after you're gone!"

"Don't give me that!" Anthony snapped in fury. "All the coach talks about is Andrew this and Andrew that! ?Andrew benches his car?, and ?Andrew pulls five defenders with him as he scores touchdowns!? Well, I?m sick of hearing all the Andrew Propaganda! Let?s see some proof!?
?What kind of proof do you need?? Andrew asked him, remaining calm. "I've already brought you to your knees and you've bruised both hands trying to penetrate my muscular armour! What more do you want?"


?Take a swing at me Big Man!? Anthony goaded him. ?Knock me down with one blow!?
?I?m not going to fight you, man,? said Andrew, standing up. "And not justJ because I could wipe the floor with you, but also because I'm getting tired of fighting with you. Let's just calm down and let?s get along.?

Anthony's face turned red with anger and Andrew realized that his words had caused that.
?Get along with this!? yelled Anthony, punching Andrew in the face. "How did that feel punk?"

Andrew didn't even flinch; he just grinned, and calmly asked, ?Was that supposed to hurt??
?Rats!? Anthony screamed in frustration, holding up his injured hand. ?I hurt my own hand again!?
?They say that punching someone in the face is the best way to hurt your hand,? Andrew reminded him. ?I guess they were right.?
?I have a way that you two can test each other?s strength,? Carrie spoke up. ?If you insist on competing, that is.?
?What way would that be?? Anthony asked her, intriuged by her suggestion. ?What do you have in mind??

?An arm-wrestling match,? Carrie replied. ?It would be a good way to test each other?s strength without hurting each other. And Mark can officiate, since he's the most objective one here, having been trained by both of you."
?Sound good to me,? agreed Andrew. ?Are you game, Anthony??
?That's very funny man!? Anthony laughed. ?But yeah, I?m ready.? He sat down opposite Andrew and put his left arm on the table. ?Let?s see what you?ve got.?
Andrew put his left arm on the table too, and then they locked their hands together. Andrew was glad that his sense of humour was beginning to break the ice with Anthony.
?Get ready guys,? Mark said, standing at the right side of the picnic table.

"Oh I'm ready Mark!" Anthony snarled. "I'm ready to smash Andrew right through this table!"

Andrew just shook his head and grinned, actually amused by Anthony's intense look of determination.

"Okay guys," Mark said. "One, two, three, go!"
Anthony immediately exerted all his strength, trying to force Andrew?s arm down to the tabletop. It seemed to be working at first, but noone knew that Andrew was just toying with Anthony. When Andrew's hand was just two inches above the tabletop, he decided to stop playing around. He slowly forced his left arm back up until their arms were vertical again. Andrew grinned when he saw the look of frustration in Anthony's eyes. Then he forced Anthony?s arm down until it touched the tabletop, semmingly without effort.
?I win,? Andrew said with a smug grin. ?Will your jealousy end now??
?Not quite yet!? Anthony snapped. ?That was the hand I hurt when I punched you in the face. So let?s try this again, with my stronger hand!?

"You mean the one I crushed in my iron grip?" Andrew asked him, grinning arrogantly.

"Yeah that's the one," Anthony muttered in frustration.

"Well I guess we could try it," Andrew said agreeably. "My right hand is my strongest as well, and it isn't hurt!" Anthony's eyes widened in shock and Andrew knew he had psyched him out. "Are you ready to try again Anthony?"
"Yeah I am man," Anthony said, trying to fire up his determination again.

So they switched arms, and locked their hands together again.

"Okay guys, this is the last match, or the tie breaker," Mark told his big friends. "Get ready, get set, and go!"

Andrew took the offensive this time, forcing Anthony?s arm down towards the tabletop. While Anthony struggled valiantly, Andrew hardly seemed to be exerting himself. Anthony's veins bulged out, and his face turned red as he screamed loudly with exertion. But despite Anthony's superhuman effort, Andrew's superhuman strength still allowed him to force Anthony's arm down to the tabletop.
Andrew didn?t even appear winded as he said, ?I win again. Is the competition over now? Do you admit defeat Anthony?"
Anthony looked up at Andrew, his face red with exertion as he panted heavily. Then he slowly stood up and extended his hand to Andrew. Andrew stood up as well and shook Anthony's hand gently, not wanting to hurt him further. However, when Andrew tried to release the handshake, Anthony held onto his hand with an iron grip. He squeezed really hard, trying to crush Andrew's hand. When Andrew just grinned at him, obviously not feeling a thing Anthony got frustrated. He grabbed Andrew's forearm with his left hand and tried to throw Andrew onto the picnic table. But he got nowhere with that attempt, because Andrew just planted his feet firmly and then grinned even more.

"I can resist your efforts to pull me down forever," Andrew informed Anthony with a cocky grin. "When you've had enough, you can let go."

"You first!" Anthony goaded him, leaning back and digging his heels into the ground as he tried to pull Andrew down.

"Okay, have it your way," Andrew agreed. He ripped his arm out of Anthony's grasp effortlessly, sending Anthony crashing back into the picnic table. Anthony hit the ground, wincing and holding his back. "I let you go, but you don't seems to be happy about it," Andrew added. It looks like nothing I do will please you, doesn't it?"

Anthony jumped up and rushed at Andrew in fury, screaming, "You're dead man! Noone gets the best of me and gets away with it!"

Andrew crossed his arms and smirked, planting his feet firmly and bracing himself. He needn't have bothered, because Anthony bounced off him like a bug off a windshield.

"Are you finished trying to get me down?" Andrew asked Anthony. "I can tell you, I'm finished fighting with you."

"You're giving up already?" Anthony sneered at him, struggling up to his knees. "You're pathetic!"

"Then why are you the one on your knees?" Andrew asked him, planting a massive hand on top of Anthony's head. As Anthony struggled futilely to stand up, Andrew added, "Oh I know why; because I'm strong enough to keep you on your knees effortlessly, with one hand!" Andrew laughed loudly and Anthony launched a punch at his abs, hoping to break Andrew's iron grip on his head. "Is that all you've got Little Man?" Andrew asked him, looking down and grinning arrogantly. "You'll have to do better than that to make me feel it! Give it everything you've got punk if you want to hurt me!"

Anthony began punching Andrew's abs repeatedly, hoping to break Andrew's grip even slightly. Andrew laughed with each blow, obvoiusly not feeling a single blow.

"Rats! Why can't I hurt you?" Anthony screamed in frustration.

"I guess you're not strong enough to penetrate the rock wall of my abs!" Andrew replied, chuckling softly. He checked his watch and added, "This could go on for a while. The clubs open in another ten minutes; let's see if you can keep this up man. Keep going; you might actually manage to make me feel something if you hit the same spot often enough."

Anthony kept punching Andrew's abs futilely, hoping to make a dent in Andrew's muscular armour. Andrew and Anthony's friends watched the confrontation in awe and fear. They were amazed by Andrew's superhuman pain tolerance and they were scared at how easily he was subduing a 300 pound linebacker.

After five minutes, Anthony began to get tired and his punches became softer. His hands also began to hurt again, as his rage faded away into exhaustion. After another two minutes, Anthony sagged back and dropped his fists, completely exhausted. Andrew let go of his head and Anthony fell back onto the ground, unable to even attempt to get back to his feet. Andrew stepped forward and stood over him with his arms crossed, looking like a gladiator that had conquered his opponent effortlessly.

"You are beaten Anthony!" Andrew gloated. "I"ve won; you've lost! Are you ready to give up now?"

"Not yet!" Anthony shouted, bringing his right foot up between Andrew's legs. "Now you will be the one on your knees!"

Andrew felt pain for the first time in months but he didn't let it show on his face. He didn't even doulbe over slighty; he just used a supreme act of will to let the pain fuel his rage. Then he glared at Anthony in fury.

"That was a big mistake!" Andrew growled, reaching for Anthony's throat with one massive hand.

Anthony was terrified, thinking to himself, Oh no! I didn't hurt him; I just made him mad! He crawled backwards desperately, still too exhausted to get to his feet. The other players and Andrew's friends looked on in horror as Andrew advanced on Athony, afraid to try to stop Andrew. They were astonished that not even a 'low blow' could hurt Andrew. They were terrified for Anthony, even though he had started it, and they knew that Andrew's fury was unstoppable.

Or is it? Carrie thought to herself, remembering that Margaret had told them in September that Alexander was still alive. Is Andrew seeing Alexander's face when he looks at Anthony? Is that why he's so furious? I have to stop him!

Carrie and Mark both ran to help Anthony as Andrew got his hand around Anthony's throat and hauled him to his feet effortlessly. Anthony gasped and began to turn blue immediately.

"He's not Alexander," Carrie whispered in Andrew's ear as Mark tried to pry his fingers off Anthony's throat. Andrew looked over at her in fury, but then the rage in his eyes faded into shock as her words penetrated. His grip around Anthony's throat began to loosen, which was good, because Mark had no luck trying to release his iron grip. "Let him go Andrew," Carrie begged her boyfriend, slowly releasing Andrew's superhuman grip as he slowly came to his senses. Andrew finally released his stanglehold on Anthony's throat, allowing Anthony to drop to his knees, gasping for breath. "Come on Andrew, sit over here with me for a few minutes," Carrie urged him, leading him over to a picnic bench.

Andrew allowed himself to be led back to the bench, feeling numb with shock. Behind him, Mark was speaking soothlingly into Anthony's ear, trying to calm him down. It gradually worked, because Anthony's look of panic slowly vanised. On the bench, Andrew buried his face in his hands as Carrie rubbed his massive back, both of them terrified at how Andrew's superhuman strength had almost killed Anthony. Andrew was ashamed at how he had let pent-up frustration over the news of Alexander's survival overwhelm him, and Carrie was scared to death of what would happen if Andrew ever used his superhuman strength on her! She tried hard to master her own fear though, realizing she would be of no use to Andrew in helping him manage his own fear of his great strength if she was also terrified of him.

Ralph, Connor and the other football players stood around helplessly, unsure of what to do.

It took a few minutes for Andrew and Anthony to be calmed down. Mark led Anthony over to the bench, anxious for him to tell Andrew what was really going on.

"You've got to tell him Anthony," Mark urged his big friend.

"Tell him what?" Carrie asked Mark, speaking for Andrew, since he wasn't ready to talk yet.

Anthony opened his mouth to speak, but the words froze in his throat as he stared into Andrew's eyes. His terror returned and he couldn't say a word.

"This was all supposed to be an early initiation into the team, before Anthony took it too far," Mark informed Carrier, sturggling to master his own fear of Andrew's superhuman strength. "Anthony was supposed to pretend to be jealous of you Andrew, which would lead you to show him your superiority on the water in a surfing contest. Then he would accept that you will be the new Big Man for our team, after he's gone to the NFL!"

Andrew smiled slightly at Mark's prediction of his future place on the Miami Hurricanes football team. He squeezed Carrie's hand gently and got to his feet slowly, hoping not to scare anyone. It didn't work though, because everyone stepped back from him quickly, terrified of what he would do next. Carrie put her free hand on Andrew's massive shoulder, keeping him calm.

"I appreciate your faith in my future performance on the team Mark," Andrew said, nodding at him. He glanced at Anthony and added, "However, I think it would be best if I went back to the hotel now; I've caused enough damage for one night."

Andrew began walking south and everyone stared at him, unsure whether they should try to stop him. Then Anthony ran forward to catch up to him.

"Wait Andrew!" Anthony yelled, finally finding his voice. Andrew slowed and turned to look back at him. "Don't leave man," Anthony added. "It's my fault that our confrontation escalated so far! I didn't mean to get so mad and jealous!"

"And I didn't mean to snap like that and try to crush your throat!" Andrew assured him. "I wasn't thinking; I just snapped!"

"What made you snap like that?" Anthony asked him. "I have to say; you're terrifying when you're mad man; and unstoppable!"

"I'm sorry about that man," Andrew apologized, laying a gentle hand on Anthony's shoulder. "I just got so mad when your low blow hurt me, for the first time in months, that I just wanted to break your neck! Carrie was right though; I did see Alexander's face, not yours, in that moment."

"Who's Alexander?" Anthony asked him, looking confused.

Andrew filled him in on the background of his battles with Alexander, which ultimately led to his enhancement. Meanwhile, Carrie and everyone else discussed Andrew's future on the team and how he could get along with Anthony in the future. Carrie told everyone about Alexander and how his battles with Alexander had led to Andrew's enhancement. She also explained how Andrew had snapped and thought he was fighting Alexander for a moment. Once the team knew what had motivated Andrew throughout his entire Journey to Jockhood, they were no longer scared of him.

"Are you sure you're okay man?" Andrew asked Anthony, looking at his neck carefully to see if he had left marks.

"I'm fine man!" Anthony assured Andrew. He pointed to his massive neck and bragged, "See, no marks! I really do have impenetrable muscular armour!"

"Good thing you do," Andrew said. "Otherwise my iron grip could have crushed your throat!"

"I'm a really tough guy!" Anthony boasted. "You didn't damage me or even leave a mark!"

"I still shouldn't have put my hands on you," Andrew said. "Even if you did deserve some payback after giving me a low blow!"

"Why don't you give me one?" Anthony suggested. "Then we'll be even."

"Low blows are for wimps!" Andrew sneered. "I'll just do this!" He kneed Anthony in the gut, doubling him over. Then Andrew brought his knee up into Anthony's chin, dropping him to the ground with one blow. "There, now I've paid you back; without hurting you apparently!" Andrew was surprised when Anthony jumped up again, not even rubbing his abs or chin. "You really are a muscle god; just like me!" Andrew realized.

"What did you expect?" Anthony asked him. "I do weigh 300 pounds of solid muscle and I have a 1000 pounds max bench!" He grinned as Andrew's eyes widened in astonishment. "I think you forgot that your attempt to choke me out was your payback for my low blow! So I owe you a shot now!"

"Go right ahead!" Andrew sneered, pointing at his chin. "See if you can knock me down with one blow punk!"

"Okay, you asked for it," Anthony warned him, snapping Andrew's head back with a hard kick to his chin. When Andrew's abs were exposed, Anthony kicked him there, making Andrew double over slightly. "Looks like I actually managed to hurt the Invincible Andrew slightly!"

Andrew and Anthony's friends ran up to them, horrified that their two big friends were fighting again. But when they say Andrew straighten up and actually grin at Anthony, they knew everything was fine.

"It doesn't look like I hurt you after all man!" Anthony shouted in astonishment.

"Actually you did," Andrew admitted. "But I just ignored the pain this time, instead of letting it fuel my rage. I'll wait until I'm actually in danger before I get mad again!"

Anthony frowned in anger for a moment before he realized that his low blow must have put Andrew in danger, of not being able to father children! He felt ashamed that he had given Andrew such a cheap shot and he resolved to make up for it.

Andrew saw his sad look and misinterpreted it, thinking that Anthony was upset because he couldn't hurt him.

"Hey don't worry Big Guy," Andrew assured him, leaning forward so that he could lay a massive hand on Anthony's shoulder. "If you give me multiple blows in the same spot, I would be in danger! But I think we've had enough fighting for today!"

"Aww, is Little Andrew getting tired of being beaten up by Big Anthony?" Anthony sneered.

"On your best day, you couldn't beat me up on my worst day!" Andrew predicted. "And today was one of my good days! So you've got no chance of taking me down, Little Man!"

"Oh you're in trouble now!" Anthony roared, with a big grin.

He punched Andrew in the face and Andrew didn't even flinch; he just punched Anthony back. Anthony didn't flinch either and their friends relaxed, relieved that Andrew and Anthony were slowly accepting each other. Carrie and Mark were especially pleased, smiling at their big friends' resistance to pain as they had their punchout contest.

"Are you guys finished trying to beat each other up?" Carrie asked them, after five minutes of watching the punchout contest. She had deliberately put special emphasis on the word 'trying'; since she, like everyone else, was astonished that Andrew and Anthony hadn't hurt each other.

"Yes we are," Anthony replied, smiling at her. "Andrew's really tough, and really strong! I can't tell if he's just pretending to be hurt by my punches or not!"

"I'm not pretending," Andrew assured him. "By punching the exact same spot multiple times, you managed to break through my muscular armour and hurt me, just as I said you would!" When he saw Anthony smirking, he added, "But you only hurt me slightly, Little Man! You'd have to apply a lot more force to hurt me a lot!"

"The Science of Violence," Mark suddenly said.

Everyone turned to look at him in astonishment, amazed by how smart he was.

"That was incredible man!" Andrew marvelled. "You summed up in four words what it took me three sentences to say! I think you rival your brother with that brain of yours!"

"I hope my brain was of some use to you during the last few years," Mark said to Andrew, smiling as he remembered their years at high school together.

"It certainly was!" Andrew assured him, as they all began walking towards Ocean Drive. "I even won some academic awards thanks to your tutelage over the years! And it looks like my tutelage obviously helped you, considering that you are now the Freshman Quarterback, who just won another game for his team!"

"Thanks Andrew," Mark said, looking slightly embarrassed at the attention Andrew was giving him. "It looks like you and Anthony were having lots of fun trying to beat each other up; without success I might add!"

"Yeah, it's great for me to test my strength against someone who isn't scared of me!" Andrew shouted in excitement. "Just make sure you don't go too far Anthony, and I won't either!" he warned his new big friend. "And no more of those sissy low blows punk! Those kinds of cheap shots are for wimps and cowards!"

"You're right man; sorry about that," Anthony said, looking slightly ashamed. "I'll remember that next time."

"Good man," Andrew commended him, grinning. "Now, I think we've had enough fighting for one night. He looked at his watch and said, "I'm sure the clubs are open by now. But how will we get past the lines? I've heard they're really long at the South Beach clubs!"

"You don't think the Hurricanes have to wait in club lines, do you?" Anthony scoffed. "Our five time National Championship team has VIP status at all of the SoBe clubs and great connections with the club owners!"

"What do you mean?" Andrew asked him. "What kind of connections are you talking about?"

"I'll tell you on the way," Anthony said, as they approached Ocean Drive. "Let's get going everyone!"

As the whole group stepped onto the south sidewalk of Ocean Drive, Andrew squeezed Carrie's hand gently and smiled. He was pleased that he had managed to make friends with his future teammates and he couldn't wait to see what they had in store for him that night.