Andrew's senior year chapter 1: Reposted

[sl97aq]

THE FIRST FOOTBALL PRACTICE


Andrew Pearson and Carrie Peterson were heading to the first high school football practice of the season from one of his workout sessions at his house in Orillia, Ontario, Canada.

?I?m glad you and Steve buried the hatchet a month ago,? Carrie told him. ?He hasn?t been jealous of you or Mike since.?

?That?s true,? Andrew agreed. ?I must say, I?m glad about that. His jealousy was tiring. I?m glad we?re not fighting anymore.?

?The way you manhandled him last time, I?m not surprised,? Carrie said. ?He?s probably scared of you by now.?

?He should be,? Andrew said with an angry glare. ?He deserved that after all the years he?s been bullying Mike Stevenson. But I don?t want people to be friends with me because they?re scared not to. I hope our reconciliation is genuine.?

?Typical Andrew: using big words so people don?t think of him as just a big dumb jock,? Carrie teased him.

Andrew glared at her, but then a sheepish grin slowly began to spread across his face.

?Okay Carrie, if I stop being negative, will you stop teasing me??

?Yes Andrew and I think it?s time we changed the subject,? Carrie decided. "What will you do for weights now that you have used the biggest plates available?"

"I?ll have to tell my dad to buy me bigger ones for my birthday next month," Andrew replied.

Carrie looked over at him and then looked back up to see a deer run across the road right in front of the car. She swerved the wheel and the car swerved to a stop in the middle of the road. Only Andrew's outstretched arm and the seat belt kept her from going through the windshield.

?Thank you Andrew,? Carrie gasped. ?You saved my life!?

?You?re welcome Carrie,? Andrew said, rubbing her shoulders gently. ?Are you okay??

?I?ll be fine in a moment,? Carrie assured him. ?Let?s get to the football practice.?
?You mean, the first football practice of the season,? Andrew corrected her, with a smug grin.

?How could I forget?? Carrie laughed. ?You?ve only been looking forward to that for the past month! You?re really excited about showing off your superhuman strength on the football field, aren?t you??

"Yeah I am,? Andrew replied with a cocky smirk. "If you're excited about seeing that too, let's get going before we're late for football practice."

Carrie tried to start the car, but the engine just whined without turning over.

"It's flooded; I'll just give it a minute before I try again," Carrie decided.

Andrew looked at his watch. "In the meantime, we'd better get the car off the road before we block traffic."

Carrie looked up and down the road. "Without a tow truck, that's going to be rather difficult Andrew."

"We don't need a tow truck," Andrew assured her. "Just put the car in neutral and I'll push it to the side of the road."

He got out of the car and waited for Carrie to put it in neutral. Then he pushed his car off the road onto the shoulder.

He had no idea that an A-Channel News van was behind them and that the reporters had accidentally recorded the near-collision with the deer. The reporters played back the footage, preparing it for the 6 pm news cast, when Rob Cooper ordered the technician to stop the tape.

"I knew that car looked familiar!" Rob shouted in excitement. "It belongs to Andrew Pearson."

"You mean the football player who's got all those recruiting offers from NCAA schools this summer?" the tech asked.

"That's the one," Rob confirmed. "And we're in luck; from the direction he's heading, there's only one place he could be going: ODCVI. Get a fresh tape ready; we're going to have an interview with a football star to air at 6 pm tonight!"

As the news van followed them down the road, Andrew and Carrie had no idea that their lives were going to change literally overnight.

When Andrew and Carrie got to ODCVI for football practice, they saw all of Andrew's teammates warming up on the field.

"We're late for football practice Andrew; hurry up!" Carrie shouted as she ran for the field.

"It's easy for you to get there first Carrie; you don't have to carry a huge gym bag full of football equipment!" Andrew yelled after her.

"Don't use excuses Andrew; use your big muscles to carry your equipment to the field!" Carrie yelled over her shoulder.

"Fine Carrie, and then I'll use my big muscles on you!" Andrew promised.

Carrie laughed as they arrived on the sideline and Andrew chuckled as well.

But their laughter soon ended as Coach Everson(the Head Football Coach) stepped in front of them with crossed arms.

"Why were you late to the first football practice of your Senior Year Mr. Pearson?"

"It was my fault Coach Everson," Carrie said hurriedly; realizing that his use of Andrew's last name meant that he was really mad. 'We almost hit a deer on the way over here and then the car wouldn't start. I have the video on my cell phone to show what happened."

"I'll take a look at the video while Andrew joins the practice," Coach Everson decided. "Leave your pads in your bag Andrew; we're not using them today. And hurry up: everyone's waiting for you!"

"Right away Coach," Andrew said, obediently running onto the field.

Carrie was relieved that Coach Everson had not yelled at Andrew too much, but then she realized that Andrew's status as the Star Player was the reason. When she turned around to make sure that Andrew's car had not been damaged by the deer, she noticed the A-Channel News van beside it.

"Are you Carrie Peterson?" Rob Cooper asked her as he got out of the van.

Carrie sighed inwardly, having heard once again the same question she'd heard from reporters since she had been heavily recruited for NCAA Girl's Hockey that summer.

"Yes I am Carrie Peterson: the girlfriend of Andrew Pearson," Carrie finally replied. "In case you haven't heard, he's the most heavily recruited high school football star in the City of Orillia." Carrie smiled as Rob led the reporters in the rush towards the field, hoping to catch a glimpse of the famous Andrew Pearson. "That should keep the reporters off my back and focus them on Andrew instead."

Fortunately, since Andrew was turned away from them, the reporters couldn't see the terrifying glare on his face as he stared across Peter Street at the big house next to the high school. That house was where Andrew's nemesis David Harrington lived. The house was L-shaped, made of brick, with a large apartment above the two car garage. At the end of the curved driveway were two brick pillars topped by lights in glass globes.

"Mr. Pearson: get into formation now!" Coach Everson yelled. "Show us how well you've trained over the summer!"

Andrew quickly ran to join the ranks of football players on the field.

?Hey man!? Connor greeted him. ?You?ve grown a lot since June!?

?Thanks man!? Andrew grinned. ?I?m over 300 pounds of solid muscle now! And you should see what I can bench!?

The football players stared in silence as Andrew finished speaking and took off his t-shirt, revealing his massively muscular upper body to his friends and teammates.

?Yeah, Mike told us everything,? Ralph said. ?That is truly amazing man! You really are a muscle monster now!?

?Yes, very well done Andrew,? Coach Everson said, coming over to Andrew. ?We?ll have to get the scholarship applications filled out after practice. I hope your uniform still fits.?

?We?ll see if it can contain these muscles!? Andrew yelled, flexing his 8-pack abs and bulging biceps. ?I doubt it!?

"You won't have to worry about that until the next practice Andrew," Coach Everson informed him. "Just do your best today."

?Yeah Andrew, let's see what you?ve got!? Steve goaded him.

?Oh you?ll find out just how strong I am!? Andrew warned him. ?I hope you?re up for it!?

On the football field, Andrew performed impressive feats of strength. He broke through the entire defensive line and caught the ball when Ralph the Quarterback threw it. As he ran towards the end zone, Steve tried to stand in his way. Andrew just grinned, crouched down, and flipped Steve over his left shoulder with one massive arm. Steve landed face-first on the ground and got a mouthful of dirt. As he lifted his head and spat out the dirt, he saw Andrew knock the two defenders aside like empty boxes, and run into the End Zone for a touchdown.

?Yeah!? Andrew yelled, spiking the ball. ?Hope you liked the Football Flip Steve!? When he noticed Steve trying to get up, Andrew came over and hauled him up effortlessly with one hand. ?Hey man, you okay?? Andrew asked. ?I didn?t hurt you, did I??

?I think I?m okay Andrew,? Steve replied, rubbing his chin. ?Man, you?re scary strong! I wouldn?t want to be your true opponent on the field!?

?That was nothing man!? Andrew bragged. ?Wait till you see what I do next!?

Steve realized what Andrew meant when Ralph handed the ball to Andrew the next time. Andrew decided not to knock the defenders aside this time. He let them hang onto him instead.

?We?ve got him now boys!? Steve gloated, as the five defenders managed to drag Andrew to a stop. ?You?re not going anywhere now Andrew!?

?Are you absolutely sure about that Steve?? Andrew asked him with a smug grin. He shook his head and added, ?You can?t stop me! Watch this!?

Andrew began running, despite the defenders? attempts to drag him back. He pushed the five defenders ahead of him like they were made of paper. By the time Andrew made it to the end zone, the five guys were dragging behind him, hanging on for dear life.

?I told you that you couldn?t stop me,? Andrew gloated, as the guys collapsed in a heap, gasping for air. ?Oh come on, you can?t be tired! I just dragged all of you down the field after me, and I?m not even breathing hard! What?s the matter with you guys??

?They must have used up all their energy trying to restrain you,? Coach Everson informed Andrew. He blew his whistle to signal the end of practice, and added, ?I think we have found our secret weapon for the season: Andrew Pearson, the Human Tank!?

?Thanks Coach,? Andrew said, as the rest of the team joined them in the end zone. ?I?m glad my performance impressed you.?

?Impressed me?? Everson repeated. ?You blew me away with your shocking strength! What have you been taking over the summer, anyway??

"Lots of supplements and protein shakes," Andrew assured him. "I also trained harder than ever, since this is my last chance to impress the US college coaches."
?Well, that certainly explains a few things,? Everson realized. ?I?m glad you cleared that up. It will make the scholarship application process a lot easier. I must say, in all my years of coaching, I have never seen anyone drag five people down the field for a touchdown before! Wait until I call the big football schools in the States! They?ll be lining up to sign you!?

"They already are," Andrew informed him with a cocky grin. ?But a few calls from you couldn?t hurt, especially to the University of Miami.?

?Way to go man!? Mike Stevenson commended Andrew, slapping him on the shoulder. ?That was awesome! You?ve really secured your future now!?

?Thanks man!? Andrew grinned, noticing Mike massaging his hand. ?Hey man, what?s wrong with your hand?"

?I hurt it slapping your shoulder!? Mike informed him. ?What are your muscles made of, bricks??

?Naw, just a lot of muscle fibers,? Andrew bragged.

?Yeah, about 300 pounds worth!? Ralph laughed, grinning as Mike tried to shake the stinging out of his hand. ?Okay Mike, we get it: Andrew?s made of bricks! You don?t have to keep shaking out your hand like you broke it! We know Andrew?s really strong and so are you!"

?I guess you're right guys,? Mike said. ?But at least he didn?t drop me from eight feet in the air this time!?

?What?s that all about?? Connor asked Andrew.

?Nothing much,? Andrew replied. ?I just helped Mike up, by military pressing him above my head! Of course, he was a lot smaller early this summer."

?That must have taken great strength to accomplish,? Andrew heard a voice say from behind him. Andrew and the whole team turned around to see Rob Cooper the news reporter standing behind them. ?But I have your true strength on tape right here."

?What are you talking about?? Andrew asked, noticing the videotape Rob was holding. He had no idea that his true strength was about to be revealed, but he knew something was up. ?What?s on that tape??

?I?ll show you,? Mr. Cooper replied, leading everyone over to the news van. ?Gather round the screens everyone.?

He motioned his camera man to begin playing one of the copies of the footage. The whole team gasped in amazement as they saw Andrew push his car off the road and onto the shoulder. Andrew looked down at the ground in embarrassment, clenching his fists in fury now that his true strength had been revealed. He soon looked up to see the entire team staring at him with open mouths, waiting for him to say something.

?It was nothing,? Andrew said, trying to brush off the footage. He knew no one would believe him, but he ploughed ahead anyway, trying to hold onto his old life of anonymity. ?I just didn?t want to be late for practice, so I decided not to wait for a tow truck. Instead, I took matters into my own hands. Anyone would have done the same thing.?

?Even as you speak those words, you must know how hollow they sound,? Coach Everson said finally. ?There?s not a single person here, not even Mike, who is strong enough to do what you did in that footage! That does it: we have to call the University of Miami right now.?

?Mind if we tag along Coach?? Mr. Cooper asked him. ?With your permission Andrew, we can get an interview and have this footage on the news at six. Then you can be Athlete of the Week. You might as well tell us which NCAA schools recruited you over the summer as well."

?Fine with me,? Andrew agreed, anxious to get away from the crowd. ?I guess the media exposure will help make it easier for the Canadian colleges to notice me. Then they can recruit me as well."

?Looks like there?s a lot more to you than just muscle,? Mr. Cooper realized, as they headed back towards the school.

?That?s because he has an IQ of 150!? Steve yelled out as he headed towards his car.

?Thanks Steve!? Andrew snapped, glaring at him. Steve?s grin faded, but then Andrew noticed the crowd and forced a grin onto his face. ?Thanks for helping me secure the academic part of my scholarship!?

Steve grinned back, relieved that Andrew wasn?t really mad at him. He headed home in his car, leaving Mike Stevenson outside to wait with Carrie as the reporters, Andrew, and Coach Everson went into the school for the interview.