The yellow Camaro sped along the highway, headed for the shopping center where Andrew and Jade would spend their second date.
Yes, Andrew was on a second date with Jade Monroe. The daughter of UCLA's recruiter, whom he had first met at the Dana Hills summer tournament in 2010. Though, in truth, the first time he really saw her came a bit later, during the unofficial visit he made to UCLA, at that game against Arizona where the Bruins lost.
That day he saw her standing next to Derrick, the one who greeted him when he arrived at the stadium. Nearly a year had passed since then.
So how had he suddenly ended up going out with her?
Less than two weeks earlier, Jade had sent him a friend request on Facebook, and Andrew accepted it. The image he had of her was still vivid in his memory, so he decided to start a conversation. To his surprise, it worked. And not only that, the chat didn't die after a few messages, as he had expected.
Andrew didn't exactly specialize in flirting, and even less so with someone whose personality had seemed strong from the very first impression he'd had when he saw her.
He wasn't the type to use rehearsed lines, much less his fame, to get attention. From the very first exchange, it had been clear that Jade wasn't easy. Her replies were direct, sometimes curt, with a tone that could border on sharp.
Andrew noticed it immediately. When he had first seen her, he'd already thought her character probably wouldn't be simple, and the conversation only confirmed that impression.
The chat improved over the following days, and when continuing to talk without any clear purpose started to feel strange, Andrew decided to ask her out.
It worked again. She said yes. Now they were on their way to their second date. Of course, that didn't mean they were a couple. They were barely getting to know each other.
Inside the car, Andrew drove with his right hand on the steering wheel and his left arm resting on the open window. Jade sat in the passenger seat, looking straight ahead, her expression completely neutral, almost unreadable.
Neither of them said a word. Not because there was nothing to talk about, but because they were listening to a song Jade had put on the stereo. According to her, she wanted to show it to Andrew to broaden his musical tastes and get him to stop listening to mainstream music.
The melody filled the interior of the car with pristine sound quality. It wasn't a soft song. Its first five words made Andrew raise an eyebrow slightly.
🎶 You let me violate you 🎶
And what followed was no less shocking:
🎶 You let me desecrate you 🎶
🎶 You let me penetrate you 🎶
🎶 You let me complicate you... 🎶
'What the hell...?' thought Andrew, keeping his eyes fixed on the road as his brain processed what was coming into his ears.
The instrumentation grew heavier as it progressed, with the electronic drums beating repetitively, while the singer's deep voice grew louder:
🎶 I wanna fuck you like an animal 🎶
🎶 I wanna feel you from the inside 🎶
🎶 I wanna fuck you like an animal 🎶
🎶 My whole existence is flawed 🎶
🎶 You get me closer to God… 🎶
Andrew swallowed almost imperceptibly and glanced sideways at Jade for a second. She continued to stare straight ahead, as if nothing had happened, humming the song softly.
Finally, the song came to an end. The atmosphere fell silent, broken only by the constant sound of the highway, until another song, which had nothing to do with it, began to play automatically.
Jade was the first to speak, "So? What did you think?"
'I don't know, woman...' Andrew thought, but he knew that answer wasn't going to be accepted.
"You said the band was called Nine Inch…" Andrew began, but before he could finish, Jade cut in, "Nine Inch Nails."
"It's the perfect song to put on during a family dinner," Andrew said with a faint smile.
Jade looked at him, and for a brief moment an equally faint smile appeared on her face, amused by the comment. If her parents had seen her smile for the second time, they would have been very surprised.
"It would definitely be fun to see the adults' reactions," Jade remarked.
"Or better yet," Andrew said, a new idea forming, "put it on the school speakers, full volume, and let it echo across the entire campus."
Jade nodded in approval. "I didn't know you were the prankster type, Mr. model student athlete."
Jade already knew that Andrew's GPA was very good, and that the SAT he took in 2011 had also been above average. But that wasn't all.
During his junior year, Andrew had taken on a heavier-than-usual academic load: he got ahead on required classes, took courses during vacations, and even carried extra credits each semester. All of it had been part of a single goal: early graduation.
Now, in his senior year, things were different. Andrew was much more relaxed academically. He already had almost all his credits completed. Literally, he only attended classes for half a day, and there were even days when his schedule was shorter than that.
If everything continued as planned, he would graduate in December and join the college of his choice in January.
Maybe that lighter academic schedule allowed him to be less tired and far more focused on his final football season at Mater Dei. It showed in the results, his numbers were better than last year's.
Of course, a lot of it also had to do with his physical development. Even though only a year had passed, from sixteen to seventeen, the change was obvious. He'd grown a few inches, gained strength and muscle mass, and his body was beginning to settle into that stage where growth stops being awkward and becomes more solid.
And it wasn't just a physical matter or having more free time. From one season to the next, there was also something that couldn't be trained only in the gym: experience. Andrew saw the field differently. His reads came faster, and his decisions were clearer.
His level had already been extremely high the year before, in his junior season, and these improvements were, overall, minimal, barely noticeable to most people. But for someone like Andrew, obsessive about details and measuring everything down to the millimeter, they were impossible to ignore.
"Jokes aside, what did you think?" Jade pressed, looking for more than a funny remark.
"I don't know…" Andrew said, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. "The instrumental is good," he added after a brief pause.
He didn't say anything else, but the problem was obvious: the lyrics. Too explicit and direct.
"Let's listen to it again," Jade said, not giving him much room to object. "That way you can give a better opinion."
And before Andrew could respond, the song started over.
"Is this a hint that you want us to have sex like wild animals?" Andrew asked with a mocking smile, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.
Jade turned her head toward him, clearly surprised. She hadn't expected that comment. Much less said so casually, coming from the star quarterback who everyone assumed was more proper than he really was.
"Shut up," she finally said, playfully nudging him in the arm as she turned up the volume a little more.
'She didn't deny it,' Andrew thought, somewhere between surprised and amused. He didn't think that comment would work, with a more conventional girl, it probably wouldn't have worked at all.
Andrew focused on the song again, this time listening more carefully than before.
Finally, after more than four minutes, the song came to an end. Silence returned to the car, and Andrew felt Jade's piercing gaze on him. He knew she wasn't going to ask this time. And he also knew that if he didn't say something she found interesting, he could lose points.
"The line: 'You get me closer to God,'" Andrew began, choosing his words carefully, "I suppose it suggests that sex works as a way to… reach a state of transcendence."
He couldn't believe he'd just said that out loud.
Jade nodded without saying anything, waiting for him to continue.
"Even though it uses explicit language to provoke," Andrew added, "it also works as a metaphor for the search for something greater."
He paused briefly, then glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "Did I pass, professor?"
Jade held his gaze for another second and finally nodded. "Yes," she said. "You've got good judgment."
"Thank God," Andrew replied.
"Still, it has a music video. I'll show it to you later so you can watch it too and give me your opinion," Jade added.
"I'm really looking forward to it," Andrew answered, his sarcasm barely perceptible.
Jade snorted, amused, and changed the subject. They had talked enough about music.
They finally arrived at the mall. Andrew parked in the underground garage, choosing one of the side entrances, less flashy, and exposed. His fame in a Los Angeles shopping mall was no small detail.
He was almost certain, ninety-nine percent, that someone would recognize him, even on a Tuesday with relatively few people around.
He was the YouTuber who still held the number one spot, despite the rise of channels that had grown at an alarming pace, like Ray William Johnson, currently number two, and Smosh, in three.
As for Nigahiga, he had dropped to fourth place.
For a time, Andrew and Nigahiga had competed directly for the top spot. It was the previous year when Andrew managed to surpass him, pushing him out of second place and reaching number one. Nigahiga not only failed to reclaim that position, but over time slipped down a few more ranks. Andrew, on the other hand, managed to stay on top.
Though, to be honest, it wasn't as if being number one instead of three or five changed that much. YouTube didn't directly reward those rankings, and in terms of money, what really mattered were the total views accumulated over the course of a month. If the number two uploaded one video a week and the number eight posted content every day, the one more likely to earn more money in the end would be number eight.
Still, there was something about that number he liked: the one.
He managed to maintain his number one position by making videos that remained relevant and eye-catching. He didn't rely solely on his football games.
One of those videos was William's physical transformation documentary, a classmate from Mater Dei. The project began filming on January first, and the challenge ended on June thirtieth. The process was edited as it went, and by the end of July the video finally went live.
The catchy title, the idea of a demanding physical challenge, and a cash prize of more than ten thousand dollars, combined with Andrew as the motivator, almost like a coach, made the video a resounding success. No one had done anything like that on YouTube up to that point, much less offered a real monetary reward.
Everything had been completely transparent: William achieved the promised physical transformation and received the money. If he hadn't succeeded, he wouldn't have gotten a single dollar.
On top of that, since it wasn't peak football season at the time, Andrew started uploading sports challenges and other completely different videos, many of them very funny, alongside friends and even special guests. Some of those videos performed so well that they went viral and, on more than one occasion, surpassed the view counts of his own game highlights.
Because of all that, Andrew was no longer known only for football and ESPN's national broadcasts. His name circulated in more than one sphere, and that, whether for better or worse, made going unnoticed in a public place increasingly difficult.
'If I start doing new subscriber meetups, I'm going to have to hire bodyguards. And probably organize everything like a serious event,' Andrew thought as he got out of the car and closed the door.
His last subscriber meetup had been the two-million one, at the end of July 2010, right before that year's Comic-Con and the Mater Dei summer tournament. About a year and four months ago.
And that meetup, held at a different mall, had ended up being a disaster. Not because there weren't people. Quite the opposite. There were too many. So many that Andrew, along with Howard, Leonard, and Haley, had practically had to run out.
At the time, Andrew had been overconfident. Since the first meetup, the one for one million subscribers, had been a success, calm, organized, and without the place getting overcrowded, he thought that going from one million to two wouldn't make that big of a difference. That at most the mall would be busier, but nothing out of control.
A naïve thought.
Besides, back then, even though he already had two million subscribers, a respectable and high number for YouTube, his level of fame didn't compare at all to what it was now. He hadn't yet started the official season with Mater Dei, nor did he have nationally televised games. The exposure was different.
Since then, he hadn't held any more subscriber meetups. He had always liked the idea of turning it into a kind of tradition: one meetup per million. But in just over a year he had gained more than five million subscribers. That made the idea completely unworkable.
Andrew stopped thinking about it and focused on what was ahead. He and Jade walked into the mall, and officially, the second date began.
"So, what big plans did you come up with for this second date at a shopping mall?" Jade asked, her tone carrying a clear critical edge.
Andrew wasn't intimidated by it. He simply replied, "First, the arcades."
Jade looked at him, raising an eyebrow as they walked down one of the mall's corridors.
"Seriously? The arcade?" She stopped. "What are we, twelve?"
Andrew stopped as well and turned to face her.
"Yes. It's going to be fun," he said completely naturally. "You don't need to be twelve to play. There are aiming games, racing games, shooters it's not just for kids."
Jade watched him for another second, clearly doubtful.
Without overthinking it, Andrew took her hand. "Come on," he said, giving it a slight tug. "Or are you afraid you'll suck at every game?"
Jade snorted, amused. "Dream on. I'll beat you at every single one," she replied, not letting go of his hand as she let him lead her.
They kept walking like that, side by side, until they reached the mall's large arcade and game area. It wasn't very crowded, which was a good thing.
Without making a big deal of it, the two of them put a considerable amount of money into the change machine. Andrew noticed that Jade contributed her share without hesitation and didn't let herself be treated.
That detail earned points. He'd always liked girls who didn't expect him to pay for everything, more independent.
They started with more casual games, on the same team. It was fun and relaxed, neither of them had activated their competitive side yet. Whack-a-mole, a few cooperative shooters, quick laughs, and Jade's sharp remarks every time something went wrong.
Then they reached the racing games. From there on, there were no teams. It was competition.
First, they chose a motorcycle game, a simulator where you had to climb onto an almost life-size replica, lean your body, and steer with your whole torso.
As she settled onto the bike, Jade glanced at him. "Get ready to meet defeat, and to see how a motorcycle is really handled."
Andrew smiled. "You sound very confident. Do you know how to ride motorcycles?"
"Yes. Real ones. My grandfather taught me," Jade replied.
"Let's see if you can transfer that real-life experience to a simulator," Andrew said as the countdown started on the screen.
Three, two, one…
The race began evenly. Through the first few turns they were almost neck and neck, Andrew just slightly behind, but he felt he'd have his chance to take the lead.
However, at one point Andrew couldn't help glancing sideways at Jade. The way she leaned over the bike, her figure... It was only two or three seconds, but enough.
When he looked again ahead, he'd already lost positions. He tried to recover, but it was too late. The race ended with Jade crossing the finish line in first place.
'Damn it…' Andrew thought, frowning.
Jade got off the bike completely calmly and looked at him, satisfied. "I told you."
Andrew clicked his tongue, resigned. "Best of three. Let's go, one to zero," he said immediately, his competitive mode fully on.
Jade raised an eyebrow. "Whatever you say, second place."
"Another motorcycle race? Or do you want to try a different game where you actually have better odds?" Jade asked in a playful, clearly provocative tone.
She knew Andrew was extremely competitive because of football. And considering he had literally never lost with Mater Dei, losing at something, even an arcade game, had to feel strange and frustrating to him.
"Very funny," Andrew replied. "Yeah, something different. We can't be repetitive. This time, a car race."
He walked over to a nearby simulator with a steering wheel and pedals, Jade following close behind.
Just as they were about to sit down, three boys, teenagers, around fourteen, suddenly approached, visibly excited.
"You're Andrew!" one of them blurted out, stepping closer than Jade would've liked. "Can we take a photo!?"
Another, respecting personal space just a little more, only a little, stared at Andrew just as excitedly, like he was standing in front of a celebrity.
"Dude, you're killing it this season! Even better than last year, and it's only halfway through!"
Andrew opened his mouth to respond, but didn't get the chance to say anything.
"No. Get lost," Jade cut in, her tone sharp.
The three froze, and only then did they look at her, noticing that Andrew wasn't alone.
"As you can see, he's busy," Jade continued, shooting them a glare. "And you should be too. Go play or whatever."
The way she said it, leaving no room for discussion, was enough. The boys looked at each other, muttered something inaudible, and quickly walked away, as if they'd just run into the most intimidating bully in the school.
Andrew watched them disappear among the machines. Then he turned his head slightly toward Jade, a faint smile forming on his face.
She had already sat down in the simulator as if nothing had happened.
"I should hire you as a bodyguard," Andrew commented, amused.
"If you're with me, get used to it," Jade replied, not making a big deal out of it.
Andrew chuckled softly and sat down in the simulator next to hers. If it had been up to him, he probably would've agreed to take a photo, even if somewhat reluctantly.
He didn't like having a date interrupted like that, or people approaching him with such confidence, invading his personal space. But at the end of the day, it likely would've been a quick photo and an equally quick goodbye.
The second race began, and this time Andrew claimed the victory. He liked driving and had experience with that kind of simulator, so losing wasn't an option for him.
When the race ended, he looked at Jade. She was frowning, still gripping the steering wheel tightly, her eyes fixed on the screen.
"Well, I'd say you were close," Andrew commented, his tone teasing, "but you weren't."
Jade slowly turned her head to look at him. "Ha, ha," she replied. "Unlike you, I don't play arcade games. You're clearly more experienced."
Andrew looked at her with an exaggeratedly surprised expression, as if he hadn't expected that comment. "Whoa, I didn't know you were the type who makes excuses when they lose."
Jade snorted. "That's not an excuse. I lost. I was just pointing it out as something to take into account about your advantage. Let's find another game to decide the winner," she said.
She got up from her seat and started walking without waiting for Andrew.
Andrew let out a low laugh as he followed her. He hadn't expected her to take it so seriously. Maybe she wasn't that far from him when it came to competitiveness.
"It has to be a game you don't have much experience with," Jade muttered as she scanned the place, "or one that I've played."
"It could be that one," Andrew said, tilting his head slightly in a direction.
Jade followed his gaze and found the classic rhythm and dance games, with flashy lights and loud music.
"Keep dreaming," she said flatly, looking away and continuing on.
Andrew laughed and kept walking with her. If there was one type of game he was truly bad at, it was exactly those. Dance games had never been his thing. He had no rhythm, didn't practice, and above all, didn't like putting himself on display in something he knew he sucked at.
Even though it was pretty obvious that Jade wasn't a fan of those kinds of games either, Andrew found it impossible to imagine her dancing to the beat of a cheerful or overly energetic melody.
They kept looking, but Jade didn't seem convinced by any of the games they passed. Until, without saying another word, she stopped in front of an air hockey table.
"This," she said, taking position at one end.
Andrew stopped and looked at her with some doubt. "Are you sure?" he asked.
Jade looked up and met his eyes. "Yes," she replied curtly.
She had seen plenty of games: ring tosses, Skee-Ball, shooters where the winner was whoever had better aim. In all of them, she knew she couldn't compete with Andrew. It would be naïve to think she could have more precision than the best high school quarterback in the country, someone who seemed to take even the smallest competition as if his honor were on the line.
"All right…" Andrew said finally, taking his place on the other side of the table.
The match began.
The first points were even. Andrew wasn't going all out, as if he were still gauging the pace and reminding himself that this was a date, they were supposed to be having fun.
Jade took advantage of that and managed to keep up during the first exchanges.
Until Andrew realized that if he kept that pace, he could actually lose. Jade wasn't bad.
So in that moment, his stance became firmer, his movements sharper than before. His reflexes began to assert themselves, but above all, his power. Each strike sent the puck across the table at a speed Jade couldn't fully react to.
He didn't hold back, at least, not completely. If he hit the puck with all the strength he had, it would be too much.
The scoreboard started to tilt clearly. Jade tried to adapt, to defend better, to anticipate, but it was hard. The puck came back again and again, each time faster.
When the match ended, the result was decisive.
Andrew set his striker down on the table and looked up at Jade, who was staring at the scoreboard with a frown and a hardened expression.
'Oh, no…' Andrew thought, with the uncomfortable feeling that maybe he had taken the game a bit too seriously.
Jade's blue eyes slowly lifted until they met his.
"You won. Congratulations," she said in a completely monotone voice.
Andrew couldn't quite read that tone. It didn't sound openly annoyed, but it wasn't neutral either. And her expression made it clear that the crushing defeat hadn't gone over well.
"Good game," Andrew said, trying to be diplomatic. Teasing her, like he had before, was clearly not a good idea.
Jade made a barely perceptible grimace and started walking without saying anything.
'Damn competitiveness,' Andrew scolded himself as he followed her, wondering why he had to take things so seriously even on a date.
"Hey, where are you going? Is there a game you want to try?" Andrew asked, hurrying after her.
Jade kept walking without answering or looking at him.
Andrew quickened his pace until he was beside her. "Hello? Are you ignoring me? Are you upset about losing?" he asked, careful with his tone.
"No," Jade replied.
"I told you to make sure you wanted to play air hockey… I'm really good at that," Andrew justified himself.
"Uh-huh," Jade said, without stopping.
Andrew stepped ahead and positioned himself in front of her, blocking her path. Jade tried to go around him, but Andrew moved with her, making it impossible to slip past.
"What are you doing?" Jade asked, her tone sounding dangerous.
'So scary…' Andrew thought, though a slight smile slipped out.
"Are we just going to wander around wasting time?" he asked. "Why don't we try a throwing game?"
"I'm not good at those," Jade said.
"I am," Andrew replied. "I'll teach you and we'll be a team. We'll walk away with a bunch of prizes."
He extended his hand, waiting.
Jade hesitated for a second. Then she sighed and took his hand, interlacing her fingers with his.
They started walking like that, hand in hand, toward the target-throwing booth, talking about something else and leaving the competition from a few minutes ago behind.
They reached one of the moving-target throwing games. It was the typical long booth, with a row of metal targets sliding back and forth at different speeds.
The attendant quickly explained the rules: ten throws per round, you had to knock down as many targets as possible. Each hit added points, and once you reached a certain score, you could redeem different prizes.
Andrew took the balls first.
He positioned himself in front of the booth, focused. He threw the first one and hit. The second and third as well. By the time he reached the fifth, the attendant was already watching him with raised eyebrows, clearly surprised.
'This kid looks familiar…' the man thought.
Andrew didn't miss a single one of the ten throws.
The targets fell one after another. He wasn't throwing with excessive force, it was more about control and a slight adjustment of the wrist. When he finished, the scoreboard showed the maximum score for the round.
"Nice shots…" the attendant murmured. "You don't see that every day."
"Thanks," Andrew said with a faint smile as he stepped back and gestured to Jade. "Your turn."
Jade took the balls with a neutral expression. She didn't look intimidated, but not especially confident either. "I'm not promising anything," she said.
"That's fine," Andrew replied. "Focus on the targets."
The first throw hit one of the easiest targets, the ones worth the fewest points. The second tried to go for a harder one and missed.
Andrew stepped forward, moving in close behind her. He hesitated for a second, then gently placed a hand on her forearm.
"Wait," he said softly. "Try it this way."
Andrew carefully adjusted Jade's arm, guiding the motion. She didn't pull away and let him correct her.
"Follow through and release right here."
Jade threw again.
The target fell. Andrew didn't pull his hand away right away.
Jade picked up another ball, and Andrew helped her adjust the angle a little more.
Second hit.
Third.
Jade started to find the rhythm. She wasn't perfect, but she hit enough targets to rack up some important points.
They each played one more round and ended up with enough points for two sizable prizes.
The attendant looked at them and pointed to the wall. "Pick whatever you want."
Jade looked at the prizes hanging on the wall. She crossed her arms, her eyes scanning each one carefully. Her brow furrowed slightly.
"Don't you have other plushies?"
"Others?" the attendant repeated, confused.
The wall was full, small, medium, and large ones. Bears, cats, dogs, unicorns. A bit of everything. But looking at Jade, she didn't exactly seem like the type of girl who'd be all that excited by something like that.
"What kind of plushie would you like?" the man asked, still unsure.
"I don't know…" Jade replied thoughtfully. "A spider or a scorpion. Something like that."
The man stared at her, clearly trying to decide whether he'd heard her correctly. A couple of awkward seconds passed before he finally cleared his throat.
"I think I have a spider, give me a moment."
He disappeared through a side door.
"You're freaking him out," Andrew commented, amused.
"He asked what I wanted," Jade replied with a shrug.
A few seconds later, the man returned holding a stuffed spider, medium to large-sized, black, with long legs.
"It's left over from Halloween," he said. "You got lucky."
Jade took it without hesitation and examined it for a second, assessing it. She nodded.
Andrew, meanwhile, looked back at the wall and chose a pink teddy bear, a classic medium-sized one.
Jade looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "For your little sister?"
"Yes. She'll love it," Andrew replied with a faint smile.
"You're a good brother," Jade said as she started walking.
It wasn't all that common for an older brother, especially a teenage one, to think about his little sister in the middle of a date.
Andrew followed her, the bear in one hand. "Thanks," he replied. "Does that earn me some positive points?"
Jade glanced at him from the corner of her eye, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on her face.
"Yes," she admitted. "It does."
Andrew smiled, satisfied, and they kept walking through the mall crowd until they reached a café, with wooden tables, comfortable seats, and soft music playing in the background.
They sat across from each other. Andrew ordered a black coffee and something simple to go with it. Jade ordered exactly the same.
Their drinks arrived quickly, and they chatted calmly. Without the constant noise and flashing lights of the arcade area, the atmosphere was much more relaxed.
At one point, Andrew fell silent for a few seconds.
Jade noticed immediately. "What is it?" she asked.
Andrew looked at her, as if debating whether to say it or not. Finally, he spoke.
"I was wondering… why did you add me on Facebook?"
That was where everything had started. Jade had sent the friend request, he'd accepted it, and he was the one who'd started the conversation. Jade had responded positively, keeping the chat going for several days, until the first date. And now they were on the second.
Still, it struck him as curious. From what he'd gotten to know of her over those days, Jade didn't seem like the kind of girl who sent friend requests without a reason, much less one who then agreed to go on dates just to get to know someone.
The most logical assumption would be that it had something to do with his fame. Or with the fact that Jade's father was a college recruiter and wanted Andrew to end up at that university.
But nothing about Jade's attitude fit that idea. At no point had she shown any sign of being interested in his fame, or in football, or even talked about her father. In fact, she avoided those topics.
Besides, they had already seen each other in person before, during that unofficial visit Andrew made to UCLA more than a year earlier. That day, they'd only exchanged a brief greeting when Andrew arrived at the stadium and Derrick welcomed him.
But back then, Jade hadn't made any move. Months later, she sent the friend request.
Jade stirred her coffee, thoughtful. "I guess, because of your fame."
Andrew lifted his gaze slightly, but Jade continued before he could say anything.
"But don't misunderstand me," she added. "It's not like I care that much about your fame. I did get to know about you through that, yes. My dad talks about you so much, as if you were the football messiah who's going to come to the college and change history, that I think something stuck in my subconscious. And from there, the curiosity came."
She paused for a second and then went on:
"Besides, the first time I saw you, you didn't give off those vibes of an egotistical athlete who thinks he's the best, even though in your case you probably could, and if you did, you'd be just as unbearable."
"Mm, I see," Andrew said, nodding.
"It's a relief to know it wasn't just because of my fame," he added with a faint smile.
Jade made a face that looked a lot like a crooked smile.
"I surprised myself when I sent you the request. I probably never would've talked to you," she admitted. "But you did… and well, here we are."
She was right. When Andrew accepted the request and they added each other on Facebook, several days passed with nothing more than that, just two names on a list. Until he decided to take the step and message her.
"Oh, right," Jade suddenly said.
A slight smile formed on her face. Barely noticeable, but enough to make Andrew raise an eyebrow. It wasn't that she never smiled, but when she did, it was rare and brief.
"I told my dad today that I'm going out with you," she finished.
"Oh, his reaction must've been very entertaining," Andrew said.
He immediately pictured Derrick. He'd always seen him as a professional recruiter, proper, approachable, and reliable during UCLA visits.
But from what little Jade had told him, and given how he practically saw Andrew as a football messiah, the news must have caught him completely off guard. His daughter dating the player UCLA wanted to recruit like no one before.
"Much more than you imagine," Jade said, clearly amused. "He got really nervous. For a moment I thought he was going to have a heart attack."
And then she started telling him the whole sequence: her father's face, the rushed questions, the silences. She told it with a different kind of enthusiasm than usual, not so much excitement, but rather pure morbid curiosity and amusement.
Andrew listened attentively, holding back laughter more than once.
When Jade finished the story, Andrew took a sip of his coffee.
"So, are you coming to the game on Friday?" he asked.
"Yes. I don't love football, but I understand it way too well because of my stupid dad," Jade replied with complete honesty, maybe too much.
Andrew nodded. "Are you going to use all the tickets I gave you? If you don't use them, you could resell them and make some money."
The tickets had been given to him by the school at no cost. Being the star had its perks.
"It's a good idea, but I gave them to my parents. They're coming with me," Jade said, shaking her head.
Andrew looked at her oddly.
"What?" Jade asked, noticing his look.
"It just seems strange to me that you'd invite your parents."
Jade sighed. "I need someone to drive me there. And if I only invited my mom, my dad would be unbearable these days. A necessary sacrifice."
"It'll be interesting to meet them," Andrew commented, already imagining the encounter with Derrick. It wouldn't be the first time they met, obviously, but seeing each other now, under these circumstances, would definitely be entertaining.
"It will be," Jade replied. "And get ready for my dad's strategies. He's going to take advantage of these moments that other recruiters don't get."
She paused briefly before adding:
"And just so you know, I don't care whether you go to UCLA or any other college. I'm just warning you that if you go out with me, you're going to have to put up with my father. And even more so at this stage, which he classifies as delicate."
"Noted," Andrew said, chuckling softly.
"Speaking of my dad, football, and all that…" Jade said, stirring the spoon in her nearly finished coffee. "Everyone talks about your third official college visit like it's the event of the century."
Jade hesitated for just a second before going on. She didn't seem uncomfortable, but she was clearly careful not to sound too interested.
"Do you already know which university your third visit is going to be?"
"Sounds like you're interested too," Andrew commented with a small smile
Jade looked up at him defensively. "Don't exaggerate. I'm just curious about the future of the guy I'm dating. That's all."
Andrew let out a light laugh. "I'm just kidding. Yes, I've already decided. The visit is set."
Jade raised an eyebrow slightly. "When?"
"The day after the game. Saturday," Andrew replied.
Her curiosity was no longer so easy to hide.
"And which one is it?" Jade asked.
Andrew didn't make a big deal out of it. He simply answered, "The University of Missouri."
"Mm… Missouri," Jade repeated, nodding slowly. "I see."
"Do you know where they play?" Andrew asked.
"I think in the Big 12, right? But I don't know much more than that," she replied.
Andrew nodded. "Yes, in the Big 12 Conference. It's one of the five dominant conferences in the FBS. Although it's already been announced since August that this will be their last season there. Next year they're moving to the SEC, which is basically the strongest conference."
He paused briefly and shook his head.
"But anyway, I don't want to go off on a tangent."
"Come on, I don't mind. I'm all ears," Jade said, resting her elbows on the table and her chin in her palms, looking straight at him. "Why Missouri?"
Andrew looked at her for a second and began to explain, while she listened attentively and occasionally asked a specific question.
One of the main reasons had to do with his family. Part of his family on Cam's side lived in that same state: the Tuckers.
Even though he didn't see them that often because they lived in different states, they always stayed in touch. Andrew had a very close relationship with his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins in Missouri.
On top of that, the University of Missouri had a respectable program, and the move to the SEC made it even more attractive from a competitive standpoint.
"When you show up in the news setting foot in Missouri, my dad is going to start coming up with theories about why you chose that college as your third visit," Jade commented.
Andrew smiled. "You can tell him. I don't mind if he starts with his theories early."
"No way," Jade replied, shaking her head. "I'm not telling him a thing. He can find out as it happens. This privilege is mine alone."
The date went on, slowly approaching its end. Until, at one point, Jade took out her phone.
"I have to show you the video."
"What video?" Andrew asked.
"The music video for Closer, by Nine Inch Nails," Jade said, as if it were obvious.
"I was hoping you'd forgotten about that," Andrew joked.
Jade stood up without a word and sat down next to him. She gave him a light tap on the shoulder. "Shut up and watch."
She propped the phone against her coffee cup so it would stay steady and hit play. Andrew fixed his eyes on the screen. His shoulder brushed against Jade's, just enough to notice, but neither of them moved.
The video played for four minutes and forty-two seconds. When it ended, Jade slowly turned her head toward him.
"So, what did you think?" she asked, clearly expecting something a bit more elaborate.
Andrew turned his head to look at her as well. "I guess it's… fine," he said, in an unconvincing tone.
Jade narrowed her eyes. "Don't be a coward. Give me your honest opinion. I'm not going to get upset just because I like it," she said.
Andrew let out a small sigh. "All right," he gave in. "Honestly, I think it's too pretentious."
Jade didn't react right away. "Pretentious how?" she asked. "Explain."
"I'm not saying it's badly made," Andrew clarified. "It has identity, but I feel like it tries too hard to be shocking. Like it needs to throw weird images at you, symbols, uncomfortable stuff, so it feels deeper than it really is."
He paused briefly.
"It's like it's constantly trying to make you uncomfortable on purpose. And at some point it stops being provocative and becomes performative. Like watching something weird just because it's weird. I don't know if I'm explaining myself," he said, scratching his head.
"I understood you perfectly," Jade said.
There was something different in her tone. It wasn't sarcastic, more surprised.
"I wasn't expecting an explanation like that," she added. "I thought you'd say something much simpler."
Andrew looked at her. "Is that good or bad?"
"It's interesting," she replied. "And a little attractive, to be honest. Performative, I didn't expect you to use that word."
'Having two super-smart ex-girlfriends came in handy,' Andrew thought, though he obviously didn't say it out loud.
Jade tilted her head slightly. "Even though you're criticizing one of my favorite songs."
Andrew smiled faintly. "You said you wanted me to be honest."
"Yeah…" Jade admitted.
They held each other's gaze for a few seconds longer than normal. That's when Andrew noticed how close they were, shoulders almost touching, their faces only a few inches apart.
Jade's blue eyes dropped for a moment, to Andrew's lips, then returned to his eyes.
Andrew followed the movement without realizing it. His gaze dipped to Jade's lips, painted black, then back to her eyes.
The silence grew thick. Until Andrew moved and kissed her.
It wasn't rough or over the top. Jade didn't pull away. She responded almost immediately, closing her eyes and enjoying the kiss.
They pulled apart, opening their eyes and still looking at each other, until Andrew broke the silence between them.
"So, should we have sex like wild animals now?"
The comment was clearly sarcastic, a direct reference to the Nine Inch Nails song. Andrew knew that a cheesy or overly romantic line wouldn't work with someone like Jade.
Jade caught it instantly. She snorted in what looked like a brief laugh and nodded. "We should, right? Maybe right here, on this table."
A while later, they paid the bill and headed to the underground parking garage. It was already getting late, and neither of them had the next day off.
Andrew dropped Jade off at her house, and the date came to an end. He felt that everything had flowed much more naturally than on the first one.
And so the days passed, drawing closer and closer to Friday, the quarterfinals of the Southern Section, and then Saturday, when Andrew would go on his third official college visit, to Missouri.
-------------------------------------------------
You can read 15 chapters in advance on my patreon.
Link: https://[email protected]/Nathe07