Senior Year Winter: A Stupid Boy Story, #13

By G. Younger

Continuation of the award-winning series that has garnered over 4 million downloads.

David Dawson is off to LA to star in a J-drama. He volunteers to introduce his Japanese cast-mates to American culture. While in LA issues arise with his recruitment, which causes the NCAA to get involved, and not in a good way. In his personal life Brook and his relationship continues to evolve and his friends all come out to LA to visit. Join his story where our 'stupid boy' faces new challenges in a sexy romantic comedy with just enough sports and adventure mixed in to make it a must-read.

• Language: English
• Publisher: G. Younger
• Release date: Jan 14, 2021
• ISBN: 9780998941356

G. Younger

Greg Younger was born in Urbana, Illinois, on the day after Christmas in August of 1961. He was educated at the sports oriented Mahomet-Seymour High School, where he spent much of his time playing football (where he won a State Championship), hunting/fishing, and reading every science fiction or fantasy book in the town’s library. He went on to Illinois State University to study Accounting. The football stopped, but he found a new passion, he started a fraternity.  Greg enjoyed college life to the point that when he graduated he had degrees in Finance, Marketing, Management with minors in Economics and Accounting.  Greg then moved to Chicago, lived in a high rise in the Gold Coast with two men who drank too much, and found work at a bank as a computer programmer. Over the next 25 years he advanced through the ranks and became known for solving problems via the use of technology. He ventured out on his own and opened a consulting company that developed technology driven solutions for Fortune 500 companies and financial institutions. In 2005, he gave it all up to move to an area in Florida called the Nature Coast. This harkened to his days of growing up in a small Midwestern community.  Not able to just sit around he decided to try something completely different, real estate.  He eventually opened his own company.  Greg had always thought he could write a science fiction book and even had outlined one he’d given the working title of Star Academy.  Knowing he wasn’t ready for that he decided to write about what he knew, sports.  From that grew an epic series of novels: A Stupid Boy Story.

Book preview

Chapter 1 – La La Land

Sunday November 27

We had breakfast at Granny’s West. It gave me a chance to say goodbye to all my family and friends who had come to support me at the State Championship game. When I came in, the first person I saw was Tami, who’d been my best friend since childhood. Recently, we’d distanced ourselves from each other. She was with her mom and Tim, her boyfriend and one of my best guy friends, and his family. She got up and hugged me.

I have to say I’m torn. My classmates thought they would win yesterday, but I’m happy you won. I might be one of the few people who can say that I saw your first and last game at Lincoln.

In our freshman year, Tami had had the opportunity to transfer to Wesleyan. It was a college preparatory boarding school that catered to the well-to-do. Tami had been awarded a scholarship to attend there. They were the team we played yesterday for the State Championship in football.

It seems like that was forever ago, doesn’t it? I asked, referring to my first game.

It does. There’s something I want to say that I should have said a while ago: I’m proud of you. Sometimes I forget that you’re not the same boy who invited me to play softball at recess my first day. You’re no longer the one who let me boss him around and run his life for him. I see what you’ve done since I left, and I’m simply amazed at what you’ve accomplished. I should have stayed out of your life sooner, she said with a crooked smile.

Maybe you should have, but what’s the old saying, ‘What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger’?

Come here, she ordered and pulled me into a fierce hug. I’ll see you at the first of the year when we come out to visit. Go be a movie star and have fun doing it. Just know, we’re all proud of you.

That afternoon, I was on my way to LA to shoot a ‘J-drama’ or Japanese miniseries. Apparently, I was big over there, and they loved the first one I’d done. My girlfriend, Brook, had arranged for our friends to fly out after New Year’s to spend a week with us.

My throat tightened with emotion her kind words evoked. So, I just nodded and moved on to talk to others. Sometimes my old feelings for Tami came to the surface. To hear her say, in essence, that I was good enough hit too close to home.

I hadn’t realized that old grievance still lingered, and how her saying we couldn’t date because I needed to grow up continued to make me a little crazy. It was funny how certain people found their way into your heart, and there wasn’t much you could do about it. Fortunately, that was when Brook found me and kissed me.

Are you alright? she asked.

I blinked and then shook my head to focus. She had started to figure me out, and I wasn’t sure if that was good or not. A guy wants to have some secrets.

I am now, I said, and it was her turn to squirm because the implication was that her presence made life better for me. Come on. Let’s tell everybody goodbye.

Before we could talk to anyone, Sarah came bounding up and hugged me. She, too, was a student at Wesleyan and also a model. I’d met her at a modeling camp we’d both attended. She and I had a history; we’d hooked up a time or two. She now dated another one of my best guy friends, Wolf.

Behind her were Adrienne and Tyler. Adrienne was the Adrienne, the supermodel and my mentor. She and her life partner, Tyler, owned a modeling agency out of New York. Tyler handled the day-to-day, while Adrienne was the face of the agency. I gave both women hugs. They’d made the trip to our sleepy town to watch me play in my last high school football game. It meant a lot to me that they’d come.

I take it you found us work, I said.

Caryn, the woman who ran my businesses, suddenly appeared and smiled at me. I was surprised when Adrienne nodded to her to tell me what they’d done.

We’ve put together several deals. The first is a modeling gig with Range Sports that will feature you and Sarah. They’ll also be doing product placement in your J-drama.

I’d wondered how they’d gotten me golf clubs so fast. Despite working with them for years, I didn’t know that Range Sports even made them. It turned out that they had partnered with a well-known golf equipment company and had branded clubs of their own.

Dad had been impressed with the clubs when they arrived. He ran the golf course at a local country club and knew about this stuff. It was all wasted on me because I doubted I would ever use them again after the miniseries was shot. When I’d expressed my opinion on the matter, Dad’s expression seemed to say I would eat those words.

We’ve also worked to get product placement for Jade and Dakora in both the J-drama and Halle’s movie, Caryn said.

Jade and Dakora were two of the clothing lines besides Range Sports that I modeled for. Somehow, that must have made me money, judging by the pleased looks I saw on everyone’s faces. I could only guess that they had gotten their foot in the door through my contacts on the productions. We had a ‘finder’s fee’ arrangement when business got generated that way.

Good job, I said when I couldn’t think of anything else to say.

I can’t wait to see the place you rented for the Japanese production, Tyler said. Thank you for allowing us to stay there for the photo shoot.

I cocked my head and turned to my girlfriend. It was the first she’d heard of more house guests, and we both turned to my manager. Caryn at least had the decency to blush.

I probably should have told you, but your dad said it would be okay since you had plenty of room.

Before it got awkward, I smiled at Tyler.

It’s my fault that I didn’t know you were coming. I made it clear that I wanted to back off from all my business responsibilities and focus on my last year of high school. But sometimes a heads-up might be nice, I said to needle Caryn.

Your dad knew, she replied.

I was sure everyone knew, but I let it go. Brook and I then excused ourselves so we could talk to other people. I was surprised to find Dare and his mom there. Dare was new to our school and was our genius nerd. Our vice principal had paired the two of us up because Dare had been bullied in the past because he was different. Brook and I’d been working on getting him to come out of the shell that he’d developed to protect himself.

Good morning, Darius, Brook said sweetly.

If I’d said that, he would have given me a dirty look. I glanced over at his mom, and we both rolled our eyes when he lit up as my girlfriend teased him. Brook still didn’t believe he had a crush on her. He had a carrying case next to him that looked suspiciously like the drone case he’d had at Tracy’s, only smaller.

I was able to get the new drone ready for your trip to LA. I showed your security guy Fritz how to work it yesterday, Dare told me.

Something else I hadn’t known. As far as I knew, Dare was doing this little project on his own.

I want to say goodbye to some people. Why don’t you tell Brook everything about it?

He launched right into a detailed explanation as I slunk away. I might be glad after all that Brook and I wouldn’t see each other for a couple of weeks. She still had to finish the semester, while I left early so I could meet the filming schedule for the J-drama.

I told my family goodbye. I spent some time with my cousin El. She told me all about Tami’s brothers and how they’d just gone home. They’d wanted to see the football game and sat with her. I was devastated that I was no longer the object of her affection. She couldn’t decide yet, but one of them would marry her someday. Women are crazy, and somehow, I’d fathered one. Little Carol, my only daughter, would be the death of me when she was El’s age.

My cousins lived in Florida, and I never got to see them enough. I wished her luck with her new quest and moved on.

Soon Dad collected me and said we had to go to make our flight. I gave him a thumbs-up when I saw he had a bag of food because I hadn’t had time to eat.

◊◊◊

When we arrived at O’Hare, it was a zoo, as you could imagine on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. We checked our bags, which now included a drone, and then got in line to check in. Our boarding passes were marked TSA PreCheck, so we were able to skip the horrendous lines trying to get through security. I didn’t even get inappropriately groped this time.

We’d planned for long lines, so we were more than an hour early for our flight. I hooked up my phone to the airport’s Wi-Fi and started shopping for a book to download. Dad went old-school and found a bookstore where he paid a premium to get an action paperback to kill time. Fritz was busy watching our surroundings, as a good security guy should be doing. He caught my attention and then sat down between my dad and me.

Something’s wrong with that girl over there, he said.

Of course, we both snapped our heads around to stare at her.

You both suck at this, Fritz hissed.

I hated to admit it, but my first thought was that he might be profiling the girl, who looked to be in her late teens or early twenties. She had a darker complexion that I would place as having come from either the Middle East or South Asia, while her dress and hairstyle screamed ‘foreign.’ The problem was, that I agreed that something was off about her. My uncle had told me that if you got a gut feeling something was wrong, not to ignore it. That was what made me check closer instead of dismissing Fritz out of hand.

She appeared to be sweating, and her eyes darted around as if she were paranoid. She also was fidgeting, with periodic toe-tapping and fingernail biting. Just looking at her made me nervous.

I’m going to go make some inquiries, Fritz said, and then gave us our marching orders. Neither one of you move, and if you see her get up, text me.

I thought about asking him about a hundred questions but decided to let him do his job and kept them to myself. A few minutes later, he came back and sat between us.

When I say so, gather your bags and follow me, Fritz ordered.

Soon after that, we spotted two Chicago police officers come into our area.

Now, Fritz said, and he hurried us away from our gate and into the men’s room where he put us into the handicapped stall together.

Don’t come out until I get back, he ordered.

Dad and I waited and tried to make small talk as the minutes ticked by. I became a little anxious when they called our flight for boarding. Finally, Fritz came back to get us. We noticed that the police had the girl off to the side, talking to her as we got onto the plane. We were seated in first class, and I’d scored an aisle seat. Fritz sat across from me on the aisle with Dad next to him in the window seat. I was happy to see that the seat next to me was empty. With me being six-four, flying could be a pain due to the lack of legroom.

It seemed to take forever for everyone to get settled, as the flight was packed. When we were ready to go, the last passenger got on. I looked up when the girl who had been talking to the police boarded and came down the aisle. Oh, great; she had a ticket for the seat next to mine. When the foreign girl took her seat, she collapsed into it and stared out the window. I was glad I hadn’t gotten stuck with either a kid or someone chatty.

We took off and were pushed back into our seats as we gained altitude. Then the girl sat straight up and grabbed my hand with a scared expression on her face. Our eyes locked, and her countenance changed from frightened to something weird. Either I was about to die, or she was. Then her head spun around as she projectile vomited.

I might have exaggerated about the head-spin part. The only positive was that the girl directed her spray towards the window. The smell alone almost caused me to lose my breakfast. I’m a sympathetic puker on the best of days. I surprised myself when I was able to swallow it back. Having a bunch of little ones may have toughened me up.

My first thought was that I no longer wanted to be seated next to her. I undid my seatbelt and stepped into the aisle.

Sir, you must remain seated when the seatbelt light is on, one of the flight attendants told me.

I’ll trade with you, I suggested.

She was in one of those flip-down seats by the cabin door.

The woman behind terrorist girl—I’d officially decided that puke was as bad as a bomb—freaked out.

It’s running back here! Oh My God! It’s on my shoes! she said and then puked.

Her seatmate, an elderly businessman, joined her. I’d read a Steven King book called The Body that fit this moment perfectly. In the book, one of the characters had been in a pie-eating contest. Long story short, one of the contestants pukes, and it causes a chain reaction. We were having our own chain reaction when three more people joined our pukers.

The flight attendant figured out what was wrong and didn’t order me back to my seat. Instead, she allowed me to take hers while she and other flight attendants dealt with the mess. They should have gotten hazard pay for dealing with that. Somehow, the girl who’d started it all was sent to stand by me while they cleaned up our row. She swayed, and I caught her before I had a chance to give up my seat for her. Now I had a semiconscious terrorist sitting in my lap. My next fear was that she was contagious.

I asked a flight attendant for some help. Her solution was to get the girl a blanket. Then she handed me one of those little barf bags in case the girl needed to go another round, which of course, she did. I was ready to open the door and either get out and walk or toss her out.

The flight attendants did yeoman’s work to get everything cleaned up. Unfortunately, they had no way to get rid of the smell, and we were only thirty minutes into a four-and-a-half-hour flight. I helped the girl to her seat and got her a bottle of water.

She looked at me sheepishly.

Sorry, she mumbled.

Tell me something: you don’t have the plague or some such, do you? I can’t get sick right now.

No. It’s withdrawal from drugs. My mother passed away, and I promised myself I would be off them when I attended her funeral. Guess I should have waited until I got there to stop taking.

I started to laugh, which caught everyone’s attention.

It’s not funny. I feel like shit, the girl complained.

What were you taking? I asked.

Prescription painkillers. A friend of mine said it would take 24 to 48 hours to get over the worst of it. I thought I was fine today and decided to fly home. It probably wasn’t such a good idea to have eaten anything before the flight, but I was starved, she said and closed her eyes for a moment.

I had my seatbelt off in a flash, ready to make a hasty retreat. She opened her eyes and gave me a wan smile. The girl looked wiped out. Then a look of determination suddenly appeared on her face. She reached over, grabbed my hand and squeezed it, and then fell asleep. I was happy she slept for the rest of the flight.

◊◊◊

Fritz had arranged for a town car to pick us up and deliver us to the house in Malibu. I’d seen pictures, and they didn’t do it justice. This would be the perfect place to stay for the next several weeks while I shot the J-drama. The house was owned by a researcher who worked at a local laboratory. He and his wife were on a three-month assignment overseas.

I let my head fall back as we waited for the driver to open the trunk. Through my closed eyes, I could envision the glorious sun that beat down on us. It wasn’t what I would call hot out, but it was much more pleasant than the weather we’d left. I could get used to this.

Dad and I grabbed our bags and were met at the front door by Lexi Andon. Her father was a studio exec and in charge of the Star Academy movies. Lexi had helped us get a meeting with him to pitch moving Halle’s film to his studio. The filming of Love Letters was in full swing.

Welcome, Mr. Dawson, David. I trust you had a good trip, she greeted us.

Dad and I looked at each other and decided the less said about the trip, the better.

Why are you here? I asked.

When I first met Lexi, I didn’t like her. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I liked her now or not because she’d been such a bitch back then. She and her friends had started a fight. Then again, the girl throwing the party might have clouded my judgment when she filled me in on what an evil person Lexi was.

When the accident happened, she’d been nothing but helpful and had asked to work for us. Caryn had hired her with the intention that she be my personal assistant for the Star Academy movies.

"I’m here as your PA for Campus Firsts."

So, they finally named it, I said.

I saw the first marketing piece, and it sounds lame. ‘First friends, first clubs, first love, first everything,’ she recited.

I groaned because it sounded like a sappy love story. Lexi took us on a tour of the house. Mom and Dad would take the master bedroom while they were here. I decided that the other side of the house was my best bet until I found out that Lexi had the room next to mine.

I’m sorry; you’re going to be staying here? I asked.

She looked hesitant and then slumped.

It’s a two-hour drive from my place, and I figured if I was your PA, you might need me more than just during working hours. It’s my job to make sure everything goes well for you, she said in a rush.

Lexi showed me she’d already moved in. I figured it wasn’t worth possibly upsetting her dad, and she might be right. She lived in LA and would help us figure everything out. I decided to let her stay for now and see how it worked.

I’m sure it’ll be more convenient for you to stay here, I agreed.

She gave me a big smile. As rotten as I suspected Lexi was on the inside, her outside was more than okay. If I’d just met her, I would have been very interested. After all, I liked tall, athletic types, with model-quality looks. The problem was that Lexi knew she was good-looking and had a daddy who was part of the Hollywood power structure. When I first met her, the impression I’d gotten was that she used that to rule her high school clique. So, I was a tad suspicious of the change that seemed to have occurred since she graduated.

I went to my room and unpacked, and then to the kitchen to see if there was any food. I stuck my head in the refrigerator.

Stay out of my stuff, said a man I’d never met before.

He was well built, easily topped 250 pounds, and was around six feet tall. I slowly stood up and wondered how he’d gotten in here. I was preparing to remove him from the premises when Fritz walked in. He took one look at me and stepped between me and the man who was about to be asked to leave.

David, this is Manaia Matua, your security while you’re here.

By his name, I guessed he was Samoan.

Why does he have food in my refrigerator? I asked.

Fritz turned around and looked at Manaia, who seemed to rethink the situation.

What happened? Fritz asked.

I saw the kid looking at my food and told him to back off. No big deal.

Actually, it is a big deal. I think we need to go have a talk in private, Fritz said as he guided my new security guy out of the kitchen.

I heard them go into the garage, and voices were raised as Dad came into the kitchen.

Is there any food? he asked.

If you couldn’t tell, we were related.

No. We need to make a run to the grocery store, I said and then looked at him with one eyebrow raised. Did you know Lexi planned to stay here?

No, I didn’t.

It’s okay. I just wish you would put me in the loop about stuff that affects me. Not that I want to be involved in figuring out how it all works, mind you.

I agree. Brook might have an issue with Lexi running around here 24/7.

No, Brook would be fine with it. She knows I’ll be on my best behavior.

I pulled out a garbage bag from under the sink and began to put all the food that was in the refrigerator into it. I expected that would be the last I would see of Manaia and wanted to have his food packed for him. Dad ignored me as he sent Fritz a text to let him know what we wanted to do.

Lexi came down in a swimsuit and walked out to the pool. Damn!

Best behavior, Dad reminded me.

You might need to worry about what Mom thinks, I shot back.

Yep, Dad said as Fritz came in with Manaia.

I packed your food. It was nice meeting you, I said to Manaia.

Fritz looked like he might have a migraine. Dad looked at me and sighed.

What’s going on? he asked.

David and Manaia didn’t hit it off. He’s David’s security while you’re in town, Fritz said when neither of us would speak.

We’re going grocery shopping. You can either figure it out or give me the keys so I can drive, Dad said.

It didn’t make me happy when Fritz put the trash bag into the refrigerator and handed the keys to Manaia. There were two Range Rover SUVs in the garage that looked like the ones Rita James had. These vehicles were luxury with a capital ‘L.’

Walking into the grocery store was a revelation. I’d thought food shopping might be different out here, but I hadn’t realized just how different. I discovered I was in for a treat. We were in La La Land, that’s for sure.

My first clue was when I entered the deli and found that their special of the day was a yellow and red tomato, fresh mozzarella, and spinach sandwich. You had to try something like that. They also had pizzas that you could take home and bake. You told them what you wanted on the pie, and they made it to order. I told the girl to surprise me.

The dough was made from scratch daily with an oil infused with roasted garlic and tomato. There were so many things that I had to try that I ended up spending more at the deli than we usually spent on food for a full week. Then I discovered they had sushi!

Dad found me and was grumbling about the prices, and his cart was empty. He looked at mine and sighed.

I was about to suggest we go somewhere cheaper. These prices are outrageous, but it looks like you’ve decided to embrace the madness.

Live a little, I suggested.

I’m telling Caryn it was all your fault.

She had decided that I should have to live on a budget. What Dad forgot was that I had only a few expenses each month. A big chunk had gone into learning to fly. Other than that, I’d behaved myself.

I wasn’t happy when Caryn had reduced my monthly allowance when I agreed to give Ashley and Scarlet child support. I think she’d seen my bank account balance growing and decided to slow it down. So, I figured the old saying about ‘when in Rome’ applied. If we were in Malibu, we should live like we belonged here.

Dad got with the program and began to spend money like a ‘drunken sailor’—his words.

The bakery could have been my downfall. One could only conclude I was about to go off my diet if what I’d put in the cart was any indication. When I saw all the goodies they had on display, I had to force myself to walk away. I was sure my blood sugar was low, so I did have to buy a dozen white chocolate, cranberry, and pistachio cookies. I’d made the mistake of sampling one. Yeah, it was low blood sugar that made me buy a dozen.

When we got home, I was happy to see my dad take control.

We won’t be going out tonight. Your bag of food is in the refrigerator. Collect it, and have a good day.

Damn! Manaia seemed to realize that this might be his last day.

I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said what I did to David. I’m not a bad guy. Give me a chance to prove myself, he said.

I believed in redemption, but this guy had rubbed me the wrong way. When Dad looked my way, I just shrugged.

Okay, we’ll see you first thing in the morning when David runs.

I kept a straight face until he gathered his garbage bag of food and left. Then I was all smiles. I would run this guy into the ground.

◊◊◊

Hana Yamamura, my Japanese tutor and interpreter, arrived in time for dinner. We had my mystery pizza and a large salad. Hana, Lexi, and Dad split a bottle of wine between them. The pizza was a genuine California creation. It had artichoke hearts, green olives, roasted red peppers, and a mixture of goat and Asiago cheese for toppings. If the opportunity arose, I might order that again. The kicker was the garlic-and-tomato-infused oil they’d added to the crust. It was much better than it first sounded when the girl explained how they made their pizzas.

What’s the plan for tomorrow? Dad asked as I shared my cookies.

In the morning, they’ll do a read-through of the script for this week, Lexi said. "Then David has to go to wardrobe and makeup to get the look they want. The camera crews will be out doing establishing shots and b-roll while he does that. Then everyone will come together, and they’ll start shooting in the afternoon.

Mr. Dawson, you’ll work with the different actors who will play golf in the production. Your first task is to assess the strengths and weaknesses in their game. The director, Daisuke Otsuki, will take your recommendations and incorporate them into scene selection.

Lexi had an updated script for this week, and I spent a couple of hours working with Hana on the Japanese portions. If it hadn’t been for Hana helping me, I would’ve never learned it. Japanese uses kanji characters that give you little clue as to their meaning. Without her, I would have spent the majority of my time looking words up to try to figure out what they meant. The other problem with most kanji was that they had several meanings. Many common kanji have obscure meanings that only appear in particular words.

They’d sent the script in both an English phonetic format called romaji and in kanji. Hana used both to discover when the phonetic was wrong. I was starting to learn to speak the language but wasn’t sure I would ever be able to read it.

Something else that I had a hard time grasping was that the language was spoken differently for different situations. It was very contextual. You said things one way when you hung out with your friends, another way at home, yet another way man-to-man. And you spoke still another way to children and even to seniors.

Most of a quality performance was to understand your character, and I had to use a different mindset when I spoke Japanese. When I recognized the context of the conversation and my role in it, I was able to deliver my dialogue in a manner that didn’t make Hana cringe. Between her coaching and me being a good mimic, we thought I could get by.

By eight o’clock, we called it a night. The time difference had caught up with us, and we had to be on set early tomorrow.

◊◊◊

Monday November 28

I knew I should have hidden them. Someone—or more likely someones—had taken my cookies. Maybe Fritz could pull the security footage so that we could uncover the culprits.

I’d unpacked the drone Dare had fixed up for me. He’d made it so it would follow me via the Wi-Fi on my phone and act as a bodycam. As I walked outside, I found Lexi and Manaia stretching in the driveway.

Is it okay if I run with you? Lexi asked.

For today, sure. I plan to go out and get a feel for the local layout. I’m not sure you can keep up when I run seriously, I said, then cringed when I realized I sounded like a dick.

We’ll see, she said cryptically.

Oh, good. You have your drone. Fritz said that I should link up to it so I can keep track of you, Manaia said.

I bit my tongue because he made it sound like he needed to babysit me. I showed him where he could download the app that would allow him to see what the drone saw. Once I flipped it on, my phone pinged to let me know the drone had found me. It rose into the air and made a quick sweep around us. Manaia got a big grin on his face.

This could really be handy, he said.

I’ll show you around, Lexi offered. Do you want to end your run going down or uphill?

Let’s end on down today. I need to get used to hills again, I admitted.

From where we were, it was a steady climb up the hill to Pepperdine’s campus. Lexi was in better shape than I expected. She was able to offer a commentary of what all the buildings were and pointed out different ones we would shoot in or around.

Manaia was drenched with sweat, and I could tell he was feeling it. I was impressed that he pushed through and kept up with us. When we turned to go back home, I slowed down, worried he might drop. I glanced at Lexi, and she agreed he looked like he was in trouble. We stopped and got our water bottles out to have a quick drink.

Didn’t you bring one? I asked Manaia.

He looked at me a sheepishly, so I handed him mine. He sucked it down and looked embarrassed. Lexi gave him hers, and he drank that one too. As much as he had sweat to this point, he needed it. We started to walk back to give him a chance to recover. Okay, I may have wanted to run him into the ground for being a jerk yesterday. But I didn’t want to have to tell Fritz that I killed one of his guys.

We came to an intersection, and my drone took off ahead of us and rose higher. I’d never seen it do something like that before and was worried I might lose it. I looked at my phone and turned on the video so I could see what the drone saw. The drone had spotted movement and flew over to investigate. I would have to hug Dare when I saw him next: my eye in the sky had found two paparazzi setting up to ambush us at the next corner. I showed Lexi and Manaia.

Do we avoid them, or are you ready to be linked to me in the tabloids? I asked Lexi.

But I’m just your PA, she complained.

When has that ever stopped them?

He has a point, Manaia agreed.

You up for this? I asked Manaia.

No, but don’t slow down on my account. If I fall behind, I’ll meet you at the house, he said.

We would need to get him a golf cart or scooter. If there was a problem, I didn’t want my security sucking air when I ran. When I was in Cuba, and I’d gotten serious about running, they’d rented a cab so that they could follow me.

We cut across the quad at a good clip while Manaia gamely kept up. Lexi surprised me. She was more of an athlete than I expected. The only girl who had ever given me a challenge before was Peggy, and she was on scholarship to run cross-country at State.

The drone was soon back and doing a slow circuit above us while we ran downhill back to the house. It wouldn’t be long before the paparazzi figured out where I was staying. When we got to the house, we ran around back to the pool area. I made Manaia stand under the outdoor shower to cool off.

Crap! I’m so screwed. I told Fritz that I could easily keep up with you when you went running. Everyone else begged off. I might have gotten a little cocky, Manaia admitted.

I began to laugh.

It’s not funny. After yesterday, Fritz said I was on probation. I can’t mess up again.

Fritz is playing with you. When I was in LA last year, I took his team out to run and about killed them. That’s why none of them wanted to have to keep up with me, I explained. You do realize that I’m an athlete, right?

Lexi shook her head, and Manaia decided to stay quiet. I stepped inside to shower and get ready for the day. While passing through the kitchen, I sat the drone on the counter and plugged it in to charge.

◊◊◊

As I stepped out from my shower, I heard voices. It took me a moment to figure out it was my dad and Hana. I’d forgotten to turn off the video feed from the drone to my phone. I was about to do just that when Lexi hurried into the kitchen.

Quick, he just got out of the shower.

That caught my interest.

He won’t be happy when he finds out we stole his cookies, Hana said.

Stole is such a strong word. He was taught to share, and we all know he didn’t plan to let us have any after last night. If you feel so bad about it, give me yours, Dad told her.

He was so dead to me. I watched as the three of them wolfed down the cookies they’d stolen. I’d even shared with them. Granted, I hadn’t planned to let them have any more. That wasn’t the point, the traitors. My mind split between storming the kitchen and letting them know that I found them out and plotting an act of cold revenge. It might be better to play dumb for now.

Then it dawned on me. The drone might be handy to have around. What else was going on that I should know about? Here lately, I’d found I was kept out of the loop about a lot of stuff.

I set that aside for now got ready for my day.

◊◊◊

We were early for the first meeting with the cast. Pepperdine was happy that we were using their campus as the backdrop for the movie. Lexi had my schedule and knew where we were to go. It turned out to be a large conference room in the administration building. In the back, they had a light breakfast set up. I took advantage and made myself a cup of tea.

One of the assistants came in and put name tents around the table to show us where we were to sit. Fortunately, they were in both English and Japanese. It looked like Hana and I were together at the far end. I expect that was because she might have to interpret for me during the meeting.

Suddenly, people began to flow into the room. If I’d thought about it for a minute, it would have made sense. Their hotel shuttle had just arrived. I spotted two people I recognized from My Butterfly, Jiro Yamashita and Haru Doi. Hana waved at Jiro, and he nodded to me. Then the two of them wandered off for some alone time. Hana had stayed in Japan to get to know him better, and if their immediate interaction was any indication, they were still close.

Haru had played the female lead in My Butterfly and was going to be the lead in College First. We spent a few minutes catching up. She made sure I knew that she’d dumped her boyfriend, Ricky Nagai. He’d made some assumptions about Haru’s and my relationship. For starters, he assumed that Haru and I had one. What Haru wanted was the press coverage that came with being seen with me. If she’d been with me this morning, she would have run towards the paparazzi.

A man in his forties got everyone’s attention.

"Take your seats. I’m Daisuke Otsuki, your director, he said in Japanese. It was good that Hana was in my ear because I got maybe half of that. I want to go around the room and have everyone introduce themselves."

Another man in his forties, Makoto Noguchi, was cast as the coach for our golf team. Tsuyoshi Nomura was a distinguished-looking gentleman who would play our dean, and Tomoko Onishi was to play one of the female professors. Along with Haru, three other girls would be classmates: Misaki Hayashi, Kana Kojima, and Ai Sakamoto. Jiro, Kenta Ando, and I would play the male students that the girls would be interested in.

We then read through the first episode. The J-drama was focused on Haru’s character as she learned a lesson and experienced ‘firsts’ each week. It began with her move to college in the States. Haru was from a small community, while all the girls she lived with were worldlier. She was shy and reserved and had always been the good daughter, while the others were interested in boys and parties.

Having led a sheltered life, Haru’s character didn’t know how to fit in. The other girls ignored or took advantage of her because she was timid. At school, Jiro was also from a small town and recognized a kindred spirit. She was relieved to have someone like her she could be friends with.

Then my character walked into her psychology class and sat next to her. My character was used to being the center of attention and hadn’t come to class prepared. I borrowed a pen and paper from her. Haru was attracted to me and had never had someone like me pay her any attention. Jiro’s character wasn’t happy that she showed me interest and that I ignored her.

Unbeknownst to my character, the pen was given to Haru by her father as a special gift. At the end of class, I was approached by three girls who wanted to go to lunch, and I left with Haru’s pen. There were other instances where she didn’t stand up for herself that piled up until she snapped. A few classes later, she confronted my character and yelled at me in front of everyone about taking her pen. I got serious and asked for her forgiveness and returned it.

Haru’s roommates told her that I planned to join the golf club. She then convinced Jiro to sign up with her. She was oblivious to his interest in her, and he wasn’t happy when he discovered that I’d joined as well. Her roommates then found out about the golf club and also joined. That set the stage for future episodes.

Mr. Otsuki explained that Haru’s first growth experience was to learn to stand up for herself.

As we read through it, I wasn’t sure it would play well here. It didn’t have an edge or any real villains to play off; it had more a Hallmark or after-school-special feel. This series was the complete opposite of the dark J-drama, My Butterfly, where I’d been the evil man behind the girls’ disappearances.

◊◊◊

Lexi was waiting for me when I came out of the first read-through.

Hair and wardrobe are waiting for you, she reminded me.

We walked out front, and Manaia had a four-person golf cart waiting at the door. Lexi and I jumped in the back while Hana had stayed to talk to Jiro. It looked like they might be rekindling their romance.

I was the only cast member in wardrobe and makeup. You could usually pick out the people who do this for a living because they look great. They directed me to the hair stylist first.

They want us to turn you into a surfer dude, the woman told me.

Gnarly, I said in my surfer persona.

She showed me a picture of what they hoped to achieve. What jumped out at me first was the hair color. My hair is naturally brown. What they showed me was a dirty-blond guy with messy hair that looked like it had had blond highlights caused by being out in the sun.

How do you intend to get my hair to look like that? I asked.

Dye it.

I’m fine with the change, but I have a photo shoot coming up, and I need to find out if the clients will be okay with this. Can you send me that picture? I asked.

I sent the photo to Caryn and then called her.

Hey, they want me to go blond for the J-drama. Can you get in touch with whoever I’m modeling for and make sure they’re on board?

My first Range Sports contract had been pretty specific about changes in hairstyle or color. Since then, I’d signed a new one that hadn’t included that language, but they still tried to style my hair as close to original as possible. They wanted the same look and feel for their internet and catalog pictures.

While Caryn made her phone calls, I was sent to wardrobe. They measured me and then started having me try on different outfits. It looked like I would be in long shorts, with either a graphic t-shirt or button-up shirt, and sandals.

Caryn got back to me.

They all said to go for it. As soon as you get dressed up, send me a picture.

I wasn’t sure what she planned to do with it. If it was to show the clients, I was fine. If it was going out on social media to make fun of me, that was a different matter. Then I remembered that she worked for me, and I had to trust her.

Other cast members were by now getting their hair and makeup done for the series, so I had to wait to get my hair done. The gal knew what she was doing. She did it in stages and used three different blond tints to get the look she wanted. I was worried after the first two because it looked awful. When the third color set, and she washed and styled my hair, the color appeared much more natural. I worried that it would be a lot of work to make my hair look like I just came back from surfing each day. But I guess that was what my hair stylist did.

I took a selfie and sent it to Caryn.

◊◊◊

By now, it was late afternoon. I figured my day was about over, but I was wrong. I’d forgotten that the typical J-drama filmed on a super-compressed schedule, compared to a movie. They had to get scenes shot today to stay on schedule.

Lexi had found Hana, and we all walked to the set where they were shooting. We found the film crew in one of the classrooms. That was when the fun started. We didn’t leave until two in the morning and had to be back at nine a.m.

◊◊◊

Chapter 2 – J-drama Drama

Tuesday November 29

I woke at seven and jumped out of bed, so I could run. It would help me be alert for my nine o’clock on-set call. Manaia had borrowed a golf cart to follow me as I ran. We decided to run up the hill to Pepperdine again because I didn’t want to waste any brainpower trying to figure out another route.

Lexi decided that she would rather sleep in. I launched the drone and began the trek up to Pepperdine. Unfortunately, there were only so many routes through the hills from where I was staying to the campus. The drone found five paparazzi on three motorcycles waiting for me.

I slowed down so I could talk to Manaia.

We can’t go back to the house, or they’ll follow us. Let’s just run to campus and use their facilities for me to take my shower. Let Lexi know that she needs to bring me food and a change of clothes.

Do you want me to block them with the golf cart or, better yet, you get in, and I take you to campus?

No. Just keep an eye on them, and if they get out of hand, I’ll jump in, I decided.

Motorcycle paparazzi are crazy. There were two two-person teams, each with one sitting backward on the bike so he could operate the camera. The other one had a camera in one hand, and the other was on the handlebar. That was an accident waiting to happen.

As I ran up the hill, they saw me. All of them jockeyed to box me in.

If you don’t back off, I won’t talk to you, I warned as I slowed down.

The one with just one guy was on my right. When I slowed, the lead cycle hadn’t slowed down, so the idiot on the right swerved to get in front of me to steal his spot. I shook my head when he clipped the lead motorcycle’s back wheel, causing it to fishtail. Suddenly, both those bikes were skidding on the pavement. They were lucky they weren’t going very fast. The motorcycle tandem on my left overcorrected to avoid getting tangled up in the mess and ran off the road. The hill was mostly natural landscape, so going off-road wasn’t ideal. They hit some scrub brush and went sprawling.

That was when it got interesting. Paparazzi are competitive and constantly try to one-up each other to get the story first and with the best video or pictures. When cameras hit the pavement, all kinds of bad things happen. Instead of making a few hundred bucks, they could be looking at replacing a lens that could cost them that much or more. That’s if they’re lucky.

The ones who put their cycles down landed on asphalt. At the very least, they had road rash where they’d hit the pavement. The lead bike’s driver had his wrist cradled, and I suspected it was either broken or sprained. The one-man show jumped up and tried to get onto his motorcycle to drive away. But the cameraman on the lead bike clotheslined him as he tried to zip past them. The soloist’s motorcycle ran off the road on the other side while he landed flat on his back.

That would leave a mark.

The two who had crashed into the scrub brush staggered back onto the pavement. The three guys who were standing decided they would kick the shit out of the solo man. I mean, literally kick him.

Break it up! Manaia barked as he got out of the golf cart.

Even I would have paused if I saw a 250-pound Samoan striding up to me with evil intent etched across his face. The three guys decided they didn’t want to deal with what he was about to bring to the party.

I heard a siren and made a judgment call that Manaia could handle the police and bring the cops to the set if they needed to talk to me. The drone and I continued on to campus. Fortunately, I’d remembered where the pool was and ducked into the building to take a shower. I called Lexi to fill her in.

◊◊◊

Dad stuck his head in while I was in the shower.

I have your clothes. I’m not going to stick around because I need to get to the golf course. Lexi and Hana have everything you need outside the locker room.

Did they bring the charger for the drone? I asked.

Lexi remembered to grab it, he said, and then looked concerned. You’re okay, aren’t you?

I’m good. Manaia did a good job, I said.

I could see my dad’s surprise that I would praise Manaia. I hadn’t had a chance to tell Dad that we’d gotten comfortable with each other yesterday.

Fritz will be here shortly because the police are keeping Manaia busy, Dad said.

Then I had a thought.

"Call Frank Ingram. We have both the drone point of view and Manaia’s bodycam of what went down. The paparazzi are always making money off of me. Maybe he can trade the video for some goodwill. The Royal Palm is coming out, and we’re shooting College First right now. I’m sure we can generate some free press for those with this," I said.

Frank was my publicist.

Yeah, plus you have the Christmas Special, Dad told me.

I stepped out of the shower, and Dad took a step back. Grabbing a towel, I wrapped it around my waist.

Say again? I asked.

You’re having lunch with Saul and Rita James. I’ll let them tell you, he said and beat feet out of the locker room.

The man must not know me because I wasn’t afraid to walk out in just a towel. Then the Tami rule kicked in—never go with my first reaction—and I thought better of it.

After I got dressed and emerged from the locker room, I found Hana and Lexi waiting for me. We had to hurry to get to makeup and wardrobe for today’s schedule. Hana also had rewrites with my new lines. I wondered if the writers ever slept.

◊◊◊

Lexi scheduled it so I could get away for a late lunch. We were meeting Saul and Rita at Ollo, a restaurant located in the Malibu Country Mart area. It was a place where celebrities acted like they didn’t want to be seen, and normal—for Malibu—people mingled. It was a large, outdoor ‘lifestyle’ center or boutique mall.

We were a little early, so I had Fritz drive us around the area. I knew that Brook would love to get lost wandering through the place when she finally got here. That reminded me that I hadn’t called her since I’d arrived. I was a terrible boyfriend.

Remind me to call Brook, I told Lexi.

I’d been amused when she insisted that she should come to the meeting with me ‘just in case I needed something.’

I talked to Brook this morning and explained how busy you’ve been.

Why didn’t you tell me? I would have taken her call.

You were in the middle of the shoot with Misaki. It didn’t seem like a good time to interrupt, Lexi explained.

She was right. Mr. Otsuki, our director, had been laying the foundation for our characters, and the scene was important for later in the story. I discovered that he could speak English very well when he wanted to. Yesterday, I’d simply assumed he didn’t because he never spoke anything but Japanese. It was also a time when he and I began to build a working relationship.

You’re right, it probably wasn’t a good time. Just don’t let it get too late for me to call her.

Lexi nodded.

Fritz valet-parked. While he did that, I entered the restaurant. He hustled in behind us, not a happy camper because there were protocols in place. I’d gone in because I’d spotted Jane, Rita’s security person, through the door. I pointed at her to keep Fritz from giving me a hard time.

Jane saw me and smiled as I walked up to her and gave her a quick hug.

How is Manaia treating you? Did he really go running with you? she asked in rapid succession.

Where does Fritz find these out-of-shape security wannabes? I thought he was going to die the first day. The wimp got a golf cart this morning so he could keep up.

I can’t wait to tell everyone. Did he at least throw up?

No. Manaia is a big boy, though. I didn’t think I could carry him much further, I said, adding to the dirt on him she could use when all the security people next got together.

I looked into the bar and saw Rita cornered by some fans. She was being her gracious self and looked every bit the star she was. I was hungry, so I jumped in to save her.

Darling, I said in her ear as I came up behind her, wrapped my arms around her waist, and nipped her ear.

I hung on tight so she couldn’t hit me. She saw it was me and smiled.

You are so bad, she chastised me. Is our table ready?

Sorry, folks, but I have to steal her away, I said as I gave her my arm so I could escort her away.

Saul had perfect timing as he rushed in with a phone to his ear.

I don’t care what your budget is. He’s worth twice that. When you figure that out, call me back, he said and hung up.

I suspected that was an act for anyone within earshot. Then again, it could have been Saul doing his job. When did I get so jaded?

Lexi joined us.

Our table is ready, she announced.

Both Rita and I rolled our eyes when Saul checked Lexi out a little too well. It was good to see some things never changed.

Ollo turned out to be precisely what you would expect of an upscale Malibu restaurant. It claimed to be ‘a family purveyor of locally sourced California cuisine with Mediterranean and Italian influences.’ Back home, we called it farm-fresh. They were, shall we say, a touch fancier.

I tried to order items I’d not had before. In the salad section, they had a beet salad made with wild frisée, goat cheese, pear, orange, and poppy seed vinaigrette. For my main course, I ordered a Wagyu burger. I’d had Kobe beef when I was in Japan. Kobe was the prime version of Wagyu, a Japanese beef noted for its marbling and exceptional flavor.

After our soups and salads, Rita got down to business. I was impressed that Saul had lasted nearly ten minutes without trying to sell me on a script or talk me into a role. Rita must have spoken with him before the meeting.

I need you to help me out, Rita said.

Anything, just ask, I said.

Both Saul and Lexi sat back in their seats and stared at me.

Well, I’ll be damned. If I knew David would react this way, I would have you ask him about every role I want him to do, Saul said.

Unlike you, he trusts me, Rita said, and then smiled at me. I’ll have Saul send over the paperwork.

I looked at her with my one eyebrow raised, and she started to laugh.

Maybe he doesn’t trust me as much as I’d like to believe, Rita decided.

My dad already clued me in. You want me to save Halle’s movie by being in it, and something about a Christmas Special, I said, acting like a big shot.

I’ll tell Halle you would be so kind, Rita offered.

The way she said it, I could tell she might not put the proper spin on it. She gave me an evil grin.

The Christmas Special is a live TV show ... where you would sing.

I was about to say not just ‘no’ but ‘Hell No!’ when I remembered something my uncle had told me. Well, two somethings. The first was I had to learn to say ‘no.’ The other was that if I gave my word, I kept it. Even if I didn’t want to.

After thinking about it for a minute, I concluded that Rita would never make me look bad or have me do something I wasn’t willing to do. I’d survived my singing experience in The Royal Palm, so why not?

What’s it all about? I asked.

Christmas Eve, I wanted to do a show to highlight Trip and Halle’s singing ability. Saul suggested that we feature young talent and mix in traditional and contemporary Christmas songs. Back when I was a kid, they used to do shows that featured singers and skits for specials. I wanted to do something that reminded you of those, she explained.

I didn’t know that Trip sang, too, I said.

Oh, yes. He has a lovely singing voice.

I knew Halle could sing. She’d done the National Anthem at a few of my games.

I’m in, I said.

I’ll send over a few songs for you to pick from. This is going to be fun, Rita said.

And you’ll do Halle’s movie? Saul asked.

I’d be crazy not to, I said.

We chatted for a few more minutes until Lexi gently told everyone that I had to get back on set.

The afternoon turned into evening, then into very late. We didn’t wrap until after one. I never got a chance to call Brook. I almost called her when I got home, but it was after two, and with the time difference, I was sure she would kill me if I called her then.

◊◊◊

Wednesday November 30

I decided to skip running today because we had a pool in the backyard. Dad and Manaia sat and watched me swim laps. They seemed to be getting along well as they laughed about something while I pulled myself out of the water. I plopped down on a