Junior Year Box Set

I read their list of services, and it certainly looked like they would be able to handle everything. Their corporate mission statement was full of the right buzzwords.

Established in 2000, IDC is a dynamic, rapidly growing public relations agency with deep digital capabilities that infuse our work in many specialty areas. We are excited by the changes taking place in our industry and feel that the future holds enormous opportunities for companies integrating digital strategies into their communications mix. We work every day to meet and exceed our clients’ expectations, and we thank each and every one of them for placing their trust in IDC.

I perused their fee schedule, and they weren’t cheap. Standard services were bad enough, but I about choked when I read what they charged for a scandal. Of course, that was just a jumping-off point. I made a vow to keep my butt out of trouble.

I then opened the questionnaire and was glad my mom had started it. It looked like either Tom or Kendal had helped her with all my business connections and past jobs. There was also a section about sports and extracurricular activities, including hobbies. I was shocked when they wanted me to list all my past and current relationships. They also wanted all my social media, picture, and video logins and passwords. Finally, Mom had to sign a release for them to check my criminal and credit records. They would know me better than my own parents would when they finished. I was happy to see that the file also included a confidentiality document they and my mom had signed to protect me. I spent the rest of my morning filling in the blanks on the form.

I made a point to email it directly to Mr. Ingram. I didn’t want my mom to know some of the adventures I’d been up to such as motocross and skydiving. I especially didn’t need to give her a list of my past girlfriends!

◊◊◊

On the ride up to Chicago, we decided to stop at a truck stop to get something to eat for lunch. I had taken the Charger, and we were making good time. After the server had taken our order, the two girls cornered me.

“How many girls are you stringing along right now?” Tracy asked.

Of course, I played dumb.

“What do you mean? When have I ever strung someone along?” I asked.

“By my count, you’re seeing at least four of us. When are you going to pick one?” Brook asked.

I looked up at the ceiling and counted to ten before answering. I looked Tracy in the eye because she had known me the longest and we had a history.

“Where’s this coming from? Seriously, when have I ever not been up-front with the girls I date?”

“We’ve been talking …” Tracy started.

I raised my hand to stop her. In middle school and before, Tami had told me what to do. During my freshman year, I had let Suzanne, Cindy, Tracy, and Beth run my love life. Sophomore year Peggy had strung me along with the whole “let’s date” routine and then slept with Mitch. My life had been a serial rotation of the girls in my life telling me what to do. That was no longer going to happen.

“While I appreciate everyone talking about me, I will not be told what to do.”

“That’s not what we were going to do,” Tracy said.

“Bullshit, it was exactly what you were going to do. You and your little cronies all got together and decided it was time for David to settle down and date someone. What makes you think I don’t like being a free agent? Hell, in six weeks I’ll be in LA for nearly two months. Why the hurry?” I asked.

Brook and Tracy looked at each other. Something was going on that I wasn’t aware of, and it looked like they wanted to tell me.

“Spill it,” I ordered.

“I guess I’m being selfish, and want to spend more time with you,” Brook said.

While what she said sounded plausible, she was lying. Brook only had to ask, and I would spend time with her. She and I had a great time together! I loved our adventures. Plus, our personal time together was special, too.

The problem was that the same might be said about Pam, Halle, and Zoe. I wasn’t willing to give any of them up, nor to choose one over the others. If Brook pushed the issue, I would give her up. The other girls weren’t ready for a commitment. Pam and I had talked about this several times, and we wanted to be friends. Halle knew I had finally broken up, or whatever you wanted to call it, with Tami just a short time ago. Halle told me she didn’t want to be my rebound girl. The only one I hadn’t really talked with was Zoe. We had just been getting to know each other, so I doubted she was behind this. Finally, Brook never once gave me any indication that she wanted anything more than to have fun.