Junior Year Box Set

Cassidy didn’t let me spar as much recently. She’d figured out that if I got ahold of her, all the fancy moves in the world didn’t matter, because I was much stronger than she was. With the grip I now had, it was almost impossible for her to get away without actually hurting me.

We got into our stances and faced each other.

“Protect yourselves,” Cassidy warned us.

Fritz and I both nodded to her.

“Begin,” Cassidy said.

I snapped the tip of my staff to the center of Fritz’s forehead. It should have been easy for him to either block that move or slide his head to the side. I was apparently quicker and stronger than I realized because I hit Fritz with a solid blow and he went down. His arms did this weird alligator-like flop, and he stiffened up for a moment.

“Shit!” I yelled.

Of course, Shiggy’s beginners class saw the whole thing. I think they’d gotten the wrong impression about martial arts. It was about self-defense and building your confidence, not about what I’d just done, even if it were an accident. Shiggy grabbed a wet towel and put some smelling salts under Fritz’s nose. He came around and shook his head.

“I forgot to duck,” he said.

“No shit,” Shiggy said. “Go get checked out. You can’t come back until you get the all-clear from a doctor.”

“I’m sure I’m fine. I’ve been hit harder while training,” Fritz complained.

“There are insurance issues that come up when something like this happens. Are you okay to drive?”

“Yeah,” Fritz said, and then turned to me. “That’s my fault. I should have been able to stop that. It happens, so don’t worry that you did anything wrong.”

“I should have taken it easy on you.”

“What does that mean?” Fritz asked, with an irritated look on his face.

“You’re getting older, and your reflexes aren’t what they used to be,” I said.

Fritz gave me a hard look and then saw I was teasing him. I would have to be careful the next time we sparred. That is if Cassidy let me.

My assumption proved correct in that Shiggy and Cassidy didn’t let me spar the rest of practice. She had me do my forms with my bare hands, batons, and the Bo staff. Shiggy then had me help him as a crash-test dummy for his beginners class. They were learning to do hip tosses, and he needed someone bigger for them to practice on. I was eager to help because they didn’t have the proper technique, and you might land awkwardly. It helped me practice the correct way to fall without getting hurt, a valuable skill when you played quarterback.

◊◊◊

After practice, we dropped off Cassidy and Brook while Pam and I drove to my house. Lacy was there, helping my mom make dinner. Ms. Dixon joined us shortly after Pam and I got home. Our moms had made a baked chicken breast with avocado and tomato, topped with melted Mexican cheese. For sides, they prepared wild rice and Brussels sprouts with bacon, onion, and green olives. The olives made the dish.

While Pam and I cleaned up, Ms. Dixon updated us on what she’d done today.

“The paperwork has been signed by the other side. I have it with me so we can get what we need signed now, and I’ll file the documents with the Clerk of the Court tomorrow.

“I just want to tell you how lucky you are to live where you do. If this had happened almost anywhere else, I would have expected you would’ve been charged, and this would have dragged out for months. It’s easier for the police and the prosecutor’s office to go ahead and charge you because of their caseloads and resources. It also didn’t hurt that the community knows your character and your family’s connections,” Ms. Dixon said.

Pam looked troubled by what had almost happened to me. I had no doubt that Ms. Dixon had nailed it on the head. Luckily, things hadn’t gone the way Cal had planned. I was sure that Ms. Dixon made those comments for Pam’s benefit. It was important that Pam realize how poorly this might have gone. I felt she needed to get help for her issues, or something worse might happen to her in the future.

“Your dad and I found a CPA to handle your books and those of the two charities. He’ll also take care of the day-to-day bookkeeping duties for you. We talked to Tyler at AT Modeling, and she’ll take over your Internet sales of photos, and the income for the client overrides you receive,” Ms. Dixon continued.

I was glad that was taken care of. I trusted Tyler to look out for me.

“Your mom suggested that we talk to Rita James about what you might need when you go to LA to shoot the movie. Ms. James said you’d need an agent who handles that part of the industry; neither Ford nor AT Modeling has the specialized expertise required. She said you would also need security, a driver, and a personal assistant. Ms. James can take care of security through the company she uses. She said her agent wouldn’t be right for you, but she would get back with some recommendations. We want to get you a PA soon, because of your recruiting.”