Chapter 1.
Rediscovering.
This is the story of Michael Laroux and Bree Barnes. Two complete strangers who have a chance meeting one summer afternoon and begin a adventure together that neither them, their loved ones nor their enemies will ever forget.
-Part 1-
The meeting
Michael Laroux was a Sophomore at San Diego State university. He was tall, but not overly so. He was lean and tight bodied, but not big and muscular. His black hair hung down to his shoulders and his eyes were a dull shade of green. In other words, he wasn't the kind of guy anyone would take a second look at. He grew up well balanced and all in all a happy kid. Never got straight A's, but did good enough to get a partial scholarship to school.
After high school ended he took a few years to sow his wild oats. He spent a year back packing through western Europe and then went on to school when he turned 20. Michael had always had a thing for ancient cultures and languages. It came from the strange dreams when he was growing up. He dreamed he was a young boy in Feral Scotland, so when he decided it was time for school, he went for a degree in dead languages and it took him quite awhile to find a school that offered it.
All throughout High School Michael had loved sports, baseball, football, you name it he played it. He didn't however want to make a career out of it, so playing college ball wasn't really an option for him. After he completed his freshmen year and went home for the summer his father convinced him to at least try out for the football team. Just because he didn't want to even try to go pro, doesn't mean he can't just play for the fun of it.
When Michael returned to San Diego for his Sophomore year, he unpacked his bags in his apartment and made his way to campus. After taking a quick detour to get his class schedule for the year he walked to the Athletics building. Michael found Coach McKinley behind his desk. The coach was a older man in his late fifties with a bulky stature and short iron gray hair. When Michael walked into the office the old coach's face split into a huge grin.
"Michael Laroux you son of a bitch!" He roared happily and jumped up to hurry around the desk. Michael and Coach McKinley had become very close friends in the year Michael had gone to school at San Diego. "What shall we discuss today? Jordan's stats in 1991? The Olympic dream team? The greatest NFL Teams of all time?"
"I wish I could stay and discuss our favorite sports moments, but I am here on other business." Michael said sadly, truth be told he liked hanging out with this old dog.
"Then why are you here old boy?" Coach asked and leaned back on his desk.
"Football tryouts." Michael said sheepishly. "I want to try and make the squad."
"Michael you know that most of the sports are taken by kids recruited out of high school." Coach said with a little uncertainty in his voice. "And you never struck me as the kind who wanted to go pro."
"There is more to playing a sport then money Coach." Michael said hotly. "I just miss the thrill of game day."
Coach McKinley seemed to stop and think about it. He looked Michael over and then finally gave him a smile and a nod. "Alright son. Tell you what....."
Michael cut him off suddenly. He wanted to make one thing perfectly clear. "I don't want any preferential treatment Coach. I want to make it because I made it."
"....If you had let me finish boy I would have told you that the best I can give you is a test." Coach McKinley said with a chuckle. "I will tell my assistant's that you will be coming by. Tryouts...." Coach checked his watch and his eyes widened. "....should be ending shortly. If you want to make it son, you better hall ass."
"Thanks Coach!" Michael yelled as he turned and ran from the office. Michael ran through the building and made it into the stadium just as the final people were finishing their tryouts. Michael explained what coach had said about him getting a walk on tryout and after the assistants confirmed it his own tryout began.
It turned out that Michael was useless with protecting the QB, couldn't throw a pass to save his life but he was fast. Just as the assistants were discussing him possibly being on special teams he asked them to allow him a chance at a tackling dummy. They agreed and he wowed them by hitting that dummy harder then most of the scholarship players did.
The assistants called out Coach McKinley and Michael demonstrated again. He yelled with glee and slapped him on the back when Michael jogged over after a vicious hit on the dummy. "You my boy have just made the squad!"
"Amen to that." One of the assistants said. He was a short and pudgy man in his forties and he wore a huge smile on his face.
"So, what now?" Michael asked trying to catch his breath.
"You have to take a physical." Coach McKinley said with a grin. "Here, go to this address and have the paper on my desk tomorrow morning."
Michael said his goodbyes, took the address from Coach McKinley and made his way back to his car. He had a spring in his step at being able to play one of his favorite sports again. Michael climbed into the drivers seat of his truck and fired it to life. With a huge grin on his lips he steered the truck to the doctors office.
The doctors office was a one floor building just outside the radius of the Campus. Michael parked the truck and walked into the office. Behind the desk was a pretty brown haired girl in a white blouse. She gave him a wide smile, that he returned.
"Hi, I was sent over by San Diego State." Michael said.
"They want you to take a athletic physical?" She asked with a tiny giggle. "That is the one perk of this
job, but I think I would like Bree's better."
"Bree?" Michael asked with a lifted brow.
"Bree is our nurse who is on shift today." The receptionist said with a annoyed little toss of her hair. "When I think about all those well muscled jocks who come in here and get junk handled."
The sheer brutal honesty took Michael by surprise, and not in a good way. Michael knew the brunette was trying to spark up a risquΓ© conversation in hopes of it exciting Michael, but it only turned him off. Truth be told, he was one of the only men who didn't like sluts. "Yeah, I think that's a thought I don't want to share."