Catching Up

Chapter Six: A Weight Off

I got into work the following day, still sore all over. Muscles ached that I never even knew I had, but it was a good sore. It meant that I had put my body to the test, and it had passed. I thought I would still be in bed after yesterday's game, but I was reporting to work here.

"Rod!" Jackson yelled from down the hall.

I looked around and saw that everyone was frantically running back and forth. "What's going on?" I asked.

"You have no idea the morning we have had," Jackson said as he walked with me to his office. "You had a game yesterday with some of your old friends?"

"Yeah," I said as I sat down.

I didn't think anything of it. It was a good pickup game, nothing big. We used to do it all the time when we were in college and even in high school.

"What's the big deal?" I asked.

"Big deal," Jackson said as he smiled back at me. "The big deal is some of your old friends are retired sports stars," Jackson said. "The big deal is some of those students that were watching put videos online, Snapchat, Tik Tok, Facebook, you name it, it's all over the place."

"They are still good," I nodded, thinking about how most of the guys still had tread on their tires.

"No one is talking about them, of course they are good," Jackson shook his head. "Everyone wants to know who you are!"

Jackson turned on the sports channel after a few minutes, and a video of the boys and I playing at the college grounds came up.

"So, everyone been asking who this guy is," the man on the television said. "Roland Pierce, that's who!"

I was shocked to hear my name on the television. "If that name rings a bell to some of you, it should," he said with a smile. "Number Eighty-Seven for the Canes," he nodded.

"Back in the glory days!" the other man said.

"Well, look at what he did back then," the first said.

Footage of my college games came on, showing me catching and scoring touchdowns over and over.

"Why didn't he go to the NFL?" one of the other men said as they returned to the panel.

"Let's ask an old teammate," the first said.

"Shit!" I said, sitting back in my chair as Kevin's face appeared on the screen.

"Hey Kevin, how's retired life?" the first asked.

"It's been good, Dave," Kevin nodded.

"We hear you are writing a biography how is that coming?" another asked.

"Good, really good," Kevin nodded.

"So, let's cut to the chase," Dave said. "You've seen the video, and in one of your tweets this morning you said quote no surprise, he still has it, end quote."

"No surprise at all," Kevin shook his head. "To all of us that played with Rod, we knew he could play, he could catch anything, any throw, any route, anytime."

What followed was the four men questioning and talking to Kevin about my past and what they thought of the video. Then the question came up about me not going to the NFL. Kevin didn't answer. He responded by giving what everyone thought was the truth, but not the truth as he had known it.

"Turn it off," I nodded.

Jackson looked at me and knew something was bothering me. I couldn't let Kevin go on television and lie for me. He had turned my life around, and I owed him for that, as well as a lot of things.

"You still have your podcast?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Sure," Jackson said, sitting back in his chair. "Something you need to get off your chest?"

I nodded.

A few minutes later, we were downstairs in the sound room. Jackson had told all the people he could that he had a great interview lined up, and the phones didn't stop ringing. I even got a text from Jason, wondering what was going on. I told him to tune in, and I would let it all out.

After the lead-up and getting everyone's attention, Jackson introduced me, and I introduced myself to his followers and anyone else that was listening.

"So, you told me there was something you wanted to get off your chest, so it's all yours," Jackson said as he leaned back and nodded.

I coughed, then let it all out. I aired my dirty laundry for the world to hear. I told everyone about dropping the go-ahead winning catch on purpose. I told them about faking the injury on a tackle that wasn't Brian Henry's fault.

That was the linebacker that hit me that Saturday. I told them the pass was perfect, and I oversold the tackle and the injury. I apologized to coach Douglas for letting him down and to Kevin for giving him the team's weight to carry after I left.

"Sounds good," Jackson said as I stopped. "How do you feel now?"

"Embarrassed," I nodded with a slight shrug. "But I feel lighter."

"That was a lot of weight to carry all these years," Jackson said.

I nodded as he ended the podcast on a lighter note.

'Still the man!' I got a text. It was Kevin.

I rushed to pick up the phone. "I thought you were pissed," I said as I got out of the booth.

"Angry, yes, pissed no," Kevin said. "I am proud of you, that took heavyweight balls, to say all that on the air."

I laughed. He was still the same Kevin as I knew him back then. "We are good?" I asked.

"We are good, I promise," Kevin replied.

I hung up feeling a lot better about myself. Jason even sent a text saying he was glad I got it out in the open. Winslow called me and thanked me for getting him off the hook. He got a call from the Vikings asking if he wanted to be back up to their Quarterback. Of course, he took it.

On the way home, I got a call from a mysterious number. I had been receiving them all day. "No, I don't want to do an interview!" I yelled as I hit the answer button on my car's Bluetooth.

"Is that a way to answer a call from your coach?" the man said.

"Coach Douglas?" I asked as I was shocked to hear from my college coach.

"Yup," Bill replied.

"Sir, it's good to hear from you," I said. No matter how old most of us got, the coach was still coach to us.

"I saw your video, and I heard what you said on that podcast," Bill said.

"I meant every word of it, I am truly sorry for what I put you through," I said.

"The past is the past, the problem now a days are people still bringing it up, what happened, happened, it's the present we have to think about," Bill said.

I nodded. 'Still coach,' I thought to myself.

"Speaking of the present, you know my son?" Bill asked.

"Yeah, head coach of the Saints," I nodded. "Congrats you must be proud."

"Most definitely," Bill said. "One of his tight ends is out for the season, we were just talking, and he looked at your video, we both think it would be a good idea for you to come down here and see if you could do all that with a set of pads on."

I immediately pulled over. "Are you saying, what I think you are saying?"

"Not many people get a second chance at the NFL kid, there are people that will give their first born just to get a chance to lace up and play, what do you say, come down and give it a shot or stay in an office answering phones?" Bill asked.

My heart was beating out of my chest. He was right. This was a second chance. "Okay," I nodded as if he could see me. "Absolutely, I will give it a shot," I said as I nodded again.

"I will get the ball rolling on my end," Bill said. "You might want to get yourself an agent, just in case."

I turned the car back around and headed back to the office.

Jackson was through the roof when I asked him to become my agent, just in case things went well. Immediately he got on the phone and started talking about all the things that could go right and anything that went wrong.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was late at night when I finally got back home as I entered the house I had recently started renting. I heard two voices. One was my now live-in girlfriend Alicia, and the other was Helen.

I turned the corner into our spacious living room, where the two sat watching the sports channel.

"It's all over," Alicia said as she ran towards me and pulled me to the front of the television. "Every sports channel, all of them are talking about your try out with the Saints!"

"They have a great team this year," Helen said, sitting on the couch. "Some are even saying Super Bowl contenders!"

"The season hasn't even started," I said as Alicia handed me a beer. I sat down in the middle of the two of them.

"That's what they are saying," Helen shrugged. "Not me," she said as she placed a hand on my lap.

"We are going to be dating a football star," Alicia said as they kissed before me.

"What in the hell?" I said as I looked at both of them.

"Oh, this?" Helen said as they did it again. "Old news, try to keep up champ!" she said as she patted my leg.

I looked over at Alicia. "You said you didn't like women?"

"She is a fucking playboy model, that looks like that!" Alicia said, pointing to Helen. "I would be fucking stupid not to," she said.

Alicia was right. Even though she was a beautiful woman in her own right, Helen turned heads wherever she went. "And Jason?"

"Left him," Helen shrugged. "In his own words, onto number four," she said as the video of me catching and running was on the screen.

"What do you think of his chances?" one of the men asked.

A former player and now hall of Famer was sitting next to him. "I know what people are saying and they are saying it all over," the man said. "It's just video, it's just a few old timers playing ball, what's the big deal?"

"Exactly!" I said, looking at the screen.

"Wrong!" the man said. "That is Winslow Marks throwing those balls, let me tell you I played against him many times in my career, I caught two interceptions from him, two! And after each one my hands hurt, even with a bad shoulder he can fire a ball as hard as anyone. And this guy right here is catching them bare handed, no gloves, bare handed. And look at the technique, squared shoulders and ready to run, before and after the catch. You can't teach that, anymore, that's instinct. And that's what the Saints and other teams are looking at,"

"Sore hands, huh?" the other man asked. "By the way Winslow is out of retirement and just signed a two-year deal with the Vikings."

"He's a good Quarterback, if his shoulder holds up, I can see him giving the starting Quarterback a challenge, mark my words," the player said. "I said it here and now, Winslow is not someone I would want to see in my rear-view mirror if I was Quarterback."

I turned the television off. "My heart can't take this," I said, standing up. "The Saints?"

"It's fine, it's just a try out, they just want to kick the wheels," Alicia said.

"Yeah, check the tread, as well as the fluids and all that good stuff," Helen said as they pulled me back to the couch.

"Maybe I should say no, don't put them through the bother," I said, shaking my head.

"You're doing it again," Alicia said as she shook her head.

"You're right," I nodded. I was doing the same thing as I did back then, trying to talk myself out of it.

"You will be fine, go down there, catch a few balls, that's it!" Helen nodded. "You have nothing to prove, they want to see you, you're not the one that called them."

"Exactly," Alicia nodded. "Go down there, do your best, catch a few balls and come back, that's it whatever happens, happens."

I nodded. "A pickup game," I said, talking myself back into it.

"Yup, just going to play a pickup game with some teammates that you never met before," Helen said.

"Thanks," I said as I kissed Alicia.

"Hey, I helped too," Helen said as she grabbed my face and kissed me.

I knew I had fucked them both, but now sitting on the couch with both of them felt awkward. Definitely turning me on, but uncomfortable at the same time.

"He doesn't know what to do," Helen said, looking over at Alicia.

"It's funny," Alicia said, staring at me.

"You don't know which one to kiss first or which boobs to feel," Helen said with a smile.

"He sure loves his boobs, doesn't he?" Alicia said as she looked at Helen.

"My god, he can't stop, once he starts touching them," Helen said, shaking her head.

"It's like a puppy with a chew toy!" Alicia said.

"Yes!" Helen exclaimed.

"No complaints though," Alicia said.

"Stop it! Both of you!" I said as I sat forward, blocking their view of each other. "I am right here!"

"How do you do that thing?" Alicia said as she leaned back and looked at Helen from behind me.

"What thing?" Helen said as she did the same.

I shook my head as I sat back.

"You know, take the whole thing?" Alicia asked.

"Easy," Helen said as she started to unbuckle my belt. "I'll show you!"

"Hey," I said. "I have had a hard day, maybe I don't want to...."

"You might not want to, but this is saying it does," Helen said as she fished out my hard cock.

I nodded my defeat as both of them started sucking on my dick. Watching both blonde and black hair between my legs made my dick harder.

"Holy fuck!" I said as Alicia started sucking on my balls as Helen's head bobbed up and down.

Today had to be the best day of my life.

"Wait," I thought as I pinched myself. "I better not wake up in a hospital bed and this be some comatose dream."

Helen dragged her teeth against my cock. "Ouch!" I yelled.

"Nope, not a dream," Helen said as she kissed me.

They both got settled on the floor. "Watch," Helen said as she pulled my pants down. Alicia watched as Helen deepthroated me.

"Fuck!" I said as she took it down and wiggled her head at the end to prove she had all of it.

"It's all about relaxing your throat," Helen said as she released my cock.

Alicia moved forward and tried, as usual. She got more than half, then stopped.

"Relax and ...." Helen said as she did it again.

Alicia's head stopped at the usual spot before she could come up. Helen grabbed the back of her head and started pushing it down. "Relax," she said as she forcibly pushed Alicia's head down on my cock.

I looked at Helen as she gave me a wink. "One of the other bunnies did this to me, it's how I learned how to do it."

Alicia's hands gripped my knees tightly. "Breathe," Helen said as I felt Alicia's throat expand as my cock entered. Helen quickly let go, and Alicia's head sprung up with a loud gasp.

"I felt it, that time," Alicia said as she nodded. "It was close."

That was my Alicia, always the sex fiend. "Again, harder this time," Alicia nodded.

Again, Helen held Alicia's head down. This time I could see the expression on her face as she pushed Alicia's head. This time she had it all. I could feel her lips pressed against me.

"Hold, her right there," I said as I pushed my dick up into Alicia's throat.

"Fuck!" I said as I came hard. Helen held Alicia's head with both hands.

Alicia sprung up again, wiping long lines of saliva from her mouth.

"Definitely doing that again," she nodded as she kissed Helen.

I laid back on the couch, watching them both make out on the floor. "I will be right here," I said as I watched clothes get thrown about and bodies crashing against each other.

"Do you need me?" I asked as I watched.

"No!" both of them yelled at me.

"Good," I said as I slowly stepped over them.

I was tired and even though watching them turned me on a little, the need for sleep was even better.