Date: Sat, 5 Jan 2013 17:54:52 -0800
From: Charles Wolfe <c.sportswolfe@gmail.com>
Subject: The Ultimate Man- Redemption Chapter 21

Hey everyone, sorry for the delay. My computer decided to die out on me so
I had to rewrite the entire chapter. Also I lost all my previous chapters
so, short of getting them off of Nifty, I have none of them to edit. That
is just a heads up for when I do go back to edit the previous chapters.

=====================================================================

      	I was stressed. After the tournament ended, life seemed to revert
abruptly back to its old self, all studying and freaking out over upcoming
due dates freaking me out. Sitting on the first floor of the library, I was
having trouble focusing as the sounds of furious scribbling happened all
around me. Off to my right there was a pen etching illegible math symbols
onto scratch paper and to my left two students were quizzing each other on
the most random of terminology. Half of the words they spoke sounded like
it was from another language.

      Even though the semester still had two weeks, it was evident that
finals season was here. Looking all around me, the place was jam packed,
every seat taken and every computer being worked to its full
potential. Looking back down at my notes I try to decipher what I had
written but it all jumbles together into a blurry blob. Gha why can't I
study over my notes?

      Glancing at the date on the of the page, it slowly began to dawn on
me what was going on and why I was stressing out: this was right around the
time that I had screwed up with Pike. Flipping through my notes from my
other classes I come to realize how screwed up I had become, not only
messing up my friendship but also my schooling. Some of the sheets were
covered more with doodles and scribbles than actual notes. Placing them all
out before me, I rub my temples. There is almost a month of missing notes
that I needed to study but couldn't.

      I couldn't do anything about it so in a complete act of futility, I
gather all my papers together and stuff them into my backpack
haphazardly. Absentmindedly, I start to walk around the library, looking
for anything, something, I don't know. Weaving in and out of the stacks
like a lost puppy, I peer up and down at the novels, occasionally looking
at one or two of them. The titles were quickly forgotten though as I moved
on, crawling along the floor.

      Moving downstairs, I slink in the towering bookshelves, their useful
words of advice trying to get me to sit down and study. Like a mouse
sneaking around the walls of a house, I move around the students without
their notice, though it's not like they would pay much attention to me
anyways. Slowly my wandering comes to a hault as I begin to realize where I
have ended up: the dvd section.

      Normally this would not have fazed me except for where I have stopped
actually has some significance to me, it is where Skyler and I first ran
into, well more like confronted, each other. Looking over the long
forgotten titles, I flash back to when he kissed me, his first kiss with a
guy due to the stress I had placed upon him. If only I had known that he
would end up to become my ex's, er bestfriend's boyfriend. Sighing heavily,
I slide down the racks to sit on the floor.

      Flicking the movie "Valentine's Day" around in my hands, I close my
eyes and just shut out the world. It was nice that the drama was coming to
an end but in a way my life felt very empty right now. Was this who I was,
a very dramatic kind of guy? Shaking my head, I refused to accept such
notions. I was better than all that crap. Opening my eyes, I almost
imagined that someone was next to me on the floor but after looking around,
it became clear I was all alone.

      Heaving heavily, I rise from the ground and gather my things. Pulling
out my phone, I scroll through the contacts till I find Kyle. I wasn't
expecting much but I just felt like shooting him a text, a small guesture
that I was thinking about him. "Hey how's your body feeling after that
tourney?" It was a short message so it was of no surprise to me that he
didn't respond back immediately.

      Looking around me, I grimmace as I pull myself to my feet. This was
dispicable. I wasn't in the mood to study, much less do anything
else. Leaving the memoraic row of DVD's, I head strtaight for the stairs,
not even taking the time to weave in and out of the tabes. I needed to get
out of the library and fast.

      *****

      The end was finally in sight- just this week and then finals, then
summer break. At this point I hadn't really made any plans as to what I was
going to be doing. Even though Kyle and I were rekindling our relationship,
in my mind, I had a strong feeling that seeing him over summer was going to
be problematic.

      While I was still stressing out from time to time, I was slowly
beginning to get back onto my game. Studying was getting a little easier- I
had to give up on my notes and go straight for the books, comparing the
study guides that were given to the respective chapters that they
corresponded with. Yea it was frustraiting at times because it meant twice
as much work for me to do but it was my punishment for the semester.

      As my studying was beginning to pick up, it was sad to see Frisbee
start to die down. We were on our second to last practice today and
everyone was half assing their thows.We all knew it but we were too focused
on our studies and/or summer plans to give too much thought into changing
it. Pike however was getting frustrated at it, consistantly coming down on
us for our lack of completions.

      "Come on guys, get your acts together. If you come back from summer
like this, I will know. Even though it is summer I still expect you to play
Frisbee from time to time. I am pretty sure that whatever city you live in,
there is at least one pick up game happening. If not, start one. Show some
initiative." He was pacing in between the groups, watching each of us like
a hawk. "Would you guys rather scrimmage against each other?"

      A subtle but noticeable cheer flowed from our throats, the thought of
doing something besides drills sounding really nice. Pike moved us all into
equal groups, then started the games. It was nice to run more and, even
though our tournies were over, this was a in team tournament. I went
against Bryan, Pike against Rachel, Tyler against Terry, Zach versus
Andrew, Sarah pitted against Derek. It was fun seeing how much we had
improved over the year, and with pitting us against each other, we were
able to test the full potential of our skills without fear of pentalties
being called.

      After the game, Pike called us all in for his usual going away
speech. "As you all know, we do have practice on Thursday even though it is
Dead Days. The main reason is so we can have our elections for next years
officers."

      A muttled groan drifted among the group, the though of having to come
out of studying just for an election not really sounding exciting to
us. Pike rose his hand as he continued on, "Guys this is for next year's
officers. We could do it today if you want." The statement was more a
question as he left it openened for us to decide.

      Andrew took a step forward and spoke, first at Pike then to the
group, "Well I can't really speak too much for the others but I have no
problem just having the same leaders for next year."

      Pike chuckled a little as he resumed command of the talk, "As
flattering as that is, we do need to have a vote on it. Are there any
challengers to the presidency?" He didn't mean for it to seem like a fight
for power but as he looked over everyone, he could tell that no one was
ready, or fit to lead the way he was. Focusing lastly on me, he stood his
ground as he looked a second longer than normal in my direction, causing a
few heads to shift over to me as well.

      Gulping I step back. I knew I was not going to lead this team. I
wasn't ready to. Heck that one time I lead it was hard enough, and I had to
have Andrew help me out. Taking a step back, I try to melt into the crowd
and allow Pike to continue leading.

      Pike finally looks away, shrugging his shoulders in defeat. "Ok well,
in that case, I'll put it into the student union that we aren't changing
officers. Also, I guess that we don't need to have practice on Thursday as
well." The group releases a cheery sigh as they all start to disband. It
was the first startof summer as all my friends started to walk away, the
next time I'll be seeing them in August.

      As I started to walk with Bryan and Zach back to the dorm, I look
back at Pike; him gathering the disks and penne's together. I needed to
know why he looked at me for so long so I turned back and headed towards
him, waiting till he had collected everything before speaking up, "Hey
Pike, why did you look at me so long during that speech about challenging
you for presidency?"

      Pike sighed as he picked up the gear bag, looking at me with
thoughtful eyes, "Chris, what are your plans in this club? I mean I know
you're just a freshman but in a year I, along with Sarah and Rachel, will
be leaving. We will be needing someone to take over. Do you want to be a
player or something more, a leader?"

      I had never really put much thought into leading the group. Could I?
I didn't know what to say so instead Pike spoke for me, giving me that
knowful gaze, "Just think about it. You have a year to figure it out." His
solemn gaze shifted into a smile as he walked off towards his car, leaving
me there in the middle of the field pondering my involvement in this
Frisbee club.

      *****

      Dead Days came and went before I could really enjoy their presence. I
spent most of my time studying and what free time I had was spent either
eating, sleeping, or surfing the net. Michael and Skyler did drag me to the
movies on Saturday for what they were hoping was going to be a double date
with me and Kyle but Kyle again wasn't free. This time though he managed to
get back to me promptly, telling me that he had a study group with some
classmates.

      I was getting frustrated with him but I knew that I had to keep a
level head with him. Not only did we go to different schools but we had
different social groups as well. It would take some planning and
coordination for this to work and with us getting back together around
finals, it made it for a very frustrating period. That weekend Kyle and I
tried to arrange something together but with us both having to study it
made for a useless weekend.

      When finals week came, I was ready. Or at least as ready as ready can
be for sccrewing up the semester like I had. I stressed over my tests which
was to be expected but they were not as hard as I had thought. 3 out of 5
of my classes had them on scantrons, the multiple choice giving me one of 5
answers to choose from. The other two however were a little harder, the
first being math where we had to show our work on the paper (which was
bullshit by the way when you have a calculator doing most of the work for
you), and my Shakespearian class where we had to analyze the stories that
we had read during the semester. The professor had expected us to remember
the main plot points of most of the stories we had covered and to write how
they mattered in today's society.

      Exiting my Shakespearian class on Thursday allowed me my final bit of
freedom. Summer was here. First thing to do: sleep. Walking across the near
empty campus, I entered into my dorm and crawled up to my bed to sleep. I
didn't care that it was almost two in the afternoon or that Bryan and Zach
were bustling around the room prepping to leave.They wanted to get out as
soon as possible but I had to wait till Ally came and picked me up. Joys of
not having a car, if you want to go anywhere far you have to either call a
cab or have a friend come pick you up, both of which involved waiting.

      Closing my eyes, I drifted off to dreamland, imagining that I am
burning all my papers and shredding all documentation that this semester
ever happened. It didn't seem like along nap though as a vibration off to
my side maaged to disturb my slumber. Lifting up my phone, I saw that it
was now 6 at night. Glancing around the room, Bryan and Zach had both left,
most of their belongings with them as well. Plans for next semester hadn't
really been arranged for housing so we didn't know where we were going to
end up.

      Looking back at my phone, I saw that the text was from Pike,
cryptically saying that my sister needed to talk with me. Shaking the
cobwebs from my head, I looked at the text to see if I was reading it
right. "Hey your sister wants to talk with you." Short, simple, and
completely devoid of any details.

      Slightly irritated that he woke me with a message from my sister, I
shoot him a text back, "Why didn't she just text me? What's going on?" It
was abrupt and slightly rude and I realized it after the fact.

      Pike didn't waste time getting back. "It's more an in-person thing
and I'm heading there anyways. I'm leaving in ten minutes. Get ready."

      Groaning, I lean up in my bed and move to the floor. Slipping on my
shoes, I switch down to Ally, "Hey Pike's dragging me over to you? What's
going on?" It was a futile effort because, as expected, she didn't
respond. Locking my dorm and heading down to my lobby I waited impatiently
for Pike to arrive. Scrolling up to Kylee, I figured since I was going to
be seeing my sister, I might as well see if he is home. "Hey Ally is having
me come over. You at your room?"

      Pike showed up a minute later and I got in, the tired look still
fresh on my face. "Did I wake you?" Pike asks with a grin, the knowing look
that he knew he had. "Also before you ask, I don't know what's going on,
just that I needed to bring you over." He was full of shit because I could
tell from the twinkle in his eye that he knew. He and Ally were probably
planning this surprise for a while now.

      Arriving at Fullerton, I note that Kyle's dorm light is out, making
me wonder what all is going on with him as well. Pike fashions a keycard
from his wallet and with that 'you didn't see that' look, enters. It was
bad enough that we were on Fullerton's property, but to tresspass into
their dorms was a whole other level. It looked like Pike had done this many
times as he headed straight for the elevator, knowing what floor Ally was
on and everything. Yea he was her boyfriend but to have a key to the dorm?

      Walking down the hallway, I really wanted to be up on Kyle's floor to
see if he was home, the thought of seeing his sexy build and blond hair
arousing me a little. Ally's door was surprisingly open when we got to her
room, her shifting back and forth around the confined space
frantically. When she finally noticed our presence, she stopped moving and
flashed a smile on her face. Moving towards us, Ally hugged me first then
to Pike, kissing him on the lips quickly. "We don't have much time before
Pike and I are heading out." Raising my eyebrow I look confused at what is
going on.

      Pike smiles as well as he lets loose that he knew what is going
on. Ally reaches into her back pocket to pull out her car keys and hangs
them out in front of me. "Umm thanks?" I say as I take them from her. I had
driven her car multiple times so how was this different?

      Ally reaches into her other back pocket to pull out another set of
car keys, a magic trick that makes me look at her car keys in my hand and
the car keys in her hand. "Keep it. I got one of my own. I wanted to
surprise you with a first year gift. Also I talked with the General and
he's ok with it all. Pike informed me that next year you will be allowed to
have a car on campus so I figured you might as well have one."

      I am stunned now as it all starts to sink in; Ally was giving me her
car. It wasn't the best car but I was not going to complain. It was
transportation from one place to another. It was mine. Breaking the cement
that held my feet firm, I move to hug Ally. "Thank you soo much. This means
a lot to me." Moving to Pike, I give him a quick hug as well. "Thanks."

      He smiles as he looks at me then Ally. "You survived your first year,
it's only going to get harder from here on." Changing his focus to Ally, he
taps on his watch. "We've gotta get going babe."

      Ally moves us all out of her room as she locks it. "I would talk more
but Pike is taking me out on a date. I wanted to give the car to you so you
can go back up home whenever you want." We all walk to the elevator and
take it to the first floor. As Pike and Ally exit, I stay in. Ally, without
even turning back, hollers, "I think he's still home, not sure though." I
smile as the doors close.

      *****

      The last time I was up here, I caught him with his roommate. It felt
wierd coming back to his room, I didn't even know if he had a roommate
yet. It was hard walking up to the door but as I approached it, it felt
right. Knocking though, that was a harder task.

      Taking a deep breath, I tap my fingers against Kyle's door, loud
enough for him to hopefully hear but quiet enough as to not echo down the
corridor. Waiting a few seconds, I try again. Then, one last effort to try
and reach out to him, I pull out my phone and dial his number. The phone
rings on the speaker and behind the door, I hear a vibrating object rattle
against something. It goes for a few seconds then shutsoff, taking me to
his voicemail.

      Exasperated, I turn to walk down the hallway. I had really wanted to
see him before I left for Sacramento. "Chris? What are you doing here?" I
turn around to see that Kyle had snuck open the door and was standing in
the hallway rubbing his sleepy eyes. His blond hair was a mess but his
toned body made up for the imperfection, the sight an Adonis for me.

      Stammering for the words all I could belt out was, "Hi."

=====================================================================

Is this how this section of the series will end?? Really?? Stay tuned to
see how this will all turn out... because trust me it will be hot.. ;-D