ANDREW'S RECRUITING SUMMER CHAPTER 5: ANDREW MEETS RYAN BEFORE THE OHIO STATE RECRUITING VISIT

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"Ah, so you're JP's big brother," Andrew realized, once he heard the caller's name. "It's good to meet you man: verbally at least."

 

  "It's good to meet you too Andrew," Ryan replied, fully aware that his former coach could hear them. He didn't give voice to his thoughts: I don't want to be known as JP's brother; I'm my own man!  "Once Tyler Backton told me all about you this afternoon, I looked you up on that new YouTube site and saw all your videos. You're an awesome football player man, and you'll have no trouble getting a full ride to any school you want!" 

 

  "Thanks man," Andrew said, pleased that Ryan had told him how he had found out all about him. "I'm glad to have one fan at least."

 

"Many more than just one Andrew, considering all the views your videos got," Ryan assured him sincerely. "That's part of the reason my college coach wanted me to call Coach Palmer and arrange this phone call. My coach told me to tell you that he's going to arrange an Unofficial Recruiting Visit down here for you the next time you're in Virginia."

 

"That's very flattering man; thank him for me," Andrew said. "I'll have to give you the contact information for my High School Football Coach back in Orillia. He can coordinate with your College Football Coach to arrange everything for the visit. I should be able to come back down here in a couple weeks."

 

"It wasn't just your online videos that put you on his radar Andrew," Ryan informed him. "He also took note of your impressive performance at the football camps you attended this spring."

 

"Well I'm glad I wasn't easy to miss," Andrew said seriously. "After all, there were dozens of other high school football players at those camps, and I think I was the only Canadian there."

 

  "You're impossible to miss Andrew," Ryan assured him. "My coach told me this afternoon that when he saw you in March, you weighed 275 pounds and stood 6 foot 6 inches tall."

 

  "Those were my old stats," Andrew said with a cocky smirk, even though Ryan couldn't see it. He noticed Coach Palmer edging away to give him some privacy and added, "I'm bigger and taller now."

 

  "How much do you weigh now Andrew?" Ryan asked him, sounding a little nervous. "And how tall are you?"

 

  "I weigh 305 pounds of solid muscle," Andrew replied, having detected a hint of fear in Ryan's voice. "And I now stand at 6 foot 7 inches in height. It was a great day when I reached the average weight of an NFL lineman."

 

  "That's awesome man; I'm really happy for you," Ryan said sincerely.

 

  "Coach Palmer's no longer in hearing range Ryan; tell me how you really feel," Andrew said, with a dangerous edge in his voice.

 

  "I have been man," Ryan said seriously, hearing the slight hint of menace in Andrew's voice. I'm going to have to watch myself with him, he thought to himself. He sounds like he's just as smart as my little brother! "My coach told me that your performance at the spring football camps led to you getting offers for Unofficial Recruiting Visits throughout the Midwest and the South."

 

  "Starting with Ohio State tomorrow," Andrew said, deliberately dropping the name of JP's hopeful college. "When do I get to meet you in person Ryan?"

 

  "You'll have to wait until later this month: during your Unofficial Recruiting Visit at Virginia Tech," Ryan replied. "My coach asked me if I'd be willing to be your campus guide, and I told him I'd be glad to."

 

"Thanks man," Andrew said gratefully, getting the feeling that Ryan was a really great guy under his Cocky Jock Exterior. "You know, I just thought of a way we can see each other face-to-face even if we're dozens of miles apart."

 

  "What way is that man?" Ryan asked, realizing that his coach's reports of Andrew's intelligence had not been exaggerated.

 

"Do you have Skype on your laptop Ryan?" Andrew asked him.

 

"Sure man," Ryan replied with a big grin, getting excited at the notion of seeing just how big and muscular Andrew truly was. "Do you want to talk later tonight once you get back to your hotel room?"

 

"That sounds like a great idea," Andrew agreed, anxious to see what the famous Ryan Maloney looked like. "It's a much better way for two new friends to chat long distance than on Instant Messenger." He heard a long silence on the other end of the line and hastily added, "If you want to be friends, that is."

 

"That's fine with me Andrew," Ryan agreed eagerly. "It would be great to get to know you better and find out how you got so big and strong. Coach told me that you can bench 700 pounds for reps!"

 

"Yeah, that's only because I couldn't find enough weights in your home gym to get to my max of 800 pounds this evening," Andrew bragged. "Hopefully the gym at Virginia Tech has enough weights to challenge me."

 

"Wow Andrew!" Ryan shouted in astonishment after another long silence. "You're insanely strong man; I bet you can bust through any Offensive Line and sack the Quarterback no problem!"

 

"Yeah I can man, but I always help them up afterwards to be a good sport," Andrew said seriously. "No sense being a sore winner."

 

"I've heard of sore losers, but what's a sore winner?" Ryan asked curiously.

 

"A sore winner is someone who gloats about his victory, acting cocky and arrogant as he rubs his success in other people's faces," Andrew replied. He decided to be completely honest with Ryan about his younger brother and added, "Kind of like how JP was during his last workout with you this spring."

 

"So he was bragging to you about that, was he?" Ryan asked angrily.

 

"No Ryan, I kind of tricked it out of him actually," Andrew replied. "I'll tell you more when we chat on Skype tonight, but I'd better text you my contact information on Skype now."

 

"Don't forget your cell phone number Andrew, and ask Coach Palmer for mine," Ryan reminded him.

 

"Thanks man," Andrew said gratefully, pleased that he and Ryan could keep in touch. "You know, it might be hard for you to confirm you got the text while you're on the phone with me," he suddenly realized. "Do you have a notepad you can write my number on instead?"

 

"Good idea man; yeah I do," Ryan replied. After a few seconds, he said, "Go ahead Big Guy, I'm ready."

 

Andrew quickly gave him all the required information and then Ryan returned the favour, once Andrew pulled out his cell phone.

 

"I've got all your contact information Ryan," Andrew said. "I'll text you when I get back to my hotel and then we can meet face-to-face on Skype."

 

"I look forward to it Andrew," Ryan said sincerely. "Can you put Coach Palmer back on the phone? I want to thank him for arranging this cell phone call with you this evening."

 

"Sure man, that's a good idea," Andrew said, signalling Coach Palmer to come closer. Once Coach Palmer stepped up beside him, Andrew added, "It was great talking to you Ryan; I'll see you on Skype later tonight."

 

"Goodbye Andrew," Ryan said, before Andrew handed Coach Palmer's cell phone back to him.

 

Andrew waited patiently while Ryan filled Coach Palmer in on all that he had discussed with Andrew.

 

Once the call was over, Coach Palmer turned to Andrew and said, "Very good Andrew: now you have another recruiting visit lined up for this summer, hosted by one of my best players no less! Ryan thinks a lot of you and he'll be very happy to host a big man like you on campus!"

 

"Yeah, and I'll enjoy being hosted by the Big Man on Campus," Andrew said with a big grin.

 

"Very funny Andrew, making a play on my words like that!" Coach Palmer chuckled.

 

"Hey, I don't just have brawn, I have brains as well!" Andrew reminded him with a cocky smirk.

 

"I know that now Andrew," Coach Palmer assured him with an indulgent smile. "But since we're standing on the football field, how about you show me just how skilled you are at using your brawn. I can see that you're already prepared, since you're holding your football." He noticed Andrew's cocky smirk morph into a confident grin and added, "I can use my digital camera to record your performance on the field and then I'll send the video to Ryan's football coach at Virginia Tech."

 

Andrew nodded in agreement and slowly took off his football jacket. "Would you mind putting my jacket on the fence behind you Coach? I don't want it to get dirty."

    "Good idea Andrew, now jog across the field to the other End Zone so that I can throw you the football," Coach Palmer ordered him. "You can catch a hundred yard pass, can't you?"

 

"If you can throw the football that far Coach," Andrew teased him.

 

"I certainly can Andrew; I just hope you can run that far," Palmer said, taking the Miami Football out of Andrew's hands. "Move it Mister: that's an order!"

 

"Yes Sir!" Andrew shouted eagerly, running down the field with huge strong strides.

 

Coach Palmer cocked his arm back, marshalled all his strength and threw the football as high and as far as he could. He followed the flight of the ball as it arced through the air and had to shield his eyes from the glare of the setting sun. He finally saw Andrew catch it at the opposite end zone and he realized at that moment that none of the videos he had seen of Andrew's performance on the football field had been exaggerated.

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Meanwhile, in a hotel room in Harrisonburg, Virginia, off Interstate 81, a strikingly handsome jock with jet black hair and piercing green eyes sat back on the couch.

 

Perfect, he thought to himself. I'll be able to learn from my new friend Andrew Pearson how to get really huge and strong. With any luck, he'll pick my school over Ohio State and then we can play right beside each other on the Offensive Line. Ryan frowned as he suddenly realized something. Once I get big enough that the coach lets me play, of course. But then he grinned again when he realized that he had found the perfect reason to give Andrew for why he wanted to get bigger and stronger. He'll never know that I want to get big enough that my little dweeb brother can never get close to beating me in anything ever again!

 

"Who were you talking to out here Ryan?" Luke asked, stepping out of the washroom after his shower.

 

"One of my brother's friends man," Ryan replied, turning to face his smaller friend with a smug grin on his face.

 

"Is he a dorky band geek just like your brother?" Luke asked with a sneer.

 

"No man, in fact he's big enough to make me look small," Ryan replied seriously, allowing a hint of worry to sneak through his Cocky Jock Façade. He maximized the YouTube Video he had been watching of Andrew before Coach Palmer had texted him. "See for yourself man; keep an eye on Number 3: Andrew Pearson."

 

Luke and Ryan watched the highlight video of the 2004 Provincial Championship game between Andrew's team: the ODCVI Blues from Orillia and the Eastview Wildcats from Barrie.

 

"Wow man!" Luke shouted in astonishment once the video had ended. "You've got to convince your coach at Tech to get Andrew down there for a recruiting visit."

 

"Already done man, after Tyler Backton told me all about him today," Ryan said with a cocky smirk. "And guess who gets to host him?"

 

"You're going to be the host?" Luke asked him in surprise.

 

"Of course man, who else?" Ryan bragged. "Who better to host an Incoming Freshman than a Current Freshman?" He left out the part where his Tech coach had reminded him that all Redshirt Freshmen had to act as student hosts for Incoming Freshman Prospects. "Once I showed this video to Coach, he told me to call my High School Football Coach and set up a phone call with Andrew. And thanks to Coach Palmer calling Coach Graves, who called my dad, JP ended up bringing Andrew over to Central High School this evening. Once he got Andrew alone, Coach Palmer texted me and I called him and got to speak to Andrew. He's a really great guy and really smart as well. He's agreed to come down to Tech for a recruiting visit later this summer and I offered to host him."

 

"Hey, maybe you and Andrew can become teammates on the Offensive Line next fall and win a College Football Championship," Luke suggested.

 

"Yeah, and maybe Andrew can show me how to get as huge and ripped as he is!" Ryan shouted in excitement, flexing his massive biceps. "Then I can leave that little dweeb brother of mine in the dust forever!"

 

"That would be awesome man!" Luke shouted in excitement. "Then when you go home for the holidays you can give that little brother of yours the worst Christmas Present he's ever had!"

 

"Yeah, the present of my awesome presence!" Ryan laughed, proving that Andrew wasn't the only smart guy in the state.

 

"How will you convince Andrew to help you get bigger without revealing the real reason?" Luke suddenly asked.

 

"Easy, I'll just tell him the truth: my coach at Tech won't let me play until I'm bigger and stronger," Ryan said smugly. "Andrew will never realize that I want to get huge to dominate my little brother so badly that he'll shrivel up and rot just like a little raisin!"

 

"Sounds like you've got it all figured out," Luke realized. "So, enough talk; you want to head out and see what kind of parties JMU has to offer?"

 

"Sure man, and maybe I can find a hot chick who wants a piece of me," Ryan sneered with a suggestive smirk. "I'll keep my cell phone on vibrate so that when Andrew texts me, I can get back here and see him on Skype."

 

"You want me to come back with you?" Luke asked, as they headed out the door.

 

"Naw man, I want to see him alone," Ryan replied. "If he sees two of us, he might think something's up when I ask him if he'll help me get huge like him."

 

Luke nodded in agreement as they headed down the hall. Ryan breathed a silent sigh of relief, relieved that Luke hadn't figured out the true reason that Ryan wanted to speak to Andrew alone: so that no one could horn in on the new friendship that he was hoping to form with JP's new mentor.

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Andrew had been showing off his football skills for ten minutes, so neither he nor Coach Palmer noticed JP coming out of the high school gym. Andrew threw his football from the far end of the field to Coach Palmer, but he threw it too far and it hit JP in the chest before he could catch it. 

"Are you okay JP?" Palmer asked as JP fell onto his back. But then he grinned as JP rolled through the fall and back to his feet. "I guess you are," he realized, noticing the cocky smirk on JP's face. 

"Sure I am Coach; it will take a lot more than a 120 yard pass to hurt me," JP assured him; relieved that his high pain tolerance had allowed him to withstand the impact of the football. "That's the furthest I've ever seen anyone throw a football though; even Clark Kent on Smallville last season restricted himself to 60 yard passes!" 

"Andrew outweighs Clark by at least 80 pounds of solid muscle," Palmer said, grinning at JP's huge friend as he jogged across the field towards them. His jaw dropped in astonishment as Andrew stopped in front of him and he could only stare in awe at the hulking muscle god in front of him. "Uh, very good job Andrew: your football skills are very impressive," he managed to stammer out. He turned to JP, whose eyes were as wide as his own and asked, "What did you think of Andrew's performance on the field tonight?" 

"It was amazing Coach; I can see why you wanted to see him tonight," JP realized. He noticed the digital camera in Palmer's hands and added, "It looks like you got a lot of good footage of Andrew's football skills. Which school are you going to send it to?" 

Coach Palmer and Andrew looked at each other uncertainly, unsure how to answer JP's question without making him mad. 

"Are you going to tell him, or should I?" Andrew finally asked Coach Palmer slowly. 

"Tell me what?" JP snapped, guessing that there could only be one reason why they were so reluctant to name the school. 

"It's Virginia Tech JP," Coach Palmer replied, gambling that his position as Head Football Coach would keep him safe from JP's wrath. He was right, because all JP did was narrow his eyes slightly in anger. "I'll let Andrew tell you all about it; I've got everything I need," he added, holding up his digital camera. "See you later JP and nice meeting you Andrew." 

With that, Coach Palmer beat a hasty retreat into the high school, leaving Andrew alone to face JP's wrath. Andrew looked over cautiously at JP, who was glaring at him with a look of fury on his face. 

"Go ahead JP; let me have it for talking to your brother and then I can explain how it happened," Andrew sighed. 

"I ought to punch you in the face for even talking to Ryan, knowing how much I hate him!" JP snapped. 

"Fine, do that if you think it'll make you feel better!" Andrew snapped back. "It won't make any difference to me; I probably won't even feel it!" 

JP roared in fury and lunged at Andrew, his right fist leading the way. SMACK! JP punched Andrew in the face with all his strength. To make his smaller friend feel better, Andrew let his head snap around from the blow, even though he didn't feel a thing. Encouraged by thinking that he had actually hurt Andrew, JP kept punching Andrew in the face, making his big friend's head rock back and forth. Andrew didn't even stumble or flinch though, and eventually JP got tired. He stopped punching Andrew in the face and settled for kneeing him in the gut instead. Soon, JP's hands began to ache from punching Andrew's tough jaw and his knees felt like they had impacted a concrete wall. JP ignored the pain though and kept hitting Andrew in the abs until he finally got tired. 

"Feel better now JP?" Andrew asked, breathing a sigh of relief that JP had stopped attacking him. Hopefully he got some of the rage at his brother out of his system by attacking me! 

"Yeah I do Andrew," JP replied, smiling when he noticed Andrew rubbing his chin with one hand and his abs with the other. As he tried to catch his breath, he added, "I'm glad I was able to hurt you a bit; that means that I'll be able to wipe the floor with Ryan the next time I see him!" 

"Good JP, can we go now?" Andrew asked him impatiently. "Or do you want to throw my football around for a while on an actual football field?" 

"That would be great Andrew," JP said excitedly. "You always know what to say to make me feel better." 

"And apparently I know what to do as well, since I let you punch me several times and it calmed you down," Andrew realized with a gentle smile. 

"What did you mean you let me punch you?" JP asked him in surprise. 

"I could have caught all your punches if I wanted to JP," Andrew replied, crossing his massive arms with a smug grin. Then he noticed JP frowning, so he decided to cheer him up. "But I figured that it would make you feel better if I acted as your human punching bag. Anytime you want to let out your frustrations by doing it again, just let me know man. Or don't; it won't matter to me because I barely felt anything anyway." 

"Thanks a lot Andrew; now you've made me feel worse!" JP snapped at him sarcastically. 

"Sorry about that man, but you punched me, not the other way around," Andrew reminded him with a cocky grin. "But you don't hear me complaining about it!" 

"That's because you just admitted I barely hurt you!" JP snapped in fury. "Of course you wouldn't complain about it!"

"It didn't hurt because I'm almost twice your size JP," Andrew reminded him. When JP glared at him, Andrew sighed in frustration and added, "But if it makes you feel any better, you did hurt me a little bit." 

"Not enough Andrew!" JP yelled in fury. "How am I supposed to take Ryan down if I can't even make you wince when I punch you?" 

"I outweigh Ryan by almost a hundred pounds of solid muscle!" Andrew growled through clenched teeth, having to clench his fists to keep from losing his temper. JP nodded quickly: suddenly feeling scared when he noticed Andrew's clenched fists. "Now can I tell you how I ended up talking with Ryan over the phone?" 

"Yes you can Andrew," JP replied, suddenly realizing how lucky he was that he hadn't made his huge friend mad. 

Andrew told him the whole story and concluded by telling JP that he would show Ryan just how big he was on Skype later that night. Then he and JP finally got to throw the football around on the field for about an hour. Andrew showed JP some of the football drills he went through as an Offensive Lineman at ODCVI. JP smiled to himself, really happy that Andrew was playing football with him: something Ryan had never done. 

Once they were done, it was 10 pm and getting dark. The lights around the field came on and Andrew had an idea. He stood under the uprights near his car and said, "So this is what the Friday Night Lights look  like." 

"It's Tuesday night Andrew," JP teased him with a smirk. 

"Funny man JP; it was a figure of speech and you know it!" Andrew laughed. 

"Speaking of figures, you certainly make an imposing one with the field lights behind you," JP suddenly realized, a trace of fear showing up on his face. 

"Then take a picture of me with my Game Face on," Andrew ordered him, getting down into his three point stance with one hand holding his football. 

Andrew glared up at the camera as if he was about to take down his opponent and JP quickly took the picture, feeling very afraid of his huge friend at that moment. "Okay Andrew, how about we try one with you smiling?" JP suggested, trying unsuccessfully to keep the fear out of his voice. 

"Sorry about that JP; I didn't mean to scare you," Andrew apologized. He grinned up at JP, who took another picture, and then stood up to his full height of six feet and seven inches. "There now JP: we've played football, taken some pictures, met your wrestling coach and you've used me as a human punching bag. Are you ready to go home now?" 

"Yeah Andrew, and I'm really excited about tomorrow's recruiting visit to Ohio State," JP said with a big grin on his face. 

"The Ohio State JP," Andrew corrected him. He noticed JP mock-glaring at him and laughed. "Don't look at me like that man; you're the one who corrected me about that earlier today!" 

"You're right Andrew," JP realized, as they headed to Andrew's truck with their Varsity Jackets slung over their shoulders. As they reached Andrew's truck, he asked, "So what are you going to do when you get back to your hotel with Carrie and Mike?" 

"I'm going to call Ryan on-" Andrew began, before having to catch JP's fist in mid-punch. "Don't do that again JP: you've punched me enough for tonight," Andrew growled in fury. He gave JP's fist a slight squeeze until JP winced in pain. "Do you get the point now man? I can catch your punches anytime I want to, so don't try it again!" 

"Yes Andrew, I've got it!" JP gasped in pain. "Can you please let me go now?" 

"Sure man; I've made my point," Andrew replied, releasing his iron grip on JP's fist. JP massaged his sore hand and Andrew sighed in exasperation. "Why do you insist on asking questions that you don't want to hear the answers to JP?" 

"I don't know Andrew," JP replied, as they got into Andrew's truck. "I guess I'm just too curious for my own good." 

"Yeah, you seem to have forgotten that cautionary tale about curiousity killing the cat," Andrew realized. 

"Don't even joke about that Andrew!" JP begged him. Andrew looked over at his friend, and got worried when he saw how scared JP looked. "Aroused, your great physical strength could kill! And I only felt a tiny fraction of it when you squeezed my fist!" 

"I'm sorry about that man, but you made me mad for a moment there," Andrew informed him. "I was in a really bad mood last fall and the results weren't pretty." 

"Why was that Andrew?" JP asked, as Andrew started driving them back to JP's house. 

"My grandpa had a stroke last fall, just after I graduated Basic Reserves Training," Andrew replied. "I was really worried about him all throughout the football season, since he was confined to a wheelchair and could barely speak. Fortunately, my parents were able to bring him to every game, but then my nemesis David Harrington insulted him and I just lost it and punched him in the face, giving him a bloody nose and knocking him out. If Steve, Darrel and Mike hadn't pulled me off of him, I would have killed David with my bare hands!" 

JP just stared at Andrew in speechless terror as his big friend's face turned red with fury and his hands turned white on the steering wheel. Andrew looked over at JP, still furious from the bad memories, and saw the look of terror on his face. He started taking a few deep breaths to calm down and was relieved to see the normal look of confidence return to JP's face. 

JP wisely decided to wait until Andrew had calmed down completely before he asked, "What happened next Andrew?" 

"Coach Everson suspended me for two games and my parents chewed me out hard when we got back home," Andrew remembered, looking embarrassed. "I actually stayed in a hotel that weekend, not wanting to deal with anyone. Then when I got home from school on Monday evening, my dad informed me that my Grandpa (his dad, not my mom's) had suffered another massive stroke and was now confined to a hospital bed. I could see in his eyes that my dad blamed me for that, since Grandpa Pearson had attended the game where I punched David out for insulting him. I felt really bad and I visited Grandpa every weekend after that, now that I had seen the damage my bad temper had caused." 

"It wasn't your fault Andrew," JP tried to assure his big friend. "It was probably just a coincidence that your grandpa had another stroke around the same time that you were knocking David out." 

"You don't get it JP; he had the stroke at the game right after I attacked David!" Andrew shouted in frustration. "My rage stressed him out so badly that it caused his second stroke and put him in that hospital bed!" 

JP just stared helplessly at his huge friend in sympathy, not having a clue what to say when he realized what an incredible burden of guilt Andrew had been carrying around for almost a year. Andrew sighed as a tear ran down his cheek and he and JP just drove in silence for a few minutes while he tried to compose himself. 

"What happened next Andrew?" JP finally asked his huge friend gently. 

"Coach Everson let me play in the Semi-Final and then the Provincial Championship Game," Andrew replied. "Unfortunately, the O-Line had learned some new plays under the Back-Up Center that I wasn't familiar with and we lost the Provincial Championship Game in the last second due to a missed field goal because David deflected it. I managed to control my temper about that but I broke down in my grandpa's hospital room as I told him a day later. He couldn't say a word, but he did reach over with his one good arm to grab my hand. I promised him that I would win the next Provincial Championship for him and he smiled. Then he fell asleep and I went home. We got the news the next morning that he had passed away during the night." 

"So you were the last person to see him and he went to heaven happy," JP guessed. "So you can feel good about that at least."

"Yeah man," Andrew said with a gentle smile. "And now you know everything about last season and why I'm not a Cocky Jock anymore." JP nodded in understanding. "You're the only one who knows everything I've just told you, besides Carrie of course, and I want it to stay that way." 

JP nodded in understanding, realizing how much Andrew thought of him that he would reveal his innermost secrets. 

"Do you have anything else to tell me Andrew, or is that it?" JP asked. 

"That's it for now JP," Andrew replied, glancing over at his friend with a gentle smile. "I think we're even now, since you told me everything about you and Ryan earlier this evening." 

JP tried to keep the anger he felt at hearing his big brother's name from showing on his face, because he remembered how easily Andrew had blocked his attempt to punch him earlier. 

I'd better be on my best behavior with Andrew from now on; he could crush me with one hand tied behind his back! JP realized in sudden fear. Then he thought of something that made him smile. 

"Getting excited about the trip to the Ohio State tomorrow JP?" Andrew asked him. 

"Yeah Andrew," JP replied, not letting his huge friend know that he was actually thinking of how scared Ryan would be when he saw how big Andrew was. "I'm really grateful that you're taking me to see the school I hope to wrestle at in my college years." 

"No problem JP; Mark did it for me, so I'm returning the favour in a deflected manner," Andrew informed him. When JP looked at him with confusion, Andrew explained that his first protégé Mark Stevenson had invited Andrew along on his recruiting visits during the previous school year. "So, in a way, Ohio State is already aware of me, because I went to Mark's Official Recruiting Visit there almost one year ago," Andrew explained to JP. 

"Did you mentor him just so you could get early exposure to the NCAA?" JP teased him. Andrew glared over at him in mock fury, but a slight grin betrayed his true feelings. "Just joking Big Guy." 

"Hey, I told you before, you call me 'Huge Guy' Little Man!" Andrew roared, unable to keep a cocky grin from appearing on his face. 

JP laughed and the two of them continued joking around until they got back to JP's house. Once they got back there, they parked in the driveway and Andrew turned to JP. 

"Thanks a lot for listening to everything I told you about last season without judgement JP," Andrew said gratefully. "You're a really great friend." 

"Thanks Andrew; you are too," JP said, as his parents came out of the house. As he and Andrew got out of Andrew's truck, he added, "Coach Graves got in touch with all the wrestling coaches at each school we're going to, so I'll be having my own early Unofficial Recruiting Visits while you have yours." 

"Good job man; taking a page out of my book I see," Andrew said with a smug grin. He turned to his friends, who had come out of the house after JP's parents and asked them, "Did you guys have lots of fun with Matt and JP's parents while we were gone?" 

"Yeah man," Mike replied. "JP's parents were bragging about him while he was gone, showing us his wrestling photos, his trophies and his District Finalist Medal from last season." 

"I hope you get a State Championship Medal next spring JP," Mr. Maloney said with a frown. 

"I will Dad," JP assured him, trying to make his determination show on his face. "But in the meantime, I'll have to show my District Finalist Medal to the Ohio State Wrestling Coaches tomorrow." 

"Yeah, last night, when I called Coach Graves, I told him which schools Andrew was taking you to," Mr. Maloney said proudly. "So they will know all about you thanks to his emails when you arrive." 

"Yeah he showed me all the emails from them, in which they expressed their hopes that I would talk to them while I'm on campus this week," JP said with a cocky smirk. "So I told Coach to say 'Yes, he'll be glad to meet you there' and he added my cell phone number to the email replies. Then the coaches can text me with the details." 

"And all this wouldn't have happened if Andrew hadn't offered to take you with him on his recruiting visits," Mrs. Maloney said, reaching up to put a hand on Andrew's massive shoulder. 

Andrew looked very embarrassed as JP's parents ushered Andrew inside to talk to him some more. 

"Where's your mom Matt?" JP asked, finally noticing that she was missing from the group. 

"She already went home, after leaving a packed suitcase here for me," Matt replied. "What did you and Andrew do at the high school?" 

JP ushered him into the house so that they could talk, leaving Mike and Carrie standing outside on the front walk. 

"Do you feel that we've been forgotten by Andrew over the last couple of days?" Mike asked Carrie. 

"No more than the past three years when Andrew spent lots of time mentoring his current teammates," Carrie reminded him. "He didn't have to mentor you of course; your big brother Matt did a lot of that, as well as training Andrew for High School Football." 

"Yeah, Matt's training allowed me and Andrew to play on the Junior Football Team during our Freshman Year," Mike remembered proudly. "Of course, Coach Everson had Andrew be the Starting Centre, and I got to start at Right Guard that year: a position I have held for three seasons now." 

"Good thing too, because the College Football Recruiting started for both of you last year," Carrie reminded him. Mike grinned and nodded, and Carrie added, "I'm a little surprised that no College Hockey Coaches have contacted me yet." 

"Ask to meet the Girl's Hockey Coaches at each school we visit and you'll find lots of recruiters visiting you this fall," Mike predicted. 

Carrie grinned at Mike: pleased that for all his big muscles, he hadn't lost any of the intelligence that had let him tutor Andrew and Phil in exchange for weight training years ago. Carrie and Mike chatted for a few.more minutes and then went into the Maloney house, where they found almost everyone talking in the living room. 

As Carrie looked around, she noticed that Andrew and JP weren't there. "Where are Andrew and JP?" she asked Mr. Maloney. 

"JP took Andrew up to his room to show off all his wrestling articles and awards," Paul replied proudly. 

Carrie nodded in understanding: pleased that Andrew had found another protégé after not having one the previous year. 

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Up in his bedroom, JP was proudly showing Andrew all the newspaper clippings of his high school wrestling career. 

"This is very impressive JP; you have really achieved great athletic success in only two years," Andrew congratulated him. "And you're a District Finalist on top of it all."

"Probably nothing compared to what you have achieved Andrew; you actually won the District Title." 

"Yeah, but this coming wrestling season, you'll win the State Championship JP," Andrew predicted with an encouraging smile. 

JP smiled as Andrew had once again made him feel better. "What do you want to do now Andrew?" 

"Help you pack for the college road trip that starts next week, but perhaps I should see Ryan's room first." 

"What for Andrew?" JP asked with an angry look on his face. 

"I want to see what kind of guy he is," Andrew replied. "A look in his room is the best way to find out since he probably decorated it himself." 

"Fine, let's get it over with so that we can plan our trip," JP agreed reluctantly. 

He led Andrew to Ryan's room and opened the door, revealing the posters of scantily-clad women all over the walls. 

"Well, that certainly tells me all I need to know about Ryan," Andrew said, realizing that it was just a Cocky Jock Cover for Ryan's true Gentle Giant Nature. "On my walls at home, I have football players banging heads on the field." 

"Now you see how different you and Ryan are, which explains why I think of you as my big brother instead of him," JP explained, closing Ryan's door again. 

Andrew nodded and followed JP back to his room to help him pack for the road trip. 

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

About an hour later, Andrew and his two friends said goodbye to JP and his family and headed back to their hotel. Once there, Andrew told Carrie that he wanted to talk to JP's brother on Skype. 

"Okay Andrew, I'll just go have a shower before bed," Carrie said. "Have fun talking to your new friend." Andrew had told her all about his talk with Ryan earlier that evening. 

"I will Carrie, and I'm going to wear my ODCVI football t-shirt so that Ryan can see how big and strong I am," Andrew said with a smirk. 

"Fine, have fun playing 'Who's the Alpha' with Ryan," Carrie laughed. "See you later Big Man." 

"That's 'Huge Man' to you 'Little Girl'," Andrew teased her with a mock glare. "Don't ever forget that or you'll be very sorry!"

Carrie laughed and headed into the bathroom to have her shower. Andrew pulled out his Motorola Razor and texted Ryan. Then he opened up his laptop, activated Skype and waited. 

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

Meanwhile, at a club in Harrisonburg, Virginia, Ryan's cell phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket with a frown. 

"Sorry babe, I've been expecting this text," he apologized to the hot girl he was in the middle of kissing. He read the text and grinned when he realized that Andrew was ready to start their Skype Chat. "I'm going to talk to my new friend, and he'll show me how to get even bigger and stronger for you next time," he promised her emptily. 

Ryan stepped back and quickly found Luke so that he could tell him where he was going. Then he headed out of the club, after promising to pick Luke up later, and drove back to their hotel to talk to Andrew, after texting him that he would be ready for the Skype Chat in a few minutes.

Perfect, Ryan thought to himself as he drove. Andrew will teach me how to become really big and strong so that I can give the girls more pleasure than they've ever dreamed of! And I'll be big enough to smash that dweeb brother of mine into pieces, as well as all the opposing players in the football games this season! 

Ryan was still grinning about his foolproof strategy to get Andrew's help when he pulled into the hotel parking lot. He stepped out of his car, put on his best arrogant jock face, and sauntered into the lobby, grinning like a horny cat at all the pretty girls he passed by. But this time, he didn't talk to any of them, he was too eager to see his new friend Andrew face-to-face. 

Once he got up to his hotel room, he went inside, opened up his laptop and activated Skype. As the image on the screen resolved into focus, Ryan's jaw dropped in astonishment as he saw what was on the screen. 

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

Andrew smirked as he saw the look of shock on the face of the black-haired, green-eyed jock on his laptop screen. 

"Ryan Maloney?" Andrew asked, just to make sure he was talking to the right person. The big guy on the screen nodded silently; still too shocked to speak. "I'm JP's new friend Andrew Harrington." 

He waited for almost a minute before Ryan got up his nerve to finally say something. "How are you man?" he asked, still looking shocked at Andrew's size.

"Oh just fine; I had lots of fun on the Central High Football Field showing off my football skills for Coach Palmer," Andrew said with a cocky smirk. Part of him realized he should probably act more humble, but then he figured that he had finally found someone who would approve of him acting like a Cocky Jock. "I threw a pass that went the entire length of the field and knocked JP off his feet when he tried to catch it!" 

Ryan's look of shock intensified and then a fleeting look of concern appeared on his face. It was quickly erased by an arrogant smirk, however. 

"Did that little dweeb run home and cry to Mommy about it?" he sneered. 

"Be careful Ryan; that's my new protégé you're talking about," Andrew warned him, his protective instincts flaring up. "And he told me how he was once yours." 

"Yeah he was," Ryan said, remembering his last workout with JP less than fondly. "Sorry about that Andrew; my brother and I just don't get along anymore." 

"Did you want to talk about it Ryan?" Andrew asked. "It won't go any further than the two of us, since my girlfriend isn't in here with me." 

"Okay Andrew, and then we can talk about more exciting things: like your upcoming recruiting visit to Virginia Tech," Ryan agreed. 

"And I will email you the video that Coach Palmer emailed me of my exploits on the Central High School Football Field," Andrew offered. "Then you can forward it to your football coach at Virginia Tech." 

"Good thinking Andrew," Ryan agreed. 

He began telling Andrew about how his little brother JP had followed him around everywhere all his life and then started bugging him about working out when he got to high school. So Ryan began teaching him to work out, but he never imagined JP would take to it so well and get close to surpassing him. So Ryan gradually removed himself from his brother's workouts, especially after the events of three months before, and their relationship was practically non-existent since then. 

"That sounds rough man," Andrew said sympathetically, realizing that JP felt the same way. "I went through something similar with one of my good friends about seven years ago." 

"Tell me about it Andrew; I can listen while I watch the video you sent me," Ryan said, opening up the email attachment. 

So Andrew told Ryan all about his failed friendship with Steve, basically repeating word-for-word the same things he had told JP the night before. Like JP before him, Ryan was amazed at how similar his experiences were to Andrew's. 

"So what do you think Ryan?" Andrew asked, once he had finished telling Ryan everything. 

"That's an amazing story Andrew, and I can see that we have a lot more in common than just being great football players," Ryan replied seriously. All thoughts of acting like a Cocky Jock in front of Andrew were gone, and he felt that he could be himself with his new friend, which was a great relief. "Your video is amazing as well, and my coach at Tech will be really excited to see it." 

"More excited than you are Ryan?" Andrew teased him, trying to lighten the mood. 

"Yeah man," Ryan replied with a big grin. "But I'm excited to meet you in person as well, and I'll talk to Coach and get an Unofficial Recruiting Visit set up for you at Tech later this month." 

"Thanks man," Andrew said gratefully, sensing that their conversation was wrapping up. "I'm looking forward to it. But right now, I'm going to have a shower and go to bed. Do you want me to say hi to JP for you when I see him again tomorrow morning?" 

"No Andrew, I will when I see him again," Ryan replied seriously. "And do me a favour." 

"What's that Ryan?" Andrew asked him. 

"Don't talk about my brother anymore with me unless I ask you about him," Ryan ordered. 

"No problem Ryan," Andrew agreed. "Text me later if you want to have another Skype chat." 

"I will man; just email me your travel plans so I know where you'll be tomorrow night," Ryan said. 

"Sure thing man; talk to you later," Andrew said, preparing to sign off. 

"See you Andrew," Ryan said, just before he ended the conversation. 

Andrew sat back in his desk chair and stared at the blank screen for a moment: thinking hard. 

Hopefully one day I will be there when Ryan and JP have fixed their relationship and then I won't have to choose which one to be friends with, he thought to himself. 

Then he heard Carrie calling him from the bathroom. "Andrew, I'm ready to have another shower: this time with you!" 

Andrew grinned, stood up, and headed into the bathroom, looking forward to having lots of fun with his girlfriend before they went to bed. 

* FINALLY FINISHED * 

COMING SOON: - The Road Trip to Ohio State 

- The Ohio State Recruiting Visit itself 

- JP gets a head start on his own college recruiting process thanks to Andrew