Cj

CJ Chapter 45

Thanks again to Bill for editing this chapter for me!

CJ Chapter 45 Football and Fun ==============================

Weekends were always more relaxed around the fraternity than days during the week. The pledges had house duties to perform that couldn't be completed during the days when they had classes to attend. Floors were stripped and waxed and other heavy cleaning duties were performed. The pledges also worked on the backyard project that was nearly completed. The Japanese Pagoda was finished, and the last of the paving stones were put in place, along with the last of the sod to cover the path used by the construction vehicles. The fresh sod was roped off to keep anyone from walking on it until the grass took root.

The football players helped their buddies get the house ready for the big Open House that would be held the following weekend, but they also tried to conserve their energies for the afternoon game. They all left the fraternity at noon to get dressed for the important football game. The remaining members and pledges completed their work and headed for the bar area where they could drop a few beers before heading for the stadium.

Chris was excited to be dressing for the important football game. He knew that Dr. Morgan wouldn't let him participate in the game for anything more than kicking if Keegan Marshall was injured.

The entire nation was watching the important game between the CSU Falcons and the Washington Huskies. Steve Michaels was the main announcer for the ESPN2 network and Brett Carlson was his partner when the pre-game festivities began.

"This is a critical game for both of these teams," Steve Michaels began. "When this season began, no one expected the CSU Falcons to win any of their non-conference games against the toughest teams in the nation. The Falcons surprised everyone in the nation, including me, by defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the University of Michigan Wolverines, the Oklahoma Sooners, and the Miami Hurricanes. David Patrick has earned the status of being ranked Number One in the nation with the way his team has won every game this season."

"This is also a special game for a young man who was declared dead a few weeks ago," Brett Carlson added. "CJ Hammer has returned to the Falcon football team for the first time since the terrible attack that nearly claimed his life. We hear that Hammer won't play in this game, but just having him back with his team must give the Falcons a real morale boost. Hammer is dressed for this game and could possibly return to action before this season is over for the Falcons."

David Patrick was right when he had told his players that this would be the toughest game they would play this year. At halftime, the Falcons were leading by a score of 21 to 17, and several players were nursing injuries from the first half.

"This game has developed exactly as we predicted," Steve Michaels stated. "The CSU Falcons are being hammered by the Huskies and it's only a matter of time before a big play breaks this game wide open."

"I know that we're supposed to remain neutral in our telecast," Brett Carlson added, " But it's obvious that the officials have not called several personal fouls against the Huskies for late hits and roughing the quarterback. I'm sure that David Patrick will be complaining to the league officials after this game is over."

The football game turned even nastier and Delano Genovesi left the game in the third quarter with a high ankle sprain from a late hit out of bounds. The Washington Huskies pushed the ball down the field in the fourth quarter and scored a touchdown to lead by a score of 23 to 21 after Jarvis Williams blocked their extra point. Two plays later, Kelly Mason was the victim of a late hit and went down with a shoulder injury. David Patrick was livid on the sidelines. He complained so strongly to the officials that his assistant coaches had to restrain him from going on the field to confront the officials about their horrible performance. He had lost his starting quarterback and running back to late hits that the officials had ignored instead of calling penalties and ejecting the offenders.

The two teams battled on the field and late in the fourth quarter the score was 30 to 28 with the Huskies leading. Keegan Marshall, the CSU kicker was taken out of the game on a late hit when he kicked the extra point after a touchdown. The Washington team was moving down the field for the score that would seal their victory against the CSU Falcons. The Washington Huskies knew that they needed to run out the clock to claim the victory and the championship of the Pac Ten Conference and were determined to run the football to keep the clock running.

"This game is almost over," Brett Carlson said. "The Falcons have one time out left and the Huskies have used all of theirs, so it's just a matter of holding on to the ball for the Huskies to drop the Falcons out of the unbeaten ranks and move up in the polls to play for the national championship. I know that the Pac 10 officials will be reviewing the game films to address the officiating during this game."

On the next play, Jarvis Williams nailed the Washington running back. The back fumbled the ball with only 50 seconds left in the game. The Falcons took the field with Justin Marshall, the backup quarterback, trying to move his team down the field. He threw two incomplete passes before the coaching staff called for a quarterback draw play to try and fool the defense. The Falcons called their last timeout when Justin was dropped at the 50-yard line. It was now time for the coaching staff to make an important decision with their team behind by a score of 30 to 28 and only 3 seconds left on the game clock.

"You know I can't throw far enough to reach the end zone," Justin admitted to his coaches. If we try a screen pass to Steve Massengill, they'll drop him like a rock!"

David Patrick saw his entire season coming to a nasty conclusion with a loss against the Washington Huskies. He knew that he could complain about the officials and their bad calls, but he knew that nothing would change the outcome of the game. He talked to his assistant coaches and tried to come up with some plan to try and win the football game.

"The CSU Falcons are on the verge of losing their first game of the season," Brett Michaels stated. "With only three seconds left on the game clock, this will be the last chance for David Patrick to save the season for his fine team. We all expect the Falcons to try a 'Hail Mary' pass to try and win this game. With the starting quarterback out of the game along with the best running back in the nation, I don't see how David Patrick can pull a rabbit out of his hat and win this game."

"I can kick a field goal," Chris said to his coach. "I know you don't believe me, but I promise you that I'll make the kick!"

"That would be a kick of 67 yards!" David Patrick said to Chris. "You've never kicked that far before!"

"I need some beef up front to keep them from blocking the kick and I need to drop back to about 69 yards to have a chance," Chris replied. "I need Jarvis in the middle and Julius Fisher to hold for me. Julius knows that I can make the kick if he does his job. Please let me try this kick!"

David Patrick ignored the pleas of his assistant coaches and agreed to try a field goal to win the game. He knew that Chris was powerful and had been kicking long field goals all week. He decided to trust his own feelings and the intensity that he saw in Chris's eyes. He made his players stay on the sidelines until the last second before sending his team onto the field so the opposing team wouldn't have a chance to change players.

"I don't believe this!" Steve Michaels said to the nationally televised audience. "The Falcons are taking the field and we see CJ Hammer limping out on the field! What is David Patrick going to do with the last play of this game?"

"This is incredible!" Brett Carlson said. "The Falcons are lining up for what would be an NCAA record field goal attempt, with CJ Hammer as the kicker. The Huskies are trying to change the players on the field and I know that they would call a time-out if they had any left.

The partisan fans in the stadium were shocked that their team was going to attempt a field goal of over 65 yards. The stadium went silent, except for the cheering of the visiting team's fans who knew that they were going to win this football game.

Chris had talked to Julius and the center, David Cogsdill, before they left the sidelines to run out on the field. He had told them both to concentrate on giving him the chance to kick the ball and told them to ignore the noise from the crowd.

When the Falcons got into their positions, Chris saw the Huskies trying to make last second changes in their players. He focused on the play and saw Julius carefully place the ball on the ground in front of him. He planted his right foot and kicked the ball as hard as he could. He saw the penalty flags flying in the air and knew that his kick was meaningless with the flags that could move his team back further from the goal line. He watched the football fly through the air and go between the goal posts, but knew that the play was going to be called back.

The screaming of the crowd was silenced when they realized that the officials had called a penalty on the play.

"CJ Hammer has just kicked an NCAA record field goal of 69 yards, but we see several penalty flags on the field!" Steve Carlson stated to the national audience. This season may be over for the Falcons. We have to wait while the officials discuss the flags on the field and make an announcement that will determine which team wins this game!"

The crowd was stunned by the actions of the officials and waited for their announcement.

"We have two penalties on the play," Jeff Hall announced, using the microphone on his umpire uniform. "The first penalty is 'Offside by the Defense' and that penalty is declined. The second penalty is 'Illegal Participation' by having 12 men on the field by the defense. Both penalties are declined and the result of the play is a field goal by the offense. The CSU Falcons win by a score of 31 to 30!"

The CSU fans in the stands screamed their approval of the official's ruling and celebrated the victory of their team. Saul Bernstein was in the stands with Helen Waterson, and hugged her and cried tears of joy for their son.

"The CSU Falcons have preserved their unbeaten season with a last second field goal that broke the NCAA record!" Brett Michaels said to his television audience. "The man that was pronounced dead a few weeks ago has just saved the season for his teammates! I've never seen a more climactic conclusion to a football game in my life! I hope we can get an interview with David Patrick and CJ Hammer after this fantastic game!"

Chris had his helmet off and held both of his arms in the air to celebrate the victory. He hugged Julius and ran toward the sidelines where his teammates and coaching staff were celebrating. Tears were flowing down his face when he picked David Patrick up and spun him around in a joyous hug. He dropped his coach and faced the stands where he knew his dad was sitting with Helen. He raised his helmet and screamed, "DAD" to his father.

Saul raised his arms in a "V" to acknowledge that he had heard the scream of his son. He knew that Chris was in heaven being back with his team and was acknowledging that he was there for his son. The fans around Saul and Helen hugged them and celebrated the fantastic victory for the CSU Falcons. They all knew that Saul was CJ Hammer's father and were excited to hug him or shake his hand in celebration.

"The campus security force is trying to keep the students from flooding onto the field," Steve Michaels stated. "This crowd is going wild after this very important victory! David Patrick is headed across the field for the customary handshake with the Huskies coach, but we all know that he wants to celebrate with his players after this fantastic victory!"

Chris ran to grab Delano and told him it was time for them to celebrate with the student body.

"I can't stand on my leg to even limp over there," Delano admitted to Chris.

"Jump on my back!" Chris offered. He turned around and squatted down to let Delano jump on his back and ride to the far end of the stadium where the students and band were celebrating the victory. He carried Delano on his back and was rewarded with the screams of the fans that saw him bringing the star running back to their end of the stadium. Chris put Delano on the edge of the stadium and watched his pledge buddy lead the band when they played the Falcon Fight Song.

The students went wild and screamed their approval of the job Delano had done during the football game. They all knew that Delano had done an excellent job by running through the Huskies' defense and had scored four touchdowns to win the game for them. The entire stadium was filled with screaming CSU fans that were celebrating the fantastic victory.

Chris stood in front of the student body with tears running down his face. He sang along with the fans while the band repeatedly played the CSU Fight Song. The large Trinatron screens at both ends of the stadium displayed close-up images of Delano and the rest of the football team players during their celebration.

David Patrick joined his team in paying respect to their most vocal fans, the students who attend their fine university. He jumped up and joined Delano in leading the band for one more playing of the fight song.

"Let's head for the locker room!" Coach Patrick then yelled to his players. He led them to the other end of the stadium and down the tunnel to the locker room.

One of the assistant coaches had brought an electric cart to the end of the field to give Delano a ride to the locker room. He offered Chris a ride, knowing that the big guy was still restricted from running.

Chris refused the ride and jogged over to the stands where he knew his Dad and future Mom were still cheering for the victory. He stood at the edge of the stands and again lifted his arms in a victory sign with his helmet firmly grasped in his left hand. He saw Saul and Helen in the stands and screamed, "WE WON!" to both of them.

Saul and his future wife were crying tears of joy at seeing Chris so excited. They knew their son would want to celebrate at Dimitri's Restaurant, and had something important to talk to Chris about. They watched Chris share in their emotions with tears running down his face. They didn't know at the time that photographers were capturing the emotions of their son, and that the images would be published in newspapers and magazines, and used for television broadcasts across the nation.

Chris waved to them before he turned and jogged to the end of the stadium to join his team. He arrived in the locker room and was swamped by his teammates. Everyone wanted to hug him and congratulate him for winning the important football game for CSU. Chris started removing his uniform and pads while the team and coaches celebrated their victory. Chris was down to his T-shirt and jock when he saw his special friend, Jane Vincent approaching him. He quickly wrapped a towel around his waist and greeted her.

Jane asked Chris for an interview and was very pleased when he agreed. Other television station reporters were upset that Chris had refused to be interviewed by them, and turned their attention to other key players from the game.

"This is Jane Vincent from Channel 12 Fox News reporting live from the CSU Falcon locker room," Jane began. "With me is a man who needs no introduction to the Sports World, CJ Hammer! How does it feel to have just kicked an NCAA record field goal of 69 yards to win this game for the CSU Falcons?"

"Hi Jane," Chris began. "It's always great to see your beautiful face in this locker room instead of looking at all of these ugly guys! I really can't take any credit for winning today. I only played three seconds of this game, so you need to interview Kelly Mason for his fantastic passing today and Delano Genovesi for running wild through the Washington Huskies' defense. My Delta Delta Delta pledge buddy Jarvis Williams was double-teamed all day, but he managed to block that extra point and force the fumble that let us win today. Please give those guys the credit they deserve by being interviewed."

"Don't change the subject!" Jane teased Chris. "You kicked the field goal that won this game today. The entire state of California is celebrating right now and we need to hear how you feel about returning to playing football for David Patrick."

"Coach Patrick and his entire staff have been fantastic to me," Chris admitted. "I wouldn't be here today without guys like Coach Patrick. Brice Cox, the head of the training center on the campus has put me through hell, but I know that I needed him to push me to recover from my injuries. To be honest with you, I've never kicked a field goal that long in my entire life. Coach Patrick had faith in me, and I'm glad that I didn't let him and my team down."

"You kicked that field goal through the center of the goal posts," Jane continued. "How did it feel to make the points to win the game today?"

"I knew I'd make the kick because I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night!" Chris teased, using the line from a current television commercial.

"You always seem to try to throw me a curve by quoting some television commercial! Jane laughed. "How will you celebrate this fantastic victory today?"

"My dad has reserved a room at Dimitri's Restaurant for us to enjoy the best Greek food in California," Chris said, "and I'm inviting the coaches along with you and your husband, David, to join us."

Jane knew that Chris had just plugged one of his favorite restaurants to the national Fox Sports Network. "I thank you for taking the time to talk with me, and look forward to seeing you play football and basketball for the CSU Falcons. This is Jane Vincent, returning this broadcast back to the Channel 12 Broadcast Center."

Jane gave Chris a hug and thanked him for the exclusive interview. She knew that one of the other reporters had been lining up interviews with Kelly Mason, Delano Genovesi, Jarvis Williams, and Coach David Patrick. She left Chris to interview the other men.

When the interviews were completed, David Patrick ordered all of the media out of the locker room so he could talk to his players. He was very emotional when he told the team how proud he was of them. He asked Julius Fisher to lead the team in a prayer of thanksgiving before continuing his comments to the team. He was honest with his players when he said that the officials had done a terrible job during the game, and that their poor officiating had resulted in injuries to several key players on the team. He promised his players that he would file complaints with the Pac 10 Conference that would hopefully result in disciplinary actions against the officials.

"You guys just played a fantastic game!" David Patrick said to his players. "I've never been so proud of a bunch of guys in my life! You've earned my respect for how you never quit, and finally won the most important game of this season for our university!"

"Does that mean that you're buying the beer tonight?" Delano teased.

"It means that I'm proud of you, but we have another game to get ready for!" David Patrick responded. "We won't have a practice tomorrow, but we'll have a team meeting where we watch the game films and plan for how we can regroup for our last game against the Oregon State Beavers. We're gonna have to make some major changes in our offense with the injuries to Mason and Genovesi. Tonight I want you guys to celebrate, but you know the rules about booze! I'll bench anyone who gets drunk even if it means that I don't have 11 guys to play the next game!"

The players all knew that their coach meant business. They hit the showers and continued the celebration of their victory. They all listened to Chris invite them to have supper with him at Dimitri's Restaurant, but most of the players had other plans for the evening with their family or friends.

Saul was waiting for his son to exit the stadium and had a limousine waiting to take him and some of his friends to the restaurant. He hugged Chris and gave him a kiss on the cheek in celebration of the important victory. He watched his son get into the limo and greet Helen with a hug and kiss on the cheek. Delano was on crutches and Kelly had his right arm in a sling when they got into the limo along with Jarvis.

Chris was happy to see Mike waiting for him and forgot about how public the situation was when he hugged and kissed his lover. He wished that they were in their room at the fraternity so he could kiss Mike on a very private part of his body. He listened to the teasing of Jake Mahley, Shannon O'Brien and her brother, Brendan about him hugging and kissing Mike. He sat between Saul and Helen while the limo headed for their favorite restaurant.

Saul knew that the players weren't allowed to get drunk, but he popped open a bottle of champagne and filled the crystal glasses for a toast of celebration. He cautioned all of the athletes that they weren't allowed to consume any more alcohol the rest of the night. He wanted this to be a special celebration that wouldn't break any of the campus rules for athletes.

When the limo arrived at the entrance to Dimitri's Restaurant, Chris saw a huge line of people waiting to get inside. He knew something was wrong, and asked his friends to wait in the limo while he and Mike found out what had created the long line of people.

Chris and Mike walked to the front of the line and saw Dimitri running back and forth at the reception desk. Chris knew that something was really wrong by the look on his special friend's face.

"What's wrong Dimitri?" Chris asked his buddy while accepting a hug and the traditional kisses on each cheek of his face.

"It's a total disaster!" Dimitri exclaimed. "Four of our waiters had a car accident near Los Angeles. They have minor injuries but can't come in to work tonight. Two of the kitchen staff called in sick, and our bartender and hostess ran off to Las Vegas to get married! Poppa is going berserk! I'm trying to seat the customers and then help make drinks and help Poppa in the kitchen! We can't even seat people in parts of the main dining room, let alone open the banquet room for your reservation! We're all going crazy! We have a ton of food to serve, but no one to serve it!"

Chris turned to Mike and they immediately decided to do what they could to help their special friends. Mike used his cell phone to call the fraternity and asked for guys to come and help at the restaurant, while Chris returned to the limo to talk to his family and friends. The people in the limo quickly answered his pleas for help.

"I was a hostess at Ruby Tuesday's" Shannon offered. "I can do that if Dimitri can fill me in on the restaurant layout."

"I can bus tables," Brendan offered. "I was a busboy at Bob Evans' Restaurant."

"I think I can bus tables too," Jarvis said. "Just show me what to do."

"I was a waiter at Bennigans," Jacob Mahley offered. "I can wait on tables here after eating a ton of meals from Dimitri's menu."

"This is awesome!" Chris exclaimed. "Mike and I can wait on tables too, and he's calling the fraternity to get other guys to come and help us save this night for Dimitri and Tomas. Let's see what we can do to help our friends."

Mike ran up to Chris and said that Joe McClure had volunteered to be the bartender. Joe had worked during the summer months as the bartender for a local Applebee's and was coming to the restaurant with several members and pledges.

Chris hugged his buddy and knew that Mike was taking charge of the new workers for the restaurant. He quickly ran inside and told Dimitri the news and asked for an apron to be a waiter in the closed private dining area.

Dimitri realized that Chris and his fraternity buddies were going to try and save his restaurant from a total disaster. He hugged Chris and kissed him on both cheeks again while giving directions to the depleted staff to help the volunteers.

Things happened fast when several members and pledges from the fraternity arrived. Joe quickly took over the bar area and grabbed Cody to help him. Shannon took over the duties of greeting the customers while Mike and Dimitri tried to organize ten guys who volunteered to be waiters.

Brendan organized six guys to bus the tables and knew that their work would allow the regular busboys to become waiters. Things were happening fast, and the crowd outside the restaurant continued to grow with people who were upset at the long waiting time for getting inside and being served.

"Can we give the customers a free drink and flaming cheese?" Chris asked Dimitri.

"Hell yes!" Dimitri replied. "We don't want them to leave and be pissed at our restaurant!"

Chris walked outside and addressed the growing crowd. "We've had a few problems because of some unforeseen accidents to the staff of this restaurant, but I assure you that we're going to be seating a bunch of you very soon. Please be patient and we'll do the best we can to get you served."

The crowd recognized the famous athlete and wanted to taste the food that CJ Hammer had advertised during the televised interview after the important football game. They listened to the Texas drawl of the famous athlete and decided to see how long it would be before they were seated in the special restaurant.

Tomas Kostas was surprised to see his son, Dimitri, come into the kitchen and start helping prepare meals for their customers. He worked hard while he listened to his son describe how Chris and his friends were helping run the restaurant in the absence of their regular employees. He was thrilled, but wondered if he had made a big mistake by preparing so much food when he had lost so many of his regular employees.

Shannon was a beautiful receptionist, and quickly greeted the customers by calling out the names on the reservation list. She turned each party over to one of the guys from the fraternity, knowing that it was traditional in a Greek Restaurant for only men to wait on tables. She had called the Sigma Epsilon Sorority on her cell phone and had asked for help in seating customers and handling the financial transactions for the customers. She was happy to see three of her sorority pledges and sisters come into the restaurant to help out.

"Welcome to Dimitri's Restaurant," Shannon said to the first group of people on the reservation list. "Mike will show you to your table and we hope you enjoy your meal with us tonight."

The welcome would be repeated many times before the night was over, and Shannon was happy to help Dimitri and his father during the rush period.

"My name is CJ, and I'm going to be your server tonight," Chris said to a couple and their two children when he led them into the banquet room.

"YOU"RE CJ HAMMER!" the teenaged son of the couple screamed. "We saw you win the game today! Can I have your autograph?"

"JASON!" Tom Kerry yelled at his son. "Mind your manners!"

"I'm flattered that you recognize me," Chris admitted. "Because you had to wait so long to be seated, the restaurant is offering you a complimentary beverage and order of flaming cheese while you decide what you want from the menu. Personally, I love the rack of lamb with rice, but it is entirely up to you what to choose. What beverages would you like from our bar?"

"I want a beer!" Jason exclaimed. He saw the stern look from his father and slumped down in his chair.

"I hear one beer so far," Chris said. "What will the rest of you have?"

Chris moved around the table and made sure everyone had a menu before whispering to Tom Kerry that the bar had non-alcoholic beer that would be suitable for his teenaged son. He wrote down the drink orders and promised to return to take the meal orders when he returned.

Chris returned to the table and placed the frosted glass of beer in front of Jason Kerry. He smiled when he saw the cute teenaged boy look at the glass of beer like he was looking at his nude girlfriend.

"Sweet!" Jason exclaimed when he took the frozen glass and tasted the beer. He couldn't believe that the most famous athlete in the nation was waiting on him and his family and had actually served him a glass of beer. He would brag to his buddies at school and hoped that he would get an autograph before he left the restaurant.

Chris took the meal orders and promised to turn them in immediately. He flicked a lighter and touched off the alcohol on the traditional cheese of Greek Restaurants. Everyone yelled "HOOPAH" when the alcohol ignited and melted the cheese.

"I'm going to be waiting on other tables besides yours," Chris admitted, "But please let me know if you need anything. My dad and future mom will be sitting next to you along with some of our special friends."

The Kerry family was shocked when they saw several of the football players and coaches come into the banquet room to take their seats. They didn't recognize many of the people, but realized that they were in the company of many officials of CSU. They felt like royalty having CJ Hammer as their waiter for their evening meal. They had never dreamed that they would even see the famous athlete, and now he was serving them.

Chris turned in the meal orders and saw Poppa Tomas yelling orders in the kitchen. He saw Tom Borton, Jeremy Fisher, Helmut Fogle, and Lonny Nichols scurrying around to follow the orders of Dimitri and Tomas Kostas. The guys were cutting up vegetables for salads and washing dishes to keep the restaurant business flowing. He returned to the front door and saw Jane Vincent and her husband David adding their names to the long list of people who wanted to enter the restaurant. He kissed Shannon on the cheek and told Jane and her husband that their party was already seated and waiting for them. He quickly led them to the table where his Dad and future mom were enjoying their first drink and flaming cheese.

"We should have waited our turn," Jane said to Chris. "It's not fair for those other people to have to wait while we get served."

"My dad had a big reservation in for tonight," Chris replied. "Many of us are working to help out instead of sitting here. I invited you to join us tonight and we still have empty seats at our table if you see anyone you know waiting outside. I'm gonna try to get Shannon to sit down soon. She's pregnant and I want to keep her from being tired out."

Saul sipped on his Manhattan and knew that Chris had told the bartender exactly how he liked his drink. He watched his son wait on tables and banter with the customers to make the evening memorable for everyone. He looked at the handsome man and reflected on the first time he met him. Chris was a pale young boy in tattered clothes and only 12 years old when they first met. Saul remembered the beautiful green eyes and the smile that seemed to light up the world for him. All of the heartaches of seeing Chris injured were replaced with awe when he looked at the beaming face of this now grown man. He knew that he had been blessed to have such a fine son.

With the addition of so many guys from the fraternity, each waiter had fewer tables to wait on and that pleased the customers immensely. Food was flying out of the kitchen so fast that Tomas Kostas wondered where it was all going. He knew that the fraternity had come to the rescue of his restaurant and loved seeing the smiling faces of the men who were helping him save his restaurant from a disaster.

Chris was waiting on four tables in the banquet room and loved talking to his customers. He joked around with them and gave them excellent service. He had watched the waiters who had been trained by Dimitri and Tomas and knew the menu by heart. His dad had gone back to the limo and returned with a stack of photos of Chris in his Falcon football uniform. Chris was busy signing the photos for his customers and was rewarded generously with the tips after the fantastic meals.

After Saul and his party had finished their meals, he pulled Chris aside. "Helen and I want you to go and look at a house with us tomorrow," Saul said to his son. "We found a home that we think we want to buy for our lives together. It's a big place with a huge yard for Alex when he comes to visit us. You need to be part of our decision because the house will be your home when you're not at college. Can you make time to see the place with us tomorrow?"

Chris hugged his dad. He knew that selling their duplex in Fremont would change their relationship, but also knew that he wanted to live with Mike for the rest of his life. He tried to convince his dad that he didn't have to see the new house, but finally agreed. He hugged Helen and told her that if she liked the new house, he knew he would too.

The restaurant was alive with activity. Melissa had relieved Shannon of her hostess duties and Carrie was taking care of the cash register. Both girls had previous experience and were happy to help out.

"Poppa Tomas!" Chris yelled to his good friend. "Carrie has a problem at the cash register and needs you there as soon as possible."

Tomas Kostas saw that things were under control in the kitchen and quickly went to meet Carrie and find out what was wrong. When he returned to the kitchen, Dimitri looked at the smile on his father's face and wondered what was wrong that he had been called out of the kitchen.

"The cash drawer was overflowing!" Tomas said happily. "We've never collected this much money and had so many credit card transactions in all the time we've been in business! This is the greatest night ever for our restaurant!" In the tradition of Greek men, he hugged everyone in the kitchen and gave them a kiss on each cheek of their face.

The restaurant normally closed at 11:00 p.m., but with the huge crowd, they stayed open until 1:00 a.m. When the last of the customers had been served, Tomas insisted that the men and women who had helped him and his son save the evening enjoy a free meal. They sat together in the private dining room and laughed about how much fun they had serving the huge crowd. Chris knew that he couldn't accept anything for free to protect his amateur athlete status and insisted on paying for his meal with his credit card. Tomas acted insulted until Dimitri explained how stringent the guidelines were for college athletes. Chris had made over $500 in tips and insisted that the busboys, hostesses, bartenders and regular employees split the money. The other athletes recognized the same restrictions and paid for their own meals, and most of them made a huge pile of tip money for the regular employees and college students to split up. They also told Dimitri to keep the tip money that had been put on credit cards by their customers that night.

"You all are like family now!" Tomas said. He lifted his glass of wine in a toast to all of the college students who had come to help him and his son during the busy evening. "Chris and Dimitri have been friends for many years and have traveled together. Chris is like a son to me, and now you are all my children! I can never repay you for helping us. I cooked enough food for tonight and tomorrow night combined, but now I will have to beg my supplier to make a delivery on Sunday! Thank you so much for helping us tonight!"

Everyone raised their glasses of wine and celebrated their evening together. They would have many stories to share with their family and friends about their evening in the special restaurant.

When they got outside the restaurant, Mike hugged Chris and gave him a playful kiss. He had made over $350 in tips and was proud of his Little Brother for sharing his tips with other people.

"You amaze me!" Mike said to Chris. "You could buy that entire restaurant and ten more like it, but you served other people tonight like you were a regular waiter. I saw the faces on the people when you served them or gave them those autographed pictures. They love you almost as much as I do. When you kicked that field goal to win the game today, I bawled my head off! I was so proud of you and so happy for our university that I thought I would have a heart attack! Then you got here and helped save the night for Tomas and Dimitri! I can't tell you how proud I am of you and how much I love you!"

"Does that mean that you'll call off your brothers from whacking me and my pledge buddies?" Chris teased. He hugged Mike and knew the answer would be "NO". "I'm tired and need a nice warm body to cuddle up next to. I wonder who would be interested in putting his naked body next to mine for a few hours of sleep?"

"You can be such an asshole!" Mike exclaimed. He hugged Chris and they followed Joe McClure to his car for a ride back the fraternity.

The guys headed for the bar area in the fraternity and had one more drink together while they continued to talk about crazy customers and unusual things that had happened at the restaurant. They all agreed that they didn't want to work in a restaurant for the rest of their lives and decided to call it a night and go to bed.

Chris and Mike were exhausted from the emotions of the football game and the tension of working at the restaurant. They undressed and quickly fell asleep in their bed.

The guys who had worked at the restaurant slept in late on Sunday. It was almost noon before Chris and Mike woke up with their bodies entwined. They wondered why Alex hadn't woken them up and headed for the refreshment of a shower.

"We had to lock Alex outside," Tom Jankowski said to Chris and Mike when they came out of the shower room. "We knew you guys needed some rest, so we've been taking turns playing with him to keep him occupied."

"Thanks Tom," Mike said. "I hope we can all relax today after the football game and the way both members and pledges did a great thing for Dimitri and Tomas Kostas."

"Thanks Mr. Jankowski," Chris said while giving Tom a hug. "I sure needed the rest. I'm gonna go help my pledge buddies with their house duties before I head for the football team meeting. I'll be gone most of the day with the team meeting, basketball practice, and a trip with my Dad and future Mom."

After the team meeting and basketball practice, Chris returned to the fraternity where Saul and Helen were waiting for him. They were both playing Frisbee with Alex and watched the big dog greet Chris by knocking him to the ground and licking his face. They both laughed at how the dog could take Chris down when 300-pound football players only bounced off him.

Saul, Helen, Chris and Mike traveled to Fremont in Saul's Mercedes. When they pulled up to a large metal gate in front of a long driveway, Saul stopped his car and announced into a speaker who he was. The gate opened and the long, winding driveway that led to a huge mansion awed Mike and Chris.

"Maybe it's too big for us," Saul said to Chris and Mike. "The house has been vacant for about six months while the estate has been settled. The contents are being sold with the house to satisfy the family members who inherited a huge fortune."

Chris and Mike had never seen a more elegant house in their lives. What they thought was the main house was actually the servants' quarters. When they got to the main house and saw the beauty of the marbled floors and handcrafted woodwork, they knew the house was even more spectacular than they could imagine. They lost track of how many huge bedrooms and elegant bathrooms they saw. The huge library was filled with expensive books and beautiful leather furniture. The billiards room had four pool tables and the trophy room had the walls filled with mounted trophies of animals now on the endangered species list.

Chris knew that Helen loved to entertain her friends in her home and this house would be a spectacular place for throwing parties. His mind was reeling from the size and magnificence of the special house and he quickly told Saul and Helen that they deserved this house as their new home together. He had visited several mansions in his life, but this one was the most impressive he had ever seen.

"We can store the items in your trophy room here in one of the empty rooms," Saul explained to Chris. "Jonathan and I are working with Mercy General Hospital to develop plans for the Pediatric Wing that you've talked about. The architect has some ideas on how to exhibit your awards without people being able to damage or steal them. I want you and Mike to see the proposals before any decisions are made."

"I'm overwhelmed by this house and what you're talking about for the hospital," Chris admitted. "I trust my two dads to make the decisions for me. I've got enough to do with classes, sports and a bunch of asshole members who are whacking my pledge buddies and me every day."

Saul laughed and cuffed his son on the back of the head before giving him a hug and kiss. He turned his attention to Mike while Helen was hugging and kissing Chris. He knew that his son had found happiness with Mike and had a bright future ahead of him in college and professional sports.

Saul and Helen took Chris and Mike back to the fraternity. They all listened to a CD that Saul had recorded of his favorite songs and those of his future wife. Many of the songs were taken from the Fall Concert where Chris and the CSU athletes had displayed their musical talents. When they arrived at the fraternity, Saul and Helen played with Alex for a few minutes before leaving their two sons. They were both happy that Chris like the huge estate that would be their new home, and decided to work with their realtor to finalize the purchase.

"I wonder how many millions your dad's gonna spend on that huge mansion," Mike said to Chris when they got to their room. "I've seen a lot of expensive houses when my parents were invited to big parties here in California, but I've never seen one that beautiful. I'm surprised that some Hollywood star hasn't snatched that place up!"

"My dad has never spent any large amounts of money on himself," Chris replied. "I spent a ton of money going to vintage and muscle car auctions, but it was like I was pulling his teeth to even get him to buy that Mercedes S500. We always had nice homes to live in, but the stuff in my side of the duplex was always modern and filled with state of the art electronics. B likes antiques and has collected some things that are one of a kind."

"You don't talk about what you own very often," Mike said. He hugged Chris and thanked him for sharing information about his life with Saul Bernstein. "Maybe some day you'll let me see all the cars you own. Let's hit the books for a while and then trade pecker pudding!"

Chris laughed and returned the kiss of his lover before heading for his desk to study. He tried to study, but his mind was filled with visions of the football game, the huge mansion that B wanted to buy, and hopes that he would be able to play in the next football game. He finally gave up, walked over behind Mike, and ran his hands inside Mike's shirt to tease his nipples.

"I love your nipples!" Chris said to Mike. "I want to suck them until they either turn into big tits or fall off! Let's hit the showers and fuck!"

Mike loved the attention that his nipples were getting and knew that his mind had absorbed all of the information he could jam into it. He quickly agreed to join Chris in taking a shower and then do some heavy fluid exchange.

When their showers were finished, the two horny guys dropped their towels and jumped on the large bed for some male bonding. They ignored the comments of their roommates and kissed intimate parts of each other's bodies.

Chris spent a lot of time sucking and licking Mike's nipples. He had always loved nipples on anyone he was sharing sex with, and Mike had a pair that had always excited him. He began the trip south on his buddy and traced Mike's treasure trail down from his navel to his trimmed bush of brown pubic hairs. His tongue was leaving a trail of saliva around the base of Mike's cock and down to his scrotum. He loved licking the intimate parts of Mike's body and knew where to lick to drive Mike wild with lust. He lifted Mike's large balls and licked the area that led to Mike's cinnamon ring of pleasure. He forced Mike's legs in the air and circled the puckered hole with his tongue. When he spread Mike's ass cheeks apart, he drilled his tongue inside the opening to savor the aroma and taste of Mike's pleasure hole.

Mike was in orbit when Chris began sucking his nipples. Before he met Chris, he had never realized how sensitive his nipples were. Every time he had sex with Chris, he learned something new about his buddy and his own erotic zones. When Chris was making love with him, he lost contact with the rest of the world and all control of his own emotions. He could feel Chris's tongue travelling down his body and hoped that his throbbing cock would be swallowed so he could pump out his MSB. He moaned in a combination of disappointment and anxiety when he felt the tongue avoid his cock that was leaking a stream of precum onto his hard belly and bathe his balls. Part of him wanted to demand that Chris suck his cock, but the other part of him loved the stimulation that was being provided for his scrotum and testicles. When he felt Chris's tongue probe and finally enter his manhole, he groaned and knew that his cock was ready to explode.

"I'm gonna cum!" Mike screamed to Chris.

Chris left the tangy hole of his handsome friend and quickly swallowed all eight inches of Mike's throbbing cock. He was quickly rewarded with at least six blasts of cock yogurt that he quickly swallowed. He savored the last two blasts of man cream and held the precious juice in his mouth while waiting for Mike to recover from his orgasm. He used his fingers to push out the last of Mike's cum and then kissed his buddy, sharing the tangy juice in their passionate kisses.

"It's my turn now!" Chris announced to Mike. He grabbed the lubricant and applicator and prepared Mike's hole for a thorough fucking. He was very horny and didn't want to wait any longer to pop a nut inside his lover. He coated his cock with lubricant and drove his love spike inside Mike's gripping ass.

Mike screamed in a combination of pain and pleasure when he felt Chris's cock enter his asshole. He had always loved sex with guys or girls, but when Chris was fucking him, he knew that he was experiencing the most intense sex of his life. He lifted his legs even higher to open his hole for the fucking that he needed. He surrendered his entire body to Chris and knew his buddy would give him the fuck of his life. The pain of having his anus stretched to the limit was replaced with the internal pressure and pleasure of being fucked. He moaned like a whore while Chris slam-fucked him with an intensity that Mike had never seen before. He looked into the eyes of his lover and saw a mixture of love and lust in the deep green eyes. Everything in the world was eliminated from his mind except the feelings of having his body filled with the huge cock of his lover. Tears flowed down his face while he watched his buddy fuck him and take him toward his second orgasm. When he heard Chris scream that he was cumming, Mike's own cock exploded. Fresh man cream shot out of his cock and flooded his face while he felt Chris's cock blasting hot cum inside his body. He collapsed and fought to stay conscious while his rectum overflowed with the man cream that continued to pulse inside his body.

Isaac and Leif had been watching Chris and Mike make love with each other and were jealous that their roommates could achieve a level of male love that they could only dream about. They knew that they loved each other but were still fooling around with other guys in the fraternity. They both hoped that they would someday elevate their relationship to the same level that they saw in their roommates.

Chris and Mike fell asleep after their lovemaking. They cuddled together and continued hugging each other while they slept. In the middle of the night, Chris woke up with the feeling of Mike's warm mouth on his cock. He moaned in pleasure when he felt his cock unload in Mike's experienced mouth. When his orgasm was finished, he returned the favor and blew Mike's lights out while he savored the taste of his buddy's baby batter. Before they woke up the next morning, they had blown each other two more times, and their cocks were drained and soft.

"You're a whore!" Mike said when Alex woke him up and he looked into Chris's vivid green eyes.

"I may be a whore, but I'm your whore!" Chris replied. "Let's hit the showers before we have to head for our boring classes."

The entire campus was happy after the football victory and even the professors seemed excited about the successful football program. Chris tried to downplay his part in winning the game but finally just accepted the congratulations of his fellow students. After his classes ended, he headed for the Athletic Complex and went to the locker room to dress for the practice.

"I want to start you on the Nautilus Equipment after you do your stretching exercises," Brice said to Chris. "Just put on your shorts and meet me in the Training Room."

Chris was hoping that he would be able to attend the football practice. He knew that the team would have to make some major adjustments with the injuries to Kelly and Delano. He grumbled but followed Brice's orders.

Brice Cox watched Chris do his stretching exercises and then led the big athlete to the Nautilus equipment. He put Chris through a series of leg exercises and knew that other people were watching the progress of his big friend. He was pleased that Chris was performing well on the equipment and turned to face Dr. Thomas Morgan and Mike Johnson, the Offensive Coordinator.

"He's ready to show you and this country what he can do," Brice said to the other two men. "I'll keep working with him, but I think you should let him focus on football until the last regular game of the season is finished. The team needs him and I'll put my job on the line in recommending that he can do anything that any other football player can do."

"It's hard for me to agree with you," Dr. Morgan stated. "I saw him busted up so bad that I never expected him to live! He's doing things on the Nautilus equipment that most of the active players can only dream about! I'll clear him to join the practice today, but will watch him closely."

"Chris!" Mike Johnson yelled. "Get your ass dressed for the practice! I need your wimpy ass on the field to see what you can do on offense for me!"

Chris couldn't believe what he was hearing. For the first time he saw that Dr. Morgan and the Offensive Coordinator were in the Training Room with him and Brice. He quickly left to dress for the football team practice and wondered how much he would be allowed to do.

When Chris ran out on the practice field, David Patrick blew his whistle and called the teams over to the sidelines.

"I told you guys that we had to make some major changes in our offense with Kelly and Delano injured," Coach Patrick said to the entire team. "Justin Marshall fractured his finger on his last play of the Washington game and has been taken out of practice by Dr. Morgan. That leaves us with our first and second string quarterbacks on the injured list. The Oregon State Beavers have a record of 8 wins and 3 losses, and expect us to be impotent on offense with all of our injuries. Hammer has been cleared for full practice, and Coach Johnson has some ideas that we need to test."

"We've practiced the Wishbone Offense before," Mike Johnson said to the team. "I want to have Hammer play quarterback with Spencer and Childress in the backfield with him. Hammer has a strong arm and can throw long passes, and I hope that his right leg holds up so he can run through the Beavers' defense. Let's get out there and see how things work out for us. Hammer will be wearing the red vest, and that means that the defense can grab him but no one better hit him hard! Do you understand me?"

The players all shouted their agreement and headed out on the field. Chris had played quarterback in high school, but had limited experience with the Wishbone Offense. He knew that the quarterback was the key player and would have to make decisions to run the ball himself, pitch back to one of the running backs, or pull back to throw a pass. He was excited that he was back on the playing field and cleared for full contact.

It took several plays before the offense started to click. Everyone knew that the key player was the offensive left end who had to block out the right defensive end for any running play around end. If the left end did his job, Chris had the choice of running, the pitch-out or dropping back to pass. When that portion of the offensive plan was working, Chris could change things up by handing off to the fullback to run up the middle of the defense or fake a handoff and drop back to pass. Before the practice was finished, the offense was clicking and made large gains against the defense.

"That's enough for today, ladies!" David Patrick yelled after he blew his whistle to end the practice. "You looked like a bunch of pussies today, but I hope that you improve tomorrow!"

The entire team grumbled at the comments of the head coach and headed for the locker room to shower and change. They all felt that they had done well in the practice but knew that their coaching staff was always pushing them to do better.

"Did you see how accurate his passes were?" Mike Johnson said to David Patrick happily. "When he kept the ball and ran he faked everyone out! We all know his leg needs some more therapy to be at 100%, but I'm excited about what he showed us today!"

"Don't let the players hear you say that!" David Patrick warned. "Chris is a phenomenal athlete and I'm pumped up about what I saw too! If he were completely healed up, we would have a weapon that no team in the nation could handle! Marcus will let us have him 1/2 of tomorrow's practice and on Wednesday, but we have Chris for the full practices on Thursday and Friday. If he can handle our practices, we'll kick ass on Saturday!"

Chris returned to the fraternity and was greeted by Mike and Alex. They entered the house and saw several members harassing the pledges. Chris went to help set tables for supper and got whacked twice before he made it into the dining room. The pledges all grumbled about the pimping of the members and wanted to finalize their plans for Friday night.

After supper, the pledges met in the library and continued griping about the members. Isaac tried to calm his buddies down and shared the final plans for the open house that would be held the next Sunday in the backyard.

"Mr. Jankowski and I have gone over all of the plans, and of course the pledges are expected to do most of the work to get the house cleaned, setup all of the tables and chairs, and cook and serve the food," Isaac said. "A bunch of the invitations were mailed out already and we have to deliver the ones to the neighbors. I told him that we had entertainment planned and that everything would be delivered at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday. The members have no idea what is gonna hit them Friday night! We have to be careful when we talk so they don't wise up and mess up our plans. When we pull this off, they'll realize that we have them by the balls! Let them whack us! We're gonna make them sweat big time this weekend!"

The mood of the pledges changed quickly to one of excitement. They all gave reports on their part of the plans to whack the members. Plastic trash barrels were needed and fire hose connections had to be tested. Several tools were needed along with a supply of plastic wrap, duct tape, white glue, empty cans and smoke bombs. Everyone had their assignments and looked forward to pulling off the best surprise ever for the unsuspecting members.

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