MD - Chapter 272: Jay's GestureMarch 20
Hi guys, I didn't upload the chapters on Wednesday because I fell behind. The MD chapter from last Monday had more than 10k words and took me quite a while to write.
But anyway, here you have today's chapter.
...
Thursday, December 22, 2012
A week had passed since Decision Day.
In theory, these were supposed to be calm days for Andrew.
The season was already over. School, for him, practically was too. The few classes he still had left were almost symbolic.
But they weren't.
The very next day after the ESPN announcement, Gatorade showed up at the school.
It wasn't a surprise that Andrew was going to win the Gatorade National Football Player of the Year. With the season he had, there was no real debate. What did catch him off guard was the timing: the day after Decision Day.
And they made it bigger than ever.
The event wasn't held in a classroom or in some small improvised ceremony. It was on the football field. The entire team present. Stands filled with students. Local press, and far beyond local. National cameras. Even a live broadcast, once again.
It felt like the week hadn't paused at all.
Andrew wasn't someone who felt uncomfortable around cameras, but even for him it was starting to feel repetitive. Microphones, flashes, questions he had already answered ten times in less than 48 hours.
Though at least there was one thing he genuinely enjoyed.
The award was presented to him by Kurt Warner.
Andrew recognized him instantly, even before the formal introduction.
He wasn't just another name to him. He knew his story, Super Bowl, MVP, and the unlikely journey from working at a grocery store to playing in smaller leagues and eventually becoming a star NFL quarterback. He had watched games, highlights, interviews. Warner was one of those figures you respect beyond any team loyalties.
He got to shake his hand, have a more private conversation afterward off-camera, take a photo, and even managed to get a football signed.
A memory that, to him, felt even more meaningful than the Gatorade trophy itself.
Andrew won the Gatorade National Football Player of the Year for the second year in a row.
Junior and Senior year.
A back-to-back. Something pretty rare.
In football, unlike other sports, repeating this award isn't common. The level of competition changes too much from year to year. Contexts, teams, and defenses. Even the best prospects in the country usually have just one truly dominant season.
Andrew didn't just repeat. He was better.
There were precedents. For example, LeBron James had done it in basketball, junior and senior year, two consecutive Gatorade National Player of the Year awards in his sport.
Then there was the other award.
The biggest one.
The Gatorade Male Athlete of the Year.
The best high school athlete in the entire United States. Regardless of sport, football, basketball, track, swimming. All in the same category.
Andrew had won it the year before. Repeating it was a completely different story.
Up to that point, it had never been done.
But Andrew had set that as his goal at the start of the year. Or more accurately, to force them to give it to him again.
And he believed he had done it, though he didn't know it yet.
That award wasn't given out in December. Luckily, because he didn't want to keep dealing with cameras, flashes, and the same repeated questions from reporters.
The ceremony was held in the summer, late June, since there were still months of competition left in other sports like baseball.
That's when Gatorade brought together the best athletes in the country. All the winners from each sport, boys and girls. A much more formal and elegant event.
And it wasn't the only recognition.
During those same days, other awards along the same lines were confirmed as well, USA Today, MaxPreps… pretty much all of them, once again.
But it wasn't all about awards.
At the same time, everything with UCLA was finalized. Full scholarship confirmed. NCAA documentation validated. And his registration as an early enrollee for January 2012 was set.
He also had his first official contact as a player in the program. He spoke again with the staff, with Mora, with Chow, and with the QB coach, Rip Scherer.
Scherer had a very classic profile, aligned with the pro-style offense that Chow also ran. He came with NFL experience from the Carolina Panthers and several major college football programs. He was a technical, detail-oriented coach, more focused on mechanics, reads, and the pure development of the quarterback, ideal for a system closer to the NFL level.
Chow was the one who designed the entire offense. He wasn't constantly on top of Andrew. His role was more macro. Scherer handled the quarterback's day-to-day work, the fine details. One set the system, the other refined the player within it.
All of this initial contact happened virtually. They sent him the playbook in digital format so he could start studying it, along with a base routine from the strength & conditioning staff.
The transition had already begun.
The academic side was also finalized during those days. Andrew chose Communication Studies. It was a major compatible with the demands of college football, but it also fit his profile, media handling, interviews, leadership, public image building, and post-career projection. Even so, it wasn't easy.
UCLA was among the top universities in the country, and the academic level was very real.
After that virtual phase, he returned to campus. No longer as a recruit, but as a player. It was a short, private visit, with a meeting alongside the full staff to finalize details before January. Dan Guerrero, UCLA's athletic director, joined as well.
It was largely a new staff. Mora and Scherer were new faces, while Chow was someone Andrew had met before.
In fact, his presence had been one of the main reasons Andrew saw UCLA as an ideal place for his development. He hadn't expected him to leave the previous year, but the fact that Mora brought him back and maintained a pro-style identity, rather than shifting toward a faster or spread system, ultimately convinced him.
And yesterday, his high school chapter officially ended. It was his graduation.
Andrew would have preferred something simple. More administrative. Go, receive the diploma, and go back home. The typical approach for an early graduation of a student.
But Mater Dei didn't want it to be that way. They asked if they could make it something a bit more special, and Andrew, out of affection for the school, agreed.
A special but controlled ceremony was organized in the main gym. No excessive show.
His teammates were there, the entire staff, Bruce, Rick, the other coaches, the staff school, his family, and also several students from his class, classmates, band members, and cheerleaders.
Around 300 people in total. Press coverage was minimal, just a few local outlets and some photos. Nothing compared to what the Decision or the Gatorade event had been.
In the end, Andrew liked it. It was a good way to close that chapter. A simple but meaningful farewell, because Mater Dei was already a part of him.
Andrew stopped thinking about the UCLA staff meeting and stepped out of a room. As he crossed the threshold, he entered a living room that wasn't his.
He was visiting an apartment in Westwood, the neighborhood right next to UCLA's campus, just a few minutes' walk from the university.
From the beginning, he had been clear that he didn't want to live in the dorms. College dorms were the standard for any student: shared rooms, limited space, shared or communal bathrooms, no living room, and no personal kitchen.
Very little privacy.
For someone like Andrew, that didn't work. It made no sense to live in a confined space, sharing every detail of the day, when he could rent a one-bedroom apartment.
He needed space: books, comics, clothes, his consoles, his PC, and other things he wanted to have with him.
There was another factor he couldn't ignore. His level of exposure was quite high. This way, he would have much more privacy.
So the decision was clear: an apartment in Westwood, two to five minutes walking distance from campus. A place of his own. Separate bedroom, private bathroom, living room, and kitchen. A place where he could organize his day the way he wanted.
Westwood was a very good area, right next to the university, and that came with a price. Andrew had initially thought of something simple, a one-bedroom apartment. He had looked at options, and prices ranged between $2,000 and $2,500 per month. That meant $24,000 to $30,000 per year. If he stayed three years before declaring for the draft, the total would be $72,000–$90,000.
It was a high expense, especially considering he couldn't generate income as a college player or monetize anything he did. Even so, he had ways to handle it.
The first option was to pay for it himself. He had a net worth of over $700,000. Losing $90,000 over three years wasn't insignificant, but he could afford it without really compromising himself. Plus, his Bitcoin investments would soon start rising more and more.
The second option came up when he told his parents. Mitch reacted immediately, saying he would take care of the rent. Andrew refused. He knew they had just made a big effort with the house and were also saving for Lily's future. It didn't make sense to add that expense when he could cover it himself.
Mitch insisted. He didn't want his son paying for everything on his own. After going back and forth for a bit, they reached a middle ground: 50% each.
But then a third option appeared.
His grandfather, Jay.
Jay didn't want to hear much. He simply said he would take care of the full rent. No negotiations.
Andrew accepted immediately. He knew perfectly well that his grandfather was rich. Even if he didn't show it, he had a significant fortune. He wasn't flashy. He had a massive house in one of the best areas, worth several million, but his style was more traditional.
Andrew had never heard him talk about numbers, but he was convinced his net worth easily exceeded $30 million. He could live a much more luxurious life than the one he currently had.
With that context, paying for an apartment in Westwood for his grandson was nothing for Jay. He got directly involved in the search. He went with Andrew to every visit. This was already the fifth apartment they had seen in those days.
And Jay wasn't interested in normal options. Andrew had initially been looking at one-bedroom apartments.
But Jay didn't seriously consider them. He went straight to better options, two-bedroom units, better maintained, in better buildings.
Like the one they were looking at now, which was around $4,000 a month.
"What do you think about this one?" Jay asked, arms crossed, standing in the middle of the living room as he looked around.
Andrew took a few steps forward, examining it more closely. The walls, the natural light coming through the window, the layout of the space. He nodded, "This is the best one… though it's also the most expensive."
Jay clicked his tongue, brushing it off, "If you like it, we'll rent it."
Andrew looked at him. He hesitated for barely half a second. They had already seen five apartments over the past few days. More than enough. And time was running out. In January, college would start, and he wasn't going to live in the dorms.
"Alright, this is the one," Andrew said.
Jay nodded and turned to the agent showing them the place, who clearly recognized Andrew from everything that had been happening around UCLA those days.
"You heard him. This is the one," Jay said, already moving to finalize the rental details.
Meanwhile, Andrew looked around the apartment again, more slowly this time.
'My home for the next three years…'
He shook his head lightly. He wasn't going to get sentimental, it didn't make much sense. He was twenty minutes or less from his parents' house and his little sister. He could literally visit them every day.
The apartment had parking, his BMW and Camaro would be there.
They finished talking with the agent and headed downstairs. Outside, the air felt cooler. They got into Jay's truck and started heading back.
As he drove, Jay spoke without taking his eyes off the road.
"The apartment comes with the basics. Kitchen, fridge… all that's covered. But the living room is empty. Sofa, TV, table, you'll have to take care of that."
Andrew nodded.
"Pick whatever you want. Send me the links and we'll buy it," Jay added, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
He paused briefly before continuing, "And don't worry about the move. I'll handle it. By January second, everything will be ready."
By January 6, he had to be at UCLA. Not for classes yet, but to really begin, more serious and longer meetings with the staff, strength training, meeting the roster, and getting into the program's rhythm.
Classes started on the 9th.
So ideally, everything needed to be ready before the 6th.
Andrew looked at him for a moment, surprised at how organized everything already was.
"You've outdone yourself this time. You sure you know how to buy things from internet links?"
Jay let out a short, deep laugh, "Shut up, kid. I know how to use a computer better than you think."
"Just don't let me find out you're asking Uncle for help," Andrew said, referring to Phil.
Jay laughed again and gave him a rough punch on the shoulder, "Shut up."
Andrew laughed, grabbing his shoulder. Then they sat in a comfortable silence for a few seconds.
"Thanks," Andrew said after a moment, more serious now. "For handling everything, and for paying for it."
Jay made a small dismissive gesture, "It's nothing."
Andrew glanced at him, "You know this is favoritism, right? Just a reminder, you've got more grandkids…"
Jay made a face, shaking his head, "I'm not favoring anyone."
He paused briefly before adding, "You earned it. Everything you did this year, this is just help. Nothing more."
The tone didn't leave much room for argument. Andrew smiled slightly and didn't bring it up again.
They arrived at Andrew's house. He said goodbye to Jay, who started the truck and drove off toward his own place.
Andrew walked up to the entrance, his gaze drifting toward a car that made him grimace.
The car belonged to a visitor who had been showing up a little too often lately: Pepper Saltzman.
A friend, if he could even call him that, of his parents. Especially of Cam. In fact, Andrew knew that Cam and Pepper had dated a long time ago, briefly. It had caused some jealousy from Mitch back then, though that was long resolved, and now Pepper was officially part of their inner circle.
Why was he there?
Because Pepper, besides being extremely peculiar, dramatic, sarcastic, and sometimes downright unbearable, was an event planner.
And Cam wanted to throw a party for Andrew.
Not just any party. A farewell. After Christmas, around the 26th or 27th. Something that marked the end of a chapter. Andrew had graduated early, was moving out on his own, and starting college. He hadn't had a typical high school ending, so Cam wanted to make up for it.
Invite neighbors, acquaintances, family friends, and of course Andrew's friends.
Andrew looked at the door for another second, 'Here we go…' he thought, grabbing the handle.
...
A/N: Now Andrew will live in an apartment alone. And I was thinking that he could have a roommate, who do you think would be more fun: Steve, Leonard, or Howard?