Page 63 of Waiting for Friday Night

“Open it up and see.”

She took the bag and checked inside. Her mouth watered. “A lemon blueberry cupcake!”

“The last one they had. I figured you could use it after your day. I went by the grocery store after practice and heard about the issue with lunch and the car rider fight. You had a rough day.”

“The life of a principal. I’m going to eat this now.”

“Go ahead.”

She sat on the stoop and Quinton sat beside her. She pulled out the cupcake and took a bite. The sweetness burst on her taste buds, and she groaned. “This is so good.”

“Good.” He sounded satisfied.

Halle glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “Did you really come here just to bring me a cupcake?”

“No, I do need to talk to you.”

So Shania had been right. “What’s going on?”

“It’s about my parents. They’re coming to visit me next weekend. They want to meet Shania.”

The cupcake nearly stuck in Halle’s throat. “Your parents? You’ve got parents?”

Quinton laughed. “Most people have someone who brought them into the world.”

“I’m sorry, I know that. It’s just, I never really thought about your parents.” Or his family. She’d just thought about getting to know him and making him a part of her life. She hadn’t considered what it would be like to include the rest of his family.

“I know. I asked them for more time, but they’re excited.” He sounded apologetic. “They’ve always wanted a grandchild. My sister isn’t having any kids so they’re looking at me.”

“They aren’t upset about Shania?”

He shook his head. “Nah, they’re upset that I donated in college, but they aren’t upset that she’s here.”

“I guess I can understand that.”

He sighed and stretched his legs out in front of him. “The money I got helped them keep the apartment. I didn’t have a lot growing up. My parents worked, but it wasn’t enough to really make ends meet. Then they had to legally separate because my dad’s income kept my mom from getting assistance. They said her income combined with his pushed them out of the assistance program.”

Halle put the rest of the cupcake in the bag. Her stomach soured by the reality she saw play out in her school each year. “I hate that. I see it with so many kids. Their parents are barely making it and if you do better you lose assistance. Without the assistance you can barely get by.”

He nodded. “Getting out and getting a decent job was my only goal. I knew football could make me a lot, but it’s no guarantee. Anything can derail a career. So, I also majored in education. Schools always need teachers.”

“Were you the star of the team?” She’d assumed he’d been one of those great kids destined to play professionally. Catered to and obstacles blocked so that he could succeed on the field.

He shook his head. “Hardly. I grew up in a decent enough school district. Not rich, but fancy enough that the football team was run by boosters who could donate and get their kids to play. My parents weren’t part of that. I had to fight just to get noticed or taken seriously. When I proved I could make plays, they didn’t have a reason to keep me off the team.”

“Then you got a scholarship for college?”

“Nope.”

“Really?”

“I was injured my senior year. I lost the scholarship I was offered. I had to be a walk-on at another school.”

“Injured how?”

His body tensed. “Accident with some kids at school. It was bad enough to ruin my season, but not bad enough to keep me from playing. Thankfully, I recovered and was able to walk on at Clark Atlanta. But paying for school while trying to prove I deserved a scholarship was tough. So, I did what I could to make extra money. I qualified for work study, so that helped. I gave a lot of blood. I knew some guys on the team donated sperm. There was a doctor affiliated with the team who worked at the donor place. He convinced some players that there were people who’d pay extra to have ‘prime quality sperm.’ His words. I held off, but when my family was about to get kicked out of the apartment, I did it.”

“I’m sorry.”

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