Page 17 of Off the Rim
Greg's hand lightly presses on my back. "I know it's not the same. I'm not him, and he should be the one here with you. I'm sorry he's not. But if you need me for anything… I'm here for you. I'm a good listener. Although, I realize hanging out with one of the professors isn't going to win you any cool points."
I huff a small laugh. "Luckily, I don't care about that."
"Well, in that case, how about I let you get settled in, then pick you up in about two hours for a late lunch? I'll show you where to get the best pizza and point out what gas station sells the best weed."
Startled, my head snaps up to make sure I heard him right.
"Totally kidding," he says, laughing. "I mean, I've heard rumors. But it's not legal here yet." He waggles his finger and speaks in a falsely stern voice. "And you don't want to do anything to compromise your position at this school."
I laugh out loud, thankful for the way he can always break through the tension. Not that I'm so macho I don't think men should cry. A good cry now and then is cathartic, but I'm not trying to make Greg feel bad. He's already done so much for me. I don't want him to feel like he needs to worry.
"Pizza sounds great."
"Cool. I'll text you when I'm on my way. Oh, and this is for you," he says, sliding the box into the center of the bed.
I didn't pay much attention to it, assuming it was something he was carrying into his office. It's a little bigger than a large shoe box and wrapped in the CVU school colors of black, silver, and purple. There's a stick figure drawing of a cat on the card that I'm assuming is supposed to be a cougar. I open it first.
"I think you're really going to like it here. Welcome to CVU."
There's no signature, but it's obvious it's from Greg. He and mom bought me a bunch of stuff for my dorm to celebrate graduating from Wake Prep and being accepted to CVU. Greg is really excited I chose to come here. He's close with his kids, but they both grew up and moved away, so I think having me around is comforting for him. He clearly enjoys his role as the dorky dad archetype.
Inside the box are two school t-shirts. One is heathered purple and has a basketball emblazoned with our mascot in black and silver, the cougar much fiercer than the drawing Greg did. The other is a long-sleeved white t-shirt that says, "I 'heart' CVU", but the heart is a basketball. There's also a lanyard, an insulated water bottle, a baseball hat, and two college pennants. One is purple and says, "CVU Cougars Basketball," and the other is black with a rainbow cougar and the school logo. The last thing in the box is an envelope full of gift cards for local restaurants and one for the student union, where most of the campus dining options are.
I smile to myself, feeling hopeful about my new start.
Present Day
CHAPTER 13
MARCUS
Coach's door is open when I get to his office, and he smiles when I knock on the edge of the door frame before sticking my head in.
"Hey Coach. I got a message from Mr. Gozeman that you wanted to see me?"
"Marcus! I wasn't expecting you until this afternoon, but I should have known you'd be up early."
I gesture to my sweaty clothes. "I was out for my morning jog when I got his message, so I came straight here."
Coach shakes his head, but there's a hint of a proud smile on his face. "You never stop moving, do you?"
"No time for it, sir."
I take my opportunity to be here very seriously. Despite being looked down on by students and teachers alike, I've managed to make the most of my time here at CVU.
He gestures to the seat in front of his desk, and I sit tentatively, back ramrod straight. The last time I got called into a coach's office like this, I had the rug ripped out from underneath me.
"How’s the summer session going for you?”
"Good, thanks." Between my heavy summer course load and training, I spent most of it writing essays for small scholarships and filling out loan applications, trying to get as much financial aid as possible. My first year here pretty much wiped me out financially, and the school doesn’t seem interested in offering me any assistance. I’ve been looking into getting a job, but it’s hard to find anything flexible enough to work around my class and basketball schedule.
"I hope your trip went well," I say cordially, silently hoping he's about to get to the point.
"Better than anticipated. It's actually why I called you in." He folds his hands and leans forward on his desk. "You've done well here, son. I'm impressed by your determination and persistence. You've got grit, kid."
But?I can't help but wait for the other shoe to drop. However well I might be succeeding here, it doesn't come without a mountain of struggles that no one else seems to face. I have to work twice as hard, both on and off the court, to prove that I belong here, but I still haven’t proved myself enough to be offered that scholarship. I’ve maintained an A-average for my Junior year so far, and while I spent most of my first season warming the bench, I’ve made progress. Since most of the team seemed unwilling to so much as pass me the ball during practice, Coach made some calculated pivots in the way we practiced together. I’ve been able to prove myself as a basketball player, and I think the rest of the team is warming up to me, however slowly.
It’s not like I’m here to make friends, though. I keep my head down, spend my nights in the study lab at the dorms or atthe library, and my mornings are for running and working out. Every extra minute I have goes to studying game footage. I don't have time to screw around, or give much attention to the people around me. Most of the jeers and juvenile teasing stopped by the end of my first semester—it got old when they didn't get any reaction from me. I only had a few incidents where it really became an issue, and I held my own without escalating and getting in trouble, which I'm sure was the intended outcome.Been there, done that.
