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[Alpha Phi Alpha House, 15:50, 31/07/2021]
Jace tore through the ribs, nodding in appreciation as the smoky barbecue sauce coated his fingers. He glanced at Devonte, who had his arms crossed, watching with an amused smirk. "Told you," The big man said, flipping another set of ribs onto the grill. "Ain't nobody touching my grill game."
Jace let out a low chuckle. "Yeah, you got it. I ain't even gonna argue." He wiped his hands on a napkin, his appetite finally satisfied, then took a sip from his cup. The whiskey burned just enough to remind him he wasn't in high school anymore. Here no one even bothered hiding the fact they were getting high let alone something trivial like drinking.
"You better recognize," Devonte quipped back with a confidant grin as he filled another student's plate. Maybe it was because they were all jocks or the college atmosphere, but everyone seemed relaxed with only the outliers holding onto misplaced athletic insecurity from high school.
Most of the time the bullies who happened to be athletes were under immense pressure not that it would excuse their actions but having to prove themselves to be one of the best out of a million athletes can take its toll. For most, the game is all they had going for them as the moment they picked up a ball, a racket, a bat, and even stepped onto the mat that's all that was expected of them. Subconsciously the adults in their lives start expecting less from them in other aspects as they push them to be the best in the sport.
However, not everyone is Lebronda or has a father like the 3 Ball brothers who will make it his life's mission to push them to be the best they can possibly be in their sport. For most, they pick up a ball in elementary and realise they have talent for the sport and as they grow, they only get better, faster and stronger. However, upon reaching high school their world expands, and they meet similar players just as fast and strong.
That process of elimination during the 4 years of high school puts a lot of pressure on these still-developing seniors. That goes especially if their entire self-worth is built around carrying a pig skin to the end zone or shooting a ball through a hoop. Even if by some luck they managed to emerge as the top dog it only means that they managed to beat 4 or 5 players in their school competing for their position. What about the millions of kids around the nation each day battling to get better and prove themselves to reach the next stage?
That mental toll and the lack of other options for most student-athletes in high school causes them to look for outlets. 'I might not be one of the best players in the country but I'm better than four-eyes Joey over there.' That mindset largely gets eliminated once they reach college, the reason for this is rather simple it's the freedom to fuck up.
High school is basically a prison of education, structure and dreams designed to make them barely accepted members of society. College on the other hand is the land of the free, the elite and glory, best of all they are masters of their own fate. It's the first time they gain a semblance of control in their lives and all they have to do is keep a GPA and perform well in training and games. Other than that, they get a chance to discover themselves and build their own kingdoms of friendships which usually involves a lot of substances and debauchery.
All of this did not matter to Jace as he was the type of person to thrive under pressure as that's what he has known all his life. The time to feel inferior wasn't something he had the luxury of when he was doing his best to use Molde his talent into a career as he milked it for all its worth. The only reason he even picked up on these details was the fact Devonte had spent the past 20 minutes pointing out some of their teammates around the party.
It was a mixed bag of characters as somewhere laid back remaining sober with only a few barley tipsy as they enjoyed the party. On the other end of the spectrum were the rowdy bunch who had clearly taken more than just the punch and decided to spice it up. Of course, like any half-decent college in LA, there were those truly embodying the lyrics of the song Young, Wild, and Free by Mr Cush himself.
It was in one of his glances around the place when Devonte said something that piqued his interest. "Isaiah tell you about them green cups?" He asked causing Jace to nod.
"A little but he failed to say why," He responded remembering the man had mentioned something about that without bothering to clarify.
"We-" Before he could respond another voice interrupted. "Yo Deacon get your own rookie, it's time for me to teach him my ways," Isaiah interrupted with a jovial shout approaching the dua at the grill area holding a yellow cup containing a red concoction.
"What can you even teach him, how to fumble the ball, how to get dumped by 3 girls on the same day, and don't even get me started on your lack of fashion sense. I've seen clowns dressed better," Devonte retorted with a dismissive wave of his spatula causing Jace to burst out laughing.
"Hahah, he ain't lying about that drip though, I've seen Rodman dress better than what you got going on," Jace commented earning a bout of laughter from Devonte much to Isaiah's displeasure.
"What would you know? This is fashion, Fashion I tell you," He tried to defend as he twirled his beige cashmere Jacket which looked utterly ridiculous over his purple checkered shirt.
The man wasn't ugly but for some reason, he decided to dress like an unruly K-pop artist who was beefing with their stylist. While most played Connect Four when picking outfits, this dude decided to just mix and match whatever he liked and call it fashion. "Just leave looking at you further will only hurt my eyes," Devonte retorted with a disgusted wave of his hand shooing them away.
"Your just jealous, Jealous I tell you. You will all be trying to match this heat sooner or later," He exclaimed animatedly waving his hand as Jace hooked an arm around his neck dragging him away.
It was only when they got a good distance away that the Bruins wide receiver calmed his chest heaving up and down. "So, what gives? You lose a bet or something? Cause this ain't how I left you a couple hours ago," Jace asked the moment Isaiah reached a state of composure.
"Fuck you, you're supposed to be my rookie don't go siding with these idiots," He retorted in annoyance as he took a sip of his cup to cool off as he grumbled about some of his annoying teammates. "Aight, never mind that let me show you around, can't have you embarrassing me out here,"
Jace looked him up and down again his gaze lingering on his yell sneakers that looked like duck feet before sighing in exasperation. "Whatever, just lead the way,"
Isaiah shook his head, muttering something inaudible under his breath as he steered Jace back into the house toward a wide corridor leading away from the grill area. The music grew louder with each step, a steady bass thump that rattled the walls as figures swayed with the music. Framed pictures of Alpha Phi Alpha alumni—famous ones, too, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Thurgood Marshall—were pinned strategically among the usual college décor of sports banners, random graffiti, and a giant "Go Bruins!" sign.
They passed a small group huddled around a scarred wooden table in the midst of an intense game of poker. A few heads turned to acknowledge Isaiah, "Yo what's good Isaiah you up for a game?"
"Naw I ain't about to let you fools bleed me dry" He quickly responded not even entertaining the thought of playing with these hardcore card players.
"Fair enough not everyone's man enough for the game, What about you Mr superstar you man enough for a couple of rounds?" A well-built guy with a couple of tattoos going down his left arm asked as he glanced over at Jace with the eyes of a predator. "Never find you probably can't even afford the buy-in price,"
"First off who the fuck are you?" Jace asked glancing at Isaiah for a second as if asking for an answer, "Never mind that I don't really care, and second of all Jace doesn't gamble with strangers, too messy when they lose. Finally, if you are wondering how manly I am we can have your girl confirm it,"
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To Be Continued...