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[Cedar Hall, Room 411, 08:15, 01/08/2021]
Jace groaned, squinting against the harsh morning sunlight that pierced through the blinds. His head throbbed with a dull ache, and he could barely recall how he'd made it back from the Alpha Phi Alpha party. Rolling onto his back, he felt the texture of the cheap dorm carpet scratch against his bare skin.
"Damn," he muttered, pushing himself into a seated position only now noticing that he was in his boxers making him wonder whether he had gotten robbed. He didn't have to look long though as he glanced around, eyes landing on the clutter of clothes scattered across the floor. His head throbbed harder, and memories of last night flashed through his mind—beer pong, cheers, music, and endless cups pushed into his hands.
Looking around him a couple of green cups the culprit of his current situation greeted him just as he noticed the rhythmic sound of breathing. Bringing his hand to his nose he quickly realised his breathing was normal and upon glancing at his bed the culprit presented itself before him. No matter how much he tried he couldn't figure out who that was from his position as they had tightly rolled themselves into the blanket.
Scratching his head he quickly shot up in one swift motion making sure to move as silent as possible. Cheeking the time he let out a silent curse knowing that he would have to move or risk being late to his first training. He knew that if that happened, he would never live it down as the coaches would make sure he regrets it.
Scanning the room he located his phone, tiptoed to his closet and picked out a set of joggers with a matching hoodie. Slipping on a vest he fished out his already-packed Bruin's duffel bag as he slipped into a pair of Crocs. Glancing back at his bed upon noticing the rustling of the blanket as the figure underneath moved, he finally got a good glance at her.
Immediately a rush of memories flashed through his mind as he remembered a lot of drinking games and some random guy named Austin who was mad at him. Only now did he feel the sting of being punched in the gut by the very guy over said brunette who was in his bed. "These green cups are no joke, can't believe I got punched over a girl I don't even know," He wasn't the type to say no if a girl threw herself at him, but he wouldn't go out of his way to deal with BS.
This is half the reason he couldn't hold onto a girl in high school, he simply didn't have the emotional bandwidth to deal with girls trying to play dudes off each other. If such a situation happened, he would be the first to end it directly letting them know it wasn't that serious. However, despite knowing this somehow, he had ended up in such a situation and from the looks of it he had won but he wasn't in the slightest bit happy over this situation.
Jace shook his head, pulling his attention away from the girl sleeping in his bed. He had neither the time nor the patience to deal with whatever this was and would simply treat it as a loss and learn from it. Without hesitation, any slight notion of waking her up and telling her to bounce vanished as he opened the door and quickly slipped out.
Just as the door clicked shut behind him, he nearly collided with Alexandra his roommate, who was still in her get-up from yesterday. Her hair which had been neatly styled now looked messy, and her skin looked oilier causing her light makeup to smudge. Just by looking at her Jace could tell that her first day had equally been an adventure as he remembered vaguely seeing here at the party.
"Yo Chief," he said in greeting using his index and middle finger in a small salute before pulling his hood over his exploding afro. It wasn't the biggest, but it was a good 10 centimetre long and since he didn't have the chance to go through his routine it now rebelled against him.
Alex nearly stumbled as Jace brushed past her, the hood of his hoodie pulled low over his forehead. He looked rough—bloodshot eyes, hair sticking out from under that hood. She caught the faint smell of last night's drinks on him, which mirrored her own situation more than she cared to admit.
"Yo, good Freshman," he greeted again with that casual half-smile that despite being forced he managed to somehow pull off. However, what she was stuck on was why he was treating her like a normal person after being so irrational on their first meeting.
She blinked in surprise. "Um... hey." Her voice came out drier than expected. She cleared her throat, feeling a little awkward as he paused in front of her, one hand on the doorknob. They stood there for a moment, neither sure what to say next as they seemed to be absorbed in their own thoughts.
"Well, I have to head to practice good luck," he said with a quick nod after seemingly coming to a conclusion in whatever internal conversation he was having. Confused at what just happened, he was already gone by the time she managed to realise.
Sighing at his odd actions she simply entered her student card in the designated slot and proceeded to open the door. Placing her pumps which she had been carrying one the shoe rack she looked up only to be greeted by a lacy black bra. Confused she bent down to pick it up only to pause her moments in the next second, looking up she noticed a figure string in Jace's bed.
"That Fucker," She cursed as she realised why the jerk from yesterday had suddenly done a 180. "No wonder he said good luck, he expects me to deal with his mess," She muttered to herself as she glanced at the figure on the need whose perky peaks were peaking past the blanket due to her movement.
Luckily, she was wearing what seemed to be a Vikings jersey sparing her from having to deal with a naked girl first thing in the morning. "Wait a minute don't I have a Vikings Jersy. It must be a coincidence," She muttered to herself but upon noticing the bold Jacobs name written at the back she knew, it was her jersey. "I'm going to kill him!"
~~~
[08:30, Wasserman Football Center]
While Alexandra was contemplating how to get away with murder Jace stepped out of the state-of-the-art showers in the locker rooms and was in the middle of going through his self-care routine. He didn't even spare a thought of the mess he had left behind as he pooped a breath mint after brushing his teeth. The furthest thing in his mind was the mess he had left behind as he strode towards his locker.
Jace walked into the locker room, the smooth tiled floor cool beneath his feet as he towelled off the last droplets of water clinging to his skin. Behind him, the showers hissed softly, the steam drifting through the air and disappearing into ceiling vents. He took in the state-of-the-art modern design of the facility that would become his second home for the next few years.
The $70M facility is part of the reason he had chosen the school as this was simply the best football environment he could think of. This might have been part of the cause for the scandal with over 20M somehow going missing, but it was still worth it if you asked Jace. It was the little details like the rows of spaceship-like rows of polished steel lockers—each personalized with the player's name and jersey number that lined the walls in a curved design, giving the space an almost futuristic feel.
Above the rows of lockers, large LCD screens displayed daily schedules, motivational quotes, and highlight reels. Every few seconds, a new clip flashed on-screen, showcasing past Bruins' triumphs and reminding the newcomers of the legacy they were expected to uphold.
Jace's locker was toward the right corner not one of the prime spots, but he appreciated it as it would give him time to be himself without everyone watching his every movement. There are just some positions in teams that are supposed to lead regardless of the abilities of the players. The QB1 spot was one such position just like the Ace Pitcher of a team was expected to lead in some capacity. So, whether he liked it or not he would be forced to lead if he wanted to claim that starting position.
Ignoring that he smirked as he sat in front of his locker, the brass nameplate glinted: "J. Lyon 22—QB." That had been arranged the moment he committed, a little perk to make him feel welcome as he noticed some still blank lockers showing him just how much the program was counting on him.
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To Be Continued...