“Too much work?”
“More like signed up for too many of them.”
“Brother.”
“Sister.”
“I know transferring midway wasn’t what you wanted, but everything happens for a reason.” Serena sits down on the couch. “I’m sorry she… I hope you know it’s not your fault. It’s hers.” She assures, her lips pulling into a frown.
“Yeah. Can we not talk about her?” I say with a tight smile. “Talking about her gives me the heebie jeebies. I already had to help clean up the locker room.”
When news broke about my transfer to CCU, intrusive attention from girls started pouring in. I should’ve expected it. As a rising wide receiver, I was already under the public eye, my performance on the field and my appearance making me a target. My transfer only made it worse. It started with simple “Welcome to CCU!” friend requests on social media but soon flooded into DMs—some casual, others a lot more explicit. I didn’t hesitate to delete those.
Just a few days ago, the athletic building’s lobby was stacked with twenty dozen roses, all addressed to me. The card simply read, “From your secret admirer.” It was flattering but also unnerving, especially since I had no clue who’d sent them. It gave me the same stalker vibes that pushed me to leave Clemson in the first place.
“Okay,” Serena sighs, then grins at the change of topic. “How’s your first couple of weeks so far? Are you getting along with your team? Did you get hazed yet?”
“The team likes me, and we don’t haze here,” I chuckle. “I have my work cut out for me, though. It’s hard to come in after training camp and basically have a spot on the team. I feel bad for the way it’s happening.”
“Hey, it will be okay. Playing a sport at the university level is a job. You have to earn it, andyouearned it. Don’t doubt yourself.”
There she goes acting like the big sister. Time apart only brought us closer. It didn’t matter that we weren’t related by blood; what she’d been through and the bond we’d created overthe years was more than enough to make her my real sister. Also, dating Tyler, my best friend, only made us come closer. I’d already given him the “hurt her and I’ll take you down” talk. He’s a great guy, but it made her a bit of a smart-ass with big sister tendencies. Living on her own at Duke while juggling an internship at Adobe definitely gave her that sense of authority over me. She annoys me sometimes, but I love her. I couldn’t be prouder. And she wouldn’t let us drift apart. As soon as we went our separate ways, she made me promise to call at least once a week, and I’m sticking to it.
We talk on FaceTime for a few more minutes to catch up. Serena’s working on a new project, and she tells me about Tyler, who’s coming over later to cook her dinner in his brand new Ninja air fryer. Boy is whipped.
“I hate to cut the call short, but I’ve got to grab lunch before my next class,” Serena says. “Also, do me a favor? Say hi to Alli for me.”
“Why?”
Alli is probably the only other girl I know on campus. Not too many of our high school classmates enrolled here just because it’s so far.
I haven’t seen her around lately. It’s like she lives under a rock or is in hiding.
“She’s just”—Serena shakes her head—“just talk to her, it might be nice for you to have some sense of home since you’re hours away from us.”
We hang up quickly, and I head to the advisor center for my appointment with Mr. Henderson. Sitting in his office, I glance at the framed degrees and motivational posters on the walls. Mr. Henderson, a no-nonsense guy in his fifties with a graying beardand a perpetually serious expression, shuffles some papers on his desk before looking up at me.
“Jared, how’s it going?” he asks, leaning back in his chair.
“Good, sir. Just trying to keep up with everything,” I reply, managing a smile.
He nods, scanning a document in front of him. “I see. Balancing football and academics isn’t easy, but you’ve been doing well so far. Let’s talk about your schedule for next semester.”
As he goes over my options, my mind drifts back to Alli. Serena hesitated earlier, like she was about to spill tea, but stopped herself.
Alli and I aren’t super close.
I take that back.
We did hook up one summer, so technically we’re a little bit closer than we think. Ever since that summer, we haven’t hung out that much one-on-one. We share mutual friends since we’ve known each other since middle school. We’ve been around each other a lot in the past few years because of how close she is with Serena. But that’s it. We’re basically Tom and Jerry.
“Jared, are you with me?” Mr. Henderson’s voice pulls me back to the present.
“Yeah, sorry about that,” I say, shaking off my thoughts. “Just a lot on my mind.”
He gives me a knowing look. “Focus is key, but don’t forget to make time for yourself. Find a healthy balance.” He pulls a business card from a drawer and hands it to me. “If you ever need it, we have a wellness center. Counselors are availablein person, by phone, or even by text. More details are in the brochure.”
“Thanks.” I tuck the brochure into my bookbag. “And for my classes?”
