“Malik, there are a whole list of things Coach and I could say right now, but none of them are going to mean squat to you,” Jerome said. “So, let’s start here: Do you and Janelle have a plan?”
He shook his head. “She hasn’t told her parents yet.”
“Have you told yours?” I asked.
“No, I don’t know how to look my dad in the face and tell him I messed up, that I threw my chances of going to school to play ball down the drain.”
Malik was from a single-parent family and had a dad who worked two jobs to give his son every opportunity. I liked his father a lot, and he was determined to help his son succeed. I couldn’t imagine how this was going to go.
Malik had colleges looking at him, and rightly so. He was one of the most talented kids in the state by far and deserved a shot at a scholarship.
Even with a child on the way.
Malik ran his hands down his shorts. It struck me then that he hadn’t changed back into his usual dress pants and polo shirt. He alwayscame to school dressed in what I would call business attire because his dad told him to treat school like a job.
A straight-A student, Malik was tall, slim, and extremely athletic. He kept his dark hair neat with a tapered cut, wore glasses, and flirted up a storm with the staff. There wasn’t a teacher here who didn’t like having him in their classes.
“Have you and Janelle talked about options?” I asked.
Malik nodded. “She wants to keep it.”
I glanced at Jerome and let out an exhale. “What can we do to help?” We were way beyond the responsibility talk about safe sex, condoms, and what would happen if you didn’t use one. Malik didn’t need a lecture from us because he’d get that at home.
“I don’t know.” His voice broke before he could finish the sentence. “This isn’t what I want. I want to go to college and turn pro, and now I can’t.”
“No one is saying you can’t, Malik. It’ll just be harder,” I told him.
“Janelle said once colleges find out I have a kid, they won’t want me.”
I didn’t know if that was true or not, but it wasn’t something I was willing to gamble on.
Jerome got up, went to Malik, and pulled him into a hug. “We’ll figure the college stuff out,” he said. “Right now, we want to make sure you’re okay. That Janelle’s okay. The road ahead is going to be tough to navigate, but you have a support system, and you need to use it.”
“Coach is right, Malik. We’re not going to turn our backs on you. You’re not the only one who’s ever gone through this. If you don’t want to go to class, you can stay in here,” I told him. “I’ll get you excused for the rest of the day and see if we can get your work sent down.”
Malik nodded. “Thanks, Coach.”
“Why don’t you go get changed, grab your stuff, and get comfortable?”
Malik got up and left, closing the door behind him. Thankfully, I didn’t have another class to be at.
“What in the ...” Jerome didn’t need to finish his sentence. Any colorful word would’ve fit perfectly there.
“I don’t even know what to do for him,” I said as I leaned back in the chair. “How does this even happen? Aren’t there condoms in the health center?”
Jerome nodded. “Just because they’re free doesn’t mean they’re going to use them.”
I groaned loudly and pounded my fist on my desk. “His dad is going to force him to quit playing and get a job. Doing that is a surefire way to lose any chance at a scholarship.”
“He could have a job and still play,” Jerome said. “There are places on Main Street that’ll work around his schedule.”
“Really? Like who?”
“The grocery store for one. And I bet Lee would give him a job at the diner. Hell, that’s the place to work, if he can start waiting tables.”
Nodding, I got up and went to my desk to write some establishments down on a sheet of paper. “I guess the next step is for him to tell his dad.”
“Or Janelle to tell her parents. I don’t know them very well.”
