It was either drop football and work part-time or thug it out with my classes for the sake of my daughter.
My Nana shuffled the phone before she started speaking. “My money should be coming in the next few days, and I will get what I can, but Percy—” she paused, “—you need to help some way, somehow.”
My Nana had been helping me take care of my daughter for the last year. If I had known that the one time I decided to indulge in the nightlife during my visit back home would lead to this, it wouldn’t have happened. Since being here at school, I’d been able to keep my head on straight. I stayed in the books and on the field.
However, being back home and knowing I was the highlight of the city turned everything around for me. I’d finally got the chance to fuck with a girl who wouldn’t even look at me in high school. Unbeknownst to me, her ass thought she hit the jackpot until she realized the money wasn’t coming as fast as she wanted. Not long after she had my daughter, she was dropping her off at my Nana’s, telling her I needed to figure it out while she ran the streets. Now, here I was, a nigga on a scholarship, trying to figure out how I was going to take care of my daughter.
I didn’t share with anyone here that I had a kid. It was a secretthat I wasn’t willing to share because the last thing I needed was for people to judge me, especially when it came to my career. My hometown was more than an hour away, and those who were there knew, but I never said much. I was disappointed in myself and hadn’t fully accepted it. I guess I was still in denial, but the reality was that my daughter needed me.
I ran my hand down my face. “I got you, Nan. I’ll figure it out. Give me a few days,” I told her.
She said nothing more and hung up. I knew the weight of the world was on her shoulders, but it was on mine too. My Nana had been my rock since I could remember. My father was around when he wanted to be. My mother, on the other hand, was there, but her pockets were just as dry as mine. I knew there was one person I could ask, and that was my best friend. I just hoped he would look out.
While making my way through the campus, I spotted the girl from the library. She walked alone, seeming to be in her own world. I jogged her way before stopping her in her tracks. She pulled her pods from her ears as she shifted all her weight to one side.
“You again,” she hissed.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
She glanced around as if someone was watching her. When she looked back at me, I could see that she was about to give in.
“Royce,” she mumbled.
I nodded slowly. “Okay, Royce. I’m Percy. It’s nice to formally meet you,” I said before holding my hand out.
She looked down at it, then back at me. “What is this? You want my number or something?”
Her little southern twang was like music to my ears. I shrugged. “Shit, I just wanted your name, but if you want to give me your—”
When I glanced up and saw one of the niggas from Chi Kappa Chi looking at me, I didn’t even bother to say another word to her before I walked off. I had already fucked up by smashing Phoebe,but I had to let one off before I got that text that the line needed to meet up. I didn’t know if it would be hell to pay on the first day because of this, but I was going to take whatever they gave me. This move was for my daughter, my resume, and my future. I glanced back at Royce, who didn’t even bother to look at me. Instead, she popped her pod back in her ear and continued on her way.
APPLE
“Yee-ee-oop!”I called out.
“Yee-ee-oop!”the girls from the Gray and Gold repeated.
I smiled as I watched my sisters sit in front of me. “I hold this meeting because the bruhs of the orange and black have announced that they will be hosting a pageant for Queen of the Chi. Now that I know flyers have gone out, I wanted to share that I will be running this time, and I want my sisters' support.”
A bright smile beamed on Reagan's face. “We got you, girl.”
The doors of the meeting room we were in opened, and as I saw Ms. August enter, my eyes lit up. “Yee-ee-oop!” she said.
We followed behind her. “Dean August, we weren’t expecting you.”
She glanced over all of us. “I know that there will be many activities happening during this semester. I wanted to step in and make sure that you all don’t forget the principles, as we are the ladies with decorum, correct?”
We all nodded. She smiled. “Now, as active dean, I want to bring value back to TSU, so I’m asking you, ladies, to host Black Excellence Day.”
I was thrilled to jump onboard. This was another opportunity God gave me to get close to her for the sake of my future with Jesaiah. Black Excellence Day was nothing special, at least to the students on campus. It was merely something similar to Career Day in high school; however, it was where students were able to learn of open internships, volunteer opportunities, and panel discussions about Black futures.
Before any of the girls could disagree, I jumped in. “Yes! We will do it.”
For a second, I thought I heard Reagan suck her teeth. Dean August turned to me before leaving and smiled. “Good. Come see me later, Apple. I want to talk with you.”
As soon as she walked out the door, Reagan shot up from the chair. “Nobody in the room wants to do Black Excellence Day. That shit is boring as hell.”
“We can change that,” I told them.
