Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 128156 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128156 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
He eyes me. “I didn’t say that to call attention to a failure, Chase. The opposite, in fact. You’ve held a 3.8 the last three years, with the exception of last spring. You had a tough year last year, and from what I can tell, you’re trying to handle this on your own. I’m assuming Johnson and Lancaster don’t know you nearly lost your spot on the team this year because of funding?” he asks, mentioning my friends by the last name.
“They don’t.”
“Can I ask why?”
I clear my throat. “Mason is busy. He has a family now, and Brady is also in a relationship. You saw that last season. They’re in good places in their lives, and I don’t want to bring them down with my…issues.”
“You realize they’re going to be upset when they find out.”
“I don’t see how they would, Coach.” I give him a pointed look. “My grant came through since I scraped by at the 3.0 mark last semester, which covered my tuition fees, and my partial scholarship from the team covered housing. I have nothing to worry about this semester.”
“And next semester?” he pushes, “The one you’re due to graduate after?”
Looking away, I run my tongue along the backs of my teeth. “Still working that out.”
“How many more responses are you waiting on?”
“One, but Mrs. Fredrick”—I mention the adviser he hooked me up with last year when shit first hit the fan—“said that one was the least likely to be approved, so not betting on it either.”
Coach Rogan nods, taking all this information in before leaning forward on his forearms. “Okay, so we know where we are with all that, then.”
“Yes, Coach. Right in the middle of shit creek.”
The man chuckles, and despite the literal dumpster fire that has become my life, my lips twitch. “Listen, Chase. I know it’s easier said than done, but don’t get discouraged, because the good that seems to have come out of this is your improvement on the field.” He holds my gaze strong. “You came back a different man, son. If your helmet were on and you weren’t out there with the last name Harper and the number thirteen on your jersey, my eyes would be glued to you, and I’d be asking every person I could find who the hell you were and how I could get you on my roster. You were good, really good, in fact, but I don’t think I have to tell you that you’re on the path of becoming great. You are aware you’re a top-five-ranked receiver across the nation, right?”
I avert my gaze, a tightness winding in my gut. “Yes, sir.”
“Chase.” He waits until I look his way, a knowing look in his eyes. “You should be proud of the work you’ve done. This is a huge accomplishment. You weren’t even on the board last year, and you’re top five just three weeks into the season.”
“Mason is a great quarterback, Coach. He always gets the ball where it needs to go.”
“And none of that would matter if he didn’t have a receiver he could trust.”
“It’s a team effort.”
“Chase,” he snaps. “Accept the damn achievement.”
A low chuckle leaves me, and I shake my head, pulling a deep breath. “Trust me, I’m trying but it’s tough. I don’t want to get complacent. I can’t get complacent. As you said, the season has only begun. A lot could happen in the next ten weeks.”
He knows what I’m saying without saying it—that this is my only chance.
That if I don’t do the nearly impossible and beat out thousands of receivers across the league, earning myself a spot in next year’s NFL draft—a less than 2 percent chance—then I’ll be a washout. The last three years of my life—last decade, really, if you count all the hard work from youth and high school football days, let alone academics—to get here will have all been for nothing.
After this semester, I’m cooked. Done.
If my name isn’t called come draft day, I’ll have nothing in my life that’s worth a damn.
Maybe then karma will pull its claws from my chest.
Then again, maybe not.
Maybe this is the consequence of that yellow brick road. The result of the U-turn I took, back to the point of the split, choosing the opposite path in the end, the one that not only hurt the girl I never should have allowed myself to get close to but also hurt my best friend.
It’s like I said to Coach: A lot can happen in a single season.
Maybe even more than I’m prepared for.
CHAPTER FOUR
Chase
Game days. The only time of the week when my mind actually frees itself from the day-to-day stress. You’d think the pressure to perform would mess with my head even more, but it’s the opposite. Out here, I can let everything else go. Out here, I have a purpose. I’m needed, helpful.