Chapter 14

We head back to the dorm. Lights out for the team is at ten, but the rest of campus is wide awake. There is yelling and singing. At one point I even hear what sounds like a marching band coming down the street, but I’m so tired, I fall asleep to the beat of a drum and the sound of a tuba playing just outside the window.

The next morning we wake up early and have breakfast with the team, but then they go off to get ready for the game. Kasey meets us back at the dorms and hands us UCC T-shirts and hats, then gives us some time alone.

We’re supposed to meet Mr. Henry outside the stadium, but not until noon. So Calvin and I head out to a patch of lawn between dorm buildings. We stretch and sprint, then run through some drills. It feels good to be outside running around.

After we’re done, we both lie on the grass and look up at the blue California sky above us.

“I want this,” Calvin says. “More than anything, I want to go here. I want to be a part of this team.”

We lay there silently, and I think about what I pictured for myself—for college and my future. I wonder if my picture is the same as Calvin’s.

***

The campus is filled with people dressed in blue and silver and red and gold. Music is playing. Grills are smoking. The energy of game day distracts me from all my doubts.

We walk around and take in all the activity until we meet up with Mr. Henry at noon. He leads us into the stadium and down to our seats. We’re right behind the UCC bench. When the guys come out on the field, we’re so close that Shawntrell gives us a high-five. He’s suited up, but not expected to play.

The band plays. The crowd cheers. The Titans and the Bears have an intense game. At halftime, the score is tied 21–21, but during the second half, the Bears march down the field and score two touchdowns. By the fourth quarter the score is 35–21, and to add insult to injury, the Branford Bears end up getting another touchdown with just seconds left in the game.

I’m happy the Bears won, but there’s no one to celebrate it with.

“Don’t you dare smile,” Calvin warns me. “Look disappointed.”

So I just pull my new UCC cap lower on my head to shade my face.

As we head out of the stadium, Calvin makes a good point. “I wonder if the coaches will be in a bad mood tomorrow,” he says. “It would’ve been better for us if the Titans had won.”

“Good point,” I say as we walk past Branford fans celebrating with each other.

We know our roommates won’t be in a great mood, so Calvin and I decide to give them some space. We wander around campus and the surrounding neighborhood for the rest of the evening, not heading back to the dorms until ten. Shawntrell is already sleeping when I get back, and I know I should get some sleep too, but I can’t stop thinking about all I have to do the next day.