Freshmen 32

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ
𝐏𝐚𝐩𝐚 𝐖𝐚𝐬 𝐀 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬
⇆ㅤ||◁ㅤ❚❚ㅤ▷||ㅤ↻

🏀

Hampton University
Thurs. Nov. 9th, 3:12pm

"Father Time"

"Alright, in this play we're in a 4-3 defense then change into a 3-4 once Charles backs into coverage." Pow explained as him and Shai watched the footage from the last football game.

Shai nodded his head, leaning back in the seat. Sports Management class was canceled since Coach Pow wanted to do film for the football team. Since Pow enjoyed Shai's help and his dedication in regards to coaching, he was using him to his full advantage.

"You're suppose to be defending the middle right?" Shai questioned, Pow nodding his head.

"Yes. Offense will try to come through the middle leaving Charles, Hart, and Monmouth to block him from getting through." Pow replied, pointing at the projected play. "

Shai nodded his head, "So, pretty much that middle needs to be protected at all times but the defense play you use isn't able to do so?" She asked for reassurance.

"Yup, I'm trying to figure out another way we can cover that middle completely with no slip ups." Pow said, taking a step back to look at the projector.

"You should probably stop with the 4-3 and 3-4 defense play. It doesn't seem to be working throughly. Instead you should try a 3 man." Shai told him, Pow looking back at him.

"A 3 man?" He asked with a curious and confused tone.

Shai nodded, "Yeah. I mean that's what it's called in basketball. It was a play my high school coach did." He explained. Pow was intrigued, so he motioned for him to continue.

"Keep going."

Shai moved his seat back and got up. He approached the projector to visually show Pow what he was talking about.

"Okay, so when I played basketball in high school, my coach had this special play he used when the other team offensive was tight." He began.

"Tight?" Pow asked.

"It means something that's cool but in this case it refers to something that's on point. If the offense on the other team was too good to the point where we were struggling to defend then my coach would go into this play. You have your middle man, in this case Charles, in the middle." Shai continued, pointing at the player.

"You then have what I like to call your middle buddy or M.B. who is pretty much someone behind your middle person. Sometimes the offense can run past the middle man and that's when the M.B. comes in to handle the situation. Majority of the time it works if there's communication. But, I just remembered that this is football and not basketball." Shai concluded, noticing his error in his play. He tucked in his lips, staring at the screen trying to figure out something else. Pow smiled to himself, slowly nodding his head.

"Right, okay. I like that play, so maybe I can work around it. Get some more coverage in the middle." Pow spoke, circling his finger around the middle. Shai nodded his head, agreeing what that.

"Yeah, I agree. It really should just be a straight 4 middle coverage. The more people we have blocking the middle then the less yards the runner will take. If we push in and tighten the sides then we're all pretty much on top of each other, so there's no possible way they'll be able to get through. Unless, you're Smith." Shai mentioned, using both of his hands to signal the team coming into each other.

Pow stood there watching him like a proud father. He now understood why Shai wanted to be a coach. He was good at it. He was perfect for the job and knew an even more perfect place for him.

"Shai, what do you do in you're free time?" He questioned, leaning back on one of the desk.

Shai glanced back then answered, "Uhh, nothing much besides doing my homework and chilling with my girl. Something basic." he shrugged.

Pow hummed. "You're not working?"

Shai shook his head. "Nah. I haven't found the time to go looking for a job. I should probably get started on that, right?" He questioned, knowing that was probably what Pow was referring to.

He recently found out that getting a job was a very grown up thing to do. A must. He never had a job to beginning with. Even when he moved in with aunt and uncle, they never made him work. Susan made sure he only worried about his schoolwork and basketball. Nothing more. With the lack of knowledge and skills in a lot of stuff, work was hard to find for him. He filled out a few applications and those companies never came back. He was struggling but wasn't giving up.

"Take your time, Shai. A lot of students use their freshmen year as a way to learn their school. Work isn't their top priority their first year, so take your time. I'm only asking because I know the YMCA is looking for young people to come out and assist with the kids. My niece works over there when she's not at school. She attends Norfolk by the way. There's a shortage in staffing and an increase in the kids there, so they need people. I believe the Y would be perfect for you if you want to pursue coaching. There's a basketball camp and team out there that I know for sure you'll like." Pow suggested.

"There's a YMCA out here?" Shai questioned out of curiosity. He was obsessed with going to the Y when he was down in LA and Houston. He was steady there after school, shooting around and sticking to himself. It was peaceful. Pow chuckled at Shai's reaction. He already knew Shai would approve of his suggestion.

"Yes, and it's only six minutes away from here. A perfect place for you to work on your coaching skills at. I'm not sure how much they pay but it's still a good opportunity for you. Whenever you have time you should head over there." Pow told him, Shai nodded his head.

"Yeah, I just might check it out. Ion mind working there. A free and a place to work out at." Shai smirked while slowly nodding his head. He liked the sound of working at a center coaching kids. It was exactly what he wanted to do.

"Good. Now, let's take a break and get something to eat. Are you a takeout or dine-in person?" Pow questioned, leaning off the desk and grabbing his jacket.

"Dine-in. We can now talk about our passing because it's terrible. Our short passes are the worse." Shai mentioned, shaking his head.

"I can't do long passes since I don't know if my players are going to catch it." Pow remarked. Shai suck his teeth as the two of them started making their way out the room.

"We should practice that. Long passes are needed especially when it helps us with points. The Hall boy with the curly hair can run his behind off and is always close to the endzone. If we passed it to him then we'll be up all the time." Shai made known, clapping his hands together.

Pow hummed, nodding his head. "I agree. You should start coming to practice my boy. I think I need you out there with me with these boys."

Shai chuckled, "Nah, that time is dedicated to my girl. All of it."

"Understandable."

🏀

Shai tossed his basketball in the air, catching it when it came back down. He continued doing that a few more times before stopping abruptly when Dess came back in the room. He noticed the stressful look on her face, causing him to sit up.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Dess took a deep breath, clasping her hands together.

"So, I ended up telling me dad about you..." she paused, Shai raising his brows. "...and he wants to meet you. Like now." she continued, Shai instantly tucking in his lips.

"Oh," was all he could express since it caught him off guard. He wasn't prepared to meet anyone's father, especially not so soon.

"So, we're doing this right now?" He asked, Dess nodding her head.

"Yup, right now." Dess answered. Shai muttered to himself then hopped off his bed. They were really about to do this.

Dess propped her phone up on his desk then pulled back the chair. She grabbed Shai's arm, making him sit down in the chair. Dess quickly fixed him up a tad bit. She took his hair out of its ponytail and redid it. Shai thought about the possible questions her father was going to ask. He never done this before, so his mind was blank. He didn't know what to do. He was growing nervous by the second.

"Okay, so just stay respect and answer all his questions." Dess told him, fluffing out his ponytail. "But, if you're uncomfortable with any of the questions then don't answer. I'll make him stop if it gets too extreme."

"What questions are he going to ask though?" Shai questioned, looking back at her.

"Uhhh, basic questions like how old are you? Where you grew up-"

"What do my parents do?" He cut her off. Dess opened her mouth before tucking in her lips. She slowly nodded her head, knowing that was a question he didn't want to be asked. But, she wasn't going to allow it to go further than need be. She was going to keep control of it.

She had to.

"Just take a deep breath. I'm going to stay control of it, Shai. I'm sorry." she apologized, knowing this was too much for him. It was sudden and unexpected. She regret mentioning Shai to her dad in the first place.

"It's cool babe. I got this." He informed her. He face forward, leaning back in the seat. Dess stared at him for a second. She was going to say something but was interrupted when her phone started ringing.

The both of them placed their attention on her phone. Daddy❤️ was shown at the top of the screen. Dess and Shai took a deep breath. They were ready. A little. Dess leaned forward to swipe the green button, answering the call. It took a second for the call to connect then finally a dark skin man popped up on the screen. Shai's eyes widened seeing how alike Dess and her father looked. Each feature on their face was the same. He glanced back at Dess then back at the phone.

"Is this thing working?" Stephen asked, his face all up in the camera. Dess scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Dad, please back up from the camera." Dess told him. It took Stephen a minute to get it right. He backed up from the camera and was able to see the both of them.

He nodded his head, "Alright, let's get this started. What's your name boy?" Stephen wasted no time starting his questions.

"Uhhh..." Shai began.

"Uhhh?" Stephen asked, raising his brow. "It shouldn't be that hard to say your name boy."

"Dad!" Dess called out to him but he ignored her.

"You're right, sorry." Shai apologized. "My name is Shai."

"Shai, what?"

"Shai Carter."

Stephen nodded his head. "And who are your parents?" he continued.

Shai cleared his throat, taking a second to himself before speaking. "Ehh, Sean Carter and Allison Payton-Carter." he answered.

Stephen shot his head up quickly from the paper he was writing on. He paused, furrowing his brows while staring at Shai. The silence said a lot and slowly sparked up a slight uncomfortableness.

"How old are you?"

"18."

"And your father is a basketball player...interesting. Do you have a relationship with your parents?" Stephen started the questions back up.

"Umm, Dad...no." Dess stepped in when he asked that question. She doing exactly what she said she would do and keep the conversation under control. She wasn't going to allow her dad to take things to the extreme while she was here.

"We're trying to have a conversation, Dess. Let us do that." Stephen told her in an aggressive tone. Dess didn't like that and wasn't going to allow him to talk to her in a way she made her feel less respected.

"Okay, but that question is personal. Right now isn't a good time to ask that." Dess told him. Shai could hear the sass in her voice as she tried to respectfully set her father straight. He appreciated her for sticking up for him.

"Again, this is a conversation between him and I. Let us talk." Stephen repeated himself in a stern tone. Dess still wasn't having it.

"But-"

"Desdemona."

"Father."

"Giselle!" Stephen's voice deepened as he called her middle name. Dess tightened up quickly. She knew what they meant and decided not to go any further. Shai glanced back, noticing the sudden shift in her attitude. He also found it interesting to know that all it took was to say her middle name. He was going to keep that in the back of his mind.

Stephen cleared his throat, bringing himself back. "Anyway, back to my question. Do you have a relationship with your parents?" He repeated himself. Shai caught the side-eye that was made by Stephen to Dess. He didn't say anything.

Instead he was worrying about how to answer his question. Should he be truthful and come right on out about how much he hate his parents? Or should he lie? Lying wouldn't help though everything was on the internet. Dess father could search up anything about Sean Carter and Allison Payton, and find a bulk load of stuff. Shai decided to tell the truth. There was nothing wrong with telling the truth.

Shai sigh, "I'm going to be honest with you, Mr. Young. I do not have the best relationship with my parents. They weren't there for me mentally and physically and emotionally. We don't talk at all but I don't let that faze me as much as people may think it does. I try my best to move past the situations that occurred with my family. However, I want you to know that I'm not my father. Nor am I my mother. I really do truly like your daughter, Mr. Young, and I would never do anything to make her feel a certain type of way. I have no reason to."

"I can understand if you disapprove of our relationship. I won't be mad at you or your opinion and views about my family and myself either. I feel like whatever you may think of me is reasonable, however, I will show you that it's not true. I would like for you to give me a chance to show you who I really am. Dess is giving me a chance to show my true self and she's showing me her real self. Everything is a learning experience at the moment, but I promise I will be the best that I can be." He wrapped up his short monologue.

He felt good about himself after that. Just maybe Dess father was going to like him after all. It wasn't mandatory but he would prefer if he liked him. It was one thing for your girlfriend father to dislike you. It was a different type of hurt and embarrassment. Stephen hummed to himself, slowly nodding his head. He didn't know to feel about Dess and Shai dating. But, he knew that his opinion didn't matter down in Minnesota. His daughter was going to do whatever she pleases and he was going to have to deal with it.

Sadly.

"Well then...I don't know about this relationship. It's just something about it that I'm not feeling. I'm not sure." Stephen finally spoke. Dess frowning and Shai nodding his head since he understood. He knew exactly what Stephen was referring to.

"However..." Stephen paused, raising his pointer finger. "However, I can't control someone or something that I'm not near. So, I'll approve of this little college relationship right now on what I see and heard so far. But, that doesn't mean I like you, Shai. I'll tolerate you for right now. To keep it between the two of us, if I ever hear anything about you doing something to my daughter then I'll murder you." Stephen threatened.

Dess eyes widened at her fathers comment. It was her first time hearing those words come out his mouth to a boy.

"Seriously, dad?" She asked, shaking her head in disbelief and annoyance. Fathers did too much at times.

"Aye then let's stay cordial so we don't have any issues. We have an understanding?" Stephen asked Shai.

"Yes, sir. We have an understanding." Shai answered, nodding his head.

"Good. And no touching either. Keep your hands to yourself. I'm sure your mother taught you that." Stephen added.

Shai nodded his head again. "Yes, I understand. Hands to myself. All the time."

Stephen hummed. "Alright. I'm going to let y'all go. Dess call me tomorrow."

She gave him a thumbs up. The both said their goodbyes before Stephen hung up the phone. Dess blew out a breath she didn't she was holding in during the entire conversation. Shai hummed lowly, turning around in the chair in order to face Dess.

"Not what I was expecting." He admitted. It actually went better than he expected which surprised him a little. He knew deep down though that it was only this easy since they were on the phone. He couldn't imagine being face to face with her father.

Dess shook her head, "He does too much seriously." she muttered.

Shai shrugged, "That's what fathers do so I was expecting it a little bit. It's cool though so don't trip." He informed her. Dess nodded her head. She wasn't even thinking about the conversation anymore since her mind had wandered off somewhere else.

Shai noticed and was curious as to what she was thinking. "You okay?" He asked.

"Yup." she muttered. Shai didn't believe her but didn't want to press her about either. When it was time, she was going to talk.

"You wanna sit on my lap?" Shai changed the subject. Dess scrunched up her face at his question.

"No." she answered, making Shai smack his lips.

"Why not?"

"Because..." she paused. "Because I said so."

Shai smacked his lips again, "I'll be fine. Come on." He said, spreading his legs open and hitting his thighs.

Dess shook her head, chuckling to herself. "No." she told him again. "Stop being weird."

Shai shook his head in disapproval, disappointed that she declined his offer. He was ready too. There were always next time.

🏀

Actions:
-vote
-comment
-share
-discuss

Dissuasion Board:
1. thoughts on Pow and Shai's moment?

2. do you think Pow is a good role model for Shai?

3. feelings on Shai meeting Dess dad?


You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net