2. Player
PLAYER
If I weren't so pissed off, I might admit that my room isn't half bad. Edison Dorm uses a mixed-layout system, and I luckily have a room to myself, which isn't something everyone on campus gets, but even though I'm aware of my advantage, I'm still not in a good mood.
Going to college royally pisses me off. If I'd had any say in the matter, I'd be on the other side of the country right now...
"Oh! Player my man, you're here!"
And of course someone just has to appear in my doorway. Not just any guy either. With a wide smile, relaxed attitude of someone who already knows the place, and a build like a brick wall, Emery Specter seems right at home.
"What do you want?" I snap in an unfriendly tone.
Emery, who's actually been my friend since kindergarten, isn't bothered by my surly attitude.
He enters the room, looking around. "Aren't you unpacking, Player?" he asks, eyeing my bags near the entrance. Yes, that’s how everyone calls me, and yes, Emery’s always loved using it, as if he’s in on some private joke.
"Did you come to play housekeeper?" I snap back.
"Okay, I see you're still fuming... "
That's putting it mildly! I have zero desire to come play the fool in dumbass lecture halls! It was never part of my plans, and that's not about to change.
My friend's attention returns to me, and this time, he has a serious look I've rarely seen on him. "You know a lot of students would sell their souls to be in your place?"
He speaks from experience. Emery doesn't have the connections my family does. He worked his ass off to get into OMU. Which wasn't my case. My thoughts turn to my father, but I immediately push him out of my head. No way am I letting him poison my life more than he already has.
At the same time, considering I'm in this hornet's nest because of him, for four years minimum, I don't see what else he could do to screw me over.
"You know this university is full of beautiful girls?" my friend continues.
I frown. If there's one thing I care even less about than thinking about my father, it's considering relationships with female students on campus. A bunch of narcissistic airheads searching for Prince Charming? No thanks!
"By the way, I spotted some pretty hot pieces in the hall during the welcome meeting," my friend adds.
Yet another stupid formality I didn't bother with. What next? I've been in this hole for barely a few hours and I already want to put a bullet in my head.
To think there are thousands of idiots across the country jumping through hoops to get into places like this. A bitter smirk twists my lips. If they had any idea what this kind of program actually prepares them for in the real world...
A punch to my shoulder brings me back to the present, and I shoot an angry look at Emery who bursts out laughing. "Oh man! You should see your face! You look like you're waiting for your turn on death row. "
"Are you trying to make a bad joke? Because if so, you're on the right track."
My buddy regains his composure and is about to reply when two figures pass by in the hallway. Immediately, Emery loses interest in me. He leaves the room, and I hear him call out, "Hey girls!"
Almost against my will, I move forward to watch the scene. A small blonde who resembles a frightened mouse stares at my friend with a terrified expression. She's holding the arm of a taller brunette who remains impassive in front of my friend.
"I'm Emery, my friends call me E-Dawg."
The tackle's broad frame takes up a lot of space in the hallway, and contrasts with the petite physiques of the two women.
The brunette is the first to recover, and she's the one who answers, "My name is Dixie, and this is Pia."
As if he sensed my presence, Emery turns toward me, drawing the brunette's attention in my direction. Our eyes meet, and I have the impression I've seen her somewhere before...
"Player! We have super hot dormmates, don't you think?" my friend exclaims.
The brunette is still watching me, and I'd swear her eyes are shooting daggers. I don't understand why she would have any reason to be mad at me, and frankly, I couldn't care less.
"It's you!" she suddenly shouts, pointing her finger at me.
Emery and the little blonde stare at the brunette… Dixie. Yeah, Dixie.
I frown without responding. Leaning against the wall, arms crossed over my chest, I don't really feel concerned by the scene. As usual, actually. I have the feeling that I'm just a spectator in my own life, so a little more, a little less, I don't see the difference...
Dixie walks around Emery to plant herself in front of me.
I look down to consider her. She's so close that I can make out the tiny golden flecks scattered across her brown eyes, which are quite…
interesting. My attention briefly shifts to her full lips.
I notice that her rapid breathing is making her rather generous chest rise and fall.
My new roommate isn't bad in her own way. If you like young college girls, which I don't.
"You bumped into me in the quad earlier," she says bluntly.
I raise a surprised eyebrow. I vaguely remember bumping into a girl who was in my way a bit earlier, but to actually identify who it was...
Dixie stares at me, waiting for my reaction.
"Let's say I did," I mutter reluctantly.
She tenses even more. Her friend approaches her and whispers in a small voice:
"He probably didn't do it on purpose. We're all stressed about the first day..."
But it takes more than that to calm Dixie, who shakes her head:
"I fell in the grass and he didn't even stop to see if I was hurt!"
Her way of accusing me is starting to get on my nerves. This is why I hate young women, always complaining about every little thing.
"Too bad the impact didn't make you mute," I growl.
Dixie's lips form an O of shock, and I don't hold back the little smirk that comes to my face. I can almost hear the profanities running through her head right now, and I'm waiting for the moment when she cracks, but it doesn't happen.
"You should close your mouth before you swallow a fly," I add.
She blinks several times while her breathing quickens even more. She's going to crack and slap me, or something like that, I can feel it.
If she thinks she's the first girl I've ever pissed off, she's wrong. Women and I, it's far from complicated. Either you're mature enough to interest me, or you're too soft for me to waste my time with. And Dixie falls into the second category.
Her voice snaps when she replies, "Are you naturally this much of an asshole?"
The little blonde puts a hand to her lips, but I don't pay attention to her. My gaze probes Dixie's, who just insulted me.
We face off and I tell myself that this little verbal sparring match is the first remotely interesting thing that's happened since my arrival on campus.
It's Emery who interrupts our silent duel. "We should probably get settled..."
Immediately, Pia chimes in, "You're right! There are lots of things planned for this afternoon and I want to explore the campus a bit more."
Her chatter doesn't interest me at all; I maintain eye contact with Dixie. It's possible that getting into it with her might ease my sentence a bit... because as far as I'm concerned, being exiled to this damn college is the equivalent of a prison sentence without parole.
The young woman finally loses interest in my case to follow her friend one room down the hall. Fuck, they’re my neighbors. They enter, and I remain frozen in place.
"Couldn't you be nice for once?" Emery asks me.
I don't even bother responding to that. Anyone who knows me knows that the adjective "nice" is far from describing me.
"Pfff... same old, same old," my friend sighs as he pushes open the door to another bedroom.
The disappointment in his voice doesn't escape me, but again, I'm so used to disappointing those close to me that it certainly won't make me change.
I am who I am, period. There's nothing more to say.
That evening, the OMU athletic department booster club welcome us officially.
We’ve been on campus for summer workouts for weeks, but now it’s official.
Cuts have been made, rosters set, and it’s time to get to work.
I count about ten freshmen also survived summer practice to join the Jaguars along with Emery and I.
A guy I don't know calls out to me, "Glad you're with us, Player!"
He brings his cup to his lips before continuing, "Fuckin’ five-star recruit, young man! Back in the day, you could have jumped straight to the pros even. Seriously though, with you on the team, we're going to crush the rest of the conference!"
He punctuates his statement with a pat on my shoulder before raising his glass in my direction and taking another sip. How I hate these kinds of remarks. He's placing a responsibility on me that I could really do without.
In truth, if it had been up to me, I would never have started playing football.
Simply put, it was my father who introduced me to it, and I hate everything related to him.
Now I have to admit that I feel good when I'm on the field, it's the only place where I can express my rage.
The majority of our new team members dream of getting to the NFL, but not me.
All that matters to me is releasing my frustrations on the field.
"Well, well!" Emery whistles, having stayed close to me. "Your reputation precedes you."
I hold back from telling him to fuck off and prefer to down the contents of my glass in one gulp.
It's probably not a brilliant idea to have spiked the punch, and I'm sure if Coach knew about it, those responsible would be in for a rough time.
But since no one's going to rat out the deception, the players are enjoying themselves to the fullest.
Emery isn't one who handles his booze well, in fact his eyes are starting to sparkle, but I'm not the type to give good advice so I say nothing.
"Good evening."
A female voice pulls me from my thoughts. A group of girls approaches us, cheerleaders who’ll be working the sidelines for the crowd during our games.
"Well hello there," Emery greets them.
If there's one thing that interests my friend at least as much as football, it's women, and he has understood that university represents a rich and varied pool, almost inexhaustible, to add to his list of conquests.
Emery makes conversation while I watch the scene without participating. I couldn't care less about all these girls.
A silhouette in the distance catches my attention. The brown hair reminds me of Dixie's. I think about my new neighbor. She seems just as unbearable as other women her age, but at least she had the guts to stand up to me...
I move away from my friend and the girls surrounding him to get another glass of punch. As I swallow the orange liquid, I depressingly realize that my future prospects at OMU are far from thrilling, and my neighbors certainly won't help make it any easier to swallow.