Minder: Secrets of Mind

Chapter 20

"Come on, guys focus." Amari requests from his friends.

Their laughter made their study room a bastion of laughter in what was supposed to be a quiet library, with a bang on the wall from the neighboring room bringing them a little silence. They were lucky none of the librarians working the night shift were much of the caring type, or else they would have come up the three floors to confront them, maybe even kick them out by this point. Amari normally would get them in line immediately and ensure everyone spent a few hours studying and being focused, but he couldn't concentrate.

His mind was on her, like always. But even more so now that time was running out, and he just couldn't shake this feeling that once school was done and they all graduated, and he got drafted, she'd be gone like the wind! He couldn't give her the chance to disappear, but she was a hard girl to lockdown for just a second to talk to, and even still, getting her away from simply dismissing the conversation out of some fear mechanism was just as tricky. But now, sitting there as his friends begin packing up since he wasn't watching the time, he knew the following conversation would be under extremely shaky circumstances. It could go one of two ways. She would say yes, and they could worry about their future later and just be happy at the moment. Or, she could turn him down, and he wasn't going to be able to live with it.

His father said to him before he left that if she says no...it's the last time she will, so you should learn or force yourself to move on, kid. As much as he didn't want to do that, he had done all he could to be the right guy and fix his few mistakes. And he had done the hard time without her those mistakes had brought onto him. If it weren't for his friends now, he was sure that he would have sunken into a depression that would be impossible. Though, if things went wrong now, then that depression was going to be the next step despite how promising his future was in everyone else's eyes.

"Dude!" Patrick snaps.

Amari comes to with the others already heading out of the room and Patrick standing over him.

"You better put that thing away and clear your head man before someone sees, and word gets to her before you can ask." Patrick comments.

Amari was holding the box in his hand containing the ring he was going to propose to her with. The ring he worked his butt off to acquire under his own hard labor beyond just catching a football and posting ads on his social media for it. The ring he hoped would bring her to ease on things once he got down on his knees and showed it to her.

"Gotta find the right time to ask her. I can't do it tonight; that would be weird getting proposed to in a Cookout parking lot." Amari says, getting his stuff together.

"That's if she comes to Cookout with you, but at least the guys won't see it and judge you for it."

"Wait a minute, yall ain't coming?" Amari quips as they head for the door.

"Oh, you ain't tell him yet, Patrick? Man, thank god yo ass don't hesitate like that in-game."

"Or with the chicks like Amari does."

"Excuse me?" Amari snaps, knowing they were joking but not liking the slight.

"Malcolm, no need to hit the man while he is down on one knee or going to be. He got enough on his mind; besides, you need to hesitate some maybe. That doctor at the clinic is tired of giving you antibiotics."

The group heads out of the library, much to the enjoyment of everyone intending to finally be able to use it with some peace. Amari nods and waves to the front desk receptionist in an apologetic manner, knowing that their night likely was filled with calls and reports of his group being too loud. Soon as they exit, the night's cold chill manages to get all of them quiet and focused for a second on warming up. At the bottom of the steps, Amari turns toward the way to their dorm room, intending to stop there for a second to get something before going to Cookout. While also giving time for Eve to answer whether she was coming. But the others turned toward the parking lot behind the building where one of them had parked earlier to meet the others there.