All American: A Prediction Series (Season Four)

Episode 11: The Recipe

Every morning when I wake up, uh, money on my mind. Good times and get caked up, uh, sunshine coming through my blinds. - Kendrick Lamar

Classes were starting in a couple of days and Spencer felt a lot better about his intense schedule. The 4AM wake-up calls seemed to give him the boost he needed to become acclimated to D1 college football. Now he was working on impressing his head coach to earn a spot on the starting roster come game day. Spencer's work ethic couldn't be questioned. He was staying after practice getting extra reps and even worked out with Jordan and Isaiah to get them more practice too. Physically, he was in better shape, now the mental side was struggling. Spencer was already harder on himself than he needed to be at times.  With the added pressure he was putting on himself to become what he was in high school, his mental health began to suffer.

"When's the last time you talked to Dr. Spears," Grace asked her son. He had been napping on her couch for the last two hours.

"It's been a minute. Why," Spencer asked, tossing his football above his head. The thing seemed to be attached to his hip lately.

"To help you with your new life. College football at any level is challenging but D1 is another thing. I've just been noticing you seem more drained recently and thought a few sessions with Dr. Spears would be a good idea. Just worried about you, that's all," Grace commented, sitting on the arm of the couch. "Don't tell me you're too old for me to worry."

"No, I wasn't going to say that," Spencer chuckled. "I am a bit drained though. Can't lie about that."

"Mama is always right," Grace replied, getting up to answer the knock at the front door. "Hi, Liv." She stepped to the side to let in the other GAU student.

"Hey, Miss Grace," the journalist smiled, her smile growing when she saw her boyfriend laid out on the couch. "Did you get some rest?"

"Two-hour nap," Grace interjected.

"Ya'll really going to gang up on me like that," Spencer asked as his girlfriend and mother bonded over bullying him.

"Yes," they replied in unison.

Spencer scheduled an appointment with Dr. Spears for later that week. They had access to a psychologist on campus but he had already formed a great bond with Dr. Spears who already understood his dilemmas. Thankfully, his office took insurance and Spencer didn't have to worry about the high fee.

"Mr. James, how have you been," Dr. Spears asked as he led Spencer into his office and shut the door behind them. "It's good to see you."

"Just surviving college, man," Spencer noted, taking his spot on the couch. Last time he saw Dr. Spears, he was in distress when Olivia disappeared after her relapse. Things were in a much better place, even with him fighting a different battle now.

"I'm sure that's a big adjustment. How's that going," the psychologist asked, sitting back in his chair.

Spencer laughed to himself, even though there wasn't much to laugh at when it came to his difficulty adjusting. "Well, football isn't easy at all. I knew it wouldn't be but I wasn't prepared for the crazy schedule. I finally got used to that and now I'm trying to impress the head coach. That's a whole challenge within itself when the coach didn't even want me there in the first place."

"Looks like we have a lot to talk about then," Dr. Spears made a note on his notepad before giving Spencer his undivided attention.
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Opportunities didn't come easy and Asher was wanting to take advantage of every single one he got. JJ offered to introduce him to the Coastal coach after he found out the team was looking for student coaches for the season. With Asher's natural abilities in the area, he appeared to be a good fit.