Summer Sanders is going through it. The pressures of school are mounting, and her home life is completely falling apart. Feeling bored and lonely on a Saturday night, she decides to get buzzed and surprise her hookup buddy with her best lingerie. Th...
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5:29 AM. I turn my alarm off before it's set to ring and groan, dragging my sore limbs into a sitting position. Being an athlete takes a toll on every inch of your body, especially this far into the season.
I peek out of the window and catch the sun rising. It shines a bright strobe of light directly into my eyes and I know I need to get my day started.
Soreness is temporary, success can create a high that lasts forever.
I jog to the weight room and spend an hour on my usual set of cardio and weight lifting machines.
Around 6:30, Ken joins in to my surprise. The other guys work out, obviously, but they usually get a session in during practice hours. I guess my early morning and late night workout schedule was just another instance of me going out of my way to isolate myself from everyone else. Maybe I should change it?
"Since when did you come in so early?" I say, continuing my leg-day set.
He jumps like he didn't expect anyone here, then makes his way towards my machine.
"Since I've needed to step my game up." He extends his hand for a fistbump. "I'm trying to get on that Reyes regiment that's got you playing like a beast out there. The Cleveland Cavaliers want a piece of me, I need to walk away Friday night knowing I'm getting at least one guaranteed pick during the drafts. "
I finish my set and lower my legs off the cushion to get a well-needed break. "Cool, let's go to the court and do some drills."
Ken and I are more in sync than we've ever been during our practice. I can truly see him giving his all and it shows through every move and shot.
We're so focused on our game that when my 8:30 alarm goes off, we almost decide to skip our first class to continue playing. We decided against it, though, because we have regular practice in a few hours anyway and neither of us want to look tired in front of coach during such an important week.
Plus I've been trying to take my education more seriously. Seeing how dedicated Summer is to her studies makes me want to at least do more than the bare minimum of copying answers from Quizlet and Chegg.
***
I get back to my room, clean up, and make it to my 9:30 business and society class with a few minutes to spare.
Ken and Miles are in my class too and I've been sitting next to them in the last row since we've reconciled, but they can be distracting with their conversations and jokes, so in the spirit of my new commitment, I decide to move to the second to last row where half of the seats are usually empty.
I send Summer a quick text before my professor comes in: Morning, beautiful. Have a great day, love you.
When she texts back: You too, handsome. I love you.
