Chapter 4
So I could teach extra zumba classes... and what else? I tap my pen on my desk, trying to figure out ways I could get anywhere close to 18,000 dollars in eight months. Maybe I could get another job? I'm pretty good at history and english. Maybe I could tutor or work in the writing center? Or work in the library... Ms. Johnson likes me.
I blow a frustrated breath and try to plaster back on a polite smile.
"Are you sure there's no way I could learn on the job, like without taking the course?" I ask the girl behind the counter. She gives me a sympathetic smile.
"I'm sorry but you have to take the Teaching Writing course in the spring." she repeats. I mumble a dejected, "thanks anyway," mentally crossing writing center off my list. I walk to the tutoring center, going through the same process as before, this time turned away because I don't have the "desired major" and they're really only looking for a science and math tutor at the moment. I pray a quick prayer for favor and patience as I make my way to the library. I find Ms. Johnson and explain my situation and practically beg her for a job. She nicely explains that they just filled all their positions but that she'd be praying for me. I walk to the food court, determined to eat my feelings and regroup.
I guess I'm gonna have to win the lottery. I think as I suck down the last of my Sprite and push away my empty dipping sauce containers. I'd scoured through all of the openings on campus throughout lunch and there was nothing left. Well, at least I can still take on extra shifts at the gym.
* * * *
"Here we go! 5,6,7,8!" I count anticipating the beat drop. Taki taki... rumba! The class moves through the dance, hitting it hard for their last set of the class. They finish with four poses that slowly travel to the ground. We all clap, celebrating the end of a successful class. "Thanks for dancing with me, even though I'm not your usual teacher, Samantha should be back next week." I yell over the music. Everyone takes their time gathering their things and shuffling out the door. I follow behind them, signing my time sheet on the way out. I'm locking up the studio when my supervisor calls my name and beckons me to the front desk.
"Great job today. They were all showering praises about you as they left." she says.
"Yay! That's great, I'm glad, it's always hard winning over a group that's used to another teacher."
"Yea, I've noticed you've been stepping up and filling all these last minute cancellations these past couple of weeks. I really appreciate it. One of our managers is quitting soon to start their study abroad program and I think you might be a good fit for it." She says, reaching over and swiping a lingering girl's card.
"Thanks for thinking of me for that position. Well, I'll leave you to it." I say, waving. I'd calculated that picking up at least two extra shifts a week for the next eight months could get me 100 more dollars a month. It wasn't a lot but it was better than nothing. But I still had $17,200 more to go.
A few hours later, I walk into our BOB meeting feeling optimistic. A chorus of "heys" echo in the library as I walk in. I take a seat next to Paige, one of our new freshmen, and we talk about her freshman anthropology class until it's time to start. Isaiah and I walk to the front and present the agenda for the meeting. Just as we start passing out the title and author quiz, Ms. Johnson shuffles over with an announcement.
"Hello everyone! I see you all are getting started quite nicely. I'm very excited for this upcoming year of BOB. Not that you all need any motivation to win this year, but I just got an email from the director of the Collegiate Level of Battle of the Books. He said they will be giving out $100,000 in tuition money and a spread in the New York Times for the winning team at Nationals. They received an anonymous donation from someone who wants to reward people for reading in an increasingly technological world. They also mentioned, for those of you lucky enough to have a full scholarship, you have the option to reallocate the money in support of a local charity or small business." The team chatters in excitement for a bit, all of us reeling from the news. My mind was racing, even after splitting between the team members, this could be enough to help the store. This could change everything.
"I'll catch up with you all later." I tell Julie and Keisha after the meeting. I hang back as Isaiah packs up his bookbag and ask him if he wants to meet up at The Lion's Den for a little debrief about the meeting. After a short walk downstairs, we're sitting across from each other with giant croissants and hot chocolate. I think back to our last meeting over the summer. Isaiah had come back into town for soccer camp and asked if we could meet up for a pre-semester strategy session. Looking for a break from my monotonous days at the store and excited to start my co-captain duties, I agreed. We met up at a small coffee shop not far from campus and went over the just released book list, talking about what books we'd read or authors we'd heard of. We went over how we wanted to lead the team. How lax was too lax? Were deadlines too much? How could we make meetings fun but efficient? It was all so hypothetical then, now we were actually leading people. I tell all this to Isaiah. He nods.
"I know. It's pretty crazy if we tell anyone else this, they'd be like 'really? It's just a book competition.' But for us it's so much more than that." He takes his croissant and dips it into his hot chocolate. He doesn't even break off a piece, he just dips the entire thing into his cup. I watch him take a drippy, hot bite.
" How do you think the meeting went?" he asks. I take a second considering my response.
"I'm sorry I can't...did you just dip your whole croissant into your hot chocolate? It's not that I don't think it would be good, it's just... different." I ask incredulously. He laughs.
"Try it, I promise it's gonna change your life. The buttery croissant with the sweet richness of the chocolate..." He shakes his head trailing off. He watches as I dip my croissant into my hot chocolate. I take a hesitant bite. He was right. The subtle salty, sweet combo was delicious. After talking about what possessed him to try the combo in the first place, we begin discussing the meeting. I take out my notebook, going through the meeting minutes. We agree that the group should be finished with their first book in two weeks and that we should have at least 100 questions written by then. Eventually, we start talking about the cash prize.
" I can't believe that when we win we can get $100,000. That's insane! We better not let word get out or people are gonna be flocking to join the team" He says seriously. I laugh.
" I don't think we'll have that problem. Half the school doesn't know we exist and the other half thinks books are lame. Which frankly is ridiculous." I say. Isaiah nods vigorously.
"What are you gonna do with your share of the money, don't you have a full scholarship?" He asks.
"Yea, I'm gonna use it to save my mom's store."
"What do you mean?" He asks.
" Some people are buying the building that my parent's store is in and they're raising the rent to an amount that my family can't really swing. So, I'm hoping that this money could cushion them a bit while they figure out what to do."
"I'm sorry. I know that store means a lot to you. All the more reason to win." Isaiah responds, his gaze serious. He takes a sip of his hot chocolate, deep in thought.
"What if we had more meetings? Isaiah asks. "The stakes are higher now with the money and your mom's store."
"Maybe...but I feel like it'd be a bit difficult for the rest of the team to meet twice a week with their busy schedules." I say.
"But we could send out a Google polls just in case. If the group can't meet up, how would you feel if just you and I met once a week? We could make it really casual like we could meet here or in my room or wherever. " I continue. His eyebrows raise.
"Just me and you?" He asks, suddenly hesitant.
" Yea., we'll just be two co-captains leading their team to victory and $100,000, nothing more."
"Alright, Alisha, let's do this."
I leave feeling hopeful. I text my parents: I think i can save the store. Call me when you can." My mom calls instantly.
"Hey mom. I just found out that the BOB competition is offering a cash prize. If we win, it'll be enough to pay some of next year's rent. I know it's not all but I was thinking it'll give you guys time to save up to pay the rest." I say in a rush.
"Hmmm. How much is the cash prize?"
"$100,000 and there's only 8 of us on the team so we can each get $12,500. It's supposed to pay our tuition but you know I have a scholarship and they said I can sponsor a local business." I say.
"Alisha... I don't know about this."
"Mom, you still have 7 months to sign the contract. So, why the rush? Please tell me you'll think about it." She takes a deep breath.
"I'll think about it." She says.
"That's all I'm asking. Love you mom!" I need to win two competitions. I can do it; I just have to stay focused.
* * * *
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Julie asks, kicking open my door, carrying three notebooks and her laptop. She'd been waiting to organize my life with one of her new planning methods for the past two years. With so much riding on the competitions, I'd finally agreed to let her help me make a study schedule. She drops her things on my futon and sits next to me on the bed.
"Before we start, I think we need to pray for patience and wisdom."
"Julie, we're just organi-" She grabs my hands.
"Lord, thanks for giving us this time together. Please give me patience as I guide Alisha towards a more organized and balanced life and give her the wisdom to listen to me. Amen." I shake my head.
"I knew I should've asked Keisha." She grabs the first notebook from the couch.
"So, the first method I'm going to introduce you to is the Bullet Journal or BuJo as the cool kids call it. This is mine from last year. As you can see I started with a Table of Contents..." After thirty, admittedly interesting, minutes of her comparing the pros and cons of a "BuJo" to a written planner and a digital planner, we both decide that the classic planner was the way to go. We go through and write in different colored pens: my personal meetings with Isaiah, the team meetings, my personal studying at night. After we finish, we both pause: Julie looking at her newest planning masterpiece, me trying not to stress over seeing the next few months written out. Julie looked at me.
"Well at least you can't say you didn't do everything in your power to save the store."
"Exactly." I sigh. "I don't wanna look back and be like 'I should've studied more.'"
"Are your parents still hesitant about you trying to save it?"
"Yea but I think they'll come around. My thing is where would the money go if not to them? I have a full scholarship..."
"I guess they don't want you to get your hopes up but I'm proud of you, Lish." Julie says, hugging me. "Taking control and getting stuff done. Also I never thought I'd see the day you were almost as organized as me. Alright I gotta go to my CSA meeting. Love ya!" I flop on my bed, proud of my work.
* * * *
The next morning, I walk out of class into the sunlight, glad to be out of the chains of the classroom and start my weekend. I have three hours until I go out with my bible study group, just enough time to take a nap. I walk to my dorm, slowly savoring the start of my weekend. I turn on Guns and Ships and bop all the way home. I'm greeted by an empty suite. I smile as I change into my comfy clothes, as much as I love my friends, I love naps more. I set my alarm and snuggle into my pillow. When my alarm goes off an hour later, I already know I'm not leaving my dorm tonight. I text my bible study group and let them know I'm staying in. I text my girls.
Girls night?
Absolutely!
Yes girl! It's been too long.
As I wait for them to come home, I turn on my zumba jams playlist, deciding to clean the suite. Thirty minutes later, I'm no longer cleaning but full out sweating and choreographing to 7/11 in my sweats. As the song ends, I turn around to grab the vacuum and see Keisha, Julie, and Isaiah standing in the doorway. Isaiah? What is he doing here?
" Hey guys. Isaiah, what are you doing here?" I try to ask as nicely as possible. I take a sip of water trying to catch my breath as I wait for his response.
" I'm just grabbing my copy of Olympics: Behind the Camera from Julie. I promise I'm not here to crash girls night." He says, stifling a laugh.
" Yea you better not be. Even though I'm sure Alisha would be glad if you did." Keisha says shooting a suggestive look at me. I glare at her. Isaiah laughs awkwardly, looking a little flustered.
" Okay. Now that we're all embarrassed. We'll see you later, Isaiah. It wouldn't be a girls night if at least one boy wasn't antagonized" Julie says, ever the peacemaker.
" Yea I get it. I'm honored to be the boy chosen this weekend. Have a fun night. Thanks for the book, Julie!". He says as he walks out the door.
"Keisha, why would you say that?!" I demand as soon as the door shuts.
"I helped you! My comment made him forget all about your hilarious performance." She says imitating my 7/11 dance. Julie laughs and joins in. After watching them try and fail to recreate my signature moves, I turn on my Spotify playlist and show them how it's done.