Page 36 of Escape Velocity
Craig grabs Joel’s shoulder. “Dude. We need to get this guy in on our practices. I’m sure he can help us be even better.”
“No, you doofus, we don’t. Come on, let’s just leave him and his calculator alone.”
Mason’s cheeks feel slightly hot at Craig’s comment about Callum. Mason knows Callum likely means it as a way to get more praise, but Mason wonders if there’s another reason that Callum wants Mason at the next game.
If their last interaction doing the player profile was any indication, then he’s surprised that Callum is still so adamant to be involved in Mason’s life.
“I’ll see you on Saturday then,” Mason says, doing a two-fingered salute to Craig, not bothering to address Joel.
Craig puts his fist out in front of him, looking expectantly at Mason. Mason grimaces slightly and puts his own fist on Craig’s. Craig then draws his hand back and spreads out his fingers, making an explosion sound.
Joel shakes his head and keeps walking ahead, as if Craig is a dog on a leash and will eventually have to be pulled along with him.
Football players and their weird handshakes.
Craig then points both his fingers at Mason and walks backwards, slightly bumping into someone and profusely apologizing before he finally turns and walks away.
Mason smiles to himself as he turns and makes his way to his next class. Did Callum tell Craig that he wanted to see Mason at the next game?
And now Mason is “the man”? Maybe he should have been going to those games sooner. Who cares what Joel saysabout him? He hates everyone except his own teammates, but even then, Joel barely seems to tolerate Craig.
Mason walks between buildings with his cheeks red, and bumping into a couple people as he walks down the hallways, his mind elsewhere. Despite how much he hates jocks and the football team, Mason is starting to realize that he wants their validation, and he’s never gotten it before.
The same type of kids that bullied him in elementary school became those that were on sports teams, and he’s worked his whole life trying to get their approval or their attention instead of insults hurled his way.
Craig is usually all right, but it’s by Callum’s account that Craig even speaks to him in the first place.
Mason is starting to think his “approval seeking” is really “Callum approval seeking” by the judge of his beating heart and his rosy cheeks.
For the next game, Mason decides to have some team spirit and gets a Hornet’s sweatshirt.
He feels like he’ll fit in better with the crowd and he wants to feel proud of his school.
Montgomery is his dream school after all, and he should act like it if he really feels that way. Jenna’s wearing her hair in a ponytail, with a maroon sweater and black leggings.
He’s happy she’s with him; he wants her to see what a football game is really like. Like Mason, she’s spent most of her high school studying and reading literature, never having the time or interest to watch a football game.
The crowd buzzes with the same electricity again, but it’s more of a dull hum than it had been thefirst game. Mason chalks it up to first-game jitters and excitement. Now, people have seen Callum in action, and they know what to expect.
It’s October and the Hornets still haven’t lost a single game yet. Mason figures it will make his blurb much easier to write, and that he’ll have a lot of eyes on his writing since so many people are interested in college football.
Mason is beginning to feel the excitement himself. He feels like his writing could actually make an impact on others.
It doesn’t matter if writing is his passion, thousands of eyes could possibly be reading his words, and that’s fulfilling enough on its own. It means prestige and success, and something he can take home to his mom as proof of his college degree being “worth it.”
Maybe it’ll lessen the blow if he has to tell her about his major.
It might have been sad to think that it’s his only way of convincing his parents that he can make it by doing physics as his major, but prestige is their currency. Without anything to back it up, they’ll never listen.
“I still can’t believe this many people come to a college football game,” Jenna says, her eyes scanning the crowd, shaking her head.
“Just wait until the game starts. The energy is contagious. You’ll see what the hype is about.”
Jenna shakes her head with a playful smile on her lips.
“There’s no way you, Mason Fanning, just supported not just watching any sport, butfootballof all of them,” Jenna says, whipping her head to look back at Mason, a single eyebrow raised.
“I am a changed man. What can I say?”
