âWeâre in.â
Kadeem jerked his head toward the stands, indicating the cluster of middle-aged men still lingering in the bleachers. âScouts.â
Norval recognized a few of them: one scout from Miller College, another from State University, and another scout from nearby Wendell College.
âYou guys heard anything yet?â Kadeem asked.
Norval shook his head. Kadeem had already been recruited to play college ball for the Peterson Pirates. âNothing yet for me,â Arnie admitted. âSomething better come through. A scholarship is the only way Iâm going to college.â
N
orval squeezed his legs together to balance the paper plate holding his pizza. Kadeemâs parents had put out a great spread for the team. Norval couldnât imagine how much the tower of pizzas on the table must have cost them. But theyâd been right to order so much. This team could
eat
! Especially after a game like the one they had just played.
Finishing his last bite of gyro pizza, Norval got up and headed back to the table for more. Lara was there with Maritza Rubio, another cheerleader. âArnie was great today, wasnât he?â Norval said.
âI guess so. Whateverâ¦â Lara grumbled. What had caused her enthusiasm to fade?
âWhatâs going on?â Norval asked as he peeled another slice from the pie.
âI donât know. Go ask your buddy. When I tried to talk to him he just brushed me off.â
âHeâs acting weird,â Maritza added.
When Norval went to find Arnie, someone said heâd just left.
Thatâs odd
, Norval thought. Arnie hadnât even said goodbye. It wasnât like him.
He went and found Sadie. âArnie just left all the sudden. Do you mind if I go try and find him? Iâll be back in time to walk you home.â
âSure, go ahead,â Sadie agreed. âDonât worry about me. Paigeâs mom is driving her home. I can get a ride with them.â
Norval kissed her lightly. âThanks. Youâre the best.â
Norval left the apartment and caught up with Arnie in the buildingâs main lobby. âLeaving so soon? Whatâs up?â he asked.
âI donât know,â Arnie said with a shrug. âAll the noise in there was getting on my nerves. Giving me a headache.â
âWell, you managed to make Lara pretty mad. What went down?â
âNothing, really. I just wasnât in the mood for her chatter. I guess she could tell.â Arnie pushed the front door open and headed down the sidewalk.
Norval fell into step beside him. âI thought you liked Lara.â
âI do. I think Iâm just tired. And, like I said, I have this headache.â
âMaybe you should text her later,â Norval suggested. âSheâs obviously into you. At least, she was before you blew her off.â
âI didnât blow her off. Sheâs cute, man, but sheâs trouble. Look how sheâs making a big deal over nothing. Weâre not even together yet.â
âSheâs a drama queen, sure,â Norval said. âBut I thought you had a thing for her.â
âI did. I do,â Arnie said.
âIs something else bugging you?â Norval asked.
âMaybe this scholarship thing is weighing on me. How come nobody came up to us today?â
âI donât know. But I didnât see them approach anyone.â
âItâs like I saidâno athletic scholarship, no college.â
âWhat about Southside CC?â Norval asked. âCould you swing that?â
âCommunity college?â Arnie cried. âThey donât even have a football team! Iâm not getting to the pros that way.â
âI didnât know you were thinking pro ball.â
Arnie reeled around, glaring. âWhat? Think I donât have what it takes?â
âWhoa, man!â Norval raised two hands to back Arnie up. âDonât take it like