As time went on, the daily ritual became monotonous at best.
It started with the sound of the alarm clock going off. One glance at it affirmed my annoyance at the numbers it showed me: four o'clock in the fucking morning. Nas was up already and moving. He was the first one in our shared dorm to be in the shower, the first one changed and ready to take on the day with a smile. I would usually be still in bed, trying to drain every second of sleep from the clock as I could.
"Wake up, foo! Time to put in work!" He said, trying to jolt me awake. It was now four-thirty so it was my usual wake-up time. I was slow, I was groggy, and I was miserable getting up. I missed how I would wake up with Rainbow Dash sleeping in my arms, and the sun warming our bodies.
"It ain't hard to be a morning person, man! Just need the discipline!" Nas suggested as I got out of the bathroom, showered and ready to sloth through the day.
"Its pretty easy to get that routine, peanut farmer!" I snapped.
"Yep! We had to be up before dawn to help out. We wouldn't be done until sundown. That's how I did it," he commented.
"Uh huh. Thanks, Dad," I said dismissively as we grabbed our backpacks and headed out the door for another day. The air was chilly outside and the sun was still an hour away from shining. In front of us was the skyline of the City of Angels, only a few miles down the road. We went nearly across the square-mile campus to the square-shaped building that was connected to the massive football stadium. Around me were the other members of our team, converging on the building, its lights on to indicate the start of a new day and a new opportunity to better ourselves. We walked in the facility, passing the many trophies and portraits of the Hall of Famers, a constant reminder of our expectation as a team: to win.
Our destination was the giant, empty mess hall that had enough tables for everyone. Our coaches would join us later. We had our breakfast, a buffet of many different breakfast foods to help us through the day. We grabbed our food and sat at our usual table, one that was usually occupied by the freshman.
"Morning, boys," Nassir cheerfully said as he took his seat. Everyone gave him a quick look and went back to looking down to their meals as they continued to eat. I could only smile as I watched him cheerfully try to communicate to the rest of us zombies.
"Nas, quiet down," Brock commanded.
"Why's that, Brock?" Nas asked.
"The upperclassmen are looking at you funny."
* * *
After breakfast, we went to our lockers, changed into our gear, and headed to the practice field as the sun was beginning to shine over the San Jacinto mountains off in the distance.
I was still getting used to having my uniform be cardinal and gold instead of the black and gold that I had come accustomed to, but that was a change that had to happen. It was time for Nassir, Brock, and myself to prove to our coaches, and teammates, that all the hype surrounding us was the real deal.
With our skills, the team’s "rebuilding year", and our desire to win the starter spots, we were definitely making a case. Again, it didn't take much effort to beat the cornerbacks and the safeties out in the open field, and Brock’s arm was as accurate as ever. Most of the teammates complained that it was because of our friendship I was getting the ball more. In fact, I was the only one actually getting open.
Nassir was also a one-man show, weaving through the O-line and stiff arming when he was in the open field.
The practices soon ended a few hours later and we moved to the weight room. We went from station to station in small groups, doing whatever the station wanted from us. It would not have been fair to compare us to the rest of the team during the weights. Most of them were bigger and stronger than us, destined to play with the big boys in the pro level, while the younger players had the speed. It was what four years of intense weight training would do. It also motivated us to be elusive during the game, since we did not want to get hit by those guys. There was one station that allowed us to rest, right before we get back to the thick of our training.
"How are they doing?" Brock asked.
"Good, haven't heard from them since they returned home," I answered.
"Must be tough," Brock answered. "How about you Nas? How's your girl?"
"AJ and I ain't dating."
"Sure sounded like you were digging her," Brock answered.
"Yeah, before I found out she was a talking magical pony from another world, cuh."
"Fair enough. Let me know when the comeback, I miss them."
"You are not the only one," I answered with a wry smile. "So, shall we?"
"Right now? Alright," Nas answered.
The three of us extended our hands and looked away. We counted to three and when we did, we made our choice. It was a tradition the three of us started, deciding who got to pay for dinner. The catch was the person who had to pay got to choose. At the count of three, we made our choice and looked at the result.
Bad news: I had to pay for dinner. The good news was we were getting sushi tonight.
* * *
With an hour and a half left before my first class of the day, I thought I would get a latte and study in the student union. I felt energized from the morning practice and workout and was ready to take on another day.
I was woken with a tap on the shoulder and realized I was asleep. I jolted up and scrambled to turn off the music on my phone. While I waited for Rainbow and the girls to return, I took solace in their music they had sung over the years. It helped me survive without them, though I couldn't catch myself listening to "kids" songs.
"You know, the point of studying is to read, not to sleep," The feminine voice said with a giggle.
I looked up and saw her. She was petite, bobbed blond hair and cold blue eyes. She had taken a fancy of me the first time we met, although I was spoken for. Clearly she didn't take the hint, or the blatant announcement.
"Here, maybe this will work." She said as she gave me a styrofoam cup of coffee. I took a sip, hoping it wasn't roofied or something.
"Thanks, Trisha," I said.
"No problem. So, what are you doing tonight?" Trisha asked.
"Studying and dinner with my guys. What about you?"
"Oh! Well, I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner, just the two of us," She proposed.
"I have a girlfriend," I answered.
"Yeah, but there's nothing wrong with a guy and a girl going out without it being a ‘date.’"
"You tried to kiss me the last time," I replied.
"I…" She didn't say anything after that and walked off, blushing with embarrassment.
"Thanks for the coffee!" I shouted at her as she walked off. A distant "You’re welcome!" was heard from her.
It has been months without Rainbow Dash and cute college girls want my bone. It has been murder.