Chapter 31 Alex Jacobs

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[Cedar Hall, Room 422, 13:45, 31/07/2021]

Jace stepped into his new dorm room, setting his duffel bags down with a soft thud. The space was simple but decent—two twin beds, two desks, a wooden wardrobe, and a small window that let in the afternoon sun. Being a corner room, it had a bit more space than the others, and the window view wasn't too bad either. He could see part of the campus below, with students scattered around the walkways.

Isaiah leaned against the doorway, taking in the room. "Not bad Rooke. You lucked out with a corner room I still remember my room in freshman year it was bad. All good though I got my money up and moved into a campus apartment, and now those things they legit,"

"Aight no need to brag, we get it Jeep got you balling' just make sure to not drop any of my passes." Jace retorted as he threw the rest of his bags onto the bed on the left furthest away from the connecting private bathroom.

"As long as you keep throwing them my way, I'll make sure we both eating good bro, they call me Chef Isaiah for a reason," He retorted as he proceeded to hit what Jace could only imagine as his celebration dance.

"Boy you know ain't no one ever called you chef a for a day in your life, why stunting so hard for the rookie?" a gruff voice came from behind him followed by the figure of a burly dark-skinned guy stepping into the frame. "yo freshman, they call me Devonte Left Tackle so basically your guardian Angel,"

"Okay I'm kinda hungry Mr Guardian Angel, I assume you buying right?" Jace responded with a teasing tone trying to test the guy but what he didn't expect happened.

"Say less we were actually hosting a cookout for the new guys joining and transferring in as a thank you for believing in our program despite the buzz. Just hop down to the Alpha Phi Alpha building, you like ribs, right?" Devonte responded with a wide grin as he proceeded to go on his way as he spotted one of his friends in the hallway.

Jace was silent for a second, watching Devonte disappear like a pastor with the collection plate after church. "Man said 'guardian angel' like he about to save my soul or something."

Isaiah chuckled, pushing off the doorframe. "Nah, Devonte's solid. We call him the deacon on the field for a reason, he don't talk just to talk. If he says he got you, he got you, he the type to fight a gang of people if they look funny at his bro. Now, let's get moving before all the good food gets snatched up. Linemen eat like they tryna solve world hunger in one sitting."

"Hahaha, now that's gospel. How about I meet you there? I gotta land first, and maybe hop in the shower," Jace responded, zipping open his bag, only for a couple of socks to fly out.

"Aight looks like you gon need a while, I'll shoot you a text and you can text me when you reach. Peace of advice stay away from the green cups," Isaiah said closing the door as he also went on his way leaving Jace to do his thing.

~~~

[Jace's Dorm Room 411, Cedar Hall, 14:05, 31/07/2021]

Jace exhaled as the door clicked shut behind Isaiah, leaving him alone in his new space for the first time. He glanced around, running a hand through his afro before rubbing his face. It had been a long morning, and even though moving in wasn't exactly back-breaking labour, having to leave his sisters left a bigger toll than he thought it would.

Even though he managed to move them out of their situation, and they were no more than a 10-minute walk away having to leave them hurt him deeper than he thought it would. For the past 3 years, he had been fighting to defend what was left of his family so a part of him felt like he was abandoning them. He knew they were good, and this was for the best, but he found it hard to believe he wouldn't see them regularly.

"(sigh) Let's just get ready," he muttered to himself as he proceeded to empty his bags doing his best to fill up his wardrobe. Yara had made him buy new bedding which he proceeded to exchange with the basic ones the school had prepared for him.

It took him a whole half an hour to get his side of the room ready which included packing his wardrobe, bedding, and even his posters mounted on that wall. One picture was of his favourite player the late King of LA Kobe Bryant, and another poster was a team photo of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. These were his two sources of motivation to be as great as the mamba someday and have professional cheerleaders cheer for him.

The room being a corner room was quite spacious compared to the rest with a 4-meter area in the middle of the room acting as communal space between him and his roommate. They also had a small balcony, not enough to play a hot tub in but they could for sure put a grill out there. Mounting a humidifier under on the windowsill he picked up a towel and his toiletry bag before heading for the shower.

~~~

[De Neve Plaza, 14:15, 31/07/2021]

Alexandra Luisa Jacobs adjusted her grip on her suitcase handle as she walked toward Cedar Hall, her heart pounding with excitement. The heat wasn't as brutal as she had expected, but it still clung to her skin, making her long for the cool air-conditioning of her dorm. Despite that, she couldn't help but smile as she took in the UCLA campus. This was it. The next step in her soccer journey.

She had dreamed of this moment for years—walking into a college as a recruited athlete. Unlike other players in the same sport who wanted to debut as quickly as possible, she wanted to experience college life. She had only picked up soccer as a pastime only to fall in love with it and decide to make a career out of it.

However, getting an education was always part of her plans, the fact that the sport became popular in the country, especially for women was a boon. So, she decided to complete her studies in 3 years trying to get as many credits as possible even if it meant spending her summers in school. Like most sports on campus, the summer training program for the women's soccer team would also start on the first of August.

Whilst some of her teammates had already arrived on campus a few days ago she was cutting it close as she had been convicted to go on a hot girl summer trip with her high school friends. Since they would likely not see each other that often in the future unless they went home on holidays she had agreed. The whole summer had passed by in a blur of drinking, partying, and dancing repeat she for sure made a few mistakes she decided to forget.

Slipping her glasses up the bridge of her nose, she glanced at the dorm map she had printed out. "Room 411," she murmured to herself before looking up at the towering building ahead. "Alright, let's do this."

Dragging her suitcase behind her, she made her way inside, the cool air hitting her instantly as she stepped through the automatic doors. The lobby was mostly quiet, save for a few other early arrivals checking in. She approached the front desk, where a student worker greeted her with a friendly smile.

"Hey! Welcome to Cedar Hall. You checking in?" The student behind the desk asked her without even looking up as he continued reading something on his phone.

"Yeah, Alex Jacobs. Room 411." Alexandra replied subconsciously using her nickname which she had been using since elementary school when at some point everyone assumed she was a boy.

The student merely nodded and quickly scanned the roster of students set for early arrivals before nodding. "Got you right here. You're one of the early birds, huh? Most of the students won't be moving in for another few weeks." He said with a disinterested tone as he opened up a drawer looking for the designated card.

Alex nodded, tucking a loose strand of curly blonde hair behind her ear not minding the fact the guy seemed to ignore her. In fact, she appreciated it more than receiving the lustful glances she usually received from boys. "Yeah, here for the soccer program. Got told that the summer camp was mandatory,"

Upon hearing this the boy stopped in his tracks as he looked at the info nation on the screen again only now seeing the bold words Women's Soccer team next to her name. "Nice. The women's team is good to see them gain some new blood. Should be a fun season." He slid a keycard across the desk as he looked at her for the first time a wide smile forming on his face as he took in her features.

'(Sigh) And there it is,' Alex thought to herself with a dejected sigh as she could practically feel what he wanted to do to her given the chance as his eyes travelled over her body. Without bothering to say another word she proceeded to check take her card and walk off towards the elevator.

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To be Continued...