I felt like I could jump over to the tallest building. “What could I approve to make it an A?”
He shook his head. “Work on those paragraphs I circled and maybe wrap up with a point of view. What are your thoughts on artists of that time period being beholden to benefactors? Maybe talk about how that hasn’t changed in all this time. Artists today are still under the thumb of grants and people with money who will support the work they want to do. If you do that… Well, An A is possible.” He studied me as if he were just seeing me for the first time. “You’re really taking this seriously. That’s great, Mason. You should be proud of that work. I am.”
“I am too. I just didn’t know if I was on the right track. I don’t have a lot of… well, I needed you to tell me it was okay, I guess. It makes me feel good to know that you’re proud of me, actually. Thank you. That really means a whole hell of a lot to me, Calvin.” I said honestly. If he knew how much I cared about what he thought, it might surprise him.
“Let me grade that quiz?” he studied the paper and marked one that I had gotten wrong, he wrote down the correct answer. He put another X on a question on page 2 and glanced up at me. “Are you gonna just watch me grade this? You’re making me nervous.” He scrunched up his face as he looked back at the quiz.
“Do I make you nervous, Calvin,” I said slowly, teasing him.
“You definitely make me… a little, I guess. I’m just not used to being around big old football players, like you, Mason.” Sarcasm dripped from his voice. It did little to hide the truth, though. I made him uncomfortable. Now I needed to find out why.
“Okay, Mason. Once again, you did great. You missed two. that’s’ another B. I am so fucking proud of you.” He looked at me with a new look on his face. Admiration? Pride? Whatever I craved to see it again.
“That’s all I really wanted to hear, Calvin. Thank you.” I felt my cheeks redden.
“Do you want to look at your other classes? Or should we stay on this?” he said, sitting back in his chair.
“Can we call it a night? I know it’s a little early, but I really just want to go grab a drink with you,” I said honestly, leaning forward with my elbows on the table and almost tipped it over with my weight. Calvin grabbed it and started cackling.
“Whoa there, big boy. You almost broke the table with those biceps of yours,” he snickered, wiping the tears from his eyes. “Fine… Let’s go. Jesus, I needed that laugh. The look on your face, dude…”
I chuckled. “These guns just get in the way.” I raised my arms and bent them, flexing them for all they were worth. My biceps bulging and my shoulders straining my t-shirt. I stuck my tongue out the side of my mouth playfully.
“Put those away before someone gets pregnant,” he sighed. His eyes, though, took it all in.
“Gay boys can’t get pregnant, Calvin,” I scolded, trying to sound like a teacher.
“Tell that to my ovaries,” he said under his breath. “You ready? Or do you need me to leave first?”
That took me completely off guard. I bit my bottom lip. All the actual concentration on the quiz prevented me from getting a chubby tonight, so I was good.
“Nope,” I stood up slowly. “Let’s go.” I grabbed my backpack and stuffed the paper and pen into it. He picked his up off of the floor and stood up too.
“Good,” he smirked. “Let’s go. A beer sounds great.”
“What? A Kentucky boy like you wants a beer on a Friday night? No way… Tonight, you and I are drinking Kentucky’s finest bourbon. You do like bourbon, don’t you?” I teased. He glanced over at me as we walked through the stacks to the stairs.
“I love bourbon. I grew up a country boy. It’s in my blood,” he said stubbornly.
“Me too, you know. I bet we have a lot in common, dude?” I said seriously. “I bet a lot.”
“Maybe? The jury’s still out,dude.” He said snidely.
We walked over to Sam’s and sat down at a table over in the corner. He smirked as he slid down into the booth. The waitress was right there, and we both ordered a bourbon, neat. We stared at each other as she went behind the bar and brought it back over. For a Friday night, Sam’s wasn’t too busy.
“I love this place. I ordered my first beer in this place my freshman year. If it weren’t for Sam’s, there wouldn’t be a place for underage people to get a beer,” I laughed. “How does this place manage to not get shut down?”
Calvin’s face beamed at me with a giant smile. “I ordered my first beer in here my senior year of high school. I was so nervous I almost peed my pants.”
“You’re from here?” I asked, surprised. I didn’t know he was from Moray. Lots of the students here were, but I had always imagined him being from someplace else. Bardstown, maybe.
“Yep. Born and bred. My family had a small soybean farm and raised cattle. What about you?” he asked. I admit, imagining him in the barn taking a nap in the hay, did something to me. I adjusted myself under the table.
“I’m from a small nowhere in eastern Kentucky. I hated it there and try to not go back as much as possible. With training and the game schedule, I find a way to stay away for most of the year. I visit at Christmas, of course, and for a few weeks in the summer. I love my family, but I never really felt like I fit in there.” The bourbon burned just right as it went down, warming me up from the inside.
“Oh, come on,” he raised an eyebrow at me. It was adorable. “I bet you were the star of your town, weren’t you? Eastern takes football seriously. I bet they threw you a parade every time you made a touchdown.”
“Not far from the truth, actually.” I sighed sadly. “You know how you are in the moment, and you look around and think, this has nothing to do with me? It’s just a sham, in a way. Those people loved you when you were on top and dragged you through the mud whenever you weren’t. When I came here, my eyes opened up quite a bit. I mean, I wasn’t the starter, and I probably never will be. Moray, even though it’s in the same state, is about as different as Paris, France, from my hometown. Everyone there is white, conservative, and Baptist. Here I met so many other people, and my small world opened up. I can go back to visit, but I could never live there again. I am not the same as them, any longer.”
