🌎 🌎 “Path to Manhood” by Dane C. Hawkins

The manager notices how tense things are and approaches to observe just as the resident assistant responds. “Ma’am, they were right. We don’t have any more rooms in the freshman dorm. It looks like he’s going to have to find an off-campus option until something becomes available. Maybe next semester.”

“There is no way this is the only answer you have for me. I’m not accepting that. We just drove here all the way from Washington DC. We don’t know anything about Atlanta, and neither me nor God has any intention of leaving my son stranded with nowhere to live.”

The manager, surprised at Jairus’ mother calling upon God, leans over the shoulder of the resident assistant to look up something on the system then says “Ma’am I see what happened here. His first roommate requested someone else that they already knew, and the assignments got changed. They should have provided him a new assignment during his orientation when this all happened.”

“If you haven’t already realized, we’re from Washington D.C. He wasn’t able to make it to Atlanta for two days for a summer orientation. And nobody informed us his room assignment changed.”

“I’m sorry Ma’am. They should have mailed you a letter to address this. I don’t know that there is anything we can do at this point but suggest off-campus options.”

“My son doesn’t have a car to get on and off campus. I suggest you take another look in your system for something. I’ll lay hands on it and pray if you need me too, but you better find something.” Bernice says as she begins to raise her voice.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry but I don’t know what else we can do.”

“So, is this what he gets with his scholarship at this university? If this is what happens to the best and brightest, I hate to see how you treat everyone else. Maybe I do need to take him back home.”

With a look of wide-eyed surprise, the manager says, “Did you say he has a scholarship?” and then begins to look frantically in the system. Bernice knows she has finally broken through and will get some results. Jairus only has a partial scholarship that doesn’t even amount to half of his tuition, but they learn that scholarship students are guaranteed on-campus housing which means he’s no longer stuck under the requirement of the freshman dorm. His mother always seems to find a way to champion her children against all odds. Growing up as she did, where she is from, you generally learn to be a survivor or end up with a victim’s mind-state. And as a single mother being a victim is not an option. She also has a very big heart but is reluctant to show it to anyone but her two children and a few others. What she will show is her faith in God. Jairus is normally reluctant to have his mother fight his battles for him as he has her same independent spirit and wants to be able to handle things on his own. In this situation he is completely out of his depth and happy to sit back and watch his mom at work. Of course, he took mental notes of what she said and how she said it and more specifically the responses she got from each person she spoke with. If he couldn’t handle the situation now, he would at least be better equipped to do so if there is a next time.

Jairus is now in one of the dorms with an upperclassman whose roommate didn’t pay his tuition on time and had his room dropped. The woman who gave him his new room assignment told him he lucked out and got an upgrade. They arrive at his new building and automatically notice that the new dorm is much nicer than the freshman dorm. The building looks newer or at least renovated, and the rooms are bigger than he expected. His mother tells him nightmarish stories about where she lived during her short stint in college and this room is much larger than what she describes. He is happy to move into this room based on the lower expectations he had.

After all the unpacking, Jairus and his family go out to eat. His mother keeps giving him bits of advice from her experience with college at his age. “There’s going to be so many things and people trying to distract you. You biggest asset will be your ability to maintain focus.” “I know you have always been smart and gifted, but it won’t matter if you don’t use it to ensure your success.” “The devil will send things your way to derail you from your goals.” “The easiest things to find in college are the wrong people, fake friends, and fun instead of working hard. Temptation is everywhere.” The type of things most parents want to say to their college kid but don’t always have the right words. Bernice is not at a loss for words. Unfortunately, like most eighteen-year-olds, that wisdom is falling on deaf ears. He valued his mother's opinion but, in this case, she only went to college for a short time so he is naive enough to think there isn’t much she can really tell him about surviving at college. Plus, her time at college was so long ago he couldn’t imagine her experience would be anything like his will be in the present. After dinner Bernice and Damaris head for the hotel with plans of leaving first thing in the morning. Bernice only has enough money to check in for one night and has to get back to Washington D.C. to make sure she has time to prepare for work the following day. As his mother leaves, she says to him, “Baby, I know this is a big step and I wish I could stay down here longer to get you settled in, but I have to get back to work. I gotta make some money to send my son who’s away in college. Good luck, stay focused, and stay out of trouble. Now give your sister a hug before we go.” She grinned and moved aside to watch them, then finally said, “We aren’t going to stop at my cousins on the way back unless I’m tired. We’ll call when we get back safely. I know you will be great down here, baby. We love you, Jerry.” Jairus hugs his sister and mother one last time and kisses them goodbye.

That is that and now he is alone, at least he thinks so, until in comes his roommate, Marcus Turner, who is a fourth year Junior. He is a 5’9” stocky build, chocolate brown brother with an invitingly warm personality that makes everyone comfortable around him even though he is very opinionated. Marcus is the type of guy that went to school for all the right things and just forgot what the hell they are. He is more into the business of people than college, always providing advice and finding intrigue in what other people have going on in life while trying to maintain a laid-back image. He has an opinion about everything and everyone just from a first impression. His penchant for unsolicited advice and a disregard for conformity earned him the nickname “Nat,” for Nat Turner, amongst his friends on campus. “So Jairus, how the fuck you end up in this dorm instead of the freshman dorm?” asks Nat. He replies, “I guess I’m just ‘Like That.’” He awkwardly pauses as Nat says nothing and cuts his eyes at him after the weird comment that he chalks up to Jairus thinking he must impress him to get his approval. Then in a moment of honesty Jairus says, “I’m just glad this dorm looks better than the one I was supposed to be in.” They talk a little more and find out where each other is from. “It can get crazy in here, boy. Gotta make sure you got your head on straight. This ain’t watcha use ta back in D.C.” Nat tells him. He already picked up on Jairus’ D.C. area accent and asks, “So what brought you all the way to my neck a da woods?” They talk about how they both ended up at the school and Jairus finds himself comfortable talking about personal stuff and tells Nat, “Aye young, I gotta girl back home. I’m just going to be in the books, slim.” Nat found this very funny and laughed at Jairus’ hopeful thinking. Knowing how easily it is to fall into temptation as a freshman Nat then said, “Nigga you funny if you think you not gonna want to cut none a these other birds. Might as well end that shit now.” Jairus replies, “I ain’t worried about none of these chicks. My girl is all I need!” He says it with a forcefulness that makes Nat think he’s trying to convince more than just him. Nat laughs a little more but leaves the topic alone. If that’s what he wants to believe, he thinks. “I’m ‘bout to hit the caf for dinner if you trying to roll, then you can see what I’m talkin’ bout,” says Nat. Nat explains that the cafeteria hours on the weekend close earlier so there is more of a rush and no time to waste if they are going to get something to eat. Jairus already ate with his family, but is excited to see more things on campus, so he is happy to go with Nat to the caf.

So, they leave the room on the way to the cafeteria, and as soon as they step outside of the dorm hall all Jairus can see are the students all over campus. It’s only the second day the dorms have been open so there is no class but there are people everywhere. It’s an HBCU so all you can see is the multitude of beautiful shades of brown faces on people coming from all different places. Nat makes a point to call attention to multiple women he assumes Jairus will find attractive. He also points out some of the not so obvious things about the students to school Jairus on how to know where people are from just by looking at them or listening to them. Jairus hasn’t spent much time outside of Washington D.C. or Maryland besides a family reunion in North Carolina or an occasional trip to see his mother’s cousins. So, he isn’t aware of the fashion differences and accents that come along with each region, but he is a quick study and easily begins to see the differences himself. Some from the northeast in the New York/New Jersey area, as well as some from Philly were easy to pick out. They all dressed like copies of the rappers that are popular in hip hop. D. C., Maryland, and Virginia are easy for him, too, because they are the only ones who seem normal to him. North Carolina, South Carolina, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Texas are a bit harder to tell apart because their strong accents all sound the same to him at first listen. Chicago is a hard one even though Nat seemed to be able to point them out. And there are even people from as far as California, but only a small few. The girls from these places all carry very diverse styles and attitudes and that is the first thing that Jairus notices about them. Some of the differences he likes and some he doesn’t. He can do without some of the bright colors but doesn’t mind all the high heels. Nat knows people from everywhere and what should be a five-minute trek to the caf turns into 20 minutes. You can tell by the way he moves through the crowd that he has mastered this like a sport. Nat has to speak to someone different every time he turns his head. Some people just get a simple what’s up, others he stops to speak with. He does a little flirting, catches up with some of his old friends, and introduces Jairus to some of the upperclassmen he might see around campus. Jairus is spending this time looking around and catching the sights. He can’t help but notice all the women with short skirts and tight jeans, the fellas standing around trying to look impressive or intimidating, the guys on the end of the corner spittin’ freestyle raps, and the people standing in a huddled group trying to conceal the smoke from their weed. This is definitely not what Jairus thought a trip to get food would be like and he quickly realizes this is more about socializing for Nat than it is about dinner. Although he is quiet the whole time, he is soaking it in. This is his first real college experience since he got to Atlanta. He couldn’t interact like this walking around with his mom and little sister.

Finally, they arrive at the cafeteria after wading through the crowd outside only to find that the other half of the school is inside. The energy inside of the caf is something he has never experienced before. With radio friendly hip hop and R&B music playing in the background and the bustling sound of the people conversing all around as they meet or greet each other for the first time this year. To Jairus it feels like a cookout with no adults over the age of 23, a high school homecoming game without the actual game, a house party with 1200 of your “closest friends.” All Jairus can think to say is, “Damn, is it like this in here every day?” This being the normal atmosphere for the beginning of the school year and Nat being something of a veteran student at this point his only reply is that of someone with more experience with navigating the situation… “That line is long as shit!” They hurry to get in line and wait just like everyone else. Jairus can see all the interactions and familiarity between so many of the people in the caf. How comfortable people seem with each other and how happy others are just to cross paths in the caf to end up eating at different tables with different groups. At the same time, he feels so out of place not knowing anyone else that is currently attending the school, beyond his new roommate. He wonders if he’ll ever find any friends like that here. He wonders if he’s the only “stranger” in this sea of familiar faces and how do you even get that close with someone you didn’t grow up with. Most of his good friends are his family members and he just can’t imagine building a bond as close as some of these people portray, at school. It’s a nice school atmosphere and the people all seem nice, but Jairus has always been the type to observe from the background first. Not in the shy sense. He just wants to know his environment and isn’t the type to look for attention. He is very comfortable in his own skin in most situations. He has no idea what the college experience is truly going to be like, but he will learn sooner than he expects.

They get their food about twenty minutes after they enter the line then they find somewhere to sit. They sit and eat their food while Jairus is constantly looking around and processing everything he is taking in. Not much is said as they eat except little comments made by Nat about how bad the food tastes. Jairus really doesn’t find anything wrong with the food personally. The grass is always greener on the other side of the field, and Nat has been sitting in this field for quite a few years now. Suddenly Nat goes into shock at the sight of a girl walking in their direction through the caf. He says under his breath “boy, I been kicking myself since I messed that up a couple years ago” before flagging over two girls who look more like sisters than friends as they approach the guys at the table. The older of the two is named Tina, she is a senior and the one Nat was just going a little crazy over. He has already introduced Jairus to a few girls during this trip to the caf but this is the only one that seems to make him nervous, like he has to impress her. After all his authoritative talk on how to navigate the people on campus, it is surprising and funny to Jairus. Nat stands up and gives her a hug as he greets her and Tina says, “How you doing Nat? Can my cousin and I sit with you and your friend?” Nat replies, “Girl, you know I can always make room for you. This is my new roommate Jairus. He a freshman.” Tina says “Oh, for real! My cousin is a freshman, too. Lisa this is Nat and did you say...Jar-is.” “Close but you can call me J’ if you have to. Umm...nice to meet you, Tina. And you too Lisa,” replies Jairus. Lisa, keeping to herself, gives a simple “Nice to meet you Jairus” in response. Jairus shockingly thinks to himself she actually said my name right on the first try. He is immediately impressed, since it rarely happens and now is more interested although he didn’t want to show it. They sit and have lunch and Nat and Tina catch up on each other’s summer. Nat continually interjects with flirtatious comments by “accident” and Tina purposefully shoots each one down. Jairus and Lisa just sit and eat, occasionally cutting their eyes at each other to see if the other is hearing this back-and-forth interaction going on between Nat and Tina. No words are exchanged between the two, but they share a couple of smirks over how hard Nat seems to be trying to say the right thing to Tina and how she is not giving him an inch. Tina and Lisa are clearly from New York. Or at least that’s what Jairus gathers from Tina while she is talking. Lisa doesn’t say much at all. Which makes Jairus intrigued even though he would never admit it. He thinks she is very pretty but kind of skinny. She thinks he's cute but wonders why he hasn’t tried to throw himself at her like half of the guys she crossed paths with that day. Both are reserved in the moment and don’t even spark up a platonic conversation with the other. They just sit there awkwardly trying not to overreact to anything and embarrass themselves. All of this is new to them both and they have yet to comfortably navigate how to operate in their unfamiliar environment. Nat briefly interjects and tries to get them talking by asking what Lisa’s major is. Unexpectedly she is an engineering major just like Jairus and Nat lets her know but it still doesn’t lead to much more than a smile and a head nod between the two. Tina makes a point to inform them both that “my little cousin is about to kill it here!”

They finish their dinner and then part ways. Tina and Lisa go one direction to the girls’ dorms and Jairus and Nat go the other way toward their dorm. On the way there Nat can’t help but make fun of Jairus for being scared to talk to Lisa at the table. Jairus hoped that Nat didn’t notice the awkwardness because he was so busy talking to Tina. He jokes about Nat getting seemingly rejected by Tina at the table and Nat gives him the back story on Tina. He says, “I started ‘talkin’ to Tina back in second semester sophomore year. I really liked that gurl too, but I tried to keep it just friends for too long and after a few months of me avoiding commitment she cut everything off. By the next year she was done with me. We eventually got cool, but I shoulda locked her down. On that bullshit.” He also tells Jairus, “If Lisa anything like Tina, you better keep yo eye on her cause she will have her shit together. A lot of people you meet round here won’t.” Jairus definitely finds Lisa attractive and even wanted to talk to her at the table, but he still has his mind set on being faithful to his girlfriend and he couldn’t think of a thing to say at the time that didn’t feel like an attempt to holla at her. He’s never been the type to have female friends outside of the girls who are friends with his sister or cousins. He never tried to have a platonic friendship with a girl, but in his current situation it may have to be that or spend all his days being antisocial. After the experience, he now realizes it won’t be as easy as he thought to stay away from all the women on this college campus.

Nat and Jairus decide to stay outside with the rest of the school since it is such a nice night. This gives Jairus the chance to talk to his roommate a little more so that he can pick his brain. He finds that Nat came to school as a Political Science major and is now a Psychology major. He is one of those deep brothers who has a theory about everything in life and thinks he can read everyone he meets. A lot of the things Nat says makes a lot of sense but a lot of it is over Jairus’ head. He definitely didn’t want to hear about the games women play or anything bad about women for that matter. Jairus’ faith and confidence in his relationship isn’t going to be easily shaken because she is the only person he feels has been there for him, outside of his family. Of course, Nat gave him an ear full of woman advice anyway. He will have to get used to it as his roommate. He regularly hands out advice whether you want it or not.

When they get back to the room Jairus checks his telephone messages and Nat begins to play his PlayStation video games. Jairus has a message from his girlfriend Tania, who he immediately calls back with one of the calling cards his mother got for him. She is excited to know how his first day was and quickly says, “Tell me everything! Tell me about the new school, the different people you met, the dorm room. Have you met your roommate yet? Is he a bama?” Jairus gets her to slow down and tells her all about everything she’s asking, all except the women he saw. He also explains how he ended up in the party dorm, and how his mother had to straighten out everything for his room assignment. They talk on the phone for about two hours. He talks of having nothing to do for the next couple of days with classes starting on Tuesday. He then begins to tell her about his roommate and how he is a proud third semester Junior. He is a ‘Bama’ from Atlanta but he’s all right, plus he introduced him to a lot of people. Jairus ends the conversation with, “It’s about ten thousand people here but you know I’m always keeping to myself anyway. I like it here so far, but I see myself getting homesick and wanting to see you more, but I can deal wit’ it. I really don’t have a choice.” She encourages him that it will be fine, and he will love it soon enough. He misses her already and isn’t so sure but doesn’t want her to know it. He finishes their conversation saying, “I’ll be alright as soon as I start meeting people and make a few friends. It’s gettin’ kinda late so I’m about to go to sleep. I’ll hit you back later, I love you.” After his conversation ends Jairus rolls over in his bed to go to sleep.

First thing the next morning the phone rings bright and early. Nat automatically tells him he is getting another phone call knowing that no one would be calling him that early. It is Jairus’ mother. She and Damaris are about to hit the road to get back to D.C. and she wants to know if he is feeling alright after spending his first night on campus in his room. As much as she wants to let him go to learn on his own, she doesn’t know how to not worry about her kids. He gives her a rundown about the evening very quickly, but he can’t go into as much detail with his mother. Bernice then tells him how she called his aunt and cousins and gave them his phone number. He realizes his cousin probably gave the number to Tania and that’s how she was able to call. He makes the mistake of telling his mother that she had called him the night before even though he knows she isn’t Tania’s biggest fan. “That girl just couldn’t wait to check up on you and make sure you weren’t doing anything. Tell her to chill out!” He tries to assure her it isn’t like that, but he knows there’s no hope of changing his mother’s opinion about Tania. There is something about his girlfriend that his mother just doesn’t like. This has always had Jairus being pulled in two directions. Before they get off the phone Jairus’ mother says she will call to let him know when she is halfway home and again when they finally arrive. She does things like that, not because she wants him to know she is okay, but because she can’t help but to check up on her children. It doesn’t bother him though. His mother is one of the most important people in his life and any form of love she displays is welcomed and encouraged by Jairus.

2

“Do You Have To Know Everyone On Campus?”

It is Tuesday morning at 8:00 a.m. The alarm is going off and Jairus is up. He doesn’t have class until noon, but his mother told him to get up in the morning and go have breakfast. Being the mama’s boy he is, he listens. He gets into the shower for about twenty minutes and makes it to the caf by about 9:30 a.m. Today is his light day of class; he only has two classes on Tuesday and Thursday. He still doesn’t know that many people, so he eats breakfast alone. He enjoys the food and as he is leaving sees someone walking ahead of him that he assumes is from the same general area as himself, or as he puts it “from the area.” His first thought is to keep to himself; he doesn’t know him and can’t just walk up to him and start talking. As Jairus passes the stranger he hears someone say with a strong accent “You from PG or D.C.?” Jairus turns and looks, then replies, “I’m from Southeast. What’s up, I’m Jairus. You?” “My name is Ducron but you can call me Duc. I’m originally from Northwest but I stay in Maryland,” answers the stranger. Duc has a caramel brown complexion, is a clean-cut young man standing about 4 inches shorter then Jairus at 5’7,” and looked a bit more put together then most of the lost freshmen wandering alone around campus. Even though he is on the shorter side in height he lacks nothing in confidence and is as extraverted as anyone you will meet. They talk briefly, joking about how different their new environment is, then begin walking in the same direction for a while and decide to sit in front of the bookstore and chill for a while. It is only about 10:30 a.m. and neither of them has class earlier than noon. They talk about what they have in common, both being from the metropolitan area, both being freshmen and both being engineering majors. Jairus is beginning to feel like everyone he meets is an engineering major at this point. Their conversation starts off as mostly swapping stories about where they frequent back home trying to find things they have in common. Then they speak of what they think of their new school and new home in Atlanta. Duc stays in the freshmen dorm and talks about how most of the guys in his dorm look lost. Jairus talks about how most of the people in his dorm look drunk or high. They talk about how funny everyone who isn’t “from home” dresses and how boring it has been at the school so far. And Duc talks about the women...a lot. It gets close to noon and the fellas part ways and make plans to hook up later at dinner where Duc would introduce Jairus to more people from D.C. and Maryland, or as he put it “from home.”

Jairus’ first class is Health class, which is a freshman requirement. He walks into the class directly in front of his teacher but because his teacher is so young, he doesn’t realize it. The teacher’s name is Mr. Carter, and he starts the class with an introduction of himself. He tells the students that he doesn’t believe in giving out D’s and F’s and that he is there to teach and not fail. Mr. Carter says, “I believe that teachers who pride themselves on failing the most students are really failing themselves.” The students in the class like him already. He explains that his class is a very liberal class and that they will cover a lot of topics that people may feel strongly about. “If you can’t stand to hear a little cursing you need to get the hell outta my class,” says Mr. Carter. He feels like any student should feel comfortable coming to him if they need someone to listen to or help them through their problems. He has each of the students stand up and introduce himself then he gives them a brief overview of what he’ll do next class and lets them go.

Jairus goes back to his room to meet up with Nat and they go to lunch. As they are having lunch Jairus tells Nat about the class with Mr. Carter and asks him if he has had his class. Nat has nothing but praise for the class and especially for the teacher. Saying that Mr. Carter is the first teacher that will actually make you think about things or talk about topics you may usually keep to yourself. Mr. Carter is known for caring about your mental and social health as well as your physical. They sit around a little longer in the caf and Nat spots Tina having lunch as they are leaving out. They go over and Nat says, “Grandpa always said that when you keep running into someone it means they have something for you.” “I have already seen what you have to order, Nat” Tina quickly responds stopping him. In the brief awkward moment of silence Jairus rushes off to his next class as Nat shakes it off and slowly makes his way to the dorm room. After his second class of the day Jairus goes back to his room to relax for a while. While he’s in his room Jairus gets a call from his mother and she asks him about his first day of class. Does he like all of his teachers? Did he meet any new people or make any friends? Is his roommate okay? Are there any pretty girls? That’s when the conversation goes bad because Tania comes up in the conversation again. “You know I can’t stand that trifling little girl. I don’t see why you waste your time anyway. You can’t trust her. Her fast tail don’t do nothing but run around the streets,” says Bernice. Jairus replies, “Why do you always have something bad to say about Tania? I’ve been with her for over a year. It's about time to let it go, Ma. It’s not changing the way I feel about her.” He pauses and hears only silence. He knows it means his mother has nothing positive to say so he says, “I gotta go. I’m supposed to meet my friend at 7:30. I’ll talk to you later. Love you.” He hangs up the phone and heads to the cafeteria to meet with Duc. On his way there he passes a group of guys outside smoking, giving everyone who passes by dirty looks. As Jairus walks by the group of guys he hears one of them mumble something about people from D.C. thinking they’re hard. He ignores it and continues to the caf thinking to himself, I see why everyone from home sticks together.

When he gets to the caf he sees Duc and three other people. “What’s up Jairus. This is Rob, Paul and my roommate Mike. Everybody, this is my man Jairus,” says Duc. Jairus instantly notices how Rob and Paul seem to scream “D.C. area” with everything about them from the accents they speak with to the clothes they wear. Rob has a very dark complexion and Paul is more of a peanut butter complexion, but otherwise they looked to be copies of each other in the way they carry themselves, dress, and even their slim build and height between 6’ foot to 6’2.” Mike on the other hand is much more reserved than his three companions and if not for being Duc’s roommate he probably wouldn’t end up with this group. He has a much stronger southern accent and different way of dressing but with broad shoulders and just over a 6-foot stature he definitely didn’t seem soft or weak amongst the group. He is actually built very similar to Jairus with a chocolate brown complexion although the facial features are much different and Jairus being slightly shorter. They go into the caf and wait in line to get food. While in line they compare majors and talk about being from D.C. or Maryland. Except Mike that is; he is from Atlanta. They compare stories about some of the women they’ve seen since they got to the school and talk about some of the girls they‘re seeing at the moment. During the conversation Lisa walks by and Duc and Paul begin to comment on how good she looks, and Mike makes the comment “That’s one of the finest girls I’ve seen yet. Somebody is gonna snatch her ass up quick.” ”I met her the other day” Jairus says. Instantly they all turn their heads and look at him waiting for something more before Duc says, “And what happened?”

“We talked. She cool. But I got a girl back home.” Jairus replies. Which is met with trash talk from everyone about him being scared to get her number. All except for Mike, who is more inclined to mind his own business. Then they make their way to the first open table they see. As they start to sit down about three fraternity brothers approach them and tell them they can’t sit at the table because it’s for the frat. Rob and Paul then begin to tell them where they can take their frat and what to do with it when they get there. The argument becomes loud, and more frat brothers approach the group of guys to join in. This doesn’t intimidate Rob or Paul at all because Rob is the type who doesn’t like to back down, the kind to get everyone else into a fight for what he believes. Paul just stands up glaring at their confronters gritting his teeth without saying a word. Clearly, they don’t intimidate him, and he looks ready to prove it. Their personalities go hand and hand with each other, always looking for or accidentally finding trouble. The best type of guys to have your back and the worst type to take out in public. As the cursing and yelling gets louder, Mike and Jairus just sit and wait for something to happen. Neither of them is the type to start a fight or the type to run away from a problem. Duc is the only one in the group trying to play mediator, but he can barely get a word in over all the cursing and yelling to calm down Rob or Paul. “They probably wouldn’t listen to you anyway,” says Mike.

The commotion calls attention to the cafeteria director who quickly comes and puts an end to the argument before it becomes more serious. His small amount of authority and the threat of losing caf access is all it takes. Rob got his table and the frat brothers got to keep their label as being the big men on campus. The fellas laugh and talk about their classes and as they eat, they notice many people looking at them in amazement. Nat comes up to the table and introduces himself as Jairus’ roommate and then explains how the frat does the same thing to freshmen every year and not one person ever stands up for himself or herself. He tells the guys they will make a name for themselves quickly if they keep making scenes like that and drops some deep quote about the changing of the guard that goes over everyone’s head. He talks a little more, telling Mike that he reminds him of someone, then leaves to continue his dinner. As he walks away, Jairus notices the group of guys that tried to mess with him with the comment about people from D.C. He tells his friends about it and Mike says he knows one of them. Mike says “I can’t say anything about New Yorkers as a whole but that muthafucka thinks he is the shit. I guess he thinks we are all country once you get below Jersey.” Duc replies, “That shit ain’t even worth worrying about unless they say somethin’ to you directly. Otherwise, fuck it!” Paul makes the comment “Them bamas ain’t trying to see me anyway, young. I really don’t think they want it.” The other fellas laugh, agree with the comments made and drop the subject. A little while later Lisa approaches the table and introduces herself to everyone. Rob immediately tries to lay on some charm and Lisa smiles, but she came over for someone else. She jokingly calls Jairus out saying, “I never would have guessed you were a troublemaker” as she flirtatiously batts her eyes “You know we like bad boys. Now I see why you don’t talk much. You don’t have to.”

Trying to mask his nerves as jokes he replies, “In that case I wish it was me. That’s Paul trying to get kicked out of school.” They laugh and he flirts with her a little more and they talk a little about class and realize that they have the same engineering major and some classes together. They end the discussion, and she leaves with her girlfriends. Once she’s gone Duc immediately says “Oh I guess we forgot all about your girl back home huh? And you still ain’t get the number!” He gets a laugh from everyone else who all claim she is waiting for him to ask, and he just sat there. “What the hell is wrong with you?” asks Paul. Jairus then goes back into his routine about not messing with anyone at school because he had a girl at home and the others just laugh. Rob says, “All these women on this campus and you’re worried about a girl all the way back home. Nigga we in Atlanta, let it go.” Mike seems to be the only one in the group that didn’t really give him a hard time about it. Of course, he got a few good laughs at the jokes, but he made a point to state that he respects what Jairus is trying to do with his long-distance relationship. Jairus appreciates that about Mike and that endears him to Mike more than Paul and Rob.

The guys walk out of the caf and it is dark outside. Along the main street through the campus all you can see are cars and people standing along the sidewalks. They begin to walk a little then the group splits. Paul and Rob go off into the shadows to smoke a blunt and Duc, Jairus and Mike go back to Duc and Mike’s room to play video games. As the three of them play video games they talk more about the situation in the caf and realize how Rob really started the argument. They talk a little more about some women they just met or want to meet, and they talk about their classes tomorrow. They realize that the three of them have the same English class and Duc and Jairus have the same pre-engineering class. It is beginning to get late so Jairus says goodbye to his new friends and makes his way back to his dorm room where he gets ready for his next day of class. Nat comes into the room about two hours after Jairus. He doesn’t make a fuss over the first day of classes like Jairus does. Jairus assumes it’s because he has already done it so many times before. They begin to talk, and Nat brings up Mr. Carter again. Nat tells him when he had Mr. Carter also and how he is always there for you when you need him. Nat says, “Somehow that dude just always knows what’s going on with the students and will know your dirt personally if you get tight with him. Don’t think he won’t call you out either. The boy got connections.” Jairus then tells Nat how he ran into Lisa again but was surprised this time because she came and talked to him for a while. And once again the jokes about Jairus being scared begin. Nat says to him, “Oh so you excited to talk to girls now? No disrespect to the high school girlfriend though,” in a sarcastic tone. Jairus just laughs it off and changes the subject, making sure he knows how to get to all his classes and talking about everything else Nat felt like preaching at the time. Jairus is glad to feel like he and Nat will actually be friends instead of just roommates. Once they get done with the conversation Jairus sets his alarm and goes to sleep.

Jairus wakes up at 8:00 a.m. in the morning on Wednesday but today he decides to skip the cafeteria. He couldn’t force himself to wake up any earlier. His first class is at 9:00 a.m., and it is one of his classes for his major. He gets ready, and then heads out for his walk across campus. On his way he sees Mike talking to some people from Atlanta, so he stops and speaks then continues his walk across campus. On his way he is thinking about what the teacher might be like and hopes most of the teachers at the college are like Mr. Carter. When he gets to his class he is in for a rude awakening. He walks into the class and the first person he notices is Lisa in the middle of the class. The teacher is already in the class, so he quickly takes a seat in the rear of the class. Immediately his teacher begins to lay down the laws of the land. He now realizes that Mr. Carter is an exception among teachers. During the explanation of the course and the syllabus, Jairus can’t help but look around to see the others that share his major. The teacher calls upon the students to introduce him or herself and they each do, starting on the right side of the class. During the introductions Jairus attention goes to a tall skinny, light skin kid sitting in the very back corner of the class. He wonders why the guy is sitting alone, not talking to anyone, staring out of a window in the class. He hears him introduce himself as Ovaughn Stover. Jairus thinks to himself that maybe he should introduce himself to Ovaughn, like Duc did with him, but he isn’t nearly as outgoing as Duc. In his attempt to go over and speak to Ovaughn, Lisa being polite as ever stops him. His attempt is then forgotten, and he leaves for his next class, which is a history class. After his history class he heads back to the engineering building for his pre-engineering class that both he and Duc have. When he arrives, he has to wade through a group of people just to speak to his friend. “Nigga, do you have to know everyone on campus,” Jairus says. Duc replies sarcastically, “No, not everybody, just most of ‘em. I’m sorry if I have charm, that’s just me.” The teacher enters and they go through the regular routine of syllabus and introductions. Jairus also sees Lisa in the front of the class and Ovaughn once again in the far rear. He can see that those who share majors have a lot of the same classes together. It’ll be a little harder for him to stay away from Lisa, especially since every time he sees her Duc has some smart comment to make about his fear with women. It pisses Jairus off when he hears these comments because he knows he doesn’t fear Lisa. The problem is he is attracted to Lisa but wants to do the right thing and stay loyal to Tania.

Jairus then points out Ovaughn to Duc thinking that he will go up to him and introduce them, but he is too busy flirting with a couple of girls in the class. Jairus finds it amusing to watch Duc at work. He just can’t stop introducing himself time and time again and running his mouth to people like he’s trying to sell something. Jairus can tell that Duc can hook people just from the first impression because everyone, male and female, seems to like him in the class. As they leave the class to go to the next, Duc stops Jairus and tries to make him speak to Lisa. The attempt fails but there are many other young men speaking to her as they pass bye.

At 11:00 a.m., Duc and Jairus arrive to an English class where Jairus once again notices Ovaughn in the very back of the class. The two of them go over and sit with Mike, who is already sitting in the classroom. The English class is the smallest class any of the three of them has had all day, and because of the size of the class the teacher allows the students to walk around and speak to each other for an introduction. Jairus has already met a few of the people from his other classes but he takes this opportunity to go over and speak to Ovaughn. “What’s up man, your name is Ovaughn, right? I’m Jairus. We had the same class before this one. I think we have the same major.”

“Yeah, I saw you in my first class this morning you were talkin’ to that cute girl in the front, right?” he says. “You the first person to come up to me since I got here. I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb.”

“I felt the same way until yesterday, but I don’t think I’m as quiet as you,” Jairus says. “If you want you can come over here wit’ me and my boys, we’re gonna hit the caf after class and you can roll if you want.” Ovaughn accepts and follows Jairus over. As they get to the seats Jairus says “fellas this is Ovaughn.” Duc immediately blurts out “What‘s up slim? You look ji’e familiar. We met already?” Jairus just shakes his head realizing Duc has been in his own world all morning. Mike then breaks the silence and says “what’s up Ovaughn? You not from D.C. too, are you?” Ovaughn grins and gives a “nah” in response, before they take their seats for class.

When class is over, the four of them leave together and head to the cafeteria. In the cafeteria they talk about many different topics. They find it hard to get Ovaughn to open up so Duc, being the biggest extravert of the group, initiates some small talk with Ovaughn asking “We know you not from D.C. or P.G. And you not from Atlanta. So where you from?” Almost as if protecting Ovaughn, Jairus jumps in and says “What is this a Biggie interview?” referencing the skit at the beginning of the song Big Poppa. That gets a laugh out of Ovaughn which ends with him murmuring “NC” as he looks at Duc to gauge for a reaction. Mike then says “someone else from da south. Thank God.” From that point on Duc does most of the talking at the table, starting all the conversations. Ovaughn is mostly quiet when he isn’t asked a direct question. Duc once again brings up women and Mike begins to tell the guys about the women in the business department, then laughs at Duc complaining about some of the “monsters” in the engineering department. Mike then tells them “I have a theory that brainy women don’t care about their looks. Apparently, women in engineering are smarter than businesswomen.” This time Ovaughn bursts into laughter.

They finish their conversations and their lunches and leave the cafeteria. Duc goes back to the engineering building for another class, Mike heads back to the dorm room because he is done for the day, and Jairus and Ovaughn head to the math building for a Calculus class they both have. On the way to class, Ovaughn asks Jairus about the girl he saw him talking to in their other class. At first this catches Jairus off guard because it is the first conversation that Ovaughn initiates. Trying to hold back his frustration from everyone asking about Lisa Jairus says “She’s just a chick I met my first day here that happens to be in my major. It’s nothing.” Ovaughn picks up on the tone change and only says “She’s cute as shit. You should try to talk to her.” He doesn’t press the issue. He also mentions he saw her looking at a flier for a gym jam on campus Friday night that they all should go to. Jairus found it interesting that Ovaughn suddenly had so much to say about the Lisa situation even though he is so tight-lipped during lunch. He’s frustrated that even his newest friend has an opinion on what he should do with Lisa, which makes him even more intent on what he’s trying to do with Tania.

They arrive at the math building and once again Lisa is in the class with Ovaughn and Jairus. Apparently, the engineering department tries to place their students into very similar schedules. Likely to build the student networking relationships and support system. This time when Jairus speaks to Lisa, he introduces her to his newly found friend Ovaughn. Without much to say, Ovaughn takes a seat in the center of the class this time instead of the rear. Jairus wonders if it is because of the new friendship or just because it is next to Lisa. The teacher starts the class before Jairus can really give it any serious thought, but he is glad to see him let his guard down some regardless of the reason. The calculus teacher is an Asian man who can speak English but is difficult to understand with certain words. Even worse than that, he begins to go deep into a lesson on the very first day. Jairus and Lisa agree this will be the hardest class of the semester. Ovaughn just shrugs his shoulders when they ask him what he thinks. Jairus notices that it seems like he’s back to being tight-lipped again in class. They finish their last class and Jairus and Ovaughn begin to walk back to the dorms. They talk about the party being held on campus and Jairus starts to wonder about Ovaughn’s enthusiasm. He even says “For someone so quiet I’m surprised you’re so excited to go out. I mean, you’re shy right?” Ovaughn, seeming a bit offended, answers “I don’t think I’m that shy. I guess I just find it kind of overwhelming here. In North Carolina, I went to a school right outside of Charlotte where there were a handful of black people and a ton of white folks. So, all the black kids are tight, and we all know each other. I get here and nobody gives a damn about who you are or where you’re from and its so many people it doesn’t make sense. I guess that’s why I hadn’t met anyone yet and why I’m so quiet now.” Jairus realizes that calling him shy is a touchy area and decides to just accept it on face value to avoid offending him. They talk a little more about preparing for the party and Jairus tries to gradually bring up the other friends he, Mike, and Duc may bring along. Just like that, Ovaughn starts to reconsider and isn’t sure that he wants to go. He doesn’t know anybody and will probably just stand on the wall all night. Jairus tries to calm him and says “Young, just loosen up some. Look...you drink right? My roommate is an upperclassman. I can get him to go to the liquor store for us so we can drink before the party.” Ovaughn seems to like the idea so they leave the rest of that discussion to talk out with Duc and the other fellas that might want to go in on some alcohol. They eventually head to Jairus’ room together because Ovaughn doesn’t like his roommate and isn’t interested in going back yet. In the dorm room, Ovaughn tells Jairus a couple of stories about when he used to go to the club on teen night in Charlotte with his friends and how they used to get so drunk and smoke weed. All of the stories Ovaughn tells start with “back home” because until now he has never left home. When telling the stories, he comes alive more than he has up until this point and in the stories, he always comes across as the center of attention, which is exactly the opposite of how he has been acting up until this point. Naturally it is hard for Jairus to believe the stories that he tells while they are in the room, but he listens. Jairus tells him how he spends most of his time with his girlfriend Tania and he never felt right when he would go out with his boys. They were all trying to mess with women, and he would just be there. As if he’s reminding himself Ovaughn says, “Right. That’s why you won’t holla at Lisa, you have a girl already!”

“Yeah, but most niggas don’t think that means shit so I always hear it when I go out.”

Ovaughn tells Jairus that he understands where he’s coming from, and they sit around playing video games and listening to music until they get the long-awaited phone call from Mike telling them to meet up at the cafeteria.