“You said he needed to decide how serious he was.”
“Yes.”
“I thought you meant work harder.”
“I meant decide how serious he was.”
Darnell closed his eyes.
Interpretation.
Again.
Coach Randall continued.
“He’s a good player.”
“He’s coachable.”
“Good teammate.”
“He could probably play Division II if he commits and develops.”
“Maybe some lower Division I interest if everything breaks right.”
“That is not a promise.”
Darnell nodded though Randall could not see.
“What does he do at practice?”
“What do you mean?”
“When he’s waiting.”
Coach laughed.
“He draws.”
Darnell stared.
“What?”
“Plays.”
“Helmets.”
“Coaches.”
“Hands.”
“Whatever.”
“I’ve confiscated sketchbooks during film study twice.”
Darnell laughed despite himself.
Of course.
Randall continued.
“He can finish the season if he wants.”
“I’d like him to.”
“He committed to the team.”
“That matters.”
“But showcase?”
“If he doesn’t want it, don’t waste the spot.”
There.
Darnell thanked him.
Then sat alone in his truck for ten minutes.
Sunday, Darnell and Eli visited Aster.
Monique came too.
The three of them had not toured anything together since middle school.
Awkward.
Useful.
Simone met them at the front.
No red carpet.
Good.
She showed classrooms.
Drawing studios.
Digital labs.
Wood shop.
Photography.
Sculpture.
Then industrial design.
That room changed Darnell.
Students had sketches pinned beside physical prototypes.
Chair mechanisms.
Lamp housings.
Mobility aids.
Transit interiors.
A sixteen-year-old girl was building a foam model of a train seat.
Darnell walked closer.
“Why this angle?”
The girl looked up.
“Sightline.”
“For?”
“Wheelchair user next to standard seat.”
Darnell crouched.
“What about the latch?”
She pointed.
“Prototype two failed.”
“Why?”
“Too much side load.”
Darnell’s face changed.
Eli watched.
Five minutes later Darnell was discussing hinge stress with a teenager.
Monique leaned toward Eli.
“You lost him.”
Eli smiled.
“He likes it.”
“Yes.”
Darnell eventually realized everyone had moved on.
He caught up.
“This is art?”
Eli laughed.
“Yes.”
“That was engineering.”
Simone, walking beside them, said:
“Sometimes disciplines have poor boundaries.”
Darnell looked offended on behalf of engineering.
Everyone laughed.
They sat with an academic advisor.
Real classes.
Real transcripts.
No sacrifice of diploma requirements.
Darnell asked seventeen questions.
Eli counted.
At question fourteen, Monique kicked Darnell lightly.
He ignored her.
At the end, they met Ms. Delgado.