ALL MINE

fifteen

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It was around the afternoon time. Grant had just finished cramming for an upcoming history exam. He spent an extra thirty minutes working on his campaign speech. The election for student council was beginning, and Grant wanted to ensure everything was in order. Posters, pencils, fliers, and buttons with his name and slogan were embedded on the items. He made sure to invest in his marketing. It was the only way he could win.

Grant was popular, and he had a lot of friends around campus. Everyone knew of him because of Dominick's professional basketball career. Most of the students at Winston tried to kiss his ass. They figured he was rich and could help boost their career or reputation.

He kept his eyes on Jalen Mitchell. After all, he was the current president, and Grant wanted to see what he had up his sleeve. He felt the man wouldn't get the position again since he didn't fulfill the students' needs. The prediction wasn't detectable yet. Grant is popular. Jalen is also popular—with a fanbase. Not only is he rich, but he is a musician. People love to hear him sing and strum the strings of his guitar. Jalen also had a vast notoriety that didn't seem to bother him. Either way, people kept his name in their mouths, bringing him attention.

"I think you got a good chance of winning, man." Josh, Grant's friend, and teammate, spoke. He sat on the couch with his phone in his hand. He seemed to be improving with his leg. A few months ago, Josh complained about his leg, and Grant noticed him limping around. He begged his friend to get it checked out. Josh eventually gave in and did get it checked. He found out he had an infection. It was dangerous, but the doctors caught it in its early stages, so he didn't have to get surgery. Josh took his antibiotics responsibly and got back on the court within a few weeks.

Grant leaned over the couch and said, "Really?"

"Hell yeah." Josh cursed. He was dressed in a shirt with sweatpants. His hair was cut low with deep waves. His complexion was dark brown, and he had unique features. Josh had a large nose with some depth on his bridge. He had full lips, and his light brown eyes were slanted.

"Jalen might get back in," Hugh interjected while holding a bottle of apple juice. He stood there with his burly shape as he continued to listen to the conversation. Hugh's locks were naturally ginger, and he had a reddish-brownish complexion to match.

Grant eyed Hugh momentarily, but he didn't bother to speak. He didn't understand why the man was doubting him.

"Yo, Jalen lied to so many people." Josh voiced, "He promised every basketball player new uniform and equipment, and we're still using old-ass helmets and shit from our freshman year."

That was true. The dean was stingy with the school's finances. He didn't invest the money properly. All athletes, cheerleaders, and band members wore old uniforms, and they operated old equipment. Jalen had the power to push his uncle to invest in his athletes, cheerleaders, and musicians, but he failed.

"You have a point." Hugh pushed out.

"Remember when someone accused him of rape last year?" Josh continued. "The entire school was on his neck because the person was anonymous. They were too scared to come forward."

"Shit got swept under the rug quick..." Grant muttered.

"Too quick." Hugh agreed. "The nigga had his parents running around doing press conferences, and they made his ass do charity work to keep everyone off his back."

Grant shook his head and said, "Usually, you can't recover from rape allegations."  He sighed and added, "Jalen did...somehow."

"Money talks." Josh assumed. "They definitely paid whoever that was off."