Big Shot | ✓

04 | blind tiger

I'd done what I could to avoid Reid the rest of the week, but considering we operated almost exclusively in the same space, dodging him altogether was an unrealistic expectation - despite the fact that the space itself was massive. It was like living on two different floors of the same high rise apartment building and somehow always managing to catch each other on the elevator. The eye contact was prolonged and the silence was awkward.

Reid had made it known he was trying to be as avoidant as I was when we'd catch each other in the nutrition center, and he'd make a showing of scraping his chair away from the table before getting up and leaving while still drinking his disgusting green smoothie. I couldn't say I blamed him. It wasn't exactly the first time I'd bruised a man's ego and it wouldn't be the last.

School had officially ended, leaving only those who made Clemson their home (voluntarily or otherwise) lingering on campus and sprinkled throughout the tiny college town. We were in no man's land on the football calendar - Spring sessions had concluded, and teams were legally not allowed to convene again until June 1st. Although I was thoroughly convinced this rule was in place solely because these boys and their testosterone-flooded brains would practice all year round if they could, and there were a multitude of problematic things with that concept. 

The day after graduation, the media department had their yearly "sendoff shindig" for all the seniors in the program. We rented out the back room at the Blind Tiger - just one of many big cat themed places in town so aptly named for the university's mascot. There were a handful of high tops situated around two pool tables at the center of the room, where even under the dim stained-glass high hats, you could tell the green felt had seen better days.

Currently, we occupied a high top close to the swinging double doors leading to the front section of the bar/restaurant. Since there was no bar in the back room, it was in perpetual motion from people in our party coming in and out with drinks - Kayla included as she dropped three shot glasses on our table.

"Casamigos for my bougie successor, and by extension for her successor too."

The other more unspoken purpose of the "sendoff shindig" was to attach new mentors and mentees, so by successor, Kayla meant Mara Faust - my very own little duckling to tend to now that I was the mama in charge. I'd known for a few weeks it would be Mara, but this was the first time we were properly spending time together. She'd been responsible for all the media for the women's lacrosse team last year - which was definitely no slouch job.

The entire media department was invited to the sendoff shindig, but after a lot of the obligatory hi's and bye's and omg I'm gonna miss you's, a natural separation developed. Much in the way that a wedding naturally separates your friends from your fun cousins from your conservative in-laws, the group of students that covered baseball or soccer did not mingle with us football people. We were seen as the highfalutin ones, despite the fact that we all had to earn it just like everyone else did.

Mara looked down at the shot glass with a guilty chuckle. "Tequila makes me cry. Besides, aren't you leaving tomorrow morning for New York?"

"First flight out at 6 AM," I confirmed with a nod. "So I'm hoping I can just sustain a buzz until I land at JFK."

"You don't like flying?" Mara asked.

"Let's just say among other responsibilities you'll have on the football's content and social media team, you're also now the designated hand-holder for Jo on flights," Kayla chimed in with a grin before smoothly throwing back her tequila shot.

Mara giggled, which I was quickly learning was a default response from her. She flipped her braids over her shoulder, a few of them threaded with strands of orange and purple. Between her slender, athletic build and school pride that oozed from every orifice of her body, Mara could have easily passed for a cheerleader. She had a gigawatt smile that seemed to be perpetually switched on, her teeth exceptionally white against her dark skin.