Ohio to the Bayou

Chapter 6

The rest of the evening carried on in that same warm, welcoming atmosphere, and I found myself fully immersed in the camaraderie around me. Jamarr stayed by my side, introducing me to his closest friends and filling me in on their inside jokes. For the first time since I'd arrived in Louisiana, I felt truly at ease.

As the team began to disperse, Jamarr offered to walk me back to my car. "Wouldn't want our new photographer getting lost on her way out," he teased, flashing that easy grin of his.

We stepped out into the warm Louisiana night, and I felt a comfortable silence settle between us. We hadn't walked far when he broke it. "So, how's everything been going for you here? You feeling more at home?"

"I am," I admitted, glancing over at him. "Baton Rouge is different from anywhere I've lived before, but I like it. The people are really welcoming, especially the team."

He nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Good, good. LSU's got that way about it. You just become family here, whether you want to or not."

I laughed. "I can see that. It's nice to feel like I belong somewhere."

We reached my car, and Jamarr leaned against it, crossing his arms. "So, why photography?" he asked, curiosity in his eyes. "I mean, don't get me wrong, you've got an eye for it. But what made you pick it?"

It was a question I hadn't really considered in a while, but as I stood there, the answer came to me easily. "Photography is the one way I've found to capture moments that would otherwise be forgotten. I love telling stories with images, the little details people might miss. Like the way a player braces right before a play or the way the sun hits the field just right. Those little things tell the real story."

He seemed to think about that, nodding slowly. "I get that. I mean, people see what we do on the field, but they don't always get the work that goes into it. The hours, the pressure—it's like everyone's watching, but they don't really know the whole story."

I realized then that he wasn't just talking about football but about himself, about the weight of expectation that came with being one of LSU's star players. In that moment, he felt just as real and unguarded as he did on the field.

"It's kind of like that for me too," I said. "The stories I capture, the ones people see—it's all a part of who I am, I guess."

Jamarr looked at me, a softness in his gaze that I hadn't seen before. "I think we're going to make a good team, Emma," he said, his voice low. And just for a second, it felt like he wasn't just talking about photography.

The moment hung between us, thick and meaningful, and I felt my cheeks warm. Before I could find something to say, he smiled again, breaking the tension. "Guess I'll see you tomorrow at practice?"

"Yeah," I managed, smiling back. "I'll be there."

As I drove back to my apartment, I couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning of something bigger, something that felt a little like the start of a new story I was both excited and nervous to see unfold.