Strength |✔️

one

Neil

Groaning, I open my eyes to a bright sunny Tuesday morning. My alarm clock beeps rapidly on my bedside table, annoying the shit out of me. I slam my hand on top of it and it finally shuts up.

I yawn and trudge myself to the shower, grabbing some clothes for myself. I turn on the water and start blasting music. The water runs down my face and my entire body, refreshing myself and preparing me for the long day.

Today I start my first day at UVA. The only reason I probably made it in was my football scholarship. I played quarterback on the varsity team, so I guess that's pretty huge. And right now, I'm very nervous for college.

My phone dings, so i check to see the notification. My friend texted me. Bro I'm so ready for college. Can't wait to meet the cute girls ;)

I smirk. Dude you seriously need to get laid.

I turn off the water and dry myself. I look at myself in the mirror. I worked out a lot the past few years, so my muscles and abs are really starting to show. My curly brownish-black hair is piled on my head, so I run my fingers through it to make it seem more presentable.

I turn around to check on my tattoo, which is placed on my right shoulder blade and I recently got a couple of days ago. It is the symbol of power, which we call "Om" (🕉️). Hindus use Om, and I have always wanted to get a tattoo that represented that. So, with enough convincing for my parents, I finally got it.

I wear a black sweatshirt that says "JV FOOTBALL EAGLES" and black nike shorts and black slides. Damn, I am really running this black look.

I go to the kitchen where my mom and dad and my other three siblings are seated in the dining room. My mom serves pancakes and orange juice to my siblings while my dad sips tea and reads the newspaper, though I don't even know who does that anymore. The youngest in my family, Mahi, is my little sister who is 13 years old. She is currently reading a book which she seems very engrossed in. I guess you could call her the book nerd in our family.

Then the oldest is my older sister, Monika. She's scrolling through her phone and babbling on about medical school and how she's top in her class, which of course she is. She also mentions how she went on a date with her fiancée, who seems like a total dick to me, and how "adorably cute" he is. I shudder.

Then there's me: Neil Shah, the middle child, the only boy. Besides my football scholarship, I also had the highest gpa in all my math classes I've ever took. My friends always teased me about my smartness and interest for math, but I guess it just runs in our family since my moms an accountant and my dads a high school math teacher.

I sit between Mahi and Monika and grab the pancakes my mom had placed for me and looking at my plate awkwardly. Everyone quiets down their conversations and decides to glare at me. Looking up from my plate and stuffing a pancake at my mouth, I say, "what?"

My mom comes near me. "You ready for college, sweetie?" A slight tone of an Indian accent resonates in her speech. My mom got married to my dad in India and gave birth to Monika over there. After that they immigrated to America and settled there. I was born four years later in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"Yeah, I am," I say. My voice is a bit hoarse because I just got sick a couple of days ago. I'm feeling much better now, but my voice sounds like crap.

"That is very good, sweetie," Mom says. She sips some tea. Her matured, round brown eyes look at me with pride. My mom has always been that type of mom to be very proud of her son, like, VERY proud. She'd always show up at my football games and math competitions and she'd always admire me just being me.