Trying Chemistry: DEADLINE

At St. Ridgemont Central University, every second counts.

Trustace McLaurel has spent his entire life carrying a name that defines collegiate athletics. As the face of Ridgemont Track & Field and heir to one of America's most influential sports families, excellence isn't a goal. It's an expectation.

Taveon "Tavie" Shaffers has no legacy to inherit. Orphaned as a child and raised through hardship, he fought for every opportunity he's ever received. Now, with nothing but raw talent and relentless determination, he's become the only athlete capable of challenging Ridgemont's golden boy.

The campus can't stop comparing them.

The media fuels their rivalry.

Nationals is drawing closer.

And graduation is the deadline neither of them can outrun.

Between chemistry labs, late-night study sessions, and the relentless pursuit of a championship, the line between competition and connection begins to blur. What starts as a rivalry slowly transforms into something neither of them planned, forcing them to question everything they've been running toward.

Because not every reaction happens inside a laboratory.

Some have the power to change your life.

Trying Chemistry: DEADLINE is a contemporary Black American sports romance about ambition, identity, legacy, and discovering that the greatest risk isn't losing the race... it's letting someone get close enough to change you.