THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING – 8:00 AM
Monday arrived like a freight train.
Oliver stood in the hallway, the same hallway, the same spot, the same pounding heart. Charlie was beside him, same folder, same determination. Wesley was leaning against the wall, same quiet support.
They'd been waiting for ten minutes.
The door to the athletic boardroom was still closed.
"I can't do this again," Oliver said.
"You're already doing it," Charlie replied.
"I mean I can't do the waiting."
"Then stop waiting. Start pacing."
Oliver paced.
The door opened. The same woman in the navy blazer. "Mr. Onwuachi."
"Yes."
"The board will see you now."
THE BOARDROOM – 8:15 AM
The same five people sat behind the same long table. The athletic director. Two coaches. The faculty representative. The student representative.
They looked less tired today. Less bored.
"Mr. Onwuachi," the athletic director said. "We've reviewed your complaint."
Oliver's throat tightened.
"After reviewing the evidence, including the sign-in sheet and witness statements, we've concluded that the men's basketball team selection process was not conducted fairly."
Charlie's hand gripped Oliver's shoulder.
"Coach Ogun has been placed on probation. His nephew has been removed from the team. And you," the athletic director said, "have been offered his spot."
Oliver's knees went weak.
"The competition is in eleven days. You'll need to catch up. But the board has confidence in your ability to do so."
Oliver couldn't speak.
Charlie spoke for him. "He accepts."
"Good. Report to practice this afternoon."
The board stood. The meeting was over.
Oliver walked out of the room on legs that didn't feel like his own.
THE HALLWAY – 8:30 AM
Charlie hugged him.
Oliver stood still, arms at his sides, stunned.
"You did it," Charlie said.
"We did it."
"No. You did it. I just held the folder."
Wesley smiled. "I just picked the lock."
Oliver laughed. A real laugh. The kind that came from somewhere deep.
"Practice is at four," he said.
"Then you have eight hours to panic," Charlie said.
"I'm not going to panic."
"You're going to panic."
"I'm going to prepare."
"Same thing."
"It's not."
They walked out of the building together.
The sun was bright. The sky was blue. For the first time in weeks, Oliver felt like he could breathe.
THE LECTURE HALL – 10:00 AM
Dr. Adeola was in rare form.
"Today," she said, "we're talking about justice."
The class groaned.
"Not the boring kind. Not the kind you read about in textbooks. The real kind. The kind that happens when someone gets what they deserve."
She walked down the aisle.
"Who here has ever gotten what they deserve?"
No one raised their hand.
"Good. That's the first symptom. You don't know it's happening."
She stopped at Nelly's desk.
"Nelly. What do you deserve?"
Nelly looked up. "I don't know."
"Then you're not paying attention."
Dr. Adeola moved on.
"The question isn't whether you deserve something. The question is whether you're willing to fight for it."
She reached the back of the room.
"And whether you're willing to accept it when you lose."
THE CLINIC – 12:00 PM
Chuks was eating again.
Aaron sat across from him, a sandwich in his hand, no appetite.
"You're not eating," Chuks said.
"I'm thinking."
"Thinking isn't eating."
"I'm doing both."
"You're doing neither."
Aaron put down the sandwich. "How do you know when you're in love?"
Chuks stopped chewing. "That's a heavy question for lunchtime."
"It's a heavy day."
Chuks put down his fork. "Love isn't something you know. It's something you do."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one I have."
Aaron stared at the wall.
"You're thinking about her," Chuks said. "The angry one."
"Both of them."
"Ah. Two women. That's not love. That's chaos."
"It feels like love."
"Chaos feels like love. That's why people confuse them."
Aaron picked up his sandwich. Took a bite. Didn't taste it.
THE BASKETBALL COURT – 4:00 PM
Oliver stepped onto the court.
The team was already there. The same guys who had made the team ahead of him. The same guys who had celebrated while he watched from the bleachers.
They looked at him differently now.
"I'm Oliver," he said. "I'm your new teammate."
No one spoke.
"I know you didn't choose me. I know you don't want me here. But I'm here. And I'm not leaving."
He picked up a ball.
"Now let's play."
He dribbled down the court. Shot. Swish.
The team watched.
He did it again. Swish.
Again. Swish.
"Someone guard him," the captain said.
A defender stepped up. Oliver drove past him. Laid it up. Scored.
The team started to move.
Practice began.
THE GIRLS' DORM – 5:00 PM
Vicky sat on her bed, staring at her phone.
Zuru was on the floor, painting her nails. Zizi was reading. Ese was in the corner, her book open.
"Oliver made the team," Zizi said.
"How do you know?" Vicky asked.
"Charlie posted it on his story."
Vicky picked up her phone. Scrolled. There it was. A photo of Oliver holding a basketball, captioned: "HE'S BACK."
"He almost died," Vicky said. "And now he's playing basketball."
"People recover," Zuru said.
"Not people like him."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Vicky put down her phone. "Nothing."
Zuru looked at her. "You're not still in love with Aaron?"
"No."
"Then why do you keep talking about his friends?"
"I'm not talking about his friends. I'm talking about Oliver."
"Same thing."
"It's not."
Ese turned a page.
THE PARKING LOT – 6:00 PM
Peculiar was waiting by Oliver's car.
He walked out of the gym, sweaty, exhausted, grinning.
"You made the team," she said.
"I made the team."
She hugged him. He hugged her back.
"How does it feel?" she asked.
"Like I can breathe."
"That's good."
"That's everything."
She pulled back. Looked at him.
"You look different."
"I feel different."
"Good different?"
"I don't know yet. Ask me after practice."
She smiled. "I'll ask you tomorrow."
"Tomorrow," he said.
They stood in the parking lot, the sun setting behind them.
THE ABANDONED STUDIO – 8:00 PM
Rose stood alone in the dark.
The list was on her phone. Ten names. Three crossed out. Two added. Chloe's roommate was still there.
Kelly had texted her. I found out who reported her.
Rose typed back: Who?
Someone from her floor. A first-year named Blessing.
Rose stared at the screen.
What do we know about Blessing?
She's quiet. She keeps to herself. She has a crush on someone in The Watchmen.
Rose smiled.
Then we use that.
How?
We find out who she has a crush on. And we make her an offer she can't refuse.
Kelly's reply came fast: I'm on it.
Rose put down the phone.
The garden was growing again.
THE DORM – 10:00 PM
Aaron lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
Charlie was on his phone. Wesley was reading. Oliver wasn't back yet.
"Oliver made the team," Charlie said.
"I heard."
"Are you going to congratulate him?"
"When I see him."
Charlie put down his phone. "You're in a mood."
"I'm always in a mood."
"You're in a worse mood than usual."
Aaron sat up. "Vicky texted me."
"What did she say?"
"She said she knows about the list."
"What list?"
"The Watchmen's list. Her name is on it."
Charlie's face went serious. "That's not good."
"I know."
"What are you going to do?"
Aaron looked at the wall. "I don't know."
"You should talk to her."
"She doesn't want to talk to me."
"Then make her."
Aaron picked up his phone. Stared at Vicky's name.
He didn't text her.
He put the phone down.
THE FIELD – 11:00 PM
Aaron stood at the center circle, alone.
The floodlights were off. The stands were empty. The grass was wet with dew.
He'd come here to think. To breathe. To escape.
Someone was walking toward him.
He knew the silhouette.
"Hello, Aaron."
Ese stepped into the light.
"You've been avoiding me," she said.
"I've been busy."
"You've been scared."
"Same thing."
"It's not."
She stopped a few feet away.
"I know about the list," she said.
"Everyone knows about the list."
"I know who put Vicky's name on it."
Aaron's heart stopped. "Who?"
"Aaron."
"I'm listening."
Ese stepped closer. "What will you give me if I tell you?"
"What do you want?"
She smiled.
"I'll tell you when I'm ready."
She turned and walked away.
"Ese."
She didn't stop.
"ESE."
She disappeared into the dark.
Aaron stood alone.
The wind picked up.
Something was coming.