Requiem for a Broken Dream.

[Soapy]

Sheesh

it hit different!

[Soapy]

Season 8, Episode 5
"Y'all made him a fucking captain?"

"You do understand this was a courtesy, right? All of this shit, okay?" Coach Reeves was quick to remind her, eager to going about his day and attending more important matters.

“If Sherrone doesn’t want my protection, our protection, he’s more than welcome to swim in those waters by himself,” Mrs. Ellington snapped, cutting to the heart of the issue, “If you think things were bad before, they look a lot different without the weight of the administration behind you guys and your decisions.”

“This was cleared by all parties,” Coach Reeves remained steadfast, “So we’re not going to rewrite history. We wanted this, you guys okayed it. If some students on campus decide to throw a hissy fit, so be it but we’re not going to just take it on the chin like we went rogue. You signed off on this, we all did.”

“Which is why when you guys go out and do some dumb shit like making him a fucking captain without telling us about it, it’s a dumb fucking idea.”

There was no time for decorum as they got into it, each a representative of their respective corners. Kam’s transfer to Michigan wasn’t without drama, as was expected when the university signed off on his scholarship. They had hoped that the summer days and excitement of the new season would eventual drown out the commotion but it instead festered and stoked a sudden interest in true crime and investigative journalism among its student body.

A third-year journalism student ran an expose on Kam’s unofficial arrest record at Lexington, detailing his frequent detainments for drunk and disorderly conduct which would disappear by the time Monday morning came around. The fights at practice, speculation at what really happened that night at the club and even going back to his days at Ball State and the situation with Amy Levis which was lightly publicized at the time.

Somewhere along the way, as Coach Reeves and Mrs. Ellington continued to bark at each other, it had stopped being about Kam, Darius, Boog, Kyrie, Amy or any of the parties involved. It was about big time college sports, specifically football, trampling all semblance of what many felt a college community should be about and support.

…

Kam’s heart felt like it was going to come out of his chest as he jogged onto the field, a chorus of cheers and boos mixed in as he came into the huddle. He looked down towards his new jersey number, a constant reminder that what he had lost — his mom, stepdad and sister — would forever be with him.

“Let’s get to it, champ,” Desmond thumped him on the shoulder pads, snapping back to reality.

Kam nodded as he buckled his chinstrap and listened for the play call, ready to start his latest and greatest chapter.

…

“I can’t believe you could have gotten us tickets and didn’t say anything,” Steven shook his head as he raised his beer can to his mouth, excited to watch a game where the team he was rooting for almost guaranteed to win.

“It’s not like a quick trip,” Yassy defended herself, “Don’t you have work tomorrow?”

“He sure does,” Cynthia sat down, placing the tray of wings in front of her boyfriend, “We definitely need to go to one though, it looks lit.”

“Kentucky was pretty crazy so I can’t even imagine,” she said proudly, “I just want him to play well today, forget all of that other stuff.”

“He can sure run that football,” Steven commented as he leaned forward in eager anticipation of the first play, “He’ll be just fine behind that line.”

…

Kam held his hand out as Desmond helped him up from the ground, leaving behind any jitters with that first carry. He looked towards the jumbotron, a habit that coach Reeves had stressed on him in order to get a better feel of how the defense was playing.

"We got about thirty more of those bitches," Desmond reminded him, "Strap the fuck up and lock in, little nigga. We got a Heisman to win."

...

"Holy shit, he's still running!" Kam yelled to himself as he watched Brady tight rope the sidelines and head into the endzone to the sound of screaming fans. Kam sprinted after him into the endzone, jumping on the tight end's back amidst the celebration in the endzone.

"You might be the fastest white boy I ever seen, nigga!" Kam told him, drawing a laugh from the usually reserved junior.

"You got the next one," Brady slammed his helmet into his, "All my friends back home got you on their parlay, you better hit, motherfucker."

...

The sudden thud caught Kam by surprise as he was taken to the ground, the endzone within sights as he quickly darted his eyes towards the sideline to find an official. He muttered in frustration as he pushed the defender off him and walked back to the huddle, his first touchdown still evading him.

"Run that bitch, in!" Blake barked towards the sideline, "Same shit!"

Alex ignored the chatter as he cupped his hands around his ear, trying to ear the play call. They changed personnel, going heavy with two tight ends and a fullback in front of Kam, something he had greatly missed since leaving Pascack High.

"Power?" Desmond asked with a smirk to which Alex grinned.

"Get my boy his touchdown," Blake nodded with a smile, "Let's fucking go, man, we know the fucking play."

Kam steadied himself as they broke the huddle, thinking of his celebration already. He had wanted to take the moment to address his critics, spending the previous night thinking about ways he could incorporate that into his celebration. Should he put his hands behind his back like a convict? Should he do some sort of celebration with a gun? Should he do nothing and just not address them?

The ball was snapped and Kam ran through an arm tackle, sprinting right into the endzone in front of what seemed like an endless sea of maize and blue in front of him. He looked into the crowd and in there, he found nothing but love and support as they screamed for joy.

Nothing else was needed at that moment.

---

BUFF (0-1, 0-0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
MICH (1-0, 0-0) | 14 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 49

BUFF QB Richard Talbot: 4-11, 40 yds, INT
BUFF HB Lamar Sperling: 9 att, 29 yds
BUFF S Tim Klein: 9 tkl
MICH QB Alex Boston: 12-16, 144 yds, 2 TD
MICH HB Kamaldeen Seidu-Harris: 28 att, 183 yds, 4 TD
MICH WR Tyrell Sweeting: 4 rec, 46 yds, TD
MICH TE Brady Prieskorn: 3 rec, 65 yds, TD

Season Stats 28 att, 183 yds, 4 TD, 2 rec, 9 yds

[djp73]

Damn. Hell of a debut. He keep that up they’ll forget all about his past

[Caesar]

Let's see if Kam can do that against good teams unlike at Kentucky and Ball State.

[Captain Canada]

Goddamn, that's an aggressive "fuck you" type of statline.

[Soapy]

Damn. Hell of a debut. He keep that up they’ll forget all about his past

Let's see if Kam can do that against good teams unlike at Kentucky and Ball State.

Goddamn, that's an aggressive "fuck you" type of statline.

#TheNorthRemembers the slander

[Soapy]

Season 8, Episode 6
Kyrie's cleats sank into the turf as he jogged half-heartedly through yet another mundane passing drill. The late afternoon sun beat down relentlessly, its rays seeming to sap what little motivation he had left. Coach Simmons' whistle pierced the humid air, its shrill tone grating on Kyrie's already frayed nerves.

"Patterson, what the fuck are you doing?" Coach bellowed, his face reddening beneath his weathered cap. "My grandma could run a better route, and she's been dead for ten years!"

Kyrie barely suppressed an eye roll as he trudged back to the start of the drill. He went through the motions again, his movements mechanical and lifeless. The football slapped against his palms, but he dropped it, watching with detached disinterest as it bounced away.

"Just hit the fucking sidelines," Coach's voice boomed across the field. "Let me know when you want to play.”

With a shrug, Kyrie jogged to the sideline, secretly relieved to be done with the mind-numbing repetition. He collapsed onto the metal bench, the heat radiating off it seeping through his practice jersey.

"Yo, Kyrie," mentioned Jake, a sophomore wide receiver who'd been regulated to water boy duty with a sprained ankle. "I heard them boys ran through your spot.”

Kyrie raised an eyebrow, only mildly curious. "What now?"

Jake leaned in closer, eager that he had gotten the attention of the ‘star’ bounce back. "Yeah, Mel and them was telling me how these basketball players was talking cash money shit about running through somebody spot. I figured they was talking about your shit since Derrick told B-Mo that y’all spot got finessed.”

“You know them niggas?” Kyrie turned around to face Jake who held his hands up and shook his head.

“Not on no personal shit,” he clarified, “They stay by Oakwood, though.”

…

Ravie's gentle hands worked methodically, applying concealer to the purple-blue bruise blooming across Sandra's cheekbone.

"Girl, you gotta stop letting him do this to you," Ravie murmured, her voice low and tinged with concern. She dabbed at the bruise with a damp sponge, blending the edges of the concealer until it melted seamlessly into Sandra's warm brown skin.

Sandra winced, both from the pressure on her tender flesh and the weight of Ravie's words. "I don’t know what happened this time," she sighed, her eyes downcast. "We get into it, I know, but he was on one last night."

Ravie's lips tightened into a thin line as she reached for the setting powder. "It’s not going to get any better.”

“Somebody down there snitching,” Sandra sucked her teeth, “He always acts up whenever I go to the back but, shit, that’s where the money’s at. A bitch can barely pay for her nails just doing the stage shit.”

“You’d clean up behind the bar,” Ravie suggested, “You know I'd love to have you back there with me, he ain’t going to have nothing to complain about.”

“I know you don’t fuck with them niggas but fucking with Andre, a bitch was making some real money, you know what I’m talking about?”

“If Malik going upside your head for dancing with a nigga, what you think he’s going to do if you’re fucking them?”

“We didn’t even fuck half the time,” Sandra corrected her, “You add enough to their drink, they’re asleep by the time we even hit the hotel room.”

“You know how I feel about that…life,” Ravie chose her words carefully, “You taking a gamble with your life each time you try that shit.”

“I’m taking a gamble right now,” she shook her head, “I might as well make some money from it, some real money.”

…

As she pushed open the heavy wooden door, Zoe's eyes widened. She'd seen Kam on TV countless times but nothing had prepared her for the sheer physical presence of the man before her. He seemed to fill the entire room, his broad shoulders and muscular frame making the standard office chair look comically small beneath him.

"Mr. Seidu-Harris," Zoe said, her voice wavering slightly as she extended her hand. "I'm Zoe Chen, student body president. Thank you for agreeing to meet with us."

Kam's massive hand engulfed hers, his grip firm but not overpowering. "Just Kam is fine," he replied, his deep voice surprisingly gentle.

Zoe nodded, grateful for his understanding tone. She gestured to the lanky young man beside her, his wire-rimmed glasses slightly askew. "This is my vice president, Ethan Ramirez."

As they settled into their seats, Zoe couldn't help but feel dwarfed by Kam's presence. She'd practiced her opening statement countless times in front of the mirror, but now, face-to-face with the larger-than-life athlete, the carefully rehearsed words seemed to evaporate from her mind.

“I do appreciate the fact that you came by yourself,” Zoe began, “We’ve been speaking about you for so long that I think it would help me better serve my constituents, the student body, by hearing all sides of this issue at hand.”

“I am part of that student body,” Kam remembered Mark’s talking points, “What you and everybody else is forgetting that every time y’all protest and plaster my name and my face on baseless accusations that I was found not guilty of, y’all putting a target on my back, putting my safety in danger.”

“That certainly wasn’t our intention,” Ethan jumped in, looking towards Zoe for backup.

“But at the same time,” Kam interjected before Zoe could speak, “I understand where the noise is coming from, where their concerns are coming from. I didn’t want to do any fake promo run with trying to rebuild my image because honestly, I’m going to be gone in a few months. But, now that I think about it, I think it’ll be better for everybody if we can come together and figure this shit out, if we can.”

Zoe nodded as she gave Ethan a look before returning her attention to Kam, her mind racing for an answer. She had spent an entire summer in conference rooms like these, discussing this matter with administrative personnel, various student organizations and members of the coaching staff but this one felt different, it felt genuine.

“Would you be open to having a meeting, like this one, with some of the more…concerned student groups that we have? Closed doors, off the record, just us students, trying to find a solution?”

“If you set it up,” Kam stood up, “I’ll be there.”

[Caesar]

Kyrie acting tough when he left Kam’s pussy ass shoot at him and walk away from it

[Soapy]

Kyrie acting tough when he left Kam’s pussy ass shoot at him and walk away from it

What Royce did

[Captain Canada]

Kam hooking up with Zoe is going to be spinning in the streets for months