It's not that Foreman doesn't grab me, it's just that I don't have any real confidence in my ability to write his voice authentically. But that's never stopped me before :)
Double-drabble and a half:
When Eric sees the number at the top of the test, his first thought is that there's been a mistake. Seventy-eight per cent. It's not even a B. He's never gotten less than a B, not even in freshman gym, before his last growth spurt took care of that extra weight. But the only mistakes on the paper are his.
For a moment, he can't breathe. Seventy-eight per cent doesn't get you a full ride to a good college, and schools aren't giving out scholarships for second string point guards. He may as well have failed the test.
He can almost see his future fade away before him. He imagines four more years in his parents' house; four more years of old friends and new temptations. He'll end up like all the other guys in the neighbourhood who weren't smart enough or fast enough to find a way out.
He knows what will happen when his parents find out. His father will tell him to pray for guidance, while his mother will hug him and say that he'll do better next time. But Eric knows that faith isn't enough to get him an A in Calculus. This one's on him.
It's just one test, he tells himself. He has the rest of the year to fix it. He can study harder, work for extra credit, and pull up his average. He won't make the same mistake again.
One of these days he'll run out of second chances. But not yet.
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Double-drabble and a half:
When Eric sees the number at the top of the test, his first thought is that there's been a mistake. Seventy-eight per cent. It's not even a B. He's never gotten less than a B, not even in freshman gym, before his last growth spurt took care of that extra weight. But the only mistakes on the paper are his.
For a moment, he can't breathe. Seventy-eight per cent doesn't get you a full ride to a good college, and schools aren't giving out scholarships for second string point guards. He may as well have failed the test.
He can almost see his future fade away before him. He imagines four more years in his parents' house; four more years of old friends and new temptations. He'll end up like all the other guys in the neighbourhood who weren't smart enough or fast enough to find a way out.
He knows what will happen when his parents find out. His father will tell him to pray for guidance, while his mother will hug him and say that he'll do better next time. But Eric knows that faith isn't enough to get him an A in Calculus. This one's on him.
It's just one test, he tells himself. He has the rest of the year to fix it. He can study harder, work for extra credit, and pull up his average. He won't make the same mistake again.
One of these days he'll run out of second chances. But not yet.