The Daily Grind

[D/N]

(Imraan Al-Hariq continued from For the Kingdom...)

At first glance, it might seem odd that Imraan was coming all the way down to the food court on his meal break. He could have just grabbed something from the restaurant like he usually did. But to be perfectly honest, he just needed to get the heck OUT of there and get some fresh air, at least as much of it as was afforded in the mall. And quite frankly, he was sick and tired of that lousy Italian grub anyway. He was eating too much of it too, even IF he was trying to put on extra size and pasta was an easy way to get the carbs in your diet. Maybe he'd just grab a protein shake or something and let off some steam.

The day hadn't gone well. He'd done badly in Algebra class, and now he'd really need to buckle down and finish the semester well or he might be in trouble when it came to getting into a decent school grades-wise. Of course, he was looking for the athletic scholorship to offset the fact that he wasn't so hot in the sciences, but he'd played terribly in the last game. Sure, they'd won and everything, but he threw up nothing but bricks from under the net and hadn't been close to dominating down there. He'd pretty much had to rely on Rob to bail him out of a lot of situations, and that wasn't going to look god to the college scouts in attendance. He could see it now, "Decent height and athletic skills, but terrible touch on the ball and flubs the fundamentals too often. Only looks good because he's playing with Jenkins. PASS.

Of course, there was still plenty of season left to go, but that was the thing. He COULDN'T keep thinking that way! He was in his last year of high school, and at this point, every single moment was important. Every game, every test, and even every day he worked. If he quit this job, he'd have to rely totally on his mother and any scholorships or loans he could get, and he wasn't about to do that. Not only because he didn't want his mother to shoulder the cost of his education, but because, quite honestly, Imraan enjoyed living life when he could. When he could, he liked getting out and spending time with the teams, with friends, and even helping out the church, and he needed spending money to do so. He wasn't about to go back to the days in Minneapolis when they couldn't afford a thing outside of the basics. Nah, not him.

Maybe he'd just grab a coffee or something, and try to settle his day down a bit. Imraan didn't usually drink the stuff, but he felt that today, he'd need the extra engery. Besides, there was nothing really decent to eat in the food court anyway. What he'd give for a nice little place that served decent Palestinian food or heck, anywhere Middle Eastern. But, that was Minnesota. It wasn't exactly the most multicultural place in the States. He wandered into the Starbucks at the edge of the court, grabbed a cup, and moved back out into the food court to see if there was anything else he wanted.

(Imraan Al-Hariq continued in It's Dating Time!)

[Edited to get a move on]