aaaaang girl ! What ’ s up with that ?” Eli Jacobs was trying to get at yet another victim to entertain his lame iteration of what he called “ game .” Using his typical approach , he cornered a freshman female at the water fountain .

She stood up from a hovering position over the faucet and turned around only to face , to her surprise , a 5 ’ 9 ’’ thinly framed boy .

This particular female tried to appear annoyed , but her outfit said otherwise . In fact , her skintight Apple Bottom jeans revealed the thong slightly above her belt line , giving Eli an open invitation to focus on what lied beneath . These targets were easy for dudes like Eli who didn ’ t want to put too much work into getting what he wanted . Their desire for the attention of boys led them to violate any homegrown values because they were happy just being noticed .

“ Hey , what up Corrie ?,” Eli yelled , seemingly forgetting the task at hand . He had spotted Corrie passing through the plaza on the way to the high school gym . Corrie was the starting guard at Central High , and Eli claimed to be his right hand man . His attempt was to gain fame by association .

Recognizing a familiar scene , Corrie replied without breaking stride , “ Good afternoon Eli .” It was obvious what Eli was up to . Word had gotten around that the chick he was trying to get at had already slept with two people . Barely past her sixteenth birthday , she had no respect for herself . “ When is the next summer league game ?” “ We ’ re done for the summer . Our last game was

Monday .” “ Dawg , what ’ s the deal , where you going to college ? You need to go to Duke , man ! “ Are you crazy , I hate Duke . They ’ re good , but they ’ re soft . I couldn ’ t play for no team like that .” “ I forgot you ’ re a Georgia Tech fan . That ’ s where you wanna go , ain ’ t it ?”

Corrie shifted weight from one leg to another to play off the uneasiness , “ No , not really . I really want to stay in Florida … close to home , the Gators or something .”

“ The Gators !?” Eli was surprised . “ They ain ’ t that good anymore .”

The unease subsided when Corrie remembered whom he was talking to . What did Eli know ? Now , in his final year of high school , he had earned the title

of ‘ class clown ,’ and had no plans past graduation . A ‘ C ’ student on a good semester , Eli ’ s book bag was merely an accessory because it definitely didn ’ t hold books . He might as well turn in his application to McDonald ’ s today ! Nevertheless , everybody knew Eli and Eli knew everybody . For him , apparently , that ’ s all that mattered . “ They won ’ t be sorry if I go there .” Corrie walked onto the court like Michael Jackson walks onto a stage . Unlike Eli , Corri wore his 5 ” 9 ’ frame well . Though relatively thin , he was appropriately toned for a senior high school athlete . He typically dressed in a Central High basketball t- shirt , well-worn Perry Ellis jeans and white Air Force Ones . Today was no different . His low cut waves were usually tightly manicured , and he had a swagger that compensated for any misgivings .

Corrie had started for the Central Varsity Basketball squad since his sophomore year , and unless he was injured , no one could usurp his position . High school is one of those times when everyone thinks they might be the best player in the country ; Corrie was no different . One thing he was certain of — he was the best at Central High .

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ISTOCKPHOTO . COM

James , Corrie ’ s cousin , approached . “ Where have you been Corrie ? We need one more player to run a game .” James was an incoming freshman and more than likely he would play Varsity . Corrie had always sensed an uncomfortable jealousy from the rest of his teammates , but not James . James , he could trust .

Corrie scanned the gym . “ There are already 10 people in here . Yall didn ’ t need me .”

James also looked around the gym , and then looked back at Corrie with a questioning glance . When he said they needed one more player , he really meant one more good player . “ Like I said , we still need you .” While changing his shoes , Corrie smirked at the male cheerleaders huddled on the bleachers . He could never quite figure out why a dude would want to be a cheerleader . By default they got free access to the girls , but it wasn ’ t like they were taking advantage of it . There was a few cheerleaders that could pass as 10 ’ s on anyone ’ s list .

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1 . I can ’ t afford it - There are several ways to pay for college . Including need based financial aid . That means the less money you have , the more money you will get to go to school .

2 . I don ’ t know what I want to do - Many students that go to college don ’ t know what they want to do either . But you can choose you major AFTER you get in college , and after you ’ ve been exposed to a variety of different careers .

3 . College will be too hard - Universities provide help for students that seek it . Success in college has less to do with how brilliant you are , and more to do with your willingness to succeed .

4 . My grades aren ’ t good enough - It ’ s never too late to turn your academics around . Start taking your future seriously and make your books a priority .

1 . On average , someone with a college degree will earn $ 1,500 MORE a month than someone with just a high school diploma . On average , someone with a college degree will earn $ 4,200 a month .

2 . You won ’ t be working at Burger King or in the mall after your high school graduation . ( Minimum wage is $ 6.79 an hour . You do the math .)

3 . If you keep up the good grades , here are some examples of what you will make in a few years