Chapter 16 - Carolina State
Carolina State’s campus stretched across rolling green lawns and red-brick buildings.
Jordan stepped out of Alicia’s car wearing a North Ridge hoodie.
Marcus arrived separately.
Jordan noticed immediately.
“You drove?”
Marcus nodded.
“Didn’t want your mom trapped with me for six hours.”
Alicia closed her car door.
“Most mature decision you’ve made this month.”
Marcus sighed.
“Morning to you too.”
Jordan laughed before he could stop himself.
Both parents looked at him.
He shrugged.
“That was funny.”
For the first time in years, Marcus and Alicia stood beside each other without forcing Jordan to manage the tension.
The admissions tour began at ten.
Jordan visited classrooms, athletic facilities, and a training center that smelled like fresh rubber flooring.
When they entered the basketball arena, he stopped.
Thousands of blue seats rose around the polished floor.
Marcus watched his face.
“You like it.”
Jordan nodded.
“Yeah.”
Alicia smiled.
“Don’t marry the first campus that flirts with you.”
Jordan laughed.
Coach Renee Collins met them courtside.
She introduced Jordan to assistants and two players.
Then she asked Marcus and Alicia to wait while Jordan toured the locker room.
Marcus hesitated.
Then stepped back.
Jordan noticed.
No hovering.
No answering for him.
Inside, Collins sat with Jordan.
“We like your competitiveness.”
Jordan nodded.
“We also like your grades.”
“Thanks.”
“We have another guard visiting next month.”
Jordan’s stomach tightened.
Collins smiled.
“This is college recruiting. Nobody should lie to you.”
Jordan appreciated the sentence more than she knew.
“We may have one scholarship available at your position.”
Jordan leaned forward.
“What do I need to do?”
“Keep playing.”
“Atlanta?”
“We’ll have staff there.”
Jordan’s pulse jumped.
Collins continued.
“And make decisions because they fit you, not because you’re trying to prove something to somebody.”
Jordan frowned.
“Coach Reed talk to you?”
“Coach Reed talks a lot.”
Jordan smiled.
Back outside, Marcus stood by himself near the arena entrance.
Alicia had gone to get coffee.
Jordan walked over.
“How’d it go?”
“Good.”
Marcus nodded.
Jordan waited for questions.
Marcus asked only one.
“Could you see yourself here?”
Jordan looked around.
“Maybe.”
“Then that’s enough for today.”
Jordan stared.
Marcus smiled.
“I’m learning.”
At lunch, Alicia asked about finances.
Collins explained scholarships, academic aid, and housing.
Marcus listened.
When a number came up, Jordan felt his shoulders tense automatically.
Marcus noticed.
Under the table, he tapped Jordan’s knee once.
Jordan looked over.
Marcus said quietly, “Don’t decide based on my face.”
Jordan swallowed.
“Okay.”
It was such a small sentence.
It felt enormous.
After the tour, Alicia drove back to Raleigh.
Marcus and Jordan drove home together.
Halfway back, Jordan asked, “You think I could play there?”
Marcus smiled.
“You asking what I think?”
“Yeah.”
“Yes.”
Jordan waited.
Marcus added, “But I thought you could play college ball when you were twelve, so I’m biased.”
Jordan laughed.
“You also thought I’d be six-five.”
“I’m still waiting.”
“Doctor said I’m done.”
“Doctor lacks vision.”
The easy conversation lasted twenty minutes.
Then Marcus’s phone rang through the car.
Keisha.
He glanced at Jordan.
Jordan looked out the window.
“Answer.”
Marcus picked up.
“Hey.”
Keisha sounded tense.
“Andre contacted Darius’s school.”
Marcus’s hands tightened.
“What?”
“He asked about pickup authorization.”
Jordan turned.
Marcus pulled into a gas station.
“Did they give him anything?”
“No. He isn’t authorized.”
“Good.”
“He told them he’s Darius’s biological father.”
Marcus closed his eyes.
“What did police say?”
“Document it.”
“I’m coming over.”
Keisha hesitated.
“Marcus.”
“What?”
“Don’t come because you think you have to rescue us.”
Marcus looked toward Jordan.
Jordan heard every word.
Keisha continued.
“Come if you want to be here.”
Marcus swallowed.
“I want to.”
Jordan looked away.
The answer felt healthy.
That surprised him.
Marcus ended the call.
“I need to stop there.”
Jordan nodded.
“I figured.”
Marcus started the car.
“Want me to take you home first?”
Jordan thought about Darius.
“No.”
Marcus looked over.
“I’ll come.”
At Keisha’s apartment, Darius sat on the couch gripping a basketball.
Jordan sat beside him.
“You scared?”
Darius shrugged.
“Yes.”
Jordan nodded.
“Me too.”
“Of my dad?”
“Of a lot lately.”
Darius looked at him.
“Does it stop?”
Jordan thought about the championship.
“No.”
Then he corrected himself.
“But you get better at not letting scared make every decision.”
Across the room Marcus heard.
Keisha did too.
Their eyes met.
Neither needed to say where Jordan had learned that lesson.
Two days later, police contacted Keisha.
Andre’s messages, prior payment demands, and school contact had raised enough concern for detectives to advise her about seeking a protective order through the court.
It was not instant.
It was not guaranteed.
But for the first time, Keisha did not try to handle him privately.
She called an attorney.
Then she called Marcus.
Marcus listened.
He did not promise to fix everything.
He said, “I’ll help where you want help.”
When Jordan heard, he realized his father was changing in ways larger than showing up to basketball.
Then another problem emerged.
Coach Reed called Jordan into his office Monday morning.
His face was serious.
“Carolina State got an email.”
Jordan’s stomach dropped.
“About what?”
“About your family finances.”
Jordan stared.
Coach Reed continued.
“Someone told them your father misused money belonging to you.”
Jordan’s face went cold.
“Who?”
“We don’t know.”
Jordan immediately thought of Andre.
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But the email had been sent before Andre ever appeared.
Someone else had been watching the Walker family fall apart.
