Going Rogue | Season 4

[The JZA]

[djp73]

No picks. Coaches love that!

[Soapy]

go ahead and hop in that portal big dawg, time for for big boy football at a legit program

[The JZA]

No picks. Coaches love that!

Shit, he ain't play enough games to throw one

Like I said to James, I'd rather take the sack. Gotta be conscious where you put the ball

go ahead and hop in that portal big dawg, time for for big boy football at a legit program

It may be the option. We'll see after the season finale coming up.

[Google[Bot]]

No INTs

[COYB54]

Atleast see what's out there in the portal. No picks should be enticing for some coaches.

[The JZA]

Chapter V: The Haves & Havenots

Freshman year football was officially in the books. The season was over and Michigan was crowned champions. Jodi couldn't help but wonder if the season would have turned out better or worse had he played a full season, but with six games under his belt, he still managed to impressed a lot of folks across the nation. With a talent like his, he shouldn't be playing second to anybody, at least that's what the compliments implied on his first year body of work. It wasn't long after getting back to Atlanta, Jodi and the boys swung by Magic City to celebrate their Gator Bowl win. And with the lot of the seniors graduating soon, camaraderie was important to the friendship building off the field. But come on, who goes to Magic City to build relationships? With a simple night out on the town, the boys capped off a successful season, for better or worse...

Gabriel pulled up unbeknownst and kicked things in gear with the party atmosphere. Thanks to his extra street-curriculars, Gabriel was the life of the party, making sure his bands made them dance. Having Gabriel there, Jodi's nerves had eased up, allowing him to let loose a bit amongst the boys. With a few stacks handed to Jodi, Gabriel insisted the fun was on him.

Nyla was her name. A cute red bone, a little on the plus side, but was never the complaint for Jodi. She was a senior at Georgia Tech, paying her way through college. Jodi understood the assignment, not to make it weird in sorts. Last thing he needed was a slip of the tongue around the wrong ears. Nyla danced a few songs, saunting her body to the rhythm, mesmerizing her customer with her voluptuous curves. Captivated, he was hers until the stack ran low, then reverting back to acquaintances. While their light banter left a little room for something more on the friendly, Jodi quickly learned that the name of the game was money, and supply meets demands.

With the season over, Jodi had some time off. As much as he wanted to stay in Atlanta during the break and spend time with his newly acquired girlfriend, Tiffany, there were more important matters he had to address. With her understanding, which was shocking to him, Jodi was seen off by Tiffany as he caught an early flight back to Concord, California.

"Ahhhh!!! Jodi, what are you doing here??!!" Cassia shouted in excitement to see her son. Jodi made sure to keep his arrival a surprise, texting his mother throughout the day to keep tabs on her activities to catch her in person while she was out and about. "I wasn't expecting to see you back so soon, why didn't you tell me you were coming??"

"Wanted to surprise you, not give you a heart attack", Jodi joked.

"I will admit, my heart is jumping out of my chest, but that's the least of my worries", Cassia grinned with a smile so hard that her cheeks stretched to it's maximum proportions, aching the side of her face."What's going on? Is everything okay? Let me get a look at you! You've gotten so big in a short amount of time!"

"I'm good Ma, I'm just here on a break. The season is over, I figure I come back home and spend some time here."

"Awh, you missed your Mama, didn't you?", Cassia teased.

"Hell yeah, living in Georgia alone, that's new territory I wasn't ready for. But I had some great people looking after me and helped me settle down."

"That's great. Seems like you've got a taste of adulthood, I'm so proud of you! Oh, and what about your grades? You've been studying and keeping them up?"

"Yeah, yeah, all that is good Ma, relax. You looking at a 4.0 student here, put some respect on it!", Jodi flexed with a smug. Jodi was happy to be back home, taking a walk with Cassia, looking around town as if he hasn't been in Danville in over twenty years. Not much has changed, if at all. Danville was still the same old peaceful small town, burrowed away under Mt. Diablo.

Jodi begins to talk about his school life, his freshman year there so far, the people he met, the places he's gone, especially Ireland, a visit Jodi wasn't gonna forget anytime soon. The two reached the center of the town, taking a sit at an cafe with outdoor seatings, continuing on after ordering two lattes.

"Sounds like you had a eventful few months, seeing the world, making new friends, learning new things, I'm really happy for you, Jodi."

"Thanks Ma, and I can't stress it enough, it probably wouldn't happen if it wasn't for you giving me that push I needed."

"Oh, I didn't do anything that you were already capable of doing, you just needed to set your mind to it, focus on what matters."

"I know, I know, but still, thank you. I love you forevermore for it. You've been nothing but a strong pillar in my life."

"And I always will be, my son. Life has dealt you a hand of hardships early on in your life, and at some point, you just need to take a seat, rest up against a pillar, and let the powers that be, be."

"Speaking of pillars, I may just have another one back in Georgia."

"Already?" Cassia shot at Jodi.

"What you mean, "Already"?"

"I don't know, I guess I just figured you go out there and do... guy stuff, you know the things you people do."

"What do you mean, "you people"?" Jodi jokingly referenced. "Nah, I get that, but she just caught my attention and never let it go."

'OooOooh, look at Jodi getting the girls in Atlanta, that southern hospitality grew on you quick, huh?"

"Did it ever? It's a whole different world out there compared to here", Jodi summarized. "But her, Tiffany, she's different, definitely different than you know who."

"I hope so. One of her is enough in the world. So tell me about this Tiffany you've met", Cassia sat her over cup, lightly running her finger around the rim.

"She's beautiful from head to toe, got a smile out of this world. She's about my complexion, got these big sparkly brown eyes as big as her personality. She has great character, very southern with a city girl vibe to her. And she's athletic. I'm not ashamed to say it, I challenged her to a race and she won."

"Wow, the almighty Jodi losing to someone? A girl at that? Never would've thunk it." Cassia teased. "But she sounds amazing. How long have you guys been talking?"

"For about a month now. Had our first date and all that, just taking it slow."

"Well, good for you Jodi, I really hope she can keep you reeled in and out of trouble. And I pray she doesn't fall prey to none of your contagious personality traits."

"Hey, I can't help that I have that kind of effect on people", Jodi throws his hands up for his innocence.

"Uh huh. I'm just saying, give the poor girl a chance to really get to know you. She sounds sweet from what I'm hearing, you're doing well for your-self."

"I'm trying, honestly. I'm a bit conflicted though. I've been thinking about going into the transfer portal."

"Why? What's wrong with Georgia Tech?"

"Nothing, things are great there, aside from sitting on the bench half the season."

"Yeah, I seen that. I wasn't sure what was going on and didn't want to barge in on you about it. Had you wanted to talk, I'd let you come to me with it."

"I appreciate that. It was a hard pill to swallow that someone there was the guy for them."

"But, you did play the back half of the season. You did start."

"Yeah, I also just sat around on pine. And when I wasn't doing that, I was just training my ass off. If it wasn't for Tiffany, pleading me not to give up, I probably would have."

"I'm glad you listened to her. You did the right call not doing so. Hmm, I think I like Tiffany more than I should."

"Yeah, she's a real diamond. We spend a lot of time together now, mid-morning trainings and what not."

"So, what're you going to do about the portal situation?" Cassia re-directed the topic. "You leave Georgia Tech, you changing a lot of things, not only just for you."

"I know Ma, but haven't talked to her about it, I'm still not convinced it's the best option just yet. I like it there at Georgia Tech, but I also want to play more, be more, do more. Playing those handful of games got me believing in my game on a collegiate level. I definitely want to see my-self maximize all my skills."

"Then it sounds like you have your mind made up for your-self, just not for others... You really like her, do you?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, Jodi, this is the crossroad you'll have to stop and look at your options. You didn't go to college to find love, but it has found you again. And now, there's an opportunity to go elsewhere and do great things, or stay there and compromise your potential. It's a game of sacrifice, and I don't envy the position you're in. I've been there."

Jodi looks on over his cup, slightly pushing it away with his index finger. "Why does life have to be so difficult?", he asked spoken out loud.

"Just the way the ball falls in life sometimes, kid. You have a choice, football or Tiffany. But before you think about it and make any decision, talk to her and see how she feels. I'm sure she'll understand that ultimately it'll be your choice."

"Yeah, you're right. I'll do that..."

================================
Two Weeks Later...
================================

It's been two weeks since Jodi returned home and his time in Danville was nearly up. With just a couple days left in town, Jodi would be heading back to school to finish the year out. In the process of meeting everyone, hanging about with his former high school friends that haven't left for college yet, Jodi crossed his path with Prisha. Still looking good as ever, Jodi couldn't see her in the same light that he once did anymore. With him-self removed out of Danville, time has allowed him to push Prisha out of his mind and heart, but that didn't stop Prisha for trying to take it back to what they had before, but she learned the hard way that Jodi has moved on. Distraught and beside her-self, Prisha surprisingly left Jodi at bay. But there was one stake that clothed them together. A baby, that Prisha proudly birth. Just three weeks old, Prisha was ecstatic to be a mom, but heartbroken for her dream to be a family. With Jodi demanding a paternity to erase all doubts, Prisha complied, though she made her stance very clear that Jodi was indeed the father. Jodi would not allow her words to put him under false pretenses and remained adamant that until he learns the baby is his, he would not sign any birth certificate...

"Mr. Rogue, Ms. Woodson, good morning, good to see you two well. Have you two talked about the possibilities of co-parenting, should this test reveal that the child is yours, Mr. Rogue?"

"Some what. Not a lot to go off on, there's things on my end that's in the air. And me needing to learn that this is my child, I can move accordingly."

"I understand. And Ms. Woodson, however the outcome may be, we here like for you to understand that your role in all of this goes unchanged and we have programs through our partners that could prove beneficial to you as a new parent. Parental classes, free child care, one-on-one counseling, and more. If anything compels to you, don't be afraid to talk to Samantha at the front desk for a brochure."

"Thank you, Dr. Anderson. But all we'll be needing right now is just the paternity test."

"Gladly, let's get you two informed", Dr. Anderson says as he reaches out on his phone, pulling up an app-based central for all test-related diagnosis and results. "Jodi Rogue... You are not the father..."

"Not the father! Are you fucking kidding me?!" Jodi yelled at Prisha. For Jodi, since learning that Prisha was pregnant, he had time to digest this information. Coming back home to Danville, Jodi was kind of coming around to the idea of staying close to home, being a father. The last thing he would ever want is his child to grow up like he did. But the results Dr. Anderson revealed, it changed everything. That slight optimism turned into utter disgrace for Prisha. To hell with the kid he thought. Jodi wasted five years, with undying love and unyielding loyalty for Prisha. All to just spit in his face, on his name, on everything that he cared for in the name of Prisha. Jodi could see nothing but red, painting down his vision to rage.

"Jodi, please! Stop! That's not true! That test has to be a mistake!.. Dr. Anderson!?"

"I'm sorry, Ms. Woodson, but the test is 99.99% conclusive that your baby does not share any DNA strain of Mr. Rogue here. But I must ask of you, to please calm down Mr. Rogue. The test may conclude you're not the father, but if you plan-"

"Nah, don't even bother with that thought", Jodi cutting off Dr. Anderson. "There's no way I'm going to "father" another man's child. And I get the feeling I know who he is, don't I?... Don't I, Prisha?"

Prisha was clearly frightened by the results and the anger coming from Jodi. The shame, the guilt, it ate away at Prisha, she couldn't silence her false truth any longer. It was there that Prisha realized that her dream was blown, her path was altered, the consequences were soon to be served. Sadness and shame strangles her throat with lumps forming, preventing her from speaking, which may have been in her best interest as the tears welled up and flowed. Prisha knew it was over, for good this time.

Without even getting an answer from Prisha, Jodi already knew who the father was. There was no doubt about it, and everything that had happened between the three had began to all add up. Although torn about the paternity test, not being a father, Jodi was relieved to not be tied to his treacherous ex for the rest of his life, and having his answer validate his next adventure outside of Danville...

[The JZA]

No INTs

mvp, No INTs or NILs

Atleast see what's out there in the portal. No picks should be enticing for some coaches.

COYB54, Yeah, but let's be realistic, that's not going to last forever. A pickless career? That's some real benchmark work.

[Captain Canada]

Jodi escapes again

[Baze]

This kid Jodi's gonna be on the verge of becoming Antonio Cromartie if he keeps this up