Myles (Completed)

2: Offer You Can't Resist

Monet DaSilva

"I need a break!" Zahra exclaimed, slamming her textbook closed. After our second class for the day we spent most of the afternoon in the library; it was now getting dark and we were still here hitting the books. "I don't know how you do it; but I can't." she leaned back and pulled her phone out of her pocket; by the scrolling I could tell she was either on social media or online shopping as usual.

"C'mon Z, we just got one more chapter to go."

"No, you have one more chapter to go. Preston's practice is over in ten minutes, and I'm about to go shower and get ready to go out with him."

"Preston isn't going to save you from failing."

"You're right, but those NFL checks will definitely save me from having to work." She shot back with a smile as she got up from her seat. "I'll catch you back at the dorm tonight. Don't wait up though."

"Yeah, yeah. Enjoy yourself."

"Oh, trust me... I will. Love you boo." She finished packing all of her things and threw the bag over her shoulder.

"Love you too." I waved, while returning my attention back to my textbook and color coordinated notes that sat in front of me.

After finishing that last chapter, I shut my textbook closed and began to pack away my things. Next stop was the gym, being the anchor of the relay team as well as the star for the 100 and 200 metres across the state. It was a lot of pressure at first, but it only pushed me to be greater.

I had gotten my drive from my mother who had a soft spot for track as well, she was the best in the city and all eyes were on her but none of those eyes were able to see the true her. My mother didn't run because she wanted to, she ran because it was all she knew. At the age of 15 her own ended up kicking her out of the house because her father wasn't paying child support and she didn't want to handle that burden of caring for my mother anymore.

My mother she lived in shelters and under bridges, but still managed to make it to school every morning at nine a.m. sharp. Eventually the shelters were able to pick up on her situation and they decided they would call Child Protective Services, she knew what the foster care system did to little kids like her so instead of heeding to their request to find her a "happy" home, she ran... for her life. My mom ran and ran for hours, that turned into days, that turned into weeks, months and then a year of being homeless until she finally met a man by the name of Paco; my dad. His real name was Antonio but everyone called him Paco DaSilva.

My dad was 22 at the time, young but very old in the streets, he was selling anything from drugs and guns to women. He could his women, all types, all forms, he knew what they had to offer as well as how much money he would be able to make off of them but the moment he ran into my mom, his ability to read women, changed. A frail, dirty, hungry, sixteen-year-old that stepped into the club one day looking for him specifically. My dad knew that men loved their girls young, he knew that he could make stacks off of this opportunity that had just presented itself, but instead he did what no one expected him to do; he took her home, he took care of her, provided for her, put her back into school and gave her the chance to run, but this time not away from something; but to something, to her future.

My mom not only passed high school with being on the honor-roll, and deans list; but she also won the Mayors choice award and had gotten so many offers and scholarships than you could name. After two years in her college program she made it to the Olympics and her story was one that went down in the books. That was until she had noticed her symptoms of early onset Alzheimer's that ended up taking all of that away from her. I was able to deal with it in the beginning but the older she got, was the more it worsened. Coming to school away from home, as well as occupying all the time I had, was a coping mechanism; I knew that I was losing her but seeing it made it much worse.