***
By the time they arrived in New York, it was already dusk. Ken escorted Ai to her dorms and shared a long goodbye out the front, with neither wanting to let go. It was only after receiving a few beeps of the horn from the cab driver that Ken finally let her go.
"I will see you this weekend. I love you."
When he got into the cab, he resisted saying some choice words to the impatient driver and rested his head back. It had been a long but fruitful couple of months in Japan and Texas and his heart was full.
It almost felt a little disappointing to be going back to college after the break. But Ken knew that he had to face the music at some stage.
'The suspension should be up in March… It's only 6 months.' He said inwardly.
Ken could be patient, especially since this concerned his career. He could focus on other things in the meantime like his studies and perhaps networking with other students.
However, both options didn't seem too appealing when he thought further.
When he arrived at the dorm, Steve was not there despite being on the same flight as them. He had probably gone to meet up with Tara since it had been a while since they'd seen each other last.
As if to confirm his theory, he could hear muffled noises coming from the next room, causing him to let out a sigh. Feeling a little tired from the trip, he quickly got into bed and urged Mika to use sleep protocol.
The sounds became distant and his eyes grew heavy, putting him into a deep sleep after a few moments.
The next morning, Ken awoke Steve who had come back to the dorm at some point and they went on their morning run around the campus. With the start of Fall, the campus was filled with brown and orange colors from the leaves, painting a beautiful sight.
Getting into a rhythm, the two didn't speak and went their usual route before slowing down after over an hour. Shining with sweat, they stretched on one of the grassed areas on campus.
"Sounded like you and Tara had a good reunion last night." Ken said off-handedly.
"Mmm it was great. I didn't realize how much I missed her until I came back." He replied, wearing a dreamy smile.
The two were chatting back and forth when a figure appeared, "Good to see you guys are still keeping fit."
Ken turned his head and saw Coach Brown who looked to be heading towards the fitness center. He seemed bright and full of energy, as if he had also had a good night last night.
"You know us coach, we struggle staying idle." Ken said with a smile, "How was your time off?"
"It was rather gloomy at first, but things have taken a turn for the better." He said, giving a wink. "Go get cleaned up and meet me in my office in half an hour."
Without waiting for a response, he left, humming a tune and leaving the two behind.
"What do you think that is all about?" Ken asked.
"I don't know…" Steve said suspiciously, "Maybe it's about your suspension?"
Ken shook his head, "I doubt it. Tara would have been the first to let me know if any news had dropped since the media is all over it."
"Mmm, you're probably right. Well, you should hurry up and find out." Steve urged, "It has to be decent news if he's in this good of a mood."
Ken agreed and quickly went back to the dorm after finishing his last few stretches. After a brief shower and a change of clothes, he made his way to the coach's office at the fitness center.
The Academic semester started in a few days, but many of the staff were already back at campus, preparing their lectures among other things.
Knock Knock
Ken knocked upon the door and poke his head in. It seemed that every time he had done this lately it had ended badly, but seeing the coach full of smiles made him feel optimistic.
"Ken, take a seat my boy." He exclaimed merrily.
Ken obliged, closing the door behind him and making his way over.
"You seem in a great mood today coach. What can I do for you?" he asked.
"Really? Well, I guess you could say that." He replied letting out a small chuckle. "You see, we've managed to get cooperation from the President of the NCAA on your matter."
Ken's ears perked up, though he tried to not get his hopes up just yet.
The coach continued, "It turns out that the employee that handled your case has been treating many cases unjustly during his tenure. At least that's what I've been told. The NCAA has opened up an internal investigation on the employee and offered to come to an agreement with the University so as to avoid a lawsuit."
"So what does this mean?" Ken asked, his hands unknowingly clenching.
"Well, nothing is finalized yet, but President Emmerts has agreed to personally look over your case and reevaluate before coming back to us. He was rather apologetic, or at least that's what my boss said."
Ken didn't celebrate or react just yet, letting out a deep breath. "What do you think my chances are of getting a reduced suspension?"
Coach Brown smiled, "It's almost guaranteed Ken. 24 games was far too harsh to begin with, especially since you fully cooperated and even paid the cost of the tickets back to the source."
A small smile touched Ken's lips, but he wasn't fully out of the woods yet. "How many games do you think then? 20? 12? It would be nice if I knew what to expect."
"Hehe, I would be surprised if it's more than 4 games. With the 3 that you've already missed out on, you might only have to miss the opening game of next season." Coach Brown stated with a grin.