Once school started for them. They settled in, being in the same dorm room to make it easier for their training schedule. They also shared a lot of the easier classes. Astral would continue his quest for history as Jaimie went for psychology and physiology. The high demand and stress was more than enough to overwork her. With help from Astral it was much more manageable.
Sports became more of a bonding process and practicing certain repetitions. The bonding between Astral, Jaimie and the rest of the team would be rapid. They all admired their skill and dedication. Proving that their bond that they grew would overcome anything in their way.
Their offensive firepower was more than enough to give Georgia the juice it needed to go on and win the national championship each year. The defense was amazing but the connection between Jaimie and Astral was untouchable.
The two of them would grow apart, both living different lives and having different goals. Astral wanted to be the star of the show, someone he always wanted to be. Jaimie wanted to live a quiet life away from drama, she dealt with enough growing up and she didn't want more.
Their lives were almost turned upside down. Everyone in their classes were booing them one day after a rough showing in a game. Everyone around them outside of their teammates blamed them for the shootout loss. Astral owned up to the credit rather than letting it get to him. Jaimie would stay silent for the next few weeks and Astral would light it up. Proving that having a bad game isn't the end of the world.
Jaimie would slowly feel more and more pressure to become a more modest lady rather than someone of her current stature, someone around men seeing how little drama is between them. She would be in awe and slowly only confide in Astral.
Each day was a different battle for her. All she wanted was a quiet, peaceful life. Even her relations with Astral were breaking down slowly. She slowly felt like a failure and Astral was too busy being a star. She felt pushed away and isolated even if she wasn't.
Her mental additude would change drastically. Directing all of her emotion onto Astral. Who would always handle it in stride. The two of them would often be seen in the locker room just talking about how she is doing. They had just won their second national championsip.
"You ever had the feeling of just giving up?" She would be clung to him like thorns to a bush.
Astrals sigh turned to a frown. "Yeah, it was a long time ago, certain moments where I feel like I don't want to carry on. At times where I have enough. A time to savor the moment." He would hold onto her as he wouldn't move from her side.
"I am just tired of everyone around me telling me to be different. I know I am, how is a girl competing against grown men in one of the most physical sports known? Doesn't that make me different enough?" Her tone was exausted.
"People see you and are threatened by what you possess. They see what they would love to be and can't relate to it one bit due to the amount of time you have spent to get to where you are." He would try and be soothing with his voice.
"You think that each one of them are jealous?" Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Every one of them. They would love to be in your shoes, but none of them have dealt with what you have." He would hold her hand. Squeezing it softly.
"Can't it just be over? I don't want to deal with their stares and the light being on me constantly. Stardom just isn't for me." The tears crawling down her face became a stream.
"Hey, this is my last year before I'm going to the draft. I promise that it'll stop as soon as possible." He would wipe her tears away with his free hand. "Besides, a quiet life is something that I would adore, I'm just trying to embrace this shine before its snuffed out for good."
"What does that mean for us though?" She would ask him.
"What do you want it to be for us?" He would ask her. "What would you be comfortable with?"
"I want to be away from all of this, a life into isolation. Where I have no worries about anything. I would love to be by your side and to play next to you your entire life. The problem is I just can't handle the stress. I feel like I am being shrunk in comparison to you. Used like a toy." She would bury her face into his chest.
He would rub his hand on her back. "You are the reason why I am able to do what I do. People don't realize that and it makes me feel shameful. We are two people with two full different playstyles. It makes me sad too."
Mumbled into his chest. "Why don't you say something then?"
He would look shocked. He felt like this relationship had became one sided, and it was no longer them but him supporting her. "Next press conference that I do. I promise I'll speak up." He was cut off by her her hand covering his mouth.
"No, tell them that I will be done when you are, I won't play unless I am with you." She told him how it was.
"If I go to the draft would you come with me?" He asked meepish. Not wanting to upset her.
"No, I am finishing college and then going to become a psychiatrist. Wether you join me or not, I shall do what I want to do." Her tone becoming sharp.
"Then we should enjoy one last year with each other. We both have different plans and we can go our seperate ways after this season?" He quietly asked her as she nodded yes into his chest. He would start to cry.
The two of them would just sit there and cry together. The memories they both had shared together, all of the time with each other. Now to be wasted away.
After three years, Astral went to the draft. Jaimie did not play football during her senior year, but just finished college. Astral pursued his dreams of winning football on the biggest stage. Jaimie vanished off the face of the earth.
Astral would go on to be the most revolutionary game-changer in all of football. Winning a total of five super bowls. With winning seven MVPs and being a pro bowler and all-pro every season.
His style of play let him adapt to whatever was needed around him. If he needed an extra piece on offense. He could make due with whatever. If he needed to run the ball he could effectively. The only place you wouldn't find him was on defense so he could keep people in games and keep him in shape.
Within the first thirteen years of his career he would already have played two hundred and fifty games. He felt like he was the best ever to do it and only kept getting better, taking smaller below market deals in order to keep it all together having his offense be scraps while keeping the defense stout.
It showed him to be the best as year after year he would stay well ahead of the curve. His growth never stopped. He would keep seeking one prize however. A prize he lost long ago.