ONE
ANNIKA
Nothing to be nervous about, right?
I’m certain in my knowledge of synaptic transmission, the sliding filament theory and the way the amygdala reacts to stressors, when your brain feels it’s being threatened.
The way I sometimes feel when it comes to Parker O’Ryan.
The body tells the truth long before the mouth does. If it ever does.
I chose this path because I need to understand both physiology and psychology.
Mind before muscle.
Waiting in the campus library, I sit at a long walnut table inlaid with our university mascot, a longhorn. My fingers trace over the sharp corners of the horns before I open my textbook to the chapter, Neuromuscular Structure & Function.
I’m ready.
Highlighters lined up.
Flashcards stacked.
Parker’s quiz, face down.
Who isn’t ready? Who isn’t here?
Parker, of course.
But on the field, his entire body is more than potential.
Perfectly timed reactions.
Only milliseconds to make a decision.
Adrenaline flooding the muscle fibers.
Parker thinks all his talent is instinctual, but there is science behind it. And I want to understand how it all fits together to make people successful in sports. Why do some athletes rise under pressure and others fall apart?
Why fear slows reaction time. Why visualization rewires the brain’s pathways.
I want to study the brain until I can map resilience, which will require more years of school. Maybe more to become a PhD in Psychology.
Will it be worth it?
Without a doubt.
My phone vibrates on the table with a message.
Parker: Be there in two. Don’t start without me.
Does he think I’m tutoring myself? I couldn’t start without him if I tried. He’s always late and I’m tired of him treating my time like it’s worthless.
Laughter floats up the stairwell—bright, breathless, and feminine.
I don’t look up, even though I want to, instead, I let out a heavy exhale as I hear Parker’s deep voice. And I can almost see him smiling down at whoever he’s with. I underline aphrase on my notebook with my purple flair pen before lifting my gaze.
And there he is, Parker O’Ryan, Texas playoff hero.