THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, May 26, 1995 TAG: 9505260042
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: LIFE IN THE PASSING LANE
The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star has been following the paths
of four South Hampton Roads students during their senior year in high
school. This installment looks at how three of them juggle school
responsibilities with their social life.
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
AS HE DOES nearly every weekday after finishing up at his after-school job, LeVar Thornton dropped in on his best friend, Antoine Rountree.
LeVar, a senior at Booker T. Washington High, walked through the front door of Antoine's grandmother's house fretting about his pride and joy, a 1984 Ford Mustang GT that he'd bought a few months earlier with money he had earned at work.
The car's engine didn't sound right, LeVar said, describing the symptoms, and he wanted to take a look at it. LeVar glanced at his friend as if to gauge Antoine's interest in going outside to help check it out.
Antoine, a year older than LeVar and a 1994 graduate of Booker T., knew a trick or two about things mechanical. He had helped LeVar install a jammin' sound system after LeVar bought the car.
He listened to LeVar without commenting. It was about 7 p.m. on a Thursday. It would be dark soon.
``Want something to drink?'' Antoine said.
LeVar poured his 6-foot, 1-inch frame into a cushioned chair. The conversation turned to another important matter.
``What's up for the weekend?'' Antoine said.
``Sleep,'' LeVar joked.
They traded small talk about setting up a basketball game and whether their girlfriends would be expecting to see them.
But LeVar, it was clear, remained preoccupied with his car. Just before sunset, he got up to leave. Antoine followed him out.
LeVar walked over to his car, cranked it up and popped the hood. He took off the carburetor cover and gave the car some gas, listening. He poked around the engine.
Antoine leaned over the motor and reached in. ``Look at this,'' he said, holding up a wire. It was an engine sensor that had come unplugged. He plugged it back in.
``See, now you got my hands dirty,'' Antoine ribbed his friend.
``You going to change your clothes?'' LeVar asked.
``Yeah,'' Antoine said.
``Good,'' LeVar said, as he wiped his grimy hands on Antoine's T-shirt.
Welcome to LeVar and Antoine's world. They have known each other since they were kids, and they do everything together - shooting hoops, working on their cars, chasing girls or just hanging.
To pursue his career goal of becoming an electrician, LeVar sacrificed a lot his senior year. He gave up basketball at Booker T., where he was a standout his junior year; colleges already had begun courting him.
He gave up a lot of his spare time for part-time work after school. For his final semester of school, he landed a job with a private electrical contractor that he is parlaying into school credit as part of a vocational education work-study program. Although he only needs to work 15 hours a week for credit, he routinely puts in 25 or 30 hours.
Besides that, LeVar decided to play on Booker T.'s soccer team. He's a team captain, and he's good enough that his coach lets him skip practice. His boss lets him leave work early on game days.
Despite such a hectic schedule, he always finds time for Antoine.
``We go way back to the Boys Club days when we were little, like 8 or 10,'' Antoine said. ``We're just alike - pretty much what he likes, I like. About the only difference is we've got different tastes in women.''
Antoine took the same vocational courses that LeVar has in electricity. They played basketball and soccer together at Booker T. Washington. Antoine, who collected dozens of trophies, had a shot at an athletic scholarship, but he decided not to attend college. He now holds a warehouse job.
LeVar just turned 18, and now that he's graduating, the friends are plotting their next move: They plan to find an apartment and, for the first time, face life on their own in their own place.
Their big plan, though, is to become business partners in an electrical contracting business.
``In high school, we became more like big brother-little brother,'' Antoine said. ``We count on each other before we count on somebody else. I can trust him.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
MOTOYA NAKAMURA/Staff
LeVar Thornton, left, knows he can get good advice about his car
from friend Antoine Rountree.
by CNB