Page 127 of Every Move You Make

“Robyn? This is Dan West with HR. I have Coach Johanssen in the office with me right now. Are you aware of the video footage of you and him circling the internet?”

I look at my mom and she nods curtly.

“Yes,” I admit, and take a seat on the couch.

“How soon can you come into the facility to talk with us?”

“Uh, I’m in New York at the Adidas shoot,” I say as my entire body trembles. “We still have three more hours to go.”

There’s a disgruntled sigh on his end before he says, “Then I’ll make this fast. Isaiah, Robyn, effective immediately,you are both suspended with pay pending further investigation.”

“What?” I ask. “But it was just a kiss!”

“I’m sorry, but this is the way it has to be. You will not have the ability to speak with the team’s Public Relations until you are in good standing with the team again. I would advise you to hire your own. Do you have any questions?”

“What about the game next weekend?” I ask. “Am I allowed to attend?”

“You are both allowed to attend, but not as an active player or coach. Only if the investigation results in your favor may you participate once again.”

“I’m so sorry, Robyn,” Isaiah says, and without even seeing him, I know he’s doing his best to remain strong, but he’s falling apart too.

“Me, too.”

Plastering on a futile smile, I power through the rest of the photoshoot knowing full well that everyone here knows what happened. To my relief, no one brings it up to me, but that doesn’t stop me from being a knotted, anxious mess. I have too many unanswered questions flying around in my brain.

I can’t get out of here fast enough. All I want is to go home and run into the arms of the two people most capable of soothing my worries.

Taking my photoshoot makeup off is the least of my priorities, so I stuff everything in my bag and head for the elevators. Right when the doors open, my mom makes her way in next to me.

“I’m coming home with you,” she says definitively as the doors close.

“Wh–why?”

“Because you’re in no shape to drive like this.”

She’s not wrong, but even more unease settles in my gut at the thought of her taking up more of my time when I could be wrapped in a cocoon of Isaiah and Dell.

“I’ll be fine, Mom. You need to catch your flight anyway.”

“I will reschedule. Your father has already booked a ticket to Philly and will land tomorrow morning.”

“What?”

When she looks at me, all traces of her disgust from earlier are gone, replaced with soft, soothing eyes, which throws me for a loop. I can’t keep up with her mood swings. I can barely keep up with my own emotional load. She gently cups my shoulder. “You need us right now. You need a support system you can trust.”

“I have that. With Isaiah and…” I stop myself from saying Dell’s name. She still doesn’t know about him, and I can’t tell if it’s a good idea or the worst to tell her yet. “Serwaa,” I finish. It’s not a lie. If I didn’t have Isaiah and Dell, Serwaa would be the one to see me through hardship.

“I’m not taking no for an answer, Birdie. Just let me drive you home, and when your father gets there in the morning, we will all figure this out then.” When I open my mouth to protest again, she cuts me off. “I know you thinkheknows you, but no one knows you like your parents. You know we have your best interest at heart,” she smiles.

When the elevator doors open in the lobby, I immediately notice the rain has not let up. And there’s something about the gloomy weather and the childhood comfort my mother is giving that has me agreeing. Whether it comes from reluctance or willingness… I can’t tell.

“Okay,” I sigh, shifting my bag over my shoulder and heading straight to the exit. Mom follows. “But can you promise me we won’t talk on the drive? I need to be alone with my thoughts right now.”

“Of course,” she beams, and I can’t help but wonderwhere her change in mood is coming from. Did she really have a change of heart? Doubtful. Maybe she’s simply trying to ease the tension. I don’t know and honestly, I don’t care right now. I want to hide away and delete my accounts. Delete my career. Delete.

As much as I want to turn my phone off completely, I have to give the guys an update, so I shoot off a text once Mom and I are underway. Before I can send my first message, Isaiah calls, but I send the call to voicemail.

Isaiah: Hey I was trying to call so we could talk while you drive. I know you’re probably feeling a million things right now.

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