Page 60 of Draft Pick

Tossing the phone aside, I snuggled deeper under the covers. But sleep was elusive, my mind a carousel of what-ifs and maybes. What if Cason really had changed? What if he was sincere about wanting to be there for me and our baby? And the scariest thought of all — what if I was falling for him all over again?

I strodeinto the Wolverine locker room, immediately engulfed by the familiar scent of sweat and determination that always filled the air.

The room was a hive of activity, buzzing with the energy of my teammates getting ready for practice. Their voices echoed off the high ceilings, blending with the clatter of lockers opening and closing.

The locker room was a spacious, rectangular hall lined with rows of metal lockers on either side, each emblazoned with our team's logo - a fierce wolverine in mid-pounce. The lockers, deep green with golden trims, reflected the team colors proudly. Above, fluorescent lights hummed softly, casting a bright, clinical glow over the room.

A football locker room was as familiar to me as my bedroom. Except my bedroom was rarely ever filled with half-dressed men snapping each other with towels or playing grab-ass.

The whiteboard, mounted on the wall, was filled with diagrams and strategies for our upcoming game against Cal Poly, a jumble of X's and O's that looked like a secret code.

In the center of the locker room, Zayden stood out, his muscular frame moving to the rhythm of the hip-hop beat blaring from his phone. His infectious energy radiated, drawing in a few of our teammates who couldn't resist bobbing their heads to the music.

Nearby, Lincoln was a stark contrast to Zayden's exuberance. He sat quietly, methodically lacing up his cleats with a faraway look in his eyes. His locker was meticulously organized, with every piece of gear in its rightful place, reflecting his disciplined nature. I hoped he was finally moving past his obsession with that fruit loop Ursula, but some additions were hard to break.

As I moved to my locker, the chatter and camaraderie of the team enveloped me. My locker, situated near the center of the room, had become my little sanctuary.

Opening it, I was greeted by the sight of my jersey, pads, and helmet all neatly arranged, just the way I liked it. At least here, I understood the chaos and knew what was expected of me.

I could feel the pulse of the locker room, the pre-practice energy that was a mix of focus and playful banter, a ritual that had become second nature to all of us.

In this room, we transformed from students to Wolverines, ready to take on any challenge on the field. But today, even this familiar environment couldn't completely pull my thoughts away from the personal challenges awaiting me off the field.

And my head was crammed full of shit that had nothing to do with football.

"Yo, Cason, you look like you've got something on your mind, man," Zayden said, slapping me on the back with a grin. "Spill it. Let me be your therapist, best friend, and overall, excellent sounding board."

I hesitated, tossing my towel onto a nearby bench. Knowing Zayden's take on relationships was as fleeting as his attention on the field, I was reluctant to share. But my head was swimming with everything that'd happened last night with Starlie, and I needed to clear it out. "Starlie invited me to her ultrasound next week," I finally said.

Zayden's eyebrows shot up, his hands freezing mid-air. "Seriously, man? You're diving headfirst into daddy duty with a chick you barely know? Have the paternity results even come back yet?"

I didn't doubt the baby was mine, but I answered truthfully, "Not yet, should be next week but I'm not worried. Starlie's not that kind of girl."

Zay barked a short laugh, the sound echoing off the locker room walls. "They're all that kind of girl, man. You need to protect yourself and your future paycheck. I wouldn't be doing shit until I had official documents in my hand saying it was one of my swimmers that did the deed."

"I think it's pretty safe to say, we're nothing alike," I shot back, playfully punching Zay in the shoulder. "And thank God for that."

Lincoln looked up, his expression more thoughtful. "Zay, no one would accuse you of bending over backwards to do the right thing."

"Hey, don't bust my balls like that," Zayden growled, though there was a hint of a smile on his face. "You make me sound like an asshole."

"I mean, you have your moments," I quipped with a grin, adjusting my gear.

Zayden shook his head, tossing his phone onto a bench and returning to his original point. "But why chain yourself down? We've got our whole careers ahead of us. NFL scouts are already sniffing around, and you want to play house? It's stupid. Especially when the chick gave you an easy out. She agreed to let you sign away any parental rights. I mean, I would've taken that deal in a heartbeat."

"We all know how you would've handled this, Zay," I drawled, knowing Zay would've split the country, changed his name, and claimed amnesia if a girl came to him, claiming he'd gotten her pregnant. "It's not about playing house, Zay. It's about responsibility. And maybe, just maybe, there's something real with Starlie."

Lincoln nodded, a supportive glance in his eyes. "I get it, Cason. It's not easy, but if you feel this is right, then you've got to follow that path."

Zayden scoffed, grabbing his helmet and standing up. "Responsibility is one thing, but this is like signing a lifelong contract without reading the terms. You sure you're ready for that?"

"I don't know," I admitted, grabbing my helmet and following suit. "But I'm not about to bail on her, or our kid. I've got to at least try, right?"

Lincoln clapped me on the shoulder, his expression earnest. "That's honorable, man. Just make sure you're not losing sight of your own goals."

Zayden, realizing his input was falling on deaf ears, sealed his lips and shook his head as if resigned to watching his best friend walk face-first into oncoming traffic.

But as we headed out to the field, the sound of Coach McKinley already barking orders, I couldn't shake Zayden's words. Was I being naive, thinking I could balance a budding football career with fatherhood and a relationship?

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