Page 37 of Hitting the Goal Line
“Who?” Sydney asks, taking a bite of his food.
“Christian Rodriguez, the guy from San Jose,” the guy answers, giving Sydney a nod.
I recognize the name. Rodriguez is all about speed and sure as hell knows how to keep players from scoring. The guy is going to be fucking fantastic playing for a team like Chicago, there’s no doubt about that.
The guys continue to talk about how ecstatic they are about Rodriguez joining the knights. Since I don’t have much to contribute to the conversation, I just lean back and savor every moment of tonight.
I never thought that I would get drafted, yet here I am and it feels like I’m on the top of the world.
After dinner, we order dessert, and I take another picture and to Sophia. She responds with a crying emoji at the picture of the piece of cheesecake that I send her way, and I can’t help but to smile.
With time, we’re going to go back to how things were before we hooked up, I just have to be patient with it.
Once everyone is finished eating their small pieces of dessert, someone suggest that we go back to the arena, to give the draftees a tour of the team facility. We all agree and once the bill is taken care of, we all start walking over there.
I’ve been to the arena twice. Once when I came to talk to the team about them potentially drafting me, and another for a game with Sophia and her dad. He knew that I wanted to play for Chicago, so he brought us to a game to show me what could be in my future. That game was fucking amazing and it was added to the list of things that Isaac has done for me that I can never repay him for.
So as we walk to the arena, I’m fucking pumped. I just don’t let it show, because I want to the Knights that are here, to think that I’m cool and not just some kid.
As soon as we are close to the arena, I take another picture and send it off.
“You sending pictures to your girlfriend?” Liam asks, as we cross the street, all the other guys ahead of us.
I turn to him and give him a confused look, before he nods at the phone in my hand that is open to the camera app.
“Oh, uh, no. Not my girlfriend. I mean she is a girl and she is my friend but she’s my best friend. Has been since I was five,” I say, stumbling a bit and telling him more than necessary.
Liam laughs. “What’s her name?”
“Sophia,” I answer a little bit too quickly, feeling my face get all red for no reason.
He gives me a nod. “And do you always get all flustered when you talk about Sophia?” he asks, basically calling me out.
I’m pretty sure my face is just getting redder.
I clear my throat a few times before answering him. “I don’t get flustered.” Liam gives me a pointed look that tells me that he doesn’t believe me. “I don’t.”
No way in hell am I about to tell a possible future teammate, that I’ve slept with my best friend and have developed deeper fillings for her than what I had before.
“Whatever you say, Jacobi. But can I say one more thing?”
“What?”
“If I were you, and I looked at my phone all goofy like that whenever I texted my best friend, that happens to be a girl and a friend, I would lock it down. That way I could have my girlfriend and best friend all rolled up in one.” Liam says, giving me a shrug and just continues walking, leaving me there in the middle of the sidewalk speechless.
That’s the same thing Hunter told me when I was fifteen.
Is that a go-to piece of advice for athletes?
It’s not a bad, or even a wrong, piece of advice. It’s actually pretty solid, and if I wasn’t scared, I would follow through within a heartbeat. But there’s a lot to consider, a lot of what ifs. As much as I want to consider everything and walk myself through every what-if, I can’t.
I hate it, so damn much, but staying best friends is what’s best for both of us.
It takes a few seconds, but I’m able to collect myself and catch up to Liam. “It’s not like that between me and her.” I say to him, my tongue burning the same way it did when I promised Sophia that nothing was going to ruin us.
“Okay,” he says giving me a nod, but I’m not sure if he’s accepting my words as a good enough excuse. “When you finally come play with us, I can’t wait to meet your friend that also is a girl.”
The fucker is laughing at me, and when I narrow my eyes at him, he just chuckles and walks across the street to the arena.
