Page 32 of Scoring Truth
22
JAMESON
It’s been two weeks since I’ve seen Penelope. I left Candy Cane Key knowing I wanted only her. But as soon as we got home, all hell broke loose.
Francesca tried her best to keep the press at bay, but there’s always one reporter who doesn’t care and just wants sales.
That’s the one story that did me in.
I’ve called Penelope. I’ve gone to her apartment. I even waited at the university. She won’t talk to me.
I don’t blame her. That article was horrendous, and what I was quoted as saying was even worse.
Because I did say it. But not in the context it was taken.
My team is concerned because I’m playing like shit. The GM is not happy that his star quarterback bought a prostitute.And my family is even more worried about me because I’m avoiding them.
None of what this looks like is actual reality. Francesca has been in meetings all week because my stupid antics have been the talk of the NFL instead of our first-place standings.
Connor comes up behind me at my locker and claps me on the shoulder. “You looked good today. Not great, but better. Have you talked to her?”
Shaking my head, I collapse onto the bench and begin unlacing my cleats. “No. She won’t return my calls. Francesca got a hold of her, but she won’t tell me what they talked about. Which means it isn’t good.”
“Listen, I don’t want to be that guy right now, but I’m going to be.” He sits next to me, and I wait. I know exactly what he’s going to say. “The team is worried. Right now, we have to be selfish. I have to be selfish. I’m sorry you’re in a bad spot with your girl, but Jameson, we’re in first place in the NFL! Our dream is happening in front of our eyes and?—”
“And you're fucking it up by sulking!” My head snaps to Darius, who’s come up on my other side. He just shrugs. “I’m sorry, but I won't sugarcoat it, bro. The team is pissed, and so am I. We need you, JDub. We need your leadership and your skill on the field. I’ve never seen you like this, so it leads me to believe you feel a ton for this chick. But right now? You’ve got to get it together for the team. For us. For you.”
He’s right—time to bury the feelings and win a Super Bowl.
23
PENELOPE
Shortly after leaving the school, my phone began ringing off the hook. Francesca was the first call, and it only upset me more. Jameson didn’t even have the decency to call me himself. He had his PR agent make the call.
I let the first three calls ring out. Over the following week, I let the next thirty-four ring out, as well. She was texting and FaceTiming. On day nine, I finally picked up, and what I saw worried me.
“Penelope, please listen to me! Don’t believe any of it!”
Shaking my head, I put my car in park and sit outside my apartment building. “Francesca, I read it. It seems to be on point.”
“No! It’s not. You have to understand how these magazines work. They’re looking for any bit of drama to twist and create a story.”
“Actually, Francesca, I don’t have to understand any of it.His quote was enough to let me know everything I need to. I was a means to an end. He looked good for the ball, and I’m sure Candy Cane Key made a lot of money from donors that night.”
“Penelope, wait. About that quote. He was talking to me at the time. I know what he said and how he said it.”
My breath catches in my chest. “So, it is true? Wow! I mean, when we said we’d always give each other the truth, I guess I really got what I asked for.”
“No, this was before he even left for New York. We had just found out about you. I was asking a lot of questions, and he set me straight. Someone must have overheard the wrong thing and put it together.”
“He still characterized me, which is what’s been happening my whole life. I thought he was different. I thought he loved those quirks about me. I’m not like you, Chess. I’m not beautiful and graceful. I’ve been made fun of my whole life, and at twenty-seven years old, I feel like I’ve just been shoved back into middle school again. Even my students were calling me an escort today.”
She’s silent, and her face falls. “Penelope, listen to me. Jameson is in love with you. And I’m sorry if he hasn’t said it first, and you had to hear it from me, but you need to know.Do notthrow this away. He is a mess without you.”
“Seems like he’s doing fine. He’s Super Bowl-bound and getting lots of exposure and deals out of this.”
“You know he doesn’t want any of that.”
