Page 44 of Who's Saving You
He grins. “Not by chance. My wife told me I'd be a complete dumbass if I passed on you on draft night.”
I smile. Coach’s wife, Francesca Gage, runs Love PR, a play on her maiden name, Casanova. She represented Jameson Winters in college and got him signed to the SC Warriors, Jackson's old team. And once that was in place, it wasn’t long before Jackson was offered the head coaching spot here. Together, they're an empire running the sports world.
“You started out strong. But as the pressure builds, I’m seeing something different. You have to rely on new guys now, Nik. You don’t have your safety net, and I’m hoping that isn’t going to be a problem going forward.”
I lean back, hating that he’s right, but knowing it’snothing to do with them. “In other words, my friends only made me look good.”
“I’m not saying that. But I need youhere. Focused.” He sighs and scrubs his hand over his face. “I know it was two bad drops, and I know you caught the one that mattered. But what if we didn’t have that third attempt? That’s what I'm pressing home here, Nik. This is the big leagues, kid. There’s no red shirting here, no do-over senior year. You still want to step on that field? You want a ring? Every fucking drive matters.” He accentuates each word with a hand clap, and I jump in my seat with each one.
I feel his eyes on me, and I look away. I don't know what to say.
“There’s chatter in the locker room," Coach Gage says, lowering his voice and crossing his arms in front of him. “You know I don't stand for that shit. I’ve addressed it where it started, but I need you to promise me that if something is said, you don't react. This season is too important, and I don’t need the press blowing something up that isn’t there. We stay focused, together. Understand?”
“Understood.”
I want to ask what kind of chatter. I want to know if it’s just about the team not feeling they can trust me on the field after those drops, or if my past is leaking into the locker room, but Coach pushes from the desk, and that’s my cue to leave. I stand, and he claps me on the shoulder. “You’re a good kid, Papas. Keep riding this straight and narrow. You’re too good to blow your chance like I did.”
He’s looking me straight in the eye, and I feel the sincerity in his voice. It’s both encouraging and humbling because underneath all the shit, I know he’s right. I know if I can just stay true to myself, I can make this last.
But sometimes, I don’t even know who I am anymore.
~~
My phone buzzes as I drive the backroads back to my condo. It’s my sister, and I know I have to pick up and talk to her; if I don’t, she’ll just keep calling. I press the speaker, and her voice fills my truck.
“Hey, Eva.”
“Nik, who is this reporter?”
I grip the wheel tight. “The Warriors PR thought it'd be a good idea to do a legacy piece. Show off Saint Nik, use it to open up more contracts.”
“Drop her. Pull out of this story now.”
Her voice is firm, almost to the point of chastisement. “Eva, I can’—”
“You can. She’s too close.”
I furrow my brows. “Too close?”
“You’re sleeping with her, aren’t you?”
I huff. “This is why I didn’t sign with you. You can’t separate personal versus business, and you damn sure don’t get to ask who I take to bed.”
She lets out a breath. “Nik, you’re my baby brother. Of course I can’t separate personal and business.” She says it, and I instantly feel bad. She’s right: we’re family, no matter how close or not close we work in the same industry. Neither one of us was living at home at the time it all came to a head with my dad. But once I paid the debt with that game, he disappeared, leaving Mom behind. None of us know where he ended up, and I made it a point to play along with not knowing why he left to begin with. And, honestly, I really don’t know why he left. It was over. I fixed it for him, and for all I know now, he’s dead.
Eva was the one who returned home, took the time to stay with Mom, and helped her rebuild. Eva told me I needed to concentrate on getting to the top. And so I did. Iused my first signing bonus and bought my mom a new home. We didn’t want her stuck in the same spot where she lost everything.
But I never told her what I did to make sure dad made it out from under that trouble.
“I’m sorry. I just worry, Nik. You’ve worked so hard to get where you’re at just to have some jersey chaser want to use you to build her story.”
“And so have you.” I sigh. “I can handle this. Don’t get your name mixed up here. We split for a reason, right?”
We always said it'd be better not to show nepotism, but I also knew if anything came up, I wouldn’t want her mixed up with my mess.
She sighs. “Yeah, well, sometimes you have to make a hard call for family, right?”
If that sentence doesn’t describe my entire life. “Right. Listen, it’s going to be okay. I’ll make sure of it.”
