Page 37 of Scoring the Player
“Walters mentioned it. He’s all, my girlfriend is so hot, and my girlfriend is the best at flip cup, and my girlfriend is a kick-ass golfer.” As he speaks, Brogan brings a hand to his chest and mimics Felix but in a high-pitched voice.
I can’t help but chuckle. Brogan is this big guy, and his hair flops around and he looks absolutely ridiculous, but he doesn’t seem to have a care in the world about who sees or hears him. When I grow up, I want to be Brogan Six.
“Shut the fuck up.” Felix tries to laugh it off, but his face is a little red. He glances at me and winks. “All true, though.”
“We were curious about you,” Lucas pipes up beside me. “Our workout this morning included harassing your boy until he gave up all the details.”
Now my face is red.
“Relax, hot stuff.” Felix drops a hand to my thigh under the table, and I do the exact opposite of relax. “All good things.”
* * *
The following week, classes start to get busier. More homework and assignments, plus Eddie and I finally connected and he gave me some concepts and ideas to work with for the look he wants me to create. I don’t usually like having others weigh in so much on what I’m creating, but Eddie Dillon isn’t a normal client. And if I want to make a career out of working with high-profile musicians, then I think I’m going to have to get used to it.
Felix and I have breakfast with his teammates every morning and text occasionally. The whole thing is beyond bizarre. I’m dating the captain of the Valley U football team. Sure, it’s all for show, but suddenly, people know me and not because of the video. Or I guess, not just because of the video.
Thursday, when I get out of golf practice, I have two texts from him.
Felix
What are you up to tonight?
Felix
Some of the guys are going to The Hideout around 8. I need my girlfriend. *winking emoji*
Me
I can’t. I’m stuck in the design lab all night. I have an assignment due tomorrow. Raincheck?
I stare at the screen until he responds.
Felix
Sure.
I’m disappointed by his one-word response, but since I really do have a lot to do, I put my phone away and get to it.
The design lab is quiet tonight. Violet was here earlier, but she went to meet up with Gavin. I don’t mind the quiet. It’s just me and another junior design major, Robby. He has in ear pods and hasn’t so much as looked at me since the single chin jut I got when he walked in.
I have to create a mood board for class, one that will be the inspiration for a design I’ll create in class this semester. I decided to do menswear, since I’m currently obsessed with dressing Eddie. If all goes well, maybe he’ll actually wear some of my creations.
My concept is three pieces. Pants, a shirt, and jacket. All with a timeless, casual vibe. My mood board has pieces like Levi jeans, black pants, jean jackets, hoodies, Hanes T-shirts. Nothing you would expect to find in a celebrity’s closet, but high-end designers recreate these items time and time again, putting their spin on them and charging more for the higher quality material and craftsmanship. And I combed through all the paparazzi photos I could find of Eddie (a reallyterriblejob, let me tell you). His look is all over the map. I think he’s still finding his image. But he always seems to go back to the classics.
I also included fabric swatches for the materials I plan to use. A polyester and spandex blend in gray, white cotton, and black faux leather. At first, I thought I wanted to do a faux leather, but now that I have it on the board, it doesn’t feel right. It’s too obvious.A rockstar in a leather jacket, really impressive, Dahlia.
I spend another hour combing through jackets online for inspiration. I settle on a simple green light cotton work jacket with a zipper. It’s simple but trendy, and I think with my other pieces, it just might work.
I always struggle with mood boards. They’re great in theory, but I do my best designing on the fly. Yes, it results in several throw-away pieces, but there’s something about the process that unlocks my most creative ideas.
Satisfied for now, I set my board aside and pull out my laptop. I have three very rough sketches for a pair of pants I want to make for Eddie.
I get to work making the first design. I fall into a rhythm, cutting, pinning, sewing. I forgot to get his measurements, so I guess. The mockup is just to show him the idea. He looked at the illustrations already and approved the concept, and told me to pick whichever I liked best.
I’m finishing up the waistband and am about to add a button when the design lab door opens. It’s been hours since I saw or talked to another person and the knock back to the real world startles me.
And the last person I expected to see is standing at the door.
