“Isn’t it kind of pointless to go to class now?”
“Nah.” He gives his head one quick shake. “I mean, yes, it’s probably pointless, but I want to soak it all up before I leave.” His hand falls to my thigh, and he squeezes. “Text me later and let me know how it goes?”
“Absolutely.”
Within five minutes of emailing my resume to Blythe, I get a call from the woman herself.
Reagan’s back home and she smiles at me from the kitchen while I talk to Blythe. I love her. She’s already my hero: twenty-nine and the VP of marketing for an NHL team.
“The internship is eight weeks, working here in the main office. We try to give you opportunities in all areas, from selling tickets to creating content for our social media accounts.” The longer she speaks, the more excited I become.
“It sounds amazing. Seriously, it’s my dream job. I work at the university’s Hall of Fame doing tours now.”
“Johnny mentioned that. He also said we’d be crazy not to hire you.”
My laugh is stilted, and I cringe a little at what all he might have said. “He’s a good friend.”
“It sounds like it, but I also think he might be right. You have all the qualifications and ambitions I was hoping for, and, honestly, I just have a good feeling about you.”
“You do?” My smile widens, and I do a happy dance that she can’t see. Reagan giggles from the kitchen.
“What do you say? Do you want to work for the Wildcats this summer?”
“Oh my gosh. Yes. Yes!”
She laughs. “Perfect. I will let our human resources manager know we’ve filled our last spot, and she’ll send over some information on the dates, housing options, and probably a million other things I left out. She usually does these interviews, but she’s out today, and I wanted to talk to you before someone else pushed through another applicant.”
“Thank you. I am so excited. Truly. This is a dream come true.” I have no idea how I’m going to get there or how I’ll afford two apartments, but I’ll take a bus and live in a crappy budget motel if I have to. Speaking of, she didn’t mention the pay, and I’m embarrassed to ask, especially as she’s congratulating me and telling me that she can’t wait to meet me in person.
When we hang up, Reagan bounces over to me. “You got it?”
“I got it.” I bounce back. “I really got it.”
“I have to go to class, but I want to hear all of it again later.” She starts for the door and pauses with one foot outside. “Don’t forget, we’re moving our stuff upstairs to the new apartment tomorrow.” She hits me with a big grin again. “Ahh! I’m so excited for you. We are so celebrating later!”
The past few weeks have been one celebration after another, but I’m not complaining because this one is all about me.
My excitement lasts through my morning classes and into the afternoon as I lead a few tours at the Hall of Fame. That’s what I do—convince top recruits from all over the country to come to Valley University. I take them around the workout facilities and training rooms, to the field, sandpit, arena, or wherever their sport is played, and then I bring them into the hype room for the pièce de résistance.
The hype room is where we show these epic videos showcasing the current and past players. It’s different for each sport, but the vibe and the reaction are always the same. The setup alone is impressive. The circular space requires a code to get in and out and is completely soundproof. The screens take up every inch of the walls from top to bottom and three-quarters of the way around. The recruit and their family stand in the back, lights dim, and I just hit play. Okay, that isn’t all I do. I am knowledgeable on all kinds of important facts for every sport on campus, but this room has proven to be the deciding factor on more than one occasion.
And, no matter the sport (golf can look badass in a hype video, fight me) and no matter how many times I see the videos when the music starts and it begins to play, even I get caught up rewatching. I’m always a little awestruck by the athleticism and sense of team that these videos capture. Sometimes it even makes me miss the time I was a college athlete. They didn’t have the hype room four years ago when I came to tour Valley University and the track team, but I think I would have signed a lot sooner if they had.
I’m waiting for my last athlete, a tennis player named Natalie and her family, when the email from the Wildcats human resources department comes in.
I open it, barely registering most of the standard contract language, but the word unpaid jars me back to reality. Oh shit. I slow down and force myself to read it more carefully. Each word makes my smile fall and smacks me back to reality.
Eight weeks unpaid. I can’t go that long without a paycheck. I have some savings, but not much. And definitely not enough to do that and cover the housing and basic living expenses.
I swallow down the lump in my throat and force a smile as Natalie and her family walk through the doors. I better get used to it. It looks like I’m going to be right here all summer long.
I know I’m lucky, and I’m genuinely grateful for this job, but the thought of spending the next two months watching my friends fall even deeper in love with their boyfriends while I tag along like a fifth wheel makes me ache for something new and exciting, and all mine.
5
Johnny
Talking to my father is a little like playing hockey without pads. Everyone knows it’s a bad idea, but occasionally you’re fucking around, feeling lucky, and decide a quick no-hit game is fine. Everything is going great, and then all of a sudden, some asshole gets pissed and slams you into the boards, or you take a puck to the knee. You never see it coming, but after when you’re hobbling off in pain, you feel like an idiot for ever considering the idea.
My dad isn’t an asshole. At least he doesn’t mean to be. I don’t think. To be honest, I don’t know him well enough to be the best character reference. Our conversations are few and far between. What I do know? I always hobble away feeling like an idiot.
“Did you get the samples?” I hear him puff on the cigar and then the ping of a driver hitting a golf ball in the distance.
“Yeah.” I glance over at the unopened box with the Maverick logo on the side. “It just got here today.”
“Great. Great. I sent some to the Wildcats office too.”
“Cool.” I lean back on the couch. The family business has never interested me. Probably because it was often the reason I was alone. Mom and Dad would be at the office working or at events networking, and I was left home with nannies.
By the time I was old enough to have any interest, I resented it too damn much. Now that I’ve got my own life and career, some of that baggage has lifted, and hey, free shampoo and deodorant.
“I’ll have the company lawyer send the contract to your agent. We’ll need to set up a professional photo shoot once you get to Minnesota.”
It takes a minute for his words to sink in.
“Oh.” I sit forward. “You want to endorse me?”
“Of course we do. Maverick Company has been endorsing you for twenty-one years. Who do you think paid for school and hockey gear? It’s great timing with the new male line. We want to launch in early August, so there’s a lot of work to do.”