Page 34 of Nothing Like the Movies

Date: September 29 at 4:53 PM

Subject: Interview

To:

Hi Wes,

As you know, the production department will becreating a content series for the baseball program. I believe the coaching staff notified the team of my staff’s all-access pass to all things baseball, and this will also include player interviews for a “meet the team” segment, which we will begin scheduling in the next week.

I wanted to reach out to you personally because, as I’m sure you’re aware, the fans are very excited to have you at UCLA. Not only are you an amazing athlete with a promising career, but your story is one that makes people root for you.

Please let your coaches know your availability. We’re excited to chat with you, and I can’t wait to dive into this and create a really beautiful story about life, loss, and carrying on.

Best,

Lil

Lilith Grossman

Creative Content Producer

I felt like I’d been punched in the chest as I read it again.

Life, loss, and carrying on?

Was this Lilith person serious?

She wanted me todive intomyreally beautiful story? I wanted to rage as I stared at my computer screen. I could accept the privacy invasion for something that the entire team was being subjectedto, but if she thought I was going to include my dad’s death in my intro to bump up her ratings, she had another thing coming.

The nerve of this stranger.

“Screw that,” I said under my breath.

“Huh?” Mickey said, not looking up from whatever he was working on.

I gritted my teeth and tried to calm down, to not be pissed, but I was just so tired. Everyone wanted to romanticize my story, to act like it was this charming story arc that went something like: boy has everything and loses it, boy works hard, boy gets it all back. The end.

But the reality was more like: boy does something that causes his family to lose everything, boy destroys girl in the process, boy goes home because he has no other choice, boy hits rock bottom, boy works his ass off, boy gets back, but now can he stay back?

That question was the stuff of my nightmares.What if I get injured? What if my arm goes out and I lose my scholarship before I finish school?D1 sports were cutthroat; I’d learned that firsthand. If I tanked and a better pitcher was available, they wouldn’t think twice about telling me not to return next year. The coaches pretended we were all one big happy family, but I’d lose my spot so damn fast if I didn’t perform.

“Nothing.” I clicked into to the search window and typed in my professor’s name. The athletic department might require the team to let Liz and her boyfriend film everything, but there was no way in hell they were going to force me to talk about everything that happened with my father.

CHAPTER TWELVE

“Not that you’re not attractive. It’s just that maybe you’re not that attractive to me.”

—Holidate

Liz

The federal statute of limitations for music copyright infringement is three years, but there is a circuit split on whether “discovery” is taken into consideration (when the plaintiff becomes aware or reasonably should have become aware of the infringement).

I was trying to read my notes aboutArnstein v. Porterat one of the tables in the library, but my eyes didn’t want to stay open. It was dark outside, raining, and the building was pretty empty, which was exactly what I needed for concentration but didn’t exactly help my tiredness. We’d been “imbedded” for a full week now (Clark was all in on being my partner), and tonight he was covering baseball’s study hall by himself so I could get some actual studying done.

Ironically, the study halls that forced the players to keep up with their coursework were taking up every minute of my study time,making me fall behind already. I had a test in the morning over text I’d yet to read, which was never good.

I grabbed my Red Bull, because it was eight thirty but felt like two a.m., and I was taking a drink when I saw him.

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