Page 11 of One on One
There it is, the answer to my question slotting into place. If I’m not the one laid off, it’ll be Ben. It makes perfect sense. He’s nonessential; having a dedicated statistics analyst is aluxury. Even though he’s good enough at his job to win an ESPN award, he apparently still hasn’t done enough to earn a coaching position, despite the fact that he’s been here for a decade.
He needs me to fail because if I don’t, he’ll be the one who gets fired.
Eric’s eyes land on him and then jump back to me, but he doesn’t notice the tension. Instead his face lights up with a memory. “Hey, it’s Mom and Dad! Remember?”
Mom and Dad, our old nicknames.
It started with one of the younger managers, Spencer. When we heard he was failing Intro to the Humanities, we sat him down in the conference room.
“We know it’s hard to balance basketball and school,” Ben told him. “We want to help you.”
Spencer slouched in his chair. “There’s not enough time in the day. How do you do it? Do you even sleep?”
Ben and I exchanged a look. I survived by taking easy classes and contenting myself with average grades. He did it by staying in and studying every night.
“Let’s make a plan,” I said. “You have a paper due Friday, right?”
Ben opened his laptop and pulled up the calendar he and I shared. “If I put Garrett on laundry…”
I leaned in. “You’ll have to set up for practice by yourself on Wednesday.”
“Maybe Donna can help get the recruiting letters out.”
“I’ll look over his paper on Thursday night.”
“Perfect.” Ben input the changes to the calendar. “Oh, Garrett’s birthday is on the twelfth.”
“I’ll make cupcakes.”
“You have a test that day. Sociology, right?”
I amended my statement. “I’ll beg Cassie to make cupcakes.”
Ben closed his laptop and folded his hands. “You’re off duty for the rest of the week,” he told Spencer. “Take the time to write a good paper.”
“Send it to me before you hand it in so I can make sure it doesn’t suck,” I added.
Spencer hunched forward, his face red. “I feel bad making you go to all this effort for me.”
“Ardwyn basketball is a family.” I patted his arm. “We look out for each other.”
“Thank you,” he mumbled.
Spencer showed his gratitude by calling us Mom and Dad behind our backs. It caught on immediately. I know the other managers used to joke about us hooking up too, but it was never like that between us. Ben had a girlfriend, and I was only interested in emotionally unavailable music snobs. We didn’t hang out outside work. All we had in common was basketball, and it probably worked better that way.
Jeez. Is this what this whole season is going to be like? It’s like somebody’s following me around and hitting me repeatedly with old memories like a rusty shovel to the face.
“This is an epic moment. You two, reunited!” Eric mimes taking a photo of us with an imaginary camera. He feeds off an enthusiastic audience, but unfortunately he doesn’t require one. “Dad, how does it feel to have Mom back at home?”
Ben flashes a tight smile. “Hm. Wow. I have no idea what I’ve done to deserve this kind of luck.”
I laugh out loud and his eyes pin me down, etching his displeasure into my skin.
My stomach twists. I barely suppress a scowl and turn back to Eric. In my best patronizing parent voice, I say: “Honey, Mom loves you very much. But that doesn’t mean Dad and I are getting back together.”
FOUR
After a few minutes ofsmall talk in which Ben and I each manage to converse with Eric without saying a word to each other, Eric heads off to the film room, humming a Harry Styles song off-key. Ben attempts to escape alongside him, already scrolling through his phone. “Hey, Callahan. Wait,” I say.
