Page 15 of Just Friends
“You bringPiper to WAG party.”
I stuck out my bottom lip, considering it.
“That actuallyisa good idea, Niko,” Reavo said, somewhat shocked. “She’d have a blast, Cammer. The girls already love her. And since you two totally aren’t banging,” he said with a helping of sarcasm,wink wink,“you can request a room with two beds.”
I nodded. “Yeah, hell, maybe I will. She’d definitely have fun. Plus, her app should be out by then, so she’ll be able to finally kick back and relax a little.” I clapped Niko on the back. “Thanks for the idea, bud.”
He smiled. “Anytime.”
“Wait, wait, wait.” Parisi’s eyes narrowed. “One thing I don’t understand is this: if your friend is into matchmaking, why hasn’t she foundyouanyone yet, Big Rig?”
“Because,” I said, stepping into my trousers, “I’m not looking.”
“Why not?”
Dane jumped to my defense. “C’mon, Frenchy, don’t you remember being his age?”
The difference between twenty-five and thirty-something might not seem big, but among athletes, it’s practically a lifetime.
Dane pointed, up and down, at my body. “Andlookat the guy,for god’s sake. He’s a total man rocket—six-foot-six, shredded, and handsome as hell. You see what happens when we step into the club with Big Rig. Heslays—why the hell would he want to settle downnow?”
Parisi nodded, satisfied.
But ‘slaying’ was only half the equation.
“Truth is,” I said, pulling a shirt over my head, “I can’tget involved in something serious. Not until I win the Cup. Until then, everything else is a distraction.”
“My man.” Dane came over and clapped me on the back. “That’s the kind of dedication I like to see in this room. See that fire in Riggsy’s eyes, boys?That’sfocus. That’shunger.”
Just then, a stomach gurgled so loud, everyone in the room had to turn and look.
It was Niko.
“What? I hungry, too,” the Russian said, defensively clutching at his stomach. “We go now, yes?”
Everyone groaned.
“How are you so hungry, anyway?” Reavo teased. He grappled the youngster, put him in a headlock, and led us in a march out the door. “I don’t believe you burnedanycalories today with that effort.”
5
Piper
The alarm clock on my nightstand showed 10:19. With a restless sigh, I fluffed my pillow and squeezed my eyes shut again.
Ever feel completely exhausted, yet you just can’t fall asleep? Maddening, right? Trust me, I know. That’s been a struggle for as long as I can remember.
You’dthinka narcoleptic would have no problem getting to sleep. Because that’s what people with narcolepsy do,right? They zonk out unexpectedly, like a fainting goat, and often at the most inopportune time, like on a first date when their face goeskerplunkinto a bowl of soup. And hilarity ensues!
That’s whatIthought narcolepsy was like, anyway, before I was diagnosed with it myself two years ago. (I also have mild cataplexy, which is a separate condition that often goes hand in hand with narcolepsy—but hey, I don’t want to dumpallmy issues on you right now! We can talk more about that later.)
Yes, it’s true, Idooftentimes get swamped by a tidal wave of drowsiness that forces me to take a mid-day nap. And before you ask—no, I’ve never fallen asleep standing up or while driving. But what the movies don’t tell you about narcolepsy is that, because it’s a neurological disorder that affects our ability to wake and sleep, we also get crappy sleep.
My medshelp,yes—I take a pill to help me sleep at night, and a pill to keep me awake during the day. But there are also a lot of nights where—like tonight—no matterhowtired I am, no matter how badly I need my rest, my body won’t cooperate. I just can’t fall asleep.
I tossed and turned some more, and the clock now read 11:11.
In the darkness of my bedroom, I could still see the crisp white outline of the giant calendar hanging on the wall above my work desk. That calendar, jam-packed with deadlines and meetings, was like a specter of doom hanging over me. Because if I didn’t get to sleepnow, my performance will suffer in the days to come—which means my work will, too.
