Page 43 of Who's Saving You
Sloane: Busy taming the saintly football player?
Me: middle-finger emoji
Olivia: She didn’t deny it
Sloane: They’re prepping for their hard launch
Olivia: I mean, have you seen the guy? Guess I can’t hate it
Sloane: Just hope he was worth it
Me: You guys know I can read, right?
16
Nik
I left Noelle at my place, secure in the fact that no one can get to her. For added measure, I spoke with Dante, and he assigned one of his guys to my building. So although I'm feeling mostly fine about leaving her, the second I walk into the locker room, something’s shifted. The guys are quieter than usual, and I get a couple of sideways looks. There are too many conversations that cut off when I walk past, and I’m sure the words “rookie isn’t ready” and “rookie got lucky” pass their lips more than once.
And more importantly?Rookie is a cheat.
The fact that Trevor even sat for an interview is a red flag. There are too many loose ends that are beginning to unravel and too many old ghosts that are still floating around.
I fake a smile, drop my gym bag in the usual spot, andhead for the trainers’ table like I don’t feel the heat pressing in from every direction. My body aches, same as it always does after a game, but it’s my head that’s louder. It screams regret, shame. It screams you’re a liar, and everyone is going to find out.
I work with my trainer, letting him ease out the tension as best he can before we all sit in on game tape. We have another big game this week and can’t afford to just skate by, as we did last week. I’ve worked all my life to be in this position right now, but I have no one to blame but myself for letting it affect me.
As we start to filter out of the room, Coach Gage pulls me aside.
“Let’s go to my office.” I nod and follow him down the hall, trying not to make eye contact with any of my team. I’ve seen this walk a hundred times and know what it means.
He’s going to bench me.
We enter his office, and he turns and leans against his desk, nodding to the door. “Shut it, have a seat.”
I close the door quietly, swallowing hard as I sit in the chair in front of him.
He doesn’t yell, that’s not him. But the quiet, disappointed tone? That lands harder. “You okay, Papas?”
I nod quickly, digging into the Saint persona. In here? I’m a football player, and I need to remind myself of that. Until something more is questioned, I stick to that. “Yeah. Just a rough game.”
He doesn’t buy it. “You don’t get to have rough games right now. Not with how much we’ve built this brand around you.”
Brand.
Not team. Not player. Not person.
Brand.
I swallow the bitterness climbing up inside me.
“I know we expected a lot out of you right out the gate, but that's what we do here. Zach Hart and I wanted you here, and we worked hard with Dane to make sure it happened. But we don’t give away big contracts for dropped passes. We signed you because you were the best of the best on your team.”
I remember getting the call from Zach Hart. He was a top recruiter at South Carolina University when I was in high school, and my sister said he had been watching me. But when it came time to decide on a college, he only offered a free ride to me. And we three Nicks were determined to stay together. I passed on the offer, always thinking I made a huge mistake. My sister would often remind me of that mistake.
“You know we both watched your skill and saw potential for more. We wanted you five years ago, Nik.”
“Funny how I ended up here anyway, huh?”
