Page 51 of Super Secret Baby

This new one must not yet be acquainted with Coach Kramer’s rules: the locker room is for players only; not for members of the press. For a moment, a shiver runs down my spine when I think about what Coach K would do if he found out his rule had been broken.I’mnot the one who is on the team and who has to follow the coach’s rules, though, so I breeze right past him, acting as if it’s a normal thing for me to come right on into the locker room.

“Sure, I’ll come in with you,” I say, as he holds the door open for me, as if I’m used to doing this. As if it’s the most natural thing in the world, and not the very first time I’ve gotten to do it. “But only if you’re going to give me a good scoop.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” he says, and I almost can’t believe it.

I want to pinch myself.

But I don’t want to be a fool.

My mom’s voice echoes in my head, reminding me not to be so trusting.

This feels too easy and too good to be true, and I can’t help wondering what the catch is.

Chapter 2 - Stacy

As we head over to the lockers, I wonder how to ask this athlete his name without sounding like a dummy, in the event that there was some big news that broke and that I should have seen. I’m wondering how that could have happened, though. I always stay on top of my game by keeping up with all possible breaking sports news.

Maybe Coach Kramer is trying to keep this new guy under wraps. He might have even told him to stay in the locker room until after all of us reporters had left. And he either hadn’t known I was still out there, or he was a hothead who didn’t like having to follow rules – if so, he certainly wouldn’t be the first Leviathan like that.

I’m secretly hoping he’s such a rebel that he’ll spill a ton of the team’s secrets to me. But so far, he’s only slowly and nonchalantly opening a locker and rifling through whatever’s inside it.

“So, I’m sure you’re excited for the big game coming up,” I mention.

This question is definitely not one of my finest. I won’t be winning any journalism awards for it, that’s for sure.

But it’s hard to think fast about what kind of questions I can ask him that don’t reveal how very little I know about him. It’s more like I know nothing about him at all, and I don’t want that fact to be glaringly obvious.

“Sure,” he says, shrugging. “Aren’t we all?”

This guy’s a tough nut to crack.

What’s his deal, anyway? I start to wonder.

He just likes inviting reporters into the locker room andnottalking to them about anything of import?

“I know you’re not a Leviathan.”

I finally decide to just cut to the chase and get to the point. I don’t want to be standing here all night if it’s not going to lead to a good story or at least a quote from whoever this player is.

He stands up straighter when I say that, as if I’m accusing him of something.

“I mean, I know that youweren’t,” I quickly correct myself.

Shit. I’m off on the wrong food already.

“You’re a new player,” I continue. “But what’s the deal? Why are they bringing you into the game so late in the season? Is someone big out with an injury?”

I’ve been racking my brain trying to think of who might have needed replaced, but I can’t think of anyone. Perhaps because Coach Kramer is trying to keep it a secret.

“Maybe,” he says, smirking.

“So, what’s your name, anyway?” I ask him.

“Come here and I’ll tell you.”

Suddenly, I’m not feeling so safe. I tell myself there’s no way he could be up to no good, not here, in his own team’s locker room.

But what if thisisn’this own team’s locker room? I wonder.

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