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“He’s still my baby, the same way you are.” She playfully taps my cheek.
“You were never hard on Logan.”
“Come on, EJ.” She rolls her eyes. “That’s a shit argument. Your girlfriend is a literal angel, and the fact that you brought a girl home after four years of...parading around said a lot to us right off the bat.”
“Ali is good for Marc. She’s feisty and ballsy, and sometimes admittedly a little scary,” I add with an acknowledging nod. “But she’s loyal as hell and stands up for Marc and Logan when they need it.”
I watch as my stepmom’s expression softens just a bit.
“Sound familiar?” I nudge her shoulder.
“I don’t think we are anything alike.”
An amused chuckle rumbles in my chest. “You guys are fucking twins, but I’ll let you figure that one out on your own.”
“Baby, you ready?” My dad walks up to Mary and me with their bags in tow.
She wraps me up in another hug, my 6’4” frame practically engulfing her. “I’ll try to ease up. I love you, EJ.”
“I love you, too.”
My dad sets down their bags before folding his arms around me. “I’m so proud of you, son.”
“Thanks, Dad.” He pats my shoulder, continuing to hold onto me. “And thanks for being there for Logan.”
“Anytime. I’m here for both of you. You know that.”
“I know.” I add another pat on his back before releasing him and allowing my parents to head out of the hotel lobby together.
Now that I’m alone, despite all the players and scouts buzzing through the lobby around me, I take a deep breath.
Setting my eyes on the registration desk, I start in its direction. I stand in line, three guys deep, waiting for my turn as I slightly bounce on my heels, unable to settle my nerves.
The guy at the front of the line tells the woman his name. She looks through the very few envelopes on her table before shaking her head, indicating that he didn’t get a single meeting today. His head and shoulders droop in defeat as he finds himself in the same fate as the majority of the seniors here this weekend.
He moves out of the way, allowing the next player to walk up, reminding me that I’m only one turn away from finding out that my dream may be over. But I should have one. I would hope, if anything, I have a meeting with Dallas. If there’s not an envelope waiting for me, not only did I not make an impression this weekend, but I also backpedaled on the way the Dallas scout viewed me.
The guy in front of me gets an envelope, and a wave of jealousy washes over me. He doesn’t even move out of the way to read his results. He just opens them right there in line.
“Fuck, yes! I got one,” he exclaims to no one in particular, causing my green-eyed monster to rear its ugly head once again.
Finally, it’s my turn. But now that I’m here, I wish I had more time. Maybe I’ll go to the back of the line. Give myself five more minutes of blissful ignorance.
But before I can, the woman at the desk asks, “Name?”
I swallow hard. “Maddison. Eli Maddison.”
She shuffles through the envelopes, pulling out one with my name on it.
Relief takes over, as my muscles relax, causing the tension in my shoulders to decrease.
She hands me the small white envelope, and I walk away from the table, not wanting to do this in front of anyone. I go off to the side, in a quiet corner of the lobby, holding the letter in my hands as I lean against the wall.
Staring at my name across the white paper, I’m frozen, too scared to find out my fate. I loosen my tie just slightly because suddenly it feels like the temperature went up another ten degrees in here. I’m a bit sweaty and anxious—no surprise there. The very reason for this moment has been the cause of my anxiety over the last three years.
Finally, I flip the envelope over without overthinking, open the fold, and read the words on the page inside.
“Five, motherfucker!” Zanders shouts, waving his envelope in my face.
