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Coach Easton jumped in, “Hell no, I couldn’t handle the breakups. Jake wants the forever girl, and Dwayne’s looking for the next girl. He says he’s never settling down, so their future goals don’t line up. Let’s keep them in sync on the field…that’s a match made in heaven.”
Dwayne stole my last tater tot, smugly laughing as I finished off my burger. An hour ago, I would have said there was no way I could eat, but after picking at lunch and what seemed like a gallon of coffee, my gut begged for food.
The rampant buzzing of my phone in my pocket yanked at me as I fought to appear engaged in the conversation in front of me. Damn, the urge to just peek at it had my hand twitching for just one look, but I knew that Coach would fume. He hated it when players were on their phones at the table. “I'm sorry, Coach. I have to make sure it’s not family,” I murmured sheepishly, under the guise that it might be family when I knew damn well I didn’t want to miss any communication from her. Per Dwayne’s instruction, I gave her message about Bernardo a thumbs up and texted back, asking her to call me later.
“Just get it,” Coach grumbled, casting his eyes toward me.
Resigned disappointment pulled my mouth into a frown. “Sorry, be right back, guys,” I said, ignoring Dwayne’s huff. I pushed my chair back and stepped away from the table before tucking into the hallway leading to the bathrooms. Snagging my phone from my pocket, I gripped it like the answer to my future would appear on the screen, my stomach gurgling. How much more could I swallow? My arm rigid with apprehension, I brought the phone closer to my face in the muted light.
Silvia: You promised me!! You went Insta official and didn’t say anything to me?...Send
Silvia: When do I get an interview?...Send
Jenae: So, you guys just did a “hard launch,” as Winnie calls it…Send
Jenae: Congratulations. Don’t fuck this up…Send
Rodger: Congratulations, Jake. Need to hang on to this one! See you on Zoom tomorrow...Send
Jordan: Looks like that Skyler charm finally won out. Delilah showed me the big announcement…Send
Melissa: The women of Austin are heartbroken. I love her, so you have my blessing!...Send
Miranda: STUD!!!! I knew it!! Take care of her…Send
Matt-Jonathon: Nice couple. We’re here to support…Send
Jonathon-Matt: Nice couple??? Just the hottest couple out there!! She gushed about you ??…Send
Matt-Jonathon: Yeah…I’ve never heard her talk that way…Send
Jonathon-Matt: I guess I’m a good influence! You can thank me with a bottle of Pantalones tequila…??…Send
Matt-Jonathan: Never mind him…enjoy each other!...Send
My heart sped up as I read Matt’s last text again. I had his approval, but something about that made me squeeze my eyes shut. Why the rampage of texts?
Dwayne: Get your ass back to the table. Coach E. is paying. Everybody’s leaving…Send
I walked back to the table, my head swimming with questions, the text messages blinking in my brain. Instagram official, what the hell?
After a quick round of, “We got some great picks” and “See you tomorrow,” we shook hands or tapped each other’s arms and parted; Coach Easton turned a few steps away from the table, pointing at me, and said, “Get whatever’s going on sorted out. Tomorrow, we’re doing a Zoom with Rodger and Tracey, so your head needs to be clear.”
An automatic, “Got it” jumped out of my mouth.
I twisted my neck toward Dwayne. “I need to check Insta. Something is…”
Dwayne winked. “Yeah, you do. Your dream girl finally went public,” he said, pushing his phone toward me.
The intense anxiety that had formed a ball in my gut since that initial phone call from Ana started to crumble as I stared at the screen; a grin that I knew looked ridiculous broke on my face.
Rakell McCarthy
Model/Actress
Austin, Texas
Attached to a cute quarterback.
