Page 13 of Set Play

Remorse crosses his features, and I falter in my rant, part of me wanting to give him a chance to explain; however, my temper wins out over reason. “Then again, with your attitude, you’ll be lucky to find a team that wants to sign your entitled ass. Not all of us were born with silver spoons, Clément. Some of us have had to go through hell and give everything to be here.”

I turn and start walking away, giving him one last sentiment over my shoulder. “Maybe you should give people a chance before you throw hate and judgement at strangers.”

If I’d known a ‘journalist’ was hiding nearby, I would’ve kept tighter control on my temper, but hindsight is twenty-twenty.The first thing I noticed about the article was the so-called quotes used.

I quickly issued a statement, explaining that only some of my words were quoted, but when reporters reached out to him, he denied it. I knew then that there was no recovering our ‘friendly’ rivalry.

To anyone not involved that day, I approached him, unprovoked, just to say, “Hey, pendejo. I came to see if you were thinking of going pro. But you’ll be lucky if any team wants you.”

Within a month, I had to bring on a PR team to help me control the narrative; anything I said was viewed as an escalation, even compliments. And six years later, we’re still stuck in the same vicious cycle.

Wishing I were anywhere else right now, I slowly approach him, reminding myself to stay calm. “Clément,” I acknowledge, dipping my chin. “What can I do for you today?”

“You know damn well what you can do for me, sale fils de pute.1”

“Actually, Sieve, I don’t, so why don’t you just tell me? You know, since I’m so uneducated.” The insult slips out, but I’m sure it’s much kinder than whatever he just called me.

1. sale fils de pute = dirty son of a bitch

Chapter 9

Élise

“You know damn well what you can do for me, sale fils de pute.”

My steps falter when I hear an angry male voice. I don’t have to round the corner ahead to know exactly what, or rather who, I will find.

Henri. And if he’s that angry…

“Actually, Sieve, I don’t, so why don’t you just tell me? You know, since I’m so uneducated.”

Merde.

Of course he ran into Reyes.

The beer and cheese fries I had during the game sounded like an amazing idea at the time, but now that I am faced with my brother confronting Mateo, I regret my decision. My stomach twists into a solid knot of dread and my mind races, working to process what I just heard.

What the hell is he talking about now? Is he trying to set Henri up, the way he accused Henri of doing to him all those years ago?

The memory of my brother’s devastated face as he explained everything to our parents and me over FaceTime slams into me.

So far this has been a normal Clément family Sunday video call, but we can all tell that something is bothering my brother. He’s quieter than usual and seems distracted, giving Maman and Papa half answers.

Papa finally breaks and asks Henri what is wrong. “Qu'est-ce qui ne va pas, mon fils?1”

The three of us wait in silence as my brother seems to gather his composure. It’s like he’s delivering a fatal diagnosis or something. “Vous verrez peut-être bientôt des articles sur moi dans les médias qui me font passer pour une personne terrible. Un joueur rival a dit des choses négatives à la presse.2”

Wait, what?

Another player is talking shit about Henri to the press. Why? My brother is literally one of the nicest people I know. Sure, he has anger issues, but they’ve never been worth public attention. This doesn’t make sense. I’m about to ask my brother what this guy is saying and why he is targeting Henri, but Papa beats me to it.

“Que dit ce gamin, Henri? Pourquoi traîne-t-il ton nom dans la poussière?3”

Henri takes a deep breath, buying himself a few seconds. Knowing him, he is gathering his thoughts and regaining control of his emotions.

“I-Il…” his voice cracks, a rare sign of distress from him, “Il a dit à tout le monde que j'étais arrivé jusqu'ici uniquement parce que ma famille a de l’argent, en me traitant de raciste et de beaucoup de choses négatives dont vous n'avez pas besoin de connaître tous les détails.4”

My mouth falls open with a gasp at his news. I’ve known my brother for my entire life, and I have never once heard him put someone else down for their race or socioeconomic status. He’s never flaunted our family’s wealth, at least not that I ever saw.