Bloody hell.
Not that there was much of a chance, but this seals the deal that no USSL team will ever even glance my way again.
Camacho stands. "Well, ladies, this has been fun, but now I'm off."
"Sit down, Vinny. I think you need to hear this." Miller's voice is commanding.
Camacho sinks down slowly, and I sit up straight. What's going on?
"Bjorn, whenever you're ready."
I don't know what else there is to say. I've been sacked. I'm banned from the USSL as well. They wouldn't have Suarez here if I wasn't. I don't need to hear them say it to know that it's true.
And the last thing I need to hear is my former coach telling me what a disappointment I am. I already know that. Every single cell in my body knows that.
"Thanks, Bob. Mr. Suarez, I'm glad you could join us today. We at the Boston Buzzards value integrity and honesty, as well as transparency in our business dealings."
Camacho smirks. "Yeah, then why did you want this guy?" He jerks a thumb toward me. "He's as shady and ruthless as they come. Need I remind you that he almost killed poor Phaedra Jones? Tanner, think about it. What if it was your daughter? Edmund Jones was right to ban him from the BSL."
"Yeah, about that," Bjorn says. He nods toward one of the suits, who begins clicking away on his computer. The projector screen at the opposite end of the room lights up as Zoom opens.
And there's Phaedra Jones.
Chapter 45: Xavier
What the bloody hell?
"Hullo everyone, thank you for having me. Oh hullo, Xavier. Good to see you again," she says breezily, as if she didn't ruin my life.
I repeat, what the bloody hell?
"Who's that and what's she got to do with me? Can I go now? I've wasted enough of my time on this loser." Camacho stands up in a huff.
"That, Vinny, is the young woman you seemed to be so concerned about and protective of. Sit down, and hear her out," Robert Miller commands. No wonder he's taken the Boston Buzzards from the bottom of the barrel to second place in the league in two years. He understands leadership. "It's Phaedra Jones. Thanks for joining us, Phaedra."
"I'm chuffed to be here. This … this has been a long time coming. Is Tanner there? I can't quite see everyone."
"I'm here," Tanner Suarez replies. "You asked for this meeting, Ms. Jones. Please go ahead."
"Right, okay then. So the thing is, I'm an addict. I'm an alcoholic and an addict, though I don't think that will come as a surprise to anyone who's met me in real life."
When she says this, practically everyone at the table gives Vinny the side-eye. It's obvious he had no clue about who Phaedra really was. Or is at all, actually.
"My father did a good job of keeping it out of the mainstream press for the most part, but it's not shocking or scandalous to anyone who knew me."
I think I may vomit. What is going on here? Why is she saying all this now? She threw me under the bus rather than admit she was an addict. What's changed? I want to get up and leave, but seeing as how Miller just put Camacho in his place, I'm afraid to move.
Phaedra continues, "I've only recently come to terms with the fact that I have a problem. I'm 236 days sober today, actually, so I'm still new to the journey if you consider the fact that I used for over ten years. And as part of my recovery, I'd like to set the record straight about the car accident."
This snaps me to attention, and I shift forward in my seat as if it will help me hear better.
"The night of the incident, I was drunk, high, and despondent. The only person who even noticed my distress that evening was Xavier Henry. I hit on him, but he would not accept my proposition because I was high, which says a lot about his character. When I left, he followed me out, concerned for my safety. He offered to call me a car or drive me home. I refused to listen. I was quite belligerent, in fact. I got in my car. At the very last second, Xavier jumped in, trying to convince me to stop. I wouldn't listen to him, but I quickly lost control of the car. When it crashed, all I knew is my father had told me if I messed up one more time because of the drugs, he'd cut me off forever. This was not the first of this kind of incident. My father was just skilled at covering it up. Let's say I learned from the best."
Christ almighty, is this really happening? Why is she coming forward now? It's too little, too late. My career is done. At least this will clear my name, but still, she ruined my life.
"I begged Xavier to say he was driving and that a bunny ran out in front of the car, causing him to lose control. It had worked for me in the past. Unfortunately, it didn't work for Xavier." Phaedra looks squarely at me. "Xavier, darling, I'm so sorry for asking you to lie. I'm even more sorry about Father's reaction. It's one of the many, many regrets I've amassed over the years due to my addiction. I let it go so long, rationalizing that you were still playing and that it didn't hurt you, but I know it must have. That was the justification of a selfish, struggling addict. It's taken me years to realize how my actions hurt others like you. Please accept my sincerest apologies. I'll understand if you don't forgive me, but I do want it publicly known that you are not a drunk driver and that you did not in any way injure or endanger me. Quite the opposite, really. Not only did you try to keep me safe that night, but even after everything that followed, you never went public with what happened. You never went to the press, even though they were crucifying you. You never told them I was high or a train wreck. Thank you for everything you did to defend me. You're a hero, Xavier Henry."
My mouth opens and then closes without producing any sound.
