“I’m so sorry, sweetie,” Jamie says, tears fill his eyes too as he joins me in crying.
“Do you want us to tell him you stopped by?” Max asks.
“Um… I don’t know, maybe see how he is after talking to his brother. I don’t want to make this harder for him than it already is.”
“Okay,” Jamie says.
“I know it’s hard,” Max says, “but if it hurts this much, you need to make it worth it. You need to go out there and give this shit your all. Don’t lose two things you love.”
I nod, knowing he’s right.
“Thanks guys.” I pull them in for another hug. “I’m guessing you’ll want tickets for the games?”
“Uh, duh!” Jamie grins. “I’m sick of watching college players, I wanna watch some real men!”
“For fuck’s sake,” Max grumbles, but the hint of a smile tells me he’s not in the slightest bit annoyed.
“Alright, I’m gonna go and make this worth it,” I say. “Look after Donovan for me?”
“Of course,” Jamie says, “we’ve got him.”
I head back to the car. They’re right, as much as this hurts, I need to make this count. Who knows what the future holds. Right now, I need to focus and get ready to play for the Warriors, make sure that all of my hard work and sacrifices pay off.
We arrive at Marcus’s place late in the afternoon; he was helping me look at places to rent, but when I couldn’t find anything, he suggested I move in with him. The location is perfect, it means I don’t need to worry about getting a car of my own for a while, and it sure as hell beats living alone.
Jordan follows him out the front door and they both head over to greet us.
“Hey, brother!” Jordan says.
“Hey,” I give each of them a quick bro hug and introduce them to my parents. “I wasn’t expecting a welcome committee,” I chuckle.
“You think I’m gonna let my new teammate move all by himself? You’re crazy!” Jordan laughs.
“What am I exactly?” Marcus shoves him. “He’s not alone.”
“Yeah, but I figured you wouldn’t wanna do any of the heavy lifting, gotta protect your throwing arm and all.” Jordan dodges a punch and runs to the trailer to help my dad with some boxes.
“Dick,” Marcus chuckles. “You ready for this, rookie?”
“It still doesn’t feel real, ask me again after training tomorrow.”
“Yeah, no more classes means no more rest time. You’re here to work, boy.”
“Well I’m ready for that.”
“Good, come on, let’s get you moved in.”
With the five of us it doesn’t take long to get my stuff to the room. Marcus’s house is huge, I can’t believe it’s only him that lives here, but I guess with the quarterback salary he can afford it. Downstairs is an open plan space, a U-shape sofa surrounding a huge TV, a dining area with a table to seat ten, and a state-of-the-art kitchen with all the latest gadgets.
My room is twice the size of the dorm, and my stuff looks tiny in the space, barely filling a corner. But I like it, the king-size bed is comfy, and I hope I’ll be able to get a good night’s sleep in it. I haven’t had one since Donovan moved out; sleeping without him feels too strange, I miss his body curled up against mine.
Shaking off those thoughts of him, I return to the kitchen to find Marcus in conversation with my parents.
“Do you have plans tonight, Vanessa?”
“We’ve got a room booked at the Hamilton, which is very fancy for us,” she chuckles.
“Maybe a nice meal out somewhere,” my dad adds, kissing her on the cheek.
