“What is it the time for, then?” I ask.
“The media is tearing into you, Maverick. Don’t you care?” She scrolls some headlines. “They love nothing more than tostir the pot with patterns. Look at this! Locker room rumors, previous suspensions, tantrums, interviews with your former teammates, many of whom have nothing good to say. Even gossip about your personal life.” She gestures wildly to the screen as if I have a single ounce of fucks left to give.
“No, I don’t care.” I shrug and shake my head. “Let them.”
“Let them?” she screeches. “I can’t! I’m being paid tonotlet them, and I can’t keep up with scandal after scandal with you!” She’s yelling at me, clearly overworked and stressed.
“I can’t help it that the media wants to dig up old dirt. You and I both know that things were turning around until the bust, and we both know that there’s one key that could unlock a way to make all of this much easier. You chose not to turn that key, and here we are.”
“You’re blamingmefor this mess?” She slams her laptop lid shut as some throaty noise erupts from her.
I lift a shoulder. Blame is a strong word, but I’m also notnotsaying that.
“I never should have slept with you,” she hisses. “Hell, I never should have even moved to Vegas. Iknewin my gut it was going to be a goddamn football player, and here we are. My career is about to go down the drain, and all you can do is sit there and blamemeforyourpoor decisions.”
“Yeah,” I mutter. “You’re right. We shouldn’t have slept together. I should never have given in to the feelings I had for you. It was easier when we just hated each other.”
She presses her lips together and glances up at the ceiling as she clearly tries to ward off tears. I wish I could regret the words as they fall from my mouth, but the truth is that I’m trying hard to turn those emotions off again.
It was easier back when I didn’t feel anything at all than feeling like this.
CHAPTER 38: Everleigh Bradley
Spin Old News
Mr. Jennings acknowledges that he has made mistakes and will do better in the future. He has no further comment at this time.
Mr. Jennings is working hard to learn from his past mistakes and change his behavior. We have no further comment at this time.
Mr. Jennings takes full responsibility for his actions and is committed to earning back the trust of his team and his fans.
It’s on repeat. Put a fire out here with a bland, nondescript statement. Put another fire out there with another bland, nondescript statement.
Mr. Jennings isn’t, in fact, trying to do better or change his behavior.
But that’s not what I tell the media.
No, I spin old news, put out the same statements over and over, and try to highlight the good he’s done.
It’s hard.
He broke my heart with his words. I fired the shots first, sure. Absolutely, I did. But he didn’t have to come back and say that it was easier when we hated each other.
Even if he was right.
And so that’s where I find myself. Hating him again, but this time it’s paired with a side of worry. What the hell is he going to do next?
He’s back to his old self again, especially this weekend since he’s suspended. Rather than keep a low profile—which is whatmostprofessionals in a situation where he was suspended for his behavior would do—he’s doubling down. He was photographed drinking at a club last night after our conversation. He was photographed later in the evening—or the early hours of this morning, I guess—at a strip club.
The assholewent to a strip club. To drink, to touch boobs, to stick dollar bills into thongs, who knows? All I know is that he wasn’t with me, and he’s not making himself look any better.
His birthday is tomorrow. He’s turning thirty-three on Halloween. I asked him once if there was anything he wanted to do to mark the occasion, and he said no. I wonder what he’ll do now that he’s on his own.
I think about going through with my plan. I was going to take him to dinner, and then I was going to give him his gift. Instead of doing that, I call the place where I bought his gift and ask them to send it directly to his place rather than to mine.
He can still have it. It’s already paid for anyway. This way I won’t have to interact with him.
I work my ass off burying the nonsense he participated in last night. I highlight the same stories—a handful of charity events, his little moment with that girl at the Hope Gala…and that’s about all I can find. There’s so much more out there that’snegativethat I’m having a hard time covering it all up. Ithink about bringing up the shelter, but that’s just for him. He’s been adamant about that since I first mentioned it, so I leave it be.
