I smirk at her while she stares at me from her seated position with a bit of skepticism on her face. “What’s up? You don’tstrike me as the random-drop-by type. Is something on your mind?”
“Hmm, I suppose. I was up last night wondering why there’s D in fridge when there’s no D in refrigerator.”
She giggles. “Excellent point. Anything else? You’re not a mindless chitchat kind of girl.” She gives me a knowing look.
I fidget nervously with the bottom of my shirt. “I…umm…just had lunch with my brother.”
“O…kay. Seems normal.”
“That’s the thing. It’s not normal for me. I have a strained relationship with my family. My parents. I don’t talk to or see any of them very much. Because of that, I’ve never been close to my little brother. I’m feeling guilty about being a shitty sister. He very clearly wants to build a relationship with me.”
“How do you feel about it?” she asks.
I appreciate that she’s not asking me why I have a strained relationship with my parents. I’m not ready to talk about that with her.
I chew on my lower lip. “I think for the first time I might want that. I just don’t have any interest in spending time with my parents, especially my mom.”
“Then don’t. How old is your brother?”
“Seventeen.”
“He’s old enough that you guys can spend time together outside of your parents.”
I nod my head as I absorb her words. She’s right. I can do that. “It just makes me nervous. I can’t be around my mother. Iwon’tbe around her.”
Before Alyssa can respond, Shay walks into the living room with wet hair and stops short when she sees me. “Kennedy? What are you doing here?”
Alyssa answers before I can. “She just stopped by to tell me lesbians only shop at Sports Authority because they hate Dick’s.”
I can’t help but let out a laugh while Alyssa winks at me.
“Nah, I just needed some family advice. Alyssa helped me. Thank you.”
Shay smiles lovingly at Alyssa. “She’s a good listener.” She looks back at me as she sits down next to Alyssa with a long sigh. “Sulley is different than what I expected. Don’t you think?”
I nod. “Absolutely. I’ve been thinking the exact same thing. I had some preconceived notions that were completely off base.”
“Me too,” Shay agrees. “But she’s more like a brand-new puppy with her excitement and naivety.”
I let out a laugh. “True. That’s exactly what she’s like.”
Her face turns a bit more serious. “You know some of the bitches in this league are going to be rough with her, both on and off the court.” She gives me a small smile. “My best guess is part of Reagan signing you was to protect her investment in Sulley.”
I consider her words as I admit, “Reagan told me to tonedownmy behavior.”
She bites back a smile. “Good luck with that. She’s a smart lady. There’s no toning down Kennedy Jeffries, but, frankly, I think you’re exactly what this team needs. You’re a great player, Kennedy. We need you on the boards, but we’re also going to need you to make sure Sulley doesn’t get pushed around. Like it or not, you’re her protector.”
We chat a bit more about the team and what we think about each player, as well as our coaches, Coach Lakshmi and Coach Carroll, who we all like. I leave feeling a bit better than when I arrived.
I want to do my best to build a relationship with Pierce. He’s basically the only family I have. Whether I was happy to come here or not, this is a chance for me to have at least a little family in my life.
As for my team, Shay is right. Sulley is going to get brutalized by the women in this league. It’s already started in the press. Hell, if I were playing against her, I’d be doing the same. Reagan’s smart. She knows my style of play. Maybe she signedme to stand up for a naïve, young girl who may not be capable of standing up for herself. Maybe that’s my role on this team.
FIVE
DAYLEN
“If you want the easiest way to build testosterone,” Beau says matter-of-factly, “you should just watch porn and eat oysters.”
