He places me down, and I see tears welling in his eyes as they meet mine. He croaks out, “Thank you. This means everything.”
Fuck, now I’ve got tears in my eyes. I never cry.
He grabs my hand and brings me over toward our parents, as well as all the other seniors lined up. My father mouths, “Thank you,” as I approach. I don’t know what my mother does because I avoid eye contact with her.
I feel her grab my arm, but quickly pull away and grit out, “Don’t. I’m here for him.”
“But Ken?—”
I finally look at her. I’ve done my best not to glance her way at my games and have avoided her like the plague afterward. While I noticed she looked different, this is the first time I’ve seen her up close in a long while. She has truly ruined her once-good looks with plastic surgery. She’s got fillers everywhere. Her lips appear as though she was stung by ten bees. She’s very obviously had work done on her eyes. She basically looks like Catwoman. I don’t know why she’d do this to her face.
“I. Said. Don’t,” I practically spit. I give her a look to suggest she not make a scene because I will turn around and leave.
She has the fucking nerve to appear teary eyed. Or maybe she just can’t blink properly with all the work she’s had done to her face.
She pinches her giant, fake lips together but doesn’t otherwise say a word. Pierce seems blissfully unaware. He’s beamingas the man with the microphone begins talking about the seniors.
My parents are now on either side of Pierce. Picking the lesser of two evils, I stand on the other side of my father.
We gradually move to the front of the line. The man on the microphone starts talking about Pierce’s accomplishments. Holy crap, he’s super smart. He has a ton of academic awards. It sounds like he’s a science genius. When they get to his athletic accomplishments, they’re a bit more limited, but when they get to his personal statement about what shaped him, my mind is blown.
The man talks about how Pierce mentioned how lucky he was to grow up with one of the biggest athletic superstars in the country. All eyes in the stands find my father, whose own eyes briefly turn to mine before the corners of his mouth raise ever so slightly.
The man continues, “In his personal statement, Pierce wrote, ‘While some people get to watch their idols on television, I was fortunate to live with mine. I learned what hard work and determination can achieve. What perseverance looks like. And lucky for me, I now get to see her play more often. My sister, Kennedy, is my idol.’”
What? He grew up with a Hall of Fame father andI’mhis idol?
My father’s smile grows. He knew what Pierce wrote beforehand. He leans over and whispers, “Like I said, thanks for being here. He worships you.”
Pierce throws four touchdowns and runs for another. He’s quite obviously the best player on the field. At some point, I turn to my dad and ask, “Why isn’t he playing in college? He’sreallygood.”
He briefly tucks his lips under his teeth as if choosing his words carefully before tapping the left side of his chest. “Heart. Football isn’t in his heart. He enjoys it like a hobby, but it’s not the air he breathes. I think he felt pressure to do so because of me, not because it’s what he truly wanted. He’s obviously gotsome talent, but he’s not like you, Kennedy. You have this extra quality about you, and you have since you were a little girl. It’s an inner fire that you either have or you don’t. You had it. You still have it. He doesn’t. He loves science. He wants to be a doctor. You and I both know how hard it is to balance being a student and an athlete at a high level. He shouldn’t have to sacrifice what he truly wants because he’s my son and feels like hehasto follow a certain path.” He twists his lips. “Does that make sense?”
I nod. I could never have been on the pre-med track with my basketball schedule in college. “Pierce told me you’re the one who encouraged him not to play in college.”
“That’s right. Because I just want what’s best for him. For both of you.”
“But you always pushed me.” Playing basketball was the only thing he and Ieverdiscussed growing up.
He exhales a long breath. “If it was too much, I’m sorry. You were born to be a star, Kennedy. Sometimes your attit…strong convictions got in the way. I did what I thought was best, but I’m not perfect.” He smirks. “I suppose I’m mellowing in my old age.”
When the game is over, Pierce runs over to me and gives me the game ball he was awarded by his coach. He then proudly introduces me to all his friends.
I’m so caught up in my emotions that I somehow manage to offer his best friend, Rooster, an internship with me. He wants to go into sports management, and Pierce begged me to take him on and show him the ropes. I wasn’t really in a position to deny my brother anything tonight. He said Rooster also happens to be a tech genius if I have any needs in that regard.
EIGHT
DAYLEN
“What in the actual fuck?” I roar.
Vance, Cheetah, Trey, and Layton are practically on the floor, hyperventilating with laughter.
We’re all in tuxedos at Arizona and Layton’s wedding reception, though at this point in the evening, our jackets are off, our bow ties are loosened, and our sleeves are rolled up. We’ve been drinking and dancing all night. It’s been a blast celebrating the very-much-in-love couple. Layton was a bigger playboy than I am formanyyears. But he fell fast and hard for Arizona. She’s already pregnant with their first child.
I can’t imagine there are more than a few songs left before we bid adieu to the happy couple, and they head to the airport for their honeymoon. We were all at the bar doing one last round of shots when Kam held up her phone for us to see. With a huge smile on her face, she announced, “I have Google alerts set for all of you. This just popped up for you, D.”
I shrugged. “I’m fucking famous. I have shit written about me all the time. What’s the big deal?”
