Kate patted my hand. “Good for you. Which vet school?”
“Virginia Tech. I can get instate tuition. Vet school is just as expensive as med school and you come out making a lot less, so…”
Kate nodded. “Yes. You should go to school near your family.”
Alexa looked at Kate with frustration. “But what if Blue plays for Los Angeles? Or Oakland? Or any team west of the Mississippi? How are they supposed to make that work?”
“He might play for D.C.,” Kate inserted. “That’s doable.”
“Oh, good gracious, let’s hope not.” Mariana hooted. “They’ve ruined how many careers in the last decade?”
Alexa turned to me. “But what if he does end up out west? How’re you going to make that work if you’re in Virginia at vet school?”
Oh wow. She was right. My entire face was crunched and my stomach tightened. “Can I ask a dumb question?”
“There are no dumb questions at this table,” Kate said.
My hands were mangling each other in my lap. “When he’s drafted does he get any say in where he goes?”
Mariana slapped her thigh. “They weren’t kidding. This girl knows nothing about football.”
My mouth fell open. Who wasthey? I knew how the game was played.
Kate frowned. “Why do you think Blue likes her so much? She’s the opposite of a jersey chaser.”
“Honey.” Alexa set her glass down. “I thought you had uncles.”
“I do.” I laughed, ignoring the constant thrumming of blood in my ears, caused by my own naïvety. “I’ve just tried to tune out all the sports mumbo jumbo.”
“Well, it worked.” She grinned. “No, unfortunately. He doesn’t get to pick. It’s like a nasty game of roulette. All you can do is hope for the best and be grateful when a team wants him.”
I let out a disappointed exhale. “Well, I guess if he goes somewhere far, and I get in this year, I’ll turn it down and go with him? Apply to a vet school out there?” I hated how uncertain I sounded. How uncertain I felt. Why hadn’t Blue mentioned any of this?
Kate shook her head adamantly. “You don’t want to do that. If he gets traded after one season, you’re stuck there alone for the next three years. Stay by your family.”
“No,” Mariana said. “The only way this is going to work is if she goes with him.”
Kate rolled her eyes. “They’re just kids. They barely started dating again. That’s ridiculous.”
“Get married,” Mariana said, not kidding even a little. “Just forget what everyone says about being too young. You’ve known him since you were fourteen. He’s it for you and you’re it for him. I could tell when he hugged you on the field. Marriage will make your life ten times easier.”
“I’m nineteen,” I croaked.
She waved my words away. “Who cares? He moves, you move. That’s the only way it’s going to work.”
Kate folded her arms, annoyed. “You’re telling her to give up her dream career and become a stay-at-home wife. You’re asking her to do a one-eighty.”
Alexa held up her hands. “I’m with Mariana. If she wants this thing with Blue to work, she has to go with him. Marriage or not.” She lifted her shoulders, her face full of empathy. “These are the facts. You might have to think about a new dream. Something you can get a degree in online and then work from home after. That’s what I had to do. I was going to be an interior designer and then I switched to graphic design because I can take it with me anywhere.”
“She’s right.” Mariana rubbed her belly. “Like you found out today, jersey chasers are everywhere and they are relentless. The more money he makes, the more they’ll come out of the woodwork. Not that Blue would cheat. I don’t think he’s that kind of guy. But being together every night after a game, win or lose, is a protection to both of you. To your relationship. The less distance between you, the better.”
My phone buzzed and I picked it up. “Oh, Ford says yes. Just name the time and place.”
They broke out into hooting and laughter and began planning the pretend vacation they were never going to take.
It only took a few minutes of processing to realize they were right. There were no perfect solutions. And I was the one that was going to have to choose. Not Blue. I was at an intersection and I had to give something up.
My childhood love or my lifelong dream.
