“And you made quite the stir your first two weeks here at school.” A smirk.
Brielle.
Yeah.
The viral video.
I shrugged. “I guess.” Really, what did anyone say to that?
“Aside from your popularity in the love department, I got an email from a good friend of mine. He’s a recruiter.”
Okay. Now, Coach had my attention.
“Apparently, he’s got you on his radar to keep an eye on this year.”
My eyes widened.
“He wrote that he checked out your stats from your school in Minnesota, and that you’re a strong player. He saw your video too—going around social media—and said he’s impressed by your maturity. You haven’t monopolized the video on your own socials, and you’re keeping low-key. He likes that. Said it suggests strong character and focus.”
I felt sick. Now a recruiter was judging my maturity based on how I responded to the viral attention Brielle and I were getting? How about coming to a game and checking out my ability? But I knew recruiters were looking for guys who could play the long game. Dealt well with pressure. Which, apparently, in my case, meant being popular—thanks, viral video—and keeping your head about you while still playing a good game.
“Reece is pretty excited about you playing with us this year,” Coach continued. “Said he’s gotten to know you pretty fast since you’ve been dating his sister.”
Crud.
“So,” Coach slid off the corner of the desk and slapped my upper arm in encouragement. “You’ve got a lot going for you, kid. Keep your chin up, eyeson the ball, and you might keep getting attention. And not just in the romance department.”
Coach laughed.
I managed a weak smile.
I kind of felt like I was a baseball player trying to juggle instead of playing the game. I was juggling my parents, a fake dating scheme gone wild, my grades, and now the potential attention of a recruiter. I didn’t think it was necessarily fair to compare my world to Brielle’s, but in that moment, I did.
She had a great family. A dad who’d kill to protect her. A basement set up to help any guy make it as far as he could in his baseball career. Books to her heart’s content. Aunts and friends who cared enough about her that their affection and interest in her life actuallyannoyedBrielle. The girl pretty much had everything going for her, and all she was really juggling was—well, me.
It hit me like a ball to the face.
Brielle could end this fake dating thing pretty much at any moment without too much at stake.
But me? I had a lot at stake. And a lot of it depended on Brielle hanging in this fake relationship until I didn’t need her anymore. I was going to have to play this game very,verycarefully.
Chapter 15
Brielle
“I feel like I’m juggling a gazillion balls,” I whined to Lia. My phone was propped on my desk as I worked on homework. I’d just gotten an email notification and opened it, and, of course, things had just gotten more stressful. It seemed to be the trend lately.
“What does the email say, exactly?” Lia asked.
I scrolled up to the beginning of it. “I thought it was a scam at first,” I admitted.
“I doubt theConsortium of Teen Writersis high on the target list for scammers to impersonate.” Lia was doing the dishes or something. I could hear it in the background.
“I don’t know for sure if I evenwantto be a writer,” I retorted.
“Whatever. You’re the one who applied for the summer program, so part of you is wondering. And, if not that, then what? Your other option is cosmetology school.” Lia answered.
“I could be someone’s assistant—like, I could do administrative work at church or something—like a church secretary,” I offered.
