I’ve been simultaneously waiting for this moment since we developed a friendship and dreading it all the same. I have no idea what Val knows, and no clue if she’ll believe my side of things. If I tell her the truth, what will it do to her relationship with her sister?But you promised to be honest withher.
“I met Jackie at an event with agents and athletes. She laughed at my jokes, so I took a chance and asked her out. She seemed like a genuine person, and we ended up dating for about six months.” I pause, searching for the next thing to say.
“Around month four, Jackie started acting jealous every time she saw me speak to another woman. I kept asking her to trust me because I’m not someone who juggles more than one relationship. I had two things I was interested in at the time: hockey and her.”
“That makes sense. You were, what, twenty-three?”
“Yes. She was twenty. I wasn’t her first boyfriend, but she certainly acted like it. Had a lot of immaturity. She wanted more of my time, but I already gave her every free moment.”
“Then what ended it?”
I exhale slowly. “The coach’s daughter came to visit on her fall break. Coach asked us to watch over her and make sure she didn’t get bored. The job came with an obvioustouch her and diewarning. None of us were flirting with her, merely showing her around DC. Jackie saw me with her and flipped even though there had been other teammates with us as well.”
This next part I’ve been debating on sharing, but I know Val’s attention is fixed on me, even if I don’t see it.
“She started crying, telling me how much she loved me, but I insisted we part ways. I didn’t want to be with a woman who’d let jealousy ruin our trust. She didn’t take it very well. Got ugly.”Please don’t ask what happened next. Please. “She made sure I knewshebroke up withmeand never wanted to see me again.”
Val draws in a breath, but I don’t hear the exhale.
“Breathe, Val.”
“How ugly did she get?”
I grimace. “Do you really want that answer?”
“Jabari,” she murmurs. “Are you protecting her?”
“No.” I shake my head adamantly. “I’m protecting you. You love your sisters, and I don’t want to change that. I don’t want to strain your relationship.” Great. I sound egotistical, don’t I? As if I have the ability to change the closeness she has with her sisters.
“So you didn’t cheat? You weren’t DMing models?”
I rear back. “No. I would never.”
There’s a pregnant pause, then Val speaks. “I think that’s all I have to ask.”
But now I have questions. Then again, if Jackie’s been calling me a cheater, there’s not really anything else to know. She smeared my name to her family to save face. All I care about is Val.
“Are we good?”
“Yes.” She squeezes my hand, then I hear a shuffling movement. “It’s after eleven. I should get home since church is tomorrow.”
“Sorry. Didn’t realize it was so late.” I can’t believe I ruined our evening by crying.
Don’t think that way. She comforted you and didn’t ridicule you.
“It’s okay.”
We walk slowly to the front door. “Will you text and let me know you got home safely?”
“Of course.”
I slip my hands into my pockets, rocking back on my heels. “You’re going to talk to Jackie, aren’t you?”
“Honestly?”
I nod.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do. I need to process this new information, and I do that best in the quiet, alone with God.”
