I may have been light before, but being with Colson makes it feel like I’m made of the stars, sunshine, and sparks.
forty-seven
Colson
Sadiecheats.Notina malicious way. Not even in a way she tries to hide. She just… cheats.
I know it the second she grins and drops her shoulder like she’s about to drive left, then spins right instead, light on her feet, ponytail swinging. The ball kisses the backboard and drops through the net.
She throws her hands up. “Game point.”
“You traveled,” I tell her.
“I absolutely did not.”
“Pretty sure you traveled,” I insist, grabbing the ball and dribbling it back to her.
She steps in front of me, wrapping her arms around my neck and kisses me. Her favorite distraction. Fuck, it’s mine, too.
“Fine, fine. You didn’t travel. You win.” I laugh at how easy I fold for her.
Morning light slants through the high windows, striping the court. We’re the only ones here; for a second, it almost feels like a secret. Camp starts in forty five minutes but we’ve been coming in early for the last few weeks. Sadie says she has admin things to work on, but mostly I think she likes to watch me work out. Which isn’t an issue on my side, not one bit.
My agent has let me know there are a handful of teams who have expressed interest in offering me a roster spot this coming up season. Even though everyone told me there would be potential offers, this kindof progress feels good. So, I’m doing my best to stay in shape and keep working on mobility and confidence when it comes to my shoulder.
I work on a few more drills, then let my body sort of cool down before I go into Coach Colson mode. Before I know it, the front doors open and kids practically skip in.
It’s always chaotic with sneakers squeaking, voices overlapping, and parents calling out to their kid for the thing they forgot, but I’ve grown to really like this energy. Appreciate it. It always seems to fill my cup a bit.
Sadie claps her hands once, loud and sharp. “Shoes tied, water bottles in your cubby, and if I see anyone wearing flip flops in one minute, you’re on clean up duty!”
I step back, give her space to do her thing. Watching Sadie work with the kids is one of my favorite things. Now that I’m helping more regularly, I let Sadie lead the way and I do my best supporting her.
I’m setting up cones when I feel it. That shift. The way the air tightens before something goes wrong.
I glance up and see Sadie freeze near the scorer’s table. A woman stands in front of her—mid-thirties maybe, hair pulled back tight, arms crossed like she’s bracing for impact. I know she’s Emma’s mom. I look and see Emma with her backpack on, waiting by the cubbies.
Sadie’s smile is still there, but it’s thinner now.
I don’t hear what the woman says, but I see Sadie glance toward me. Just once. A flicker of something in her eyes I don’t like. Then she nods toward the far end of the court.
I jog over, heart thumping with nervousness, “Everything okay?”
The woman’s gaze slides to me, sharp and assessing. Not curious but definitely concerned.
“I was hoping to speak with Sadie privately,” she says. I can tell she’s trying to soften her tone but it barely works.
Sadie jumps in fast. “But if you’re asking me about Colson, I’d like to give him a chance to respond.”
Asking about me?
The woman’s face pinches, like she’s uncomfortable with this already, before she exhales. “I didn’t know who he was at first,” she says carefully. “I mean—I recognized him, but not like that.”
My stomach tightens.
Without saying anything, she holds out her phone. On it is a picture of me standing over Nick, after he fell over the other night. Between the headline and the caption, it looks like I hit him.
Fuck.
