I wince. “Not good.”
“Tell me about it. Read on.”
Scottie’s Boyfriend
it probably wasn’t even his kid. bro was way too aggressive
Dallas
Who cares? Athletes say crap to people all the time. I guarantee there are five other athlete encounters trending on X right now way worse than this.
But why were you at some charity event alone, anyway? Scottie, isn’t that literally what you’re for?
Marisol
Scottie’s working in Phoenix right now.
Mom
Marisol’s right. She can’t be holding Jake’s hand at *every* event. Scottie, I hope the weather’s better in Phoenix than it is at home right now. Brr!
Jake, Scottie, have you two coordinated yet?
Hudson
Scottie, you’ve got to at least do damage control.
Sottie’s Boyfriend
nah she’s busy managing the tiktok kid
guess I shouldn’t go alone to things though
I look up from the thread, my nostrils flaring as I pull in oxygen. I scroll up, reread, then scroll down again.
“They’re putting this onyou?” I almost spit. “It’s not your job to make Jake not be an idiot.”
She gives a low chuckle. “It literally is. That’s why we’re dating.”
“Don’t say that.”
“It’s true.”
“It’s fake.”
“It was my job even before …this,” she says. “Me and him.”
The courtyard is filling fast now—kids shouting names, a bat cracking on the practice field behind the stands, someone testing a mic with a sharp burst of feedback—and I can’t keep standing this close to her without attracting attention.
“We’re not finished talking about this.”
She rolls her eyes and then looks at someone past me. “Every minute of your day is scheduled out, and when it’s not, you have a shadow that looks exactly like you.”
“Then I guess I’ll have to break curfew.”
Her eyes snap to mine, and she points a finger at me. “Don’t. Even. Think about it.”
She looks like she’s a breath away from storming off, so I don’t say “watch me,” like I want to.
