“My thoughts exactly.”
My mind is whirring. “Wait, today? How am I supposed to get there in time?”
“Well, because I just happen to be the awesomest friend in the whole world, I got straight on it and booked you a flight. It leaves in…” He pauses. “Damn. It leaves in ninety. You’re normally an early riser. I can still cancel if that doesn’t work for you, though,” he adds.
“You freaking kidding me? Of course it works for me! Dude, thank you so,somuch.”
“Hey, no problem, Conley. I’m gonna get you to sign an exclusivefor the interviews. And I need photos of your ass for the Big Balls column.”
“Consider it done.”
“What? You’re okay with that?” He laughs. “Okay, so let’s recap—today you’re in Charlotte, Thursday you’ll be heading to Atlanta. I got you a return for Friday afternoon so you can chill before the game on Sunday.”
“Perfect.”
“I’ll email over the details and some contacts.”
I smile. “You’re the best, Seb. Thanks again.”
“Good luck, kid. Keep me posted, okay?”
When I hang up, I make a beeline for the closet, stuffing clothes into a suitcase, working through a mental list of everything I need to do before I get on that plane. Message Don and get him to tell Coach. Email the college and tell them I’ll be gone until Friday. Get in touch with Amy and let her know I’m heading off. I dash into Adam’s room to ask for a ride to the airport, then whip out my laptop, drag up my NBA team spreadsheet, and send it over to my tablet.
It’s not just the tryouts I need to worry about. I’ll be interviewed, too, and I want to show them I know everything there is to know about their gameplay tactics and stats for the past few years.
I plan on using the flight to prep. I’m surprised by how cool, calm, and collected I feel. The stars seem to be aligning for me—I’m so close I can taste it. I need to focus on this, now.
For the time being, nothing else matters.
26AMY
It’s eight o’clock, and just like we agreed, I’m hovering outside the Java. Correction—it’s now eight thirty. I check my watch for the hundredth time. Lewis is late. Like, really late. That’s not usual for him, and I decide to message him.
AMY:Where *are* you?
I give it another fifteen minutes.
AMY:Lewis? Are you okay?
Still no reply. Part of me is worried about him, but there’s another part of me that thinks maybe I just got stood up. That doesn’t make sense, though. He was distant in January, sure—but this doesn’t match up with how he was with me yesterday. There was that kiss at the gym, plus the messages later that night. I just can’t believe he would’ve forgotten.
It’s freezing out here, and when I can’t stand it any longer, I push open the door and head to the bar for a beer. Thank you, my trusty fake ID. I pull up the app and check his status. He’s offline. I fire off a quick message to Adam, instead.
AMY:Hey, it’s Amy. I was supposed to have a session with Conley tonight but haven’t heard from him. He held up, or something?
ADAM:Hey Amy Maybe you got the day mixed up? L is in Charlotte for NBA tryouts. Then he’s in Atlanta for the Hawks, I’m picking him up from the airport on Friday.
He left town? Okay… Thanks for the heads-up, dude.
I stare at myself in the mirror behind the bar, overcome with the urge to launch my phone at it.
AMY:Damn, yeah—my mistake! Thanks
It’s not Adam’s fault, but I suddenly hate the Campus Drivers. I cringe inwardly. I wish I hadn’t messaged Lewis. I can’t believe he would’ve forgotten about his tryouts, which can mean only one thing—he had a date with me and then changed his mind without even telling me. Again. I was hoping he’d changed, but he’s the same pain in the ass he’s always been.Seriously, how long would it have taken to send me a quick message?I thought we were close enough now to… I shake my head. What do I know, really? I’m totally lost.
I catch the bartender’s eye. “Same again.”
“This one’s on me.”
