Page 37 of Golden Ruin

Good old Cliff. Never short on the drama.

“Lay it on me,” I say with a smile, killing the engine just before my headlights go dim.

“Alright, now before you say no, I need you to understand this is huge.”

I laugh. “This your way of letting me know I’ll hate it?”

“This is my way of saying this isn’t your typical offseason training offer.”

He has my attention. I relax into my seat, staring at the bright screen.

“There’s an invite-only performance program in Spain. Six weeks,” he says, and I don’t have an immediate response. Instead, his words sit with me.

The time away. The distance. Jax. Everything falling on Lexi while I’m gone. A house that somehow feels impossible to leave lately.

It’s just… a lot.

“You still there?”

I nod. “Yeah. I’m here.”

His office chair squeals in the background, and I imagine him rocking back in it, chewing the end of his ink pen like he does when he’s deep in thought.

“We’re talking top-tier trainers, nutrition staff, recovery specialists, a fully stacked media team,” he adds. “Some of the biggest names in football go every year.”

“Sounds… promising.”

“Sounds–” Cliff’s voice cuts off, and his chair creaks again. “Sterling, are you listening? If you’re looking to land luxury sponsors, this is a sure fucking thing, my friend. We’re talking Titan Athletics, Apex Pro Apparel. You name the brand, they’re scouting there. I’m gonna need you to get excited about this. This is the gateway to international visibility!”

I don’t respond because he wouldn’t understand what I’m thinking even if I tried to explain it.

“Look, I get it,” he chimes in again. “You’re going through a lot with your kid right now. I’m a dad, so I feel you on that. But you’re a star, and you’ve had one hell of a year. Still, I think we both know stars don’t stay stars by standing still.”

His words have my head throbbing a little.

“I hear you. And I’ll give it some thought.”

He scoffs on the other end of the line, clearly surprised by my response, but he doesn’t push.

“Fine. Think about it. Just don’t think forever. You landed Nike, you’re on fire, but these kinds of opportunities tend to evaporate into thin air when you hesitate.”

“I understand.”

“Talk later.”

He ends the call there, and I feel the pressure.

The pressure to excel, to meet the standards of my team, the pressure to balance the things that matter to me.

It’s never really been easy, but it’s somehow gotten harder recently.

I head inside, greeting security as I pass through the private entrance. I’m not focused on anything but that call, the stakes, and when I get upstairs to Ricky’s space, gripping a pool stick in my hand, it shows in my game.

“Shit,” Ricky laughs, smirking because I just scratched the cue ball. Again. “You alright, man?”

I don’t respond. Every shot I’ve taken so far has been terrible. Dane and West haven’t said a word, but I feel them watching, thinking the same thing Ricky just voiced.

That something’s off with me.