Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 72542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
“What exactly do you have in mind?” I asked, leaning forward. I didn’t like the hold he had over Coach, but I kept my face calm. I was in. The Heisman was my fucking dream.
Dr. Carmen smiled tightly. “First and foremost, don’t screw up. It’s no secret you’re a bit of a hothead on the field, but the key is keeping it where it belongs and not in the locker room or in public,” he added.
He meant Felix.
He acted like I got in tussles all the time—it was one incident.
“To get to the top, you need to be exceptional in every way,” he said.
I lifted my hands. “I am.” I wasn’t bragging.
“Right, right. I know you have the 3.7 GPA and you’re pre-med; you respect your teachers and do your work. But you need more.” He nudged his head at Millicent, who’d been listening intently, her head slightly cocked as she watched me like a hawk. Assessing me like I was a science experiment.
“That’s where I come in,” she said with a confident little bob of her head. “If you agree to my services, I’d like to get started now.” She gave me an expectant look.
I nodded and settled back as she pulled out a pad of paper from her bag. “Our main focus is your image. Today, let’s talk about your personal relationships, your family, and of course I’d love to set you up with some volunteering opportunities such as St. Jude Hospital or a shelter of some sort. Is there a particular charity you’re interested in?”
I answered back with a couple that my mom had been involved in, and she jotted down everything at a furious pace. In the meantime, Coach mumbled something about needing to get back to the office. He wasn’t happy.
Dr. Carmen said goodbye to me and followed him out.
“What about your father?” Millicent asked after we’d covered the fact that I had little to no family around me.
I stiffened. “We don’t talk much.”
Her face softened. “I understand strained relationships, but for the sake of the award, perhaps we could arrange a photo opportunity for the fans and media after one of the home games? I suggest an easy game—homecoming?”
I shrugged and gritted my teeth. “Sure.”
She smiled. “Great. And according to your social media—which is very clean by the way, nice job—you now have a girlfriend . . .” she shuffled through her notes and then glanced up at me. “Sunny Blaine?”
I nodded, getting anxious. “Yes. You’re not, like, investigating her, right?”
“Girlfriends are good as long as the relationship isn’t volatile. Don’t forget there are pesky little camera phones everywhere—so no public altercations, please. Careers have been ruined with video footage of players abusing their significant others.”
I cringed. Fuck. I’d never hit Sunny. I’d never hit Bianca no matter how many times she’d egged me on.
She continued. “I’ve quite enjoyed the pics you’ve posted of you and her. She looks good next to you—a tall blonde. Nice choice,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone as if I’d picked her out at the Girlfriend Store.
Which wasn’t too far off from the truth.
I wondered what I would have done if she’d said Sunny was bad for my image.
She ran through a list of things I shouldn’t do, which in college-boy terms pretty much meant not drinking, using drugs, or getting in fights. In other words, don’t be a shithead. I agreed. Easily.
She also suggested I get a haircut, and I refused. After I explained why I’d let it grow out, she smiled and scribbled it down. “Great material,” she said.
Her attention to my personal life was enough to make me jumpy. Hell, I was no saint. Obviously. But they sure expected me to be.
After exchanging times and dates for another meeting in a week, the session was adjourned.
I let out a sigh of relief and turned to open the door for her but stopped at her next words.
“Of course, it’s hardly my business what your future plans are, but if you have an inkling that Sunny is going to be in your future, perhaps this might be the perfect opportunity to take it a step further. Like an engagement?” Her voice was hopeful.
I had suggested the very same thing way back in the beginning when I’d first met Sunny, but when she nixed it I let it go.
Millicent bit back a smile. “You should see your face. You went white—which means, I guess, that a wedding is off the table.”
“Uh, yeah.”
Disappointment showed on her face and her shoulders slumped. “Oh well, it was worth a shot. People love a good romance, and you two are beautiful together.” She made a pffft noise. “Ignore me. Wishful thinking on my part.”
But I couldn’t ignore her.
Her words lingered long after I’d left that office. They’d replayed in my head a thousand times before I’d even driven home.