“Okay, then. I ...” I don’t know how to finish that thought. I see myself out and to my car.
It’s only when I’m almost home do I realize Hannah never exactly told me how sleeping with me ruined her life.
Chapter 16: Hannah
O
phelia: I can’t thank you enough.
Ophelia really does love that emoji. She adds it to everything, along with her trademark “XOXO” signature. I guess if I were as happy as she is, I’d probably add stupid emojis too.
In spite of myself, I smile. Her life is the thing of dreams. Her fake marriage turned out to be anything but. Xavier is head over heels for her. The feeling’s definitely mutual. Thanks to ClikClak, her book is doing amazingly well. Even Ophelia admits it’s cheesy smut, but that doesn’t stop people from devouring it. The next one will be out in a few weeks.
Instead of feeling jealous of her perfect life, I take it as a sign to work on my own.
Okay, I wallow for about ten minutes first before I bite the bullet and initiate a search on the internet. No matter how successful my ClikClak videos are, I doubt ESPN is going to come knocking on my door. I’m going to have to work my way up.
It’ll be fine.
Kurt Warner was undrafted and stocking shelves in a grocery store for $5.50 an hour when his big break came with St. Louis. Okay, he was still playing in the Arena Football League during this time, so he wasn’t totally out of the game.
I glance at my phone. I’m not either. Comparing ClikClak to the Arena Football League is a stretch, but what the hell? It’s a metaphor, and that’s bread and butter to sports reporters and athletes alike.
I wade through listings for newspaper reporters covering high school athletics. That would be starting at the bottom. Like way down. Sports editors.
Too bad Ophelia is the writer, not me.
There’s a weekend sportscasting job in Binghamton, New York. I drove through there once. There’s not much there. I bookmark it, but it would be a last resort for me.
Then, I see it.
It’s not ESPN, but it’s perfect. Sports reporter. Online. A hybrid job, with some work in New York. Seems doable. It’s an English company, looking to expand into the US. Cool. They want someone with knowledge of the law. Probably so they don’t get sued, like Xavier is about to do to Chassen Donato. I can fact-check. I’m really good at that. I look at the other requirements. Encyclopedic sports knowledge. Check. Social media experience. Check. And remind me to hug Carlos. Live blogging. Check. Audience analytics. Check.
I’m so golden.
Sure, I gloss over the fact that I don’t actually have a year of journalism experience, other than college. I’m sure I can impress them with the stories I’ve done thus far.
