“Let’s take some time apart. I’ll focus on the line, and you can figure out if my life and all that comes with it is too much for you to handle. But just so you know, Andre and I are never getting back together. Nobody—not my fans and certainly not my dad—can decide how I live my life.”
With that, I let the door slam behind me. Thankfully, the tears don’t fall until I’m safe inside my apartment.
Chapter thirty-two
Damon
“Middle!” I shout. Each player begins two-hand dribbling in the middle position.
“Low!” They squat lower, bouncing the balls less than a foot from the ground with tight, controlled movements.
“High alt!” They stand, alternating bounces between hands; one ball up, one ball down.
“Windshield wipers!” The players move the balls in tandem, side-to-side across their bodies.
I continue to move them through the dribbling drills, my mind on autopilot as we all go through the motions.
Figure out if my life and all that comes with it is too much for you to handle.
“Walking the dog!”
Let’s take some time apart.
“Hi-Lo!”
Plenty of guys can’t deal with the constant scrutiny.
“Cross circle!”
God, her face when she left! Like I was suddenly a stranger.
“Figure 8!”
Seth’s balls collide behind him, and he curses before moving to the side.
“Baby Figure 8!”
Half the guys are out at this point. Both Carter and Robbie are still going strong, but Robbie’s concentrating so hard, he’s sweating.
“One-ball Reverse Between the Leg!”
Six more guys exit the court, leaving just Carter, Robbie, and Eric. Eric looks much more composed than last week; he must’ve stepped up his solo practices. I throw out the hardest two-ball dribbling drill I know.
“Between the Leg Taps…” I pause for effect. “Alt!”
Several players whoop from the sidelines. We just learned this variation last week, and it takes them all a while to get into it.
Robbie’s the first one out.
“Shit!” he yells, kicking the ball in frustration. I blow the whistle.
“Take a lap, Mr. Kent!”
Eric is next, one of his balls bouncing past his hand and skittering into the stands. He grumbles, but leaves the court without incident.
That just leaves Carter. He’s doing the drill with a smirk on his face. I decide to try one I haven’t taught the kids to see if he can handle it.
“One-ball Figure 4!”
