Plus anything that would happen between us would be reliant on Kodi remembering me. And that didn’t seem likely at this point.
“Like I said, I’ll get over it.”
There was a chorus of unbelieving grumbles.
“Right. So how long is that gonna take? Like, when can I ask her out?”
I kicked at Brooker’s shin under the table and hissed dramatically.
“Kean, leave Brooker alone. Brooker, stop agitating Kean. And that goes for everyone,” Christenson said, turning to look around the table. “He’s going through some awkward shit, he doesn’t need any of us making it worse.”
Again, the team grumbled in response and then we finally moved on to more important topics of conversation.
Or at least that’s what I thought.
“So what’s your handle gonna be?”
A Game Plan
Kodi
Despite knowing Kean’s attitude was going to be shit, I was excited to get started on his socials. I half expected him to have an old page he’d forgotten about, but I searched high and low last night and found nothing. Not even an old high school account.
This was truly a clean slate and I’d never get this kind of opportunity again.
And while I was excited, I was also prepared for Kean’s general assholeness. To make this not feel like pulling teeth for him, I mapped out three simple social media plans. Focusing on Kean as a person, as a player, or as a member of the Dastards. They each came with their own advantages, as far as career growth, but my guess was he’d take the path of least resistance and focus on his team. That way the most he’d have to do on a regularbasis is pose with teammates and maybe say a couple of nice things about them. I don’t imagine either of those things come naturally to him, but I’m sure he could handle it.
And if he didn’t … well, our hallway talk made me think I could get away with being a little rude to him. Maybe not chase him around the sidelines rude, but still. He … valued me, to some extent, valued the work I’d done for him so far. And he damn well should. I worked my ass off to get his insane list of tasks done within the week.
I bet it was the meal plan service I found that really won him over. I was able to talk the owner to make an athlete plan and it’s gotten so many sign-ups he gave me a free plan so long as I’m under Kean’s account. It was another athlete meal of chicken, rice, and broccoli, but I wasn’t gonna turn down free food.
“Morning, Kodi,” Kean said, voice a grumbly mess like he’d just gotten up. He walked into the shared office space and swiveled the chair from the desk in front of mine around to sit. He was wearing gray sweats, rude, and the lilac sun shirt I’d gotten him. I’d expected the color to look silly on him. And honestly, if I was in a better mood, I would’ve gotten him something in maroon to make his eyes pop. But the purple actually looked pretty good against his tanned skin. Also rude.
“Kodi?” Kean repeated my name after I stared at him for a beat too long.
“Right. Good morning. How’re you?” I asked, fumbling with the front page of my notepad. His eyebrows pinched together, eyes focused on my desk.
“Uh, yeah, I’m … good.”
Well, at least we were both being awkward.
“Good, good.”
“And … uh, you?” he asked, eyes still down, jaw tight.
“Oh, yeah, good. I got the last thing on your list done last night, except for the internet appointment. Obviously. And then —”
“Seriously?” he asked, finally looking me in the eyes.
“Uh, yeah. You wanted me to get it all done in a week, so I did. I forwarded all the confirmation details and receipts for everything. But if you’re missing something, let me know.”
“That’s not what I meant,” he grumbled, running a hand over his chin. “I didn’t think you could get it all done that fast.”
“Well.” I squared my shoulders. “I’m good at my job.”
Kean hummed in response before nodding at the notes scattered across my desk. “Is that your grand plan?”
“Well,plans, actually. While I 100 percent believe this will be beneficial for your career long term, I understand it’s not something you’re actually interested in. So I’ve drafted up a couple strategies for you to choose from.”
