And for the first time since NYC started feeling real—
it didn’t feel like the end of a conversation.
It felt like the calm before impact.
Fifty Three
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
ROWAN
The email came in at 9:14 a.m.
Subject line:
NYC PRE-PLACEMENT EVENT — TEAM ASSIGNMENTS
I read it three times before it made sense.
Then a fourth time because it still didn’t feel real.
Mia leaned over my shoulder before I even said anything.
“Oh,” she said slowly. “That’s not good.”
“What do you mean ‘not good’?”
She pointed at the screen.
“Collaborative field pairing with athletic media division interns.”
I frowned. “So?”
Mia looked at me like I was missing something obvious.
“So you’re not just doing journalism now.”
A pause.
“You’re assigned to cover athletes.”
That landed late.
Not slowly.
Late.
Because my brain immediately filled in the blank before I even finished reading the list of names.
I scrolled down.
And there it was.
REED, MASON — ATHLETIC PROFILE ASSIGNMENT (NYC PRE-FEATURE TRACK)
My stomach dropped.
Not dramatically.
