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Sidelined 10
Eric
“What do you want?” Alex draws up to his full height, clearly annoyed at being cornered between the bench and the wall in the locker room.
“I figured since I’m cleared to play, we need to clear the air.”
“You think I’d sabotage the team ’cause I’m pissed at you? Jesus you’re an even bigger prick than I gave you credit for. I throw the ball Coach tells me to, even if it’s in your direction. End of story.” He starts to climb over the bench to get around me.
“This isn’t about how many passes you throw me, it’s about knowing that I always try my best to do the right thing, and right now you don’t believe that about me.”
“Damn straight.” He drops his gym bag on the floor and leans against the lockers, crossing his arms. “You think anything you say will make me change my mind.”
“I’m not trying to change your mind. You’re right, about all of it. I did use you, although it wasn’t intentional.” Alex’s slack jaw tells me that’s the last thing he’s expecting to hear, so I push forward before he can interject. “On some level, I knew spending time with you would bring me closer to her, but that wasn’t something I consciously planned. More like I realized it over time, and it was a benefit of being friends with you. It’s not why I became your friend. It’s not why I stayed friends with you, either.”
“I suppose you’re telling me this because you want my blessing.”
“I’m telling you this because it’s the truth. You didn’t deserve how I treated you, but you deserve that. And I hope one day you can forgive me for blurring the boundaries of our friendship. Blessing or not, though, I can’t let her go without a fight, and I hope one day you’ll understand I’m making the right choice.”
“What choice?” He rolls his eyes like he’s bored.
“I’m withdrawing from the draft.” If I thought he looked dumbfounded before, it’s nothing compared to his expression now.
“You’re not going to go pro? You just got cleared to play. There’s time to climb in the rankings before draft day.” He may be pissed at me, but the panic in his voice is genuine since he understands the implications of what I’m doing.
I nod in agreement. “There is time to improve my rank, and I hope I do. But I’m going to take my chances as an undrafted free agent.”
“You’d have to try out for each team individually that way. You can’t just pick one and walk on.”
“I picked the one I want to try out for. And if I don’t make it, I don’t make it. I’ll still have a degree. Maybe I’ll do some coaching.” I lift my shoulder in a little half shrug.
“I thought it was your knee that was fucked up, not your head.”
The wistful smile overtakes me before I can stop it. “Your sister said the same thing.”
His eyes flash with anger at the mention of Addy. “What does she have to do with it?”
“She made the national team.”
His expression softens, a genuine smile tugging at his lip. “Good for her,” he whispers to himself. Then he seems to remember his fury, the now-familiar scowl returning to his face. “What does any of this have to do with you skipping the draft? Unless…” For the third time in our conversation, his jaw nearly hits the floor. “You’re targeting Denver so you can stay here. With her.”
“I get to finish out the season with you guys, get my degree. We both do, although she’ll be commuting back and forth to Colorado Springs for practice. If I get a spot with the Stallions, we’ll both go pro, and we’ll live between the cities so we both have a convenient commute. If I don’t, well, there are other options.”
Alex paces back and forth, running a hand through his disheveled hair. “That’s career suicide for you. It’s financial suicide for you both. Soccer players don’t earn nearly what you’re capable of earning in the NFL.”
“It’s her dream.” I smile, thinking of how hard Addy’s worked for this.
“What about yours? You’re just going to give it up? You’ve dreamed of the NFL for as long as I’ve known you. You’re just going to walk away from that?”
“If I need to, yeah.” I hold his gaze, leaving no doubt how serious I am.
“Fuck!” He slams his palm into the lockers. “Okay, you’ve proved your point. She isn’t some fling for you. And you’d put her before everything else, including me. I guess I should be grateful for that. But there’s gotta be a way to make it work without tanking your career.”
“Does that mean we have your blessing?” I rub my jaw to cover the fact that I’m trying not to laugh. I knew threatening to choose Addy over my career would get him to come around.
Alex casts me a horrified look before shoving me backward. “Damn, you fight dirty.” He takes another step toward me, then stops and shakes his head, fighting his own smile. “Did she really make the team?”
“I wouldn’t joke about that,” I tell him solemnly.
