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"Just a bit," Dan agreed. He patted Bobby on the shoulder.
I presumed Dan was the kid's stepfather. They seemed to have a great relationship.
"You guys want an autograph, or a selfie?" I offered.
I didn't think Bobby's eyes could get any wider, but they did.
"Can we really? That would be sick."
"Do you want me in it?" Dan asked.
"Yeah, you gotta be in it." Bobby nodded. "Then you can show all your friends too. They're gonna be jealous."
"Getting a selfie just to make someone jealous isn't a good reason to do it," Dan said sternly.
Bobby's face fell a little. "I wanna do it because Chase is the best player on the whole, entire team, ever, ever."
That might be aslightexaggeration, but I smiled anyway. Dan was right, trying to make people jealous wasn't a good motivation for doing something. Hero worship, on the other hand, was a great reason. One I was more than happy to support and take part in.
"Have you got your phone there?" I asked Dan. Kids these days, even as young as Bobby, often had their own, but I couldn't see one on him. Besides, the photo was more likely to be accidentally deleted from a kid's phone than an adult's. If Dan deleted it, it would be on purpose.
Dan pulled out his phone and we ducked down to Bobby's height. The three of us squeezed into the shot and Dan took a couple. One with serious faces, one with funny ones.
Knowing my luck, it would be the funny one they shared with the world. Oh well, I guess it wouldn't do me any harm.
"Thank you." Dan straightened up, put away his phone and held out his hand.
I shook it and then Bobby's before the pair hurried away toward the parking lot. Bobby kept looking back and waving, so I waited until he was out of sight before I resumed looking for Ashley.
If she was still here, I couldn't see her. I thought about texting, but that seemed too impersonal right now. Besides, if she was driving, she wouldn't see it and couldn't answer.
I could hunt down Bec and ask her where Ashley might be, but then if Hawk was there, he'd have questions. If the press was also there, so would they. I didn't want to answer anything just now, especially when I barely knew the questions myself, much less the answers.
I thought for a moment, then headed out to my motorbike. The private lot was still packed, but the public lot was almost empty. When people lingered for a glimpse of their favourite players, they waited at the entrance the press used. As long as they kept looking that way, I might get out without too many gawking eyes.
I passed out the gate with a wave from the security guard on duty. She knew the team on sight, all the guards did. That seemed to be the first thing they learned when they started working at the stadium.
I jammed my helmet onto my head, glad for the cover from the cold, and from curious eyes. I gunned the engine and wove through traffic, flouting a road rule or two along the way.
I passed a police car and immediately became the model member of the road using community. The press would have a field day with me if I got a ticket on the way home from a game.
At best, I'd be photographed if I got pulled over. If the cop recognised me, I might escape an infringement, but I couldn't assume that would happen. Some cops were harder on guys like me, because they thought sometimes we got off too lightly. I wouldn't risk that being the case today.
Besides, I didn't want to let down the kids like Bobby, who looked up to me as their idol and role model. That made it tough when I was in a hurry, but that was life as a football god.
As soon as the cops were out of sight, I wove between two cars and sat behind an SUV almost all of the way to Ashley's place. Luckily they were driving to the limit and caught every second light. Of course that meant everyotherlight was red.
I wanted to fly right through them, but I didn't. The traffic was too thick and there might be other cops around.
The SUV finally turned. I went straight. A block down, I pulled over.
I got off my bike, slipped off my helmet and looked up at Ashley's building. My heart pounded harder than it had during the game. If everything was at stake during the game, then everything and more was at stake now. Part of me wanted to get back on my bike and head home.
The rest of me figured I'd come this far, why stop now? What was the worst that might happen? She could laugh me all the way back out the door. I'd get over it, some day, like I got over…
It took me a moment to remember her name. Brandi.
I didn't know when I stopped thinking about her, but I had. Now I did, I realised I felt nothing for her, not even anger at her talking to Harvey Danbury. I wished her well, and whoever she hooked up with next. With any luck, they'd make her happier than I did, if they could get over her need for fame. Better yet, she might get over her ambition for her own good. Fame was great, but it wasn't everything.
