7. Chapter 4
Sloan
My visit to the field was a lot. Horner tried to show me the ropes, but I had a hard time keeping it all straight.
Filming a Mango Ball game is going to be much different from other games I’ve covered.
I’ve covered other sports, but this is a completely new fan base, so I’m nervous for my first Moon shot game.
My hands are shaking, and my pits are sweating.
Today is the first episode of Boss Kicker Chronicles in Mango Nation, and I want to start my chill chic vibe off right, so I went with my black bodysuit and black button up cardigan off the shoulder, hair in a high pony, and black sneakers.
Not that anyone will see it. I’m going to be sitting in a chair Horner gave me that feels like I’m on some super official Hollywood exposé.
When I look over, Ozzie looks just as nervous. Tanner decided it would be best if I stay in the stands on the main camera while Ozzie gives a tour on his phone to make the tour feel more intimate.
If you ask me, I think he just didn’t want to risk me showing off my outfit on camera based on the way his eyes traveled up my body when he got here, but my stomach is in knots, so I’ll do what he says.
I hope that motherfucker misses every curve on my body… He’ll never get to touch again.
“Are you ready?” I ask Ozzie, trying to steady my voice.
“Yup.” He sounds calm, but his eyes tell a different story. They dart around like he’s looking for a familiar face to comfort him, and he has a bead of sweat on his brow.
“Why don’t we start with your favorite place in the facility? Make you more comfortable,” I suggest.
“Yeah. Sounds good. I’ll head that way.”
“Move fast. We start in three minutes.” I smile.
I sound like I’m trying to comfort him, but in reality, I just need a few minutes to myself to center and get into character. Badass confident bitch.
I take a few long breaths, close my eyes and say a few positive affirmations as I sink into the chair, and then count backwards from 10, recreating my pre-game ritual.
When I open my eyes, I realize that Ozzie has joined the feed from a hallway somewhere I don’t recognize. He’s still searching the surrounding space like he’s lost.
“Ready?” Ali asks.
Ozzie and I both offer her a thumbs up. When she points at me, I fall into my newfound character.
“You’ve stepped into Boss Kicker Chronicles where if it’s bold, badass, and worth the breath, you’ll hear it here.
Today we have a special treat, not only are we at an infamous Mango Ball game, we’re here with Oscar Rodriguez.
He’ll be giving us an exclusive tour around the Moonshot facility before he joins us back here in the stands. ”
I hear myself and cringe at the sound of my voice. I sound like a news anchor giving the morning weather. I thought I perfected the casual voice, but news anchor is making a comeback. Laid-back, cool, and collected. Like you’re having a drink with an old friend, I remind myself.
Taking a deep breath and leaning back in my seat, I ask my first question, this time sounding more like me, “Oscar or Ozzie?”
He laughs, “I honestly go by both, but a lot of fans prefer Oscar.” He winks, and it’s so adorable. I don’t even think he realized he did it.
“Well, tell us your favorite thing about Mango Nation, the one thing that makes this feel like your home away from home.”
“The thing I love the most about the facility?” he clarifies and I nod my confirmation.
“That’s easy. The Studio. We’re known for dancing, right? So this is where all the magic happens. Plus, there’s the little bonus… my girlfriend, Tatum, is our choreogra—”
He stops mid sentence and my heart starts racing
“What was tha–” My words are cut short.
“Holy shit,” the voice is quiet but clear, and I’m not sure what to do. I take in the sight in the mirror behind him, thankful he didn’t turn the camera in the other direction before he walked in.
This is the worst possible fucking thing I could imagine happening on my first day in Mango Nation is playing out in the studio.
“Ozzie!” I say in warning.
My words must pull him out of the hell he’s in because he looks back at his phone and his expression shifts from shock to embarrassment as he closes the door and moves down the hallway.
I look up and Tanner is staring daggers at me, gesturing for me to keep talking, like I’m the one who planned this sexcapade on a national broadcast, but I’m speechless.
As he walks, the camera moves all over the place and again he looks lost. I get a glimpse of his face, drained of all color—he’s also completely speechless, but why wouldn’t he be? The entire scene was playing out in the mirror behind him. He knows everyone saw, and his expression guts me.
Comment after comment floods the feed, and the seconds feel like years. Tanner yells my name between gritted teeth, only for me to be saved by Jax, who rips Oscar’s phone out of his hands and immediately takes over the interview.
My heart breaks wide open for Oscar. I can’t imagine how he feels, being cheated on is a bitch—seeing it must make it a million times worse. I take a long look back at Tanner and stare daggers at him, hoping his cheating ass will feel my wrath.
“Today is your lucky day, Sloan, you get a Mango Bay two for one. Hi everyone, I’m Jax Calder.
You will never guess my favorite thing about the facility.
The hotdog stands on 3.” He flashes a smile, and I melt, not only from the way his eyes twinkle, but because he literally just saved my ass.
I see Oscar melting into the floor behind him, and it makes my eyes tear up even as I slip a mask on, pretending like nothing happened.
I take a deep breath and play a little game of improv with Jax. “Why do you love that particular stand so much?” I ask.
“This is the only stand that serves the Mango Dog. I’m not sure why they aren’t all over the park,” he shrugs, and it’s cute as hell.
“What’s on a Mango Dog?” I ask, scrunching my nose, not sure if I’d like it.
I glance at the comments coming in on the screen in front of me and relax into my chair. They’ve shifted from suggestive backhanded comments about Oscar to curiosity about this infamous Mango Dog Jax is talking about.
“Well, for starters it’s not a regular hot dog, it’s a chicken sausage in a toasted brioche bun with fresh diced mangos, a pinch of salt, diced red onion, cilantro, and jalape?os—it’s like a mango pico on top.
If you squeeze fresh lime over it, top it with cotija cheese and a drizzle of spicy mayo…
” He punctuates his sentence by tilting his head back and giving a little chef’s kiss.
To my surprise, the stand is open when he gets there.
“Lucky for you, they’re open.” I laugh.
“They always open for the team… It’s a favorite pregame snack for a lot of the guys. I’ll take two,” he says to the guy working the stand.
“Hungry?” I tease.
He smiles at me through the phone. “Yes. But one of them is for you.”
“Guess I’ll give it a try…” I say, sounding skeptical.
“I can’t carry this phone and the dogs, I’ll be right there,” he says with a smile and then turns off the camera.
“While we wait for Jax, please share your favorite thing about Mango Nation,” I tell all the fans tuning in. I read a few aloud as they come through, but there are so many, it’s hard to keep up.
Thankfully, a few minutes later he’s in the seat next to me, and I’m bracing myself for this iconic dog.
Not giving a shit that I’m on camera, I dive in with a big bite. My eyes instantly close, and a little happy dance erupts inside me as I chew. I was so wrong. This is amazing.
When I open my eyes, Jax is staring back at me—eyes wide, like he’s frozen in place.
I swallow it down with a swig of water from my bottle and grin.
“This is delicious.”
“Told you.” He smirks back at me before taking a bite of his own Mango Dog, and the way his jaw flexes as he bites down does things to me I was fully not expecting.
Too bad I overheard him talking about how hot I am, insinuating it is the only thing that will launch my career—sounding a little too much like something Tanner would say, I remind myself.
Rule #1 of my new podcast career—don’t mix work with pleasure.