Chapter 5
CHAPTER
FIVE
BO
When I saw Chelsea walk into the commons today, she nearly took my breath away. It reminded me of the first time I’d met her. It was last year, move-in day for her and Noelle into their apartment. I got out of Casey’s truck, and when I saw her, I’d nearly stopped in my tracks.
Like then, today, she was wearing cutoff jean shorts, a baggy T-shirt, and a pair of Vans on her feet.
The only difference today was that her long, wavy hair was down instead of in a ponytail.
She’s absolutely beautiful, and there’s no pretense with her.
And her confidence makes her even more stunning.
The change between now and then is, I’m not as tongue-tied around her.
And if I’m not mistaken, she was flirting with me earlier.
To be honest, I’m not really sure why I haven’t taken a chance with her before now.
Sure, I’ve been hyper-focused on football and getting to the next level, but I’m not a saint, and I’ve had some mutual fun with some lovely ladies around campus.
Just haven’t found anyone really worth pursuing until her.
But with her having to stay with us temporarily and getting assigned as my tutor … I feel like it’s a sign.
My stop at the coffee shop put me about five minutes behind schedule, but it was absolutely worth spending a few extra minutes with her.
Standing at the crosswalk, waiting for the light to change, I take another sip of the matcha and decide it’s just not for me, so I toss it in the garbage can next to the light post.
The light changes, and I start walking toward the field house, sucking down my energy drink quickly because once I get into the building, I need to hightail it to the locker room, where I’m supposed to be for my first interview for the first episode of the docuseries.
I’m used to the media attention at this point, and I’ll try to use this opportunity to show the NFL teams that I’m ready for the next step, but now I’m just anxious to get home and see Chelsea again.
I pull the handle on the door just as Ace and Aston Griffith walk out.
“Sup, fellas.” I nod at them.
Their older brother, Archie, and I played together my first year here.
He’s a beast, and he now plays for the Cowboys.
These two are twins, but couldn’t be more different personality-wise.
Aston is much calmer in person, but a terror on the field.
Ace is a complete joker on and off the field.
Both of them are amazing ballers though.
“What up, Callaway?” Ace holds out his fist for a bump.
“Bo.” Aston nods.
“Where are you two going? We have practice in an hour.” I stand with my back to the door, holding it open.
“We’ll be back before it starts. Ace wanted to try out the cryo chamber, even though I told him he should do it after practice, but he thinks he knows best about everything, so here we are.” Aston rolls his eyes.
“Oh, yeah. How’d you like it, Ace?” I ask him, smiling.
“Shrank my balls, dude. Not a fan of that, but I’m definitely doing it again after practice sometime.” He chuckles.
I look at Aston, who is shaking his head.
“I gotta head in. I’ll see you boys in an hour.” I turn to walk into the building.
“Later,” they both call out.
I walk down through the hall of champions toward the locker room. Trophies, various awards, and thousands of photos line the walls—all of Walker University’s greats, including photos from our championship win from two seasons ago, my freshman year.
Pushing the door open to the locker room, I see the camera crews already set up, and Casey is there, talking to Coach Pettys. He was getting interviewed today as well. He’ll be a number one recruit as a wide receiver this year for sure, so he’ll have a good amount of eyes on him.
I walk toward them to say hello. And I’m not really sure what the process is, so I want to ask Casey how it went for him.
“Hey, Coach. King,” I nod at Coach and fist-bump Casey.
“Hey, Bo. How’s it going?” Coach smiles and tilts his head to the side.
“Going good. Do I need to change?” I realize I might be underdressed in my sweatpants and T-shirt, but Casey’s fit is about the same as mine.
“Nah, you’re fine. They know they’re filming athletes.” Coach chuckles.
“Right. I just wasn’t sure if I should maybe put different pants on or something.” I honestly didn’t think about what I was wearing when I left the house today.
“Do you have other clothes here?” he asks.
“I mean, nothing a whole lot different than what I have on, I guess.” I shrug.
“Dude, you’re fine. You’ll be sitting in the chair the whole time anyway. It’s not a big deal.” Casey ruffles my hair. “You might want to run a comb through that mop though.”
“Dick,” I mutter.
“Bo, I’m not sticking around, if that’s okay. I have a few things I need to take care of before practice.” Coach places his hand on my shoulder.
“Yeah, I’m good.” I nod.
“I’ll keep an eye on him, Coach. I’ll make sure he doesn’t discuss the playbook or anything.” Casey wraps an arm around my shoulders.
“Whatever.” I laugh and push his arm off of me.
“You’ll have fun.” Coach chuckles. “Emily, from our media department, will keep an eye on you in case you need anything or feel uncomfortable with any questions.” He turns and walks away.
I head over to my stall to fix my hair that Casey messed up, and he follows.
“Bo?” A woman in a pantsuit and pin-straight hair approaches me. “I’m Emily, one of the producers from the Sports Network. I’ll be working with you on Gridiron Stallions. We’re excited to be highlighting the team and following you throughout the season.”
“I’m honored you chose our program.”
“Between us, you were a big reason why we did. There were a lot of teams being considered. Hopefully, we’ll be able to end the series with a big announcement, like maybe where you’re going next year.”
I clap my hands and nod. “Yeah, I’d like to know the answer to that myself, but I need to get through this season first.”
“Right. We’ll need you in five. Can you be ready?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I nod.
“Ew, don’t call me ma’am. I’m, like, two years older than you,” she says as she walks away.
Casey and I look at each other and laugh.
“Oh, so, hey, Noelle and Chelsea’s apartment building needs to get fumigated, so they’re staying with us for a few days. Is that cool with you?” he asks.
I nod, maybe a little too eagerly. “Yeah, man. Not a problem with me. Totally sucks about the building though.”
“Right? So gross. I guess it was the guys upstairs having the problem, and then the super decided it was best to treat the whole building, which is smart. Noelle would flip if they got roaches in their apartment.” He grimaces.
“I don’t think anyone wants to have roaches. Pretty disgusting.” I shake my head.
“Exactly.” He puts his hand on my shoulder. “So, I wonder what they’ll ask you about.”
I pull a deep breath in and exhale. “I’m assuming about the upcoming season, no?”
“Yeah, I just wonder if they’ll ask us all the same questions or if they’ll be different for each player.” He drops his hand and starts walking toward the center of the locker room and the cameras.
I check my hair in the mirror inside my locker and swipe my hand through it quickly to smooth it back the best I can.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, so I take it out and see a text from my dad, telling me to have fun with the interview and keep my answers geared around the season.
As if I don’t know what I’m doing. I give the text a thumbs-up and set my cell on the shelf in my stall.
If it buzzes when I’m getting interviewed, it will distract me.
When I walk over to the makeshift set, the producer gestures to the chair in front of the cameras.
“Hey, Bo. I’m Kyler Bozeman, the producer for the show.
” He has an iPad in one hand and holds his other hand out to me, and I shake it.
“I’ll go over the whole process with you, then answer any questions you might have. Sound good?”
“Yep, sounds good to me.” I look over at Casey, who’s still standing nearby. “You sticking around for this?”
“Nah, I just want to make sure my QB is all set.” He winks at me.
“Okay, Bo, so you’ll stay in that seat for the interview today.
We’ll ask you questions, which will be edited out so the viewer won’t hear the questions, and you’ll answer.
Don’t say my name in response to any of my questions either.
Ideally, we want it to be as conversational as possible and less interview-style. Does that make sense?” Kyler asks.
“Understood. I’ll do my best to be as natural as possible and not sound robotic.” I chuckle. “I’m used to pressers, so I should be fine.”
“I’m gonna head out, Callaway. See you on the field in a bit.”
I hold my hand out to Casey for a bump.
“Later, man.” I nod at him as he turns to walk out.
Kyler is standing closer to me now, then calls over a girl who is holding a comb and what looks like powder that girls put on their face. “Hair is fine. Brush the nose and forehead.”
I’ve never worn any kind of makeup a day in my life. “Is that necessary?” I ask him.
“It’s just to take the shine off the skin. Once we set the lighting, sometimes, the face can look a little glossy. You don’t need much.” He turns and walks back over to a high chair and sits down. He sets his iPad on his lap and taps on it a few times.
The girl with the makeup walks away, and I shift in my chair until I’m comfortable. I don’t want to come across stiff or awkward on camera. I run my hand through my hair again, brushing it back.
“Let’s get the mics adjusted and get moving. We have forty minutes to get Bo done before his practice. Then we’ll wrap today.” Kyler nods to someone near the big light next to his chair.
I watch as the guy sets a long pole up with the mic attached. He settles it between me and Kyler.
“Check, check,” Kyler says, and another guy standing off to the side in front of a computer monitor gives him a thumbs-up.