Chapter 1 #2
“Damn straight, I was the same when I first joined. I thought college ball had prepared me for this shit; man was I wrong!”
“Glad it’s not just me,” I say. “I thought I was going to be able to handle it, training here on weekends, while still going to class and playing for Winbrook. Now I’m not so sure.”
“Yeah, that’s a lot, you’re the first person I know to do that! But you did good this weekend, you’ll get there,” he says, punching my shoulder, knowing I won’t feel it because of the pads.
“Thanks man, I appreciate that.”
“Come on, let’s hit the showers and get the hell out of this place.”
He runs off but my legs won’t let me follow, still too shaky to move any faster than I am.
Even getting around the training center is a workout in itself, the place is huge, and I haven’t even seen it all yet.
We were on the outdoor practice field today, but they also have an indoor one for bad weather, a state-of-the-art gym which is bigger than any set up I’ve ever seen.
Entire rooms dedicated to rehab and treatment, and a huge auditorium for full team meetings.
I guess when there are more than fifty of you they need that many seats.
The training center locker room is also huge, and feels like luxury compared to what we use back at Winbrook, apparently the ones in the stadium are even nicer. It still blows my mind that this is my life now, well, every other weekend at least.
After I’ve showered, I spend some time in the locker room sorting out my gear.
Some of it will live here, but some of it I’ll need to take back and forth with me to campus.
The rest of the offense team are all getting dressed around me too, and I start to pick up on their conversation.
I’ve spent enough time in locker rooms to be able to blend in, navigate the banter, join in enough to be part of the team, but not so much that I let something slip accidentally.
Isaac, one of the other wide receivers, is clearly feeling passionate about something, as he stands in the middle of everyone and gestures wildly. “I’m telling you, having a girlfriend is better than sleeping around—”
“Yeah,” Joel interrupts, “but that’s easy to say when your girlfriend’s a Victoria’s Secret model.”
A load of the other guys laugh and some throw in some wolf whistles.
“Firstly,” Isaac says, “show some fucking respect, that’s my girlfriend you’re whistling about. And secondly, it’s got nothing to do with the fact that she’s a Victoria’s Secret model.”
He’s met with a chorus of, “Bullshit!” and, “Like fuck it doesn’t!” from most of the others.
I chuckle, at least I’ve found something similar between here and Winbrook, although no one there is dating a supermodel, just our equivalent, the head cheerleader.
“What about you, rookie?” Jordan asks. “You a one-woman man or you like to play the field.”
All attention turns to me. I’m grateful my new friend is trying to include me, but did he really have to start with this question?
I morph my smile into a sly grin and shrug. “I like to keep my options open!”
“Yeah you do!” Joel shouts, slapping me on the back. “Fuck settling down, unless it’s with a Victoria’s Secret model!”
He nudges me and winks, but I don’t laugh, so far I haven’t found him to be particularly funny.
“Joel, don’t you have a girlfriend?” Jordan asks. “Shouldn’t you be on Isaac’s side?”
“Nah, she’s fun for now, but I don’t see a problem with keeping my options open too.”
He nudges me again, but honestly he just sounds like a dick. I glance at Jordan who shakes his head, telling me not to bother arguing, it’s a waste of time.
“Whatever you say, man,” I tell Joel, hitting him on the shoulder. “Anyway, I’d better get going. It was fun to meet you all, I’ll see you in a couple of weeks.”
As I leave the locker room, I’m followed by a mix of, “See ya!”, “Catch you later,”, and “Next time, bro!”, but the question Jordan asked me still rings in my head.
It’s not the first time something like that has happened, and it won’t be the last. My answer about keeping my options open is as honest as I can be without telling people the truth.
It means I don’t feel too guilty for lying to them, but it’s vague enough that I at least feel a tiny bit true to myself.
And it’s not a complete lie, after all, I am keeping my options open.
My parents are waiting outside the center for me, and both pull me into a hug when I reach them.
I could take the train, but they’re determined to make this as stress-free as possible for me, so they’ve offered to pick me up from campus on Friday night and drive me to Tynerston every other weekend, then take me home after Sunday practice.
Their car is definitely more comfortable than the train, and it means I get some quality time with them.
We held off on me coming to Tynerston as long as possible, even though I was drafted, I wanted to focus on my studies and make sure I did enough to graduate.
This final summer semester is all I need and then I’m done, but training had to happen before the pre-season games, so we agreed to this routine of every other weekend.
“How was your first session?” Dad asks, taking my bags and placing them in the trunk.
“The hardest session of my life,” I say, “it’s in a whole other league compared to WU. This routine of every other weekend is going to be tougher than I thought.”
“But you’re happy?” Mom asks.
“Yes, Mom,” I say, pulling her into another hug. “I’m happy, I promise.”
“Good.”
“Come on,” Dad says, “let’s get you back to Winbrook.”
“Yes,” Mom says, “I want to meet your new roommate.”
Oh shit, I completely forgot I’m going to arrive home to a new roommate. Great, another person to hide myself from.