Chapter 17 #2
“I know you do, but you’re in the public eye now. And like it or not, people will latch onto things that make you stand out, like the fact that you’re the first Asian player to be signed to the Warriors, or the fact that you’re single, or engaged, or whatever.”
“So I need to control the narrative,” I say.
“Yes, and I can help you with that. If you like, we can come up with some answers together, answers you feel comfortable with, but that also portray the Warriors in the best light.”
“The best light?”
“We can’t be dealing with scandals. Last week, a player from the Bulls was arrested, and already that’s dominating all of the press around their team. In the run up to pre-season games, we want the talk to be about how strong our team is, we need to draw fans in.”
“Right, I understand,” I say. “Okay, let’s come up with some answers.”
“Great,” she smiles.
“So, in response to ‘how does it feel to be the first Asian player to be signed to the Warriors?’ you can answer in a way that shows how proud you are, but you don’t have to focus on one thing in particular.
Something like… ‘I’m proud and excited, and I know my family are too.
Signing with the Warriors is a lifelong dream for me. ’ You see?”
“Yeah,” I say, “I liked that, it sounded good.”
“Okay, I’ll write that down and include it in the stuff I send you.
So, in your answer there, we mentioned your family, which is a great segue into a follow-up question from a different reporter about your father.
They might ask, ‘Stephen, do you feel pressure to live up to your father’s success as one of the greatest players of his generation? ’ How might you answer that?”
“Um… I guess… My father had an amazing career and it’s through him that I got the love for this game, he’s a big part of my success and I’m grateful to have him… how’s that?”
“Perfect! Stephen, that’s perfect! You’ve answered the question but on your terms, that’s great. Okay, next question. Stephen, our female readers have been dying to know, have you found that special girl yet, or are you still looking? How would you answer that?”
Fuck.
“I don’t know,” I say, “what if there’s someone special, but I want to keep it a secret?”
She pulls a face and puts her notes down again.
“So not really possible to keep it a secret, if you let the press know there’s someone special but don’t say who…
” she sighs, “you might as well just invite them to dig into your life. They’ll start tracking down friends, exes, trawl your social media, you’ll be handing the narrative over to them completely.
You either need to be single, or upfront about your girlfriend. ”
“Right… um… I guess I’m single then.”
“Okay, so how would you answer that question, and remember, you want people to like you.”
“I haven’t found that special someone yet, but I’d like to, so I’m keeping my options open.”
I’ve said that so many times, the words just flow out, but now it feels wrong, and it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
“Perfect, you’re available, but you want to settle down so you’re not a player… love it.”
She seems happy as we move on, working through more questions—about the team, school, and living in Tynerston—but my heart isn’t in it anymore.
All I can think about is the question about relationships, what Mindy said about scandal and causing issues for the team, and where and how Donovan is going to fit in with all of this.
By the end of the day, I’m exhausted. It’s been information overload from the coaches and Mindy, and my head is in a spin about Donovan.
I haven’t even heard from him except when he messaged to tell me it went well with his mom and that they’re being supportive.
My call to him last night went straight to voicemail, and I haven’t been able to reach him today.
His key sounds in the door and I stand as he walks through, desperate to hold him after not seeing him all weekend.
“Hey you,” I say, stepping towards him, but as he looks at me, I can instantly tell he’s been crying. “Are you okay? I thought you said it went well?”
He steps into my arms, and I wrap him up in a hug, nuzzling his hair.
“It did, with my mom and Miguel,” he murmurs, “but Beth and my brother were there too.”
I lead him over to the bed and sit him down, grabbing us both a water before pulling him into my arms.
“So what happened?”
He sighs and looks at me sadly. “I asked Beth to tell him, thinking he might take it better coming from her, but he didn’t. He basically told me I can’t be in his life anymore.”
“Shit, baby. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not that part which upset me, he made a choice, he chose his motorcycle club. I can’t let him hold me back, I need to be me. But… Beth didn’t like his reaction; she gave him an ultimatum. Told him that if he couldn’t accept me then they’d be over.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah… he left. I was up with her all night, that’s why I couldn’t answer your call, she’s devastated and it’s all my fault.”
Tears well in his eyes and I use my thumbs to capture them as they escape, cupping his face with my hands.
“No, baby, it’s not your fault. She loves you, I know I don’t know her, but I don’t imagine she’d want to be with someone who doesn’t accept you.”
“But if I hadn’t come out… or if I hadn’t asked her to do it—”
“You can’t keep yourself hidden for someone else, what were you supposed to do, not come out in case it ruined her relationship?
Donovan, that wouldn’t have been fair on either of you.
And whether she told him, or you told him, or he found out some other way, would his reaction have been any different? ”
“No, I guess not.”
“None of this is your fault.” He nods, but I can tell he doesn’t believe me. “So, it went okay with your mom and stepdad?”
“Yeah,” he smiles, “Mom actually seemed happy about it, we had to drink champagne and everything.”
I chuckle, “That sounds like a win to me. Baby, they know about you, and they love you.”
“Yeah,” he grins, “I don’t need to hide anymore.”
My stomach drops, he must see something flash across my face before I’m able to control my expression.
“What?” he asks.
“Um… I got a call yesterday, and it was all made official today, one of my teammates, Isaac, was injured during practice—”
“Oh my god, is he okay?”
“No, he needs surgery, and he’ll be out of action for the rest of the season.”
“Oh that sucks, I remember you saying what a decent guy he is.”
“Yeah…” I say. “Well, we play the same position, and they’ve asked me to take his place.”
“What? Stephen, that’s incredible!” He throws his arms around me, so hard that we fall back onto the bed. “This is what you’ve worked for, you’re going to play in the NFL!”
“Yeah…”
“Why aren’t you happier about this? We should be celebrating!”
“Donovan, it’s complicated… I’m moving to Tynerston this Saturday—”
“Are you forgetting that I live there?” he chuckles. “My semester here ends in five weeks, so I’ll soon be back there with you full-time.”
“I know, but I also had media training today…” My words trail off; I’ve got no idea how to say this.
“Media training, go on…” he prompts.
“There’s a chance the press are going to ask me about my relationship status. Mindy, the media person, said it would be better if I portray myself as single; a secret relationship will basically invite the press to pry into my private life. And I was warned…”
“Warned about what?”
“About not doing anything to cause a scandal.”
“A scandal? Stephen, what are you saying?”
“Sorry,” I sigh, “I’m tired, I’m doing a shit job of explaining this, today has just been constant.”
I rub my face with my hands, trying to jolt myself into finding the right words.
“Hey, come on,” he says, “we’ve both had a long weekend, emotion overload for sure on my part. Let’s get some sleep, and we’ll figure this all out tomorrow.”
“Yeah,” I say, “that sounds great.”
We get ourselves ready for sleep and get settled; he loves being little spoon and there’s nothing I love more than curling myself around him.
“Hey,” I murmur against his neck, “I’m proud of you.”
“I’m proud of you too,” he whispers, before we both drift off to sleep.