Double Score

She twirled to face me. “Yes?”

“Thank you. Thank you for being so nice to me. I wasn’t the best Goddess and I gave you a hard time. It’s just as important as ballet. And what these girls do is hard work. I’m going to miss it. Especially the gold boots.”

She grinned. “I knew you were coming around. Sad about the boots. Sometimes love wins instead, I guess.”

I felt the pit in my stomach widen. There was no win for love this time.

“Right.” I got back in my car and started the ignition. There wasn’t anything left to say. She would pass my uniform on to one of the alternates.

Someone else would go to practice and fly to San Francisco tomorrow. It wasn’t going to be me.

I didn’t expect to see Sam’s car when I pulled up to my building. I stormed out from behind the wheel, the rage fueling my steps.

“What are you doing here? I told you not to come.”

He grabbed me by the wrist. “I want you to come with me.”

I tried to wiggle free, but his grip was strong. “No. I don’t want to see you. Or talk to you. Least of all get in your car.” He had led me to where he was parked.

“Get in.” He opened the door.

I sat inside, pissed that I had listened. He locked the doors as he peeled onto the street.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Home.”

I’d never been so mad at any man in my life. Sam drove like a speed racer. It didn’t take long to figure out he meant we were headed to San Antonio. I looked out the window and refused to speak to him.

“If you won’t talk to me, maybe you can sit and listen.”

“I’d rather not,” I replied.

“Natalia, I did not leak the photo of us. I won’t say it didn’t cross my mind.”

I glared at him. Was he being serious?

“That’s right, I did think about it, but I wasn’t going to do that. I’m not a fucking weasel. I want you. But only if you want me too. This is a two-way street, baby.”

I looked at the road. He was driving as if it we were on a one-lane highway, fast and furious.

He continued. “I’ve never told you about Maddie. And maybe I should have. But there’s a reason I didn’t.”

I waited for his explanation.

“She crus

hed me. Obliterated all the feelings I had. I was in love with that girl in college. And she cheated on me with my roommate.”

I bit my lower lip. I wanted to say something nice, but I remembered I was royally pissed.

Sam kept talking. “It was at the beginning of my senior season. I had red-shirted so this was my fifth year. It was the most important one of my life. There were scouts looking at me. I had agents courting me. It was my chance to finally get a ticket into the pros. And out of nowhere, this girl who I thought was in my corner, was actually fucking my friend. Sorry.” He winced.

“Anyway, it almost ruined everything. The first game I started dropping balls in the end zone. I was late to practice. I lost weight. It was a nightmare. But then one day I woke up and realized I wasn’t going to let her take my dream from me. She could break my heart, but she couldn’t ruin my entire future. And like that, everything snapped back into place.”

“Wow,” I whispered. “That’s a terrible, yet inspiring story.” I hadn’t meant to say anything.

He looked at me. “Yes, it is. And I haven’t seen her in a few years. She called me when I was at your place in Austin.”