Luke
Whoever said‘It doesn’t matter if you win or lose, it’s how you play the game,’ is a fucking liar. Losing sucks! There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. It fucking sucks. No one can tell me otherwise.
We were outplayed on the field today, plain and simple. I made some good calls, my team made some great plays, but at the end of the day, it wasn’t enough to get the job done. With this being the first loss of our season, it’s a particularly hard blow to the team’s ego.
But I truly believe we’ll get back out there and kick ass in our next game. I told my team as much during our post-game meeting. We’ll stay in a hotel tonight and return to Tacoma tomorrow. I’ll stay with my family and leave with the team, bright and early in the morning.
Though all I want to do is lose myself in Dani, I force myself to be present and focused in the post-game press interviews. I have to say, it’s a lot easier having these interviews when you’ve won. Losing sucks. Plain and simple. But I’ve been trained enough to know how to spin it as an experience to learn from. I do believe the words I say, but it doesn’t mean my gut isn’t churning.
At one point, one of the asshat reporters asks about my time here in Nashville with Dani. I refused to comment, just like I promised in the one and only interview Dani and I did together, and quickly steered the interview back to the game. I could tell other reporters wanted to ask more, but I wasn’t having it. They even mentioned me being out on the town, but I cut it short with I went to dinner and was home before curfew, which I was—leaving zero room for more commentary.
By the time I’m done with obligations for the afternoon, I’m more than ready to head to my parents’ home. We’d agreed I’d meet them at their place, but as I look around, I secretly had hoped Dani would’ve stayed to ride back with me.
The one good thing about being one of the last to leave the stadium, is that traffic’s light. My parents know to give me space to clear my head after I’ve lost a game, so I’m relieved I’ll be able to spend more time with Dani before flying out at the crack of dawn tomorrow. Knowing she’ll be in my arms will make the world right again.
When I enter the kitchen, I see my parents sitting at the table, drinking a cup of coffee. Marie, Becca, and Dani are nowhere to be found.
“Hey,” I greet them as I remove my jacket. “Where’s Dani?”
“We hoped you knew.” My mother’s voice fills with concern. “At first, we thought she’d stayed to wait for you at the stadium, but when we got home, we noticed her things were gone.”
“What do you mean, her things were gone? She doesn’t fly out until tomorrow.” Clearly, I didn’t hear them right. Then another thought hits me. “Didn’t she ride home with you?”
“Well… honey.” Mama worries her hands like she does when she must deliver bad news.
Instantly, I’m on alert. “What’s going on, Pops?” Maybe he’ll give me a straight answer. He’s never been one to beat around the bush.
“Son, Danika left during half-time. She got sick and wasn’t feeling well.” Pops’ voice sounds huskier than usual.
“She got sick?” Okay, that makes sense. Of course, she’d come home if she got sick. “Why didn’t you come with her?”
“She was upset, and I followed her into the bathroom,” Mama starts to explain.
“Wait…” I interrupt. “What was she upset over?” My voice raises as my anxiety grows. What the fuck was wrong with Danika? What aren’t my parents telling me?
“I’m… not exactly sure.”
Becca and Marie choose that moment to come in. Becca’s eyes are red-rimmed and looks as if she’s been crying, and Marie isn’t much further behind her. “I’m pretty sure I know.” She looks pointedly to Becca as if she’s waiting for her to fill me in.
“What is it?” I spit out. Why the fuck won’t my family tell me what’s going on? If Dani’s sick, I need to find her and make sure everything’s okay.
“Well…” Becca starts, then looks to the ceiling as if it somehow has the answer written on it. “I may have said something to upset Danika.”
“Ya, think?” Marie’s snarky attitude takes me by surprise.
Becca looks to me with pleading eyes, “I’m so sorry, Luke. I never meant any harm.”
“What. Did. You. Do?” I spit out each word as if it is its own sentence. “Somebody had better tell me what’s going on…” I practically growl.
“Well, I made some smartass comment about how you should’ve been with the team last night and not out clubbing, because of how the team was playing today…” She takes a deep breath and rambles on, “And… Danika may have taken offense to it.”
“What? We weren’t out clubbing.”
“That’s not all, Becca. Tell him the rest,” Marie demands. My sister’s voice is stern, leaving little room for interpretation, letting Becca know it’s time to cut the shit.
What else could she have possibly said? I’ve loved Becca like a sister for years, but if she doesn’t fucking spit it out soon, I can’t be held liable for my response.
“I also may have… insinuated that the only reason she got her movie deal with her book, was because she’s dating you.” All of it comes out in a rush.
