by Lacey Legend
Jared had a funny feeling that it wasn’t her son who wanted the autograph at all, but whatever it took to buy a little peace and quiet for the trip home.
Jared scrawled a message and signed it. He passed it back and the woman held his arm just a little too long.
“You know; I have a daughter who would be perfect for you. She’s just your type, blonde and tiny, she’s a public relations officer for the Los Angeles Police Department. I bet that would come in real handy for you and your teammates. Her name is Jennifer and she’s a Scorpio.
What’s your sign again, I’m sure I knew it at some point.”
The woman hardly took a breath as she force-fed Jared nearly every detail about her daughter without pausing for him to accept or decline. She had to be a saleswoman in some capacity – judging by the makeup, he guessed cosmetics of some sort. Gods, he just wanted some quiet so he could think for a bit.
“I’m flattered, really,” Jared began but they were interrupted by the flight attendant stepping between them to give the pre-flight instructions. He seized the opportunity to put his earbuds in and close his eyes.
**
“Your mother overreacted a little.”
Jared’s dad lounged in his recliner, his speech a little slurred secondary to the stroke. His right side seemed a little weak and Jared’s mom confirmed that his blood pressured continued to be an issue.
“I can see that.” Jared played along with his dad’s need to downplay his difficulties. “It’s what Mom always does. Remember when I sprained my wrist and she swore it was broken? Took me to two different doctors and a clinic before she was convinced?”
His Dad laughed, a throaty rasp that betrayed the depth of his deficits. “Yes, I remember. How many x-rays did you get that day?”
“I don’t know, like six or seven.” Jared smirked and then turned serious. “Are you following the doctor’s orders, though? I want you to get better, Dad.”
“Yes, yes, I’m following that repugnant little man’s instructions to the letter,” his dad said dismissively. “Well, almost. I refused to stop watching my son play football.”
“But isn’t that what gets your blood pressure up?” Jared pressed. “Maybe you shouldn’t watch for a bit, maybe you should take a break from football until you are a little more stable.”
“How can I not watch you play football?” His father tried to jump up but couldn’t manage and fell back into the recliner. He tried to cover but Jared had seen the right-sided weakness his mom told him about.
Jared frowned. “Dad, I need you to get better. I’m working on something big and I really want you to be around for it.”
“What are you up to?” His dad wheezed and his mom handed him an inhaler.
“I’ve been making a lot of changes because I’ve changed, Dad,” Jared explained. “I met somebody and I want to be with her. She’s not able to move to L.A. so I’m going to move to her. My new agent is working out a trade as we speak.”
“What?” His dad’s eyes bulged. “L.A. was your dream, you’ve got everything you wanted. You’ve got the entire city wrapped around your finger. Why would you throw that away?”
“Francis,” Jared’s mom pressed a hand on his father’s shoulder, “hear him out.”
“Dad, I really want you to support me in this. I want a wife and someday a family. Don’t you want grandkids? Don’t you want me to build a life after football?” Jared pled for his father to see what became so clear over the past several months.
“Francis,” his mom said again, “think about how we were once, and think about what we wanted for our kids when they were young. Think about what comes after football, when Jared can’t play anymore.”
His dad exhaled loudly. “How can I argue with both of you?”
“I don’t want to argue, Dad,” Jared said softly. “I want your support. I want you to be happy for me.”
“Where are you going?” his dad asked.
“Nashville. If Ameryst can pull it off, Trent Roberts and I will be traded for Wilson and a pick in next year’s draft,” Jared answered, relieved to be able to tell his dad the whole story. “She flew out yesterday to meet with Nashville’s front office and I should know something by the time I land there tomorrow.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it all sorted out,” his dad replied quietly. He seemed disappointed. “I never thought you’d give up the life you worked so hard for.”
“Dad, it wasn’t a good life. It wasn’t real,” Jared explained. “Those people didn’t know me, they didn’t care about me at all. They still don’t. Besides, look at how I’ve acted the past few years? Look how I treated you and Mom? Were you proud of me when I was club-hopping and taking home a different girl every night? Is that the life you think I should lead?
“What happens when my career is over, do you think it will still look like that? Where were all of those people when I was hurt? They practically wrote me off and then, when I fought back against all odds, they put me on display and manipulated me. Dad, they didn’t even tell me you were sick. What kind of life is that?”
“Francis, Jared is here asking us to support him and I think we should.” His mom crossed the room and slipped an arm around his waist. She looked up to Jared with a face full of pride. “When I visited him in L.A., I was able to see first-hand how poorly they treated him. What do you think they will do when he’s no longer an asset? That man, Derek, manipulated our son, and I, for one, am glad that Jared finally saw through it and found a way out.”
“Like I said, I can’t fight you both. If this is what you think is right, then you have to do what you have to do.” Francis Jackson shook his head.
“I just want you to support me, Dad,” Jared said. “Can you do that?”
His Dad studied him for a moment before answering. “Yeah, Jared, I think I can.”
“Good. Thanks, Dad.” Jared sat back down, opposite his dad. “I wish I had longer to spend here, but I have to be in Nashville early tomorrow morning.”
“You’re not missing much since it seems I’ll just be laying around doing crossword puzzles for the foreseeable future,” his dad grumbled.
“It’s not that bad. You can do some Sudoku puzzles, too,” his mom teased. “And what about all of those TV shows you have saved on the DVR?”
“Bleh,” his dad growled dismissively.
“C’mon, Dad, it won’t be that bad,” Jared encouraged him. “The sooner you get a clean bill of health, the sooner you can visit me and attend a live game!”
“I’m going to hold you to that,” his dad promised.
Jared’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He checked the name. “It’s Ameryst, I have to take this.” He stepped out of the room and answered. “Hey, Ameryst, give me some good news.”
“Nashville is game,” Ameryst began, “but the Panthers are being difficult. They want more than they’re being offered.”
“What options do we have?” Jared asked. “I will do whatever it takes to make this work and I know Trent will, too.”
“Well, if you manage to have another big game this week it might be enough to bump Nashville from a second round pick to a first rounder. But I still don’t know if that will be enough. The Panthers are claiming that you are their franchise player.”
“So they’re pissed I want to be traded.” Jared read between the lines. He had a feeling this may be an issue.
“It seems that way,” Ameryst agreed. “This is a business though. You’ll have to approach it that way.”
“I know. It sounds like I need to have a big day tomorrow,” Jared said.
“Unless you come up with something else soon. I’m pressing where I can and calling in favors, but I need a little more time.” Ameryst sounded tired.
“Thanks, Ameryst.” Jared meant it. He could tell she was working hard. “Let me see what I can do on my end, okay?”
“Sure, Jared.” Ameryst sighed into the phone.
“You’re going to be at the game, right?” Jared a
sked.
“Of course, this is a big weekend for you. And I would love to see Alex again.”
Ameryst remained one of the few aware of his entire plan. She’d been only too happy to help when she learned the real reason Jared wanted to be traded to Nashville.
“Me, too. I just hope she’ll hear me out,” Jared said.
“Alex is stubborn and proud, Jared,” Ameryst started, “but she’s always been fair. I can’t believe she’d ignore everything you two shared after all that you’re doing to get back to her.”
“I hope you’re right, Ameryst.” Jared frowned into the phone. “I’ve done a lot of shitty things over the past few years and the way I left Amherst is near the top.”
“It wasn’t your fault, Jared,” Ameryst reminded him. At least she believed him.
“Thanks again, Ameryst. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Jared disconnected the call and headed back in to enjoy a little more time with his family. He only had a few more hours of peace and quiet before the performance of his life.
The Final Chapter
“Hurry up, Alex!” Jaida yelled at her sister. She’d been ready and waiting in the living room for an hour. Ally and her family would be there to pick them up any minute and Alex was still trying to decide what to wear. “Just put on the jeans and your jersey!”
A.J. regarded herself in the mirror. Her jeans were snug and the jersey tugged a little across her breasts but she didn’t look half bad. Why did she care so much? Gah! A.J. chastised herself for worrying about her appearance when she really needed to figure out what the hell she was going to say to him. If she even got to talk to him. A.J. remained unconvinced that he really wanted to see her and she highly doubted he would respond favorably to what she had to say.
“Alex!” Jaida’s screech jolted A.J. into motion. She grabbed her earrings and popped them in on her way down the hall.
“I’m coming! Hold your horses!” A.J. found her sister standing in the doorway.
“They’re here.” Jaida pointed toward the driveway, clearly irritated with her sister’s lack of urgency.
A.J. peered outside at the unexpected procession. “What the hell is that? I thought it was just Ally and her family and us?”
“And the kids from the hospital and the guys from the rec center,” Jaida said gleefully. “Jared arranged all of this with some help from Ally’s family.”
“What?” A.J. felt sick. “No. No. He didn’t do this. No.”
“Yeah, he did.” Jaida looked at her sister, confused. “I thought you’d be excited. He’s doing this for you, for us.”
“I thought we’d just be a small group going to a football game, not drawing attention.” A.J. leaned against the wall. The room spun around her and her heartbeat quickened. “This is going to draw some serious attention.” Signs were tacked onto the buses being used to transport the kids and their families, all drawing attention to their support of Jared. Even Ally’s family’s cars were covered in Panther colors that called out support for number forty-two.
A horn blared signifying the impatience of the caravan. Jaida tugged at her sleeve. A.J. stood frozen in place. This was not what she had in mind, not what she imagined. How could she talk to Jared with all of these people around? Shit.
“Alex?” Jaida looked worried now. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Y-yeah, sorry, just a little lightheaded. Probably just need a little more caffeine.” A.J. dismissed her concerns and glumly followed her little sister to the SUV driven by Ally’s new husband.
“It’s about time,” Ally sang from the front seat. “You two are with us.”
A.J. half-smiled at her friend and climbed in after her sister. “I didn’t realize we’d have so much company.”
“Jay arranged it all.” Ally echoed Jaida’s announcement that Jared had indeed arranged this grand caravan.
“So I hear,” A.J. mumbled.
“C’mon, A.J., don’t be so glum. This is going to be really fun and Jay went through a lot to make this happen. He talked half his team into getting tickets for us so we could all sit together,” Ally explained. “And I hear you’ve been brushing him off since he left.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” A.J. muttered.
“Then what would you say?” Ally pressed. “Because I hear he’s been texting and calling and even sending very well written letters.”
A.J. glanced at her sister who seemed very focused on the scenery passing by her window. “I see. So you all have been talking about me and conspiring behind my back.”
“Conspiring sounds so horrible, A.J.,” Ally chastised. “I prefer looking out for your best interests since you seem hell bent on ruining the best thing that ever happened to you.”
“Ouch.” A.J. pretended to take a shot to the heart.
“Truth hurts.” Ally shrugged. “You should have called or texted him back. Then maybe we wouldn’t have had to go to such lengths to get you two back together.”
“He left without saying good-bye,” A.J. defended herself, “then showed up in L.A. with a tiny blonde cheerleader on his arm. And, he didn’t reach out to me for two days. What would you have done?”
“Whatever you have to tell yourself so you can sleep at night,” Ally replied, “but there may be very reasonable explanations for all of that.”
“There are!” Jaida chimed in. “He wrote them all in the letter he sent her.”
“Enough!” A.J. frowned. “You are both incorrigible. I will go, enjoy the game, and thank him for his kindness. Maybe he and I can find a way to be friends but I don’t see how we could ever be more with him living in L.A. and me living here.”
“Indeed.” Ally winked at Jaida and let the subject drop.
A.J. took advantage and looked out the window, watching the scenery fly by as she considered what she knew. Jared arranged for all of the kids to attend the game in Nashville. But why? What did he get out of it? He fired his agent and hired Ameryst. Could he really have meant what he said to her? But then why didn’t he say good-bye? Why not reach out to her for two days? And then the blonde at the party. What was real? The Jared he was in Amherst or the Jared he was in L.A.? Or, was the real Jared something entirely different altogether?
**
“Jump! Are you up for a pregame interview?” Coach Smith yelled for him.
“Sure.” Jared pulled on a Panthers t-shirt and made his way toward his Coach.
“Did you invite a bunch of kids from the Amherst Hospital to come to the game?” Coach Smith asked.
“Um, yeah, why?” Jared played dumb, he’d expected this.
“Well, apparently, the local news channels picked up the story and they want to interview you.” Coach Smith seemed puzzled but not angry.
“Huh,” Jared shrugged, “I’m okay with that if you are, Coach.”
“Of course, Jump.” Coach bobbed his head and led the way toward the field. “I’ve been hearing rumors.”
“You have?” Jared asked innocently. “About what?”
“You.” Coach didn’t look at him. “That you’re looking to leave L.A.”
Jared didn’t know what to say. He walked beside his coach unsure of whether to confirm or refute the truth.
“You don’t have to say anything, Jump. Just hear me out.” Coach Smith exhaled a long, slow breath. “Your comeback has been remarkable. To return from an injury like that and perform as you have is a testament to your willpower. But you’ve changed in other ways, too. Firing that shithead, Derek, was a good move. I might have done so in a less public forum, but it was the right thing, nonetheless. Still, pressing for a trade is gutsy. I’m not saying it’s impossible but it’s going to take a lot to convince the team to let you go. Unless you had an ace in the hole, so to speak.”
Jared pulled up and stopped his coach with a light hand to his arm. “What are you saying, Coach?”
“I’m saying that if you can call off your agent, I might be able to get you exactly what you want.” Coach Smith’s brow furrowed. “This is a
business, Jared. It’s always been a business and at the end of the day, you and your teammates are the currency of that business. I’m going to be leaving L.A. myself. Coach Davies is retiring today and they’ve offered me his position. That’s why I flew in a few days early and that’s how I knew about your agent’s maneuvers. None of this has been made public, of course, but it will be today. You will be a Nashville Cougar after today’s game.”
“Are you serious, Coach?” Jared couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“Yes, I am.” Coach Smith held out his hand. “I don’t know why and I don’t need to, but I would love to have you come with me.”
