what’s up their ass?” Then his ears flatten and he looks around. When he talks again, he lowers his voice. “Hey, uh...I know it ain’t my business, but...you’re the guy, right?”
“ What?” The question comes out of nowhere. I’m torn between laughing and shoving him. Neither one seems like a good option.
“ I mean, you know, you...do the fuckin’, right?”
“ Jesus.” Now I do laugh. “Yeah, so what?”
His ears go up. “Nah, nothing.” He grins and pulls his shirt on.
The morning practice is all just drills, running stations, learning plays, working with your position coach. I expect the stands to be full of people come to watch us, but they’re emptier than usual. Steez, the cougar who’s my linebackers coach, tells me Coach Samuelson closed our practices this week. Worried about distractions. That makes me self-conscious because I know the distraction he was worried about is me. But I put that aside and do my best to concentrate on football.
The coaches have been reviewing film over the weekend. I should’ve been studying it yesterday, but I was occupied with telling the world that I like guys. So I follow Steez attentively as he coaches the linebackers through the plays we had trouble with, because most of the trouble centers on me. It’s not my first year in the league, but it’s my first at linebacker, and even though I picked it up well, I have a ways to go to catch up with Gerrard and Carson.
One play in particular is a little tricky because we haven’t used it yet. It’s in the drills now because of Millenport, our Sunday opponent, so I focus hard on it. Even so, I keep half-stepping to the wrong side before remembering where I’m supposed to be going, so that Steez growls at me, his tail lashing, “Corey learns this play in half hour! Head in game!”
“ I’ve got my head in the game,” I mutter to myself. For the first time all season, I really feel free to concentrate on football, no worries about being found out or about what Lee’s doing. And the mention of Corey, I’m sure, is meant to remind me that the cougar whose position I’ve taken will be back from his injury in two or three weeks, and I’d better have this thing memorized by then.
By noon, I’m at least stepping to the right side every time. Even Steez is pleased, his ropy tail calm, sending us off to lunch with a smile. Afternoon is a film session, and then basic exercises until dinner. I take ten minutes to check my voicemails after lunch.
The mailbox is full. But the first six are all from Ogleby, becoming progressively more panicked because I haven’t called him back.
So I call, and man, if I thought his voice was squeaky before, that was nothing. “Dev, listen, before you dump me, gimme a chance, I got six sponsors lined up and that’s three-quarters of a mil on the table up front.”
“ Ogleby,” I say, “settle down.”
“ I know I walked out on you but that was just because I knew my phone was gonna be ringin’ off the hook and it was, babe, it was. Twelve calls! I weeded out the ones I knew you wouldn’t want but we can call ’em back, and I got two interviews lined up for ya, and the Today Show called, they want you on next week, so I got you a plane ticket from Chevali—”
“ I can’t.”
“ Dev, sweetie, I know your schedule. Come on! You’re not playing next week! A whole week to build up your brand! You can’t pass this up. I’ve been in this business thirty years—”
“ No, I mean, I’ve got other plans next week.”
“ Okay, look, for you, because it’s you, I...” He takes a deep breath in. “I’m gonna drop my fee one point. Just for this set of deals. Come on, that’s an extra seventy-five hunnerd in your pocket, Dev, babe.”
“ I mean it. I can’t do next week. I have to go home.”
“ Go home? Go home? You can go home anytime, didn’t you hear me, this is the Today Show !” I try to interrupt him, but I can’t get a word in. “You leave
“ What?” The question comes out of nowhere. I’m torn between laughing and shoving him. Neither one seems like a good option.
“ I mean, you know, you...do the fuckin’, right?”
“ Jesus.” Now I do laugh. “Yeah, so what?”
His ears go up. “Nah, nothing.” He grins and pulls his shirt on.
The morning practice is all just drills, running stations, learning plays, working with your position coach. I expect the stands to be full of people come to watch us, but they’re emptier than usual. Steez, the cougar who’s my linebackers coach, tells me Coach Samuelson closed our practices this week. Worried about distractions. That makes me self-conscious because I know the distraction he was worried about is me. But I put that aside and do my best to concentrate on football.
The coaches have been reviewing film over the weekend. I should’ve been studying it yesterday, but I was occupied with telling the world that I like guys. So I follow Steez attentively as he coaches the linebackers through the plays we had trouble with, because most of the trouble centers on me. It’s not my first year in the league, but it’s my first at linebacker, and even though I picked it up well, I have a ways to go to catch up with Gerrard and Carson.
One play in particular is a little tricky because we haven’t used it yet. It’s in the drills now because of Millenport, our Sunday opponent, so I focus hard on it. Even so, I keep half-stepping to the wrong side before remembering where I’m supposed to be going, so that Steez growls at me, his tail lashing, “Corey learns this play in half hour! Head in game!”
“ I’ve got my head in the game,” I mutter to myself. For the first time all season, I really feel free to concentrate on football, no worries about being found out or about what Lee’s doing. And the mention of Corey, I’m sure, is meant to remind me that the cougar whose position I’ve taken will be back from his injury in two or three weeks, and I’d better have this thing memorized by then.
By noon, I’m at least stepping to the right side every time. Even Steez is pleased, his ropy tail calm, sending us off to lunch with a smile. Afternoon is a film session, and then basic exercises until dinner. I take ten minutes to check my voicemails after lunch.
The mailbox is full. But the first six are all from Ogleby, becoming progressively more panicked because I haven’t called him back.
So I call, and man, if I thought his voice was squeaky before, that was nothing. “Dev, listen, before you dump me, gimme a chance, I got six sponsors lined up and that’s three-quarters of a mil on the table up front.”
“ Ogleby,” I say, “settle down.”
“ I know I walked out on you but that was just because I knew my phone was gonna be ringin’ off the hook and it was, babe, it was. Twelve calls! I weeded out the ones I knew you wouldn’t want but we can call ’em back, and I got two interviews lined up for ya, and the Today Show called, they want you on next week, so I got you a plane ticket from Chevali—”
“ I can’t.”
“ Dev, sweetie, I know your schedule. Come on! You’re not playing next week! A whole week to build up your brand! You can’t pass this up. I’ve been in this business thirty years—”
“ No, I mean, I’ve got other plans next week.”
“ Okay, look, for you, because it’s you, I...” He takes a deep breath in. “I’m gonna drop my fee one point. Just for this set of deals. Come on, that’s an extra seventy-five hunnerd in your pocket, Dev, babe.”
“ I mean it. I can’t do next week. I have to go home.”
“ Go home? Go home? You can go home anytime, didn’t you hear me, this is the Today Show !” I try to interrupt him, but I can’t get a word in. “You leave
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