started boarding. But Micah lagged behind. When she turned to ask him a question, he was almost twenty full feet behind her. She slowed her pace, waiting for him to catch up. His eyes were on the ground, and he looked around about his feet nervously, as if he was waiting to be scolded from a teacher.
Alice took his arm to bring him further down to her level. She whispered gently into his ear, “What’s wrong?” As she waited for his reply, she looked about the expansive space for reporters or fans, anyone that may be annoying him. He had been extra-sensitive about that lately. Yet, there was no one there, not even one person had recognized him with his wide brimmed baseball hat and unimpressive sweats on.
He kicked his feet a bit and then, with resolve, led her to the far end of the room. It was only the two of them in that small corner. It was the perfect space to give her a fair warning about what he had planned on doing. “Listen Allie, you’re not gonna like this, but I have to do something today.”
She was surprised and bewildered. She could not imagine one thing he had to do besides get to the arena and begin the press junket ahead of tomorrow evening’s match. “What are you talking about?”
His voice lowered to a whisper, as he placed his hands in his pockets. His imposing body sunk as he spoke, “My agent, Lucy, she wants me to create a scene to get on the news. She thinks it will help distract from the whole romance story if I create, I don’t know, a distraction or something.”
This was not the first time he had brought up the name Lucy. While she had yet to meet this industrious agent of his, she had already become well-aware of her other schemes to make the press think that Micah was cheating on her with the physical therapist. It was so low, even for a conniving business manager, that she had wished Coach Dean would come back. At least he wasn’t as clever to think of something as maniacal as that. And now this?
Alice was flustered by it all. What did he mean by “a distraction?” Was he really going to jeopardize their trip and his tournament just for a little airtime? She could not possibly see how this was a good idea.
Micah could read the expression on Alice’s face and the way that she folded her arms across her chest. He attempted to reassure her. “I’m not gonna get in trouble. I just need to rattle some people, complain about something going through security. There’s gonna be a plant there taking pictures and posting it to social media. He’s gonna make it sound a lot worse than it actually is.”
Micah reached out her hands and grabbed them once more. “It’s gonna be okay. I am gonna be okay. We are gonna be okay. We’ve just gotta to play along till this whole Romeo thing passes.”
Something in his speech gave him the courage he was lacking moments before. Without a word, he grabbed both of their luggage pieces and headed to the front of security area where a woman in a blue uniform checked their tickets and pointed them through the first class priority boarding area. Alice nervously looked down at her feet, letting Micah do all the talking and acting. It was her job to just let him do his thing so the “plant” or whatever Micah referred to him as could do his part and get the story in.
As he stepped through the body scanner, he started. It was unnatural to her. Even mad, he rarely raised his voice. The firm quality of his voice’s tone was replaced by vitriol and anger. She could hear him rant at a tall, young-ish man about the wait they had endured and the fact that, as a first class flyer, he would be subjected to such a search.
The uniformed man simply nodded his head. Even though Micah was putting on some good theatrics from Alice’s point of view, the security officer had obviously heard it all in the past. Micah took it up a notch, getting in his face and demanding an apology. Again, the man stood his
Alice took his arm to bring him further down to her level. She whispered gently into his ear, “What’s wrong?” As she waited for his reply, she looked about the expansive space for reporters or fans, anyone that may be annoying him. He had been extra-sensitive about that lately. Yet, there was no one there, not even one person had recognized him with his wide brimmed baseball hat and unimpressive sweats on.
He kicked his feet a bit and then, with resolve, led her to the far end of the room. It was only the two of them in that small corner. It was the perfect space to give her a fair warning about what he had planned on doing. “Listen Allie, you’re not gonna like this, but I have to do something today.”
She was surprised and bewildered. She could not imagine one thing he had to do besides get to the arena and begin the press junket ahead of tomorrow evening’s match. “What are you talking about?”
His voice lowered to a whisper, as he placed his hands in his pockets. His imposing body sunk as he spoke, “My agent, Lucy, she wants me to create a scene to get on the news. She thinks it will help distract from the whole romance story if I create, I don’t know, a distraction or something.”
This was not the first time he had brought up the name Lucy. While she had yet to meet this industrious agent of his, she had already become well-aware of her other schemes to make the press think that Micah was cheating on her with the physical therapist. It was so low, even for a conniving business manager, that she had wished Coach Dean would come back. At least he wasn’t as clever to think of something as maniacal as that. And now this?
Alice was flustered by it all. What did he mean by “a distraction?” Was he really going to jeopardize their trip and his tournament just for a little airtime? She could not possibly see how this was a good idea.
Micah could read the expression on Alice’s face and the way that she folded her arms across her chest. He attempted to reassure her. “I’m not gonna get in trouble. I just need to rattle some people, complain about something going through security. There’s gonna be a plant there taking pictures and posting it to social media. He’s gonna make it sound a lot worse than it actually is.”
Micah reached out her hands and grabbed them once more. “It’s gonna be okay. I am gonna be okay. We are gonna be okay. We’ve just gotta to play along till this whole Romeo thing passes.”
Something in his speech gave him the courage he was lacking moments before. Without a word, he grabbed both of their luggage pieces and headed to the front of security area where a woman in a blue uniform checked their tickets and pointed them through the first class priority boarding area. Alice nervously looked down at her feet, letting Micah do all the talking and acting. It was her job to just let him do his thing so the “plant” or whatever Micah referred to him as could do his part and get the story in.
As he stepped through the body scanner, he started. It was unnatural to her. Even mad, he rarely raised his voice. The firm quality of his voice’s tone was replaced by vitriol and anger. She could hear him rant at a tall, young-ish man about the wait they had endured and the fact that, as a first class flyer, he would be subjected to such a search.
The uniformed man simply nodded his head. Even though Micah was putting on some good theatrics from Alice’s point of view, the security officer had obviously heard it all in the past. Micah took it up a notch, getting in his face and demanding an apology. Again, the man stood his
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