by Maggie Cole
“Sam, where are you?”
“At my condo.”
“Don’t move. I’ll be there in a few hours.”
"Okay.”
I hung up and took a deep breath. This was not happening. I threw Collin’s shirt from last night over me.
I didn’t need this. We were so close to the Turbo deal, and I didn’t need Collin upset with me. I walked out of the bedroom in slight panic mode. “Collin...” I started.
He was in the kitchen and came around the counter with a cup of coffee. “I think you’re going to need this today.” He reached down to kiss me.
“You’re not mad at me?”
Collin’s head jerked back. “Irritated that those two interrupted our morning? Yes. Mad at you?” He put his hand on my face. “The fact you care is one of the things I love most about you.” He kissed me again, then pulled back. “Sit down and have a cup of coffee first. Keri and Sam can wait a few extra minutes. Tell me what’s going on.” He patted the bar stool and sat down next to it.
I sat and sipped the hot coffee. “They are both freaking out about today, and would rather lose their shoe deals versus going back.”
“What happened to them, Meg?”
“I don’t know, but something bad,”
“This is my fault. I shouldn’t have set this up. If they don’t show up, this will be the last straw for Turbo.”
I knew it was the truth. Turbo was barely holding on. If Keri and Sam didn’t pull this off today, then we were all done. But it wasn’t Collin’s fault.
“You couldn’t have known. I should have known it was too much.”
Collin put his arm around me. “Babe, are you going to be all right? I don’t want you to have to relive your situation.”
“I’ll be fine. But, Collin, I have to go get ready.”
He kissed me. “What can I do to help you?”
I stood up. “Keep all plans moving forward for today. We’re too close for this to fall apart.”
“On it. I’ll have my driver ready for you to go wherever you need. Go get ready.”
I quickly took a shower and pulled my makeup out of my purse. When I came out of the bathroom, Collin laid one of my dresses in a dry-cleaning bag on the bed, next to a fresh set of undergarments.
I looked at him.
“There are a couple of dresses in my closet if you don’t want that one. You left them here, and I had them cleaned. ”
I smiled and walked over to him. “This is perfect. Thank you.”
I could tell he wanted to say something else.
“Collin, what is it?”
He shuffled nervously. I hadn’t seen Collin nervous before. “I cleaned out a section of my closet and drawers before...” he stopped.
I waited.
“I thought it was time you kept your stuff here, but honestly, I want you to move in, Meg. Or, I’ll move in your place. Or, we can get a place together. Whatever you want—you pick. I don’t care. I just don’t want to keep worrying about whether I’ll see you or not.” The negotiator was nowhere in sight, only vulnerable Collin.
“You worry about seeing me?” I raised my teasing brow at him, not able to hide the grin on my face.
He wasn’t smiling. “Every day, all day long. In the morning, when I wake up and see you, I start all over again.”
I smiled and reached up and kissed him hungrily. He stirred, but I knew I needed to get ready or today would be a bigger disaster.
“That’s the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“It’s true.”
I kissed him again. “Let’s talk tonight, Collin, and figure it out, okay?”
He let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "Perfect.”
I threw on my clothes, gave him another kiss, and left.
I stepped into Collin’s car and shifted my mind to Keri and Sam. Today was my biggest career challenge ever.
We pulled up to Keri’s, and I called him. “Keri, I’m outside. Come get in the car.”
“Where are we going?”
“Just trust me and get down here, Keri.”
A few minutes later, Keri sat in the car, “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
“Meg—”
I held up my hand. “Wait, Keri. Take some deep breaths, calm down, and wait.”
He started to speak but stopped. We rode in silence.
About ten minutes later, we pulled up to Sam’s condo.
“Where are we?” Keri questioned me.
“You’ll see.”
I called Sam and told him to buzz me in.
Keri and I rode up the elevator in silence. I knocked on Sam’s door.
Sam opened the door. He saw Keri and glared at me. “Meg—what’s he doing here?”
Keri huffed, “Meg, what are you playing at?”
I put on my own pissed voice and pointed. “Inside now. You two owe me that, at the very least.”
Sam sighed, stepped back, and opened the door wider. “Come in then.”
Keri reluctantly walked in.
I pointed to the couch. “You two. Sit. Now.”
Like, little boys, they sat down and looked at me like they were in trouble.
I chose the armchair across from them. I took a few moments and sat and stared at them. Both of them shifted uncomfortably but didn’t say a word.
You get one chance, Meg. Don’t screw this up.
I took a deep breath and decided to soften my tone.
“You two have more in common than you think.” Disbelief flooded both their faces.
I laughed. “Oh, no? You both are willing to give up shoe deals instead of spending one day of your life at the Community Centers?”
They stared at each other, a bit in surprise.
“If anyone gets not wanting to relive the past, it’s me. But it’s time you both faced your pasts, or you’re going to let it screw up your future. So we are going to do that right now, here, the three of us.”
They both disagreed with me—I could tell—anger and fear overshadowed their faces.
What is their truth they don’t want me to know?
I held up my hand. They quieted. “I’ll start.”
“I grew up poor and the daughter of a drunk, drug-addicted violent man. Not only did he beat my mother repeatedly in front of me, but when I was nineteen, I hid in the closet while he beat my mother to death.” A single tear fell down my face.
Keri and Sam were silent in shock.
“I’ve lived with the guilt of doing nothing but hiding my entire life. And then, to top it off, I left that house and got into my own abusive relationship. I had the shit beaten out of me for three years until I finally fled to New York.”
Once again, I didn’t discuss that Matt had also repeatedly raped me.
“Who is he? I’ll kill him,” Keri stated.
“Count me in on that one, man.” Sam nodded to Keri.
I took a deep breath and continued. “I came to New York with nothing—literally a backpack stuffed with a few pieces of clothing. I worked four jobs and met Liv by accident. I have no education, no trust fund, no family except Liv. My jailbird father doesn’t count. I got lucky.”
“Meg, you’ve worked hard to get where you are,” Keri stated adamantly.
Sam piped in, “And you’re damn good at it.”
“I‘m lucky. I have a great life because I got lucky and ran into Liv by accident. You both make over a million dollars a year because you have the talent and have never gotten injured. You’ve worked hard to get where others never will.”
I paused to let them think for a minute.
“What happened to you that you are willing to give up your future?” I pleaded with my eyes for them to tell me.
Neither wanted to tell me.
“Keri, after everything we’ve been through, you’re going to sit and listen to my story and not tell me yours?” I called him out. Our history went deeper than Sam and mine, and I decided to use it.
That did it. Tears started falling. “My sister died in that community center by a thug who raped her. I was too late.”
Sam inhaled sharply and mumbled, “Well, we do have some things in common.”
Keri and I both waited for Sam to expand.
After he realized he said it out loud, he had no choice but to tell us. “My brother died in that club—assaulted by a gang. I was too late.” Tears fell out of his eyes at lightning speed.
It all made sense now. I closed my eyes for a minute. That is why they drank and fought. They were always trying to beat their demons.
I treaded lightly. “I understand why you don’t want to go. But somewhere in that building, there is at least one kid who needs you there today—probably more, but at least one. The shoe doesn’t even matter. You need to go do this for that one kid.”
I could see their minds racing a thousand miles a minute. Fear. Rage. Sadness. It was all there.
I walked over and sat between them, put my arms around them both, and pulled them into me. We all sat there and cried.
Keri slowly pulled away. “Meg, will you go with us?”
“Yes.”
Sam took a deep breath and sat up. "Okay.”
“Go get ready, Sam. Keri, we will stop at your house, and you can change on the way.”
I texted Collin. “Plans are moving forward. I’ll meet you and Liv there.”
Collin responded right away. “You okay, babe?”
“Yes. See you soon.”
Keri sat across from me. “Meg, are you and Collin together?”
I looked at him in shock. How did he know? I was caught off guard and tried to find the words.
Sam raised his brow, as if he knew, too.
“It’s okay. Are you?” Keri pushed.
“Yes. How did you guess?”
Keri smiled at me and tapped the window. “You’re in his car with his driver.”
“I thought something was up at Baracade,” Sam pointed out.
“How?”
“Oh, please. He was on me like a hot potato as soon as I touched your arm. And I thought he was going to cut my eyes out with his laser stare when I tried to get you to dance,” Sam admitted.
So we hadn't been as secretive as we thought.
Sam laughed. “He didn’t like me giving you attention the first night I met you, either, now that I think about it.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“So yesterday, you were upset about Collin?”
“Yes.”
“Do I need to hurt him?” Keri was calm but serious.
“No, Keri. We’re good now.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Hurt crossed his face.
“I didn’t want to hurt you, Keri. Collin didn’t either.”
Keri scanned my eyes. "I’ll let this one pass, but no more secrets from now on, okay?”
“I promise.”
“Well, we know she keeps her promises better than we do, so I think you can trust her on that, man,” Sam joked.
We all started laughing. It felt good after the emotional day we had already been through.
The car pulled up to Keri’s place. “I’ll go change and be right back.”
He left, and Sam stared back at me.
“What?”
“Collin’s a good guy, Meg. I’m happy for you guys.”
I gave him a grateful smile. It felt good not to have to hide anymore, and for the people, we were most worried about to be okay with our secret.
Sam shifted. “You know, Collin and I have been through a lot. He stuck by me during a lot of craziness. He’s always fighting to get me the best, and I don’t make it very easy on him.”
“Maybe you should make it a little easier for him and see what he can really do for you.”
Sam laughed softly. “Maybe, Meg, maybe…”
“It would make Liv and my lives easier too, you know.”
“Okay, girl, I get it. Hearing you loud and clear.”
“Sam, you have the world by the balls if you want it. I only need you to trust us and do what we say.”
“You talk about trust all the time, but I trust you more than anyone. I have since you stepped through my door the first night. You get me.” He looked at me, very vulnerable and very raw.
I did get him. “So morph. Use your brain, not your fists. Show the world this guy. Be an animal on the field and an unstoppable, smart guy off of it.”
Keri opened the door. “What did I miss?”
Sam winked. I smiled back.
Am I getting through to these two, finally?
I stared at Keri. “You look great, Keri.”
He smiled at me, his player in full force. It was the smile that I had loved, hated, and now loved, again.
“You two ready?”
Sam and Keri both glanced at each other, a bit uncomfortable, then back at me. They both slowly nodded.
“If you don’t try, you can’t win!” I winked, rolled down the driver’s window, and told him to go.
17
Meg
We pulled up to Keri’s old Community Center. A drop of sweat rolled down his face.
Sam reached over and patted him on the back. “Come on, man, we got this.”
Keri took a deep breath and stepped out. Collin, Liv, and Tom stood at the door of the building.
“Tom, what are you doing here?” Keri asked him.
Tom gave him a wink and a fist bump. “Man, you got some crazy secrets, huh?”
Keri and my first date at Club D flooded back. I saw Keri relax a bit, as he remembered the night when he learned Tom’s secret.
“Thanks, man.”
“I got you, Bro.”
Collin walked over to me. I realized he didn’t know that Keri and Sam knew about us. Even though he didn’t know, he put his arm around me and whispered, “You okay?”
“All good.”
Keri walked up to Collin. “You could have told me.”
Collin took a big breath. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“I know. I told Meg I’m giving you both a pass, but for the record, if you ever hurt her, I’ll kill you.
“I’ll help him,” Sam jumped in.
Collin nodded, the negotiator in full force. “Deal.”
Liv cleared her throat. “Guys, it's time to do this. You both ready?”
They nodded hesitantly.
I stepped away from Collin and grabbed Keri’s hand. “Let’s go.”
He turned to me in surprise.
“Put your player face on; you’re Keri fucking James.” I winked at him.
He laughed, “All right, Meg, just for you,” and he put his player face on.
We walked through the doors; I gripped Keri’s hand harder. He was about to face his demons, and I was proud of him but also nervous.
Steven, the Turbo rep, shook everyone’s hands, along with the Director of the Community Center, Marla.
Collin introduced Keri and Sam.
I felt Keri’s hand start to shake. “You okay?” I whispered to him.
“It’s so different,” he stated.
The hallway was a fun mix of different colors—bright and inviting. Marla gave us a tour and showed us the different areas for the kids. Then, she explained how their funding worked and what the needs were.
We were close to the gymnasium. Marla was about to show us the new video game lounge when Keri stopped. The hair on my neck stood up, and I knew this was the room that his sister had been raped and murdered in.
His palm turned clammy—his face white. I thought he might throw up.
To my surprise, it was Sam who took over.
“Breathe, man.” He put his arm around Keri.
Keri took a breath.
“Good. Walk with me, buddy. It’ll be over in a minute.”
I caught Collin’s shocked face over what was happening.
Keri and Sam both walked into the room. Keri let out a breath. “It’s not like how it used to be.”
The r
oom was full of warmth and cheer. Kids played video games. They saw Sam, Keri, and Tom and jumped up, ran over to them, and wanted their autographs.
The three guys gave their autographs and talked to the kids. They gave them high fives and asked what games they were playing.
Collin put his arm around me and pulled me in close. I hadn’t realized that I had been holding my breath. I exhaled and leaned into Collin.
We eventually moved into the gymnasium, and the kids erupted in shouts and screams when they saw the three players enter the gym.
Marla stood at the microphone and told everyone to quiet down. Once the gym quieted, she introduced Tom, Keri, and Sam. The gym erupted again.
Tom gave the speech that he often gave through his foundation about why the kids needed to stay in school and speak up if they felt unsafe in any way.
In the middle of his speech, Keri walked over and stood next to Tom. Tom stopped talking. Keri grabbed the microphone.
He nervously glanced around the gym. “This is where I grew up. Right here in this room. I spent so many hours here—I can’t even tell you how many.”
Keri paused. “Some of you have a tough life. I grew up with a tough life. Someone reminded me today that it’s important that you all know that whatever you want to be—or do—it’s up to you to go get it.”
Sam walked over to Keri and put his hand out for the microphone. He cleared his throat, “It’s also up to you not to screw it up. You have to take the opportunities you are given and maximize them. You can be a beast on the field, but you gotta be smart and use your brain when you're off it.”
Keri took the microphone back. “You’re going to have a lot of temptations: drugs, alcohol, gangs, sex. They’re all going to try to keep you here, in your current situation, and away from what you really want.”
Sam leaned in. “People are going to try and stop you from achieving what you want. You must surround yourself with people who believe in you and fight for you, even when you are screwing it up.” He peered over at Collin, Liv, and me.
Tom took a step closer and took the microphone. “You only get one life. You gotta decide if you are in or out. If you’re in, then you gotta be all in.”
“So what do you want to be?” Keri shouted.