The Sneaker Kings

by Eric McLauren

Brandon thought fast. “They’re asking us a bunch of questions about Adidas soccer gear.”

  But Daniel knew better than that. He was not a fool. He figured Brandon had drawn another crowd again, even without his Beast Team gear on.

  Yeah, the kid’s been all over television now, he thought. He’s an ESPN star. But I didn’t think girl soccer players would pay any attention to that.

  “All right, well give them all a water bottle or something, but they can’t crowd around the booth like this. Other people need to make their way through,” Daniel complained.

  Natasha grabbed a handful of Adidas water bottles to help Brandon, Simba and Leon hand them out. But Adrienne was the last to move, intrigued by the storm. She could tell that Daniel was pissed, but he was keeping his cool in front of the crowd.

  He is so upset that he can’t control this boy, Adrienne thought. But I can’t even lie anymore—Brandon is good for business.

  Once the girls had water bottles and other Adidas gear, Natasha and Adrienne escorted them away from Brandon’s booth. Natasha whispered, “Sorry about that, girls, but the bosses don’t want them talking about The Beast Team. They want us to promote Adidas only.”

  Back at the shaded booth, Daniel Baker wanted some real answers. “They weren’t really over here for water bottles and Adidas handouts, were they?”

  Brandon sighed and told him the truth. “They already know who we are, but we didn’t say anything to them about it.”

  “Yeah, they walked over and brought it up to us,” Simba added.

  “So, what did they want?”

  Brandon spoke up before his guys could. “They wanted to know about their soccer club joining The Beast Team.” He didn’t want to single out Danielle Lyles. He had plans for her.

  Daniel shook his head in disgust. Brandon obviously brought more complications than his internship was worth. “Well, just man your booth and keep promoting Adidas. That’s all I can ask for at this point,” he huffed.

  As soon as he walked away, Leon joked, “Brandon, you gon’ give that man a heart attack.”

  Brandon made sure Daniel was far enough away where he couldn’t hear him. “It’s not my fault, man. But if he’s so concerned about us being more popular than Adidas, then they need to sign us for some real endorsement money instead of doubting us.”

  “Amen to that, brother,” Simba commented. “Amen.”

  >>>

  Daniel and Michael discussed Brandon and The Beast Team in their room that evening. “I just don’t think this is gonna work,” Daniel complained. “If this kid is popular with girl soccer players, imagine what it’ll be like at the AAU Basketball Championships in Memphis.”

  Michael shook his head, tired of hearing Daniel’s whining. “What we need to do is get Adidas to embrace it instead of trying to shackle him,” he argued. “This kid represents a new generation of marketing and promotions through social media. And you don’t have to be a star athlete anymore to do that. You just need people who are willing to follow you. So, if Brandon has that gift—for whatever reason—why not get behind him and let it work for us?”

  “Look, I don’t make those decisions, Mike. You know that. I’m simply doing what we were told to do out here. You’re the one who brought this kid in,” Daniel noted. “But he’s causing us a bunch of headaches now.”

  Michael shrugged. “I don’t know why you would feel that way. He can bring us all the young people we want. But we don’t value him because he’s not an athlete? That doesn’t make any sense. He’s bringing us athletes. Adidas all in, right? So, what’s the problem?”

  Daniel paused, losing the argument. “We’ll see,” he mumbled. “What would you do, give him his own endorsement deal?”

  “Yeah, why not?” Michael answered with a shrug from the edge of his bed. “We know that he’ll work for it. Promoting, wearing and selling shoes is what these guys like to do. But what would you do—have them finish an internship with us and then sign a lucrative deal with Nike? That wouldn’t make any sense. We have them right here, right now with us. So, let’s take full advantage of it.”

  Daniel sat quietly on the room’s dresser, so Michael continued. “Offering a licensing or endorsement deal with them would be fair,” he suggested. “You know they helped us land Jay Stewart. Now they’ve attracted a young soccer star without even knowing who she is. How can you even argue with that?”

  “Yeah, but they were talking to the wrong one,” Daniel countered. “If anything, we would want Tabitha Remecki, the number one ranked soccer player. But they were talking to Danielle Lyles—she’s number three.”

  Michael grinned. “David Terry is not the number-one rated basketball player in his class, but they picked him because he’s the most marketable. And from what I’ve seen, Danielle Lyles would draw a larger crowd of boys for her looks, and her game is flashier than Tabitha’s. So she would be more of a YouTube and social media queen. That’s what The Beast Team would bank on. They’re smart.”

  >>>

  While getting dressed to go swimming, Brandon and his guys were having their own discussion.

  “So, are we gonna sign her or not, man?” Leon pressed. He stood bare-chested with his swimming trunks and slippers on.

  Brandon shrugged, wearing a bright-orange Adidas T-shirt that matched his trunks and the beach towel that he had wrapped around his neck. “I mean, we still have to think about it. And I don’t like how they just pushed her on us like that,” he complained.

  Simba shrugged, applying sunscreen to his chest and back. “What’s there to think about though? She’s hot, she’s a sneakerhead, she has her own following, and she wants to do it. She’s easier to sign than the guys.”

  “Yeah, and that’s my point. I don’t want us to jump into this too fast.”

  “You’re not hesitating because she’s a girl are you?” Leon quizzed him. “We probably could sell more posters of her, especially if we get her to strike some sexy poses.”

  Brandon eyed Leon and smirked. “And this is coming from the same guy who, a few months ago, called J. Cole a sellout for catering too much to women on his second album. Now you want us do the same thing with The Beast Team.”

  Leon laughed. “No, I’m catering to the guys. So I’m thinking the opposite. But you didn’t even see her play yet, man. She’s a beast, for real.”

  “I saw her. I just didn’t know who she was,” Brandon admitted. “It’s not like I’m a soccer expert. But you know, we’ll think about it. Just let me talk to her and watch her over the weekend. I don’t like the whole sexy idea though. It sounds chauvinistic.”

  Leon frowned. “Brandon, girls like to be sexy. I have a little sister. Remember? I know these things.”

  “That’s true,” Simba agreed. “They do like to be sexy.”

  “All, right, whatever,” Brandon mumbled. He was eager to go swimming.

  Leon reached for his towel across the bed and eyed Simba, still putting on sunscreen. “What are you using sunscreen for? We only have about an hour left of sun.”

  Simba smiled. “I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

  Leon shook his head and looked at Brandon as he headed for the door. “I know this: Brandon is the only one wearing a T-shirt to the pool. I wonder why,” he joked.

  Brandon grabbed the door handle. “It matches my outfit,” he retorted. “And I don’t want to be cold when we walk back into the hotel afterwards. The air conditioner is on.”

  Leon and Simba burst out laughing.

  “Aw, you’re not worried about the air conditioner. You just don’t want Natasha to see your bird chest,” Leon howled.

  >>>

  Brandon may not have had the best chest at the pool, but he was a better diver and swimmer than his friends. His Uncle Paul had a big pool out in the backyard that Brandon had spent plenty of summers practicing in. He had even thought about joining Glendale’s high school swim team at one point, so he was more than ready to show his stuff in Tampa.$

  Then his anxiet
y set in as he thought about the girls. Oh, my God, I wonder what they’re gonna wear tonight. He got his answer when the girls walked out to the pool wrapped in beach towels.

  Oh, my God! I’m gonna faint! Brandon thought as Natasha unwrapped. Every curve was perfect. Ironically, she wore a floral two-piece in orange, green, brown and off-white, matching Brandon’s orange trunks with green trimming.

  Adrienne wore a lime-green and black one-piece that accentuated her elegant length. There was not a wrinkle or crease on her long, lean body. Together, they looked like a pair of swimsuit models, and the guys were impressed with them both.

  “Whoa, we’re going swimming in the same water with you?” Leon teased them.

  “Please don’t remind me,” Adrienne jabbed. “I may have to request my own pool.”

  “Yeah, you seem like that type,” Leon countered.

  “Only because of you.”

  “Okay, so if I stay out of the water, you’ll be fine then?” There were eight hotel guests who were already in the pool, including three Adidas reps.

  “Yup,” Adrienne told him.

  “Well, let me ruin your day then.” Leon splashed into the pool for effect.

  Adrienne grinned and shook her head. “The boy is crazy. He needs some professional help.”

  Natasha laughed and looked back at Brandon, who remained in his T-shirt. But she didn’t comment on it. She didn’t want to put him on the spot again. She figured he would take his shirt off when he was ready.

  “Can you swim any?” Brandon asked her casually.

  Natasha looked insulted by the question. “Of course I can swim. Can you?”

  Brandon smiled and finally took his shirt off. He tossed it across a beach chair with his towel. “Once I warm up, I’ll race you a few times.” He immediately walked to the deep end of the pool and dove in smoothly, like a pro.

  “Oh, so you think you’re all that?” Natasha responded.

  Simba looked on and grinned from the side. He already knew that Brandon was a fine swimmer. Okay, now he’s gonna show off his swimming skills to her, he mused.

  Brandon swam from end to end of the pool, as easy as a walk through the park.

  “That was slow,” Natasha taunted.

  “Yeah, I’m still warming up,” Brandon called from the wall. “You getting in?”

  Natasha dove in without a word and swam a full lap, faster than he had.

  “Oh, so you can swim?” Brandon teased.

  Natasha smiled, glistening wet in the sunlight. “And I’m faster,” she boasted.

  Brandon felt incredibly peaceful in the pool with her, as if he could reach out and hold her there forever, but he didn’t. “Can you backstroke?” he asked her instead.

  Natasha smirked. “Can you?”

  Brandon nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Can you breaststroke?” she asked him.

  “Yup. I can do everything.”

  “Let me see it.”

  “Which one?”

  “The butterfly. That’s the hardest.”

  “All right.” Brandon grabbed the wall with both hands and pushed off into the water again. As Natasha watched him swim, he felt as if they were the only people in the pool.

  “Now let me see you do a backstroke,” Brandon asked her when he returned.

  Natasha whispered, “You just can’t wait to get me on my back, huh?”

  She had caught Brandon off guard. “No, I mean, I was just talking about swimming.”

  “Mmm hmm,” she hummed and swam away.

  Brandon was glad she did too. He began to think deeply about her comment. He then wondered how secure his trunks were. Oh, my God! I don’t want to get a hard-on inside the pool. He panicked. But he couldn’t climb out either. The best thing to do was to remain close to the wall until he settled down as Natasha made her way back to him. Now change the subject! Brandon told himself.

  “So, why’d you bring that girl over like that today? I thought we were all supposed to be on the Adidas team,” he said. “No more TBT, right? You almost got us busted for that.”

  Natasha looked back toward the hotel for Daniel before she answered him. Then she moved in closer. “Actually, she asked us about you. Then she got all excited when we told her you were here. But since you guys weren’t allowed to do your whole Beast Team thing, nobody knew it. So, we decided to bring her over to you. And she kept talking about her dream of being the first girl member of The Beast Team.

  “I just thought it was so cute, especially after you talked about not having any love for girls like that,” Natasha said. When she smiled, she was so close to Brandon that they looked like a couple. Suddenly, she grabbed on to him unexpectedly to anchor herself.

  “So, what are you gonna do about it?” she asked him. “Are you afraid to sign her or what? She has the look and the game, right?”

  “It’s not that, I mean … I thought you were down with the whole Adidas team,” Brandon hinted.

  Natasha frowned, still holding on to him. She looked back at the hotel again. “Are you kidding me? You guys have your own thing going on. Everyone can see that. It’s only a matter of time before you blow up. So, if Adidas doesn’t sign you guys to a good deal, then that’s too bad for them. My father already talks about that.” She paused, then said, “But don’t get a big head and act like you don’t know us once you get up to New York after the summer.”

  Brandon frowned and looked straight into her twinkling light eyes as the fading sunlight hit them. “Never,” he responded fiercely. He even squeezed her inadvertently when he said it. And Natasha felt it—mind, body and soul.

  Oh, that felt so good! she thought. He has no idea.

  For that suspended moment, no one else existed in the pool for either one of them. Natasha could feel Brandon’s fierceness within arm’s reach. He was still young, but he was no one’s pushover. And she knew that he had great potential.

  “We’ll see,” she responded with a grin. Then she broke away from him. “Anyway, you have to do what you have to do. So when that door opens up, you go for it.”

  GETTING CLOSER

  FOR THE REST of their stay in Tampa, Brandon and his guys made sure to watch Danielle Lyles perform. The attractive young phenom scored eight goals and four assists in four tournament games. But once her club team made it to the championship round against the number-one ranked player, Tabitha Remecki, and her team, Lyles lost.

  However, her loss didn’t matter to The Beast Team. Danielle had already impressed them enough in her earlier games to make their decision about her. After receiving a runner-up trophy and one of the tournament’s Most Valuable Player awards, the guys made sure they caught up with Danielle to take pictures.

  “Welcome to The Beast Team,” Brandon told her with a smile and a handshake.

  Danielle’s eyes popped open. “Really? You mean it?”

  “Yeah, we wanna take pictures with you holding your trophies.”

  Danielle smiled, grabbed her trophies and posed immediately. But as the guys took several pictures with her, Daniel Baker looked on from the distance and was not pleased.

  They’re doing it again, he told himself. However, he was conflicted about what to do. Did he want to pull the plug on their internship or let it slide? But at least they were all wearing the Adidas gear. So ultimately, Daniel decided to look the other way. Their summer internship was only a few more weeks anyway, and he didn’t want to be the one who rocked the boat.

  >>>

  At their seafood dinner in Tampa, the friction between Daniel and The Beast Team was obvious. The Adidas rep was resigned and no longer friendly. He was all about business, but young skateboarder Jay Stewart still hadn’t signed his shoe endorsement deal with the company yet. Knowing as much, Brandon felt secure, particularly since the Stewart family had agreed to give them five percent on the contract. The Beast Team even had professional representation now. Raymond House was scheduled to fly out to Glendale and meet the guys that week. He was also involved in the
trademark T-shirt deal. They were all very close to completing it. So Brandon and his guys felt quite optimistic with their snow crab legs, shrimp and fries at the dinner table. They were all appreciative and not boastful, and Paul had advised them to finish out their internship like professionals.

  “That’s what true professionals do—we finish up our obligations,” he told them before they left for Tampa. And the guys continued to heed his advice through the tension.

  “So, what did you guys think about Tabitha Remecki today?” Daniel asked them. He couldn’t help himself. He still valued their youthful opinions.

  “Remecki deserves to be ranked number one, but it’s not as if they really played against each other,” Brandon answered. “It’s not like basketball where players really guard each other.”

  Daniel nodded. “I see you guys chose to take pictures with Lyles instead of Remecki though.”

  “Yeah, she knew who we were, and she wanted to take pictures with us,” Leon interjected. “We didn’t get the same vibe from Remecki. She wasn’t as friendly.” And not as good looking either, Leon thought.

  “So, you guys would put Lyles on your Beast Team and not Remecki, just because she knew who you were?” Daniel was instigating the conversation, while Michael sat back and remained out of it, knowing that the guys could handle themselves.

  Simba smiled and spoke up like an attorney in training. “She had done her homework, and she was prepared to meet us.” And she bought some of our gear online already, he thought.

  Danielle Lyles was a no-brainer for The Beast Team. And they were light years ahead of where Daniel expected them to be in terms of their business comprehension. Michael Avery realized it the first time he met them.

  Daniel chuckled, cynically. “So, how far you guys plan to go with this whole Beast Team?”

  Simba and Leon looked to Brandon again.

  Brandon shrugged with a fourth crab leg in hand. “We don’t really know yet,” he answered. He figured there was no sense in having a deep conversation about it with Daniel. They would be moving on from him soon … and past him. He was only a figurehead out in the field, and Brandon refused to sweat for him. Daniel wasn’t a threat anymore, and there was nothing he could do to stop their imminent rise.