Many thoughts raced at his words, but one thing I understood very clear.
The Chancellor was looking past this. The fact the school had been presented with matters such as this didn’t surprise me. With the way freebies and gifts were thrown at me, I could imagine many players had to deal with this type of thing. The people that came at us were professionals and no doubt had their asses covered. Because of that, trails that led back to the people presenting the handouts were hard to peg. These people were manipulators that preyed on athletes like cattle. I was relieved I saw them for what they were now and got out from under them while I still could. What was happening today, right here in this office, wasn’t lost on me.
I’d been given a second chance. It was time to do things right and start my professional career anew. The gratitude I had couldn’t be measured. I shouldn’t have been given a second chance, but by fate, I had. I wouldn’t waste it. I couldn’t. I had too many people relying on me. Too many people I refused to disappoint, and one of those people was myself. I’d been bogged down by the mistakes of my past for so long I thought I would never get a chance to breath fresh air, to see pure light. That overcast was starting to fade, and damn was I glad.
“There is another issue we have to address today,” the Chancellor continued, regaining my attention. D’s eyes went to him as well, his face draining of color. I think we both knew what was next.
The Chancellor folded his hands on his desk. “These claims are more serious. More impacting on those accused.”
The air seemed to have left the room in that moment. I knew I had nothing to do with this, and since I hadn’t, I also knew the odds of me being tied to the incidents would be quite slim. The fact lessened my anxiety, but only a bit. I feared the outcome for my friends. My fellow players and brothers on this team. One of those was D. Though he and the other guys brought this down upon themselves, I didn’t want them to lose it all. These men had really become my second family. We had a bond; one strong as blood.
In his chair next to me, D sat stiffly, a vein at his temple exposed, revealing his tension. We both faced forward, as ready for whatever came next as we could be.
The Chancellor didn’t make us wait long. He sat back in his chair, settling his hands in his lap. “I’ve personally looked into this as well, gentlemen, and the severity of these claims go without saying. Point shaving is a federal crime. Those committed can face large fines and even serve jail time.”
I swallowed, but D didn’t move. He knew all this. Everyone on the team did.
“Fortunately,” the Chancellor leaned forward, “at this institution, we won’t have to deal with the repercussions of that. Like the former allegations, I see no evidence of this. I believe you both can agree with me that our team’s players have been nothing but upstanding and will have no more issues from here on out. If that’s it, I’m happy to say you’re both free to go.”
The surprise written across D’s face was evident, and I bet money mine had to match. The Chancellor really didn’t find anything? I guess I just figured with D’s free throws, the information was there to find. Perhaps that wasn’t the case, or maybe he just meant no clear evidence was there and he couldn’t confirm foul play just like before. Whatever the case, I had no intention of asking him to dig deeper, and I had a feeling D felt the same. He stood when the Chancellor did, ready to get out of here, and I did the same, standing as well.
The Chancellor shook D’s hand first, then mine. “I trust this will continue to be a clean season for the University’s basketball team. Especially while under you both. As captain and co-captain of this team, the University expects you to be the leaders we know you are.”
He had no idea how squeaky clean I intended to be, and I knew D would be doing the same. We’d both been touched by an angel. Someone somewhere was looking out for us, and we wouldn’t be fucking up again.
D and I exchanged glances of agreement with the Chancellor’s words, acknowledging we’d do just what he said and remain clean. The man released my hand, standing tall with a wide smile. “I wish you both luck with your careers. Have a good rest of the afternoon. It’s supposed to be nice from what I hear.”
With what happened today in this office, I felt it just might be a nice day. D thanked him for his time, and I did the same. He left first and I started to follow when the Chancellor said, “Just a moment, Mr. Chandler. I’d like a few minutes more of your time please.”
His words stopped both D and me. I told D I’d meet him in hallway, and the uneasy look he gave me before he left wasn’t lost on me. I had the same feeling—one brewing deep in my gut. I couldn’t imagine what the administrator would still want with me, but I made it seem as if I wasn’t worried. This could be about anything. He asked me to close the door behind D. I did and then joined him by his desk. He sat on the edge of it, more casual this time, and I stood in front.
He rested his hands on his knee; his face, though serious, was more in the professional sense. Because of that I couldn’t read him. “I’m going to be perfectly honest with you, Mr. Chandler. I feel the need to regarding the circumstances. They’re unique and they concern you.”
I narrowed my eyebrows, unsure of what he meant by that. “Sir?” I said, but in the back of my mind I had a feeling what he was about to say wasn’t good. How were the circumstances unique and in what ways did they concern me?
“Your alleged indiscretions, Mr. Chandler, had no stable ground to stand on. I was only truthful about that. But in the matter of your co-captain, Mr. Combs…” Sighing, he tilted his head. “I won’t lie to you. There is indeed evidence of illegal activity, a fair amount. Fortunately, this information was brought to my attention early. The situation is being contained, quietly and privately. Mr. Combs and the rest of your teammates will see no consequences. I’m personally seeing the matter through to make sure of that. I just wanted you to know.”
“So…” I said, trying to figure out what to make of what he was telling me. “You mean, you know about what happened, but you’re only going to help them out of this? Ultimately looking the other way?”
He nodded. “That’s between you and me of course. No need for any further discussion with your team.”
Now I was even more confused and couldn’t help when I asked, “Why?”
He didn’t answer me; instead, he simply got out his wallet. He showed me a picture, one dated and worn. It was of a young girl, early teens I guessed. She sat on her knees in front of a Christmas tree, giving a smile so faint it could barely be seen. That’s when I knew she was doing it for the camera. There was no mistaking those green eyes. That perfect pretty face of the woman I loved. She was young, but it was her.
Roxie.
“Because my daughter asked me to handle the situation for a friend, you,” the Chancellor said, answering my question from before. He flipped the photo, gazing at it himself now. There was no denying the smile that touched his lips. “And that’s what I’m doing. Handling it.”
My gaze shifted to his nameplate after that. It read, Dr. Greg Peterson, Chancellor.
This was the job her dad took. The one he’d gotten to be closer to his daughter? I wondered why she never told me, but then I didn’t. She had no reason to. Not before now.
Thinking back, I could imagine his name was on the letter his office sent me for the meeting with him today. But at the time, I didn’t put two and two together. My anxiety about the meeting was in overdrive that day. I wasn’t surprised I overlooked it. I casted it off, my thoughts more concerned about my future and what would happen after the meeting. I wasn’t doing that now. Casting things off. I knew who this man was and it didn’t escape me what he just said. He told me his daughter asked him to take care of this. The daughter he wasn’t on good terms with. The one he essentially betrayed in favor of her former stepmother.
“She spoke to you?” I asked, so blown away by the situation. This man had hurt Roxie so much, but she still went to him.
She went to him fo
r me. She was the angel looking out for me. My angel. Always.
Chancellor Peterson’s face fell. He slipped the photo back into his wallet, shaking his head. “She left word with my secretary. It’s the most correspondence I’ve had with my daughter in years. She must really care about you, Mr. Chandler. She has to if she came to me.”
His words weren’t lost on me. They weren’t. Not at all. Flat out, I decided to tell him the extent of our relationship. “I love her,” I said. “We love each other. Very much.”
The corner of his lips rose at that. He nodded, his expression only a warm one. “I’m glad she’s found happiness. You don’t know how glad.”
Pushing my hands into my pockets, I studied the man before me. I considered myself pretty good at reading people and sniffing out the bullshit to get to the truth. It was a skill I acquired early on considering I had been taken advantage of early in my academic and athletic career; it allowed me to see people for who they truly were. I painted a picture of who Roxie’s dad might be, and that was extremely cold and heartless. However, the moment I came into his office, shook his hand, and took a seat, I got nothing but genuine off this guy. I think he really cared about Roxie. I felt he did.
I took a seat on the arm of the chair I sat in before, analyzing him even still. As if to find a crack, a chink in the genuine armor he wore. “She told me about what happened. Why you guys don’t talk.”
He put his hands together. “I gave up on my wife. I did. When her eating got out of control I actually thought I was dealing with the situation in the right way. I never left her. I thought just because I didn’t leave I was doing right by her. What I failed to realize was I did leave. Maybe not physically, but I did. When she was gone, it was too late for me to make amends, to do right by her. I could do something for my daughter, though. Make things right. I thought I was when I remarried quickly. Julie, my ex-wife, was healthy and active. She could take care of my daughter with me and finally allow Roxie to be a child instead of the caregiver. Julie also had daughters. The situation just seemed perfect, and at first, it was.
“All four of them bonded so quickly. Roxanne… she told them everything. Things she wouldn’t even go to me about. We were a real family. One Roxie and me didn’t get to be before. So when the verbal abuse by Julie and her kids started, I didn’t make the connection. I honestly thought Julie was just parenting by showing her concerns about Roxie’s health since she was a little fuller than her own children. And me? I was a coward. I was just so hesitant to say anything. I was scared for Roxie. I didn’t want what happened to her mom to happen to her. I didn’t want her to lose control of her eating and suffer from depression because of it. So in the end, I didn’t do anything. I let it happen.”
He looked away from me and through the window, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. “I should have done something. I should have protected my girl.”
His mouth went tight after that, his hands working in and out of each other, and his expression tense. This man clearly had some demons. Ones suffocating him, burying him just like mine did for so many years. He was still paying for his and might for a while. I sympathized for him. I truly did. His unhappiness stemmed from his daughter’s, which made me sad as well as I hated her being unhappy. I had a feeling until she came back from this, he never would. I hoped over time they’d both be able to figure this out.
He stood from his desk and shook my hand again with a strong grip. “I hope the rest of your year goes well, and again, best of luck to you.”
He told me his secretary would see me out. I went to the door that divided his office from hers. Gripping the handle, I stopped. “Chancellor Peterson?” I said.
He’d made it back to his desk, gazing up at me from his seat. “Yes, Mr. Chandler?”
Lowering my hand from the knob, I gave him a small smile. “Some of the not so great things I’ve done in my past kept me from Roxie at first, but I learned your daughter is forgiving. You just have to give her time. She goes at her own speed, her own pace. You just have to be conscious of that. It’s one of the things that makes her special.”
I didn’t say what I had to give him unrealistic expectations or a false sense of hope. I strongly believed in the words. Roxie was an amazing woman who had nothing but openness in her heart. And though she had her own struggles within herself, she got nothing but braver every day, stronger. She didn’t let anything break her down. She was a fighter, and one day, she’d be able to reconnect with her father. I just wanted her dad to know that. That there was some light at the end tunnel. I believed it was there for both of them.
I think this man knew that, too. He nodded at me with a small smile before going through some papers on his desk.
D stood against the wall when I came out of his office, his head popping up as I passed him. I really had nothing to say to him. He got his second chance, could move on, and I helped him get there. Because of that, I believed we were finished here, but he didn’t, trailing behind me.
“What did he say, Griff?” he asked.
I let out breath when I stopped to talk to him. That’s when I knew something.
I was angry.
I didn’t understand why until I turned to him. The words tickling my throat, I decided to let them fly. “He wanted to let me know that he’s covering for you. He’s personally covering for you and the other guys because he knows what you did.”
Surprise flashed in his eyes and a stupid look hit his face. I was so tired of that look, that selfishness. He wanted to help his family, I got that, but on the way he betrayed me. He betrayed me when he insulted my girlfriend and kept things from me.
Tired of looking at him, I turned, but he grabbed my arm.
“Why, Griff?” he asked. “I mean, I’m happy, but why is he doing that?”
I didn’t turn around. Not this time. “Because his daughter asked him to. The same one I’m dating. The same one you had shit to say about in the locker room that day. That word you called her… what was it again?”
He didn’t respond, but he did lower his hand from my arm. I took that as he remembered but didn’t dare insult her now.
“Just remember who saved you,” I said. “Remember that. Maybe one day you’ll be fortunate enough to find a girl that’s kind and selfless like that, too. Oh, and by the way, I need some space from you. I think you know why.”
I left him in the hallway. I guess I had something to say to him after all.
*
I didn’t want to make Roxie worry about the result of today, so the first place I went after my meeting with the Chancellor was to find her. I mentioned the meeting to her and I wanted to put her mind at ease about what happened, but really I wanted to thank her for everything and then some. She had class right now in a building not too far from this one. I texted her I’d be outside it when she got done so we could talk, so imagine my surprise when she turned out to be standing right by the door. She must have left so she could talk to me.
She wore a skirt today, matching the cool weather outside, her legs long and looking beautiful underneath it. It was brightly colored like the blouse she wore and she had her laptop bag on her arm. Seeing her standing there before she saw me, I realized something. She used to wear all black before with only splashes of color, her body always covered. She wasn’t doing that anymore. She wasn’t hiding, but instead she wanted to be seen by the world around her.
And I definitely saw her.
My steps caused her to look up, her pretty face so anxious. I didn’t want it that way. I wanted her happy. I wanted her warm.
She got an uneasy, “How did it go—?” out before I snatched her up by her waist, pressing her body effortlessly against me. I breathed her in, absorbing that scent that made me fall for her before even meeting her. It warmed my blood, so sweet and succulent. I was so glad this amazing woman let me see her.
I was so glad.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The Fourth of July
Roxie
; Today was Griffin’s post draft celebration party. Since his family met up for Independence Day anyway, his grandma thought it would be a good day to have his party. My jetlag was terrible. We flew straight from New York (where the draft conference was held) to Texas. Yes, the fatigue got to me, but I’d never been happier. I was so proud of Griffin and all his accomplishments. He was a first round draft pick…
I pretended to know what that meant, but from what I heard that was an amazing feat for a player. The best they could be. He got an offer, which he accepted, from a team on the Florida coast. From what I heard, they were pretty good. He’d be moving out there soon to start his life and live out his dream. Currently, his stuff was in my apartment. After his lease was up with his roommates, he just kind of moved his stuff on into my place since I was month-to-month on my lease after mine ended. I really didn’t know what was next for me. I had a few job offers with some private organizations—some local, some not. Griffin and I hadn’t really talked about what we’d do as far as my opportunities in conjunction with his. He didn’t ask me to come with him to Florida, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t. He’d been busy. I knew what I’d say if he did. Long distance didn’t seem ideal for me, but if that’s what he wanted I’d be okay with it. I wanted him, but I didn’t want to pressure him. Things between us had been so easy, so relaxed. I guess I figured things would come to fruition on their own.
“Roxie?” Griffin’s gram came into her kitchen, her hands on her hips. She also had on a wide smile under her Stetson hat. “How you doing with that salsa? We got some hungry folks out there.”
I just added the third jar to the bowl I mixed before she came in. This was the second batch I made of this stuff and it was only early afternoon. I didn’t mind, though. I told Griffin’s gram I wanted to help out as much as I could for the gathering. Texans really loved their chips and salsa. I couldn’t say anything, though. I was a ranch junkie myself.
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