Chapter9
“There’s something wrong with my phone, I need to go to the dealer to get it fixed,” Jared explained for the third time why he needed to leave after films, just for an hour or so.
“I’m sorry, Jump. We need you here.” The Offensive Coordinator, Bill Smith, shook his head apologetically. “We can send somebody to get it handled for you, though.”
“Really?” Jared asked. That could work.
“Yeah, there are a hundred assistants running around here, surely one of them can handle it, right?” Smith grinned. “I’ve always been fair with you, haven’t I, Jump?”
“Yeah, you have, sir,” Jared agreed. “If somebody could get my phone fixed, I would be really grateful.”
“You really weren’t lying about all that, were you?” Coach Smith asked.
“No, Coach. I really had problems with my phone. The new cord is probably at my rental as we speak.” Jared figured he was only half lying. “But now, I think I may need a whole new phone. I tried my back up cord and nothing happened.”
“That’s no good, kid.” Coach Smith shook his head. “Yeah, let’s get that handled. Hey, kid!” A young guy, maybe nineteen with too big ears and too small eyes jogged over. Coach Smith handed him Jared’s phone and the old cord, “Take this to Jump’s store and get it fixed for him, will ya?”
“Uh, ye-yes, sir.” The kid’s eyes bulged at the sight of Jump. “Wh-wh-which store?”
Jared pulled his information out of his pocket, the warranty stuff he’d remembered to grab, “the address is on there. Thanks, man. It’s under warranty so it should be easy to replace. I’ll need my contacts off there too.”
“Sure thing, Jump!” The kid bobbed his head eagerly and took off in the other direction.
“See?” Coach Smith beamed. “Problem solved!”
“Thanks, Coach.” Jared shook his hand firmly. “Now what did you need me to do?”
“We’ve got a press conference arranged to show the media that you are back in shape and ready to roll,” Coach Smith started. “You’re going to lift some weights and do a little sprinting and then jump for them, okay?”
Jared nodded. “Sure, that’s easy. I don’t know if my vertical is quite what it was, though.”
“You passed your old mark this morning. I think your vertical is actually a bit better,” Coach Smith said encouragingly.
“Better?” Jared asked. He had no idea, not that he’d measured. He’d actually been afraid to look when they had him jump that morning.
“Yeah, your sprint times are a touch faster, too,” Coach added as he led Jared toward the work out facility they used for media engagements. “I don’t know what you did while you were gone, but it worked, Jump.”
Jared considered confessing to Coach Smith but decided against it. Not now at least, not with the media just down the hall. “I had a great PT, Coach, and I worked really hard.”
“You should send that guy a medal,” Coach Smith added, “better yet, get him out here for a game.”
“That’s a good idea.” Jared smiled to himself. He planned to get A.J. out here for a game alright, maybe for good.
They approached the double doors. Coach Smith stopped. “Just go in there and do what you do best. Smile, assure them, and remember that it’s okay to show off today.”
“Got it, Coach.” Jared nodded and pushed open the swinging door. He stepped in to greet the handful of media brought in to witness the show. “Hey everybody! Good to see you.” He smiled easily, bolstered by the idea that he could out perform his pre-injury body.
“Hey, Jump!” They were unusually quiet for reporters.
“You guys are awfully quiet today,” Jared observed. “Afraid I can’t bring that wow factor to the game anymore?”
“Nah, that’s not it, Jump,” one of them called out.
Jared nodded to the trainers in the room. “I think I’ll go with the sprints first if that’s okay with all of you?” He made a show of stretching his legs a little even though he was already warmed up. There were a few murmurs from the crowd as they noted his scar, visible beneath the hem of his shorts. He ignored them and took his mark.
One of the trainers blew a whistle and Jared took off, breezed past the media and ignored the flashes. It was over in a heartbeat. The room broke out into applause and whoops of praise. Jared’s eyes flicked toward the time clock on the wall – 4.3, more than respectable and better than his previous best.
“How’d you do it, Jump?”
“What’s your secret?”
The media clamored for more information, exhilarated by his 40-yard dash. Coach Smith stepped in while Jared stretched a bit more. “Okay, give him a minute. Jump’s not done with his little expo. Would you like to see his vertical?”
Jared beamed when the crowd erupted into cheers. He stepped up to the platform, crouched and let loose. There was no need for a second attempt. Reporters rushed him, a cacophony of questions and compliments.
Coach Smith stepped in front of him to address the onslaught. “Give him room, he’ll be more than happy to answer your questions one at a time. Go ahead, Phil, you’re up first.”
“Jump, how did you do it?” Phil, from the Times, made for a strategic choice.
“I worked hard and I had a great physical therapist.” Jared made a point of making eye contact, he learned long ago that it was the best way to convince a reporter. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I was gone for a while.”
“Yeah, you were hidden away in the Midwest, why was that?” another voice chimed in, Gloria from the Sun, maybe?
“My family and my team thought it would be best to avoid distractions and focus on my recovery. As you can see,” Jared gestured toward the counters still showing his numbers, “it paid off.”
“There will be rumors that you used performance enhancing drugs, what do you say to those people?” Definitely, Gloria Castle from the Sun. She loved exposing dirty players and cherished the opportunity to leak gossip, even if it wasn’t true.
“You are welcome to pull my medical records,” Jared answered firmly, never losing his trademark grin. “I had weekly drug tests done just in case somebody cared to question my comeback.”
Undaunted, Gloria pressed, “Records can be doctored, can’t they?”
“Gloria, are you accusing me of using drugs?” Jared asked her pointedly. She faltered a little at being called out directly. “Because I can assure you that the last drugs I took were the ones they imposed on me during and immediately after surgery when I was unconscious.
“Anybody who feels the need to question me can seek answers with my medical team. I’ll even take a test now. I have never needed performance enhancers and I definitely don’t need them now. The simple truth is that I ate healthy, had a supportive physical therapist, and worked very hard. Let’s face it, I had a few months to do nothing but recover.”
“Are you saying it’s better in the Midwest, away from L.A.?” Gloria arched an eyebrow at him, determined to find a story where there was none.
“I’m beginning to think you don’t like me very much, Gloria,” Jared half-teased. He flashed his 1,000-watt smile at her. “I’m just saying that some time away gave me perspective. It was different there than it is here and sometimes we all need that. Don’t you go away for vacation? Do you like your vacation spots better than L.A.? Does it mean you don’t love this great city? I love L.A., love everything this great city has given me, but I love my family in the Midwest town where I rediscovered my passion for the game and found a way to battle back from what could have been a career-ending injury. How could I not appreciate what they did for me? Don’t try to make my gratitude into something it isn’t.”
Gloria seemed unconvinced but the rest of the reporters seemed wowed by his speech.
Coach Smith coughed and intervened. “Alright everybody, Jump needs to get a bite to eat before afternoon reps. You’re all welcome to catch some of the action on the practice fields.” He led Jared out of the room and back toward the cafeteria in silence.
“Sorry, Coach, didn’t mean to lose my temper in there,” Jared apologized. He knew better than to let Gloria get to him.
Coach Smith stopped and stared at him. “Jump, that was one of the best interviews I’ve ever heard you give. You have absolutely nothing to apologize for. I don’t know what happened while you were away but you’ve clearly changed. Let Gloria try to run you down after that performance, she’ll be run out of the business if she does.”
“Thanks, Coach.” Jared exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
“Now, go eat something, you’re still a little on the thin side.” Coach dismissed him with a grin.
**
“Jump! Hey, Jump!” The assistant caught up to Jared on his wait out to the parking lot. Red-faced and breathless, the kid handed over a phone. “They said it’s all set for you.”
“Thanks, kid.” Jared patted him on the back. “I owe you one.”
He stuffed the phone in his pocket and headed for the car, more than ready to get home and call A.J. With the media still milling around he didn’t want to risk it now. Jared adjusted his duffel and stepped out of the building into the dwindling light. The parking lot was mostly empty but for a few cars. Media vans still lined the fence and Jared could already hear his name being whispered. He should have made arrangements to get out another way, he’d had enough media for the day.
“You might as well face the music, man.” Xander caught up to him. “They’re not gonna let up anytime soon.”
“I know.” Jared stopped and surveyed the lot. “I’m tired and I just want to sprawl on my couch right now.”
“I bet.” Xander studied him for a minute. “You still wanna talk?”
“Yeah, I do. To you and Trent, if you’re both willing,” Jared confirmed. “I’m ready for some changes.”
“Why don’t you let me give you a ride home?” Xander suggested. “Trent already left. He’s dealing with some stuff.”
“That’d be great, if it’s not too far out of your way.” Jared didn’t want to put the family man out.
“Actually, you’re on my way home,” Xander explained. “I’ll just text Alicia and let her know I’ll be a few minutes late. I can pick you up in the morning, too, if you want.”
“Yeah, that would be great. I forgot how intense the reporters can be.” Jared frowned. “It seems worse now, somehow.”
“You’re a story, Jared.” Xander led him toward a silver minivan. “And you’re going to be a story until something bigger comes along.”
They settled in the mini-van. Jared noticed the car seats in the back and the Wet Ones in the cup holder, but also how clean it was for a guy with kids. “What if I don’t want to be the story anymore?”
Xander didn’t answer right away, as if he were considering the question. “Are you sure that’s what you want? I mean, it doesn’t take much to see that you are different than you were before your injury, but is this permanent or just a reaction? That’s what you need to figure out first.”
“I don’t need to figure that out,” Jared insisted. “I know what I want.”
“You just got back. You’ve been away for months, essentially living in another world. Of course it feels strange now that you’re back, but if you recall, you loved this life,” Xander reminded him. “Are you so certain that you won’t miss being the center of attention once you’re off the radar again?”
Jared hadn’t considered this. He thought of A.J. and how easy everything was with her. No acts, no posing, no preparing everything that came out of his mouth. “I think so.”
“You need to know so,” Xander said quietly. “I went through the same thing. Trust me, you need to be positive that you want out of the spotlight because once you’re gone, there’s no going back.”
“Don’t you get credit for your charity work?” Jared asked.
“It’s not the same, man,” Xander explained. “It’s a different world. My charity gets the attention, the people who benefit, not me. Sure, I shake hands and take pictures but I’m not the focus and I don’t want to be.”
Jared thought back to the day at the rec center and how they’d shut doors to reporters, how he’d hidden behind the hospital’s organizations.
“I want to change things, Xander. I do.”
Xander regarded him for a moment, as if waiting for him to withdraw his statement. “Okay, then I can help, what do you want to do?”
“I’d like to help you at the Children’s Hospital. I want to go with you when you go see them,” Jared began, “and I want to look into local schools and PT programs without anybody knowing what I’m doing.”
“Who is she?” Xander asked.
“Who?” Jared played dumb.
“If you want my help, don’t lie to me,” Xander replied. “You met a woman, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” Jared said simply.
“She must be something,” Xander observed. “All the women over the years have done nothing to tame you and a few months with this mystery woman has you running from the media.”
“She changed my life, man,” Jared confessed. It felt good to tell somebody about A.J. “She was my PT.
“Damn.” Xander exhaled. “So how does Florence Nightingale feel about moving to L.A.?”
“We didn’t exactly get to finish discussing it,” Jared admitted. “I sort of got swept back here before we could really get into it. I haven’t been able to talk to her because of my phone.”
Xander laughed. “Are you sure she’s okay with being ignored for two days while you attended a party with a cheerleader?”
“No. I’m pretty sure she’s pissed. Especially since I didn’t get to say good-bye.” Jared hung his head, the reality of the past two days sinking in. “That’s why I wanted to get home so I could call her and explain.”
“Shit man, it’s going to take a lot of explaining if this woman is anything like Alicia.” Xander didn’t even try to hide his amusement.
“It’s not funny,” Jared commented bitterly. “I didn’t want things to go like this. I tried to go see her but the hospital was overrun and then Derek took my phone and disconnected my landline and when I got my phone back it didn’t work so I had to send a kid to get it replaced today. Everything has been a mess since Derek showed up at my rental house.”
“He’s bad news,” Xander noted. “He only cares about you while you’re the big news and he will do anything to keep you there.”
“You think he arranged all of this?” Jared asked.
“Yeah,” Xander said simply.
“Me, too,” Jared admitted. “I think he knows about everything.”
“I’m sure he does. And all he sees are dollar signs, man. He doesn’t want you doing anything to mess that up for you because it messes that up for him.” Xander spelled out what Jared had been piecing together slowly over the past few days.
“I have a list of other agents to look into. But none of it does me any good until I can prove my ability to play.” Jared relayed the scenario Matt gave him. “It’s why I need your help, Xander. I want out. Not out of ball but maybe out of L.A.”
“I thought you were going to look at schools?” Xander asked, surprised.
“I want to look at all of my options.” Jared confessed what he’d been holding onto since he stepped on the plane to return to L.A. “If she won’t come here then I want to go there.”
“I see.” Xander contemplated this. “So you already know what you want, you just need to know there’s a way to make it happen.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” Jared saw his teammate in a new light. “You’re really good at this shit, man.”
Xander shrugged. “Maybe. Or maybe I’ve just been there.”
“You know where I live?” Jared changed the subject.
“I have an idea, but you’ll have to point out the house.” Xander turned into Jared’s subdivision and waited for him to give the access code for the gate. “You think they’d change the code.”
“What?” Jared asked.
Xander smirked at him. “Alicia and I lived here when we first got married. It’s a good area.”
“Really? I didn’t know that.” Jared realized he didn’t know too much about his teammate.
“Yeah, but kids don’t really fit into the neighborhood.” Xander didn’t seem bitter about it but there was a touch of longing in his voice.
“I can see that.” Jared nodded, he didn’t know of any kids in the neighborhood. “I never really noticed that before.”
Xander gave a wry smile as Jared pointed out his street. “We were not-so-politely asked when we were moving as soon as word got out that we were expecting.”
“What?” Jared gaped at Xander. “Is that legal?”
“Does it matter? Who wants to live where they’re not wanted?” Xander brushed it off. “We love our house and our neighborhood. The kids are happy. The schools will be great and there are a lot of parks we can walk to. I just really liked our house here. We picked it out with our family in mind. But that was before we realized how this place worked.”
“I’m sorry, man.” Jared meant it. He hadn’t noticed the peculiarity of his neighborhood until Xander pointed it out. No bikes, no playgrounds, not even sidewalks. This subdivision was built for professionals only and though it wasn’t overtly stated, apparently no kids were allowed.
“Not your fault.” Xander pulled into Jared’s driveway. “See you in the morning.”
“Yeah, thanks again.” Jared shook his teammate’s hand. “I’ll be ready by 5am.”
“Plan on six, I’m not that crazy.” Xander smiled warmly. “Call that woman of yours and start making amends.”
“Will do.” Jared climbed out of the van and grabbed his duffel from the backseat. Xander didn’t pull out of the driveway until Jared stepped into his house and shut the door behind him.
**
Jared took a long, hot shower and changed into track pants before settling down with a protein shake to address his phone. He had twelve voicemails. A few from the team, two from his Mom, a couple from Derek, one from Paul, but zero from A.J. Her name didn’t even show up in his missed call log. There were over fifty text messages but none from A.J. No emails from her either. Jared frowned at his phone. How was that possible?
He dialed her number, his heart thumped in his chest as he worked over what he would say after two days of radio silence. It went right to voicemail. Jared looked at the time, realized it was really late where she was, and forced himself not to read too much into it. He left a brief message, fumbled over his words a bit, and left the proverbial ball in her court. Jared contemplated listening to the messages from his team but deleted them instead.
They didn’t matter now. He put Paul’s off for tomorrow and went straight to his Mom’s. She just wanted to check in, find out when he would be back in L.A. and then asked if she could visit when he returned. He hit call back and waited for the familiar voice to pick up.
“Hi-ya, Mom.” Jared reverted to his roots every time he talked to his Mom.
“Jared!” Relief flooded her voice. “I was worried. I’m not used to not hearing from you for so long. What happened?”
“It’s a really long story, Mom.” Jared didn’t want to get into it now, especially not over the phone. “I’d love for you to come visit. I really need to talk to you and Dad.”
His Mom hesitated for a moment. “Actually, it would just be me, hon.”
“Mom, is something wrong?” Jared frowned into the phone as if his Mom could read his concern across the miles and through the device.
“I’d rather just talk to you in person, honey,” his Mom continued before he could object, “I need to get away for a few days anyway so I’ll just fly down this weekend and we can catch up then. Alright?”
“Mom, is Dad okay?” Jared’s heart pounded in his chest. “Just tell me.”
“He’s okay, he just can’t travel right now. He had a stroke. He’s okay, I promise you, he’s okay, but he can’t fly right now.”
“What!” Jared jumped off his couch. “Why didn’t anybody tell me! How could you keep that from me? When? What happened?”
“It happened a few weeks ago. Derek said it would be better if we didn’t tell you until you were back in L.A. He thought it might hurt your recovery,” his Mom said quietly.
“That bastard! Are you fucking kidding me?” Jared screamed. “Mom, you need to tell me when stuff happens. I don’t give a shit what Derek says. You talked to me every week and pretended you were tired from the restaurant. Why would you do that?”
“Honey, we were just looking out for you,” his Mom soothed, her voice betraying the tears he knew were rolling down her cheeks. “You sounded so happy and I didn’t want to ruin that.”
“Mom, I would have been there. What if it wasn’t okay? What if he didn’t make it? Would you have hidden that from me too?” Jared asked, refusing to hold back now.
“Of course we would have! Your dad is going to be just fine. He just needs to slow down a little.” His Mom added that last bit as an afterthought but Jared thought he wasn’t getting the whole story.
“Mom, let me fly to you this weekend, I’d like to see Dad,” Jared blurted without thinking, not really caring about anything else at the moment.
“You can’t do that,” his Mom reminded him, “you just got back. If you leave now it will not look good and you know it.”
“I can tell them my dad is sick. They’ll understand,” Jared argued.
“I don’t think so, sweetie.” His Mom sounded sad now. “I think you need to stay. Let me visit you and we’ll talk things out and you’ll see that staying is in your best interest.”
“You sound like Derek now, Mom,” Jared said bitterly.
“Has something happened between you and Derek?” His Mom cut to the heart of the problem as always.
“Yeah, Mom. You could say that,” Jared muttered into the receiver but conceded that it may not be in his best interest to leave right now. “Alright, come visit and we’ll talk. I have a lot to tell you, things I couldn’t really explain before.”
“Okay. I’ll be there on Friday.” His Mom sounded like she was smiling now. “I’ll meet you at your house after practice.”
“Nah, I’ll pick you up at the airport,” Jared offered, “just let me know when you get in.”
“Are you sure? Won’t the press be following you around still?” His mom sounded skeptical.
“Not if they don’t know what I’m driving,” Jared answered. “Text me your flight information and I’ll let you know what kind of car to look for.”
“Okay. I will,” his mom agreed. “I love you.”
“Love you too, Mom. Bye.” Jared disconnected the call and fell back on the couch. His dad had a stroke and nobody told him. What the fuck else didn’t he know about? Being away from L.A. had given Jared some real perspective on just how fake his life had been before his injury.
He felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz seeing behind the curtain for the first time and realizing that the Great and Powerful Oz was just a man in a bad suit manipulating a lot of people for his own gain. Only his wizard was a sports agent named Derek and Jared didn’t need a pair of ruby slippers to get home.
“I’m gonna fuck up your universe now, Derek,” Jared said to the empty room, not caring that nobody was around to hear his promise.
**
“Time for dinner, Jaida!” A.J. called from the kitchen.
“Alex! Come here! Jared’s on TV,” Jaida hollered back, “and he shaved his face!”
“What?” A.J. rushed into the living room in spite of herself. Sure enough, Jared was larger than life on ESPN walking into some sort of welcome back event. He looked good, but not as good as the petite blonde on his arm who watched him adoringly. That woman was everything A.J. wasn’t. A.J. desperately wanted to hurl something at the TV, right at her perfect, porcelain face.
“Who’s that woman?” Jaida asked.
“I don’t know.” A.J. choked on the words. He hadn’t called, not even a text, and now, there he was, back to being the media darling with a Barbie doll on his arm at a lavish event.
“She’s not as pretty as you, Alex.” Jaida shook her head. “He doesn’t look happy. See, his smile doesn’t reach his eyes.”
“You’re just trying to make me feel better now.” A.J. smiled at her sister. “It’s okay, sis. I’m okay.”
“No, you’re not. I told you to call him. You should have listened to me.” Jaida frowned. “I’m telling you, something’s wrong.”
“Yeah, something is wrong, dinner is getting cold.” A.J. plastered on a smile and vowed to forget all about Jared Jackson. She didn’t need him or his media circus in her life, she just needed her sister and her work.