Page 72 of No Easy Catch
Jeff nodded and his gaze clouded.
“Hello?”
“Amber, my favorite family member. How are you doing?” His voice sounded the same, nothing off about it, but he spoke faster than normal. I sat up straighter in my bed and held eye contact with Jeff.
“Having a boring night, actually, but otherwise good. What about you? This is a random time to call.” I swallowed, hard, and felt confident I sounded normal to him. Jeff gave me a slight nod and I clutched the phone tighter against my ear.
“I wanted to ask you about…this article.”
Damn.
He knew I knew.
My pulse quickened and Jeff must’ve sensed the change. He moved closer to me and furrowed his dark brows. “What about it?”
“It’s for your senior class, you said?”
His voice changed now. It wasn’t friendly or upbeat like I was used to. He ended each syllable with a hardness I hadn’t heard before and for the first time since we’d started this thing, I was scared of my uncle. “It’s one of the reasons.”
“And the others?”
“Why don’t you ask me what’s really on your mind, Uncle?” I fired back.
“How did you find out?”
“Be more specific.”
“Me, Amber. How did you find out about me?”
I glanced at Jeff. The truth was all him. There was no way this would’ve ever caught my attention or gotten on my radar if it weren’t for Jeff, but he’d already suffered enough. It physically felt like my heart broke in half, one for betraying my own family and the other for lying to Jeff. “Why does it matterhowI found out?”
“Because I can think of exactly one person who lives in the sports world. It isn’t you.” His words became sloppy and someone else was in the background. It was distinctively male, but I had no idea who the muffled voice belonged to.
“Uncle Martin…” I let my vulnerable side show. He was used to this Amber, a sad and low-confidence girl. He would underestimate this version and I wanted him to downplay how much I knew. “People were always going to find out.”
“How much do you know?”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“What proof do you have?”
“Again, that doesn’t matter.” I shifted uncomfortably and knew I had to speed up the process. The article had to be posted as soon as possible. “I sought the truth and discovered things on the way. This isn’t personal.”
“You’re going to publish an article that will hurt your family? The one person who supported you your entire life? The man who helped get you into this college when you had very little to offer?” he seethed, and I could almost imagine the spit flying from his mouth. “We need to talk. In person.”
My voice shook for real this time. “I don’t know if we do.”
“Yes, Amber. You wouldn’t want anything to happen toyouor yourfriend, would you?”
“Did…did you threaten me?”
“I’ll be in town tomorrow.” He hung up and I sat there, mouth agape, disgusted, hurt and wanting to cry. Jeff ran his hand up and down my back and pulled me into his arms.
Everything felt wrong. My uncle threatening me, Jeff comforting me without knowing the entire truth and the weight of carrying the story that hurt so many people. I had enough regrets in my life to have second thoughts about posting the article, but a part of me hated the damaged relationships.My uncle and I, Jeff and Coach Tee, Dean Sanders and Assistant Dean Tony, and Jeff and I.
“I’ll be here with you tomorrow, so you won’t be alone. I won’t allow it,” Jeff said as I clung to him. “He’s trying to rile you up, Amber. Don’t listen to him, okay?”
I couldn’t be strong anymore. Tears fell and Jeff let me wet the entire part of his shirt. I was the worst and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it. “I just want to sleep and forget about all of this.”
