Page 5 of Rain Delay

“Just you wait,” Liam calls after me. “If you get assigned someone, I guarantee you’ll end up loving whoever it is.”

I bark out a laugh. “Absolutely not. They’ll be my worst enemy.”

I tossed my gear into my locker and turned my focus back to the only thing that mattered. Baseball.

Though there was this funny feeling in my gut that told me I needed to prepare myself for a big change. One that no one could ever prepare me for.

Chapter 2

Eliana

I WAS KNEE DEEP in reading about some new sports scandal when the sound of my phone spooks the shit out of me.

I glance at the Caller ID to see my manager, Carly, is calling.

I sat up fast in bed, swiping to answer. “Hey Carly! What’s up?”

“Hi, Ellie! I hope I didn’t startle you by calling,” she greets with a laugh. “I thought this conversation would be easier to have over the phone rather than texting you.”

I get that sinking feeling in my stomach. Oh no. I was going to be fired. She was calling to part ways with me because of last season.

“Oh, okay? Is everything okay?” I answer, a little pause in my voice.

“Everything’s great! Nothing to worry about. I just got off the phone with my manager, Kylie, and we want to assign you to a new player this season!” She tells me, enthusiasm oozing out in her voice.

I had been waiting for this call, actually. After last season and working with a player on the Chicago Towers, I didn’t think I was going to get that opportunity again.

He made it my worst nightmare. The guy didn’t care about anyone but himself, and he made sure that he let me know whenever he had the chance. I worked my ass off to make sure that I would be able to turn his image around a little bit, but when he’s a raging asshole both on and off the field, it’s difficult to do that.

“It’s going to be in Milwaukee this season! So you’ll get to stay home and work with the Crafters,” she announces and I smile big to myself. “We think this is going to be a huge success!”

“Wow, that’s uh, wow.” I lean back against the headboard.

“While I can’t give you a lot of details yet since we’re still finalizing things, I can tell you that you start tomorrow for Opening Weekend. I can also say that you need to pack your bags, as you’ll be living with them for the duration of the season.”

Annnnnd my stomach falls through my ass.

I nod, taking a second to process all the information she threw at me. “O-Oh! That’s new.”

“We thought if you’re living with the player, it’ll be easier to work around their schedule and work even more closely with the player,” Carly continues. “I think this’ll be super exciting and help us with making sure the program stays successful! I know last year was a little rough for you, but you were still able to do a fantastic job with what you were given, and we at MLB are confident that you’ll be even better this season!”

I appreciated the compliment. The thought of living with the player this season was something I definitely would have to wrap my head around.

“Okay…” I uttered carefully.

“That way it’s 24-hour access, seven days a week, of coverage with the athlete. You can dedicate time to his socials, and maybe even create new accounts for him to get his image out there even more,” she says. “The Crafters are coming off a huge season, so all eyes are going to be on them to see if they can repeat that season this year.”

“And they said it’ll be best if I live with them? In their house?” I question, biting on my nails.

“The content you did last season was amazing, Ellie. You have all the right stuff to make this season another huge success. Why not capitalize on a team that’s coming off a World Series win and highlight a player on their roster as well?”

I’ve always been dedicated to my craft, and I’ve always wanted to prove that I deserve to be in this field.

Sports media has consumed my life for as long as I can remember. It started at a young age – I loved taking pictures of sporting events. Most people saw social media as just posting pictures and videos. I saw it as storytelling.

I saw being able to see the world of an athlete through a different lens as a different perspective.

“So, I start tomorrow? How will this all work?”