Along For the Ride

Chapter 3

Los Angeles, CA

A morning run was a staple of my morning routine. What wasn't a staple was coming home to Connor's voice reverberating off the walls.

"I read the script that your management wrote verbatim!" Connor's voice shouted. "You signed the fucking NDA, just like I did. If you want to sue for slander or defamation, that's on you. But don't come at me with the rest of your bullshit. I'm in the middle of rehearsals for a nationwide tour, and I don't have time to drop everything for this."

I could attest to Connor's packed schedule. There's no way he was going to have time to deal with a media storm if Lana opened up a lawsuit against him. Lana's voice carried through the hallway as she shouted through the phone, but I couldn't make out what she was saying.

"Then set up a conference call to have your manager call mine."

I heard her voice again, which was cut off by some colorful language by Connor.

A few seconds later, his phone collided with the wall. He stormed into the hallway where I was taking off my shoes, his eyes blazing.

"How did I ever think I was in love with her?" Connor blazed past me and shouted at top volume for our dad. This wasn't going to end well, and I didn't want to be around for it. Instead, I headed upstairs to take a long, hot shower to wash off the grime from the run.

"Good morning, honey," Mom said, coming into my room.

"Morning," I said, turning to face her.

She took a seat on the edge of my bed. "I talked to Coach Jefferson this morning to iron out some of the details of the tour."

I sat down next to her. "What do you mean?"

"To make sure that we have some teams you can guest-play on, to see the status of the Limitless Showcase—"

The Limitless Showcase! Nobody had received their emails yesterday, and I'd tossed and turned all night in anticipation.

"What did he say?" I asked.

"He's still waiting to hear too."

I tried to ignore the clenching of my chest. "Understood."

"I'll keep checking my email today, in case it comes through to me," she said. "You're important, too, Katelyn. And I'm sorry if we ever make it seem otherwise. With the tour and the album release, and everything happening with your brother, it doesn't make your accomplishments any less."

She wrapped her arms around me, and I leaned into her, resting my head on her shoulder. Quality time with my mom was easily one of the things that I missed the most in this new transition with Connor's career. And while I'd been trying to adjust to taking advantage of the moments we did get to spend together, it hadn't been easy.

"What did he say about the guest teams?" I asked.

Playing on guest teams for exhibition games took a lot of coordination. There were teams around the country that were willing to take on players from other competitive teams to play as a one-off guest. My coach had been working with my mom to schedule games where I could play while we were in different cities.

"We have a couple of games lined up," Mom said. "And then if the Limitless Showcase works out, that should be plenty to keep your soccer juices flowing."

"Never say those words again."

"I love you, Katie," Mom said.

She was the only person I'd tolerate calling me Katie.