Between The Lines! (not complete)

Part 7

The cameras were already set up when I arrived.

Bright lights. Makeup chair. Microphone clipped to my collar.

LSPN didn't care that I'd barely slept.

"Cooper, we'll need you center stage in five," a producer called out.

Five minutes.

I sat still while someone dabbed powder on my face, thinking about how different this was from Zaliyah's interview. Hers happened quietly, behind a desk, no applause waiting on the other side.

Mine came with headlines.

My phone buzzed.

Dad: Proud of you. Represent the family well.

There it was.

I stood as the countdown began.

Three.
Two.
One.

The red light blinked on.

"So, Cooper," the host smiled, "another incredible season. People are calling you a guaranteed first-round pick. How does that feel?"

I smiled because that's what I was trained to do.

"It's a blessing," I said. "I work hard, and I'm grateful for the support system around me."

They asked about training. Legacy. Pressure. The future.

Questions I'd answered my whole life.

"What drives you?" she asked finally.

The answer came unexpectedly.

"Consistency," I said. "Knowing nothing worth having is handed to you."

I thought of Zaliyah then. Of the way she studied. The way she carried responsibility like armor.

The interview wrapped with applause.

Off camera, Dylan clapped me on the back. "You killed that."

Kyrell nodded. "America loves you."

I smiled again.

But as the lights dimmed and the crew packed up, all I could think about was how strange it felt to be celebrated for something I was expected to be.

Zaliyah had to prove herself just to be allowed into the room.

And for the first time, the gap between our worlds felt louder than the applause.