Page 36 of Playing Hard to Hate
TATUM
PRESENT
Griffin Silver’s Stunning Playoff Win—But Who’s the Mystery Woman Stealing the Spotlight?
Rookie sensation Griffin Silver is proving himself on the field, leading his team to a thrilling second playoff victory last night. But while the game should have been the biggest headline, it’s the mystery woman who clung to him after the win that has everyone talking.
A reporter grabbed him before his post-game conference where Silver was answering questions about his performance and the shocking news that the suspects from the grocery store robbery he was caught in had been released on bail.
But before he could respond, a stunning fan stormed the interview, wrapping herself around his arm in front of the cameras.
Dressed in a cropped jersey with Silver’s name stretched across her back, the woman gushed about his performance, clinging to him while security scrambled to intervene. Silver, visibly caught off guard, offered only a smirk and a vague “Thanks” before she was pulled away.
But the damage was done. Social media exploded overnight with speculation .
“Is this Griffin Silver’s new girl?” One fan posted. “Because she is NOT Tatum Grace.”
For weeks, rumors have swirled about Silver’s rekindled connection with fitness influencer Tatum Grace , his childhood friend and the woman who had been by his side during the robbery. But after last night’s viral moment, some are questioning whether Tate has already been replaced.
“So much for childhood love.” Another fan wrote. “Looks like Griffin’s already moved on.”
Neither Silver nor Grace have commented on the speculation, but one thing is certain, his life off the field is starting to overshadow his performance on it.
With the playoffs heating up and his name dominating headlines for more than just baseball, Griffin Silver might have more than just a championship to fight for.
I tossed my phone aside and stared at the ceiling of my bedroom. I’d read more than one article just like that one. Comments were starting to swarm all my accounts from girls in outrage and men asking for their shot. I was equally flattered and disgusted.
He had called so many times last night. Even after Millie told him to stop.
And despite every bone in my body that wanted to answer that stupid call, to tell him yes, I wanted to try this whole relationship thing, to believe it was just a fan putting herself where she didn’t belong, my heart wouldn’t allow it.
My heart, that had been battered and bruised so many times, wouldn’t let me answer one of his hundreds of calls or the slew of text messages that followed.
I had been so excited for him until I saw that interview.
Millie and I had jumped up and down in the living room.
We’d screamed. We’d celebrated the win of the boy who was told he’d never get to the major leagues.
But more importantly, we celebrated me finally letting go of my fears of him hurting me again.
She reminded me all night that he couldn’t possibly be the same as the boy who shunned me in high school.
It had been almost eight years since he’d done that, and we’d all changed so much since then.
I knew she was right, but then the reporter snagged him as he was on his way out.
He had looked angry at first. I saw it in the way he pinched his brows and the slight frown that tugged at his lips, and I wondered what could possibly ruin a win this big.
Then the questions started, questions about the game, the robbery, and me. And instead of letting the world know I was more, he deflected any questions about me, giving vague answers that made it seem like we truly were nothing.
I tried to tell myself he was doing it on purpose.
He had been told to do it by his agent, or he was trying to protect me from the reporters, but it hurt.
Then the girl so perfectly pretty clung to him the way I wanted to, his number on her back, and there was no convincing my heart that it hadn’t been betrayed.
Millie turned the TV off just as security pried the girl off of him, and I saw the brief glimpse of relief that passed through his features before the screen went black.
I went through the motions for the next two days.
I continued to ignore his calls. I added an extra session to my workout schedule, so instead of once a day, I was there morning and night, and yesterday I stopped by Millie’s and did another hour with her.
Anything I could do to fill the time and keep myself off social media and away from gossip articles.
On Friday, our beachwear campaign was launched, causing a whole new gossip thread in the media.
The attention was back on us and the possibility of our relationship.
This time, the tabloids tore me apart, and the cleat chasers attacked my recent posts.
With every article that I devoured over breakfast, the more I feared for any upcoming campaigns.
I was just waiting for the owners of Salt and Siren to call me and complain .
Griffin Silver Sizzles in New Beachwear Campaign, but Tatum Grace Gets Burned
Baseball’s hottest rookie, Griffin Silver, is making waves off the field—but not just for his playoff performance. The athlete and his rumored love interest, Tatum Grace, just debuted as the faces of Salt and Siren’s latest beachwear campaign, and let’s just say…opinions are certainly divided.
The steamy photos, released earlier today, show Silver looking every bit the sports superstar with chiseled abs, effortless charm, and the perfect golden tan. But the real question on everyone’s mind? Does Tatum Grace hold up next to him?
While the fitness influencer-turned-model certainly has her share of loyal fans, critics aren’t being so kind. From her “too muscular” arms to her “not-quite-hourglass” shape, some are questioning whether she was the right choice for a campaign meant to ooze effortless, beachside perfection.
“She’s pretty, sure, but standing next to Griffin? It just doesn’t hit.” One comment read under the brand’s Instagram post, already flooded with debate.
Another went further. “They could have picked literally ANY model, and this is who they went with? She’s cute, but not that kind of model cute.”
Yikes.
Others pointed out how the chemistry in the campaign feels…forced. While Silver shines with his signature easy confidence, Tatum looks “stiff” and “out of place” in several shots. Some fans speculate that the pressure of being linked to one of baseball’s most desirable stars is getting to her.
“She looks like she’s trying so hard to keep up.” One tweet read. “Like she knows she’s out of her league.”
And let’s not forget the lingering mystery woman from Griffin’s post-game celebration. Some fans are still convinced that the viral moment of a fan clinging to him wasn’t just a fluke and that Tatum might not be the only woman in his orbit.
So what’s next for this so-called power couple? If this campaign was meant to solidify Tatum Grace as Griffin Silver’s perfect match, it might have done the opposite. Instead of celebrating the launch, the internet is tearing her apart. Whether Silver will step in to defend her remains to be seen.
One thing’s for sure. The heat isn’t just coming from this beachwear campaign.
I sat in front of my mirror for an hour after reading that article, staring at my too-muscular arms and my lack of hourglass body, and I hated it.
I hated every fucking inch of it. I knew this day would come, the one when I caught the public’s attention, but I never expected it to hurt so much.
And I wasn’t holding my breath for some press release from Griffin.
He wasn’t obligated to clear up anything on my behalf.
His last game was on Wednesday night, and then his team had to travel to New York.
I’d heard rumors of flight delays due to bad weather which delayed the next game, and instead of playing Friday night, they were playing Saturday afternoon.
Like usual, Millie had shown up fifteen minutes before the game was supposed to start with some kind of cheat meal.
It was our favorite part of watching the games because we were both so hard on ourselves.
Today, she chose KFC. She whipped two fried chicken sandwiches out of the paper bag and wiggled her brows. “I have never been so excited for some bad calories,” she said.
“Me neither. Feel like having some wine with it?”
“Is that even a real question?” She plopped down on the couch, tying her messy curls up into some knot on her head, pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, and unwrapped her sandwich. She leaned forward and took one of the biggest bites I’d ever seen before moaning .
“Should I give you two a minute?” I couldn’t help but joke as I poured us each a glass of pink Moscato.
“Bring me wine, you bitch.”
I handed her the glass which she slowly sipped in between monstrous bites of her sandwich until it was all gone. I ate mine just as fast, and then we were both eyeing the television screen.
“We could watch something else,” she suggested, but I shook my head.
“I actually like watching the games.”
“They do have really nice asses,” she commented just as the teams were heading out, and the cameras zoomed in on them, giving us a delicious view of their very perfect asses.
“I still want them to win,” I admitted softly as they sang the national anthem.
“Me too, even though I hate him.”
“I wish I could hate him.”
They had lost.
Millie and I had sat there, jaws on the ground at all the balls Griffin dropped. He misplayed the ball, letting it slip from his glove at the worst possible moment. It was like watching him at his first-ever game, and everyone was clearly upset, from his teammates to the fans.
A reporter snagged him before he could duck into the locker room, and Millie turned up the volume.
“He better have a damn good excuse for that shitty game,” she snapped.
Still in his uniform, he looked every part exhausted and defeated. He ran a hand through his damp hair and let out a sigh as he grabbed the mic held out in front of him.
The reporter looked at him through hungry eyes, eager for a story. “ Griffin, tough loss tonight. Can you walk us through what went wrong out there?”
“We didn’t execute the way we needed to. The Navigators played hard, and we didn’t capitalize when we had the chance. It’s on us.”
“Understandable. Shifting gears here for a minute, there’s been a lot of talk about your relationship with Tatum Grace after your beachwear campaign together launched yesterday. Can you clarify where you two stand?”
Griffin exhaled sharply, shaking his head with a small smirk before looking directly into the camera.
“Tatum is one of my closest and oldest friends. That’s the truth. There’s no relationship between us, at least, not yet.” He paused, rubbing at the tension in his jaw before adding, “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want there to be more, but that’s up to her.”
Murmurs rippled through the press pool, cameras flashing as reporters scrambled to follow up. Millie gasped, and I sat on the edge of my seat as I watched Griffin drop a big fat bomb.
“And the fan who grabbed you after your last win, is anything there?”
Griffin looked away from the camera to the reporter, shaking his head.
“That was just a fan caught up in the moment. There’s nothing between us, and there never was. I don’t even know her name.”
The screen changed, going to a different player of the team, and Millie’s head snapped toward me, her eyes big, glasses skewed on her face from her sharp movement.
“That fucking changes things.”
I nodded.
It changed everything. He publicly claimed me.