Page 15
Story: Wild Catch
CHAPTER 15
ROSE
I spend most of Friday post car nap in a state of alert, and that’s excluding the subsequent cups of coffee that I require to stay functional. I put on my lilac noise cancelling headphones that have kitten ears to focus on these edits. I have two videos to post today, one with a highlight play from last night’s game, and another one with some fun trivia about the team.
But my eyes keep going to the corner of my screen with the clock. Tom let Dave and I know that he was about to secure an audience with Charlie Cox, the ultimate boss around here, and the heads of operations, communications, PR, and HR to talk about this little bud of an idea. He’s treating this potential social media stunt like it’s on par with signing a new player onto the team in exchange for a vet and a draft pick, or something.
The thing is, the meeting is at four thirty in the afternoon. Today is a rest day with no games, so I’m supposed to clock out at five. I can definitely stay longer but I’d rather not. I miss my bed. I wish I wasn’t part of this mess in the first place. Maybe I can just wait until Monday.
A little square with a DM from my boss appears right above the clock’s corner. I click on it.
Rogers, David [15:58]:
Excited??
Not how I’d describe it, but this is the one time I won’t give my boss the unvarnished truth. I also won’t lie and tell him that I’m over the moon at the prospect of fake dating the catcher as a publicity stunt. I lay my fingers across the keys like it’s a piano and not a purple keyboard, blatantly stalling.
Mena, Rosalina [15:59]:
A bit nervous
This is true. I am both high- and low-key freaking out.
Rogers, David [15:59]:
Get excited!!
This is the kind of once in a million opportunity that you turn into a bigger opportunity
I sit there for a moment, blinking at the screen in confusion. He doesn’t elaborate further so I prod him.
Mena, Rosalina [16:01]:
What do you mean?
Enough time passes without a response that I start considering just relocating my behind to Dave’s cubicle. Until finally he responds.
Rogers, David [16:12]:
C’mon
Do you really think that if you run this campaign successfully, this won’t advance your career?
Mena, Rosalina [16:13]:
I’m going to need you to stop gatekeeping information and explain it to me like I’m five
Rogers, David [16:13]:
LOL
What I mean is, your face will become famous to our fans you silly goose
And the broadcasting team will need a new face when Steve Boateng retires soooo
My eyes pop.
Is he…
Is this…
Mena, Rosalina [16:14]:
ARE YOU FOR REAL??
Rogers, David [16:15]:
It’s a possibility!!!
I push away from my desk so hard that my chair slams into the wall of my cubicle, making the whole thing rattle. Stuffing my fists against my mouth is the only way I can contain the squeal that threatens to explode my colleagues’s eardrum.
This changes every freaking thing.
Dave and Tom know my career aspirations, and it’s true that it will require me to be on the side of the camera that I’m not used to. Heck, it even makes sense to use this silly campaign to really get me acquainted with the fans.
As for what happens after Logan and I ‘break up?’
Who cares—the whole thing won’t be real anyway. This isn’t on the same terrain as if Ben and I had dated publicly, to then have him drop me like a sack of potatoes by going to another team. There are no feelings involved now, and it won’t be a secret from the team.
I’m so on board now. It legit makes time move even slower, but I’ll wait as long as it takes. This might be my big chance.
Six in the evening arrives and passes before Tom returns. By this point, Dave and I are hanging out by the entrance to Tom’s office, and he motions at us to go in. At least half of the marketing team is already gone for the day, but even so Tom shuts the door before speaking.
“It’s a no go.”
“ What ?” Dave and I screech at the same time.
Tom lifts his hand to scratch the back of his head. “Cox is definitely in. Anything that attracts attention to the team is a go by him. And to quote him verbatim, this is the kind of shit that would make merchandise sell like hotcakes. He also started pitching ideas like selling heart shaped hotcakes in concessions.” He shakes his head.
“Okay but then what happened?” Dave squints.
“So,” Tom continues and folds his arms, “communications and PR are also in, they can spin this like a top. Operations is iffy because this might distract Logan from performing at his best, but I reminded them that we’re talking about Logan Kim— the Logan Kim.”
“Right,” I mumble. The guy has enough cojones to march up to someone and tell them to stop doing their job because he said so. Nothing fazes him.
Dave snorts. “Remember his sophomore year with the Eagles? He played a whole series with a broken clavicle until someone noticed. This is nothing in comparison.”
“Exactly.” Tom opens his eyes wide and nods in an exaggerated way.
I fiddle with the hem of my oversize sweatshirt. I had forgotten about that incident. I honestly didn’t need further reminders about how remarkable Logan is.
“So then why is it a no go?” I ask.
“HR said no,” Tom says and is immediately interrupted by my boss.
“Screw that guy.” Dave snorts.
“Unfortunately he gave the reasoning that the situation between Hope Garcia and Cade Starr might’ve set a precedent that we don’t want to normalize.”
“He’s gonna eat his words when Hope and Cade get married and have five babies, am I right?” Dave imbues copious amounts of sarcasm to the question, but he’s not entirely wrong. Those two are so besotted that I wouldn’t be surprised if they get hitched by next season.
“Wait.” I shake my head to rearrange my thoughts back on track. “So because Michael Watson from HR said no, then Cox changed his mind?”
“Oh, no. Cox still wants this to happen.” Tom shrugs, further confusing me until he says, “The issue is that we then called Logan’s manager to negotiate and he said no.”
I suck in air.
“Sorry, who said no? Logan or his agent?” Dave asks.
“His agent,” Tom confirms. “So in that case there’s nothing really we can do.”
“Unless…” This attracts their attention to me. “Well, I’m kind of on friendly terms with Logan—” At least now , but I don’t say that part aloud. “Since, you know, Cade and Hope basically drag him everywhere, and I’m Hope’s roommate after all.”
Tom’s eyebrows lift. “Is that so?”
Meanwhile, my direct boss smiles in a very memeable way. Kind of amused but evil in equal measures. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
“I can’t promise anything.” I lift my hands in defense. “All I can do is try but I’d really like to do this in person, and the team is traveling tomorrow so…”
“This can wait a few days. But…” Tom pauses to rub his jaw like it hurts. “You’ll have to post something on social media in the meantime that reminds people of you two. Keep them reeled in while giving them a hint that there’s more to the story.”
“I can do that.” I don’t know how but there’s no way I’m backing away now. “I’ll re-splice the footage in a new way, and even if Logan really flat out refuses to collaborate, we’ll at least get one last viral video out until we find the next focus.”
“Sounds excellent.”
“We’re counting on you, Rosalina.”
Welp, no pressure then.
Table of Contents
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- Page 15 (Reading here)
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