Basketball is Not Life

Chapter Two

Shit.

Standing in front of me is Parker Baer. Michigan State's current starting point guard. He had over thirty-five thousand followers on Instagram... I had five hundred and eleven; we were on slightly different social levels. After I had watched him and his team beat out Duke in March Madness last year, I may have stalked his Instagram page.

"Do you need something?" His voice is impatient. My brain is not functioning, and he continues talking. "Are you here for an autograph?"

A small laugh escapes my mouth, his words hitting me like a freight train. Like I would want an autograph from Parker Baer, the all-around bad boy basketball player. His Instagram page was either of him on the basketball court or with a group of girls hanging off him.

"I'm Renee. I'm waiting for Melissa; I'm her new roommate." I'm really hoping I am at the right house, in the right backyard. But with his last name being Baer, I have an inkling that this is where I am supposed to be at.

He smirks at me with his dark blue eyes. "Correction. You mean, you are my new roommate."

I stare at him; not sure what he means. Melissa had listed the ad, not him. It was a picture of a blonde hair girl on the message board. It was not a mugshot of Parker's punchable cocky face.

"Melissa messaged me, not you." I stand there firmly, not wavering. He walks off of the court toward me, with that same arrogant expression on his face that is plastered all over his Instagram account. He grabs a towel off the patio table on the deck behind the house and wipes at his face; the official Spartan mascot, Spartie, embroidered on it.

"I will show you around." He looks back at the court before going inside, and I can see the disappointment on his face that he has to leave it behind.

I'm about to object, to tell him I renege and that I cannot in any way live with him. Living with one of the most popular guys at Michigan State was something I did not need to be a part of. I wanted a typical college experience. Parker Baer was anything but ordinary. Maybe he was more close to my "normal" than others, but I wanted a change when I left Durham. I no longer wanted to date the All-Star basketball player. And here I was now going to be moving in with the All-Star basketball player. Life was laughing at me.

Parker opens the back sliding glass door that leads into an oversized kitchen. Before I can take in much more than the white cupboards and dark wood floors, I'm knocked over. Something taking me out at the knees. It was a very round, short face bulldog. The bulldog makes his way into my lap, wiggling and scratching up my legs.

"This is Spartan." Parker pauses, looking at me. Michigan State's official mascot was the Spartans; this kid was all about the Michigan State life.

"I just... Does the dog, Spartan, live here?" I asked. Usually, this would be something someone would list in the rooming ad. The short, pudgy dog is still wiggling. "

"Yes, Spartan lives here." He said this slowly as if he finds me taking everything in slow instead of getting his dog off me. "You are not allergic or anything?"

I shake my head no slowly as I start to stand back up, but Spartan knocks me over, and I am back to sitting on my butt, and Spartan pounces back into my lap.

"Not allergic, just never had a dog. I always wanted one." I smile down at Spartan's cute wrinkled face. "Who is a good boy?" My voice takes on the sound of baby talk; I couldn't resist. And he attacks my face with kisses, and slobber starts dripping down my face; I can't control the laughter coming out of me.

"Spartan, get off of her." Parker laughs uneasily, my laughter gets the dog going again, and he attacks my face with more kisses. Even as he was getting pulled off of me, he kept jerking, trying to get out of Parker's hands. It was as if he was addicted to me.