Sophomore Year || Parenthood Series, Book One || WATTYS 2018

Chapter Fifty

SOUNDTRACK: "The Best Is Yet to Come" - Michael Bublé

"Remember, this is just a meeting," Jared said as Kate drove them down the highway. "Stay in your lane," he added, pointing to the road in front of them.

She corrected slightly. "I know! I'm just excited. I never thought anyone would want me to play with them like this."

He sighed. It was a big opportunity for her, but he was worried about her putting value on the wrong things. Sure she was good at sports, but what if she got injured? What would happen if she couldn't play anymore? Still, he was trying to be supportive of her and had agreed to at least check out the facility and meet the staff. That's how he ended up in her car, hurtling toward Santa Clarita fifteen miles over the speed limit.

"Slow the fuck down," he warned playfully, trying to hide the fear in his voice.

She eased up on the accelerator and the car slowed slightly along with Jared's heart rate. He looked at his phone for directions.

"Take this exit," he told her. "Then take a left."

She obeyed and made a smooth turn off of the exit ramp. They found themselves in a residential neighborhood with tree-lined streets and nice, large houses.

"It's up here on the right," he said, pointing.

Kate pulled into the parking lot of a high school and parked the car. They got out and Jared looked around the space in front of him. At least two dozen cars were parked nearby and he could spot women running across a soccer field on the other side. It wasn't Winterlake, by any means, but it was clean and well-kept. He looked over at Kate and saw that she still seemed excited and happy. They walked over to the side of the field and he leaned is arms on the fence. The head coach saw them and nodded for them to come over.

Jared was conscious of the women looking at him and was glad for the sun's rays to justify his sunglasses. The coach greeted him with a handshake.

"Jared, thanks for coming all the way up here to see us," Geraldo said.

"Yeah, sure," Jared replied with a polite smile. "You guys practice at a high school?" he asked.

Geraldo nodded. "Yes, but it's all very well-maintained. Our players love playing here." He turned to an assistant coach. "Take over while I give them a quick tour." Jared followed Kate and Coach Geraldo across the field toward a field house. "Our season runs from May through until August with playoffs happening in September. Kate would be able to participate easily with very little overlap. And if need be, we can always release her early and have her come on later to accommodate Winterlake's team."

"That's very kind of you," Jared said cautiously.

"I meant what I said when I told you how much we want Kate to be here," Geraldo remarked. "She's got an incredible talent and we'd like to be the ones to nurture it for her."

Kate smiled at him, but he wasn't entirely convinced. "The drive up took almost an hour and a half. That's a massive amount of time in the car."

"Yes, but when you look at the benefits Kate would get in return, is it really that big of a deal?" the coach asked, turning on charms that Jared was immune to.

"But Kate, you're not even sure if you want to continue with soccer after high school, are you?" Jared asked the teen.

She shrugged. "I didn't think I had the option until they told me I did. So I don't really know, to be honest."

"Well, maybe you should make that decision before we continue here," Jared said. "Because this is a major commitment and you still have school to deal with."