@RumorHasIt: Rumor Has It physical therapist to the stars, Kai Morris, is fixing more than just soccer star Olivia Harding’s injury. They’re supposed to be working together after a devastating torn ACL benched Harding for the rest of the season but they’re looking a little familiar to me. If I were her I’d let Kai work me out too *wink emoji*. What you think, y’all? Budding love or winter fling?

Black spots line my vision as I stare at the words on the screen, reading them over and over again, trying to make sense of them. I’ve been a professional soccer player for thirteen years, and I’ve been featured in the media a few times for my skills or to highlight my teams. The details of my personal life have been featured on social media exactly once in my life and that was when I was seen leaving a club with a well-known basketball player. I faded right back into D-list territory when it was later reported that the same basketball player turned out to be none other than Tyson Richards and that Justine, Angie, and two of Tyson’s teammates were with us as well. As far as I know, Kai has never been talked about on gossip sites, so why now are we big news and first thing the morning after our date? This has my father written all over it—that much is obvious—but what I can’t figure out is why. Why would he bother exposing our relationship to the world? Was it just his way of letting me know he knows? He’s normally more direct than that. What’s his play?

I keep scrolling the comments until I come across one from Tevin, the man I ghosted after he tried to kiss me instead of adhering to my boundaries. It reads:

@TheRealTevin: definitely a fling. Ol girl doesn’t know the meaning of love.

What a fucking dick. Just like a man to place blame at the woman’s feet for their refusal to simply be a decent human and not deliberately make her uncomfortable. I can’t go after my father publicly, not now. He’s too much of a loose cannon to attack now but Tevin? Oh, I have time for his ass.

My fingers fly across the keyboard, typing a response.

@InLivInColor: Guess I was waiting for a real man to show me what that looked like

Kai and Patrice’s voices come back into focus. I completely forgot they were even here. Patrice makes me promise to call her to update her more later and then rushes off the phone when her hubby whispers something nasty to her that I wish I didn’t have to hear.