Page 35 of Entangled With You

Once I make it home, a sleepy Tinta greets me, and I feed him as I prepare something quick for myself and go take a shower. I need to find a chef who can come and cook in bulk for me. Eating whatever is in the fridge is getting old; I’ve never been a good cook, and, cooking for one is not my ideal way to spend my time.

After getting into bed, I pull open the OfficialCherub app but none of the messages waiting there for me are from the tattooed hot man who kissed me senseless the other day. I guess he still needs more time. I really don’t want to read whatever Romina Cuti had to say about tonight’s game, but if I want to move on and put this match behind me. I have to.

“Golden Warriors fell against the reserve team for Alumnas. Is this a sign of the team's downfall?” What the heck is wrong with this woman, and how is she still a journalist after these types of headlines? How can one loss mean the team’s doom? I continue reading the article, but with after every word, my anger keeps rising until I feel myself sweating and my heart beating fast. Releasing a long breath, I decide to call the only person in the media I trust.

“Hija, estas bien? (Daughter, are you okay?)”

“Hi, Daddy,” I say as my voice breaks.

“What happened? Is this about tonight’s game?”

Of course, he found a way to watch my game.

“Yeah, Dad, but I’m not crying because we lost. I’m just beyond frustrated with a journalist who’s trying to break our team apart.”

I hear Dad whispering something to my mom, and then he speaks to me. “What do you mean this person wants to break the team? Tell me everything, from the beginning.”

And that’s what I do. I tell him everything. From the day I met her to all the lies she’s written so far.

“And you say this woman is allowed in the locker room? Have you told your coach?”

I explain that the coach didn’t think it was a good idea for me to talk to the press. Even though I wanted to sue her on the spot, he decided it was best if we didn’t bring drama upon us while the season was still going.

“Well, Cata. Something has to be done. You’re an adult and you’re part of a team, so I won’t tell you what to do but it looks like this woman is trying to make a quick buck at your expense. I bet she knows who you are and decided to spin lies about you in hopes you would pay her to stay quiet. But if I know the daughter I raised, you won’t give her a dime and will find a way to deal with her.”

I breathe a sigh of relief. I just needed Daddy as my sounding board. He’s right, I need to deal with this before it becomes a bigger problem.

“Thanks, Dad, for listening to me. I’m sorry I woke you up.”

I hear my dad chuckling on the other side of the line. “No worries, mi amor. It’ll be fun waking up your mom now that I’m awake.”

“Ugh, Daddy. Gross. Not what I needed to hear. Love you both, good night.”

I hang up before I can hear any more of their antics. Picking up Tinta from the couch, I bring him to bed with me and snuggle him, falling asleep to Ted Lasso.

After morning training, I go to see Melissa, the team’s publicist.

“Hey Melissa, got a second?”

She motions for me to take a seat with a bright smile. “Hi, Cata ¿Todo bien? (Everything okay?) What can I do for you?” she asks as I take a seat.

“Well, I need your help. I’m having trouble with Romina Cutti, from Bleacher’s Pulse, and what she has been writing about us.” Melissa’s demeanor immediately changes at the mention of Romina. I wonder what’s up with that?

“Oh, I haven’t read anything. What did she say?” My eyebrows shoot to the sky, and my eyes grow big, not believing her.

“You haven’t read the way she’s been trying to manipulate the narrative about our team?” I ask, trying to be gentle and polite about this. In reality, what I want to say is, isn’t it your job to be aware of everything said about the team and create a good image of us?

“No, I’ve been busy with other projects. But what specifically would you want me to do?” she asks, and I assess her. Is she in on it with Romina? Nah, that would be kind of sinister. Why would she want to ruin her own team?

“Well, could you intervene during the press conferences and set the record straight? I’d like to be up there for the pressers and if she says something that isn’t accurate— like the team is falling apart because of me, I’d appreciate it if you would stop her. Ask her for the proof, then tell everyone the truth: that we’re doing great and working together to win the tournament.”

Melissa scratches the back of her neck, clearly uncomfortable. “I mean, I guess I could try, but I cannot make any promises.”

Is she for real?

“Color me surprised, Melissa. I honestly thought it was your job to help maintain a healthy image of the team. I guess I should bring this up to management,” I say as I rise from the chair, and she looks at me in shock. “Thank you for your time,” I say as I close the door behind me. Something isn’t sitting right with me, and I need to find out who Romina really is, and why she has so much power over people.

Chapter 17