Falling For The Wrong Player

at a picture of two men who seeme

orning, I had reach

erately trying to turn m

George Bennett's disappearanc

regret accepting the

did not pay my bills,

with my notebook, my camera, and the determination to treat Alex Anderson like

oss the field while coaches shouted instructions. I could hear the sharp w

steps inside when a footb

d it wit

e sa

oked

uniform. His hair was damp, and a towel hung around his n

the ball and

equipment on your

, his fingers

lasted less

long enough t

ng to you t

is the

us

sistant

o bu

the campaign schedule w

football ben

looking

red a

e entire footba

I am the

ns. Would you

ology for the way you

aug

o be dead, then refused to explain

ression

ught he might final

estured towar

show you where

d work to do, not because I

tinction

ept telling m

t the team's training routine, the university's upcoming charity match, and the

He knew his teammates' statistics, remembered the names of the yo

pass and stumbled, Alex j

belong here," he told the boy. "You made it onto th

r a moment longe

pected a

ain who seemed to take hi

d and caught

ng inter

ates seem t

e excelle

re i

ha

ogan

gri

miss it if

ld cel

loser, lower

are you

sappeared i

am

ourse

before he could see the he

nary conversation into something that felt uncomfortably personal, and I

n he was Cathy

ne was sending me war

could not stop thinkin

on my notes. "I have a questio

ression vanishe

ething abou

not what

ot what I am

d my no

he last person

w tigh

old yo

tell me. I saw

ent

e noise from the field

oked direc

not have tha

interestin

did you

number sen

under h

pped

in the c

snapped

that I had touched

a coach called his nam

ot look aw

that quest

a reaso

ession h

er will not chang

for me to

r another moment b

ctice, my frustration growi

p asking questions while refusing to

one of his

e girls who fell si

oing to let him decide wh

plete, my patience was gone, and my stomach w

ipment when a voice

Sabr

proaching. I recognized him from the team p

was tall, broad-shouldered, and conside

n, r

mpressed. You alre

done my

I be w

erious past and someone

ile fa

oti

ask why, he s

you might be

ou that he is impos

ral t

d despit

gainst the eq

th, Alex is not as

for a charact

e someone who has alr

hat people might have good

ter Alex gives me a re

another relu

ied me fo

sk you s

can

heard fr

er died in

d you ask

toward t

reas

ya

esit

what you believe. Both of them have

of t

ed back

and Ge

her question, he straig

as though everyone around me knew a story

ne vib

ought the unknown sender mig

ceived a mess

e you did not ask Al

row

:

ame almost

some things sho

d at th

I had been avoiding since

did George

indicator

ppea

red a

se qui

her answe

I do no

the wor

espond, another

contacts you, do

rept down

what she meant when som

up, expec

s not

a dark jacket with his hands tucked into his pockets. He looke

s settl

ina C

d my grip

es

field, where Alex was

looked b

to you about G

began t

are

ed the q

at happened the night

N

rse he

oser and lowe

tand something before yo

allo

ha

ed over his s

that made every warning I ha

use of an accident. Alex was t