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stood in front of the mirror, carefully collecting all the pieces of paper I’d taped to it last night.  

    Last minute research - I’d been memorizing team stats and draft needs for today. I knew that covering sports was typically, and by that I meant historically, a man’s field. Any women who were involved were usually just eye candy.

    I aimed to change that. My father had quizzed me on Patriots trivia and stats my entire life - I’d collected baseball, football, hockey, and basketball cards as a kid, and those binders of cards were as important to me as any girl-related toys had ever been.

    So I looked at draft day like a big test - I might get called on to know how the Patriots or the Giants or any of the 32 teams might have done in the last couple years and who or what they might be looking for in the draft, and if that was the case I knew I had less than a couple seconds to respond without looking at notes.

    I didn’t think most of these men I’d be talking to today had something against women in their field, but I did know they’d find ways to test me and see if I knew what I was talking about, if I had the chops to hang with the big boys.

    I looked at myself in the mirror as I piled up the papers, careful not to get them wet as I finished drying myself off and applied my makeup. I’d been studying those last minute stats last night as I brushed my teeth, but if I didn’t have them down by now, they wouldn’t help anymore.

    I’d picked out my draft day outfit last night and had it cleaned by the hotel staff one last time in case I missed anything, then hung it up in the closet away from anything else, just in case. I wasn’t gonna take any chances.

    I’d gone with something a bit more conservative than I would normally wear out. I wasn’t by any means a flashy girl, but with my curves, most clothing ended up being a little flashier than you’d expect when you saw it on the rack. So I made sure and err on the side of not getting myself into trouble.

    If sports were up until recently a man’s game, I didn’t want to come off as one of those women who was a casual fan because she liked to see men in tight pants, though I was not complaining one bit about that. I didn’t want to be around famous athletes so I could meet them or date them or sleep with them - I really loved sports and I wanted people to take me seriously.

    The Patriots! Draft day! I almost started hyperventilating as I got dressed. This was the big day!

    Holy shit! It was finally here! After I checked myself over one last time in the mirror and threw my phone and everything else I needed into my purse, I slipped into my shoes and was off to meet the other members of my team for breakfast. The actual draft didn’t start till this afternoon, but we had plenty of setup to do, final interviews, scheduling, etc. It was gonna be a long day, but I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

    I was finally ready. Radio City Music Hall, here Lily comes! Were you ready for draft? Were you ready for some football (in a month)?

    I sure was.

CHAPTER 06 - DRAKE

    Earlier that day, 8 hours before the draft…

    Draft day! Thank FUCK it was here.

    “WITH THE FIRST PICK IN the draft, The WHATEVER-TEAM-PICKS-FIRST PICKS…DRAKE ROLLINS, WIDE RECEIVER, CAL.”

    It sounded amazing, and I couldn’t wait. Just like I couldn’t wait for all those touchdowns. The end zone was gonna be my new home. The professional end zone, I meant. I’d spent enough time in the high school and college end zones already.

    I was so over this other shit, it was time to get my PROFESSIONAL game on. I was gonna be the next big thing in pro football, after I’d spent a couple years burning it up in college.

    They hadn’t made a defense that could hold me down. Nope, I’d broken all time college records. Shit that had lasted decades. All gone, all starting fresh in my name.

    It was good to be this good. I was a gift to football, and I was here to make sure today that