Page 37 of Never Say Never
Fuck.Well at least these women will see she’s going home alone and there’s nothing of interest.
“Be safe.”
And when I hustle back into the bar, ignoring the women who ruined the vibe, I realize I don’t even have Avery’s number to check that she gets home okay.
@socialscoops
New Love in Orlando?
In an exclusive video provided from a bystander, it seems that Orlando’s newest professional athletes may be pursuing more than championship titles.
Notorious football party boy Rawley Battle, now with the Waves, and basketball royalty, Avery Parker, the WNBA’s number one draft pick, were caught canoodling in the street outside an Orlando hotspot.
Earlier that same night, Parker made her mark in her first game for the Surge, so they probably had a lot to celebrate.
Witnesses said the two famous rookies walked out of the club arm-in-arm, as shown in the video, only breaking apart when caught.
Ahhh, you don’t need to hide your love from us, Rawley and Avery! Who’s cheering this potential new couple on?
Check our YouTube for the full report.
10
AVERY
THE NEXT DAY
“This is ridiculous. Rawley was literally walking me to the Lyft. He even went back into the bar.”
I should probably be more circumspect in talking about this in public, but there’s only two other tables occupied in the diner, and they’re far enough away that I feel confident the other customers can’t hear me vent.
“I know, it’s so dumb,” Sarah says sympathetically before taking a bite of her eggs.
She texted me ninety minutes ago when I was in the middle of a meltdown over the @socialscoops “article” that they’d posted on their social media accounts, along with the video those women took.
SARAH: I saw everything. Don’t freak. Come have breakfast with me before practice.
I’m relieved to have Sarah to talk to. My mom’s not a big social media person and didn’t get how viral the article was, or why I was so irritated.
“Aves, you know this is part of the deal,” Mom had said. “Gossip will come and go, just block it out.”
And then mydelightfulsister Remy, the Queen Bee of UConn gossip, had texted me asking for details.
Not exactly helpful. Several of the other ladies back at school had done the same. I’m on the verge of sending a mass denial of the story in the UConn team group chat.
So I took Sarah up on her invitation.
Our friendship is years in the making. It started my sophomore year when she hosted me down here in Orlando for a weekend as my assigned UConn “Alumni mentor.” Then during the intense two years fighting for NCAA titles and navigating the draft, she was great at providing advice when I needed someone who understood it all.
Our personalities couldn’t be more different, but it works. She gets the pressure and scrutiny I face, and always encourages my ambitions without an agenda—she’s in the thick of all the same dynamics in her career.
I stick a fork in my pancakes, cutting out a bite. “It’s not that I care what they say. It’s just annoying to know I’ll have to answer questions about it.”
“That’s not hard. Just tell people the truth.”
“Yeah, I guess.” She’s calming me down already.
“Besides, Rawley has always seemed like a good guy to me, even with the negative press he’s gotten. It could be someone a lot worse.”
