XO - Chapter One
Love you like XO
Rating: PG (Swearing)
Word Count: 669
21 November 2021
For as long as she could remember, Megan loved the NFL. Her dad would lift her up on his lap with a deep groan and say, “my girl is getting so big”. And they’d analyze. They would glue their eyes to the TV every Sunday and dissect all four quarters together. Megan and her dad were close, and her world shattered when he passed.
4 years on, losing her dad still hurt. She thought about him all the time and if he would be proud of her. She would call her mom up and ask: “do you think he would be proud of me?” and even though her mom always said yes; and even though Megan knows instinctually knows he would, she needed reminding. She needed to know.
While studying for her undergraduate degree, she started a blog called “XO” where she broke down the NFL from her perspective. To her surprise, it took off. After she graduated she found herself moving to NYC to work for a TV sports network. Besides a semester abroad, she had never lived outside the Midwest. This move- to the big city- terrified her.
But now, NYC felt small. No, not small, but the same. The same type of guys, the same type of nights, and the same type of shallow friends: all people who knew her work and wanted something from her. They wanted a job or access to NFL players. Her favorite category was the men who wanted to date her so that they could test her football knowledge. In an attempt to boost their ego, they would belittle her, to make themselves believe that they too could be a sports writer. And to remind her that she has her job because she’s a woman. She rarely let these boys get to her, but it still hurt to be viscerally reminded that a lot of men are misogynists.
Megan had carved out a reputation for herself as a no-bullshit sportswriter who didn’t have time for fluff. She was methodical and thorough in her reporting. The players appreciated her directness and respected her opinion deeply. Her approach extended beyond sports. She was incredibly outspoken about cultural and political issues. This had occasionally landed her in hot water as her leftist stances often put her at odds with company policy. It always would blow over until:
“What do you mean I’m being pulled off of the NFL?” Megan nearly screamed.
“Meg, look, it’s not for forever” Matt, her boss, said.
“The Super Bowl is over so you’ll be off the NFL from now till the beginning of the season. It’ll go quick.”
“Why am I being taken off? I’ve been working my ass off to get my sources in the NFL.” Megan asked
“Meg. I don’t know” she looked back at him skeptically.
“Truly, I don’t know. I wouldn’t lie to you.” this was true, she thought. He continued, “All I know is that it’s coming from the top. They want you off- for now.”
Fuck. She had a feeling she knew what this was about and who was behind it.
“Ok, so what are they assigning me to?” she sounded deflated
“Alright, don’t freak out… but they’re assigning you to Formula One”
“TO WHAT?”
She started to spiral. She thought back to the time she went to a NASCAR race in college because she got free tickets. After an afternoon around the oval, she decided that there were too many left turns and confederate flags for her liking.
“I don’t know anything about auto racing in the US, let alone European racing”
“Meg, if you take the assignment, they’ll move you to London for the time you’ll be working on it”
Her ears perked up. She’d been looking for an escape route out of NYC for some time now.
“London?”
“Yes… Meg, I seriously want you to consider this. An opportunity like this won’t come again.”