Jamie Scott was raised to be a proud boy. He was proud of his mother and his father, he was proud of his Uncle Lucas. He was even proud of his Grandpa Dan, when everyone around him couldn't be. Sometimes Jamie could be proud of himself too, like when he remembered to feed Chester, or when he ate each bite of his dinner. This morning, however, Jamie woke up to the sound of his parents having a heated discussion, and he crept down the hallway to listen.
"Your career in the NBA lasted two seconds, thanks to Clay," Haley Scott was saying.
"You don't have to keep reminding me that my career is over," Nathan Scott, Jamies dad retorted. Jamie frowned and crept closer, trying to get a look at the two of them. The idea of his dads career being over confused him, because it had only just started a year ago when he'd been called up to play for the Bobcats. Jamie remembered that day more than any other, the day he learned that dreams come true. Admittedly, things had been tense in the Scott house since something called "negotiation" began with dad and his agent Clay, which Jamie didn't fully understand, but he knew enough to know it wasn't going well. Carefully, Jamie took a final few steps closer to the conversation. "I'm sorry, baby," he heard his mom say, "I'm just so frustrated. All your hard work – but something – something Quinn said to me got me thinking," Jamie took another step closer, but this time his footing caused the floorboard to make a sound, and he jumped back, scurrying into his room and under the covers before they could come investigate. He stuck his head out of the blanket to look at Chester and gave him the signal for silence with a finger to his lips before ducking back under.
Not a minute had passed before his door swung open, and Jamie sat up to see who entered, rubbing his eyes and faking an over the top yawn. "Alright, Jimmy Jam, tell me what you heard and I'll try to explain," his mother scolded with a light and loving tone. Jamie sat up farther in bed, trying to decide if he should admit to being in the hall.
"Is dad going to keep playing in the NBA?" he asked tentatively, looking around his mom to the door and noting his dad hadn't come too. Haley sighed and came to sit on the edge of Jamies bed.
"Well," Haley began, reaching over and ruffling Jamies short blonde hair, "it doesn't look like Daddy is going to play for the Bobcats this year, but that doesn't mean he won't play at all." Jamie looked above him, silent as he stared at the Bobcats logo on the jerseys he'd collected from the team.
"What does that have to do with Clay?" Haleys son asked next. Clay had become part of their family over the last year, and Jamie had always thought he seemed fun, like Uncle Lucas, before he moved away. "Did he do something to Daddy? Is he one of those bad people that want to hurt daddy, like that girl on Grandpa Dan's show?"
Haley moved closer to Jamie, putting her hand on his back and rubbing it soothingly, "sort of," she started, but then retracted, shaking her head. "No, not sort of. He didn't do anything bad, not intentionally. Sometimes people just make mistakes, but Clay loves your dad, and he loves us. He didn't do this on purpose, but it happened." As Jamie tried to take all of this in, he came up with another question.
"Where is Daddy?" he asked Haley.
"He went to the River Court," he told him, then added, "he told me I could drive you there after breakfast, if you want." Haley gave her son a hug with one arm and got up out of his bed, pulling his covers down with her so he could get out. "Now come on, sneaky Pete, let's eat."