The Game Changer The Final Score - By L.M. Trio Page 0,104

what kind of person he is. I want to be sure it isn’t some wacko trying to get close to Lora Rae because she is famous. Luke offers to go with me.

Chapter 26

(Luke)

We arrive in Texas later that evening. We’re meeting TJ Harper, the guy that made the call to Mikey. Mikey wants to learn everything he can about this guy.

We pull up in front of a modest, tan, stucco home a little after nine. An attractive woman, who looks to be in her late-forties answers the door.

Expecting us, she invites us into their neatly kept home. She leads us to the kitchen, introducing us to her son, TJ, and her husband, Tim.

Mikey and I quickly size him up; he’s a clean cut guy and, from what we gather, they seem like a decent family, so far. We apologize for the intrusion while Mikey explains the importance of time.

TJ is a business major at the University of Texas in San Antonio and he still lives at home with his parents. He and Lora Rae began dating the summer before their senior year in high school. He claims they had a good relationship in the beginning, his parents always felt there was something off about her, though. According to them, she was needy and possessive. He explains that her life wasn’t that easy. She didn’t know her father that well and she had problems because of it. Though she was close to her mom, she wasn’t the type that was around much while Lora Rae was growing up.

“I felt sorry for her. She was lonely.” He shrugs.

He said she angered easily. If he made plans with friends, she’d throw a tantrum. If he just said hello to other girls at a party, she would argue with him in front of everyone.

“It got to the point where it was embarrassing, I dreaded going anywhere,” he tells us.

That spring, he met a girl from a nearby town. He broke things off with Lora Rae. She seemed to take it well at the time and he began dating this other girl. About a month into his new relationship, TJ and the girl were walking out of the movie theatre when they bumped into Lora Rae and her friends.

“She walked right up to us and began to cry. She said she was sorry to do this to me, but she just found out she was pregnant and didn’t know what to do,” TJ says, recalling the incident. “She looked so scared and vulnerable. I instantly wanted to be there for her, even though I was sick inside. Needless to say, that was the end of the relationship with the new girl.” He chuckles in his Texan drawl. “Honestly, that was the least of my worries; we were about to graduate, I had a scholarship to the University of Cali to play football and I was leaving in late July. Just like that, my plans changed. I was going to be a dad.” Mikey and I are glued to the story.

His mom chimes in. “He was devastated. I remember the night he came home and told us. We tried to give him advice and some options, but his mind was made up. He had already talked it over with Lora Rae.”

“She was adamant about keeping the baby,” TJ continues. “She didn’t want to talk about any other options. I cared about her. I really did and, mostly, I felt sorry for her. I couldn’t leave her alone. She didn’t have anyone to care for her and it was my responsibility to take care of her and my kid.”

“So what happened?” I ask.

“We moved her in,” his dad adds, shaking his head.

“Obviously, they weren’t happy.” TJ nods towards his parents. “I decided to enroll at the University of Texas, it was cheaper and a local university so I could commute from home. I refused to go off to college and leave her. I gave up my scholarship.”

“Wow, that sucks,” I add while Mikey sits quietly, taking it all in.

“Nah, it’s all good now. I play ball here. It’s great. I love it. No regrets. The ironic thing is, after the truth came out. She picks up and moves to Cali and becomes famous.” He laughs.

“Wow, that really sucks,” I say under my breath while Mikey shoots me a look.

“I don’t know. I must have been really naïve or something because it was like four months into it and she wasn’t getting a belly. It’s not like I