CHAPTER 1 ~ PR NIGHTMARE
JALEN'S POV
The clock on the wall of the athletic director's office shows it is two in the afternoon on a Friday. I am sitting in a stiff leather chair while holding my neatly printed resume in my lap. I only need three more credits to finish my public relations degree, and this mandatory internship is the final hurdle before graduation. Director Davis sits across from me, but he is not looking at my resume. He is looking at a thick manila folder resting in the center of his desk.
"I reviewed your application, Jalen," Director Davis says while tapping his silver pen against the desk. "Your grades are excellent, and your professors highly recommend your crisis management skills. That is why I am changing your assignment for this semester."
I shift in my chair because I do not like sudden changes to my schedule. I have spent the last three years keeping my academic life highly organized. I need order and predictability, and I have worked hard to maintain my peace of mind since my freshman year. "We agreed last week that I would be working in the corporate communications office downtown," I say, keeping my voice level. "I have already arranged my class schedule around those specific office hours, and I am ready to start on Monday morning."
Director Davis sighs and slides the manila folder across the smooth wooden surface until it stops directly in front of me. "The corporate office does not need you as much as this university needs you right now. I want you to open the folder and look at your new client."
I look down at the tab on the folder. The name Grayson Winchester is printed in bold black letters. Every single student on this campus knows who Grayson Winchester is. He is the new transfer quarterback who arrived two weeks ago after getting expelled from his previous university for starting a massive bar fight. The sports blogs have been talking about his terrible behavior and his billionaire father all month.
I do not touch the folder. "I am a public relations major, Director Davis, and I am not a babysitter for entitled athletes who cannot control their temper."
"You will be acting as his personal media liaison," Davis says while leaning back in his chair. "Grayson is a public relations nightmare, and the board of trustees is very worried about his presence here. Your job is to shadow him, monitor his interactions with the press, and make sure he does not cause another scandal before the season begins."
I shake my head and push the folder back across the desk. "I refuse to take this assignment. I have zero interest in college football, and I have even less interest in following a volatile guy around campus. I read the news reports about what he did at his last school. He destroyed a bar and put two guys in the hospital. He is a walking liability, and I want the corporate internship we originally discussed."
"The corporate position is no longer available because I gave it to another student this morning," Davis replies with a flat and calm voice. "This is a real crisis management scenario, Jalen. You will shadow Grayson during his public appearances, you will attend the booster events, and you will draft his press statements. If he gets into trouble, you will handle the fallout."
"You are asking me to manage a twenty-three-year-old man who punches people in public," I argue while trying to keep my frustration contained. "He has a reputation for being reckless, and he walks around this campus like he owns it just because his father has money. I do not tolerate people who invade other people's space or throw their weight around. I know how guys like him operate. They take what they want, and they never apologize for the damage they leave behind. We are going to clash on the very first day, and it will end badly."
"Then you better figure out how to manage that clash," Davis says while crossing his arms over his chest. "I do not care if you two become friends. I only care about keeping his name out of the negative headlines so this athletic department does not lose its funding. You are the smartest student in the communications department, and you do not back down from difficult people. That makes you the right person for this specific job."
I stand up from the leather chair and grip my resume tightly in my hand. "Find someone else to do it. I am sure there are plenty of students who would love to follow the star quarterback around and go to all his parties. You can find someone who actually cares about his passing statistics. I am not doing it, and you cannot force me to change my career path just to save your football team from a scandal."
Director Davis does not move, and his expression remains strict. "There is nobody else, Jalen. You need this internship to graduate at the end of the semester. If you walk out of this office and refuse the assignment, I will fail you for the internship requirement. You will not receive your diploma, and you will have to repeat the semester next year."
I stop breathing for a second as the reality of his threat sinks in. I have worked too hard to get to this point, and I cannot afford to stay at this university for another year. My parents are proud of me for graduating on time. They sacrificed a lot to help me pay for this school, and I refuse to let them down just because of some arrogant football player. The thought of losing my autonomy makes my stomach twist, but I know I am trapped in this situation.
"You are blackmailing me over my degree," I say while staring directly into his eyes.
"I am giving you a real-world public relations assignment," Davis corrects me without any hesitation. "Corporate clients will force you to work with terrible people all the time. Consider this your final exam. You will meet Grayson by the locker rooms on Monday morning, and you will establish the ground rules."
"He will not listen to a single word I say," I warn him. "Guys like him never listen to anyone because they think the rules do not apply to them. He thinks his wealth protects him from consequences."
"Make him listen," Davis says as he picks up his pen to signal the meeting is over. "Or you both fail."
I stare at him for a long moment while the anger burns hot in my chest. I have spent years building a quiet, controlled life where I do not have to deal with loud men who think they can do whatever they want. Now, I am being forced to spend my final semester tied to the worst guy on campus.
"I want full authority over his media access," I demand, refusing to leave without securing some level of control. "If I say he does not speak to a reporter, he does not speak. If I tell him to leave a party because it is a liability, he leaves. I need it in writing that I have the power to pull him from public events. I will not put my name on a project if I cannot control the variables."
"You have my full backing, and I will email the parameters to the coaching staff today," Director Davis agrees. "You are officially his handler. Tell him whatever you need to tell him, but keep him eligible to play."
I reach down and snatch the manila folder off the desk without saying another word. The paper feels rough against my skin. I turn my back to the director and walk across the room with heavy, fast steps. I reach the heavy wooden door, grip the brass handle tight, and pull it open to step out into the hallway.
I step through the doorway and immediately collide with a solid, hard chest.
The impact knocks the folder out of my hand, and the papers scatter across the hallway floor. I stumble backward from the sudden hit, and before I can even look up to see who I ran into, a very deep and annoyed voice speaks from above me.
"Watch where you are going, PR, or do you always walk into people blindly?"
I look up, and I am staring directly into the harsh, glaring eyes of Grayson Winchester.
"I would watch where I was going if you were not blocking the doorway," I reply without missing a beat.
