And it was done.

No doubt, Timothy was ecstatic.

And Alex? He had convinced her that this was for the best.

Lisa woke up first, though she had barely slept at all. Maybe it was all a dream. A quick five-minute fever dream. But a quick look at her phone said otherwise. It was official. Lisa was retired. No matter how she looked at it, no matter how much she was in denial, she had made the trip out to Arizona to announce the end of her career.

For some reason, her night with Aldrich kept coming to mind. She knew her talk with him was geared towards her choosing the FBA over ITCW, but all she could remember was thinking about what was best for her. This was it… wasn’t it? Alex and Timothy seemed to think so. But she felt she owed Aldrich at least something. An explanation. She took her phone and pulled up the number he had left for her. What should she say? “Thank you, but this is the path I’ll be taking?” “You were wrong about me and the FBA?” “This is all for the best?” Finally, she typed out her message to Aldrich. A single word, “Sorry.”

With a long sigh, Lisa pushed herself out of bed and made her way to the shower. A hot shower today? No. She turned the water as cold as it would go and stood there, eyes fixed on nothing in front of her. She hated cold showers, but it barely fazed her this time. Her hair matted onto her shoulders and breasts. And soon, the tears started to flow.

Finishing her long shower, she dressed herself in a robe and wrapped her hair with a towel. She could smell bread cooking in the toaster and coffee being made. Good. Her stomach felt sick, and she could use something to fill it. As she entered the kitchen, she gave a slight nod and sat at the island.

“Bagels?” she asked.

“With cream cheese and strawberries.” Alex answered. He was wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants. “Coffee?” he asked back. Lisa nodded. Her face, somber. “Oh, my sweet.” He made his way from the counter where he was working over to Lisa and swiveled her on the stool she was sitting on to face him. “You did the right thing,” he whispered with his forehead pressed against hers. “No one will fault you for following your passions.” Lisa disagreed. She could think of many, if not a specific someone who would call her out for leaving before the end of her contract. She was not looking forward to the backlash. But Lisa nodded in response and said nothing more for the rest of the morning.

At around 11am, the doorbell rang. Not wanting to give away where she lived, she let Alex open the door for her.

“Master Lefebvre?!” an elated looking Timothy called out. “W-w-why are you here?!”

“Eliza, dear! It’s your father!” Alex shouted back. Lisa emerged from the back of the condo and entered the main room.

“Father…? You’re here.”

“Oh, sweet child,” Timothy cooed as he rushed in to hug her. “I wish you told me you were gonna make the announcement now. I would have loved to have been there with you for support.”

“You win…” Lisa whispered.

“What?”

“You win!” she repeated. “You got what you wanted!”

“Eliza…” Timothy started. “This was never about what I wanted. I just wanted what was best for you. You’re the one who would benefit from this.” Lisa plopped onto the couch and Alex joined her.

“Sweet,” Alex started and Timothy’s ear twitched. “We know this is difficult for you. But it gets easier. You’ll see. Plus, you are not alone.” He placed his pointer knuckle under her chin to lift it. “You’ve got me.” Timothy couldn’t help but grin gleefully.

“Right! And you’ve got me, too,” Timothy added. “We’ve all got your back.” Timothy walked over to hug his daughter but was beaten by Alex who embraced her first. He put his forehead against hers again and whispered something to Lisa. Timothy tried to stretch his ear to hear what he was saying, but before he could make out a single word Lisa started giggling. Alex whispered again and Lisa giggled a little harder. Timothy placed his hands on his hips. “Alright. Now, how long have you two been a thing?” he finally asked. The two just looked at Timothy and then started laughing. It was contagious as Timothy joined them in laughter, eventually hugging them both to their feet.

“Eliza, this is wonderful!” Timothy shouted, still holding the two mice. Eventually he let go to look Lisa in the eyes. “Look at you.” He pointed out Lisa’s smile. “I’m so proud of you. The both of you. This is so huge!”

“I can’t help but agree with your father,” Alex stated. “This is a big step for you. A lot is going to change and change for the good.” Lisa nodded slowly at Alex. “You’re finally going to be in a place where people care about you and your talents.” Lisa’s smile dropped. Was that true? Did no one in the FBA care about her? She had beef with some players, but all of them? And what about the fans? Did they not care? Was she just another passing fad until someone else, newer, younger, better than her came along?

“It’s true. People care about the person on top. And now you’ll always be at the top.” Timothy said. “And you’ve earned it. You’ve worked hard to get your PhD. You deserve the best.” Timothy was on to something. It was true for the FBA as well. No one seemed to care about the little players. It was the MVPs and the champions of the season who stood tall. The All-Star game said as much as well. Only the truly beloved ones made it there. It had to be true. That’s how it must have worked. All these years, Lisa was only good enough to be bench of the All-Star games. She never won MVP. She was never a champion. But now, as the CEO of ITCW, she would always be a champion. A name. It’s what she wanted.

“I say we celebrate!” Alex announced.

“I agree. Where shall we go?” Timothy asked.

“If it’s all the same…” Lisa started. “I’d like to get out of Arizona…” Timothy and Alex gave a soft smile.

“I know the perfect place,” Timothy said. “Consider it done.” Lisa was looking forward to something positive. Perhaps a celebration was exactly what she needed. It hadn’t even crossed her mind, if she was honest with herself. Retirement should be celebrated. Lisa took a deep breath and smiled at the men. She was actually looking forward to spending time with the two. “And don’t you worry. There will be a proper welcome party ready for the two of you when we return to Delaware. You both deserve it.” Lisa laughed to herself.

“Shouldn’t that’ve been a secret?” she asked. Timothy gave a loving smile.

“Sweetheart. It’s no secret we’re all rooting for you.”

“Thank you, father,” she said with a tear. Lisa hugged her father one more time and Alex rested his hand on her shoulder.

“Now,” Timothy shouted as they pulled out of their hug. “Let’s go have some fun!”