Endurance (book 1 of Jade and Nika)

Chapter 35: The press conference

Jade

When I got to the press conference I knew that they will probably only ask me two questions about the game tonight and spend the rest of the time questioning about the incident that happened at the basketball championship.

There was a lot of people in the crowd but the one thing that is getting me through this is to set the record straight. I am ready to tell my truth and Nika knows that I am going to talk about our secret relationship.

I look out into the crowd with so many cameras and reporters they are all eager to ask me the questions that are on everyone's mind.

Reporter- You know why we are all here, and you know it's not to just get your opinion on the championship game.

I kinda figured that out. ( the crowd laughs)

Reporter- But so I don't get into trouble with the big boss I will ask you this question. Did the game play out like you expected it to?

I am not going to say that I was 100% sure I was going to win the championship, because there will always be a possibility that we wouldn't. But I did know that UConn was going to put up a fight and my teammates and I fought hard to come out on top. So Yeah I'm very proud of my teammates for not giving up and winning back to back championships.

Reporter- Speaking about back to back wins, How does it feel to be back to back MVP?

Honestly I wasn't expecting to win this honor because we have so much talent on this team. But it definitely makes me feel like all the hard work and everything that I went through was worth it.

Reporter- This School Year has been a bumpy road for you, and to see how you pushed through it all to become a champion is truly inspiring.

Well I do hope to inspire the younger generation, and be a role model. Because they are the future of the sport. It makes me so happy when a kid tells me that I inspired them to play. It is just an incredible feeling.

Reporter- Okay now I'm going to start asking the hard questions.

Oh yay. (The crowd laughs.)

Reporter- Like we mentioned earlier you have been through a lot this year. But we only know half the story. So what's really going on between you, Nika, and Sky? And why did you run away at the Basketball Championship game?

I have been thinking of ways to answer to both of these questions. But before I can answer them I have to make a confession. Everyone now knows my dating history with men thanks to the court trials against Matt. I have only dated men and everyone knows that I come from a republican family. And also my mother is a politician who is against the LGBTQ community. So everyone expects me to be straight, but in reality I'm not. I'm Bi. I like men and women. So to answer the first question about what is going on with me, Nika, and Sky, I was in a secret relationship with Nika for three months. And you all know that Sky and I have this rivalry between us, and she would do anything to try and throw me off my game. That's why she agreed to help my mom break me and Nika up. So to answer the second question about why I ran away after seeing Sky kissing Nika, Well that's because seeing that broke my heart. It broke my heart into a thousand pieces, because Nika became a big part of my life and I love her. I also figured running away was better than punching Sky in the face. ( the crowd laughed at the last comment.)

Reporter- So you and Nika were in a secret relationship? Does that mean that you are not together anymore?

Yes we were in a secret relationship, but we are not together anymore. I needed to step back and work on my mental health. We might get back together again because we both still love each other. So with that we are going to be friends for now.

Reporter- One more question. When did you know that you were in love with Nika?

(When the reporter asked me this question, I found Nika watching. No one has asked me this question yet and now Nika will find out.) Honestly I think the moment I knew that I realized that I was in love with Nika would be when I surprised her when UConn played Villa move right before winter break. I never done anything this spontaneous for anyone else. But I think I was in denial about for awhile before that.
Because I literally told her a list of things that I loved about her, before we officially got together.

Reporter- Well thank you for opening up to us today. We congratulate you on your victory and wish you good luck. We can't wait to see you next year.

Well you know that I will be fighting to win again next year.

And with that the interview ended and we dispersed.

I met up with my family and friends. Let's go celebrate.

We ended up going to a Dave and Busters. We had fun and it was the most fun I had with my family all year.

A couple of weeks later

I am now back home with my family. I started to see my therapist once a week and she sets goals for me to achieve before the next session.

So far it has been going well. Speaking of doing well Nika still messages me a couple times a week. I am slowly getting better at trusting people.

I even helped with a couple of softball clinics that teaches the next generation. And Sky even was there to teach them how to pitch.

Now my life feels like it's almost completely. The key word is ALMOST. Now that I have endured it is time for me to persevere.

Author Note: I hoped that you enjoyed this book. But it is definitely not the end for Nika and Jade. I am getting ready to work on the sequel and it will be called Perseverance. So please don't forget to comment and watch for the sequel because it will be coming soon.