PARTY GIRL
Preface
This story was previously published as "Mad Psychologist". I published it in its entirely which made it a small novel. It was not the title I'd chosen. I had to change the title at the time of posting because reference to the NBA or professional basketball is not allowed. I also had to be careful of my description. As a result, it didn't get much attention.
I thought it was one of my best stories. But reviews were few and I thought it didn't get the exposure it deserved. Therefore, I'm reposting it in small chapters. This first chapter is a little slow as it takes a while to set things up. I promise you won't be disappointed. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. As always we authors live for your feedback.
Chapter 1
Her name was Sandra Louise Mills, but to all of her friends and family she was known as Sandy. It fit her. As a young girl and until she was old enough to begin coloring her hair, it described her personality and hair color. Only her mother called her Sandra, named after her grandmother. When called by all three names, she knew she was in trouble, or her mother was displeased with her behavior.
Her mother passed away suddenly from a rare cancer, which no one suspected she had. Sandy was only eighteen and just been accepted to Cal State Long Beach, her mother's alma mater. Both had been excited, and her mom was going to guide her daughter through the torrential waters of her freshman year. She was an only child and her closest family members were in Nevada and Arizona.
The funeral was well attended by all of her family members and her mother's friends. They promised to fill in for her mother whenever they could, but the distance and their lives made that a hallow promise.
Her father was devasted. They'd been married only twenty years and were just beginning to make time for one another again. He took several weeks off to help his young daughter adjust. But he needed to return to work. He was essential to the company's success. He was the CEO but wore many other hats. They made unique products and sold them exclusively to the government. He traveled a lot. He curtailed his travel for months until he couldn't put it off any longer. Then threw himself into his work and was rarely home. His way of grieving.
Encouraged by her father's example, Sandy's attained her undergraduate degree in business administration with a minor in psychology. Her dream back then was to manage a small company and grow it into a large conglomerate. She had her father's nose for business. Never had she expected that she'd excel in the sciences. She was a natural. Her professors encouraged her to pursue psychology in her graduate programs.
Five years later, after a short setback, she'd achieved her aspirations; she was Sandra Louise Mills, PhD. at the tender age of twenty-six. She'd accomplished what most people spent half their lives chasing. Almost immediately she was offered a dream job, but it meant moving to the east coast. After discussing it with her father and weighing the pros and cons, they both agreed it was an offer she couldn't refuse. Besides, her father had many trips to the east, she may see him more than if she stayed in California. But that wouldn't happen.
Her six-figure salary allowed her to buy a small three-bedroom house on an acre of land in a quiet suburb of Boston. She replaced her aging Toyota Camry with a brand-new Honda Civic, which she planned on paying off in a few months. She immediately fell in love with the charms of the old city. Her only concern was being able to survive the sometimes-harsh winters. Living in Southern California, the only snow she'd seen was in the mountains two hours away.
While in school, Sandy learned to focus on her studies. She'd been sidetracked only once, with horrible results. She learned from her mistakes and didn't repeat them. She'd dated occasionally. She had only one serious relationship. It almost ruined her, and it took a long time to recover.
She learned men her age were immature and interested in only two things, sex and Xbox, and not necessarily in that order. She wanted so much more in a relationship than just sex. She wanted romance and connection. To be honest, she wasn't beautiful. She could be cute when she tried. A few months after her twentieth birthday, the skinny non-athletic pale nerd made time to begin exercising. She started with running, a few times a week. Later after her body adjusted to the routine she added aerobics. Slowly she began to add the much-needed muscle to her thin frame. Eventually, her "A cup" size breasts doubled, and the late bloomer began to develop a few womanly curves in the right places, and Sandy began to be noticed.
Early in the Spring as the bare trees began to sprout leaves once again. Dr. Thomas North, the director of the psychology department of St Elizabeth's Medical Center asked to see her. She was surprised when he asked her to take on an unusual assignment. She hesitated. Fearing she may be the victim of a cruel joke or because of her youth and inexperience, this may be a trap. This wouldn't be the first time she'd been taken advantage of.
Her interest peaked when he explained the project and why she was thought to be the best candidate. Dr. North asked her if she'd noticed in the short time that she'd been in Beantown how much people love their sports teams, baseball, football, hockey and basketball. She agreed that she had observed the passion for those sports.
He continued to describe how as a fan of the NBA, in a town where professional basketball was practically a religion, he felt obligated to help.
Sandy held her tongue, though she couldn't imagine where he was going with this. Being from Southern California, she got bitten by the
"Showtime Bug"
when she was a young girl. Magic and Kareem brought new life to the NBA. Later, the
"Lake Show"
, when Shaq and Kobey were winning championships and dominating the league, she was hooked.
He continued expounding. They had been asked to counsel the leagues number one draft pick, which the Celtics won the right to in the NBA lottery. A youngster from the University of Nebraska (UNL), where he led the nation in scoring his junior year. However, since joining the team here in Boston, he seemed to have lost his focus.
"I understand, Dr. North, but why me?"
She asked suspicious that she may be being set up for failure.
Dr. North went into a list of why Sandy was selected. "First of all, you are well-qualified, despite your tenure and youth. In fact, it is because of these attributes that put you above the other candidates we'd been considering. That and being an attractive young woman, we feel being close in age may offer you some advantages. You would be less intimidating for the young phenom. The new season scheduled to begin in less than seven months, they are hoping for a quick resolution. We feel you would be more likely to quickly gain his trust.
Suddenly It dawned on him, he'd neglected to consider.
"Do you follow the NBA, Dr. Mills? Are you a fan?"
Sandy was wondering when he'd ask. Perhaps he assumed that since it was almost a religion, she'd already been baptized. She thought she'd toy with him a bit. As he sat behind the large oak desk in his spacious office rubbing his chin.
"No, I'm not."
she said and watched Dr. North's face. They both knew that wouldn't be a problem. If fact it may be a problem if she was a fan and had been following college basketball and already knew who they were discussing.
Then she corrected.
"I haven't been a fan for a several years. As you know I'm from the LA area and was raised on the Los Angeles Lakers. But not since Kobe and Shaq have I followed the sport."
"A Lakers fan, well we won't hold that against you."
He said in jest. So, you've not kept up with things. That's okay. As I mentioned, the Celtics managed to win the best young college player to come out of the draft in decades. He took his time to crafted an analogy which he hoped would help her understand what was at stake,
"Imagine the talents of both Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal rolled into a single player?"
He paused, letting that sink in watching her reaction. She started to say something, then stopped.
"Yes...That's the potential of this kid. We'd...no... I would like to you to accept this case. He will be your only client for the foreseeable future."
