I waited patiently for him to be ready to talk.
After a few more seconds he set his pen down and leaned back in his chair. "What can I do for you, Monroe?" he asks.
"Good afternoon, sir," I started, wiping my palms on my jeans. "I wanted to meet with you today to discuss my eligibility to rejoin the team. I've done what you've asked for the past five weeks, as well as training hard at the gym on my own."
His eyes narrowed at me. "You think five weeks is a sufficient punishment for what you did?"
His continued hostility surprised me. I didn't know what I expected, but I had hoped for a better reaction than this.
"Um, yes, sir?" I said, but it came out more like a question.
"Well, you're wrong," he said abruptly. "Scarlet is still not over you, much to my dismay. She's somber and depressed. Her mother is worried sick about her. Do you think I like my wife and stepdaughter unhappy?"
It was another one of his rhetorical questions, so I remained quiet. I hated hearing how unhappy Scarlet was, but I didn't know what to do. He had wanted me to stay away, and I had. I couldn't change how Scarlet felt.
"You knew my rule and blatantly disregarded it, knowing what the consequences would be." He continued to rant. "Don't bother me again until the end of the school year. Then maybe we can talk." He turned to his laptop, officially ending our conversation.
I sat there, stunned, while he typed away, ignoring me completely.
Slowly I stood up. I had been naïve to think that he'd let me back on the team so easily.
I turned, walking toward the door.
Five weeks might not have been a long time, but without Scarlet it had felt like an eternity. Every day it took effort to stay away from her, and for what? I'd stayed away from her and I still didn't get to play football. So why in the hell was I staying away?
I halted in the doorway at that thought.
Not being with Scarlet hadn't helped me at all to get back on the football team. As long as Scarlet was upset, I'd never have my spot back. I had a feeling she and I would never truly get over one another. We belonged together. So whatever Coach Matthews was going to do, I didn't care anymore. He wasn't going to keep me from Scarlet any longer.
I turned on my heel and marched back to his desk.
"You know what?" I yelled. "Screw coming to talk to you at the end of the school year. I haven't talked to Scarlet in five weeks because of you, and I've been miserable. The one thing that was making it semi-bearable was the hope of getting back on the team, of having something to help fill the void of not having her in my life. The only reason I've ever hurt her is because I've been trying to stay away from her, and that's because ofyou. So if you want to blame any of her hurt on someone, you should blame yourself. I won't play this game with you anymore. I'm in love with her, and if you don't like it, then too bad."
I started for the door, feeling better that I'd gotten all of that off my chest.
I loved Scarlet. I hadn't put those words to my feelings yet, but it was true. Now I just needed to go tell Scarlet and hope she would take me back.
"Monroe, stop right there," he ordered.
Out of habit, I stopped. I should have walked off, but I stayed, somehow wanting to hear what he'd say.
"Do you really love her?" he asked, his voice softening.
Standing in the doorway, I turned to face him and said with as much sincerity as I could, "I do. I think I've loved her from the first time I saw her."
And that was the truth. I hadn't believed in love at first sight, but thinking back to that picture the Coach had put up on the projector screen and the first time I had seen her at a party, I’d instantly been hers. Maybe it wasn’t love, but love was the closest thing I could describe it to.
"And you think she loves you?"
Taking a breath, I said, "I believe so, sir. Or maybe I just hope so."
He nodded. "I think so too. It would explain her behavior as of late." He looked down at his desk as if he was mulling something over. He took off his cap, scratched his head, and then put it back on. "She's been miserable too. Ever since she found out about my rule, she barely says more than a few words to me. I miss our relationship. It took a long time to get to the point where she trusted me, where she viewed me as a father figure. I only added the rule because I wanted to protect her, protect her from getting hurt. But you are right," he said, looking at me now. "I'm the one who has hurt her."
His words shocked me. I hadn't expected him to open up to me like that. I think he really did care about Scarlet and wanted to keep her safe, but he'd just gone about it the wrong way.
"Just be good to her, okay?" he asked, his soft demeanor so different from what I was used to.
"I will," I promised.
