“Guys. Let him through.” I was crashing fast and just wanted to go home. I reached and without even looking back, Evan’s hand was in mine, which was nice.
Channing stepped into the breach left as Darby and Shaw moved aside, and he peered down at me. “You’re going to have a black eye.”
“No shit,” I muttered.
Channing glanced from me to Evan and I followed his gaze.
Evan was chewing on his lower lip and I could feel his body vibrating through our joined hands.
Channing turned his attention back to me. “You two need to get each other home,” he said flatly.
“Ya think?” Shaw muttered.
“Please let me take you both home. It’s the least I can do.”
“We got them,” Shaw said.
Channing’s jaw clenched.
“Shaw,” I said, touching his arm.
“No, Skip,” Shaw said. “We got you, right, guys?”
Both Darby and Robbie nodded, which I appreciated, but I knew Darby and Shaw, at least, both had a good half hour drive in the opposite direction of Evan’s and my apartment. Robbie didn’t drive. In fact, one of his roommates had already arrived to pick him up and stood leaning against the bar, waiting.
I jutted my chin at the skinny young man. “Your buddy’s here to get you.”
Robbie glanced from me, to his friend, to Darby, then back to me.
“Ev and I are good. Promise.” I turned to our other teammates. “You guys can go. I know you have a long drive. Take off.”
“We don’t want to just leave you,” Shaw said.
“I have fielded worse hits, guys. It hurts, but I’ll live. Swear to god. Go home. Get some sleep. We have a big game to win tomorrow.”
“We are going to kick their asses,” Shaw promised. “Those twins wanna see how foolish they can look?”
“They won’t be here,” Channing said. “I’ve released them from the team.”
“You… what?” I stared at him.
“Good riddance,” Shaw muttered, and Robbie dug an elbow into his side.
“It was coming,” Channing said on a heavy sigh. “And they knew it. Probably why they were so belligerent this whole weekend. So.” He stretched his lips in what wasn’t really a smile. “We’ll play three tomorrow. Unless you prefer we forfeit, which would be a reasonable request.”
“No,” I said, glancing around at the guys, who all nodded agreement. “We’ll play. I don’t expect playing even just the three of you will be a cakewalk.” I would have grinned at him, but didn’t want to actually move my face that much. “I look forward to the challenge.”
I wasn’t about to offer to play three against three. Maybe that would have been more sportsmanlike, but my face fucking hurt, my boyfriend was quietly disintegrating under the pressure of not freaking out, and I wanted to go home.
“You guys, get out of here,” I instructed my team, and, reluctantly, they said their good nights and trooped out.
“Right. Now,” I said, hauling myself up with more than a bit of help from Evan, “if you don’t mind calling us a cab?”
“I’ll drive you,” Channing insisted.
“Not necessary.”
“Please.”
