“Thank you, Coach.” I stood at the jerk of his head in acknowledgment. I hesitated at the door. “If I deserved this, I would take it.” I looked over at him. “I didn’t know I had taken it.”
Coach Bowers rubbed his jaw. “I believe you,” he grudgingly admitted. “I didn’t need the fifteen-minute ass-reaming on Sunday from your father.”
“He can be passionate.”
Coach snorted. “Will we have a problem going forward?”
“Absolutely not, Coach. You still get to give me shit, and I’ll still take it.” I grinned at him, and he laughed. “Idorespect you, but when your head’s up your ass, well . . .” I half shrugged and ducked when he threw his foam football stress ball at me.
“Out!”
Laughing, I went back to the locker room feeling a lot lighter than I had.
“Fixed?” Gray asked me as he looked up from putting his cleats on.
“Yeah, the ankle will be ready for Sunday,” I told him, the hidden message clear.
I saw him frown, but as he rubbed his shoulder, he looked to the coach’s door. “We did think it would be two weeks to completely heal.”
“Exactly,” I replied. “So, I’m going to go to class, and you can all enjoy four hours of training.”
“Dick,” Gray muttered as he pulled his jersey on. As I left the locker room, I wondered if my brother knew I would rather be doing the practice session than sitting in economics, learning about foreign trading patterns. Putting my shades on, I realized, of course, he did.
Ash had seen Ava earlier, so we knew she hadn’t been told to leave; however, I wondered what shehadbeen told. I was back on the active playing roster, but that didn’t mean I was any closer to knowing who had deliberately tried to ruin my career.
I recalled Onyx telling me to stop playing with my food and get it done, and I wondered if it was time to break Uptight.
There was still speculation about why I’d chased her across the campus, and although I hadn’t pushed it and the talk had quieted, I knew one word from me would start the rumors again. I headed to the coffee shop, and as I waited for my coffee, I had Elise beside me.
“Baby, I missed you this weekend.”
I seriously doubted it. “You did? I heard Jamie filled your . . . night on Saturday.”
Elise gave a light laugh as we exited the shop, and she hooked her arm through mine, ignoring me when I shrugged her off. “He tried, know what I mean?” Elise raised her pinkie finger and wiggled it.
I laughed despite myself. “Ouch,” I said as I took a drink of the scalding black coffee. Thank fuck Ava hadn’t flung this at me, I’d have been blistered.
“You fill mynightbetter,” she said to me with what I think she thought was a sexy smile.
I didn’t comment. She was a good lay, but once was enough for me. Elise had stage five clinger syndrome, and I didn’t need a clinger in my life.
“Where were you this weekend?” she asked me curiously. “With a girl?”
See, clingy. “If that girl was my mom, then yes, I was.” I spotted Quinn crossing the grass. She gave a wave when she saw me. “And Quinn, of course.”
“Of course.” Elise lost her smile when she saw Quinn approaching.
“Yeah, Quinn really helped me with that girl, you remember the one who stole from me.”
Elise’s eyes lit up. “Yes, I was wondering what happened there.”
Quinn was now beside me, and without a word, I handed her my coffee. She took a drink gratefully. I noticed Elise’s eyes widen at the sharing, but she said nothing. She had been burned before by Quinn and hadn’t quite recovered.
“You know, the usual.” I shrugged carelessly.
“You fucked her?” Elise said in surprise.
“Fucked her? Nah, but I didn’t protest when she apologized.”
