“Cabot. Office— now,” I hear Coach Arthur Wilson’s voice boom from behind me. “The rest of you hit the showers.” Coach Wilson is known for being tough on his players but had won March Madness the past several seasons, so his abrasiveness is well worth it.
I quickly pick up my pace to meet Coach Wilson in his office at the edge of the gymnasium. Jersey in hand, I wrap on the door with my fist, him having already beat me to the office.
“No need to knock son, I called you in, remember?” He’s wearing a smirk on his grumpy withered face, one that he always had up his sleeve but only showed a few of his key players.Don’t need everyone thinking I’m soft,plays through my head as I’m hit with instant nostalgia.
“Right, sorry.” Grabbing the handle, I push the door shut softly and take a seat in front of him.
“What can I do for you today, Cabot?” Coach grumbles but under his tough as leather exterior his eyes betray him, filled with anticipation.
“I heard you gave Will my spot,” I taunt, knowing confidence goes a long way with Arthur Wilson, and that beating around the bush gets you nowhere in this office.
“Your ‘spot’? Ha!” He slaps his knee clearly trying to amplify how humorous he finds my claim. “Boy, that spot was gone the minute you stepped out of the building before your senior year. It wasn’t my fault the best player we had was your little brother.” Coach’s eyes meet mine as if to say he wouldn’t have picked Will if he didn’t have to. I look away not wanting to admit that my own brother was my rival on the team or that the coach carried such harsh feelings about him.
“I want my team back,” I gulp, meeting Coach Wilson’s eyes. His brows furrow as if he is considering my statement.
“Your team?” Coach chides, this time laughing hard.
“I’ll join even if I can’t be captain again, hell I’ll even try out.” I can feel my pulse quicken as what was intended to be a demand to rejoin my basketball team turns to begging.
Coach looks out his office window at the court in contemplation. “You know… I haven’t seen those men out there unify over something as quickly as they did when you walkedinto this building today. You’re a good player Cabot, but you were an even better captain.”
I feel my smile give away the cool exterior I was trying to put on in the face of my relentless coach. “Cool it, Cabot. You’re a good captain, but you decided to leave. Here’s the deal… I’m going to let you rejoin the team— I’ll even let you be captain. With one condition...”
I tense my jaw having a pretty good idea what this “condition” would be.
“He has to be your co-captain,” his eyes shift to the opening doors of the gym, the ones Will just walked through, “and you have to tell him.”
As I leave the gym a gust of warm air hits my face. It's only September, but it’s surprisingly hot for Massachusetts this time of year. I walk toward Mallard Hall where I’m meeting up with Grant outside the science lab, again thankful that I have a friend on the team. Even with the support of the guys, no one is brave enough to face the impending wrath Will is bound to release when I tell him the news. It was apparent Coach Wilson was afraid to tell Will himself, and thus gave me the job in doing it as some sort of sick punishment. Maybe he thinks Will won’t implode on his own brother, but I know how wrong that assumption is.
I enter through the thick mahogany door of the building and am surprised when I’m met again with one of my framed jerseys. I wasn’t here that long but apparently the several championship wins I brought the team were noted. I let the confidence filter through me, liking how important it makes me feel. Lord knows I haven’t felt this way in a while.
That’s when I see her.
My gaze goes from the white sneakers she’s wearing all the way up her long tanned legs to the hem of her even starker white tennis skirt. My throat feels thick and hoarse as I try to blink, breaking my gaze only to be met by eyes like dictionaries, big and holding every truth I’d ever want to know. I try to remember the confidence I felt only moments ago but as soon as I feel her close in, it evaporates almost instantly.
“Come,” she says, those big eyes filled with something like anger.
I follow, knowing I would follow her to the end of the earth if she asked me to, but trying to up the annoyance on my face to hide that fact. Finally, after following her halfway down the hall, I realize I have my size as an advantage. I slightly elevate the length of my stride, stepping in front of her like a wall. She’s an inch away from my chest and blows out a stream of air before taking a step back.
“Do you need something from me? I’m meeting someone,” I say in an attempt to keep my voice even knowing my palms are sweating with anticipation.
Her face flushes and I feel bad for the coolness in my tone, but steel myself so my eyes don’t betray me.
“When were you going to tell me that Will fucking hit you?”
I squint, trying to make sense of what she’s talking about. I apparently look confused, as she reaches up and softly swipes her thumb over the bruise under my eye. I swallow hard, the touch rippling through me. I feel it in every single cell. She quickly pulls her arm away, biting her lip.
“Don’t downplay your intelligence, Ben. It’s hard to miss.” I know the look she’s giving me is meant to come across as cruel, but her pout draws my attention so intently that it’s hard for me to think straight, much less answer her ridiculous question. “I guess you aren’t ‘downplaying’ after all.” She starts to push byme and I gently grab her arm. Again, electricity shoots up into my neck. I feel my pulse quicken as I let her go.
Her eyes go wide and narrow, but her face is too pretty to look as angry as she’s hoping it will. I finally crack a smile which seemingly makes her more pissed.
“Are you going to talk?”
Laughing, I look down into her dark brown orbital eyes. “You think that Will…Willdid this to me?” I shake my head, letting my laugh pick up when I see the pink beginning to fill out her complexion.
“He said he hit someone, and you look like someone who might deserve to be hit.” Her teeth are gritted in anger and embarrassment, somehow making me more attracted to her. I push the thought away.
“Will didn’t do this. Trust me, you would know if he did.”
