“Make way for MLS’s emotionally unavailable zaddy!” Ry added, clapping his hands like I was royalty.
I kept walking.
Finn leaned against a locker, phone in hand. “Yo, Walker, real question—how bad would it be if you just dated her to shut her up?”
A ripple of laughter followed. I didn’t flinch.
“I don’t do girls with mics,” I said flatly, dropping my bag on the bench. “Too loud.”
That shut them up.
For a beat.
Then the teasing resumed, quieter this time, like they knew they’d poked just far enough and were smart enough not to keep digging.
I sat down, unlaced my boots, and tried to pretend I didn’t hear someone mutter, “She got under his skin.”
Because she had.
And not for the reasons they thought.
It wasn’t the viral video. Not the memes, not the remix with Beyoncé. Not even the “washed-up legend” line.
It was how accurate it was.
She went for the throat—and she hit.
My age.
My ego.
My reputation, clinging to relevance like a man dangling from a cliff with one good arm.
The fact that she could say it so casually—like it wasn’t personal, just true—itched under my skin in a way that no slide tackle ever had.
I wasn’t angry she’d said it.
I was angry because I’d heard it before.
In my own head. On the bad days. The quiet ones after losses or injury reports or mornings when my knees sounded like gravel.
She just gave it a voice. One that carried.
“Walker,” Coach’s voice cut through the noise, sharp as a whistle. “My office. Now.”
I stood, ignoring the looks as I followed him down the hall.
Coach Lawson didn’t waste time. Ex-military, no bullshit, the kind of guy who could say “you’re benched” with a look.
His office door closed behind me with a heavy click.
Cameron was already pacing when I walked into the office—muttering, waving his hands, and swiping his phone like it owed him money.
“Okay,” he said without looking up, “before you say anything, yes, I saw it. Yes, everyone else saw it. And no, you’re not allowed to disappear into an ice bath and pretend this’ll blow over.”
I dropped into the chair opposite Coach's desk and didn’t say a word.
“Do you have any idea how viral that clip is right now?” he asked, voice pitching higher. “I’ve gotten calls from three sponsors. Three. One of them wants to know if you’re planning to ‘commit aggravated assault with your words’ all season.”
