Dakota cleared his throat. “I saved you two some seats.”
He gestured across the room. “Come on. Our head coach, Axe, likes to dig into West before games. Get in his head a bit. It usually takes a few minutes.”
I frowned. “Does that work?”
Dakota leads me to his table. “We won the championship last year for the first time in eight years because of Weston. I say it does something.”
I peered over my shoulder at Weston, who was supposedly being torn into. His mouth was in a straight line and his shoulders looked tight. His eyes strayed away from his coach, scanning the room. When he found me, I could see his chest rise and fall as he let out a sigh. When he turned back to his coach, his shoulders were relaxed.
“What’s up,” Grayson greeted as I slipped into a chair beside him. “You coming to the game tomorrow? We need all the luck we can get.”
Before I could answer David said, “Maybe if she shows up, we’d finally be able to have Weston in the flesh.”
Unlike his formally dressed teammates, David went for a completely casual look. His black denim jacket sported a rip on the shoulder and his graphic t-shirt repped a band I’d never heard of. I let out a humorless chuckle at his words. There was blame in his tone. Grayson shot him a warning look.
“I was teasing,” David defended with a blank expression. I watched him take a few heavy gulps of his drink.
“Ignore him,” Max piped in. He didn’t look up as he scrolled through his phone. “Besides, Weston can’t save us from Amber U’s team. They’re literal beasts. I’d bet all my scholarship money they were created in a lab.”
“Would you stop watching those damned videos,” Grayson complained and tried to snatch the phone away. Max shifted so that his device was out of reach. A YouTube clip continued playing on the screen.
“It’s the first game of the season.” Dakota sounded calm, well-practiced at being the voice of reason. “The faster we lose, the faster we learn.”
“Thank you, grandma.” David finished his drink and raised his glass to a passing server.
“Buzz off.” Dakota reached across the table to take David’s cup. “And slow down with spiking before one of the coaches notices, you idiot.”
David showed Dakota his middle finger. “Eat me.”
“Wow, very mature.” Grayson rolled his eyes.
“Babe,” Max mumbled with his eyes still glued to his phone. “We agreed. Don’t engage him tonight. He’s a useless distraction.”
“Eat me, too,” David directed to Grayson.
The redhead fumed but kept quiet by giving in to watching the football clip on Max’s phone. Despite their loss of interest, David still gave Grayson the bird.
“You trying to get wrecked?” A voice asked behind me. Weston’s hand covered my shoulder but his eyes were on David.
“You trying to show up long enough to do something?” David challenged.
Weston shot him the meanest glare I’d ever seen. “I’m not in the mood, so cut it out.”
David leaned back in his chair and opened his mouth to say something. The server appeared just in time to refill his drink.
“Sprite, right?” She asked in a high-pitched voice. Her hand was shaking as she held the pitcher up.
“Mostly.” David nodded at her and reached over the table to snatch his cup back from Dakota.
“Come on, Covee.” Weston gently squeezed my shoulder.
“Weston don’t let him get to you,” Dakota protested. “We can demote him to the second-string table.”
David snorted and pulled a flash from his jacket pocket. “I’d really like to see you guys try.”
I stood up without needing to be asked twice. I was more than willing to put some distance between them and myself for the night. These guys were on edge. I had enough anxiety to last me a lifetime, so absorbing theirs would not do me any favors.
“Watch him,” Weston told Dakota before pulling me away.
