Preston
“That was pass interference!” I bellowed before I slammed my headset into the grass.
It had been three weeks since Jagger Ross fucked everything up. Actually, scratch that, sinceIfucked everything up.
This was the third game I’d benched Krew and I was so sick at what I’d been doing I could barely look at myself in the mirror.
I held Trinity close to my chest every night, knowing I was hiding so many truths from her.
“Coach. That’s your first warning,” the ref said before he tucked his whistle back into his mouth.
My jaw clenched, but before I could bend down to pick up my headset, a pair of hands scooped it off the ground.
Wesley lifted a brow. “Get it together.”
“They ignored the penalty.” I snatched it from his hands, then dropped it back in place.
“They did. But you lose your cool, they’ll send you to the locker room,” he reminded me like I didn’t already know I was on the brink of a blow-up.
The worst part of tonight wasn’t even that we were losing. That sucked. But when I saw the scouts in the stands, here to watch Krew Kolson, my anger flared.
I felt trapped. My loyalty to too many people being spread from one side of the field to another. It was becoming impossible.
But fuck, I loved her.
Loved her so much I’d take the hit. Loved her so much that as I stood here on this field, I realized I couldn’t protect them all. But the one I still refused to let down washer.
I thought about walking straight up to Rodney, the man who was taking chemo treatments every week, and tell him that I couldn’t do what he asked of me anymore.
No matter what I did, someone suffered.
And I was spiraling.
The whistle blew, signaling the next play.
Their defense was on point. Our plays sloppy. Our leader was on the bench, and the team moral was jacked.And it’s all my fault.
When the final buzzer echoed through the stadium, I tore off my headset, the loss crushing me like a solid boulder.We lost.And I was fuming.
I didn’t even stay for the locker room speech. I let Rodney handle it and escaped to my office at the end of the building to lick my wounds in peace. But that peace didn’t last long. I glanced up from my desk when Trinity stepped inside, then closed the door behind her.
Her arms crossed over her Cougar’s polo. “Tough loss.”
I breathed in through my nose. “Yeah.”
“You want to tell me what’s going on?” She cocked a hip out.
Her tone had a hint of accusation, which caused my defenses to shoot up. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She scoffed. “Come on, Preston. Krew?” She took a few steps toward me. “Why the hell isn’t he on the field?”
“Trinity, don’t push,” I warned.
But I knew this woman. I knew when she was determined to do something, she didn’t let up.
“Oh, I’m pushing.” She pointed at the door. “Your team is suffering. Not because they don’t have the talent, but because they don’t have their quarterback. Jagger? Seriously? He doesn’t have half of the talent that Krew does.”
I busied my hands, tugging a drawer open before I dropped my playbook inside. Her rush to defend him grated on my nerves, putting irrational thoughts in my head. Maybe she’d rather be with him. Someone she didn’t have to sneak around with.
