My brother hands the mic back to Coach, and our eyes meet for a single burning moment. I love him, and I hate him. But maybe he also hates himself.
“I hear that, Adriel. We’ll be anxiously watching. Can’t wait to see you get that killer swing back,” Chris says, closing out with a short, “Thanks, Coach.”
“Anytime, Chris,” Coach Shuster says. A second later, Campbell has the ring lights turned off, and the laptop shut.
“What the fuck just happened?” The thought is mine, but the words come out in Colby’s voice. The entire room is now looking at her as she stands from her chair with her hands out.
“Danube has elbow tightness. He’s probably going to need surgery. They have to pull Adriel back up.” Coach Shuster has been through ups and downs like this for years. To him, it’s a regular Saturday in some small town. But to me? To Colby? It’s life proving exactly how unfair it is.
“Well, it’s bullshit. Jayden’s ready. He deserves to go,” she says.
My eyes flare extra wide, and she seems to catch her words, only too late.
“You’re awfully invested there, Colby,” Coach Bastion says under his breath.
“I just know he’s ready. I’m sorry. It seemed . . . when you all came in here, I thought . . .” She turns her gaze away from me, and I feel the instant wall she’s fighting to build.
“Yeah, I’m sorry about that, Jayden,” Coach Shuster says to me. “We got the call late, and Chris wanted to get a bite for the show. Normally, I wouldn’t have let them put you under a spotlight like that. Thanks for being a pro, Adriel.” Coach leans across my body, holding a hand out to my brother. The two men shake, and I sit, staring at the shut computer screen, feeling a lot like Alice at the damn tea party.
“Well, back at it in the morning. Let’s come out of here with a sweep,” Coach says, pushing his chair back in. He stops in front of Colby, though, and tilts his head toward the door as if asking her to step outside with him.
The room around me is a busy world of people stacking folding chairs, Campbell winding up cords and powering down electronics, and Adriel dialing his agent. Coach Bastion and I sit across from one another at the table, and the way he’s studying me is off-putting.
“So, who’s a better coach? Colby or her dad?” he finally utters.
I shrug and flit my gaze to the door, where I can hear murmurs of Colby and Coach Shuster talking outside.
“I don’t know. They’re different.”
Coach Bastion lets out a slow, sinister laugh.
“I’ll bet,” he says.
My eyes flash to him instantly, and I jet up from my chair, slapping my palms on the table just as Coach Shuster and Colby step back into the room. I do my best to redirect my rage, playing it off as frustration and looking away from the man intent on baiting me.
“Sorry for my outburst,” I say. Coach Shuster merely pats my back as he walks behind me.
“I love your competitive spirit, Jayden. And I meant what I said. Your attitude is what this game thrives on.” He nods toward Adriel, who is still on the phone with his agent on the other side of the room, then tunes his gaze on me. “Don’t thinkthatis the way you get there.”
I lower my chin in understanding.
The room clears out minutes later, and sometime during the chaos, Colby slipped out unnoticed. Adriel walks ahead on his own, still making calls to share the news and work his angles, and I follow the coaches through the stadium lot. The three of us help Campbell carry her tech equipment to her rental car. She got to fly in for the night. Funny, even the one-woman PR team gets better treatment than me. I had to endure a charter bus that smelled slightly of wet socks.
We pile into the elevator together, and while my entire body is itching to head to the top floor to see if Colby’s in her room, I get off on six with everyone else. I press my keycard to my door just as Coach Shuster’s clicks shut about four doors down.
“I’m so sorry,” Colby says, standing in the middle of my room.
My heart skips at the sight of her, and I do the only thing I can think of—the only thing that’s right. I rush toward her, hold her face in my hands, and kiss her through her tears that started falling the moment our eyes met.
TWENTY-ONE
COLBY
There is a certain grace in everything Jayden does.
The way he swings for the fences.
The way he runs.
