Page 48 of Out of Bounds

The new recruits gaped with open mouths down the line. We’d just started the semester together, but I’d been strict as hell in the summer training. Of course they were surprised.

It wasn’t hard to catch up with Kassie in the locker room. "What are you doing in here?"

It was quiet and clean inside, the pride of Coach Lawson after he’d taken over from the last coach who let our team make enemies of the cleaning staff. Lights glowed from the floor and each of our names was painted on the front of the lockers, with a neon picture of each player stamped right above.

Kassie walked down the line of lockers on a mission. "I’m knocking some sense into you the only way I know how."

That didn’t sound good. "What way?"

"The proven way." Kassie stopped in front of the third to last locker, King’s locker. "You’re going to listen to me right now or I’m marching out in your buddy’s jersey. And we’ll show your team exactlywhohas the temper."

Words left me.

"Ryan. This isnota football game."

That’s what she was worried about?

"I know it’s not."

"No, I don’t think you do. Let me make this clear. I'm not your dancing monkey. Getting people to believe in a fake relationship doesn’t mean controlling everything I do and snapping commands and marching me off places. I’msorryI was late. I had a real shit day at the design office yesterday and I apologized to you fifty times. Can youlet that shit go?"

I must’ve hit the grass pretty hard because that actually made sense.

"Do you get how different this is?" Kassie pressed.

No.

And it was a no for one singular reason—I didn’t want to.

Every bone in my body needed to reestablish a game plan with the new dynamic we’d been locked into. But wasn’t that the exact thing she was warning me about? This girl was asking for improvisation, acting on the fly, and doing things off-routine. An impossibility for me. I rubbed the back of my neck and kept my gaze focused on her while she slowly closed the locker door.

A girl I was alone with.

I could already hear the jibes from my teammates about sneaking away together. We had to leave. But first, I needed to say something.

I cleared my throat. "I can help you with the design department."

"Yeah, that’s not going to happen."

"Why not?"

Kassie shrugged. "I think it’s part of the reason you need this whole fake relationship thing. The unapproachable aspect. People are scared shitless of you."

"Oh." For a moment, I didn’t say anything. I just watched her. "Are you scared of me?"

"No," she replied, amused.

That shouldn’t have made me feel as good as it did. But it did. And ever since I was given the captain badge, people weren’t blunt with me anymore. It was…refreshing.

Maybe Kassie wasn’t a teammate but it was time to bring her up to speed with who she had to work with.

19

Ryan

Not An Art Project

In her path towards the exit, I snagged one of the straps of her backpack and pulled her towards me. She didn’t snarl, Kassie just glanced back with a frown, those lips pressed together with that distracting lipstick.

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