Page 2 of Summer with a Player

"Okay, Okay. Let's make this interesting," I say, smirking and dribbling the ball between my legs. "Next point wins, loser buys drinks at Sand Dunes tonight."

"Deal!" Kaleb exclaims, rubbing his hands together.

"Bring it on!" Dakota adds, already positioning himself for defense.

There's nothing quite like a little friendly wager between men.

"Ready?" I ask, looking each of them in the eye.

"Born ready," Ryder replies with a smirk.

"Let's do this!" Kaleb shouts, clapping.

"Game on," Dakota adds, narrowing his eyes in determination.

I take a deep breath and launch into action, quickly maneuvering around Dakota with a swift sidestep. He tries to keep up, but I'm too fast, my agility and speed honed from years of training. I pass the ball to Ryder, who fakes out Kaleb with a quick feint before tossing it back to me.

"Nice one!" I shout, catching the ball effortlessly and spinning towards the hoop. With a precise flick of my wrist, I send the ball sailing through the air, its trajectory aimed perfectly at the net.

"Damn, Jet! You don't mess around!" Dakota exclaims, clearly impressed by my skills.

"Hey, when it comes to money and booze, I always bring my A-game," I reply, grinning broadly as I watch the ball swish through the net, sealing our victory.

"Looks like you're buying drinks, Kaleb!" Ryder teases, patting him on the back.

"Ugh, fine. But you guys better not go overboard," Kaleb grumbles, but there's a good-natured smile on his face.

Just as we're all turning to head into the house, I feel a need to take one last shot. This time, though, I decide to get fancy and show off my footwork. It doesn’t really go the way I picture it in my head, and my feet tangle. All of a sudden, I’m tumbling headfirst into the bushes lining the driveway.

"Shit!" I yell, trying to untangle myself from the branches as I hear my friends' laughter echoing around me.

"Smooth move, Jet," Dakota teases, extending a hand to help me up. "You alright?"

I nod, brushing leaves and twigs off my clothes. For a split second, the laughter of my friends feels like mockery, and my chest tightens. What if this moment of clumsiness is a sign of things to come? What if I take this bad luck streak into the game on the ice?

I shake off the laughter but not the nagging feeling that I still need to prove myself on the ice as a valuable Charleston Renegades player before I get traded. It's a fear that has plagued me since childhood, stemming from the loss of my parents and the pressure to make them proud.

"Hey, you know what they say," I grin, trying to play it cool as I dust myself off. "If you're not falling, you're not trying hard enough, right?" I chuckle.

"Sounds about right," Kaleb smirks. "Now let's get going before Jet decides to sleep in those bushes."

We make our way to The Sand Dunes Bar & Grill, one of our favorite spots to hang out after practice. As we walk in, the comfort of the place greets us, making it easy to shake off the earlier embarrassment.

It’s a seat yourself kind of place. So, Ryder leads the way over to our usual table, a long high-top table by the window overlooking Love Beach. We sit down, and I take a deep breath, inhaling the scent of sizzling burgers. Our waitress, Jayden, comes over bringing us menus and taking our drink orders. Jayden is a staple in this place. She’s been here as long as I can remember. She’s a short, cute redhead with bright green eyes. Ryder issmitten. “You guys want the usual?” she asks, looking through her lashes at Ryder. Since he can’t focus and talk I answer for everyone. “Yeah, usual drinks on Kaleb’s tab.” I smirk, knowing he’s already regretting the loss. “Got ya, I’ll give you a bit to check out the menu while I get your drinks.” She smiles as she walks away and poor Ryder sits there with his mouth slightly parted and a hunger in his eyes. Being the amazing friend I am, I take a napkin and wipe off his bottom lip. “You’re drooling a little there, buddy.” We erupt in laughter again. “Fuck you guys. One day, I’ll be the one laughing at all of you,” he retorts with no heat. For a grumpy bastard, he sure lets Jayden get under his skin.

***

"What are we thinking about the upcoming match? Any strategies we need to work on?" Dakota asks, taking a sip from his beer as we all peruse the menu.

"Ugh, we definitely need to tighten up our defense," I say, my mind shifting gears from my earlier blunder to our next opponent. "The last practice showed some gaps in our coverage that could be exploited if we don't fix them."

"Agreed," Kaleb chimes in. "And our power play could use some sharpening too. We've been getting sloppy lately."

"Yeah, we got some work to do," Ryder says, nodding thoughtfully.

Our conversation shifts from strategy to past games to laughing over memories of pranks in the locker room.

"Remember that time when Jet filled Coach's office with balloons?" Dakota grins, reminiscing about my infamous prank.

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