Page 73 of Pretty Broken Promises

“Shaw, get your ass in my office,” Coach shouts as I’m putting my stuff in my locker.

Kendall “Ken Doll” Walker, one of our starting wide receivers, slams his locker shut right next to me, making me jump. “He’s had a bug up his ass since he stormed in here this morning. I don’t envy you, man.”

“I’ve been expecting something like this. I’ll manage,” I tell him and close my locker.

I stroll into Greer’s office as if I’ve done nothing wrong, which I haven’t, but I know he probably doesn’t see it that way. There were half dozen missed calls and an equal number of texts on my phone when I turned it back on this morning, and every single one of them were from him.

“What the fuck did you think you were doing turning off your phone yesterday?” Spittle flies from his mouth as he yells at me.

I cross my arms, and widen my stance. It’s admittedly a somewhat aggressive posture. The muscles in my arms bulge and stretch my T-shirt. Yesterday, I came to a decision about what is important to me, and what isn’t. I’ve made my peace with walking away from football if necessary.

After my father put me in the hospital I accepted that any chance I had at a career in football was over. That same night I thought I lost the woman I love forever. Losing her was worse than losing football. Now I’ve got both back in my life, and if I have to choose between them, I already know which one I can’t live without. It’s no contest. I’ll choose Tessa every single time.

“Well,” he demands, “I’m waiting.”

I shrug one shoulder. “I was enjoying my day off. You know, the one you are obligated to give me according to NCAA rules?”

His jaw clenches and the muscle tics over the joint. “I went to bat for you to get you here. The least you could do is show some gratitude.”

I slam my hands down on his desk and lean close to his face. “I was grateful when I thought I was coming here to work with the coach I knew at Ocean Bluff High. That man I respected. He had morals and standards. I’m not sure who you are, but I don’t respect you enough to show you gratitude. I’m sure as fuck not going to sacrifice my relationship to save your ass.”

He lifts himself to standing and matches my stance. Coach Greer is still an imposing man. He might be in his fifties, but he could knock most men on their ass. Not me, but most men haven’t gone to battle with crime lords. I’m not the same kid he coached years ago, and that miscalculation will be his downfall.

“You want to get technical about the rules?” he sneers. “There’s nothing that says I have to put you on the field. No pro team is going to want you, and you won’t get a spot in the draft if you don’t get any playtime.”

I stand up straight. “Then I guess I’ll leave here with an education, but at least I’ll still have Tessa.”

He shakes his head. “You’re only twenty-one. You don’t know what you want.”

Done with this conversation, I turn to go back to the locker room. Before I walk out I say over my shoulder, “Tell yourself that if it makes you feel better, but I made my peace with losing football back in high school.”

* * *

Greer followedthrough with his threat. Here we are a month into the season, and I’ve been riding the bench. It’s like a game of chicken, except I have no plans of swerving. I don’t care if I run headfirst into the consequences.

Coach, on the other hand, grows more disgruntled every game that passes. He’s approaching his breaking point, because the school still wants to use me, and so far I haven’t helped them fill the stadium with horny women. Not to mention the fact that my replacement can’t hit the broadside of a barn, let alone land a pass without any pressure. Thankfully our defense is amazingly talented, or every game would end in a blowout.

As it is now, the Cascade U Rams are fighting to even have a chance at a wildcard spot going into bowl season. If Coach Greer would pull his head out of his ass and put me in starting tonight, we could still turn the season around. That would mean he’d have to admit defeat in this game he’s playing with me though, and that he can’t do. He claims he’ll lose his job if I don’t pretend to be single, but by benching me the team’s record is so bad that he might lose it anyway.

I haven’t made many friends on the team thanks to my bench warming status, so I am usually one of the few left at the hotel when we’re away for a game. Not that I’d be trying to hang out with the others anyway, my days of picking up randoms is far behind me.

We’ve been on the road a lot for the last month. Every other weekend I’m sharing a room with a teammate instead of Tessa, and I’m getting nothing from it. If I had another way to pay for college without going into massive debt I’d quit now and be done with it. If I’m not going to have a shot to play pro ball at least I could be with Tess every weekend.

This weekend though is going to be a rare break in the tedium of this season. We’re heading south to play against the Playa Pacifica University Jaguars, which means I get to skip the hotel and stay with my friends. Shane and I still aren't talking as much as we used to so I'm bunking with Sin and Raven. The best part is that Sin is surprising his wife by flying down Tessa.

We won't have a lot of time, maybe just enough to have dinner, but it'll be nice to see a friendly face for a change. Too bad I didn't let them know farther in advance, Sin didn't even tell the rest of the gang because they all have plans to go up to Shane's cabin for the weekend. Sin and Raven decided to skip it, since it doesn't bring back the best memories for them. I haven't been there since that weekend either so I'm not sad to be left out of this particular trip.

What I don't do is ask Coach for permission to stay somewhere other than the hotel. If he even thinks I want to do something he's going to say no. It's much easier to sneak out after everyone goes out for the night. I don’t have to worry about my roommate ratting me out, because I’m staying with the one guy on the team I’ve actually formed any kind of friendship with, even if it is only at practice.

Kendall and I get off the private plane the team charters to away games, and start grabbing our bags to get on the bus for the hotel. He slides in next to me in the front of the bus. He’s the only other guy on the team who doesn’t like to party. Like me he’s got a steady girlfriend, but unlike me he wasn’t asked to lie about her existence.

He’s stiff as he sits down. “I really wish Coach would get over whatever this bug is that crawled up his ass. If Jefferson throws me another pass like last week I’m going to be in traction.”

When Nate Jefferson, the sophomore who is standing in as QB right now, manages to actually find a receiver, he always seems to land it in the hands of a guy in the middle of the most heat. Last week that honor fell to Ken Doll, who is definitely not feeling like his usual perfectly coiffed self.

“That seems really unlikely, considering what he wants is for me to break up with my girlfriend,” I reply.

“I thought he just wanted you to appear single in public,” Kendall says.

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