Page 53 of Dump and Chase

“He thinks he should be on a line with Grant. The kid should still be in juniors, but that’s just my opinion,” Jim had said.

So when Brandon and I walked into the gym, he smirked and elbowed Munroe, another eighteen-year-old. I had no idea what that was about, but I didn’t like it.

“I want you to do some standing hip flexion, and we’re going to use resistance bands. I want to see your stability.”

He got the resistance band and attached it to one of the larger machines. I watched his form, and nodded. He was doing all right.

“Let’s do ten reps of that.”

He completed the set with relative ease, and I told him to do two more sets, and then three set on the other side as well. Halfway through, I caught Garson and Munroe giggling and looking our way. I stared at them, my face expressionless. I hoped they got the hint.

“That wasn’t as easy as it looked,” Brandon said, wiping his brow.

“But how are you feeling? I don’t want you to strain yourself.”

“No, it’s fine. Just a challenge.”

We moved on to some double legs squats. I was careful to watch his form so he didn’t try to use his strong leg. “Remember to distribute your weight evenly,” I said. I walked behind him, my hands on his hips to make sure he was doing that. This seemed to be hilarious for Garson and Munroe.

Brandon finished his set of reps, grabbed his water bottle, and downed half of it. He set it down and before I knew what was happening, he was marching over to Garson and Munroe. Munroe slunk back behind one of the chest press machines.

“Got a problem?” Brandon asked.

I wasn’t sure whether to intervene or get Allan and Jim. No one else was around at the moment.

“No,” Garson said, still smirking.

The kid was a lightweight at best. Brandon easily had twenty pounds on him and years of experience. Why Garson would attempt to antagonize Brandon was beyond me.

“Listen, you little shit. If you have a problem with me working with our PT, I would love to hear about it. I’m sure it’d be fucking fascinating coming from an overhyped punk like you.”

Garson let the smirk slip away, but cockiness was still written all over his face. “You seem to be spending an awful lot of time with her.”

Brandon stepped closer until their faces were inches apart. He was a few inches taller, and by the look of his balled fists, this was going to get ugly. I pulled my phone out and messaged Jim and Allan to come to the gym ASAP.

“Let me get something through to you, big shot. I’m rehabbing a serious injury so that I can play for the Kodiaks, where I played last year, as the second-line center. You are here, and you’re not going anywhere but down. So take some advice from a seasoned veteran like me and know your place.”

“You mean, like, respect my elders,” he said with a chuckle.

This kid was going to get the shit kicked out of him if I didn’t do something. I moved closer, though I kept a bit of distance in case this came to blows. “Gentlemen, let’s walk away from this, okay? No need to do anything we’ll regret.”

“If you ever make it to the Kodiaks, and by the looks of you that’s in serious doubt, remember that I’ve been around a lot longer,” Brandon snarled. “Little shits like you can find themselves in a lot of trouble. Am I making myself clear, or do you want me to wipe that smile off your face? Your choice, tough guy.”

“What the hell is going on here?” Allan asked. He had Jim in tow, and he turned to him and said, “Go get Coach Fontaine.”

Jim scurried off and Allan put himself physically between Brandon and Garson. I stepped back from the fray, glad this was over.

“It seems we have an attitude problem,” Brandon said. “Garson has trouble with women.”

Garson’s dark eyes were blazing. “He came at me.”

“You’ve been giving our PT a hard time all day.”

Coach Fontaine strode into the gym and took a look around. He pointed to Brandon, Garson, and Munroe. I had to give him credit for being astute enough to know Munroe had a hand in this too. “All three of you in my office. Now!”

I was breathing a little heavily when Allan came to check on me. “You okay?”

“I’m fine. It all escalated quickly.”

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