Page 86 of A Quarterback for Christmas

Chapter 22

Drew

Lying on the workout bench, I take several deep breaths. Clenching and unclenching my fists around the weight bar, I finally push it up, blowing out a breath with the heaviness. “Drew, you really need to calm down,” Reese warns. “You’ll drop that weight on yourself if you aren’t careful.” I know he has my best interests at heart, but I’m not about to listen to him. Not right now. Right now, I’m ticked off, and the only thing making me feel better is pushing this huge weight up while listening to heavy metal.

“I’m fine,” I grit out. “Add another ten pounds.” I rest the weight on the stand, ignoring the screeching pain in my muscles.

With his hand on the bar, Reese looks at me uneasily. “You sure about that? That will be the heaviest you’ve ever lifted, and I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

“I’m sure.”

He looks over to Jacob, and they share a tense look. I know what they’re thinking, but I don’t care. Jacob’s already proven himself. He’s got a spot in the draft, most likely the top pick, and Reese has another two years before he’ll be considered.

They aren’t under the same pressure as me. I have to prove myself in one year, and my judgment is currently being cloudedby a petite blonde who hasn’t bothered talking to me since our argument the other night.

Yet again, I tried to push Bella, and yet again, she did what she always does. She ran. Instead of admitting that we’re in a relationship to her dad, she took the easy way out. She ran like a scared little chicken, and I haven’t seen her since.

It’s her worst trait. No accountability and little action. Well, I should rephrase that because we both got plenty of action out of our relationship, but that was it. She didn’t want commitment, and she certainly didn’t want to tell her father about us, and now I’m starting to feel a little used.

At first, I thought our biggest barrier was that my coach was her dad, but now I see it for what it is. We just aren’t compatible. Always skating on the edge of an argument because we don’t want the same things. She wants a casual, secret fuck, and I want a girlfriend. Specifically, I wantherto be my girlfriend.

We just aren’t it, and maybe it’s time I accepted that.

“McCallister.” Coach Summers’ voice booms through the gym, making everyone stop and stare.

What have I done now?

Jacob looks at me wearily, probably worried that Coach has somehow found out about Bella, but who cares about that anyway? Nothing is going on between us now, so I can deny the crap out of it.

Coach Summers steps into the room, his eyes narrow at me, and he points his thumb behind him. “My office. Now.” Yeah, he’s definitely found out about Bella. Coach is usually so mild-mannered; the only thing that would make him blow his top off like this is her.

Reese looks relieved when I stand, and he drops the weight plate on the floor beside the bench. “I’ll be right back,” I say, wiping the sweat off my face.

As I walk to what feels like my impending doom, I feel all eyes on me. The team is watching with curiosity, wondering what the golden boy in Coach Summers’ eyes did wrong.

The room is silent when I walk into his office, and surprisingly three of the assistant coaches are gathered around his large mahogany desk, looking at something on the computer.

Their facial expressions range from marginally disgusted to horrified. Were they looking at porn before I got here? Either way, their disapproving looks are a first for me. I’ve definitely done something to earn it, but this seems like an extreme reaction to dating his daughter.

“Hey, guys.” I wave my hand, wiping the other on my black gym shorts.

Coach Summers looks at the other men in the room and tips his chin. “You can leave now. Drew and I need to have this discussion in private.” The coaches walk past, shoving me on the shoulder as they go.

“Sit.” Coach points to the chair in front of his desk, and I do as he says.

“What’s going on? What have I done?” I’m not the type of guy to beat around the bush; I want to know about any problems so I have the opportunity to rectify them.

He shakes his head. “If you don’t know, then I’ve got more problems than I thought. Do you remember what you were doing on February twentieth?”

It was starting to feel more like a police investigation, which made it clear that it had something to do with Bella. I just had no idea what we were doing then.

“I assume it was working out and studying.”

He laughs bitterly. “Is that what you call it? Working out? You know, when I gave you the key to the football team’s private gym area, I only expected you to use it when there wasn’t enough equipment in the main college gym. We don’t give players thekeys because we want them to ask us to use them first. Should have trusted my instincts.”

The private gym? I haven’t used that in weeks and have no idea what he’s talking about.

But then it hits me, and my blood runs cold. I can’t look him in the eyes. Surely not?

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