Page 18 of The Playbook

“She has a boyfriend.” The words were dull as they came out of my mouth.

“Really?” Both guys seemed surprised by that bit of information.

“Yeah, that Noah kid who drums in the band.”

“He’s in my econ class. Nice guy. Funny,” Ryan said thoughtfully.

I grunted. All I knew was I didn’t like him touching Grace. I didn’t have a say in it though. The idea of breaking them apart had started to grow on me.

Coach came into the locker room, readying the pep talk he did every game. I had to hand it to him, he knew how to get us fired up. Coach really was an inspiration, even if he was a hard ass. He played pro ball before he took a hit to the knee that ended his career. The guy didn’t look a day over forty and was fit as could be. It hadn’t slipped past any of us how hot his wife was. I smiled as I thought of Grace. She looked a lot like her mom.

Grace’s face danced in my mind. I couldn’t shake the color of her eyes away. Or the cute, little scowl she wore on her face, even when it was in response to seeing me. Something about that made me want to try harder.

“All right, fellas, let’s bring it in,” Coach called out gruffly.

I’d been so lost in thoughts of Grace, I’d completely missed his pre-game speech. We all huddled together and gave our battle shout before breaking apart.

“Walker, a word,” Coach called out to me.

A few of the guys threw smirks my way as my stomach sank.Was he going to talk to me about Grace? Had she said something to him?

“Yeah, Coach?”

“My daughter tells me you’re her lab partner.”

My heart hammered in my chest, and I swallowed.

“Yes, sir.”

“Grace takes her studies very seriously. I want you to understand that.”

“Of course, Coach. Grace is incredibly smart. You should be very proud of her, sir.”

“And I am,” Coach answered, his eyes sweeping over me. “But you have a reputation, and Grace is…” His voice trailed off.

I waited, my breath held.

“Quiet.” He finished his sentence. “I don’t want anything to disrupt what she’s worked so hard for. So please ensure you're pulling your weight in class.”

“Absolutely, Coach,” I replied. “I’d never dream of ruining her hard work.”

“Good.” He gave me a tight smile.

I felt like he was looking through me and could see my real intentions, intentions that were beginning to make me feel sicker by the hour.

“Is Grace allowed to date?” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

Coach’s eyebrows nearly shot off his forehead. “Excuse me?”

“I-I mean I see her with this kid named Noah all the time. He had his arm around her waist in the hall and then was hugging her in the parking lot after school. I was just wondering if she was allowed to date,” I finished lamely. If I was going to need to split her and her boyfriend up, this seemed to be the perfect way to do it.

Coach’s surprised look quickly turned to one of annoyance. “Thank you for telling me.”

He pushed past me without answering my question, which made me think Grace wasn’t allowed to date and I’d just ended whatever she’d had with Noah. If she wasn’t allowed to date, I looked like a good guy by telling the coach. Maybe it would be my way in. And if nothing else, it would keep Grace away from Noah.

I grinned, more pumped now than I was before. My plan, regardless of how impromptu, was going to work.

CHAPTER11

---