Page 7 of Laugh

I know that’s not her name, but at the moment, I don’t remember what it actually is.

My guys are supposed to be getting their shit together, going through their class materials, so they’re ready for me to come up with a plan. Instead, she’s hovering by their table, laughing and flirting. Distracting them.

The thought ‘I can hardly blame them’ flits through my head before I shove it away. She’s standing there in a pair of tight black jeans and a flowing white sleeveless blouse. Her long, wavy red hair is pinned up into one of those messy buns and she’s wearing glasses this time around. Black-rimmed, round glasses that seem almost too big for her face.

Gritting my teeth, I make it to the table right at the same time that she throws her head back and laughs at something one of the guys said to her. They’re all focused on her instead of what they’re here for, which only serves to anger me more.

“Guys!” I snap out and all five of them whip their heads to look at me. Happy’s eyes widen a fraction before she controls herself and settles on a smirk.

“Oh Captain, my Captain! Fancy meeting you here.” Crossing her arms, she leans her hip against their table.

“Captain?” I hear Tyler ask.

“Hey coach, Haddie was gonna–” Jeffrey starts to say, but I cut him off. I also take a quick note that her name is Haddie, not Happy.

“You all need to get your heads in the game and start focusing on what’s important rather than flirting with pretty girls. Apparently, this is part of your problem.”

“Coach?” Haddie asks. Evidently, no one told her who I was over the weekend when we met. Of course, she doesn’t stop talking there. “Also, I’msuperflattered that you think I’m pretty! What sport do you coach?”

I just blink at her.Seriously?“You couldn’t figure that out by the football players you’re hanging all over? I’m sure you have some studying you need to get back to.” I regret the way that came out when I see her shoulders stiffen and she stands up straighter.

“My bad.” Her voice is laced with caustic sweetness. “We just flew right past the introductions and headed right into eyelash batting and sexual innuendos.” Turning to my team, she gives them a more genuine smile. “Alright you ballers, I’ll leave you with your Captain here and I’ll be back in a few.” She gives them one last smile, which then turns into a smirk when she looks at me before leaving the table.

My players are watching her walk away, so I growl at them to shut their mouths. I can’t have them distracted by anything or anyone right now. “Get your shit out. I’ll be right back.” Dropping my bag on the floor, I chase after her.

“Hey! Wait up a second,” I call out. I try to keep my voice down because of where we are, but a handful of students studying watch me. Except for her. She ignores me and keeps walking. “Haddie. STOP.”That worked.

She stops walking and makes a slow turn, eyebrow raised at me, apparently shocked at my audacity. There’s a rude awakening on her horizon. You don’t get to ignore staff here at the school and technically; I am part of it. “Yes, your majesty?” she asks, sarcastic as fuck.

Fuck this shit.

“Look, I’m sure you’re a really nice girl–”

“I really am,” she interrupts.

I put my hand up to stop her from talking. “Butyou should focus on your own studying and back off from my players. They need to focus, and distractions are the last thing they need at the moment. I would very much appreciate your cooperation in this. If you feel you’ll have difficulty with this, please let me know and I’ll find someone on the staff here to help you out. Agreed? Good. Much appreciated.”

Honestly, I tried to start out politely. But her arrogance and attitude that settled in her features, plus the body language likeI’min the wrong here, has me growing more and more irritated by the second. By the end of my speech, I’m pissed and glaring at her. I also must have shocked her because, for once, she doesn’t have a quick comeback.

Finally, she shakes her head at me and snorts out a quick laugh. “Noted.” Then, with a salute, she walks away from me.

Whatever, at least she agreed. Heading back to the table, I pull out a chair and sit down. “Alright guys. I want each of you to tell me where you’re struggling so we can come up with a game plan. Get you into classes, tutors, whatever it’ll take to pull up your grades this summer. Jeffrey, you first.”

I make notes for the next ten minutes while the guys fill me in. My temper has finally started to abate until I see a flash of red out of the corner of my eye. Looking over, I see Haddie heading back to the table.

“Are you kidding me right now?” I growl and stand up to intercept her.

She ignores me, stepping around where I’m standing, to drop a stack of papers onto the table and speaks to my guys like I’m invisible.

“Alright you football players, here’s what I’ve got for you. I didn’t have time to separate out tutors by topics, so you all get the same packet. You’ll just have to look through them and find what you need. Unfortunately, many of these students are off during the summer, so you may have to take advantage of some of the staff here. I’ll help out where I can. Just let me know.”

What the fuck is happening right now?“What are you–”

My mouth snaps shut when she holds her hand up to me the same way I did to her. “I would also suggest you attend one of our weekly one-hour seminars that’s designed specifically for students in your situation. Typically, they’re held on Thursday afternoons, so if boss man here can let you all out of practice for a bit, you should come. It’ll be a great resource for study tips. Not everyone is the same, so we like to offer a few different ways to utilize your time the best way possible.”

I close my eyes when I realize she isnota student, but a staff member. She just keeps going like I don’t exist.

“Aside from Mr. Colton here, the rest of you are actually eligible to get extra credit as long as your previous semester professors are on board with it. Seeing as you all are football stars, I’m sure they’d be willing to give you the opportunity. Colton, unfortunately for you, you’ll most likely need to retake a couple of courses. Since they’re still fresh in your mind, my suggestion would be to get extra credit from two of them and retake the other two. They’re fast-paced, but with help, I have the utmost confidence that you’ll be able to make it through.”

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