Page 135 of The Problem with Players

She pushed herself up from the table and began walking down the hallway. I watched her ass move side to side the whole time.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“To shower.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Join me.”

41

AVERY

My legs felt like Jell-O the following day when I went to school. I had Nathan to blame for that, seeing how he’d kept me up all night long. Then again, I wasn’t complaining. Not in the slightest.

Students buzzed around with a lightness to them. School was coming to an end, and graduation was right around the corner for many of them. The energy felt fresh, renewed in some way.

“Coach K!” Cameron said, rushing over to me in the hallway after first period finished. He looked like he was still floating on cloud nine from the weekend. That made me happier than I could’ve ever expressed. “Dude! I wish you were there this weekend!”

I smiled. “I wish I was, too. But rumor has it that you had the best weekend ever.”

“It was amazing! My dad loved the campus, too. And Coach P showed us all around his old stomping grounds.”

“I love that. I’m glad.”

“Me too!” He grinned ear to ear, grabbing the straps of his backpack tightly around his shoulders. “Plus, the idea of himcoaching there when I attend is so exciting. I mean, I wish I had both of you coaching me, but at least a part of Honey Creek is coming to Prest, too.”

My heart skipped a few beats as I tried to grasp the words leaving his mouth. “Wait, what do you mean?”

“Coach Reed at Prest offered Coach P a head coaching position. He gave him a contract and all.” He narrowed his eyes. “Oh crap. I thought he would’ve told you when he got back. I’m sorry if?—”

I pushed out a smile and patted Cameron on the shoulder. “No, no, it’s fine. I knew. I just didn’t know he shared the information with you,” I lied. The bell rang, and I cleared my throat. “Get to your next class, will you? We can’t have you falling behind on your studies.”

“All right.”

“And Cam?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m really proud of you.”

He grew bashful and nodded. “Thanks, Coach K for…everything.”

After he left, his words grew heavier and heavier in my mind with every passing hour. When my lunch break came around, I left school and headed to Nathan’s house. I knew he was in town that afternoon, so when I went into the house to snoop around, I knew I’d be fine.

As I walked into the house, I noticed an envelope on the kitchen island that Nathan left there the night prior. With nerves bubbling up inside, I opened the envelope to find the contract that Cameron told me about. A contract for a lot of money.

I felt sick.

He was leaving me.

He was leaving and didn’t bother to tell me about the offer.Just like Wesley had done. Just like Nathan had done years before, too. There was no way that was possible.

Just like that, the make-believe world I had created with Nathan crashed straight into reality.

With a busy mind, I pulled out my cell phone and called the apartment complex in town. “Hi there. I was just calling to see if that one-bedroom apartment was still available. I’d like to come through today and sign a lease for it if possible.”

After I hung up the phone, I texted Nathan.

Avery

Can you lead practice tonight? I have some things to handle.

---