Page 18 of Play It Off

Not at all.

Instead, I walk her to the door and tell her goodbye, thanking her for stopping by my place. “You’re the first girl who’s been here in a while,” I admit, and just from the faintly disgusted look on her face, I know I’ve blown it.

“Gee. What an honor,” she mutters as she walks away. I half expect her to flip me off, but she doesn’t. I breathe a sigh of relief.

And berate myself for the rest of the afternoon for inserting my foot into my mouth around Sienna yet again.

“Okay, fuckers.” Nico rubs his gloved hands together, the noise they make grating on my already tired nerves. “We need to kick our asses into gear. No more lagging on the field. We have our first game in a week. Shit’s turning serious real fast.”

Me, Nico, and Coop are standing in front of the team, supposedly giving them an inspirational speech. Our coaching staff is having an unexpected meeting, and they left us in charge.

Dangerous.

“Are you trying to scare the hell out of them or what?” Coop shakes his head. “Coach said to motivate, not terrorize them.”

“You speak then.” Nico waves his hands at Coop, knowing full well that won’t happen.

“He’s not the speech type and you know it.” I stand in front of the both of them, cutting them off as I start speaking, giving the most rousing speech I can come up with. Talking about the season and how much this year means to me and my closest friends since we’re seniors. Our futures are on the line, and every single game counts.

“Every single one,” I tell them, my hands on my hips and my voice heated. Even Nico and Coop appear enthralled with what I’m saying. “But we can’t do this alone. We need to rely on each other. Not make stupid mistakes, especially during practice. If we make one wrong move and one of us ends up injured? We’re done for.” I pause for effect. “The season is over.”

The entire team is quiet. I can even hear the water crashing against the surf on the other side of the stadium and the shrill call of the seagulls as they fly overhead. And this is exactly what I want. Driving in my feelings, my worry, my need for this season to be the best that it’s ever been. I want this.

Fuck, I need it.

“Let’s go out there and make shit happen. We need to practice today like we’re playing an actual game. No fuckups. No mistakes. Just pure, clean game play while we get everything dialed in. What do you say?”

A collective “Yes!” sounds, their deep voices rising.

“Then, let’s do this!” I clap my hands together, Nico and Coop seeming to know exactly when to join in and clap along with me. “Get into position!”

Everyone scrambles out onto the field, and I’m about to jog out there and join them when Nico calls my name. I stop and wait for him.

“Bro, you do that way better than I do,” he says.

“Do what?”

“Inspire people. The team.” He slaps me on the shoulder. “You got them all rowdy. Even me.”

We jog out onto the field together, and I think about what he said. Being the quarterback is always a leadership role with the team. It’s something I’ve done for years, and I guess it just comes naturally. I’m sure as shit I didn’t get any inspiration from my father. That guy may lead a multimillion-dollar company, but he’s never shown me any type of leadership while I was growing up. Unless when you refer to leadership you mean your dad is constantly yelling in your face how you’re not good enough, you need to toughen up. Do you really want to give your position up to some other asshole? Do you want to end up a loser?

That’s what my father would say to me. I remember him yelling at me like that after a youth-league game. I was ten. And I wasn’t allowed to cry.

No, I owe any leadership skills I’ve acquired to the coaches who’ve taught me and my teammates. That’s it. Dear old Dad gets zero credit.

None.

I’m about to get into position when my gaze snags on a figure sitting in the bleachers. I stand taller, squinting in the sun, and yep, that’s Sienna. I’d recognize that beautiful red hair anywhere.

She raises her hand to shade her eyes, staring back at me, and even from this distance, I feel a jolt. Her lips curve into a small smile, and I smile back like a goof, knowing she isn’t here to watch me but pretending she is anyway. And I proceed to play my fucking heart out, showing off for her. Hoping that she’s impressed because, deep down, that’s all I want.

To impress Sienna.

Chapter EightSienna

We’re going to Charley’s. You should join us.

I stare in shock at the text I received from Gavin, who I haven’t spoken to since that kiss. He actually invited me to their favorite hangout. My brother has done this before, and that’s no big deal. Even Nico has done this. Oh, and Frank. Along with a handful of other football players over the last couple of years. After I was silently rejected by Gavin my freshman year, I set my sights on other men—all of them football players, which looking back on it now, was kind of shitty of me. But they were all men who weren’t afraid to show their feelings and were willing to be seen with me. I even dated a few somewhat steadily.

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