Page 19 of Forbidden Dunk

All it was doing was pissing the guys off.

Multiple times, the guys have come up and asked about putting me in, but he kept giving them a hard no. And here we were, thirty-five minutes into the game, with a sixty-point difference.

The team wasn’t bad, but again, no direction. That’s why you had a powerhouse on the floor, leading them, directing them, guiding them. Letting them know when to be mindful and who to be mindful of.

But from the onset, they were upset. I know I had to be blamed as well, and I did feel bad, but again, we were just talking. If I was to have the team be mad at me, at least I should have gotten something more out of it.

I also wished I had my phone on me because I have no doubt that Marketa is fuming in her dad’s office, watching this shitshow.

I stood up as I saw Hugh make a break for it down the court once the ball was in play, trying to get a layup, but the guyon the other side had too much height on him and ended up slapping the ball right out of his hands. Of course, it went into the opposing team’s hands, who ran the ball right back down the other side, and easily made a three pointer.

“Hugh!” I called, waving my hands at him. He glanced my way and just shrugged.

“Sit your ass back down, Colter! You don’t say a word.”

“Coach, we’re going to lose this game. It will be a shut out if you don’t let me in.”

“Well, you can have the guilt over that, because this is your fault. Your team needs you and instead, you put your needs before your team.”

“We were talking!”

“I don’t care. Sit your ass back down!”

I glared at him as I took my seat again, crossing my arms once more. This was ridiculous on so many levels.

I got it, got his point. And I imagine that when my daughter gets older, I'd probably be just as freaking protective of her, demanding that guys stay away. But I like to think I'd be wise enough to also remember she'd be an adult and saying she was off limits wouldn't mean much. She'd be allowed to have her own good and bad choices.

I watched, in despair, as mistake after mistake was being called. The team had more fouls than it should have, and it had more missed shots. It kind of felt like they did that crap on purpose, but I know that wasn't the case. They weren't teaching the coach a lesson, they just didn't have proper leadership, and I refused to shoulder all of that.

When the final buzzer called the end of the game, I couldn't even stand to look at the score board, knowing it was a fucking shut out, and those were hard pressed in the NBA! I also didn't want to think about how this was our first game, and it was home court.

We were going to have a tough one to come back from on this one, if we ever did.

Chapter 12

Marketa

Iwas fuming!

I peeked out the door, watching my dad walk into the locker room to talk to the guys after that horrible loss.

When he set up his office, he had a TV installed that was hooked up to the court, so I watched the game in real time.

And I was well aware that there were sixteen guys on the team, five on the court at all times, and that Shawn was just one of many. But he was a vital part of the team and for my dad to bench him the whole game was stupid. Just for us talking.

That was my dad though. And sadly, the whole off-limits speech wasn't the first time I heard it. If he didn’t get his way, he threw a hissy fit, and that’s what this was. This was him saying he was the big man, and he had to be listened to.

What I would give, sometimes, to knock him down a peg or two. I slowly smirked as I glanced around the room. I loved tainting the court. But tainting his office?

Fucking epic!

I waited, watching everyone leave for the night, my dad included. So, I knew when Shawn passed, he was the last one.

As soon as he got to the door, I grabbed his arm and yanked him, causing him to almost trip.

“What gives, Shorty?”

“Just wanted a moment alone.”

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