Page 88 of Changing Rules

“I overslept.” He shrugs, falling into step with me.

The jerk won’t leave me alone, no matter how many times I tell him to stay away from me.

We’re teammates. We should learn to coexist. Or do you want our differences to make our game go to shit?

He’s manipulative as fuck. Unfortunately, Coach supports him. His focus is on keeping the peace and winning, so I’m forced to oblige. That two-week suspension last year was the only lesson I needed.

Thankfully, the field is the only place I need to tolerate Miller’s smug face.

“What about you? You oversleep too? Have a hot girl keeping you up?”

I don’t have a girlfriend. I haven’t slept with anyone since Bella left me. Even on days I was mad at her for breaking up with me and moving on, I couldn’t stomach the idea of touching another woman, let alone fucking her.

“None of your business,” I rasp, picking up the pace.

The glint in his eye irritates me.

“Whatever you say, Walker.” Jake laughs, keeping stride with me. “You’re pathetic.”

I purse my lips and open the door of the locker room. The rest of the guys are already here, and when we step inside, they all look at Miller and me. One or two grin, like they actually thinkthis motherfucker and I are buddies.Gross. Just the thought sickens me.

“What’s up?” Jake’s deep voice behind my back makes me cringe, even though he’s no longer talking to me.

Every word out of his mouth—every look, every move—rankles me, and I have no idea how to fix it. Short of leaving the team or smashing his head into the wall. Or both. Though the second one would definitely be more satisfying.

I change quickly, my mind reeling so wildly that when Drew speaks, I don’t register the words.

It’s something about his son.Fuck. Get it together, Walker.The last thing I want is to be a shitty friend. Drew is a saint, putting up with all my bullshit, covering for me even when I clearly don’t deserve it.

“Sorry, man. Can you say that again?” I stand from the bench and face him head-on. “My mind is shit today. I spent the night at my parents’ house, and I’m exhausted.”

“How’s your dad?” He takes a step closer and lowers his voice.

I shrug instead of answering.

My father was diagnosed with type one diabetes two months ago. A month later, his vision deteriorated so badly, he can only see silhouettes now. It was so out of the blue, I still have a tough time accepting it.

Instead of the strong man I knew, full of life and plans for the future, my dad has been turning into a shell of himself. Mom and I have been trying to convince him to fight for his health, but he’s pretty much given up. It pisses me off. His wife needs him. He has a grandson. He leads a full life surrounded by people who love him, yet he’s letting his diagnosis defeat him.

“Same old.” I purse my lips.

My dad taught me to stand up for my beliefs, to fight for what’s mine. I’ve looked up to him my entire life. Now, it’s myturn to build him up, help him through this low point and show him his life isn’t over. Right now, though, I’ve got no clue how to do that.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Drew pats my shoulder. “If you need anything, I’m here, okay?”

I dip my chin. “Thank you, really.”

This friendship is one of the strongest I’ve ever had. My whole life, I’ve dealt with people who are jealous of my success. That jealousy often led them to try and bring me down, spreading lies behind my back or undermining me with the intent of destroying my confidence. Drew doesn’t give a shit about any of that. He’s a talented player, his heart is in the right place, and his beliefs are remarkably similar to mine.

“How’s Travis?”

Drew’s face instantly lights up with a smile. He loves his little boy to no end. His wife too. Kelly is adorable and kind. More than once, she wanted to introduce me to some of her friends, but Drew shut her down.

I’m not interested in a relationship. The only girl I want is taken.

“He learned a new word.” Drew’s smile is infectious. “It’s ‘dad’!”

“That’s really great. Congratulations,” I tell him as we head out to the field.

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