Page 113 of Unwritten Rules
His eyes widen as he points a finger at my chest. “Did you hurt yourself again?”
Maybe. “...No.”
“Sin!” Khai slaps my shoulder and shoves his hand through his hair. “When did this happen? And why didn’t you say anything?”
Exhaling a sharp breath, I drop my head in my hands, left leg bouncing wildly. “It happened during one of the last tackles of the game. I copped a knee to my quad, and since then, it’s been sore as fuck. Not as bad when I proper fucked it in round five, but enough that I’m worried it’s going to be a problem.”
“Yeah, a major fucking problem, you idiot.” Khai closes his eyes, shaking his head slightly. “Sorry. That was harsh. We’ve been under a lot of pressure these past couple of weeks while fighting for the top spot on the leaderboard. So the last thing we need is for our star halfback to be out on injuryagain.”
Sighing, I lift my head, staring at the empty row of lockers ahead. Most of the team has left the sheds, ready to celebrate the 32-22 win over the Falcons. But I haven’t moved after getting back from the showers. I’m sure Mia is wondering where the hell I am, but I can’t bring myself to walk out of the room. I don’t want to worry her about my possible injury, nor do I want to let on to Phil or Todd about it.
If Tatum were here, she would know what to do.
My fists clench on my thighs.
But she’s not here, and there’s nothing I can do about it.
“Shit, man, I know. But don’t worry, I’ll get it sorted out.”
The club is yet to replace Tatum, unable to decide on a candidate as good as her, especially after speaking with the team. Everyone sang her praises, which makes sense given how driven and passionate she is about the job. It showed in the smiles on the face of the guys when they left her office, or even how I was able to stay on track to recover from my injury in the projected timeframe. As far as the team is concerned, no one can replace her. And now we’re left with a Tatum-sized hole that can’t be filled.
“You need to get it checked out sooner rather than later, or else you might injure yourself further.” Khai claps a hand on my shoulder, pale eyes simmering with a hint of sadness that stabs at my gut. “No word from Tatum?”
I shake my head, hands fisting the material of my athletic shorts. “Radio silence and it’s fucking killing me.”
My friend sighs and leans forward, resting his elbows on jean-clad thighs. “I know it’s hard, Sin. You two were great together. I could see it in the way you smiled at her when you thought no one was watching, or hung on every word that came out of her mouth. It’s clear you have feelings for her.”
Blowing out a breath, I shove my hand through my hair, trying to ignore the ache forming in the depths of my heart. “It doesn’t matter what I want. How can I get her back if she won’t talk to me?”
Khai hums, tapping at his chin. “I guess you need to get creative then.”
I frown. “Creative?”
Instead of explaining his words of wisdom, he reaches for him gym bag and stands, clapping my shoulder. The goofy grin on his face has me clenching my jaw. “Yes, Sin. Get creative. If you want to see her, you’ll find a way to do it.”
He leaves before I have the chance to call him an idiot for leaving me hanging like that.
Huffing, I push off the bench and reach for my bag. If I don’t leave the sheds soon, Mia will storm in looking for me. And the last thing I need is for her to see the half-naked guys still lingering in the room, talking with some of the staff members.
When I step into the hallway, I hear Khai ask my sister, “Hey, younger Baxter. How’s the hair?”
Stepping towards them, my brows furrow. “What?” My fingers graze over the ends of Mia’s dark brown hair. A strange residue coats my skin. “Why is your hair all sticky?”
The three of us make our way towards the exit, where our cars are parked in the back lot of the stadium. Cool air whips at my exposed skin, and I have to fight to keep my teeth from chattering in response. The heated seats in my Audi are calling my name.
Mia chuckles. “A girl poured her drink on me, then Khai let me sit on the team bench to avoid them.”
Was I that distracted during the game that I didn’t notice my sister sitting on the bench?
“What? Why would they do that?” I ask, frowning
“She thought I was going to steal your attention away from her.” Mia lifts her eyes to mine, and I can tell she’s biting back a smile.
I huff a laugh. “The fans can be wild sometimes.” Wild is an understatement. Most of the time, they’re respectful and know when to not push my boundaries, and then some of them do something like they did to Mia without so much as hesitating. It’s like trying to balance on a seesaw.
“More than wild. Who pours their drink on someone’s head?” Mia muses, folding her arms over her chest.
“Girls who want to get laid,” Khai chimes in with a cheeky smile, wiggling his brows
