Page 8 of Strong Side
“Hey, yo! I don’t need any of that. You coming back to the house after?”
“Yeah, I need some food and sleep.”
“Do you want me to wait for you, or should I get a ride with Bo or Beck?”
He holds his fist out, and I tap it with mine.
“If they’re ready, you can head back with either of them. I’m gonna soak for probably another ten minutes. I’ll see you at home.”
Beck walks up to us. “You need a ride, man?”
“Yeah, if you don’t mind. King here needs a bath.”
“Okay, let’s roll. See you back at the house, Case.” Beck bumps my fist with his, and they walk out.
Coach Pettys walks by next and stops and taps the side of the tub. “You feeling good, King?”
“All good, Coach. Ready for the season.” I nod.
“That’s what I need to hear. I’m counting on you this season. With Archie now in the pros, we’ve got a leadership gap. There’s a lot of fresh talent coming in, and I need you and Linson to step up.”
The look he’s giving me tells me he’s not fucking around. He’s trusting us to set the tone, guide the younger guys, and hold the locker room together. And I know what he’s really saying—if I don’t lead, I could lose my starting spot. Talent alone won’t keep me on the field this year. If he’s handing me that kind of responsibility, then I need to prove I can carry it.
“Absolutely, Coach. You can count on me.”
He lifts his chin, raises his eyebrows, and walks away.
Last season, I got my chance to start, and I’ll do everything I can to make sure I keep my spot, but also become a key leader on this team.
When I walk into the house, I hear my roommates in the kitchen. Beck, Bo, and Silas are all standing around the small island we added to the kitchen this summer. We needed more counter space. Or at least that’s what my sister said. And whatever Charlie says, Beck does.
“What’s for dinner?” I ask when I walk in.
Beck looks over to me and nods. “Sup, man? We have some chicken on the grill. Charlie’s out there now. Some veggies and taters too.”
“Perfect. I’m starving.” I grab a bottle of water out of the fridge and walk back to my bedroom. I drop my bag near my closet, then turn around and walk back to the kitchen.
My sister is walking in from the back porch with a plate in her hands that has several pieces of grilled chicken. “Can one of you go out and get the veggies and potatoes for me?”
Bo Callaway, our quarterback and one of my new roommates, starts walking toward the door before he responds, “You got it.”
After last season and most of this summer, we’ve gotten to know him really well, and he has integrated into our group nicely. Despite the fact that his dad is a California SupremeCourt judge and he comes from money, he’s a really down-to-earth kind of guy.
When we lost our old roommates—quarterback Liam Pitz to Michigan and Archie Griffith got drafted to the pros—we wanted to be picky about who would be living with us this year. We aren’t the party football house, and we needed roommates who followed along with our lifestyle. Bo easily clicked with us.
He’s one of the most focused players I’ve ever seen. He’s incredible to watch, and I’m pretty damn lucky to be on the receiving end of some of his talent. This guy is going to blow out all the existing records here at Walker, and he’s only played one season. I’ll be shocked if he stays all four years.
I’m still getting to know Silas, but he fits in pretty well. Keeps to himself a little, but I think as he gets to know us better, he’ll loosen up a bit. Like me and Bo, he doesn’t have a girlfriend—that we know of anyway. He came to Walker to better his chances of getting drafted next year.
We all get food, then move to the table.
“Thanks, Char. I’m starving. This looks awesome.”
One of the best benefits of having my twin live with us is that she’s a damn good cook. She set a meal schedule for us last year, and we all took turns with family dinner nights, but she cooked more than any of us. She likes to take care of us. And with the exception of Beck, of course, the guys joke around with her and treat her like their sister too. Although when Liam and Archie lived in the house, they used to try to get a rise out of Beck by flirting with her when she first moved in and before they got back together, but again, they looked at her like a sister.
“We gonna make a new schedule for this year, or are you cooking all the family meals?”
She looks up at me with a glare, which only makes me smile. I don’t expect her to, but like I said, she usually takes over. Especially when we were in playoffs.
