Page 71 of Afterglow
I see Theo’s shoulders raise when his father says something from behind the barrier. He is closer to me now, so I have a better view of Theo’s face. He is pale and it looks like he is going to be sick.
Athena and I exchange a look. I don’t think this game is going to end well.
***
We lost.
And it was bad. Theo looked beside himself when the buzzer sounded. It hit me hard. His struggles are written all over his face. I should have said something a week ago.
Theo manages to escape his dad and heads straight to the locker rooms. It doesn’t stop his father from yelling at him.
My blood boils. What the fuck is wrong with him? Is he so heartless that he can’t see Theo is barely keeping himself afloat?
I storm over to him without thinking. Theo might not be able to stick up for himself, but I won’t let anyone make him feel like shit.
“Excuse me,” I say, trying to grab Matthew Knight’s attention. Holy shit. He is intimidating in person; photos don’t do his large frame justice. But it is irrelevant.Matthew Knight is a fucking asshole and I will put him in his place.
“Can I help you?” he says, his tone annoyed.
“Yeah, you can actually.” I begin. “I don’t know what is going on between you and Theo, but you need to open you fucking eyes.”
His nose flares and he bares his teeth. “Who do you think you are?”
“I’m his girlfriend. And I want you to listen to me, don’t interrupt.” I take a deep breath before continuing. “Theodore Knight is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I don’t know what your problem is but it is so obvious he is struggling. I study psychology, so maybe I’m just exposed to it, but he looked like he was going to be sick and pass out while he was playing tonight.”
Emotion rises in my voice. “And all you did when he left the field was fucking yell at him. Theo practically ran away from you. His own father. Let that sink in a little before you borderline verbally abuse him,” I swipe at the tears falling onto my cheeks.
I turn my head, seeing Austin exit the locker room to come towards us.
“Jaz, you need to go after Theo.” Austin turns his attention to Matthew Knight. “And you need to leave before I do something I’ll regret. Theo is my best fucking friend and you’ve done a real number on him,”
Matthew’s shoulders drop as does his face. Every word Austin and I said seems to sink in. It’s on him now to fix his and Theo'srelationship.
“I’m going after him,” I say to Matthew. “I hope you’ve listened to me and think about how you can make it up to your son.”
Turning for the exit, I don’t look back. I leave just in time to see Theo driving away from the stadium. Quickly, I race to my car and follow him.
A realisation hits me when I’m tailing Theo’s car. I would do anything for Theodore Knight.
And that scares the shit out of me.
Chapter 33
Theodore Knight
My body stills as I step into an ice bath. I force my mind to wander, avoiding the tingling sensations in my muscles and racing heart rate.
The Lakewood Devils lost and it is all my fault. This game would decide where we would play our first game during the play-offs and I had the chance to make it a home game but I failed.
I had lost us the game before even touching the ball. My panic attack before the game invaded my mindand I couldn't focus on anything other than the bile in my throat and the people in the stands who expected victory.
Taking a deep breath, I look down at my fingers. Wrinkles line the tips of my fingers, as purple discolouration sets in. I snatch the towel from the rack next to me and wrap it around my shivering body. It provides minimal warmth as I dress into my heavily dishevelled suit.
I exit the recovery rooms, finding the rest of the team packing their bags in the changing room. The silence consumes the room, no one daring to utter a word. I take my seat next to Austin, as we wait for Coach to come debrief us.
My eyes trace the room, landing on Jake Price. He doesn’t break our eye contact. But I’m not in the mood for a pissing contest.
The past month of training I have had on and off days with Jake always there to pick up the pieces after I fail. His arrogant smirks haunt my dreams and his piercing glare is finally going to make me crack.
