Page 81 of Just One Bite
I say hi to a few more people and check my team is behaving. She should be here any second now—
“Hey, Captain.” Ryker walks up sipping a beer, nervously eyeing the place Coach just left. “Can I talk to you?”
He’s hanging his head, barely meeting my eyeline. Oh yeah, it’s terrible, all right.
“Yeah. What’s up?”
“I … know this isn’t the best place, but I had some shit happen today, and I …”
He stops like he’s really holding back the last part, like it hurts to say.
“I think I should quit the team.”
“What? Why? What happened?”
He flexes his jaw, drawing his arms in. This is one of those rare times I see his tattoos on the tan skin of his forearms. They’re always covered by his jersey.
“It’s not a good time for me.”
“Bullshit. What’s the real reason?”
“I don’t want to make trouble for you, man.”
I push his shoulder. “I get myself in trouble. There isn’t much you can do to damage my reputation that I haven’t already done. Just tell me.”
“Truthfully, I just think I’ll end up weighing down the team. My dad and my uncle are making some trouble for me and a lot of other people. It’s better I just let this go, I think.”
I don’t know much about Ryker himself, but I’ve heard of his family. He is one of the few who didn’t come here as a legacy. There was a lot of suspicion surrounding his entry into the school, including that his father just got out of jail and paid his tuition for all four years in cash.
“I’m not letting you quit. We need you.”
“No you don’t. I’m washed up anyway. I sucked this week in practice.” He chugs his drink and sets it down with a hard crack on a nearby table. “You’ll be better off without me.”
The rest of my team are lining the drink table on the far end of the room. From this angle, we’re starting to look like we have it together. Compared to the other teams that have almost full functioning packs.
I need to keep mine together.
“Let’s go to the ice and work out some drills. I’ve got energy to burn and can go till my fingers bleed. Get all that shit out of your head and just enjoy the game.”
I can see it in his face when we’re playing—even when he’s getting his teeth kicked in—that he loves it. Anyone willing to play such a painful sport does.
“I need the distraction anyway,” I say.
“Tonight?”
“Yeah, just give me—”
Olivia walks in with Octavia; in a violet dress that’s all sparkle. Short. Her legs are covered with wide-net stockings. My heart stutters. There’s never been a more beautiful woman in the history of Vviveren.
“Maybe … after. Yeah?” Ryker smiles, following my line of sight.
“Yeah. I’ll be there. Give me an hour …” I focus on her ass in that dress while Octavia ushers her toward the drink table. Both are invited guests, but I’m not sure who Octavia is here with. “Maybe two.”
Our eyes shift to one another, like she can sense me, and a satisfying spark runs down my spine.
“Have fun. I’m going to go find Chase …You won’t tell anyone about this?”
“About what?”
