Page 24 of After the Siren
‘The fuck is your problem?’ Cunningham’s voice was loud, and in his peripheral vision Theo saw Xen’s head snap around.
‘You know what my problem is.’ This close, Theo had to look down to glare at Cunningham. Cunningham was looking right back up at him, blue eyes narrowed.
Cunningham shoved him again. ‘Fuck you.’
‘You wish.’
Theo’s better judgement tried to regain control. He didn’tdothis. He’d never picked a fight with an opposition player in a game, let alonea teammate during training.He wasn’t that sort of person. The problem was, he did have a temper, it just had a high ignition point.
Cunningham’s gaze flicked to both sides. ‘Don’t,’ he said, his voice softer.
‘Like I would,’ Theo said, matching his tone and tugging him in closer. Cunningham resisted, but Theo was too strong for him. Theo was breathing hard enough to stir Cunningham’s ridiculous floppy hair where it was falling into his face. ‘Worried you wouldn’t be everyone’s favourite if they knew?’
He needed to stop talking. He needed to stop talking before he said something he couldn’t take back. But he was sick of Jake Cunningham, and his smug smile, and the way he made everything look soeasy.
‘Like you can fucking talk.’ Cunningham tried to break Theo’s grip again, but Theo wouldn’t let him.
‘Everyone who likes you doesn’t even really know you. Reckon you’d still be a star if they did?’
Something shifted in Cunningham’s face, and Theo realised he was about to get punched.
He probably deserved it.
Jake hadn’t meant to do it. He’d been getting shit on the field about all sorts of things for years: his parents, his performances, his hair. Getting called names that were accurate, even if guys didn’t know it. It usually slid right off. When you heard it day in, day out, it lost the sting. He should have laughed it off. Some dumb shit about his mum, nothing to see here. He might have shaken that one off, after a couple of seconds – even knowing the phone in his locker probably had unread messages about her oncology appointments. But of course Bestavros knew right where to land one, because of the one thing they had in common.
Jake didn’t realise he’d pulled one hand back, fist clenched, until someone grabbed it.
‘Jaze, stop it,’ Xen panted into his ear. He raised his voice. ‘Stavs, let go. Step back.’
‘Cut it the fuck out.’ Raze shouldered his way between them, forcing them apart. Xen wrapped an arm around Jake and pulled him backwards.
‘Both of you, enough,’ Yelks said in his captain voice, cool and authoritative. He had Bestavros by the arm. He hadn’t been anywhere near them when the scuffle broke out, but he had a captain’s nose for trouble and impressive closing speed for someone his age. He looked between them. ‘What’s this about?’
Fuck.Jake had nearlypunched his teammate. ‘Difference of opinion,’ Jake ground out.
‘Difference of opinion,’ Bestavros agreed.
Davo was stalking towards them from the goal square. He was going to blow a fucking gasket.
‘You can let go of me,’ Jake told Xen. Xen did.
Bestavros met Jake’s eyes for a second, then looked away. He looked like he might be sick.
‘What is going on here?’ Davo asked. He’d been red in the face all session from the heat, but he’d gotten much, much redder. Kat was standing back, her face unreadable, with the two assistant coaches. ‘Well?’ Davo insisted.
Jake had been with the Falcons long enough to know that the gentle tone indicated an imminent explosion.
‘Difference of opinion,’ Yelks said. ‘I’ll deal with it.’
Yelks took interpersonal stuff very seriously. Jake and Bestavros were probably going to get sat down in a room together and made to talk it out.
Hell fucking no to that.
‘Right,’ Davo said. He looked around at the group that had assembled around them. ‘You being paid to stand around?’
The players began to disperse and Davo turned back to Jake and Bestavros. Jake braced for impact.
‘As for the two of you,’ Davo continued, looking at them like dog shit on a sneaker, ‘you can bothget the fuck off this oval. I don’t give a flying fuck what the problem is, but you can come back out here once you’re ready to behave like adults.’ He took a deep breath. ‘You’ve got extras for the next four days. I want you here at six every morning, and I will personally make sure you’re too fucking tired to get into it again.’
