Page 20 of The Keeper
“So, what now?”
He pulls his forehead away and looks me in the eyes.
“Now, I head home and take a cold shower, and try to think of an amazing second date to knock your socks off.”
I laugh, taking his hand from where it still rests on my shoulder and interlocking my fingers with his. “Trying to get into my socks already, huh? I knew you were only after one thing.”
He tugs on my hand and wraps his free arm around me, snuggling me in for a quick hug and a kiss at the crown of my head. Then he’s releasing my hand and taking a step back. His smile is small but genuine. I can’t help but return it with my own.
“I’ll hear from you soon?” I say, as I open the door to head back into my apartment.
“Count on it. You’re not going out anymore?”
“No need,” I say, shaking my head. He looks at me in confusion, so I try the honesty route since it worked so well last time. “I was going out to distract myself from thinking about you. Now, I know any attempts at that tonight will be a complete failure.”
His face breaks out into that breathtaking smile of his, nodding his head in understanding.
“Okay then. Night, RJ.”
“Night, Indy,” I say with a wink.
I close the door to the sound of his light chuckle, walk straight up to my room and collapse on my bed. It’s the second time in just a few hours that interacting with that man has made me want to lay down and replay every word, every touch. My fingers graze over my lips, still slightly swollen from being thoroughly kissed. And then I’m laughing, and laughing, and hugging my arcade teddy bear to my chest.
* * * * *
Through most of Sunday, I ride a high only a mind-blowing kiss can give, plowing through my homework with lightning speed and getting my laundry and grocery shopping done in just a few hours. I ride it until mid-evening when I get a text from Piper.
Piper: Did you hear the news about Coach Walker?!
Me: No. What’s going on?
Piper: She got picked up by Washington. She flew up today and starts with their team tomorrow.
My heart plummets and shock rolls through my body. I love Coach Walker. Is she really leaving us to contract with another team mid-season? Is that even allowed? I thought the NCAA had rules about this or something. Don’t get me wrong, Coach Johnson is great. But he’s the Assistant Coach and this is his first college-level job. Can he really manage our team this close to playoffs?
Piper: Coach Johnson is bringing in someone else to co-coach for the rest of the season
Me: Are you serious?! Do you know who the new coach is?
Piper: Haven’t heard anything
Me: Let me know if you do
I grip my phone in my hand. How can this be happening? I mean, I know I’m not pro material like Jeremy. But there are some girls on the team whodohave what it takes, and making it to playoffs is helpful for exposure to scouts. A new coach will disrupt everything we have going for us so far.
And I can’t help but feel the tiny sting of rejection. Coach Walker recruited me. I’ve been with her since I started playing at Glendale freshman year. She’s one of the only people here that knows about my home life. She really gets why playing is so important to me, apart from just the scholarship. And she always took the time to check in with me on a personal level. She wasn’t just a coach. She was a mentor. A friend.
And now… she’s just, gone? No goodbye? No explanation?
I try to distract myself by flipping through a book I told myself I would read for pleasure but never got around to opening. I settle on reading the first paragraph of each chapter and then reading the final page of the book. Much easier than wasting my time on all the drama, but surprisingly unsatisfying.
An hour passes before I hear from Piper again, and when I hear my phone beep, Charlie startles next to me with how I lunge at the table to grab it.
Piper: Okay I just heard from Ruth-Ann. We won’t know who the coach is until tomorrow. They’re still narrowing it down tonight and have to sign someone
Me: Do you think they’ll be at practice in the morning?
Piper: Maybe. If Coach J and the AD can get everything squared away by then
