Page 22 of The Keeper
“How is he going to be our coach? Can he even play anymore?” I look back and forth between them and lower my voice. “Can he evenwalk?”
“Don’t you know the story?” Ruth-Ann asks. When I shake my head she launches right in with the little snippets she remembers. He was partying with a bunch of guys from college who came to visit him. When they left the party, there was a lot of ice on the road, and the driver, who was totally plastered, lost control of the car and plowed into a freeway overpass. A handful of cars crashed in behind them, including a mother of three who was paralyzed. One of Andy’s legs was crushed into dust, and just like that his career was over.
“Do you know what happened afterwards?”
Ruth-Ann shakes her head.
“I tried googling him when I found out this morning but all I could find were the same articles about the crash and his release from Chicago, and then a bunch of recent playboy stuff.”
“And his fine ass picture,” Piper adds, fanning herself dramatically. “That man fell out of the sexy beast tree and hit every fucking branch on the way down. Sexy. Ass. Beast. I swear I’ve never seen someone so ridiculously good looking.”
I giggle and roll my eyes.
“So is he gonna be here today?”
Ruth-Ann shrugs.
“I’m assuming so. Why else would we be meeting here? We probably aren’t going to get in any real practice time this morning, which is the exact opposite of what we need.”
“What do you mean?”
“I just mean that before I transferred from Vandy, we got a new coach and she wanted to do individual meetings with us on her first day. They were a total waste of time and were supposed toset us at easeabout the team.” Ruth-Ann rolls her eyes and begins picking dirt out from under her fingernails. “You know what would set us at ease? Getting on the field and seeing that things aren’t shot to hell because Coach Walker did a runner.”
“Seriously,” I grumble, then sit back in my chair and rest an ankle on my knee.
Just then, the door opens behind us. Every voice in the room falls silent as all thirty of us turn to look at the former soccer star following Coach Johnson into the room. And when my eyes find him, I feel the air whoosh out of my lungs.
Andy McIntosh.
My eyes blink rapidly, trying to will away the face of the man in front of us. But it does no good. I’m still left looking into the face of the man who has occupied my thoughts so thoroughly over the past few days.
Mack.
“You okay?” Piper whispers. “You look super pale all of a sudden.”
I just nod and slump down lower in my chair. Maybe if he doesn’t see me…
But there isn’t anywhere that thought can go. Because I already know he’ll see me… hehasto see me. And when he does, I will break apart when I see the look in his eyes that means whatever we shared over the weekend is over. How is this possible?
“Alright ladies,” I hear Coach Johnson start speaking, but my eyes are trained on Mack. “I know most of you are aware that Coach Walker got a job at Washington and left over the weekend. The Athletic Director and I have been working tirelessly over the past twenty four hours to find someone to join our humble team as an interim head coach for the remainder of the season. I am excited to introduce you all to the man who will be stepping into that role. Please welcome your interim head coach, Andrew McIntosh.”
A light applause and a smattering of giggles. I look around suddenly and notice my teammates eyeing Mack with various shades of flirtation, appreciation, and downright lust. I glance back up at the front at Mack, standing comfortably in his track pants and Glendale Soccer shirt, a thick black band around his wrist and a whistle hanging from his neck.
He’s gripping a clipboard to his chest, posing his arms in a position to show off his flexing muscles. His eyes are trained on Coach Johnson, who is continuing to talk, although what I’m hearing falls more in line with the adults in Charlie Brown.Waah, waah waaaaah, waaah waaah.
When I finally snap out of it, I realize it’s because Mack has started talking, his rich voice cutting through the room.
“… excited to be here. I’ve been looking for an opportunity to get back into the game, and think working at Glendale is going to be an excellent chance to challenge what you think you know about yourself, both on and off the field. Coach Walker and Coach Johnson have done an excellent job in moving this team in a great direction, and I am looking forward to the chance to help you all continue your playoff hopes.” His eyes are glancing around the room, and as I see them flit towards me, I bend over and grab my water bottle from my bag. I can’t let him see me.
Not yet.
I need to brace myself for the look I know I’ll get when he sees me. I just need a few more minutes to prepare. Just a few more.
When my head pops back up, he’s talking about meeting with us individually. He starts at the beginning of the alphabet and then heads out the door with midfielder Gina Brown. When she gets to the door, she turns back and looks at the other midfielders and gives them a quick up-and-down with her eyebrows and bites her fingernail before sashaying out of the room after him.
Theslut.
As soon as everyone starts talking again, I’m pulling my phone out of my duffle and Googling Andrew McIntosh. I’m pretty sure my brother has talked about him before but I can’t place the memory. When I pull up his bio online and his soccer history is displayed on my phone, I see why.
