Page 12 of Hate the Game
I hadn’t expected throwing water on Ryder to end with an offer to cuddle. But staring at his picture again, I realized the scariest part was that I wanted to say yes.
***Savannah***
Isat on the sidelines in the press section during the first big game of the season for USC. They were playing one of their rivals, Notre Dame. I’d watched Notre Dame live before and they were a force of their own. From the practices I’d been watching with the Trojans, though, our guys were more than a force.
I had to fight back a nervous gag as I realized I’d aligned myself with USC, even if just in my head. That wasn’t acceptable. Needing a break from the rest of the press around me, I stood up and walked to the end of the sidelines. It ended in front of the tunnel that the Trojans had just run out of and that was still busy with stadium staff. I glanced down the long walkway and was turning away when I spotted Coach Carrington.
I’d only had a few run-ins with the man but they hadn’t left me feeling all too warmly towards the man. He was hard on his team and had no shame in barking at people. Even people who weren’t on his team.
At that moment he was looming over a woman around my age, shouting at her. I couldn’t hear what he was saying because thecrowd filling the stadium was so loud but it was clear that he was shouting and jabbing his finger in her face.
Anger flooded my body and I started moving towards the two of them without even knowing I was doing it. Before I could reach them, though, Coach Carrington spun around and stomped past me, back towards the field. I caught one last glimpse of the woman before she hurried up the tunnel and couldn’t miss the roundness of her belly. Coach Carrington hadn’t just been shouting at a young woman but at a pregnant young woman.
I turned to the field and narrowed my eyes at the back of the man’s head. I didn’t know the story behind the relationship between the two of them but I knew he had no business shouting at her like that. It made me want to rip his hair out, strand by strand. I slowly made my way back to my seat with a renewed sense of hatred for the USC football program.
I quickly shot an email off to Marla about what I’d just witnessed and asked her if she knew of any rumors about Coach Carrington that might hint at his link to a pregnant co-ed. Of course, my mind went to the worst-case scenario and all sorts of sordid ideas flashed through my brain.
The game started and pulled my focus for the time being. It was hard to not get sucked into the game when the Trojans played like demons on the field, ruling the game like they’d been born to do it. I hated it but I couldn’t help being impressed.
Jax had a rocket of an arm with a scary accuracy that made him seem inhuman. He shot off throws that sailed down the field beautifully and hit their target each and every time. Cole was a flash on the field, running plays so fast that Notre Dame struggled to keep him covered. Ryder sacked Notre Dame’s quarterback three times and looked like a beast. Silent Ryder was nowhere to be seen as he chased down Notre Dame like they owed him money. He was a train, charging forward with loudroars. I watched as a few players actually sacrificed plays to get away from him.
They were fucking amazing on the field and I wanted to scream about it. I knew my brothers were playing across the country at the same time and Weston was still out. My brothers were equally talented and they deserved their chance to play, to play and to dominate.
The game ended with a clear victor. Notre Dame’s players were thoroughly exhausted and beaten up as they left the field. The Trojans celebrated on the field while different sportscasters interviewed Jax and Coach Carrington. When the last interview was completed and the press section had emptied out as journalists left to finish up their stories for publication. I stayed put, though, legs crossed and notepad resting blank on top of them. I wasn’t sure what I was waiting on but the energy of a good football game made it hard to want to just go home.
I watched the team celebrating and rolled my eyes as some of the guys I’d been out with bounced off each other and cheered. Their happiness was infectious and I found myself smiling until I heard the unmistakable sound of angry yelling. At the mouth of the tunnel, still surrounded by teammates, Jax stood perfectly still with his helmet in his hand as his dad screamed about a throw he didn’t think Jax should’ve made.
“You get fucking cocky and you make these throws that could ruin your stats, Jax! Do you want to go pro, or not? You need control! Keep making selfish, dangerous passes like that and I’ll let you watch from the sidelines for a few games. Understand me?”
Jax never glanced away from his dad, despite the fact that everyone was milling around them, growing silent as they watched. He didn’t say anything, just nodded his head. Even from where I stood, I could tell that he was using plenty of self-control that his dad didn’t seem to think he had.
I’d watched my own father scream at my brothers enough times that I was unwilling to watch Carrington bully his son, especially after a fucking amazing game. I stomped down the sideline in my cowboy boots and wedged myself between the two of them, much to the coach’s shock.
Slipping into my dumb act, I grinned up at the coach and held up my empty notepad. “Coach! I’m so glad I caught you! I totally forgot to take notes during the game. I’m so silly. Maybe I could ask you a few questions instead? I don’t know what to write about a bunch of guys playing with a ball, honestly. Isn’t that so crazy?”
He grimaced at me and backed away. “I’m busy.”
It worked. He stormed off, leaving Jax to hopefully celebrate with his team. When I turned around, Jax wasn’t there. He’d already slipped away.
I told myself it was empathy that had me waiting outside of the locker room later that night. I knew how my brothers always felt after a fight with my dad and I wanted to make sure Jax was good.
There were a lot of other women waiting around for the players to come out and I watched at least three of them go for Jax as he came out. He gave them each a strained smile but slipped away from each of them. When he saw me leaning against the wall, watching him with a grin on my face, he hesitated.
I would’ve been lying if I said having his sole focus on me after he’d ignored several prettier women didn’t make me want to preen. I tucked my arm through his and nodded towards the exit. “Come on.”
He sighed but didn’t resist. Once we were outside and I’d pulled him away from the stadium, he stopped. “What do you want, Savannah?”
I crossed my arms and looked up at him. With his normally styled hair wet and messy he looked so much more human and touchable. “Are you okay?”
He froze like I’d pulled a gun on him. “What do you mean?”
“I saw your dad bitching about-”
“It’s none of your business. I’m fine.” He ran his hand through his hair, making it messier. “Anything else?”
Deciding to go a different angle, I rested my hands on his shoulders and smiled in what I hoped was a seductive way. “Well… I had a one-on-one interview with Cole and it was…”
His eyes narrowed. “What was it?”
