Page 29 of Playing for Keeps
I didn’t wait for him to leave; I gave him no time to say another word before I returned to the house. Slamming the door behind me, I closed my eyes and lowered down to the ground, every emotion I had felt raging through me at the same time. Unable to hold back long, I broke into a wailing cry. Marty quickly rushed to my side, wrapping her arms around me as she pulled me against her. How could this have happened? Moments ago, I had been lost in serenity looking through our pictures, moments that reflected love, but just like that, it was over.
CHAPTER 26
CAMERON
Game time was here. We were about to battle the Michigan Mavericks, who had emerged this season as a genuine threat. Both sides of their team played without error, together, as one. We needed to bring our best game to walk away with a win; nothing would be more devastating than losing on our field. It had been nearly a week since I ended things with Hannah, and though I pushed myself into complete training, almost twenty hours a day, just to keep my mind from her, I found it damn near impossible. Everything reminded me of her, even the once peaceful place in the stadium where I could escape.
I found myself distancing myself from my brother; seeing him with Marty only made me more angry. Why did he get his girl? Why did he get to live free from the disorder of his past? That man had been with bunny after bunny and yet never heard from them again after it ended. I mess with one and am stuck with her for life. I tried to put my focus back into the game, yet everything about it seemed to trigger a deep hatred I had formed for it. We sat and listened to Coach Marshall talk, assuring us we would walk away with a win. A talk I would have usually gotteninto, getting hyped up myself, though it no longer had the same effect. I found it to be weak. Spilling the same shit every game.
Our song played, the fire burst into the air, and we ran onto the field, the packed stadium roaring in support. It was the moment every player dreamed of, one I’d experienced many times, but this time was different. As though a switch clicked in me, and this was no longer a game. I would be a warrior and win this game for her, even if she didn’t want me to. We positioned ourselves on the sideline, waiting for the start of the game, Maximus on one side of me.
“Let’s do this!” He yelled, pumping me up. We bounced our helmets against one another, Maximus with a move along the line. I glanced up, my eyes landing on her instantly. She stood in the owner’s private suite, her mother and best friend at her side. She had become an inspiration for me, pushing me to play my best game and make her proud. That was until I lost her, until I hurt her. The way she looked at me was with pain and disappointment, two things that I couldn’t handle.
Through each down, each quarter, each play, I grew angrier. Why was I the only one to feel pain? I played like a man possessed, determined to protect our reputation and release the rage I had built inside me. The game moved forward, with each team at only seven points with two minutes until halftime. Our defense had done its job, with my aggressive play leading the way. Rushing the passer. Illegal hit to the head. Facemask. Foul after foul was called against me, but it didn’t slow me down. I had given up enough; I wouldn’t give up a home win.
As the clock ran out and we retired to the locker room, I grabbed water, moving to my bench without so much as a word to anyone. Maximus gave me a hard pat on my back, yelling at the energy I brought to the defense. “WALTERS!” Taking a drink of my water, I heard the coach scream my name with a fast entryinto the packed room. “You want to tell me why you’re ignoring the plays being sent in?” He asked, stepping close to me.
“They are weak, that’s why,” I answered.
“You start doing what you’re told, or you're benched.” I chuckled at his threat.
“They scored in the first three minutes of the game. We’ve kept them from getting any more since. Perhaps you should be taking orders from us. We are the ones on the field, getting our asses banged up, not you.” The locker room grew silent.
“You’re on dangerous ground.” Coach Marshall spoke with a step forward, his voice stern.
I stood up, our bodies only separated by a small gap. “Okay, that’s enough of that.” Easton placed his palm on my chest and pushed me back to my bench, patting the coach on the shoulder with a nod. I looked up at her father, a smirk on my face, bringing water to my lips, before he walked away.
“Piece of shit,” I muttered, lowering my head.
“What in the hell is wrong with you?” My brother asked as I sat down, and Austin joined us.
“He’s playing like he’s clenching his balls, then will blame us when we lose,” I answered.
“This has nothing to do with the game. This has everything to do with her.” I brought my gaze to my brother.
“Don’t bring her up,” I demanded, Easton, with a nod.
Austin chuckled. “Bring her up? Man, she’s been here the whole time. You’re playing like a madman, and now you’re going at the coach, her father.”
“And?”
“And this isn’t you. You don’t play like this. Illegal hit to the head, what the hell, man.” Austin added.
“We aren’t losing, so what’s the big deal? Maximus is with me. The entire defense is. Do you hear the fans? They love it.Maybe this is how we should be playing, none of this trick play bullshit.”
“He’s your brother, man,” Austin said to Easton as he shook his head and stepped away from us.
I remained silent, taking another drink, shuffling in my seat as my brother sat staring at me. I knew they were right; this wasn’t how I usually played. This wasn’t me. No matter what, I always played the game with dignity. Easton remained still, though I felt his eyes burning into me.
“She wouldn’t want you like this,” Easton said.
With a sigh, I rolled my eyes and nodded. I got it. I needed to get my head clear; to be the man she fell in love with, regardless of how she felt about me in that moment. I needed to be the positive guy the fans loved, a good man my daughter could be proud of. I moved across the room, into the coach’s office with a steady step.
“Look, I’m not too proud to admit I fucked up. I showed you disrespect, and for that I apologize.” Did I expect him to accept my apology right away? No. I was ready for him to tell me I wasn’t going back on the field, yet when he sat back and stared at me, nothing could have prepared me for what he said.
“You mean that little outburst out there, or you sneaking around with my daughter over the last couple of weeks, months?”
My mouth fell open in surprise, my brain working to come up with something to say, but only coming up with one word. “Sir?”
