Page 86 of Steeling Her
Forty five. Forty six. Forty seven. Forty eight.
I’m doing sit-ups to pass the time. Carter came home yesterday, and I haven’t seen her. I walked by the dorm room earlier today, hoping to bump into her so we can talk, but she’s still resting in her room. I’ve texted her many times if I can come over to see how she is, at least, but she hasn’t replied.
“Yo, Nick, I’m—Are you still doing sit ups?” TJ pokes his head into my messy room. “Jeez, you’d swear a bomb went off in here.” He chuckles, stepping further inside and taking a look at my room. “My room is cleaner than this, and that’s saying a lot.” He walks over to my desk to sit, throwing my sweats to the floor. Wheeling out the chair he plonks himself down while I continue my workout. I’ve been working out so much for two reasons: one, to keep my mind preoccupied. And two, so I’m not outside to beat Ryan to a pulp.
Our door bell rings, and both TJ and I stand up to answer it. The guys are too invested in playing Madden on the XBox right now, the cheerleaders sitting desperately on their laps pressed for attention. TJ beats me to the door, but I mainly came out to get water from the fridge.
“Hey, what’s up? Is Carter alright?” TJ asks. Thinking it was Haley and Danielle, I come around the corner to see her father and brothers.FUCK!
I lick my lips and muster up the courage to stand in the hallway. The Steels’ eyes dart to me and my sweaty self. Her dad raises a daring eyebrow at me. I feel like I’m being scrutinized. I probably am.
“Hey, TJ, I’m looking for a Ryan Averman.” He doesn’t break eye contact with me when he speaks. He taps TJ on the shoulder to not only greet him, but to also move him aside.
Ryan comes into view on his phone, not realizing who is standing at our door. “That’s me.” He slips the phone into his back pocket and looks up to see who is asking for him. “Holy shit! You’re the Steels!” he exclaims, but judging from the looks they’re giving him, they’re not here to sign autographs. With that, the other guys come rushing to the entrance, moving the girls out of the way to see for themselves.
The three amigos strut into our home, dominating it with an aura of confidence. The girls are ogling them, even Rodger Steel.
“You’re Ryan Averman?” her father asks while pointing at him. He nods, smiling up at him. He thinks he’s got a shot with him. “You and I need to have a little talk, boy.” The lower tone in his voice makes me smirk, and Ryan looks like he almost shit himself.
Rodger Steel is one scary man.
He walks by me and stops, turning his head in my direction. I straighten my body up knowing he has something to say to me. “You’re next, Jackson.” He continues on his way. Into the living room, Austin pushes Ryan onto the sofa and turns the TV off. All the guys are standing there frozen. Just the fact that these people are in our home is such a shock.
Rodger towers over Ryan with his boys on either side of him. “Word is, you took my sister on a date?” Ryan nods his head nervously back at Austin, who folds his arms in front of his chest, making him look even more intimidating. His veins look more prominent in that pose. “You didn’t even ask for permission to do that? Not from him”—he points to Chris—“or me”—he points to himself—“and certainly not from him?” He’s now pointing to Rodger, who has a cold stare directed at him, his hands in his pockets with a baseball cap on to cover his face.
“I didn’t realize I had to?” Ryan snorts as he leans back.
“Well, you do now.” Rodger leans over him, scaring the shit out of the smug Ryan. The low growl has everyone taken back. We’ve seen him lose his cool many times on TV, but to see it in the flesh makes it even more terrifying. “Another thing, kid, you won’t run your mouth when you’re talking about women. You won’t run your damn mouth objectifying my daughter. And don’t me give the excuse of ‘It was locker room talk.’ I don’t know what you said about her, but if you say another word about her ‘pussy,’ ‘ass,’ or any part of her, I will rip your balls off clean and feed it to a hog on the farm while you watch. Is that clear?” Ryan nods out of fear.
Damn, this man is brutal.
Rodger then looks up to the rest of us and continues his speech, “If I hear any of you boys talking about any woman like that, I will make damn sure you won’t get a contract with any team. Is that understood?” We all nod, shaken by the threat. I know he will, he’ll make sure none of us get into the league. “Have some respect for women.” He stares at the girls over to the side, who are staring doe eyed at him, who I doubt have any respect for themselves. No doubt they’re turned on from his words. I can practically see the wetness dripping from their panties.
“Next time you decide to ask a woman on a date, have the respect to ask her father first. It makes you a man”—he puffs his chest out with pride—“and not a boy.” He looks down at Ryan, who is completely speechless on the sofa. “And stop sliding your dicks into anything with an opening!” he finishes and pushes past his sons, who are smirking. He was also talking to them, they’re worse. “If you do, wrap it up.” He sighs, knowing that he’s talking to a bunch of players both on and off the field.
Stopping before us, he swivels to the group of guys and stares down at them. He points at the table, which has pot on top of it. “Clean that shit up! Don’t make me ‘advise’ a drug test to your coach. You’re football players who need to be clean all the time. That shit stinks!” He has disgust written all over his face. They don’t smoke it often in the house. I think it’s owned by one of the girls. I never touched that shit in my life and I don’t plan on it either.
“That was so sexy,” one girl comments as Rodger walks by her, who just rolls his eyes. They actually checked him out;they checked Rodger fucking Steel out.
Making a beeline towards me, he fists my shirt and grumbles, “Outside.” I’m next. This is not going to be good. I’m on his shitlist. I stumble out the front while Chris closes the door, and I start to walk along the grass with my back to them, preparing for the shakedown. “Face me, Jackson,” he orders me and I follow. I turn around and face the father of the girl I like. This has never happened to me before. I stare straight into his eyes. If it’s one thing my father thought me, it’s to never show weakness; that includes showing you’re terrified. “Start talking.” He points to me.
“I was set up, by the guy you were talking to in there and the girl I’ve been getting with for years . . . It looks bad, I know, but I swear that I pushed her off me,” I defend myself, the water bottle sloshing around in my hand.
“Nick, explain. NOW!” he booms over to me, and I almost drop the water bottle in my hand. That’s how shaken I was by his voice.
“I came home from the hospital and took my shirt off because it was hot and I was going to take a shower. I walk inside the house and see some girls in the living room. But the girl I was getting with in high school was at my door. I told her no earlier in the day, but she couldn’t take the hint—”
“Don’t we know.” Chris rolls his eyes. He probably knows this situation all too well. Rodger glares at him to shut him up.
“Continue,” her father says tersely.
“So, as soon as I walked into my room, she pretty much jumped on me, making me land on the bed. I held my hands away from her but she took off her top and kept kissing me. The next thing I know, Ryan’s in my face with a camera and sent it to Carter. Then I lost it and knocked him out cold,” I say in one breath, trying to get the story out before Ryan comes out and lies again.
“All lies, Jackson! You’re convincing no one!” Here he comes with his posse behind him. The smug tone matches his smile.I really want to fuck his face up.
“Fuck off, Ryan! This is all you’re doing, you idiot!” I yell back at him, and he makes a break toward me but Rob catches him in time.
“Both you boys need a get a grip on yourselves. You’re on the same damn team! And don’t think I didn’t see you not passing to him. He was wide open.” Rodger turns to face me at the end, clearly fuming at my lack of interest in passing to Ryan. He wasn’t going to get the ball from me, that’s for sure.
