Page 12 of The Coach

My mum and sister begged me to come home to Australia, and I thought about it, starting over somewhere quiet away from the limelight, but I would never have been happy with that. That would feel like running away. Soccer is my life, and if the only way I can still be a part of this world is to coach, then that's what I'm going to do.

As I watch the girls warm up, I know I've made the right choice. A fresh start in a new country where I don't have to be haunted by the past, because I will never run into Madeline, and I can move on.

Ava runs the girls through the drill for this morning. Today we have to work on cardio. The girls follow her instructions and split into two groups, starting the drill.

I glance back to the parking lot. Where is she? I check my watch. She's now twenty minutes late. She is supposed to be the best player on the team, the captain, and she can't bother to show up on time to train.

A black motorbike speeds into the lot, and the rider parks then runs toward the changing shed, removing her helmet. I can see it's Andy, her blonde braids running down her back. She turns to me and mouthssorry. Of course she rides a bike. She is like the female equivalent of me ten years ago. And I'm not sure why that bothers me so much, but it might be the way she looks so fucking hot doing it.

And I'm her coach now so I can't be thinking of her like that.

I give her a stern look in return. She might have had her last coach wrapped around her little finger, but if she thinks she can get away with this kind of behavior with me, she is mistaken. Cocky soccer players who think they know it all and don't have to follow the rules like the rest of the team don't go far. I should know, I was one of them, until I was pulled into line by a coach who knew better. And this girl has the chance to go really far, but only if she gets out of her own way and listens to those around her who have the experience.

Moments later, she comes running down the hill. She's ditched the leather jacket and is in her training shirt and shorts, barefoot, with socks, boots, and shinpads in her hands. The way my body reacts to her instantly needs to change. We had that one night, and as she said yesterday, it has to stay in the past. It can never happen again.

"Sorry I'm late, I'm having a shitty morning," she says as she drops down beside me and starts to get her boots on. I notice the way Ava looks her over with a disapproving stare.

I return my gaze to the girls on the field in front of me, trying not to focus on her more than I need to. "I don't know what Mitch let you girls get away with, but you turn up late again, you won't play the next game," I say sharply.

I can feel her eyes flick back up to me angrily, even though I give her no attention. "You're kidding me, right? You know I'm the best player on the team, and they won't win without me," she says smugly, standing. I can feel the heat coming off her as she glares at me.

I tilt my head to her. "I don't care how good you think you are, Andrea. If you can't follow my rules, you won't play. So don't let it happen again."

She glares at Ava, and I wonder if there's some sort of bad blood between them because the two of them don't seem very fond of each other. Then she gives me one last look before she takes off to join the rest of the team. Mumbling under her breath that I'm an asshole.

"Andrea," I shout, loud enough for everyone on the field to hear.

She turns back to look at me, fire in her eyes. The rest of the team stop what they're doing and glance our way.

"Give me three laps of the field," I snap.

She narrows her eyes at me. "For fuck's sake," she mutters.

"Four," I demand.

She growls in frustration, shooting me one last scowl, and takes off around the field. The rest of the team return to what they were doing, but their murmurs can be heard across the field.

I walk over to stand with Ava. "You trying to piss off our best player?" she asks, brow raised.

"No. Just making sure she knows she's not going to get away with the attitude with me. She carries on like a spoiled brat and sets a bad example for the whole team."

She smirks at me. "You're right. I think this is going to be a good change for our team. We can do so much better if we focus on the game as a team instead of one superstar player."

I give her a nod. I may have just made an enemy of Andy, but I'm not here to make friends. I'm here to help them win this year. And I might be overcompensating a little for the fact that when it comes to this fiery little blonde, all I want to do is fuck her, and I can't.

Andy

I'm jogging the perimeter of the field like I've been instructed, almost finished my fourth lap. Fuck this shit. My morning has gone from bad to worse and it's not even 9am.

After yesterday, I thought maybe he wasn't the jerk I had painted him to be. He may have been able to explain himself and wasn't cheating on his wife, but after the last five minutes, my opinion has gone straight back to thinking he is a total asshole. I hate coaches who dictate rather than work with the players, and I can see that is going to be his style. He probably gets off on the power he has over us. What a fucking asshole.

I don't even remember what I saw in him that night. I thought he was fun and charming. Must have been the alcohol. Made him more likeable. Worst part is he probably thinks I'm late all the time like a total slacker, but I'm not. Soccer is the most important thing in my life, and I take it very seriously.

When I'm done, I jog over to join in with Luna and Darcy. I can feel his eyes on me, and I hate it.

"What happened to you, thought you were leaving right behind us this morning?" says Darcy.

"My car wouldn't start, so I tried to work out what the problem was and ended up with grease on my shirt so had to change. Still didn't get the car fixed, so I jumped on my bike. I knew I was cutting it fine and was going a little faster than I probably should have, took a corner too quick and nearly collided with an oncoming car. I'm still a little shaken from the whole thing. I'm lucky to be alive, and this fucker rips into me as soon as I get here." I'm babbling, getting the whole story out quickly. I'm still feeling a bit upset from the whole thing. My hands are still trembling, and I try to shake it off.

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