Page 13 of The Coach

"Shitty morning to be late," Luna offers with a sympathetic smile.

"Don't I know it. It's just my luck." I roll my eyes.

We finish the morning session with no more drama and break to have lunch. Sitting with Luna and Darcy, I dig into my chicken salad. It's the last thing I feel like after the morning I've had. I could go for a burger and fries, something fatty. Something I know I shouldn't be eating when I need to be in top condition. But I'm also a massive comfort eater, and I know a burger and fries would make me feel better right now. I still have no idea what's wrong with my car. It's new, only bought for me last year, so it shouldn't be having any issues.

Darcy looks up from her lunch, watching me aggressively stab my salad with my fork. "You okay, babes?"

"Nope. Tell me, Darc, would you be? How am I supposed to do this with him? I'm going to have to change teams," I whine dramatically.

"Stop being a drama queen. You're going to be fine. It's just a small adjustment. He has to come in here all tough and set his boundaries. Things will settle down in a few weeks. Anyway, it's a good thing he's showing his true colors early. That way you can go back to hating him and be over him already." She smirks, the bitch. Why she thinks this is funny I have no idea.

"Yeah, just unlucky for you," offers Luna. "You pissed him off first so you're the example."

"Just my luck." I shovel in another mouthful of my salad. What is Darcy even talking about, be over him? I was never into him, not really. It was just sex.

Luna grabs my hand. "If it was me, I'd flirt with him and drive him crazy. Use your assets. You know he's hot as sin for you or he wouldn't have taken you home that night, and now that he can't have you, it'll be killing him. You could have some fun." She winks.

And I know that's what she would be doing in my place, but that's not my style. I glare in his direction, hoping he might just burst into flames.

Brad and our assistant coach Ava are sitting together having their lunch. They seem to be getting on well, all chatty like they know each other. So I give her a death stare as well.

She would be lapping up every second of his attention, I'm sure. In her mid-thirties, she is as single as they come. Pretty, with long dark hair, and she's fit as well. They would probably be a good match, and she's more his age. I guess for an assistant coach she's nice enough most of the time, been here since I started with the team and worked well with Mitch, but she has pulled me aside a few times about my attitude, so she would have loved me getting in shit this morning, I'm sure.

As I watch them enjoying their food and conversation, I find myself becoming more jealous by the second. I don't even know why, I fucking hate him after the way he made me feel this morning.

He glances my way, catching me watching him, and I can see by his expression that he's assessing me. What's his fucking problem? I give him the same look back, narrowing my eyes. I don't care that I've been caught staring at him.

His lips turn up at the side into a bit of a smirk. Is this some joke to him? I glare harder but can't help but notice how nice he looks today, his hair neat and trimmed short on the sides, a little longer on top. His chiseled jaw is freshly shaven, and the skin that I can see on his bare arms is tanned. It has me remembering what his body looked like under his clothes, chest muscular, with just a light dusting of hair. Why does he have to be so handsome?

He laughs at something Ava says and his gaze drops back to her. I remember that laugh. It does something to my insides. I'm totally fucking screwed around him, and I need to cut it out. I don't know what that weird staring contest was between us, anyway.

Luna is right, though, I want to mess with him. Not how she suggested, but I have a better idea of something much more my style, and I already know how it'll drive him crazy.

The afternoon session starts, and Brad announces he will be taking over and running some new drills. Great, this should be fun! I look over my shoulder to the girls and roll my eyes, and they smirk back at me. I follow instructions just like the others and work harder than I have in a long time. Not trying to impress, just proving to him how much he needs me. I mean, theteamneeds me.

I also make an effort never to look his way or make eye contact, no matter how much the rest of my team fusses over him. I'm here to train, and he is nothing more than the guy giving instructions on how best to do that.

The afternoon session wraps up, and I make my way to the changing room to ditch my cleats, switching them for my combat boots and leather jacket. I say goodbye to the girls, and with my helmet under my arm, I hightail it straight for my bike. I don't want to have to see that jerk again today.

I throw my leg over my bike and secure my helmet in place. Just before I take off, he walks in front of me so I can't. I kill the engine. "What?" I snap at him, irritated.

"Andy, I wanted to see you before you left for the day, but you took off so fast I nearly didn't catch you."

"That was the point. I have somewhere to be. Don't want to be late now, do I?"And don't think I didn't notice the use of my nickname, dick. I glare at him. What could he possibly need to say to me that couldn't have waited until tomorrow?

"Fast learner," he says with a smug smile.

I give him a fake smile back. Was that supposed to be funny? Cause I'm not laughing. I take off my helmet and wait for him to talk. He looks more uncomfortable than he was before. I knew it, he hates not having the attention on him. He is so used to having the limelight on him, and he can't stand that I don't want to suck up to him like the rest of them.

"I just wanted to say that despite a rocky start this morning, you did a good job this afternoon."

I don't know why, I think his comment was supposed to be encouraging, but I see red. "I work my fucking ass off at practice, and I will do the same in a game. I'm not some slacker like you think! And this morning, that was the first time I have ever turned up late to practice, and it wasn't because I don't give a shit. It was because my car wouldn't start, and I nearly got killed rushing to get here on time. Thanks for making a bad morning worse by not hearing me out and just making assumptions." Wow, I even surprised myself, I really gave it to him.

He eyes me suspiciously, like he's not sure whether to believe me or not. "I'm sorry to hear you had a bad morning, and I was probably a little harder on you than I should have been."

"You think?" I sass, not giving him anything more than my resting bitch face.

He runs a hand through his hair, and I can't help but notice how the late-afternoon sunlight highlights the golden tones. "This is new to me, and I don't know how to navigate this with you." He pleads with his eyes for me to understand where he's coming from.

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