Page 59 of Play Maker

Shaw pushed away from the wall and clapped a hand on my shoulder. “He’s almost as fast as you, but he could use some situational awareness.”

I grimaced, then added a half-assed salute. “Aye aye, Cap’n.”

Haskins had transferred in for this year, and he had a bad habit of watching the defense instead of the ball. When he paid attention though, he was good. If the powers that be needed me to prove myself, I’d do my best.

“Anything else?” I stood before I’d finished my question because I couldn’t actually handle anything else being piled on me at the moment. I just wanted to get home and convince Blue to join me in the shower.

Coach waved me away. “Go on. You’re stinking up my office.”

Shaw opened the door for me, and I surreptitiously sniffed my pits on the way past him. Damn, maybe I’d showerthenconvince Blue to get naked. After I talked to Haskins. And put the finishing touches on my final project for my summer class.

Once out in the hallway, Shaw knocked my shoulder with his. “Sorry for the ambush.”

“No, I deserved it. I’m mostly over the Eva thing, by the way. I just have a lot going on right now.”

He slowed down so we’d have a semblance of privacy before coming back into the main weight room. “Have you talked to her?”

A band around my chest tightened, belying my words a few seconds ago. “No. She’s the one who left, so I’m not going to force anything. When she’s ready to talk, I’ll be here.”

“Riley says she’s coming back soon.”

I nodded. “She had some workshops planned for her squad before she took off. I think they were supposed to start next week.”

Shaw eyed me. “Real talk. What’s going on in your head?”

I spread my arms, offering him a smile. “What you see is what you get, Shaw. You know that.”

“Bullshit. Eva hurt you, and I’m sorry I didn’t step up when she dropped you. I’m glad Blue has been here to make up for my shitty friendship.”

“You’re all good, man. Honestly, it hurt more that she left than that she didn’t want a relationship. I know Eva. I should have realized she wasn’t suddenly trying to settle down. She was right though. We would never have worked as a real couple.”

“I’m not sure I agree, but I’m glad you’re past it. If Eva isn’t fucking with your mind, what is?”

My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I pulled it out to see a message from Alex asking me to stop by after training. I hadn’t told anyone about the music competition, not even Blue. Shaw would understand to a certain degree, but I didn’t want to chance him asking me to make a choice.

Other than RJ, football came first for him. Always.

I glanced down the hall toward our state-of-the-art weight room where Haskins was probably still finishing up. Even if I explained about the competition, and about Blue, it wouldn’t be a good excuse. I was here to play football, and I needed to remember that.

“Nothing I can’t handle.” I rubbed my hands together. “Gotta go. I have a date with Haskins he’s going to regret.”

Shaw pinched the bridge of his nose, exactly like Coach had. “Don’t traumatize him. Train him. TU is going to need a good receiver when you and Riley graduate.”

“Noted. Minor trauma only. You can count on me.”

His hand dropped, and he met my eyes. “I know.”

The quiet words snagged in my mind as I turned away. Shaw had faith in me despite my piss poor performance and unwillingness to talk. I wasn’t sure what I’d done to deserve this team, but I wasn’t going to let them down.

* * *

An hour later,I’d showered, set up a time to work with Haskins, and made my way to Alex’s place. I texted Blue from the driveway letting her know I’d be late getting back, but she only sent me a frowny face. Her finals group wasn’t pulling their weight, and she’d been cranky for days—not that it stopped me from trying to distract her at every opportunity. She was probably happy to hand me off to Alex for a while.

I’d met Alex my freshman year in our music theory class. At the time, he’d been a quiet guy with an unlucky dorm roommate and a horrible haircut. Since then, his hair had improved, and he’d managed to rent one of the houses close to campus usually reserved for professors.

Up until this summer, I’d only been in Alex’s place twice. We usually met at Johnny’s when we needed to work on music. The last few months, I’d been over here several times a week.

Johnny’s was great when we were working on karaoke playlists or a school project, but Alex insisted we needed someplace with less distractions. I couldn’t argue with him since I spent at least half our sessions eating pizza or talking to people who wandered over. His boyfriend, Luis, always insisted on making food, so I had no problem changing locations.

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