Chapter 21

Mo

He's doing it on purpose.

My eyes narrow as Nico bends over to touch his toes, his ass waving in the air like a fucking red flag. Until this practice, he was always the first one dissembling the nets, choosing to use cool down as clean up duty instead of actual recovery. Given Nico does whatever the hell he wants, I've never paid his post-practice routine much attention.

But now he's making it impossible not to pay attention.

I scowl as he steps back into a lunge, the bright red material of his shorts molding against his firm ass. The rest of the team is sitting on the ground, talking and stretching while Nico transitions into another pose that makes his shorts ride up another inch.

For fuck's sake.

Gritting my teeth, I tear my eyes away and watch Wes interact with the forward rookie. Out of all the first-years, Millard has improved the most. His skills are still far from impressive, but the effort he has shown on the field has been significant.

Someone claps their hands and I turn to see Nico finally standing upright.

"Great job today, team! Our next tournament is coming up quick and if we all want another tequila celebration, we better make it count."

A couple of the players cheer, the rest of them mustering up tired smiles. The first practice after a tournament is always the toughest, especially after away games.

Hunter pumps a fist in the air, "Go Tigers!"

"Go Tigers!" Everyone shouts back the chant before splitting off and heading for the showers. Nico lingers behind, his usual swagger back in place when he throws me a smug grin.

"Let me guess. It's unprofessional to talk about the consumption of alcohol with my players."

I close the distance between us with five long strides.

"Are you hunting for criticism?"

His eyes flick between mine, "Considering that seems to be your only form of feedback, yeah I guess I am."

I frown, "I provide constructive feedback. Whether that's positive or negative depends on the player."

"Babe, it's been over a month and I don't think you've told a single player well done."

"Not true."

"Name one."

I open my mouth then close it. Frustration burns through me, the familiar weight of disappointment sinking down on my shoulders.

Nico tilts his head, "Thought so."

Fuck.

"Millard has done well. His passing needs some serious work but the improvement is there." I bite out the words, cursing myself for giving in.

"Did you tell him that?"

"No." I level him with a glare, "I did not."

He taps his nose, "See? You are incapable of providing positive feedback. And I know the reason why."

"Please, enlighten me."

Ignoring my mocking tone, Nico takes a step closer. My eyes flick to the dark scruff lining his jaw, those smug lips sending an unwanted jolt of lust racing through me.

"You"re scared, Maurice. You"re scared that if you drop the hard-ass persona it will show that you are weak. That you are soft." He pauses, "You put up these barriers that no one can climb over but at the end of the day, the only person you are blocking is yourself."

"Is that right?" My teeth snap together as my blood starts to boil, indignation crashing through me.

Nico grins, "You know I'm right. That's why you want to punch me in the face right now. Nothing hurts like the ugly truth."

"Ugly truth? You want me to speak the ugly truth?" Staring him down, I lean in until we're only inches apart, "My father didn't raise me to hand out positive feedback, he raised me to get results. You perform well or you don't perform at all."

I pull back and shake my head, "The sooner these players realize that life doesn't hand out rewards, the better. You have to earn every position and fight every day to keep it."

"I'm sorry, Maurice."

"I don"t… what?"

My brows pinch together as I stare back at him, the sympathy spilling from his expression bringing me to a halt. Giving me a small smile, Nico reaches up and uses his thumb to smooth out the crease between my brows.

And for some unknown reason, I let him.

"You must be so tired of fighting."

I blink as his words wash over me. The unfamiliar ache returns as Nico looks at me, the warmth in his gaze triggering an onslaught of grief I thought I had buried four years ago.

"You can't get tired if you don't stop."

And that's the truth.

When you don't have time to breathe, it's impossible to realize how suffocating your life has become until after the pressure has passed. Pushing myself to the limit day-in, day-out is what has kept me going since my mother was laid to rest, and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Nico purses his lips, "That's how you run yourself into the ground."

"Maybe."

"Babe, we"ve got to work on this communication thing. It's supposed to go both ways."

I raise a brow, grateful for the pivot in conversation, "You make it sound like we are in a relationship. Catching feelings already, Montez?"

He grins, "Hell nah. I'm just using you for your body."

A chuckle escapes my lips and I don't bother trying to hide it. Nico is so far buried under my skin by this point he's an infectious disease that won"t stop spreading.

"But while we're on the topic…" A gleam brightens those dark eyes, "Give me your number. That way we can facilitate booty calls and work on your communication skills all at the same time."

I smirk, "So no more unannounced house calls?"

"Now that I know what you wear to your virtual meetings, I make no promises." Nico winks, "Your dress-up might be weird as fuck but at least I'll be the one undressing you."

I roll my eyes, "Most people attend meetings in work clothes."

"Not virtual ones. Ask anyone."

Nico flashes me a grin before turning and running off the field. I watch him go, my level of annoyance nowhere near as high as it should be. In fact, the only frustration burning through me is from the tent rapidly growing in my pants as I watch those tight red shorts disappear from view.

Forget infectious disease, Nico Montez is a fucking tumour.

Nico

"Hear me out."

"No." Wes shakes his head, lifting his hands in the air, "Absolutely not."

"You don't even know what I was going to ask you!"

"I don't need to know what it is to know it's a bad idea." He shifts his chair closer to Trip as if her proximity might save him, "Consider me out."

My jaw drops, "You're supposed to be my best friend!"

"I am your best friend. That's why I can refuse whatever concoction you've come up with."

Trip gives him a pointed look and Wes visibly melts, "Fine. Tell me about this terrible plan of yours and then I'll decide."

I grin, "Knew you would come around."

"Ooh, plan making? I want in."

Platinum blonde hair flashes past our table as Stella plops herself down in an open chair. Trip immediately brightens, abandoning her boyfriend to give her roommate a quick side hug.

"I thought you and Cody were leaving today."

Stella pulls a face, "We were supposed to but Ellsworth has an interview this afternoon, so we've bumped the trip to next weekend."

Wes leans forward, "What's the interview for?"

Stella opens her mouth but I clear my throat, "Excuse me, but can we get back to my plan now?"

Stella waves a hand for me to continue.

"Thank you. As I was about to say, we need a theme for the next team party. Stella, the Teen Wolf theme last year was genius, so we need to bring the same energy this time around."

Trip smiles, "That was such a fun one."

Stella snorts, "You and Wes almost got kicked out of the club for public indecency."

Wes clasps his hands together, "It should not be a crime to show your love to the world. Amen."

Stella scoffs at him, "Sharing love and having sex in a dingy nightclub booth are two very different things."

Trip blushes, "We didn't have sex in a booth. We were just…"

"Mixing body paint to enhance our visual display." Wes shakes his head solemnly, "It was all in the name of art."

"You were displaying a lot more than-

"Okay!" Interrupting Stella, I clap my hands for everyone's attention, "Now that we've embarrassed Trip and confirmed Wes is an exhibitionist, let's get back to the matter at hand."

I pull out my phone and tap the sacred app that is Pinterest.

"Here is the list I've come up with but we need to narrow it down. Is everybody ready?"

Nods go around the table and I feel a swell of pride. Look at me being a leader.

"We've got Fireball Fiesta, Tequila Togas…" I continue down my admirably long list, the hours spent assembling this particular vision board well worth the GPA drop.

"What's ABC?" Trip blurts out the question and I look at her in surprise.

"You've never been to an ABC party?"

Trip shakes her head and Stella reaches over to pat her hand, "This one is new to the party scene."

Trip wrinkles her nose, "Does everyone wear a letter?"

I burst out laughing and Wes bites back a grin. Trip glances between us, confusion written across her face.

"Am I missing something?"

Wes pops out his dimples, softening the blow, "It's an acronym. ABC stands for Anything But Clothes."

"That sounds… horrible."

Stella laughs, "It is horrible but that's the point."

"So, everyone just shows up naked?" She swallows, "Is that legal?"

I grin, "If there was a nude party in Taber, you already know I would be there. Sadly, this one is tame and most people end up wearing sheets or garbage bags taped together."

Trip grimaces, "This keeps getting worse. Why would anyone want to wear a garbage bag? That would be so sweaty."

I look to Wes for help but he's already on the ball.

"Don't overthink it, Gorgeous. It's basically a fun game to see how creative people can get with their outfits."

Trip blushes and takes his hand, giving it a squeeze.

"Got it."

He smiles back at her, and for a moment, I wonder what it would feel like to have someone look at me that way.

To have Maurice look at me that way.

Mildly disgusted with my myself, I shake the rose coloured glasses from my love-infested brain and address the table.

"It's settled then. We"re throwing an ABC party so Trip can get the full experience."

Stella squeals and claps her hands, "I already have the perfect outfit for us, Lou!"

Trip pales and looks to Wes for help. He shrugs, giving her another puppy dog smile that has my heart aching.

I cough, interrupting the cuteness overload, "Where should we host it?"

"We could rent out BA$$ again."

I nod, "Brilliant. I'll reach out to my friend."

Stella grins, "Maybe this time Wes can keep it in his pants."

He throws her wink, "Where's the fun in that?"

Stella laughs and Trip rolls her eyes. The girls fall into conversation and Wes looks at me with a dimpled smile.

"This was one of your tamer ideas. I was expecting much worse."

I shrug, "What can I say? I've been brushing up on my responsible leader skills."

He gasps, covering his mouth, "Are you, like, a captain or something?"

"Like totally."

Wes snorts, his gaze straying back to Trip.

"But I was thinking…"

"Oh no."

"We should invite Maurice to the next party."

Wes sighs, "This was the bad idea I was worried about."

"How is it a bad idea? I'm being inclusive!"

He crosses his arms, giving me the look that says I'm being stupid.

"Be serious, Nico. Can you honestly picture Mo agreeing to attend an ABC party? Let"s not forget the fact he despises us."

I frown, "Despise is a strong word."

"It's an accurate one." Wes runs a hand over his face, "I just don't want you getting hurt, Nico. No one likes rejection but as someone who has never experienced it…"

I sigh, "It would be catastrophic to my ego. I get it."

"What are you guys talking about?" Stella pipes in, leaning eagerly across the table. Her petite nose and pink lips are such a contrast to Maurice's masculine features that it makes me wonder which parent each of the siblings took after.

Wes smirks, "Nico wanted to invite Mo to the ABC party."

Screw best friends. This man is my new mortal enemy.

Stella tilts her head at me, "You want Mo to come to the party?"

I flap my hands, hoping to steer their attention away from my rising embarrassment.

"Why is this such a big deal? Coaches come to parties all the time."

Trip frowns, "Do they?"

"Forget I said anything."

Grabbing my backpack off the ground, I push back my chair and get ready for a quick getaway. I've never felt flustered talking about a guy before, but somehow this conversation has turned me into a blushing pre-teen girl.

Time to abort mission.

"I think that's a great idea." Stella's excited voice halts my escape route, my body hovering above my chair as her big blue eyes meet mine, "Mo needs to get out more. All he does is work, workout, and fool around."

I mean, the man does all three really well.

Accepting my fate, I sit my ass back down, "Wes is right though, there is no way Maurice would agree to attend. He's a seriously hot stick in the mud."

Stella hums, twisting a long strand of hair around her finger, "Gross but you aren't wrong. Leave my brother to me, I'll think on it and work my magic."

Wes draws a cross on his chest, "That man is in my prayers."

Trip laughs but I shudder in agreement. If there's one thing the O'Brien siblings have in common, it's no matter the cost, they always achieve their goals.