105

Ryan

Good News For Both Of You

The training center was unusually quiet after practice. Even the coffee shop only had a few stragglers. That's what I could've been - a straggler. I never felt more out of my element in the same place I spent every day for the last two and a half years.

"Hey, captain! Boss! Boss captain!"

The shout echoed behind me and I nodded without looking behind. I didn't want to talk to Adam. It was a chore to talk to anybody. Without a glance back, I walked into the elevator. Adam held his hand out and stopped the doors. He leaned in with a frown with King just a few feet behind him, coming close.

I sighed. "What is it?"

"Captain, we've got a problem."

It was hard to give a shit about the problem but I took a long look between the guys. I couldn't trust Adam not to be kidding about it but King had real concern on his face.

I frowned. "What is it?"

Adam gestured me over to the side of the wall and ran a hand through his hair. "So here's the thing. I get a text from Zariah and it's a blurry black and white photo. I thought it was one of those old as shit movies that she and Kassie like. It's not."

"Adam. Just spit it out," I said.

"It's security footage," Adam muttered, motioning both of us closer. "From the hotel. They figured out Henry Miller got smacked around and Zariah got to see the security footage."

I stared at him for a long moment. "Fuck."

"Yeah." King breathed out through his nose. "Fuck."

"Can you…recognize us?" I asked, leaning closer.

"Can a random person recognize us? Hell no. Their camera equipment must've come from the moon landing. Everything's grainy as shit. Except…Zariah knows us…"

"And she…recognized us in the image," I realized. "Shit."

"Yeah."

"What did she…?"

King butted in. "Captain, she's going to tell Kassie."

I glanced back and forth between the two of them. Zariah would sit Kassie down and tell her exactly what we did at the hotel and how he ended up with all of those injuries. My eyes flickered back to the hallway.

"I know this is shit timing." Adam grimaced. "So—"

"Holy fuck…" I stopped myself. "Kassie's going to find out."

"Yeah." King was grim. "Kassie's going to find out."

"Kassie's going to find out…" I muttered under my breath, taking a sharp right down the hallway, ignoring the elevator altogether. My mind whirled. In just a little bit, my ex girlfriend would find out about how I smashed in the face of the director she used to look up to.

"Captain?" Adam called.

King's voice echoed down the hall. "Where are you going?"

"She's going to come to yell at me!" I told them, with the first ounce of hope that I had in days. There was no doubt in my mind. The moment Kassie found out, she was going to take a walk over to the training center and let me have it. I nodded, picking up the pace. "I've got to get ready."

"I—what?"

I could clearly hear Adam replying to King. "He's lost his fucking mind."

My chest squeezed painfully tight. I was content before. I was really content living my life. But now that I'd gotten a taste of her, I didn't want to go back to living that life. If there was anything I could do to go back to that, I would.

Coach Lawson's office had a line of trophies outside his door from the last two schools he'd worked for. An empty shelf stood at eye level, ready for ours. On the door was a sign that read ‘appointment only or suffer the consequences.' I didn't have to push open the door though. Two of the assistant coaches pushed open the door and I held it for them, glancing inside.

Coach was in the middle of talking to a few of them, handing off dark blue folders before he caught sight of me. He did a double-take. "Cross."

"Hey, coach."

He paused. "What're you doing here?"

"Can we talk?"

Coach Lawson slipped off his baseball cap and nodded slowly, motioning everyone else out of his office. Before he sat down though, I needed one more person involved.

"We need to call in Cleo, coach."

His eyes flickered to mine and he nodded slowly, dialing up her number and holding up the phone on speaker. He spoke only three words. "Bennight. Come here."

"Heading on in, sir."

It was quiet in his office for a moment and Coach Lawson clasped his hands together, watching me. He didn't show any sign of emotion. The two of us waited in silence until Cleo appeared at the door frame, breathing heavily.

"Here, coach—oh no—oh no—" She sucked in a breath when she spotted me and reached for the door frame. " No —"

"Bennight," Coach Lawson called to her in a firm voice.

I glanced between the two of them, confused, but my time was running out before Kassie found out. I straightened up my shoulders. "My time here at the Marrs Romans has been the most worthwhile challenge of my life."

Cleo sucked in a hard breath.

" Bennight ."

She fell silent again. It was weird, I'd never seen Cleo look so close to falling apart in one conversation. She gripped the door frame, staring right at me.

"And I've been thinking a lot about my future," I continued. "And where I see myself."

"Oh my god—please don't quit football," Cleo blurted out.

"What?" I stared at her.

"It's your own decision, kid," my coach told me gruffly.

"I'm not quitting football."

She clutched her chest. "Oh, thank god. I was just waiting for the bad news—"

"No. It's good news." I hesitated. "For both of you anyway."

The two of them shared a look together and glanced back at me, confused.

"I need a public announcement made," I said, my voice firm. "But before we even get into the details, I have a single stipulation and it needs to be met. I've kept my end of the bargain, I work hard for this team. And now I'm giving you what I want and I'm asking for one thing in return."

Cleo frowned. "What?"

"What thing are you asking for, Cross?" Coach Lawson pressed.

"I need the stadium changed."