18

Ryan

Let That Shit Go

I rubbed my jaw until we were in the clear and dropped my voice to a mutter. "You broke into the design office of Marrs University, signed into the computers without permission, copied some private programs, and, Kassie Ragar, you're late to practice."

"Oh my god," she muttered.

Placing a hand on her back, I guided her through the narrow space between the astroturf and the training wall. "I need you on the bleachers. Silent."

"The bleachers?"

"With the other football girlfriends. You're going to sit with them."

She shoved the hard drive into her bag. "It's six in the morning, Ryan. I'm not in the mood to kumbaya." When I didn't say anything, she sighed. "I'll talk to them tomorrow, okay? Six o'clock, on the dot."

"Showing up on time is part of your contract."

"It's a first-time offense, ball dribbler."

Why do I like it when she calls me that?

A weird feeling spread through my chest at the nickname. Wracking my brain, I tried to think of the last nickname I had. I honestly couldn't think of one beyond Four-A-Cross. It wasn't like ball dribbler was a compliment, but there was something…intimate about someone selecting a teasing title like that.

Isn't there?

"First practice too," I pointed out, letting my irritation shine through. Irritation at her, irritation at the whole situation, and irritation at that weird feeling in my chest.

Kassie swung back. "I already said I would. Can you relax?"

"Can I—?"

"If you clenched any harder, that stick up your ass would turn into a diamond ."

I stared at her, mystified.

Football practice slowed down. It wasn't the kind of attention that Cleo wanted. It wasn't the kind I needed. And even if our head intern was up in her office, I was kidding myself if I thought Miles didn't report to her.

Kassie didn't listen to directions. That couldn't continue. It was the first and last time anybody chewed me out on my training field.

I set my jaw. "You'll be here at six tomorrow."

"Ooo, if I get here early, do we all hold each other and sing campfire songs? Do we clap hands and play the name game?"

That was something she didn't want tested out. "You keep this up and I'll have all of them lined up for your welcome speech to the family. Right here, right now."

Her cheeks flushed. "What a bunch of—they're college guys, they wouldn't—"

"Want a bet? Do it. See what happens." I dipped down close and the scent of her strawberry lotion washed over me. "I tell them to jump, they ask how high. I'm the team captain, Kassie. That's how this works."

"Well, you're not mine." She jutted her chin. "Your micromanaging is insane. I'm not your teammate. I'm not your ball dribbler. And I'm sure as shit not one of your dancing monkeys."

That did it.

"You're right. You're not. Because, if you were, you would've been here on time ."

The brief taste of satisfaction was sweet, but soured the moment Kassie's face did. She didn't say anything.

She passed me on the outskirts of the field, and I thought she was taking her path toward the football girlfriends. They seemed to think so too. A few of them even waved at her. That didn't last. With a sharp right turn, Kassie's sneakers crunched through the grass on her way to our locker room.

Locker room?

At first, I didn't move.

We had another hour of training before a third of the players tapered off for early classes. But I could see Coach Lawson at the other side of the field, waving his clipboard to get my attention. He wasn't the only one trying to get involved. I hadn't been imagining it. Every available eye on the field was on us, Miles included.

And there Kassie went. Hips swinging, no words, no threat.

She doesn't need it.

I cursed under my breath and nodded towards the coach in a clear sign to give me ten.

The new recruits gaped with open mouths down the line. We'd just started the semester together, but I'd been strict as hell in the summer training. Of course they were surprised.

It wasn't hard to catch up with Kassie in the locker room. "What are you doing in here?"

It was quiet and clean inside, the pride of Coach Lawson after he'd taken over from the last coach who let our team make enemies of the cleaning staff. Lights glowed from the floor and each of our names was painted on the front of the lockers, with a neon picture of each player stamped right above.

Kassie walked down the line of lockers on a mission. "I'm knocking some sense into you the only way I know how."

That didn't sound good. "What way?"

"The proven way." Kassie stopped in front of the third to last locker, King's locker. "You're going to listen to me right now or I'm marching out in your buddy's jersey. And we'll show your team exactly who has the temper."

Words left me.

"Ryan. This is not a football game."

That's what she was worried about?

"I know it's not."

"No, I don't think you do. Let me make this clear. I'm not your dancing monkey. Getting people to believe in a fake relationship doesn't mean controlling everything I do and snapping commands and marching me off places. I'm sorry I was late. I had a real shit day at the design office yesterday and I apologized to you fifty times. Can you let that shit go? "

I must've hit the grass pretty hard because that actually made sense.

"Do you get how different this is?" Kassie pressed.

No.

And it was a no for one singular reason—I didn't want to.

Every bone in my body needed to reestablish a game plan with the new dynamic we'd been locked into. But wasn't that the exact thing she was warning me about? This girl was asking for improvisation, acting on the fly, and doing things off-routine. An impossibility for me. I rubbed the back of my neck and kept my gaze focused on her while she slowly closed the locker door.

A girl I was alone with.

I could already hear the jibes from my teammates about sneaking away together. We had to leave. But first, I needed to say something.

I cleared my throat. "I can help you with the design department."

"Yeah, that's not going to happen."

"Why not?"

Kassie shrugged. "I think it's part of the reason you need this whole fake relationship thing. The unapproachable aspect. People are scared shitless of you."

"Oh." For a moment, I didn't say anything. I just watched her. "Are you scared of me?"

"No," she replied, amused.

That shouldn't have made me feel as good as it did. But it did. And ever since I was given the captain badge, people weren't blunt with me anymore. It was…refreshing.

Maybe Kassie wasn't a teammate but it was time to bring her up to speed with who she had to work with.