Chapter Eight

Monday morning, Kaiden left early to get to the practice facility in Earth City, Missouri, on time. He flashed his ID to the security guard and opened the gate to let him through. He parked and headed inside the building. Coach Sigworth stood with several men, and nodded at him in greeting. Kaiden made a beeline to them.

“You’re early,” Coach observed.

“Yeah, wasn’t sure how traffic was going to go and didn’t want to be late.”

“Kaiden, this is the defense coordinator, Jack Smith. The quarterback coach, Paul Freeman. And the movement specialist, Eddie Mitchell.”

He shook hands with all of them.

“Go stash your bag and report to Eddie,” Coach said. “He’s going to set your paces for warm-up and then start training you on your technical footwork.”

Kaiden nodded and headed for the locker room. His name was on a piece of tape stuck on a cabinet, but his number wasn’t. Another reminder that he wasn’t officially on the team. Yet. He made his way back onto the pitch and joined Eddie, who was talking with the big men that made up the linesman position.

“Your position as defensive and offensive linemen need movements that are highly specific, compared to others like a running back or wide receiver. It’s important to have a variety of exercises like swimming, spinning, rushing, kick-step. Balance needs strength, mainly core and joint strength, and I know all of you are strong men. But for cross-training to improve balance, agility, strength, and coordination, all of you will take modified ballet classes…”

Snickers went through the assembled men. Eddie smiled.

“I know, I know. But you had to guess that was coming. These classes will be for an hour right after lunch, and will be a staple implemented at training camp for those who make the cut.”

That last sentence was a harsh reality check that none of them were safe. Eddie dismissed them to start calisthenics before turning to him.

“Nice to meet you, Demay.”

Kaiden nodded, looking over the rows of pop-up dummies, agility ladders, cones, speed training hurdles, and various other equipment.

“I’ve never worked with a movement specialist,” he admitted.

“The field is becoming an important and popular one,” Eddie said. “A game can be won or lost on a player’s flexibility. I want you to forget all the paradigms you know involving fitness and health. I want you to reconnect to the conversation with your body. The ultimate outcome in the work we do together is to restore your lost and forgotten movement potential.”

Kaiden nodded and for the next hour, Eddie coached him on what he needed to do. Some of the movements felt foreign but he paid attention and if something wasn’t quite right, he tried it again and again until it became a little easier. It didn’t take him long to realize how valuable teaching his body new footing techniques would be.

Sometime later, Coach brought Crew Kiles over and introduced him. Crew lifted his chin in a friendly “what’s up” nod. The defense coach and quarterback coach set up plays, starting out with a few easy passes to warm up. Running and catching the ball filled him with joy. All he ever wanted in life was to be on the football field, helping his team win the Super Bowl. They came close three years ago, and the bitter loss still stung.

For the first time in a long while, his mind was clear and focused on the passes Crew sent his way. Maybe it was moving away from the bad memories that had dragged him down, but for the first time in a long while his soul soared. He was free of the negativity. The doubt. The censure and bad decisions. He didn’t have to look at the coaches to know he was fucking killing it.

Lunch was catered with lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and plenty of fruits and vegetables.Through the years, nutrition became very important to keep an athlete in top shape. Once the real training camp started, they’d be fed breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

True to his word, they had an hour of ballet. How the fuck people did this for a living was a mystery to him, but he focused and did the best he could. At least he wasn’t wearing the skintight hose and codpiece those male dancers had to use.

Around five in the evening, Coach Sigworth blew the whistle to end the practice. The man had a wonderful poker face because Kaiden couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He thought he had a great practice. Thought he and Crew got on well enough. He could only hope the coaches saw something promising.

“So, what happened to you this past year?” Crew asked.

Kaiden looked at the quarterback. “What?”

“You became a train wreck.”

His first instinct was to snap back, but that wouldn’t do him any good. It also wasn’t a smart move to make. Besides, it wasn’t like Crew was wrong. He had become a walking disaster.

“I personally think football is as much a mental sport as it is a physical one,” Crew continued. “I don’t want to train with you and then find out your head isn’t in the game.”

Kaiden balled his fists, ready to come out swinging, then his gaze fell onto the football Crew held and his anger immediately died. That cowhide ball was his entire future, and if he didn’t say the right thing, right then and there, that future might disappear. Trying to ignore what had happened obviously wasn’t the right path to go down. So, perhaps it was time to change directions altogether.

Taking a deep breath, he leaped. “Do you know that my father was in the NFL?”

“Of course, I know. You’re a football legacy kid.”

That moniker made him grimace. “We had this argument over, well, over something I walked in on. It got heated.” Kaiden ran his fingers through his sweat-damp hair. “While we were yelling at one another, he told me I wasn’t as good a football player as him.”

“Ouch,” Crew said with a grimace.

“Told me I had to sacrifice to be better if I wanted to match his two Super Bowl rings. That I could either have a football career or a relationship, but I couldn’t have both.”

Crew studied him for a long moment. “Your dad sounds like a dick. He had a wife and kid, so what the fuck?”

Stunned silence, and then Kaiden started laughing. Crew joined him.

“Good to see you two getting along,” Coach Sigworth said. “Tomorrow, I want to run some offensive plays. No pads, just your Guardian Caps.”

“Yes, Coach,” Crew said, and Kaiden nodded his understanding.

“Then get out of here, you two.”

Crew saluted and they turned to head to the locker room.

“Where are you staying?” Crew asked.

“Still in a hotel room,” Kaiden replied. “I didn’t want to go house hunting and then get kicked out of here.”

“Well, when it’s time for you to go house hunting, let me know. I have a friend who’s a realtor.”

“I like your confidence that I’ll be here long enough to set up a house.”

Crew threw him a grin. “Since we just met, I’ve yet to learn your shorthand, but I think we played well together. And I bet you Coach Sigworth thinks that too.”

Kaiden tried to settle his racing heart, and he hoped with every cell in his body that Crew was correct.