The worst part? I am part of the weak ankle crew.
Maybe he won’t remember me.
Oh, who am I kidding? This is gonna be awesome.
“Cal, you’re beet red.”
“Thanks,” I say sarcastically without looking at Cameron. She’s still snickering. Neither of us is listening to everyone whisper and giggle over the fact that Evan is now our sports trainer. If they thought he was hot in the picture I sent of him and his brother, that has nothing on him as he stands before us.
Beside me, Shantae calls out, “Nice pants, Adler.”
Then someone says, “I liked the shorts better.”
More laughter, and even though Evan doesn’t seem to be paying attention, the side of his mouth ticks up a bit, making me think he may actually be listening to us rather than Coach.
“Do you really think we can’t sleep with him?” Shantae asks. “Like, I feel that’s unfair.”
“Callie called him,” Misty Maves, a senior, says. “Respect your teammate.”
Shantae gives her a look. “Shut it, Mist. She took her shot and lost.”
“Whoa! I did not!” I yell.
“Cameron said you did.”
I whip my head to Cameron, and she holds up her hands. “I did not say that. I said he called you weird!”
“He didn’t call me weird! He said, ‘Stay weird.’ Two different things. He could find my weirdness endearing. No one knows, ’cause I haven’t taken my shot.”
“Or he thinks you’re a weirdo and would rather hook up with me,” Shantae suggests, and I give her a dry look.
“No.”
“Fine. Then take your shot, Callie.”
Everyone looks at me, and I look back at Evan. He starts for the training room as most of the weak ankle crew follows him. Giggling. Everyone is giggling. Ugh, it’s annoying. No one is more annoying than Shantae, though. “I can’t right now. Jason just said we couldn’t sleep with him. I have to let it die down a bit.”
“Let what die down?”
“The newness. Everyone is going to be hitting on him.”
“Exactly. So, let him pick,” she says, and then she walks past me toward Evan’s office.
I look at Cameron and glare. “Thanks.”
She cringes. “I didn’t expect that. I’m sorry,” she calls to my retreating back, but I ignore her. I head past everyone who is still stretching for our first event. I usually miss the first part of warm-up because of my ankles. I’ve been taping them since I was fourteen. They’re a pain in my ass. I get in line and lean against the window as I watch Evan start to tape. I’m surprised to find he is taking notes after each ankle he does. He is very direct and asks a lot of questions. Above all, he’s beautiful. His Bellevue shirt hugs his biceps while the band of his khakis hugs his waist. Even in the pants, you can tell you he has thick legs and an even tighter ass. His hair is brushed to the side in a messy way, like he has done it continually with his fingers. He has a bit of hair growing on his jaw, and his eyes are just so lovely. Each of my teammates tells him how they like their ankles done, and they all flirt ruthlessly.
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
“How old are you?”
“Are you from around here?”
The questions are endless, and he somehow answers but doesn’t. He answers yes or no, but then before they can move on to ask something else, he asks a question to distract them.
“He’s playing a no-nonsense game, I see,” Shantae says, and I glare at the back of her head. Shantae is stunning. She has this beautiful mocha-colored skin with light-honey eyes. Her hair is in dreads that she’s been twisting since she was ten. They’re gorgeous and long. Heavy as hell, but she’s used to it, and she loves them. For meets, she puts them in these cute pigtail buns with little Bullies bows. She’s adorable and smart. She’s premed for sports orthopedics, specializing in kids. She’s incredible, and Evan wouldn’t stand a chance against her.
Shantae gets what she wants.
Evan is slower than the last guy, but we give him grace since it’s his first day and he has to learn all of us. It’s probably why Coach asked us to be here fifteen minutes early. I’m on pins and needles as I watch Shantae wait her turn. She is watching Evan like a lioness stalking her prey. She pushes her pants down a bit, showing a peek of the tops of her thighs, while her leotard covers the goods. I almost want to go in there in just a leotard, but I need my legs to stay warm for vault.
Damn it, she’s smart!
When it’s her turn, I bite into my lip as she struts in like a model. Evan doesn’t even look at her, though. He is looking at his tablet, writing with his stylus. “Hey, can you give me your name?”
“Shantae, but you can call me anything you like.”
He looks over then and smiles. “Okay, Shantae. Tell me how you like your ankles done.”
“Hard. And tight,” she says, waggling her brows.
He looks up once more and then laughs. “Okay.”
She tries to talk to him, but once more, he sidelines her. He makes quick work of her ankle, and when he’s done, he pats it. “Good?”
“Great.”
“Anything else?”
“Your number? Your time?”
He grins at her. “Sorry, I’m not looking for a relationship right now. I’m focusing on my goals.”
“I can respect that,” she says, pressing her hands into the table so her breasts pop out farther. “But you can focus on your goals, and I can focus on making you feel good.”
“How about this,” he says, crossing his arms, “I tape your ankles when you need it.”
She waits for him to say more, but even I can tell he’s done. She eyes him as he stands there, cool as a cucumber. “Okay, point taken.”
“Awesome. Have a great practice.”
“Yeah,” she grumbles as she gets up and heads out. “Shut it, Cal.”
“I wasn’t going to say anything,” I laugh, but she’s pissed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone reject her. Super odd. But then, I respect what he is saying. After everything he’s been through, I wouldn’t doubt that he wants to keep things low-key. It’s been rough on him. While I want to ask him out or even just get to know him, I can’t help but feel as if it’s not the right time.
I clear my throat and pray Evan doesn’t remember me. Maybe he didn’t get a good look at me. Once I enter, he looks up and almost looks down again, but then he points to me. “Hey!”
Great. My heart kicks up at being under that green-blue gaze. “Hey,” I draw out, my face warming. “Hoping you didn’t remember.”
He laughs, a deep, throaty laugh that makes me tingle everywhere. “Forget you? Never.”
I cover my face to keep him from seeing me geek out. “Great.”
“Hey, that step was brutal. Even I tripped on it. I didn’t fall, but I tripped.”
I drop my hands. “I sent in a complaint!”
He laughs as I sit down. “I mean, you should. Especially since you have weak ankles.”
When he winks, I realize something.
Weak ankles are the least of my worries; it’s these weak knees now.