“Yeah?”
“Well, I wanted them so I could see the Vipers play up close. I wanted to take notes on the way semi-pro games go, and that’s obviously my greatest resource.”
Alec raised an eyebrow. “And you got there, and they jumped you?”
“No, you freak.” I cracked my neck and winced at the way it sent a rush of aches down my back. “Zeke noticed me there. We argued, he grabbed me, and I punched him.”
“Wait, what? You got into a fight with him?”
“No, he kept his hands to himself after I hit him,” I replied, “but then he invited me onto the field to run drills.”
Alec looked to the sky, calculating the words. “Wait…” He looked back at me. “I’m confused.”
“I think he was trying to teach me a lesson or something, but we ended up running drills for hours. Everything under the sun. End zone to end zone suicides, presses, and ended with tackles. Finally, we both just ended up starfish on the turf. Neither of us could move.” I looked at him and poked my bottom lip out. “I’m ouchies.”
“Yeah, you’re ouchies! What were you thinking? You have your first qualifier tonight!”
I crossed my arm. “I wasn’t thinking!”
It was frustrating. Normally, I was a very methodical person. I didn’t consider myself impulsive by any means. In fact, everything I did in my life I’d done for years. I loved routines and prided myself on thinking things through before making huge decisions. Zeke drug a certain impulsivity out of me, though. I could blame it on the thrill of competition, but I didn’t think that’s what it was. I played on a high school and college team full of people who wanted to prove I didn’t belong where I was. I’d spent my entire football career stepping into the ring with people bigger than me, faster than me, and stronger than me, all to earn the right to stand where I stood. Zeke was hardly the first person who had ever challenged me, so why did he seem to have so much control over me? When it was him, I just couldn’t help myself.
Alec let out a loud gasp. “You like him!”
“What?” I fake gagged. “Gross!”
“You do!” A huge smile grew on his face. “You like him. He’s Mr. Football Handsome Man.”
For a brief moment, my mind drifted back to the sight of Zeke, drenched in sweat, statuesque, and waiting for a tackle, but I gave my head a little shake to wash it away. “He’s not—I don’t—No! Stop it!” Alec was clapping his hands and squealing. “Alec. Don’t. I don’t like him. He’s a dick!”
“So! You can be kind of a dick,” Alec replied. “Oh my gosh. He’s just as psycho about football as you, he’s obviously good looking, and he doesn’t just let you run around and say and do whatever you want like the rest of us mere mortals have to.” He gasped again. “Would I be your best man? It wouldn’t be Honey, right? Don’t say you’d pick Honey over me.”
I reached across and smacked him across his head. “Knock it off and take me to my game.”
Alec gave me a final sly side-eye and then finally started up the car.
My mind and body were equally a mess as we got ready for our game. Even the team, all of whom were still relatively mad at me, got worried and asked questions. I’d gotten them to forgive me after our loss to the Vipers, and practices resumed promptly once they learned we were still up for semi-pro status, but most of them were treating me like I was carrying some sort of disease. I didn’t fight for them to give me any more latitude than that. I didn’t really believe I deserved less, so I left it alone. Eventually, they would come around, and until then, I deserved every bit of flack I got for the rash decisions I made and physical and emotional stress I put them through. I was willing to wait for them to be ready, and the second we stepped on the field, they all locked into place, so I didn’t mind.
There was another hiccup that would prove problematic during tonight’s game, and that was the fact that it was the first time the team would be meeting Cal. Only Lila had gone to the same high school as me, and she intentionally didn’t play on the high school team because it had a male coach. When she went to college, she managed to find a team with a female coach, and when she came back to Montpelier, she likely only agreed to play on the rec team because there were no men involved. I had been honest with the team that I’d found a coach, but that they would need the week to button up their job and get situated. I had left his gender out of the conversation. Tonight, most of them would be pleased to see that there was someone who knew what they were doing at the helm, but how Lila would react was anyone’s guess.
“Hey.” I looked up from where I was situating our supplies, and Cal was walking over. He had his braids pulled back in a ponytail and had a bag slung over his head. He scanned the field and raised an eyebrow. “This is quaint.”
I gave him a quick hug, trying to ignore how my legs protested at the way I had to go up on my tiptoes to do it. “Well, it’s not much, but it works and is ours, so I’ll take it.” I turned around to where the Widows were all in various states of preparing and cupped my hands around my mouth. “Ladies, can you huddle up? I’ve got someone I want you to meet.”
Everyone looked over and saw Cal standing at my side, and slowly, all of their gazes shifted to the back of the pack where Lila was standing. “That’s the man-hater I take it?” Cal huffed at me.
“Correct.” I smiled at him. “Sorry.”
He chuckled. “I’ve dealt with trouble before, Q. Give me more credit.”
“I’ve seen you deal with trouble,” I replied. “That is a whole lot more than trouble.”
The team gathered around, apart from Lila, who stayed standing about thirty feet back. When they were all situated, I held a hand out to Cal. “Guys, this is our new coach, Cal Carter. He was my coach back in high school, and he quit that job to be here with us. They wanted him for the Baltimore Ravens at one point, but he’s a Montpelier man and stayed here. He had a stint at the U until he was ready to settle down, and then he got a job at Mont High and has been there ever since.”
“Had,” Cal corrected me with a smile. “Black Widows, it’s a high honor. We’ve got a lot of work to do, but I’m impressed by what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard from Quinn. Now, don’t worry, I know you guys have done things a certain way before me, and I’m not going to run in here and start changing shit willy-nilly, but if you give me the reins, you can trust that I’ll lead you to even more victories.”
Jansen chuckled. “We have a coach.”
“Nice to meet you,” Kris said with a grin. “Honestly, I’m happy it’s someone else’s responsibility to keep these people in check.” She nodded at me. “And maybe you can lasso that one.”
I smiled broadly. “Yeah, hopefully, he won’t have to do too much lassoing. I promise I’m done being crazy.”
“Sure,” Hollie grumbled back before grinning at Cal. “Nice to meet you. I’m Hollie.”
“Trust me, Quinn got me with her recklessness. She put my name on the application before she asked me to coach.”