“Okay, if you don’t think I could change your mind. Seems like a wasted opportunity to me.” He took my hand as we stood on the steps, and I was still so upset I couldn’t even meet his eyes for too long. He lifted my chin, giving me no choice but to look. He leaned in to kiss me, but I pulled away.
“I’ll call you.” I didn’t want a kiss goodnight. He hadn’t earned one.
“No kiss? Come on. It’s not like it’s our first one. What’s going on? Did I do something?” He narrowed his eyes, and I could see his chest rise and fall quickly.
I should have said something right then, but instead, I told him no, and now I was lost in regrets and wishing I would have confronted him and worked it out. Being in limbo with him was the worst.
“Russell,” yelled Coach Simms, bringing my head around. “Are you going to stare across the field or get your head in the game?”
“I’m sorry.” I went to get in position and tried to focus, but I kept feeling like I had really screwed things up. But Seth’s words had hurt me deeply, and it was hard to tell if his intentions were pure or not.
I had always been a tomboy compared to my sister, who was way girlier and even more petite than me before her eating disorder. I had never worn much makeup, dresses, or girlie clothing. Most of the time, you could find me in boots and jeans with a worn-out T-shirt.
Jewelry wasn’t a big deal either, and I had one pair of diamond-stud earrings I had worn every day since I had gotten my ears pierced in high school. I’d never found another pair I liked more.
When Seth came to talk to me at an Omega House party months ago, I had been surprised he had even noticed me at all, much less asked for my number. He was extremely hot, really nice, and so popular that I couldn’t help but want to get to know him too.
But all of the bad rumors eventually got around to me. The one about him being Layla Roberts’s cheating ex and how horrible he had treated the girl when they were dating was the most popular one. And how he didn’t know the meaning of commitment, much less faithfulness. I had heard it all, but through that, I still felt like they were talking about someone else. Seth had never shown me that side.
It just wasn’t the Seth I had known, and I had given him the benefit of the doubt until that night at the Omega party.
As practice continued and we finished up working on the plays, Coach Simms talked to us about our progress and sent us to run a lap. I had my mind in the clouds anyway, and while the other girls were all talking and carrying on, I still couldn’t shake Seth from my mind.
What if I was making a mistake? What if I was throwing it all away on an overreaction?
Chapter 2
Seth
Avery had me spellbound as she ran around the field. The girl had a perfect body, and I ached to wonder if she would ever give me the time of day again. I didn’t know what had put her off of me, but I had done all I could to show her how special I thought she was and how much I really liked her.
Carrying around a bad reputation was frustrating more than anything. I didn’t mind being known as a party animal or a bad motherfucker who was not to be messed with, but some people acted as if I had beaten Layla or something. The truth was, the girl was my first love, or so I had thought, and I’d never laid a hand on her to do her harm. Hell, I thought I wanted her back more than anything.
And then I met Avery.
She had caught my attention, and so far, I hadn’t been able to give my attention to anyone else.
My life had been complicated. Layla and I came from the same background and could understand what the other was going through, but there came a time when I could see the light at the end of my tunnel, a way out away from the drama, and Layla kept letting her family pull her back in.
It wasn’t a reason to cheat, no, but after you spend so much time with someone so similar to yourself, you got bored.
Honestly, my cheating had nothing to do with Layla and more to do with me acting out. If I could drown myself in sex, maybe I wouldn’t have to face the other problems that I was getting away from.
“Mills!” yelled Coach Carr. He waved me over, and I hurried as not to upset him more. He could be a tyrant when he was in a bad mood, but then again, some people might say the same thing about me.
“Yes, sir?” I glanced at the fence as Avery passed by. God, her ass is perfect.
Coach cleared his throat. “If you’d give me your undivided attention, I have a little bit of advice for you to take.”
“What’s that, sir?” I thought he was about to run a play by me or give me a pointer.
Instead, he pointed across the field where Avery ran, her ponytail bouncing along with her sweet tits. So hot.
“You need to get that one off of your mind. You’re the team captain, and with playoffs coming up, you don’t have time for girl drama. You’ve been paying more attention to her than you have me today.”
“Sorry, sir.” I didn’t bother telling him that Avery had given me the cold shoulder for the past two weeks or that she had barely texted. Instead, I made a promise to him and myself. “I’ll do better, sir.”
“Good. Now don’t get me wrong, son. She’s a fine young lady, and I get that, but you’ll have time for girls when the season is over. And I need you focused.”
“Yes, sir!” I looked over his shoulder where Avery was in the distance now, and I tried not to let my eyes follow her.
“Dammit, Seth! Get your head in the game! You have to be more mature because the younger players look up to you. And don’t even give me that innocent look,” he added as I tried to do just that. “If you don’t straighten up and pull your weight, I’m going to have to replace you. I remember that lovesick shit you pulled on me when things went south with Layla Roberts. You were useless to me for weeks, and I still gave you another shot and made you captain this season. So I don’t know what is going on with you and Avery Russell, but you need to get over it and quickly. Put it on the backburner and let it simmer. You’ll be happy you did.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I mean it. I’ll kick your lovesick ass to the curb. Do you hear me?” It was hard not to with him screaming in my face.
“Yes, sir!” I couldn’t say it enough and knew it was all he wanted to hear anyway. I glanced over to see a couple of my teammates glaring at me as if I had let them down. The truth was, I had slipped the last game, but that was only because I had a tough time balancing everything on my plate.
I sighed, knowing I was only lying to myself. My problems started when Avery backed off, and as much as I wanted her back, maybe the cold shoulder she was giving me was more than a hint. Maybe staying away was the right thing to do.
“I mean it, son. If you can’t hold to the position of being captain, I’ll find one of those young men who can. You have to be on your game. Now get back to it!”
As he dismissed me, I ground my teeth, and when I got back in line with the others to finish our plays, I felt as if all eyes were on me. That only made my temper flare even more.
“Come on,” I yelled. “Let’s work this play!”
I got into position, and the others did the same, and we ran the play just like the coach had wanted us to. By the time he was done with us, he had a smug smile on his face, and I had one on mine as well.