Page 45 of Side Out

The men’s tournament in Las Vegas of all places.

?*Fuck my life.

I don’t even think Jax knows I’m here. I was sitting at the back of the plane when he got on, and when we boarded the bus from the airport to our hotel he had his eyes closed and headphones on as I walked down the aisle past his seat.

But that’s all about to change, because here we are, standing in the lobby of our hotel on the strip, waiting for Coach Taylor to give us our room assignments.

I’m in a hotel.

With Jackson Baker.

In Las Vegas.

I repeat… fuck my life.

Coach Taylor returns from the front desk with a pile of keys and hands them out to each of us. “Mr. Young, here’s your key,” Taylor says. I sigh regretfully before plastering on a fake smile and taking my key. Out of the corner of my eye I see Jackson glaring daggers at me. Shock, frustration, and anger evident on his face. Taylor claps his hands together and looks at all of us. “Alright, let’s go, boys! We’ve got games to win in a couple of hours!”

Half the team and Coach Taylor, not including Jax, pile in the elevator. As the doors close, I lock eyes with Jax as he continues to stare me down.

Once they close and the elevator starts to move, Coach Taylor announces, “Ward is staying in his own room because his wife and baby are attending too. Please be quiet and respectful with the noise level, and don’t you all dare pressure him into going out Saturday night when the tournament’s over.”

If Austin is staying in a room with his family, I wonder who Jax is rooming with?

A touch of jealousy rears its ugly head at the thought of him rooming with someone else, but I remember that it’s not my problem. Itcan’tbe my problem.

The memory of Jackson looking at me the way he did in the lobby flashes through my brain all the way up to our floor. And when I walk into my room and shut the door, I think about it again. As I get dressed for our first game, it’s there,again.And when I get back down to the lobby to meet the team, it isn’t the memory that makes my skin crawl. No, it’s the sight of him staring me down.Again.

And it’s even worse the second time.

* * *

From what I’ve seen from them so far, Jax and Austin are a force to be reckoned with on the sand.

They’re in their second set of the day and just started their first game, which they’re already up ten to two. I dug into Austin a little bit more on the way here, and I must admit, I’m impressed. He transferred from a super religious college to be closer to his wife’s family so they would have more support with their baby.

Jax and Austin being fifth-year grad students and having so much volleyball experience under their belts is really showing. Their calm and collected attitude will be something that’s hard for opponents to crack. I’m sitting on the sideline right beside Coach Taylor and watching as the ball gets slammed by the opposing team, but Jax is on it, digging it up before it hits the sand. He’s up on his feet before Austin even has the ball in his hands to set. Be that as it may, he sets the ball perfectly back to Jax. The quickness with which Jax makes his approach is incredible, and the height he reaches well above the net while in the sand seems impossible.

No holding back, Jax swings with all his might, and the blocker on the opposing team is nowhere near ready. He has a wide-open court, and, between his vertical and pure power, the ball lands in the sand well before the ten-foot line. The opposing team didn’t stand a chance.

I’m up and out of my seat, screaming and cheering before I can stop myself. I look over at a wide-eyed Coach Taylor and swiftly sit back in my seat.

What the fuck are you doing, Theo?

Taylor leans over with a knowing smirk covering his lips. “It’s exciting, isn’t it?”

“To say the least… I didn’t think I would ever like watching volleyball this much.” I’m keeping it to myself that watching Jax do anything is the most exciting thing, because, well… I would very much love to not be fired.

* * *

It’s Friday, and Jax and Austin just bagged their last win for today in order to move on to tomorrow’s bracket play. If they win those, they win the gold bracket. It’s a single-elimination tournament, and most of the other pairings from Palm University have lost, so the main focus is now on Jax and Austin. I can’t even put into words the pride I have in my chest watching him succeed in this, especially considering his injury last year.

It’s unfortunate most of our team is now out of bracket play, but now Jax and Austin have a huge cheering section of their own. It may be all rowdy college players and Austin’s wife and kiddo, but they’re getting the job done distracting the other teams Jax and Austin have been playing. Not to mention, Austin’s daughter has been fully entertained watching all of them act like fools beside her.

I think it’s safe to say the entire team is head over heels for that little girl.

Hell, I’m pretty sure they’d invite her to dinner tonight if Austin’s wife would allow it.

Coach Taylor has planned a huge dinner tonight at one of the must-visit restaurants here in Vegas, and I have to say I’m beyond glad I packed more than just khakis and polos for this trip. Jax might still be pissed at me, but that doesn’t mean I can’t look good for him.

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