Page 14 of Away Game

“I’ll have the all-American bacon cheeseburger, medium rare, with fries and… a pitcher of beer,” Oz answered her. He flashed his boy next door smile that made every girl's panties melt.

“Sure thing.” Her gaze swung to me. “And how about you, handsome?”

“I’ll have the same.”

She looked down at the ticket she was writing on. “Um… do you want one or two pitchers?”

“Just one, for now, sweetheart.” Oz laid it on thick, smiling up at her as if she was the most beautiful woman in the world. But I didn’t give a damn. She hadn’t even asked us for our IDs, so it was a win in my book.

Tiffany swayed her hips in a way that made her short shorts showcase her ass to perfection. She definitely knew what she was doing. Oz’s eyes were zeroed in, and I wondered if he’d hook up with her. Maybe he needed a chance to meet new girls, and then he’d get over Lo.

“That was easy,” he grinned once she was out of sight.

“You keep up that flirting, and this might be our new spot.” I waggled my eyebrows at him, and Oz flipped me off, making me laugh. This was our normal, and it felt good after the revelations of the day.

I watched as Tiffany moved toward us, stopping by tables and smiling at everyone. She was a good waitress and knew how to work with what she had. I noticed her dip down and let an already plastered guy look down her tank top to get a good look at her cleavage before he paid. She winked at him and patted him on the shoulder before sauntering over to our table with our pitcher.

“Here you boys go. Let me know if you need anything else before your burgers are done.” She twirled back around and swayed those hips of hers again.

“Are you in love yet?” I laughed at the way Oz watched her.

“It takes a lot more than someone shaking her ass at me, but I’m only human, and there’s no harm in looking.”

We each poured ourselves a beer and clinked our glasses together. “To college life,” Oz cheered.

“And a new start.” Or at least I hoped it was. I wasn’t so sure now with West at Willow Bay.

“Are you ready for tomorrow?” Oz asked after taking a long draw of his beer.

I opened my mouth to answer when West walked in with a guy wearing his hat on backward and a scruffy jaw. My muscles locked up at the sight. Was he E?

“Dude, what crawled up your ass all of a sudden?” Oz turned to look over his shoulder and let out a long sigh before he looked back at me. “I don’t know what your problem with West is, but do you think you can get over it? Why not start our college life with a fresh start?”

Because if I did that, my world would come tumbling down.

8

West

Pantingwith my hands on my knees, I looked up at Coach Kyle with a grimace. It was easily a hundred degrees in the July heat, and he’d had us run five miles with a fifteen pound medicine ball that we threw back and forth to each other while we circled the track. I wanted to throw up but held it back as I tried to remain standing.

I spied a few others who weren’t so lucky spewing their water and Gatorade into the grass.

“Now, listen here, boys, if you can’t get your act together and play like a team, I am going to run you into the ground. Do you hear me?” Coach Kyle yelled.

“Yes, sir, Coach sir,” we yelled back weakly.

“That’s what I want to hear. Get cleaned up, hydrate, get some food in you, and I’ll see you all tomorrow morning at seven o’clock sharp. If one person is late, you’ll run ten miles through town.”

We all groaned at the thought of running through the hills of Willow Bay. I was sure he’d have us run toward the water and the steepest of hills in town. It was more like a mountain, especially when running. We already had that privilege last week when the defense wasn’t blocking like they were supposed to. Fin got tackled hard and spent the rest of practice with the trainers getting checked out.

For a couple of days after getting laid out on the field, Fin was strangely more docile. I wasn’t sure if it was because he was in pain, humiliated, or both. He stayed in his room the entire weekend except for when he, Oz, and Ford went to grab something to eat or if one of his meals was heated up.

Half the guys had their meals made up for them and delivered to the house every couple of days since we didn’t have the refrigerator space to hold a week’s worth of meals for ten men. Fin, Oz, and Ford being among them. I, on the other hand, bought my own food and cooked it, following the plan the nutritionist gave me.

After showering and getting changed, I trudged my way back to the house with a line of other players. Most of us walked, but after today we would probably start carpooling for practice if we were going to be in for more torture. I barely had any energy to make it back, and the thought of having to stand in the kitchen and cook because I’d eaten all the chicken I’d made earlier in the week had me wanting to throw myself on the ground and give up.

Ford passed me by like he hadn’t been punished like the rest of us. He turned and looked over his shoulder. “Hey, we’re going to hit up The Bar to grab a bite to eat if you want to join us.”

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