Page 31 of Changing Rules

It only makes him angrier. He rushes at me, and we fall to the ground. I hold him by his collar and dodge his blows and kicks, but in a matter of seconds, I’m covered in his blood.Fuck.

“I remember the call, when I fucking invited you to the gym.” He gets in a hit to my ribs. “You said you had a girl at your place.”

Another jab. This one’s enough to make me groan, but I don’t let go.

The motherfucker is furious, and my hold only aggravates him more. “You said some shit about her being the most beautiful girl in the world. It was her… It was my fucking girl!”

I hit him in the face again, drawing a long growl out of him. My own vision blurs as I whack him in the gut, then jump to my feet.

Miller squeezes his eyes shut and brings an arm to his stomach. Half the team is here, watching, unsure of whether or not to step in. This has nothing to do with the game. It’s between Miller and me. It’s personal.

“She was never yours,” I growl.

“Xander!” Drew calls my name from somewhere on my left. “Don’t.”

Jake slowly sits up, his expression pure rage. “She’s a whore.” He hauls himself to his feet, never looking away from me. “The bitch is a slut, and I’d advise you to be careful. Once a cheater, always a cheater.”

I lunge for the fucker, but Drew puts me in a headlock, stopping me from beating the living shit out of this scumbag.

“What the hell is going on?” Coach bellows. “Miller! Walker! Are you out of your damn minds?”

With his hands on his hips, Coach scans the group, eyeing the blood that’s still dripping down Miller’s face. Then he focuses his gaze on me. I snarl in return. My irritation is at an all-time high. I’m so fucking done with all of this.

“Get the hell out of here!” Coach yells. “All of you. Practice is over.”

Surprise hits me like a punch to the gut.Really?I didn’t expect him to let us off the hook that easily.

I force my muscles to relax, silently signaling to Drew that he can release his hold on me.

Coach’s next words halt me in my tracks. “Where the hell do you think you’re going, Walker?”

“I’m just…” I trail off, threading my fingers through my hair. “Nowhere.”

“Good,” he spits. As the guys wander off, Coach keeps his focus locked on me. Once the three of us are alone, he sighs. “What the fuck are you two doing? You’re a fucking team! You should have each other’s backs! If you’re focused on fighting one another, we won’t have a chance on the field.”

“That fucker stole my girl,” Miller barks, wiping blood off his face. “He has no morals or any respect.”

“If it wasn’t for me, you would’ve raped her.” I take a step closer to him, but Coach puts a hand on my chest, keeping me away. “That’s how you treatyourgirl?”

“Fuck,” Coach groans, running his hand down his face. “Listen to me very carefully. Either you two assholes learn how to coexist and work as a team, or we’ll need to think about trading one of you.”

“I was here first.” Miller looks at the sky, pinching his nose to try and stop the bleeding.

“That doesn’t mean shit,” Coach rasps.

It hits me in that moment—I’ll do anything to stay. Football is my passion. My life. This team is my home, and I have no intention of being forced out because of this fucking jerk.Especiallybecause of him.

“Do you understand me?”

“Yes.” I nod, wincing a little. Miller’s jab to my ribs was extra hard. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re bruised. Bella won’t be happy. About any of this.

“Miller?” Coach asks, his eyes narrowed.

“What?” Jake bites. “Can I go inside? I need to stop the bleeding. This fucker loves to break my nose.”

“Go.”

Miller takes off, striding across the field. He probably never imagined his spot on the team could be taken from him, but now he’s been warned. He shouldn’t get his hopes up. Neither should I.

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