Page 48 of The Game Plan
I push him away with a chuckle. “Shut up.”
The rest of the small group laughs, shoving each other’s shoulders as if they’re at a comedy club. I blame my mood, but I let them have their moment. But only for a second. Clapping my hands together, I get their attention.
“Alright, alright,” I call out. “Glad everyone’s in a good mood. But this isn’t happy hour with the boys. Let’s get to work.”
The shift is immediate, like a drill sergeant commanding his soldiers. Backs straight, shoulders square, heads at attention, waiting for their duties. A rap song plays from the speakers overhead, sharpening the energy.
Coach Hawk tosses me a look as I move to the sideline. “Thought maybe you got hit by a bus.”
“Close,” I mutter, catching the clipboard he tosses in my direction. “How’ve they looked?”
I scan over the schedule for today’s practice as Hawk catches me up. “Took them a minute to loosen up, but by the third rotation, they were looking locked in. Williams is starting to get a little too cocky. Quade’s dragging ass.”
“Copy that. I’ll make sure Quade’s not partying too much after practice.”
“We need him sharp. He’s still our starting wide receiver.”
The plays are clean for the most part. We run slants, screens, sprints—some sloppy pivots and bobbles in between. I fold my arms on the sideline, watching the line during a pass-heavy rep. When Williams nails the play, I clap hard as he breaks free.
“Hell yeah, Williams! That’s how we get it done! Run it again!”
Crew jogs off the field, helmet in hand, before he places it on the metal bench beside me. Grabbing a water, he’s still catching his breath when he takes the place next to me.
“Arriving late, smiling, cheering on the guys…who the fuck are you?”
I shake my head. “Fuck off.”
He chuckles, nudging my shoulder. “You get laid or something?”
“This morning,” I fire back without thinking.Goddamnit.
He chokes on his water. “Daaaamn,” he draws out.
I wince. “That wasn’t supposed to slip out.”
“No take-backsies.” He laughs. “You said it; it’s out there.”
“No take-backsies? Seriously, tell my sister to give you your balls back.”
Crew rolls his eyes. “But seriously, everything good? Oh, shit, it was with Savannah, right?”
I shake my head. “Jesus, who else would it have been?”
He shrugs. “Just making sure. Sooo, how was it?”
“This isn’t girls' night out,” I grumble, biting back a smile. “It was really fucking good, though.”
“Attaboy!” Crew whoops. “You two back together?”
I inhale a deep breath. “I don’t know, man. We didn’t have time to talk about it. This morning wasn’t exactly planned, but…I think I made it clear we aren’tnottogether.”
Crew nods slowly, like he gets it. Hell, with his history with my sister, he probably gets it better than anyone. “Well, whatever it is, you look happy, man. Don’t fuck it up.”
I snort. “Gee, thanks, Captain Obvious.”
“I’m just saying…be smart. You both have a lot on the line.”
I nod again, but the weight of those words lingers.
