Page 79 of Rebound
Coach nods, picking up his menu. When I think he’s not going to say any more, I pick up my own menu and look it over. Everything on it is something I can’t eat because the trainers will lose their mind. The players are on a strict dietary plan, and I see that Mr. Archer has accounted for that when I flip the page and there’s a player’s special menu.
“If you wanted a fighting chance, maybe you shouldn’t have married your captain’s sister.” Coach looks at me over the top of his menu.
I cross my arms on the table. “Coach, no offense, but I’m not comfortable talking about Lavinia. If you or the team has any concerns, you should talk to her. I’m not going to speak for her.”
Coach’s eyebrows go up and surprise registers on his face. It’s actually a little insulting. What kind of vibe do I give off that he thinks I’ll speak for a woman? Especially one as head strong as Lavinia. It takes a lot of strength to get to where she is, and her head might have been filled with nonsense, but I’m going to take great pleasure in getting it out.
“Didn’t your goalie marry your sister?” I ask. I remember hearing about it when I was a rookie.
Coach taps his fingers on the table, his eyes shifting over my shoulder for a second and then back to me. “As someone who helped raise my sister, I can guarantee Alex was the innocent one. My sister probably stalked him and gave him no choice other than to fall in love with her. She’s a monster.”
A whirlwind of color drops down next to him before I can react, and the woman punches Coach in the arm lightly. She has long hair that’s colored a vibrant purple with a halo of rainbow highlights, and she’s wearing a bright pink sweatshirt thatclashes horribly with her hair. She’s so bright she can probably be seen from space.
“Silas, how dare you? I didn’t stalk Alex,” the woman says. Ah, this must be Coach’s sister.
Coach sighs and gives me a pained smile. “Anna, what are you doing here?”
“Picking up lunch, and then I heard you disparaging me, so I had to defend myself.” Anna looks at me. “I didn’t stalk my husband, and he married me willingly. Anna Cross.”
She offers me her hand and I take it.
“Roman Maddox. I play for the Titans.”
“What did you do that my brother is having a private conversation with you?”
I glance at Coach, who shakes his head. Anna looks at him, narrowing her eyes in suspicion, and then back at me. “Don’t listen to him. I can help.”
“I married my captain’s sister.”
I’m not sure how I expect her to react to that news or how aware she is of hockey. I definitely don’t expect the excited gleam which enters her eyes and the way she bounces in her seat, tapping Coach’s arm repeatedly. I look at Coach for help and he rolls his eyes.
“I told you I’m psychic,” Anna says.
“You’re not psychic.” Coach shakes his head in exasperation.
“I told you I had a dream in which Lavinia marries a dark-haired man.” Anna points a finger at my hair. “Look, dark hair.”
I smile at her because this is the best thing I’ve heard all day. “I believe her. What else have you predicted, Anna?”
“Do not encourage her,” Coach warns.
Anna doesn’t get the chance to tell me more because a server arrives with her order. She hugs Coach, wishes me good luck, and leaves. Coach and I place our orders. Coach eyes me carefully, and sighs deeply, running a hand through his hair.
“Look, Maddox, I can’t tell you how to live your life. Lavinia has a relationship with every single one of your teammates because that’s the kind of person she is. This isn’t a Josh situation where they only have to see him during games.” The server brings him another beer and Coach gives him a nod of thanks.
“But you walk into their house, you act like they don’t matter, and you end up marrying the captain’s sister? If you hurt her, whatever they do to you will be on your head.”
The server comes back to drop off our plates and I pick up my fork. I consider Coach’s words and from his point of view, this whole thing looks pretty fucked. He, and probably the rest of the team, think exactly what I want them to think, what I have spent years letting people think of me. I’m careless, I’m untrustworthy, I’m a loner, I’ve anger issues. I’m broken in ways which can’t be fixed.
“Coach, I’ve known Lavinia since we were kids so I know exactly why everyone around her is drawn into her gravitational pull. I’m never going to hurt her. In fact, I’ll be the first person to fight the person who does.” I set my fork down and pick my beer.
“I know I have a long way to go before I can earn the team’s trust and my relationship with Lavinia isn’t going to help. But I’m not going to give her up for the team. It doesn’t need to be that hard.”
It might be a fake marriage, but nothing I said to Coach is a lie. Lavinia is loved by everyone because she’s the friendliest person and everyone wants to be her friend. That also makes her susceptible to people like Josh because she always wants to see the good in people. I, on the other hand, know good people are few and far between and most of them are hiding their evil.
“I’ve warned you. The rest is on you.”
The warning is unnecessary, but appreciated. I pick my fork back up and dig into my lunch.
