Page 27 of Go Deep (A Bad Boy Sports Romance)
“I was wide-fucking-open man. What the fuck were you thinking?”
I hadn’t seen him.
“You good now, bruh,” the Number 92 player for the opposing team said to me, patting me on the helmet before walking off to celebrate with his teammates.
The voices of my teammates’ disgust were all around me.
“Good going, Slade.”
“That wasn’t football. What the fuck was that?”
“Way to go.”
“Andthat’show you fuck up a game.”
I lingered back while everyone walked into the locker room ahead of me. The other team’s defense had played a part in spooking me into a corner, but if I was being honest with myself, I was already rattled. I was tired from the extra work at the landlord’s restaurant, running from class to practice to work, then back home to do it all over again. For three weeks.
Not to mention that bet about getting in her pants. That hadn’t left my mind, and I was still going to go for round two or more before I told anyone it had happened at all.
There was so much on my damn mind, and it showed on the field tonight.
“Hey, Slade.”
Cassidy’s hand and voice stopped me on the way into the locker rooms. I turned to see her riveting blue eyes smiling at me. How come I’d never noticed that before?
“Hey. It’s not a great time, Cass.”
“I’d bet. I just wanted to tell you, good job out there tonight.” She was being sincere too.
“Thanks, but it wasn’t a win.”
“True, but you played your ass off out there tonight. After you study the film from tonight, you’ll agree. I kind of feel bad for the next team you come up against.”
I nodded, appreciating her attempt to cheer me up. “Thanks.”
For a second it looked like she was about to hug me, but we were interrupted by Mo. “Dude. Let’s get a move on. We have a party to get to.”
Tre was behind him with a couple of blonde groupies on his arm. He laughed as they tried to accompany him into the locker room. “All right, ladies. This is the end of the line. You’ll have to wait for me until we’re all changed and ready. See you later.”
“We’ll be out in five, ten minutes,” Mo assured the girls, pulling me past them.
Inside the locker room, the mood had lightened up already. Everyone was laughing and cutting up. We peeled off our uniforms and hit the showers. There was an after party to go to and I needed to show up, but I wasn’t planning on staying long.
I did not like to lose, so I had no plans for anyone to stick my nose in it all night long. The after party was at a fan’s house near campus, since the fraternity couldn’t host them for a while. The boys brought the banners and everything over, and people already seemed to know where to find us. We all rolled up to the house together, the entire team walking in as a unit. It was a sign of strength and a show of force. We were received just as we would have been if we’d won the game, with beer and loud cheers from the crowd.
Chad passed me, looking back as he walked up the front steps to the house. “I’ll get you a beer. You earned it tonight.”
Nodding, I grabbed a cup and filled it from one of the kegs some other generous benefactor had brought over to the house in preparation for the party. All our super fan had to do was play host. We supplied all the eye candy, and could probably take credit for most of the girls who showed up. I watched as the cheerleaders and sorority girls who’d followed us over paired off with my frat brothers, teammates, and other students. Good for them, I thought. They needed a little encouragement for next time.
I was ready to leave less than half hour after I got there. For some reason, standing around sipping beer and watching everyone drink and dance to loud music did nothing for me. Finishing off my beer, I dropped my cup in the trash. Sleep was what I needed, and to fix my schedule before it cost me another game. I slipped out the front door and down the steps, deciding to walk back to the frat house, given I’d arrived here in one of the other players’ car.
Cassidy was on my mind as I walked. She’d be at home for sure, so I sent her a text, thinking I could at least tell her thanks for the encouragement earlier. She didn’t reply by the time I made it to the house and up to my room, so I left it alone, setting the phone on the nightstand before heading to bed.
