Page 153 of Steeling Her
I was going to say no again, but I get interrupted by Coach once again.
“Nick, I have to agree with your dad. Ever since she came on to the scene, you and Ryan don’t see eye to eye. You also haven’t been playing to your full potential. I’d hate to see your talent go to waste. If she was any other girl, it wouldn’t be hard. But since she’s a Steel, it puts your career at risk. Her dad could end it in a heartbeat—”
“Then shouldn’t you be encouraging me to stay with her? We’re official, and I’m pretty sure her dad knows too.” I’m so confused? They want me to dump her and possibly cause more problems than what they think is happening? None of this makes sense.
“The sooner you end it, the better chance you have of getting a contract, Nick.” Coach clasps his hands together, his eyes remaining on me. “Rodger Steel hasn’t got much influence in recruiters other than from the Giants. He just points to who he wants and sends people to watch for him. He’s too busy right now to be worrying about new players and traveling to the games. He just pitches them if he thinks they’re worth it and trains them. That’s it.
“So, the quicker you end it, the more of a chance you have of getting a contract with someone other than the Giants. You won’t be hearing from them after this, no doubt. It’s too risky to stay with her, you won’t be seen as a serious player. They will overlook your potential because your dating Rodger Steel’s daughter. They won’t look at you twice; they’ll think that you only have her there to get your foot in the door and you won’t be seen as the exceptional player that you are, kid,” Coach tries to reason with me, but I feel nothing but fire in my body right now. So what if they don’t see me as a good player? I’ll work twice as hard as any other player in the NFL to prove my talent.
“Then I quit.” I throw him my jersey and stand up to walk out of the office. A hand jerks me back by my shoulder and shoves me against the wall of the office.
“You listen to me and you listen good, you will not be giving this all up for some girl. You got that? I swear if you walk out of this office—”
“You’ll do what? Train me yourself?” I snort at my red-faced father who had stepped right up to my face. We’re practically nose to nose and chest to chest. A test between the two alphas.
“I will do it myself,” he says to me while grinding his teeth lowly. I clench my jaw successfully after hearing that. “I will have a talk with her and her parents about all of this and how much of mistake you made by getting involved with her. Mark my words, son, I will do it if you don’t.” I glare at my father who has a dark look in his eyes. That’s how I know he’s serious.
“You touch her or go anywhere near her, I will walk away from you, Dad. Don’t threaten me with that shit!” I throw in my own warning. “I’m not fucking around—”
“Neither am I, Nick!” He slams his hand into the wall beside my head as he roars at me.
“Why aren’t you saying this to TJ? Why is it just me you’re talking to about this? He’s with Haley, and I don’t see you interfering in their relationship!” I snarl at them both.Hypocritical, don’t you think?I want to say that but I know that it’ll only add fuel to the fire.
“Because TJ isn’t distracted, you are! Now end it!” He pushes me back with no remorse. He doesn’t care about anything other than football and me making it “big.” That’s all he’s ever been concerned about; producing an offspring so that he can watch TV and make them larger than life.
He’s showing his true colors when giving me this ultimatum. They both are.Choose football or the girl.Right now, I want the girl but they’re not giving me equal options. They’re telling me, not asking. They want football, and it’s two against one.
“I’m not doing it. I’m not dumping her. I’ll pass to Ryan. That’s about all you’re getting from me, but I’m not breaking up with her! This is the end of this discussion!” I yell back at him. He let the dark side of myself out of its cage. He let his own demon out as well to counter mine, and now it’s a dangerous battle between the two demonic egos right.
“Nick Aidan Jackson, I swear on your grandfather’s grave I will do it myself if you don’t end it!” he suddenly yells, “I mean it! Wipe that stupid smirk off your face right now or so help me God!” I flinch at how loud he’s yelling but I muster up enough courage to look him straight in the eyes once more. Those eyes that I won’t ever look in to again after I walk out of this office.
“No,” I reply simply. I can feel the heat being emitted from him.
“Steel could ruin your career, Nick. Don’t make me do it,” my dad threatens me with a growl. I can taste the bitterness of his words as he feeds them to me.
“Let him. I don’t care.” I shrug. After that, my oxygen supply gets cut off by a hand on my neck, disturbing me and coach in the office. He slams my head against the wall and I feel a sharp pain in the base of my skull.
“Mr. Jackson, release the boy now! MR. JACKSON!” Coach drags him off me and I struggle to breathe. I clasp my hand around my throat as I calm myself down from punching some sense into my raging father. “Breathe,” Coach warns him. I can’t believe it.
I can’t believe my own father just choked me in front of my coach. He put his hands on me as I stand there, stunned. I now look at my father in a different light; a much darker one.
“I’m not warning you anymore, Nick. I think you got the message loud and clear—”
“Shut the fuck up!” I scream at him, completely astonished that he had the nerve to put his hands on me like that. “You’re a fucking asshole, you know that! Jesus Christ, you’re a psycho too!” I cough and swallow, turning my back on both of them. I rest my open palm against the cold wall for support. Hearing hurried steps coming to me, I can hear coach pushing my dad back away from me.
“Don’t wind me up, Nick. You won’t like it! I mean it!” he warns again. I turn back around and stare at the man I thought I knew all my life. Turns out, I don’t. I don’t even have a clue who this man is, and I don’t ever want to speak to him again either.
I walk backwards until I meet the wall again. My bare back shudders at the coldness, and I slide down until I’m into a crouching position, my elbows resting on my knees for support. I stare at the wooden floor of my coach’s office. Trophies in cabinets and posters lining the walls, reminding me it could be me one day.
“Don’t make it worse, Nick. Just end it with her. It would make things a lot simpler. You could be the next big thing in the NFL,” he promises me and I can’t even look at him anymore.
“Even if I did become the next big thing in the NFL”—I break my gaze from my intertwined hands to look at my dad once again—“I wouldn’t want you there or anywhere near me.” I shake my head in disappointment. “I can’t even look at you right now. I’m done with you, Dad. I have nothing more to say to you.” I push myself back up and walk out of the office. I’m not going back to discuss this anymore. I stride back into an empty locker room. Only Ryan is here, who I can hear in the showers, humming something to himself.
“Jackson.” I can hear coach shadowing me.
“I have nothing to say to you either.” I pull my bag out of the locker assigned to me and rummage through it to find my shampoo so I can shower.
“I want you to listen.” He rests his hand on my shoulder in a calming manner, unlike my dad.
