Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 81333 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81333 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Unlatching my chin strap, I yank off my helmet. My cleats dig into the field as I march my way through the linemen and to Callum.
His helmet is off by the time I reach him, his pupils narrow.
“What the fuck?” I shout, the vein in my temple pulsing. “You got a problem, Worthington?”
“Just a receiver that can’t catch a ball.”
I grin, one I know he’ll read into. “Oh, I can catch. I think you can’t keep it within reach.”
We’re nose-to-nose, sweat dripping down our faces. Neither of us will look away. I barely register Finn’s hand on my chest guiding me backwards. I swat it down.
“You got something you wanna say?” I ask the quarterback. “Say it, motherfucker.”
“Easy, Best,” the Tigers’ coach says, but I ignore him.
“How do my seconds taste?” Callum grins. “God, she’s good, isn’t she—”
My hand connects to his face, right against the cheekbone. He drops his helmet with a thud. Recoiling, he rears back, but my fist smashes him again, this time in the mouth.
Every cell in my body wants to rip him apart. I lunge forward, seeing red, but feel hands on me, pushing me back. Callum gets farther away as a body physically comes between us.
“I’ll fucking kill you!” I yell over top of the Tigers’ coach separating us. “You hear me, cocksucker? I’ll kill you.”
Callum laughs, his eyes slits in his face. “Go home and fuck that little whore. Tell her I said ‘hi.’”
In slow motion, Finn’s hand comes over top of the coach and rocks Callum. Callum trips over his own feet, crashing into the grass.
All hell breaks loose and I try to break free and get to him again, but am pulled backwards. Our team lines up in front of me and Finn so we can’t even see Callum anymore.
We’re sucking in air, adrenaline still high and strong. I angle to see Worthington, but it’s no use.
“What the fuck are you two thinking?” Coach is in our face out of nowhere, ready to blow a gasket. “What could have possibly happened in two fucking plays to cause that? Huh?”
“He deserved it, Coach,” I say, still seething. “But if you put me back out there, I’ll kill him. Just letting you know.”
“You’re out of here today. You too, Miller.” He turns his attention, and disappointment, to Finn. “I almost expect this out of Best, but you? Pick your friends more carefully.”
“Best is a fuck-up, sir, but he was right this time.” Finn takes off his helmet, his hands pulling at the face guard.
“Gee, thanks,” I say, shaking my head. “Can you cut me some fucking slack?”
“You impregnated my sister,” Finn growls. “You want to do this here, Branch?”
“I don’t want to do this anywhere. I want you to stop being a dick.”
“Both of you!” Coach booms. “To the locker room and get off team property until tomorrow morning. You better come back with a better attitude, got it?”
“Yes, sir,” I mutter, bumping Finn in the shoulder as I walk by.
I watch for Callum all the way to the locker room, but don’t see him. My helmet goes sailing across the room, hitting a folding chair. The sound blasts against the lockers.
Falling onto the chair with my name on it in front of my locker, I put my head in my hands. My head pounds, my jaws aching from clenching my teeth so long.
Finn comes in, shoving his shit on the ground and dropping into his chair. He’s across the room from me.
It’s perfectly quiet, only the sound of our breathing breaking the peace. Once I’ve caught my breath and my blood pressure is somewhat stabilized, I look up. Finn does at the same time.
He tries to glare at me, but he fails miserably. At the same time, we start laughing. It begins as a slow chuckle and ends up with an all-out cackle.
“God, I want to kill him,” Finn laughs, catching his breath. “That was a decent right hand you had there.”
“Fuck him. Fuck that motherfucker.”
“What did he say to you?”
“Want to go to jail?” I ask him, raising a brow. “Because if I tell you, you will. I’m the one getting that pleasure and when I do, someone needs to bail my ass out.”
This silences my friend. He hangs his head. “I’m not sorry I hit you,” Finn says. “But I’m sorry I did it as hard as I did.”
“Nah,” I say, standing up and taking off my shoulder pads. “If you hadn’t given it all you had, I’d have called you a pussy.”
“That wasn’t all I had.”
“The hell it wasn’t,” I taunt, grabbing my stuff for the showers. “But I get it. And I respect it.”
He takes a deep breath and walks across the room, stopping a few feet in front of me. Extending a hand, I take it and we shake.