Page 11

11

MASON

THE FOOTBALL SLAMS INTO my chest and I let out a breathless gasp.

‘Pay attention!’ Zayden snaps at me, shooting a frustrated look my way.

Sighing, I toss the ball back. I can’t stop thinking about how I acted last night. Stalking Anya like I have some sort of claim on her. Ripping up Kai’s number like a possessive freak. I’m a fucking idiot. But I just can’t watch Anya get hurt by someone like him. She has been through enough – and I acknowledge my part in that. This is me making amends, even if she doesn’t see it that way. She doesn’t know him like I do.

Zayden is the one going through a break-up, but he seems a hell of a lot more put-together than I do. The last few nights, I heard him talking on the phone, but could never quite make out what he was saying. Part of me is convinced he and Leasa have started calling each other again, but he hasn’t mentioned anything about it.

When my head is a mess, football is usually the one thing that re-centres me, but not today. That girl is embedded in my mind, body and soul. I just can’t shake her, no matter how hard I try. She makes me irrational.

‘Take a lap, Jameson!’ Coach calls from the sidelines, giving me a displeased frown. His cap is firmly placed on his head, casting a shadow across his eyes. He grips the whistle hanging around his neck so tightly his knuckles are white.

‘What?’ I exclaim in shock, forcefully yanking myself out of my thoughts and back to what I’m currently doing. ‘Why?’

‘Your head isn’t in the game. Lap. Now.’

The anger surging inside me is a tidal wave, destroying anything in its path. Gritting my teeth so hard I might crack a molar, I nod stiffly, knowing better than to argue with him. ‘Yes, Coach.’

Pushing myself into a jog, I run past the rest of the team. Zayden sends me a confused look, which I ignore. He’s the only person I confide in, but about this, I can’t. If anyone acts crazy when it comes to Anya, it’s him. He’s even worse than me.

I have been throwing myself into football since returning from Mexico. I was a slack player in the past; I did the absolute bare minimum. But I’m working hard this time around to do better, and it’s paying off. Coach and I had a few one-on-one meetings about strategies for games, which makes me feel like an essential part of the team, and that he values my opinion. Since Anya moved in, though, my laser-sharp focus has been wavering. I can’t let my control slip. This is important to me, and I want to stay focused, but it’s hard when my mind is consumed with her. The wind is cold and harsh on my flushed cheeks. I pick up the pace, chasing the burn in my lungs. I need the numbness that practice provides me.

I focus a little better through the rest of training, but everyone keeps giving me looks as if they know I’m off my game. They’re making it worse. When Kai tackles me so hard I see fucking stars, it doesn’t help. It takes every bit of my self-control not to pummel him into the ground. Flashes of him dancing with Anya, his hands on her hips, make me so insufferably mad I want to scream.

Dragging my feet, I walk to the locker room. I peel off my sweaty clothes and step into the shower, desperate to feel the warm water run over my wound-up muscles. Leaning on the tiles, I rest my forehead on my hand. It’s too early in the year to be feeling this out of whack. I finish showering and dress quickly.

Zayden is by my car when I head outside. Every part of my body hurts.

‘Took your time,’ he says, eyes glued to his phone. ‘What’s up with you today?’

‘My head is all over the place.’ I sigh. ‘I can’t seem to get it straight.’

‘Everything okay?’ he asks with concern, leaning back onto the car. His eyes are hidden behind his sunglasses, but I can tell he’s studying me.

‘Fine.’

‘Has he called you?’

Drops of ice slither down my back. I turn, sliding into the car and starting the engine.

‘Mase,’ Zayden says.

‘No.’

Zayden sighs. My grip on the wheel tightens. He has no right to get angry with me about not wanting to discuss family shit. He is the worst one for it.

We’re silent as we drive to the burger place we often go to after practice. Coach has us on a strict diet, but none of us stick to it. Asking a bunch of university students to not drink alcohol or eat junk food is pointless, in my opinion.

Pushing open the door, I see some of the other guys are here, including Kai Adams. My expression sours. I didn’t feel much for him until he showed interest in Anya, but I hate him now. With every fibre of my being. I know his type; he isn’t good for her. I might not be good for her either, but he is a hell of a lot worse a choice than me.

He saw me come out of her room the night of the party. I don’t know what his game is, but I don’t like it. He targeted me in training today. I’m sure of it.

‘Hey, boys.’ Zayden nods.

I barely acknowledge them as I drop into the booth beside Zayden.

‘Are you feeling better now, Princess?’ Kai coos, leaning over and pinching my cheek between his thumb and pointer finger.

Grimacing, I slap his hand away. ‘Fuck off.’

Zayden flashes a warning look at Kai, effectively telling him to back down. Kai rolls his eyes and leans back on the seat, resting on his elbow. Zayden has an air of command about him – he’s a friend to all, but he earns their respect.

My mood is even worse now. I feel hostile and agitated. I want to be at home relaxing, not suffering through the presence of these assholes. I have to see them three times a week already for training, and they’re in a bunch of my classes and at every party. There’s no space to get away.

‘Good party, fellas.’ Angus grins, slapping his hand on the table. The salt and pepper shakers fall over on impact, spilling across the surface. ‘When’s the next one?’

‘Always down for a good time,’ Zayden replies. ‘We can host the victory party after our first game.’

The boys cheer and whistle at that announcement. The first game is next week. A mixture of excitement and dread fills me at the thought. I’ve been excited to play ever since I enrolled. This type of football is bigger and better than what we played in high school, and even the competitions after. I just hope I can sort my shit out before then. I need to.

‘Move over.’ Zayden nudges my arm. ‘Gotta take a piss.’

I let Zayden out of the booth, wincing when my muscles protest. My legs hurt from all the running. In the end, I did twelve laps because I couldn’t focus. I tap my fingertips together as I mull over Coach’s words from earlier today. He held me back after training to ask if everything was okay. He then proceeded to tell me that he wants me to be team captain. A part of me is honoured and thrilled at the opportunity; the other part of me is petrified to admit this to anyone, since I’m one of the new guys on the team.

Coach Kennedy has seen me play countless times before, though – he scouted me in school. Even when I didn’t attend university straight away, the offer from him was still waiting for me when I returned. I was put straight into the top team, without working my way up like most do, and I can tell it’s made some of the guys bitter, since they spent the last two years working on landing their spots.

The bathroom door has just shut when Kai turns to the group, smirking.

‘You see the ass on Zayden’s sister?’ he asks in a hushed tone, leaning forward, his face looking way too punchable right now. He curls his hand and bites it, making a high-pitched moan sound that has my blood boiling.

‘Fuckin’ oath,’ Andy agrees, half-turning and shaking the shoulders of Angus next to him. ‘Angus is still wiping the drool off his chin.’

‘That’s not the only thing he’s wiping off.’ Gav snickers.

‘I bet you fifty bucks I can bag her before the first game.’ Kai sneers.

My fists slam down on the table, silencing the group. ‘Not another fucking word about her,’ I snarl, glowing with white-hot anger. ‘If I see one of you so much as lay a hand on her, I’ll make your life a living hell.’

The boys exchange surprised looks and lean back in their seats. Kai levels his gaze to mine, running his tongue down the inside of his cheek and fighting with the smirk trying to take over.

I swallow the fury welling in my throat and lean forward, interlocking my fingers.

‘Go on,’ I say, a sadistic smile stretching across my lips. ‘Keep talking. I dare you.’

Kai’s shit-eating grin broadens, but he doesn’t say anything else. He leans back once more and takes a long sip of his beer.

‘This just got a little more interesting,’ he says smugly glancing at the other boys around the table.