Page 109 of Falling Offsides

“Fuck, don’t get ahead of yourself, asshole,” I mutter, turning up the music—Court’s playlist.

Because I’m sitting in traffic and clearly out of my mind, I grab my phone and add another track to it.

Creep.

Not the Radiohead version—the most depressing song in the world. Nope, I add the upbeat one. Because if I’m going to feel shit about myself, I might as well do it in a positive tone. Besides, I’ve made her feel crappy enough.

I keep adding tracks. Replaying the remark she made about me violating her playlist. It seems like a lifetime ago since that morning. Her sitting in my passenger seat. Her arm alongside mine. My scent soaking into her clothes and skin…

The vibration of my phone buzzes me out of my escalating thoughts to notification after notification from Erik in the team chat. Before I swipe into it, the music cuts with a call.

Jayden.

Dude never calls me, so I answer on the assumption it’s something serious. Important.

“Do not do anything stupid,” he says before I get a greeting out, and I don’t have to ask what the hell he’s talking about because he word vomits his way to it. “There are plenty of work reasons for Courtney and Jordan to be hanging out. Sitting across the table from each other does not mean it’s somethingmore. Erik is fucking mathing wrong, man.”

“What?” I swipe out of the call screen and go straight to the team chat.

Erik

Dude’s fucking stupid or he has a death wish.

Dylan

I’ve said it before and I say it again…moms, sisters, and daughters are no-gos.

Matheo

Obvs jordy didn’t get the memo…

Erik

Asshole is going to get

Dylan

Delete the fucking photo

Ansel

Nah, bro…it’s the perfect blackmail material. My 13yr old knows better than that idiot.

Dylan

Delete the photo ANDERSEN

“Shit,” Jayden mutters. “You’re reading the chat, aren’t you?”

I don’t reply, scrolling straight to the start of the conversation where a photo is waiting for me to download. Even from the blurry tile I can set the scene, and I don’t bother waiting for the photo to open when I glance at the message below it and see Erik’s caption.

Erik

It’s getting spicy at the cantina.

The Cantina. The little Mexican place down the road from the facility. Pulling out of the traffic to the sound of horns blowing up around me, I make a u-turn onto the other side of the road and hit the gas hard enough that my phone flies off my lap into the kickwell. Meanwhile Jayden’s blathering on and on around me.

I can’t deal with his chill right now.