Page 12

Chapter twelve

Shane

P utting my gear away, I can’t help but recall everything about last night. It was amazing and not just because we had sex. No, it was everything about her . I’ve never connected with anyone like I did with Janae. She was nothing like I expected. I mean, it started off a little rocky because she showed up late and honestly that irked me, but as soon as she sat down next to me in the booth, it all changed.

We are completely different. I’m an optimistic person and mostly an open book. But her? She was like a rose right before it blooms. Closed up tight and a little prickly, but the moment she begins to open up, you can see that she’s going to be the most beautiful flower you’ve ever set eyes upon.

Look at this, I’m waxing poetry . No one has ever had me like this before and so quickly. I was with Shelby for a year before I even told her about how my dad could be, and I told Janae on our first date. The best part about it is that she listened, and seemed to care about what I had to say.

Most people only want to know about football when they’re trying to get to know me. They ask questions from how I prepare for a game to actual plays that I might use. It’s all ridiculous.

“Hey man, did you see this?” Kade says as he shoves his phone into my hand. Squinting, I read the headline and all the blood drains from my face. Shit, did Janae see this? The thoughts about not telling her right away that I was a football player rushes through my mind, and from what I know about her, she’s going to be pissed. Fuck.

I push Kade’s arm out of my way, muttering, “Do you know if Janae saw this?”

“Yeah. Sam’s the one who sent it to me,” he says.

“Fuck.”

“It’s not a big deal. So someone took a few photos of you, just be careful next time,” he says.

“That’s not the problem,” I say, tightening my towel around my waist.

“What’s the problem?”

“I didn’t tell her that I was a football player. Actually, I made it sound like I was a trainer,” I tell him.

“Oh shit, that is bad,” he says.

“Yep. Now let me go take a shower so I can figure out what to do to make Janae go on another date with me,” I say as I leave him behind and head to the showers.

I take the fastest shower known to man, because the sooner I get out of here, the sooner I can fix the mess I’ve made. The need to make her understand why I didn’t tell her consumes me, and I know I won’t be able to rest until she’s at least heard me out.

Pulling my shirt on, I’m almost home free when I hear my name being called. “Mitchell.”

I look up and Coach Martin, the assistant coach for the football team, is looking at me knowingly. “Yes, Coach?”

“We need you to come in here for a moment. Coach Wilber wants a moment with you,” he says tilting his head, indicating I should follow him. A lump in my throat forms and I’m not sure what this could be about.

Putting the rest of my stuff away, I shove my wallet, phone, and keys into my pocket and quickly close up my locker. Then I make my way down the hallway toward the coaches’ offices. For some reason today, the hallway seems to have a darker feeling, and I swear I even hear doom music playing in the background.

When I reach the room, I walk in and my hands start sweating when I see both coaches, and the general manager sitting there with a stern look, whispering to each other. I just stand at the threshold, not sure what to say. But I don’t need to say anything, because Coach Wilber sees me and says, “Come on in, son. Have a seat.”

I take a first terrifying step into the room and silently take a seat on the couch. I try to rack my brain as to what could’ve happened to get called in like this. I mean, the season hasn’t even started yet.

Coach Wilber clears his throat and looks just as uncomfortable as I am. That can’t be good. “We called you in today because after the article we saw of you, we wanted to clear up some things,” he says.

“Okay,” I say warily.

“We pride ourselves on not having any of our players involved in any scandals, and though the article about you last night wasn’t a scandal, we want to make sure it stays that way,” the general manager says.

“I’m sorry. Did I give you an impression that I might cause scandals?”

“No. We just want to help you navigate this before it becomes too much,” Coach Wilber replies.

“Okay, because I can’t help what people write about me. But I can tell you that I’m not the type of person who goes out looking for anything. The girl I was with last night was a date. And I don’t think my dating life is really anyone’s business,” I explain to them hoping we can end this now.

“You’re right, it’s not. But we want to make sure that you don’t become a media circus. We are not hear to scold you, we are here to help,” Coach Martin says.

“Okay, well honestly there is nothing to tell. Kade set me up on a blind date just to get me out of the house. It turned out to be a great date,” I tell them.

Coach Martin lets out a sigh then says, “Fuck, I should’ve known Kade had a hand in this. Listen, be Kade’s friend but he loves to show off for the media. We have to have these talks with him once a week.”

“Just be on your best behavior and come to us if you have any issues,” Coach Wilber says as he cringes. You can tell that he doesn’t want to have these conversations. I wonder if this is something he does because of the general manager.

“Will do,” I say standing up from the couch. “May I go?”

“Yes. If you make headlines again, expect this again,” Coach Wilber says. “It’s team policy to have a ‘powwow’ with every unsavory one.”

“Thank you, sir,” I say then leave the room, heading out to my truck in the parking lot.

I jump into my truck but before I put it in drive, I pull out my phone and send Janae a text message.

Me: I’m sorry about everything. Are we still on for dinner tomorrow? I can explain then.

I sit and wait for a few minutes, but she never reads it. Taking a deep breath, I just hope that she’s at work and not ignoring me. With that, I put my truck in drive and head home, hoping tomorrow will be better.