Page 6

“Hey there, sour-face.” Mandy put her food tray down on my table and slid into a chair across from me. The mess hall was almost empty, only a few professors around us still eating, and I wished she had chosen some other table to sit at. But I couldn’t tell her that. So I only grunted as a way of greeting and kept attacking the turkey chop on my plate. “What’s eating you today?” she asked.

What isn’t? After the incident with Tyler at the practice last week, everything took a turn for the worse. For starters, I lost one of the best athletes on the team right before the competition season. With his shoulder injury, Rodriguez would most likely be out of commission until the spring. Second, there was the matter of team morale. Other guys became somewhat timid after I ripped one of their teammates a new one right before their eyes. Their performance had started to drop, just like their respect for me, and I didn’t have a clue on how to fix it.

Then there was Tyler. He was angry, that much was clear. And he had every right to be; I said some pretty nasty things to him. The kid didn’t deserve it. What happened at the practice was an accident, the kind that happens in contact sports. The reason I got so mad wasn’t even his fault—it was mine. It was all these weird thoughts that came to me whenever I saw him, the fucked-up dreams I’ve been having ever since that day I caught him in the shower, naked and fingering his hole.

I knew he wasn’t to blame for my own hang-ups. So, the next day I took him to the side and tried to apologize, however awkwardly, but the kid didn’t want anything to do with me. He brushed off my apology with an indifferent “Whatever,” jogging away to his friends and leaving me to stand behind like a God-damn reject. And that bugged the hell out of me more than any of that other shit did.

“It’s nothing,” I finally spoke, hiding my reluctance to talk behind a mouthful of meat. “I’m just worrying about the coming tournaments, that’s all.”

If Mandy noticed my standoffishness, she didn’t show it. “You coaches really take your job seriously, don’t you?” she said, taking a spoonful of peas. “Lighten up a little! I’m sure you and the boys will do fine.” After a moment where both of us just chewed in silence, she spoke again. “How about I take you out to dinner tonight?”

“I don’t know…”

“Come on, Blake. You drove me around for a week; it’s the least I can do. I won’t take no for an answer.”

I swallowed and took a sip of water. There wasn’t a nice way of getting out of this. “Okay, fine. But don’t complain if I turn out to be lousy company.”

“I’m a licensed therapist. I’m sure I’ll have a field day.”

“And I don’t want any of that psycho-analyzing crap!” I threatened her with my plastic fork, pointing it at her like a weapon so she’d know I wasn’t joking.

She laughed. “Fine. I promise. Your psyche is safe with me.”

I grunted and took another bite of turkey. “When do you want me to pick you up?”

“Now, don’t give me any of that macho bullshit.” It was now her turn to wield the cutlery at me. “ I’ll pick you up at eight. Now that I have my car back, there’s no reason for you to play the role of my chauffeur anymore. I know the street where you live, you just text me the number of your house. And I’m paying for dinner!”

“All right, all right, it’s a date.” I realized what I’d said a moment too late. I leaped up, grabbed the glass of water, and gulped it in one large swig. “Well, um, anyway, I better go now. Practice is about to start. ”

She bit on a piece of salad and gave me a wink. “See you tonight, big boy.”

What did I get myself into? It was becoming all too clear that Mandy wanted to be more than just friends—it took me a while, but it finally pierced through my thick skull. I only hoped I wasn’t giving her any mixed signals, because a relationship was the farthest thing from my mind right now. Especially someone I shared a workplace with. That could become real messy real fast. I haven’t even had a fling with someone since Jen had died. I’ll have to clear things up at dinner before we go any further.

But sooner or later, you’ll have to move on , a voice inside my head said. It’s time .

As I stepped into the gym, I pushed all these thoughts aside. The boys were already waiting for me, lounging on the mats, and I needed to focus on the work at hand. Before I could stop myself, my gaze wandered to Tyler. It was almost an instinct at this point. As usual, his head was turned away, his eyes fixed on the mat, not even acknowledging my existence. But isn’t that exactly what I did to him? Karma truly is a bitch.

“What are you all sitting around for?” I barked, hiding the real frustration behind the mask of roughness. “Is this a pageant queen competition, or a wrestling team? Begin with your warm-ups, stat!” I blew my whistle for good measure. “Come on! ”

The guys jumped to their feet and started stretching. Tyler was the only one who moved slowly, apathy written all over his face. Feeling my anger rise, I was tempted to tell him to get out if he wasn’t willing to put in the same effort as everyone else. But I controlled my temper and ignored him like I did all these past weeks. What good would it do if I made another scene? He hated me enough already.

Instead, I focused on other boys, circling them with assessing eyes. The warm-ups done, it was time for some technique drilling. “All right, let me see some top controls. Miller, this is not a boxing match, use the proper stance! Anderson, pay attention to your opponent’s feet when doing the half-nelson. Okay, I wanna see some turns and breakdowns now.”

They did what they were told, but the energy was not there. There was no power in their moves, their bodies heavy and listless like after a hangover. I knew it wasn’t a physical issue; I’d trained and observed them for almost two months now and all of them were in top shape. The problem was in their head. I was losing them. And it was all my fault.

How could I let this happen? I rubbed my face in despair, my head a whirl of misery and distress. How could a team be successful when their coach was such a mess? My mind thus preoccupied, my focus must have slipped for a second, because the next moment I heard a cry and I looked in time to see Tyler fall to the floor, clutching his thigh. I was right there beside him in a flash.

“What happened?” I demanded.

“I don’t know,” said his buddy Collins. “He just went down.”

“I think I pulled my hamstring,” Tyler said through clenched teeth.

I grabbed his leg, probing the hard muscle. “Tell me where it hurts.”

“Ow!” Tyler yelped and batted my hand away. “ There ! It hurts there !”

“Yep, you pulled a hammy, all right,” I said, trying to haul him up. But he pushed my hand away again, instead reaching out to his friend to get up. “No practice for you for the rest of the week. Go into the locker room and lie down for a few minutes while the pain subsides. I’ll see if I have some ice packs in my office for you to put on it.”

“Yeah, like you care,” he mumbled while Collins supported him.

“Watch your mouth,” I warned him.

“Fuck off!” he snapped, glaring at me. “Just fuck off and leave me alone!”

Holding him around the waist, Collins helped him limp out of the gym, leaving the rest of us to stand around in tense silence.

“Well, what the fuck are you all staring at?” I yelled. “Pair up and get back to training! ”

The guys scattered around the gym like bugs when someone turned on the light. No one dared to look at me as they resumed practicing their moves, their faces tight in concentration. I can only imagine what I looked like, scowling and fuming like some figure from hell.

When Collins came back into the gym, I went straight to him. “How is he?”

“Um, fine, I guess,” he said, uncomfortable under my stare. “He didn’t want my help, anyway. Told me to leave him alone.”

This was ridiculous. Sports injuries were not something to be trifled with, and I wasn’t about to let some damn kid tell me what to do. He could be there in pain, his stupid pride preventing him from seeking help that he clearly needed. I blew the whistle and shouted so that everyone could hear me. “Listen up, everybody! I’m going to go and see what I can do for your teammate. In the meantime, I want you to practice escape and reversals. Nothing fancy—only the moves that we did this week. Try not to hurt yourself or your partners while I’m gone. Scott will act as a temporary coach. Bailey, get your ass over here.” When the boy ran up to me, I took him by the shoulder and spoke in a low voice. “I’ll hold you personally responsible for anything that happens while I’m away, all right?”

He said, “Yes, coach,” and I gave him a pat on the back as encouragement .

Leaving the team under Scott’s watchful eye, I turned and stomped toward the locker room. On the walk there, I had to remind myself to calm down. I didn’t want to make the already bad situation worse. Enough is enough. I needed to fix this thing between Tyler and me, however I knew. My throat felt dry and I craved a glass of whiskey on the rocks. Just one sip, to take the edge off. I knew better, of course, but some demons were never truly gone. Only sleeping.

When I opened the locker room door, I found Tyler stripped out of his singlet, standing by his locker only in his jockstrap and rummaging through his bag. He raised his head when I entered, and we just stared at each other, neither of us moving or speaking.

Then I cleared my throat. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” he said, turning to his locker again. “Go back to your class.” But I saw him wince as he moved, his injured leg not touching the floor.

Sighing, I moved toward him. I had to bite my tongue not to say something stupid and harsh. Instead, I swiped the discarded clothes and unused gear off the nearest bench and sat down. Then I motioned for him. “Come here.”

“What?” He gawked at me like I was an alien. “Why?”

“Don’t be stupid, Davidson. You’re hurt. Now get your ass over here and let me help you. ”

He was still defiant, standing in place with his hands across his chest. “Why would I? You think I’m an idiot, remember?”

“So, prove me wrong. Do the smart thing and come here.”

There was a battle going on inside him. I saw it on his face, in his stance. He wanted to do as I asked, but his pride still held him back. “What for?”

“I’m going to give you a massage to release the tension in the muscle. It will ease up the pain and make it heal faster.” But he knew all this already. He was being deliberately obtuse, and I sighed again. “I know what I’m doing, Tyler. Would you just trust me?”

Something in him then shifted, his guard lowering but not falling completely, and he limped across the locker room floor to where I was sitting. “Fine. Where should I sit?”

“I want you to lay on your stomach across my lap.” He looked incredulous, so I explained again like I was talking to a child. “I need to have full access to the back of your leg, and without having a masseur’s table, this is the best position to do that. So go on, place yourself here.” And I patted my spread thighs as an invitation.

Slowly, he lowered himself and lay over my crotch, like a kid in need of spanking. And damn my stupid brain for thinking that, because only then did I realize his bare ass was completely exposed to me, the two elastic straps doing nothing to preserve his modesty. His buttcheeks were so round and full, two fleshy mounds clenched together firmly, making his crack completely inaccessible, his hole hidden from my view. Fuck, that ass was perfect. Feeling like a perv, I tore my gaze from it and put my hand on the back of his leg, the soft hair meeting my palm. He went even more rigid at my touch, like a log across my lap. But as I began to move my hand up and down, I felt his body relax, and I heard him sigh.

“It’s gonna take a few days until your muscle repair itself,” I told him. “I don’t want you to do anything strenuous. You can come to the practice if you’d like, but only to observe.” He didn’t respond, his breathing deep and steady. Guess he was still unwilling to talk. And I guess I deserved it. But being the adult one, it was my duty to mend this rift between us once and for all. “Listen, Davids— Tyler . What I said before… I’m really sorry about it. I snapped at you because of… something personal, not because of anything you did. It was uncalled for and I have no excuse. I… I don’t think you are stupid. In fact, I think you’re one of the smartest, most mature guys on the team. I know you hated me from the start, but this is God’s honest truth.”

“Hated you?” he said, so quiet I had to strain my ears to hear him. “I was trying to prove myself to you for weeks. And you didn’t even notice.”

“But you’re wrong,” I said. “I did notice. It was hard not to.” I took a deep breath and swallowed. “Ever since that first day, when you came in late, I’ve always noticed you.”

His crotch was pressed against my thigh, and I felt him grow hard. Dammit, what was I getting myself into? But my hand seemed to have a mind of its own, as it traveled along his skin, up to that firm, round cheek, so juicy and smooth. Only the lightest fluff covered it, like the skin of a peach, and I saw goosebumps rise across his butt. I squeezed it, and he gasped.

“Does it hurt there?”

“Mmmh…”

I knew I should’ve removed my hand at once, but I didn’t. I let it linger there, on his glute, and it seemed like it moved on its own. Caressing that lush mound of flesh, I felt Tyler slacken under my touch, the muscle going supple. My fingers slid into his cleft, brushing over his hole, and I heard him whimper, squirming on my lap like he was… he was rubbing himself on me. The boy was humping my leg.

Before I could stop him or tell him that was enough, he lurched up from my lap, hobbling backward, still shaky on his legs. His face was red and when I glanced down, I saw the head of his hard cock sticking out from the waistband of his jockstrap. Then he began to cum, abs clenching, jizz squirting onto his stomach and falling on the locker room’s floor in big, white globs.

“Oh my God,” he said, covering his face with his hands. “ Oh my God . ”

“Tyler—” I began, but I had no idea what to say. It happens? It’s no big deal? But this doesn’t—or at least shouldn’t happen, and it was a big deal. So I closed my mouth and rubbed my beard, thinking how to go on from here.

Tyler didn’t wait for me to figure things out. He turned around and tottered as fast as his leg allowed into the shower area. The sound of the water running jerked me from the stupor, and I finally stood up. I went to my office and found an ice pack in my mini-fridge, so I brought it to the locker room and left it on the bench for him. It would probably be better if I wasn’t there when he came out, so I went back to the gym to resume the practice.

At least no one else got hurt under Scott’s supervision and the class went on as usual. Tyler hasn’t reappeared again. He must have gone to his dorm after the shower. We’ll have to face each other again eventually, but at least I had the rest of the day to figure out what I was going to say to him when I saw him again .