Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 37344 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 187(@200wpm)___ 149(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37344 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 187(@200wpm)___ 149(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
“If you want to know why we don’t have any kind of a relationship, this is it right here,” I tell him. “That you can sit here and try to dictate my life to me is exactly why.”
“I’m just looking out for you, Bails.”
“No, you’re trying to control me,” I retort, my voice hard. “And I’m going to keep seeing Ben whether you like it or not.”
“Yeah, well, we’ll see what happens with him.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
He shrugs casually. “It means what it means. Basketball is a rough sport and people sustain career-ending injuries all the time.”
Although my blood is boiling, I manage to keep myself in check. “Is that what you were doing when you threw that cheap shot on him in practice? Trying to end his career?”
He gives me a smarmy grin. “I was just playing hard. If Ben is too soft and can’t handle a little physicality, he shouldn’t be playing the game.”
“I’ve never thought much of you as a person, but I can’t believe you’d do that. I can’t believe you would actually try to end somebody’s career.”
“I didn’t say I was trying to,” he says with a grin. “But then, I didn’t say I wasn’t, either.”
His smug attitude about hurting another player, let alone a player I’m in love with, finally gets under my skin and I lose control. I jump to my feet so fast that I knock my chair over behind me and lean across the table, my face twisted with rage.
“He’s more of a man than you’ll ever be, Eric. You’re nothing but a little bitch,” I shout. “You hate Ben because deep down, you know you’ll never be half the player or half the man he is and it kills you inside.”
Eric jumps up, and before I can even react, he lashes out and catches me across the face with a nasty backhand. I look at him with wide-eyed surprise, stunned that he actually hit me. I think very little of my brother, but I honestly never thought he had it in him to strike me. My cheek stings like hell, and I hold my hand to it, staring at Eric with a healthy dose of anger on my face.
My brother swallows hard. “I’m sorry, Bails. I didn’t mean to—”
“What the fuck was that?”
We both turn to see Ben standing in the doorway of the press room, his expression dark as he glares at my brother with pure hatred on his face.
“It’s not your business, man,” Eric says, trying to regain his composure. “Just walk away. This don’t concern you.”
“The fuck it doesn’t,” Ben growls.
He walks over and puts himself between me and my brother, his body tense, his hands balled into fists. Eric squares his shoulders, puffs out his chest, and raises his chin defiantly. The air in the room is heavy, and as the two men glare at each other, grows thicker with the promise of violence. I put my hand on Ben’s arm gently.
“It’s okay,” I tell him softly. “I’ve got this.”
“I know you do. I know you can take care of yourself,” he replies. “But I just watched your brother smack you across the face. That is not okay.”
“Like she said, everything’s okay,” Eric sneers. “This is between me and my sister, so go ahead and fuck off already.”
Ben strikes with the speed of lightning, giving Eric a hard, two-handed shove that sends him stumbling backward. He crashes into a set of folding chairs and goes down on his ass. Hard.
“What the fuck?”
We all turn to see Coach Holman storming into the room looking beyond displeased. As Eric scrambles to his feet, the coach puts himself between the two men, taking turns glaring at each one of them. He’s angry. But more than that, he looks disappointed.
“This is fucking unbelievable,” he growls. “I told you there were going to be consequences if you two couldn’t stop acting like goddamn children.”
Ben swallows hard. “Coach, I—”
“I don’t want to hear it, Givens. I’m really disappointed in you. In both of you,” he says. “Get out of here and go home. Do not come back to the facility until you hear from me. Do you both understand?”
Eric and Ben glare at each other, neither of them speaking. The feeling of impending violence still permeates the air in the press room and seems to be growing thicker.
“Do you both understand?” the coach repeats. “As of now, you’re both suspended. I’m going to have security escort you to your cars to make sure you get the fuck out of my gym without killing each other. Whatever you do once you’re off team grounds is your call. I’m done giving a shit about what you do.”
“Coach,” Eric starts.
“I said shut the fuck up and get out of my building. Now.”
Ben cuts a glance at me, silently saying that he'd catch up with me later, then turns and walks out of the press room. Eric glares at Coach Holman and then at me. It’s obvious he doesn’t think the problem is him and is, at least in his mind, blaming us for his troubles. As usual. But he too, finally turns and leaves. When the door slams behind him, the coach scrubs his face with his hands, an expression of absolute disgust etched into his features.