Total pages in book: 157
Estimated words: 150968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 150968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
But Cole is the good brother, the one with a soft heart. He’d never think that.
Frustration clogs my veins when I miss another chance at a touchdown, the ball ending on the sideline. Fuuuck.
I hear the half-time whistle, and then Coach is summoning the team his way. I swagger over to him, taking my sweet-ass time to join the rest of the team and making me the last one to enter the locker room. I shoulder past Maddox, who’s blocking the entrance with his body. He spears me with a dark, confused look. I know he’s pissed at me, for potentially ruining the game for the team. For him.
Like Cole, football is his life.
The only thing he has going for him. The only thing that truly matters to Maddox Coulter. He doesn’t give a shit about any girl, or the money in his back account, or the fame that comes with being a Coulter. He only cares about football.
My best buddy can’t read my mind, but he knows something is up. If there’s another person who gets me after Cole, it’s Maddox. I guess you could say, we’re the same peas in a pod. We have everything we could ask for — money, chicks, fame. But we bonded over the fact that we both live to piss off our parents. It’s probably the only reason we’re even friends in the first place.
We understand each other.
So, I have his back. And he has mine.
“What is wrong with you, Bennett?” Coach Reagan practically roars in my face when I’m close enough to him.
I rock back and forth on my heels. “I only missed a touchdown, relax. We’re still leading.”
“You missed two touchdowns,” he snarls, his face red and veins bulging in his neck. Oh yeah, he’s pissed. “And you missed three passes. That ball hit you right in the damn chest and you let it drop like a hot potato!”
Jesus Christ, why is he turning this into a huge deal? It’s not like we’re losing the game. Our opponent, Hallow High, is nothing up against our team. We’re going to win our first game, even if I’m shitting all over the field.
Coach gets right in my face, and I meet his eyes. I don’t back down or cower at his glare. “You either focus, or I bench you for the rest of the season,” he threatens, his voice low and dark.
Yeah, he won’t do that.
His glare sharpens when I scoff. “You think I’m bluffing, boy?”
I simply shrug. He knows I’m good, an asset to the team. My nonchalant response is only pissing him off more and I can’t help but grin. Apparently, angering people has been my favorite hobby lately. “You lose my game, and I’ll make sure you say goodbye to your future football career, Bennett.”
Maddox grabs me by the collar and pulls me back. “Sorry, Coach. He’ll focus now.” I lower myself onto the bench and stretch my legs out in front of me. “You will, Colton. Won’t you?”
Maddox’s shadowed gaze is imploring. Don’t fuck this up, he’s trying to silently tell me.
I release a deep breath and then nod. “Yeah, okay. I lost focus for a minute there. I’m sorry, Coach.”
Coach glares one more time at us before stalking away. I tear off my helmet as Maddox sits down beside me. He quietly hands me a bottle of water and I take it. Chugging half of the bottle, I close my eyes and inhale. Then exhale another deep breath.
“Are you going to say something to me?” I ask, keeping my eyes closed.
Maddox chuckles drily. “I would talk if I thought you’d listen. But I have a feeling I’m only going to waste my breath right now.”
“We’re still winning the game,” I complain, almost petulantly. “I don’t understand why Coach has to chew my ass out like that.”
“You know damn well why he’s mad.” Maddox knocks the back of my head with his fist. It’s both playful and a warning. “Don’t be a little shithead. This is not like you.”
“You focus, and we win the game. Then, we party.” Maddox stands up, pushing his messy hair back into a sloppy man bun. And then he puts his helmet back on.
I roll my eyes. “By party, you mean—
“Pussy.” Maddox winks.
I ignore the way my stomach revolts at the idea. Giving my best friend the smirk he expects, I follow him out of the locker room and back on the field.
***
The moment I get home, I know something is wrong. It’s late, almost midnight, but the lights are still on. I bite back a curse.
I guess Coach called my father already. He probably enjoyed ratting my ass out to Daddy Dearest. Fuck.
Maybe if I sneak back out, I’ll avoid the drama tonight. But it’s too late. He already knows I’m home. In my peripheral vision, I see his shadow looming at the top of the stairs. “In my office, now.” His voice is cold and furious.